diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 3805837cc..a7e03910d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -41,9 +41,8 @@ dsk: asm
 # precompute FX and DFX indexes and merged data files containing multiple
 # graphic effects in a single file (loaded at runtime by LoadIndexedFile())
 #
-	rm -f "build/FX.ALL"
-	bin/buildfx.sh -p "res/FX.CONF" "build/FX.IDX" "build/FX.ALL" "build/FX.INDEXED" >>build/log
-	bin/buildfx.sh -p "res/DFX.CONF" "build/DFX.IDX" "build/FX.ALL" "build/FX.INDEXED" >>build/log
+	bin/buildindexedfile.sh -p "res/FX.CONF" "build/FX.IDX" "build/FX.ALL" "build/FX.INDEXED" >>build/log
+	bin/buildindexedfile.sh -a -p "res/DFX.CONF" "build/DFX.IDX" "build/FX.ALL" "build/FX.INDEXED" >>build/log
 #
 # substitute special characters in help text and other pages that will be
 # drawn with DrawPage()
@@ -57,18 +56,19 @@ dsk: asm
 # precompute indexed files for game help, slideshow configuration,
 # mini-attract mode configuration, and prelaunch files
 #
-	bin/buildhelp.sh "res/GAMES.CONF" "build/GAMEHELP.IDX" "build/GAMEHELP.ALL" "build/GAMEHELP" >>build/log
+	awk -F "," '!/^#/ { print $$2 }' < res/GAMES.CONF | awk -F "=" '{ print $$1 }' | sort > build/GAMES.SORTED
+	bin/buildindexedfile.sh -p "build/GAMES.SORTED" "build/GAMEHELP.IDX" "build/GAMEHELP.ALL" "build/GAMEHELP" >>build/log
 	(for f in res/SS/*; do \
 	    bin/buildokvs.sh "$$f" "build/SS/$$(basename $$f)"; \
 	    echo "$$(basename $$f)"; \
-	done) > build/SSDIR.CONF
-	bin/buildfx.sh -p "build/SSDIR.CONF" "build/SLIDESHOW.IDX" "build/SLIDESHOW.ALL" "build/SS" >>build/log
+	done) > build/SSDIR
+	bin/buildindexedfile.sh -p "build/SSDIR" "build/SLIDESHOW.IDX" "build/SLIDESHOW.ALL" "build/SS" >>build/log
 	(for f in res/ATTRACT/*; do \
 	    bin/buildokvs.sh "$$f" "build/ATTRACT/$$(basename $$f)"; \
 	    echo "$$(basename $$f)"; \
-	done) > build/ATTRACTDIR.CONF
-	bin/buildfx.sh -p "build/ATTRACTDIR.CONF" "build/MINIATTRACT.IDX" "build/MINIATTRACT.ALL" "build/ATTRACT" >>build/log
-	bin/buildhelp.sh "res/GAMES.CONF" "build/PRELAUNCH.IDX" "build/PRELAUNCH.ALL" "build/PRELAUNCH.INDEXED" >>build/log
+	done) > build/ATTRACTDIR
+	bin/buildindexedfile.sh -p "build/ATTRACTDIR" "build/MINIATTRACT.IDX" "build/MINIATTRACT.ALL" "build/ATTRACT" >>build/log
+	bin/buildindexedfile.sh "build/GAMES.SORTED" "build/PRELAUNCH.IDX" "build/PRELAUNCH.ALL" "build/PRELAUNCH.INDEXED" >>build/log
 #
 # create _FileInformation.txt files for subdirectories
 #
diff --git a/bin/buildfx.sh b/bin/buildfx.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 8cc3561c9..000000000
--- a/bin/buildfx.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,65 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-# run from project root directory
-
-# flags
-# -p  pad merged file size to next block size (default off)
-
-# parameters
-# 1 - input filename of text file containing list of effects (probably FX.CONF or DFX.CONF)
-# 2 - output filename for index file
-# 3 - output filename for merged-effects file
-# 4 - input directory of (previously assembled) effects files
-
-pad=false
-while getopts ":p:" opt; do
-      case $opt in
-          p) pad=true
-             shift
-             ;;
-      esac
-done
-
-# create merged data file if it doesn't exist, but do not truncate it
-# (we may call this script more than once with the same data file)
-touch "$3"
-
-# make temp file with list of effect names
-records=$(mktemp)
-awk '!/^$|^#|^\[/ { print }' < "$1" > "$records"
-
-# make temp assembly source file that represents the binary OKVS data structure
-source=$(mktemp)
-(echo "*=0"                            # dummy program counter for assembler
- echo "!le16 $(wc -l <"$records"), 0"  # OKVS header
- while read -r key; do
-     echo "!byte ${#key}+7"            # OKVS record length
-     echo "!byte ${#key}"              # OKVS key length
-     echo "!text \"$key\""             # OKVS key (effect name)
-     offset=$(wc -c < "$3")
-     echo "!be24 $offset"              # offset into merged-effects file
-     echo -n "!le16 "
-     # If offset+size does not cross a block boundary, use the size.
-     # Otherwise, round up size to the next block boundary.
-     # This padding does not get added to the file; it is just an
-     # optimization to avoid a partial copy on the last block read.
-     size=$(wc -c < "$4/$key")
-     if [ "$pad" = true ]; then
-         if [ $(($offset / 512)) -eq $((($offset + $size) / 512)) ]; then
-             echo "$size"
-         else
-             echo "$(((($offset + $size + 511) & -512) - $offset))"
-         fi
-     else
-         echo "$size"
-     fi
-     cat "$4/$key" >> "$3"             # add effect code into merged-effects file
-                                       # (all effects were previously assembled)
- done < "$records") > "$source"
-
-# assemble temp source file to create binary OKVS data structure
-acme -o "$2" "$source"
-
-# clean up
-rm "$source"
-rm "$records"
diff --git a/bin/buildhelp.sh b/bin/buildhelp.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index f78effa3b..000000000
--- a/bin/buildhelp.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,42 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-# run from project root directory
-
-# parameters
-# 1 - input filename of text file containing list of games (probably GAMES.CONF)
-# 2 - output filename for index file
-# 3 - output filename for merged-gamehelp file
-# 4 - input directory of gamehelp files
-
-# make temp file with list of game filenames
-records=$(mktemp)
-grep "," < "$1" | grep -v "^#" | cut -d"," -f2 | cut -d"=" -f1 | sort > "$records"
-
-# first help text is the 'TODO' placeholder screen
-cp "$4"/STANDARD "$3"
-standardsize=$(wc -c < "$3")
-
-# make temp assembly source file that represents the binary OKVS data structure
-source=$(mktemp)
-(echo "*=0"                            # dummy program counter for assembler
- echo "!le16 $(wc -l <"$records"), 0"  # OKVS header
- while read -r key; do
-     echo "!byte ${#key}+7"            # OKVS record length
-     echo "!byte ${#key}"              # OKVS key length
-     echo "!text \"$key\""             # OKVS key (effect name)
-     if [ -f "$4/$key" ]; then
-         echo "!be24 $(wc -c < "$3")"  # offset into merged-gamehelp file (3-byte big-endian)
-         echo "!le16 $(wc -c < "$4/$key")" # size
-         cat "$4/$key" >> "$3"         # add this gamehelp to the merged-gamehelp file
-     else
-         echo "!be24 0"                # if game has no help, reuse placeholder at offset 0
-         echo "!le16 $standardsize"    # and the size of the placeholder text
-     fi
- done < "$records") > "$source"
-
-# assemble temp source file to create binary OKVS data structure
-acme -o "$2" "$source"
-
-# clean up
-rm "$source"
-rm "$records"
diff --git a/bin/buildindexedfile.sh b/bin/buildindexedfile.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..1b963bc28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/buildindexedfile.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# flags
+# -a  append to data file (default off = truncate)
+# -p  pad sizes within data file to next block size (default off)
+
+# parameters
+# 1 - input filename of text file containing list of effects (probably FX.CONF or DFX.CONF)
+# 2 - output filename for index file
+# 3 - output filename for data file
+# 4 - input directory of files to merge into data file
+
+pad=false
+append=false
+standardsize=0
+while getopts ":ap" opt; do
+    case $opt in
+        a) append=true
+           ;;
+        p) pad=true
+           ;;
+    esac
+done
+shift $((OPTIND-1))
+
+if [ -f "$4"/STANDARD ]; then
+    cp "$4"/STANDARD "$3"
+    standardsize=$(wc -c < "$3")
+elif [ "$append" = false ]; then
+    rm -f "$3"
+fi
+touch "$3"
+
+# make temp file with list of lines that contain keys
+records=$(mktemp)
+awk '!/^$|^#|^\[/ { print }' < "$1" > "$records"
+
+# make temp assembly source file that represents the binary OKVS data structure
+source=$(mktemp)
+(echo "*=0"                            # dummy program counter for assembler
+ echo "!le16 $(wc -l <"$records"), 0"  # OKVS header
+ while IFS="=" read -r key value; do
+     echo "!byte ${#key}+7"            # OKVS record length
+     echo "!byte ${#key}"              # OKVS key length
+     echo "!text \"$key\""             # OKVS key
+     if [ -f "$4/$key" ]; then         # if file exists, determine offset and size
+         offset=$(wc -c < "$3")
+         echo "!be24 $offset"          # offset into merged data file
+         echo -n "!le16 "
+         size=$(wc -c < "$4/$key")
+         if [ "$pad" = true ]; then
+             # If offset+size does not cross a block boundary, use file's true size.
+             # Otherwise, round up size to the next block boundary.
+             # This padding does not get added to the file; it is just an
+             # optimization to avoid a partial copy on the last block read.
+             if [ $(($offset / 512)) -eq $((($offset + $size) / 512)) ]; then
+                 echo "$size"
+             else
+                 echo "$(((($offset + $size + 511) & -512) - $offset))"
+             fi
+         else
+             # Caller said never pad, so always use file's true size.
+             echo "$size"
+         fi
+         cat "$4/$key" >> "$3"         # append this file to the end of the merged data file
+     else                              # if file does not exist, reuse placeholder at offset 0
+         echo "!be24 0"
+         echo "!le16 $standardsize"
+     fi
+ done < "$records") > "$source"
+
+# assemble temp source file to create binary OKVS data structure
+acme -o "$2" "$source"
+
+# clean up
+rm "$source"
+rm "$records"