Feature: PAK/PK3/archive format

[sk89q]

PAK/PK3/archive format

[cusoman]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
-Cusoman

-Plus then for each map it could have a map info file, the custom textures, the map, and a picture in it, so that as the game is loading, it displays a picture in the corner. (like most Q3 engine games.)

[ViciouZ]

peh, pak files are fine.

[cusoman]

well this game doesn't even use those
-Cusoman

[ViciouZ]

It can :-)
Zorch packs his menus in them.

[sk89q]

But it doesn't download them. :3

[Zorchenhimer]

It can :-)
Zorch packs his menus in them.

I tried it once.  It came back with a bunch of issues.  How about a better implementation of PAK files?

[Eiii]

Why not just zip it up and have people unzip it? Yes, PAK files make distribution a bit easier, but then it's much more difficult for people to use any textures you release with your map, and I'd bet lots of textures would be put out there three or four times.

[Garrett]

What is a PAK file and how will it help make distribution easier?

[Eiii]

It's a single file that contains all of the data (BSP, textures, sound, models, whatever else you want to include) for a map.

[Garrett]

Wow, that would be more useful.

[Cobo]

Why not just zip it up and have people unzip it? Yes, PAK files make distribution a bit easier, but then it's much more difficult for people to use any textures you release with your map, and I'd bet lots of textures would be put out there three or four times.

Pk3's are zip files with another extension.

[cusoman]

Right, you can rename pk3's to .zip and it works fine.  PK3 is also more condensed then .pak files and are specifically designed to be used as a directory, so I say add pk3 support.
-Cusoman

[Eiii]

Why not add zip support?

EDIT: Wait a sec, what if a map uses textures contained in another PAK file? Seems like if that was taken to the extreme (a map drawing from 4 or 5 different paks), it would increase load times quite a bit.

[Cobo]

Why not add zip support?

EDIT: Wait a sec, what if a map uses textures contained in another PAK file? Seems like if that was taken to the extreme (a map drawing from 4 or 5 different paks), it would increase load times quite a bit.

Well, it has worked for quake/quake2/quake3.

[cusoman]

well, those games used the same textures.  Basically there would be a texpack1 file with all the textures, and in the .pk3/.zip/.pak files, there would just be custom textures used only in that map.
-Cusoman

EDIT: plus pk3 files can be used as directories, so maps can reference other pk3 files for textures.

[Cobo]

EDIT: plus pk3 files can be used as directories, so maps can reference other pk3 files for textures.

Yes, we all know that. But what Eiii was saying was that some maps could load textures from several different pak files.

And...

PK3 is also more condensed then .pak files and are specifically designed to be used as a directory, so I say add pk3 support.
-Cusoman

pak files were design for that too.


One thing that people dont seem to realize is that DP already has pak file support.

[jitspoe]

EDIT: Wait a sec, what if a map uses textures contained in another PAK file? Seems like if that was taken to the extreme (a map drawing from 4 or 5 different paks), it would increase load times quite a bit.

I think pak files do increase load time, but not as much as pk3/zip files, which require pre-scanning and decompression.

Since pak files are already supported, what is the purpose of this feature request?  Are you suggesting all the game data be put into pak files?

-Plus then for each map it could have a map info file, the custom textures, the map, and a picture in it, so that as the game is loading, it displays a picture in the corner. (like most Q3 engine games.)

Pak files aren't necessary for any of this.

The other problem with pak files, is, say like 10 people create maps using textures from the CTP and include those textures with their map in a pak file.  All of a sudden, there are 10 copies of the same textures.  Then what if y00tz updates the CTP later with some texture fixes and tweaks?  Which textures get used?  There are 10 to choose from?