Archive Format?

[Mitovo]

Hello,

Was just wondering. Many/most engines I see utilize a kind of custom file format which acts like a "package" or archive of the various assets used in a game. I'm guessing they're encrypted or compressed in a way that makes them tougher to unpack/hack open.

Does T3D support something like this? Or, has anyone ever done anything like that with this engine?

Thanks!

[Duion]

Yes.

By the way the Quake "pk3" format does not really make the game harder to "hack", you can tell your system those are zip files and suddenly you can browse them like normal folders.

[Mitovo]

Yes.

By the way the Quake "pk3" format does not really make the game harder to "hack", you can tell your system those are zip files and suddenly you can browse them like normal folders.

 

Indeed. In fact, the pk3 format is one I was thinking of in particular, as well as what the Unreal engine uses, etc. In some cases, though, they are a custom format and aren't so easily opened. But that's beside the point of my question.

I was thinking more in terms of organization, where instead of having folders that are basically art/music/asset dumps, they're more organized.

There's another engine I've used that utilizes a kind of "virtual folder" system which I really like. Outside of the engine/editor, it looks like a single file with a custom extension. Inside the editor, though, it's an entire hierarchy of folders and files the engine uses. I suppose it's effectively like having an entire folder hierarchy archived into a single file, which is then opened by the engine/editor. Whatever the mechanics behind it, it's a cleaner, more organized presentation that I really like.

[LukasPJ]

Torque3D has a virtual file system, which allows you to pack stuff into zip files and access it like it was a normal folder. It should support password-protected zips too I believe. Can't remember how it works though :P

[Duion]

pk3 does not seem to be a special format, I remember renaming them to .zip and I could browse them like folders or other archive files and open and close items out of it. Other games have much more complicated archive formats.

[Mitovo]

pk3 does not seem to be a special format, I remember renaming them to .zip and I could browse them like folders or other archive files and open and close items out of it. Other games have much more complicated archive formats.

 

Indeed. PK3 is one of those "just rename it to .zip" deals. But some are actually custom formats with some kind of archiving algorithm (or something similarly implemented by some smart person) where you can't simply rename it, etc.

I'm thinking more of the latter.