Pack File Manager 1.12 (w/ integrated .loc editor)

[NONOPUST]

Thank you very much.

+rep

[LtChambers]

Reading "InstallPath" from "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Valve\Steam" will give you something like:

C:\Program Files\Steam
or
D:\program Files\Steam
Or whatever you installed steam to


I think the ETW installation is always relative to steam so appending "\steamapps\common\empire total war" will give you the full path to the ETW install.


- barvaz

I'll grant that's an alternative way to do it, assuming there truly is no way to change the steamapps path and that the retail copy installs the same way.

You said that different Windows versions would use different paths to the Uninstall key; is it really different between XP/Vista, or is it just different between 32/64? I've already accounted for the 32/64 difference (I hope) in the 1.2 update.

[Iaius Statius Laurentius]

I bought the retail copy in hopes I could install it to whatever directory I wanted, but it still went into the steam folder like any other steam application. So yeah, it looks like they'll have the same path once inside the steam directory.

[Adhamh Ashashi]

I don't have the game but if you spent this time making this programme you deserve praise.

Well done my friend, well done.

[badger1815]

Hi there Lt, nice work!

Did you actually manage to change one of those files? I've tried to alter a name of a battelfield in the battles db file & it crashed etw on startup. Even when i hexedited it back to the original file. Edits were done to the patch.pack

cheers
B

[shoop]

When adding files they dont go into the sub folders and cant be moved from the root folder.

[LtChambers]

Hi there Lt, nice work!

Did you actually manage to change one of those files? I've tried to alter a name of a battelfield in the battles db file & it crashed etw on startup. Even when i hexedited it back to the original file. Edits were done to the patch.pack

cheers
B

Yes, I've edited unit accuracies this way, but not much else yet. I am pretty confident in the accuracy of the repacking code. I suspect your hexediting went a little awry. If you changed the string's length, did you change the corresponding string length variable that precedes the string? And what kind of string were you changing? If it's an id-string and it's cross-referenced by other files, that's a problem.

Im having trouble replaceing files, the changes are not saving. Also when adding files they dont go into the sub folders and cant be moved from the root folder.

Did you save your file after making the change? I need to add a prompt for saving before you exit (if you've made changes).

The adding files thing is a known limitation - the file you add should take its path relative to where it is in the filesystem. So if you open up:
c:\foo.pack
And you then add:
c:\some\deeper\directory\file.txt
Then file.txt should show up in the pack like:
some/deeper/directory/file.txt

[shoop]

The first thing about replacing was my error, thanks for the tip on the filesystem!

[badger1815]

Hi,

in the battles file i've tried replacing flanders with waterloo in the folders, while copying the flanders folder to waterloo folder in the battleterrain/presets/ folder.

...f.l.a.n.d.e.r.s...c.l.a.s.s.i.c....B.a.t.t.l.e.T.e.r.r.a.i.n./.P.r.e.s.e.t.s./.f.l.a.n.d.e.r.s./

...f.l.a.n.d.e.r.s...c.l.a.s.s.i.c....B.a.t.t.l.e.T.e.r.r.a.i.n./.P.r.e.s.e.t.s./.w.a.t.e.r.l.o.o./

Didn't change the file size even. Also, i've tried opening the patch.pak & just save it & it crashes too. Maybe something special is checked (creation date?)

cheers
B

[LtChambers]

What were you trying to accomplish? Also, you might want to do a binary comparison between the backed up patch.pack (you did make a backup, didn't you? ) and the saved one. If there are differences where you think there shouldn't be, I'd like to hear about it.

[Jams79]

I'm having a similar problem with the patch.pack (trying to edit unit stats). Every time I replace the file in the pack the game crashes on startup, to test it I extracted a file and then replaced it back in (never even openned the db file let alone edit it) and the game still crashed out.

[LtChambers]

Hmm, did the file size change from before/after you saved it? I wonder if it's a 32/64bit discrepancy.

[Jams79]

No change in file size, I am using 32bit and I have SF if that could make any difference.

[JohnHamm]

Well this version is working for me thank you sir

[LtChambers]

Does anybody have 32-bit and it works fine for them?

[Chevalier IX]

it works fine for me,but i am unable to restart it,wher eis the exe???where does it actually install to???

[Paranoid Android]

Oops. I've made a blunder. And i'm not sure what I've done, but my ETW hangs/freezes on startup.

I tried to replace unit_stats_land in patch.pack with another edited version (defence changed for Prussian Line infantry - that's all), and I think I did, but now the game doesn't load.

And *gulp* I did something very, very stupid. Up until now I've been religiously making backups - this time I did NOT back up patch.pack. I had what I thought was the original unit_stats_land file from main.pack but when I tried to replace the edited version in patch.pack, it still crashed on start up.

[LtChambers]

Oops. I've made a blunder. And i'm not sure what I've done, but my ETW hangs/freezes on startup.

I tried to replace unit_stats_land in patch.pack with another edited version (defence changed for Prussian Line infantry - that's all), and I think I did, but now the game doesn't load.

And *gulp* I did something very, very stupid. Up until now I've been religiously making backups - this time I did NOT back up patch.pack. I had what I thought was the original unit_stats_land file from main.pack but when I tried to replace the edited version in patch.pack, it still crashed on start up.

Try this unit_stats:

[Paranoid Android]

Try this unit_stats:

Thanks very much LtChambers, but I managed to get Steam to replace the file for me ('verify integrity of game cache')! By God, Steam has a use at last!

Still not sure what I could have done wrong though, only changed two values and I was sure they were the correct ones. Think I'll leave it for now.

[badger1815]

Hi Lt,

I've opened the patch.pack in Pack Manager & saved it again (no changes made). Filesize remained the same.

When i did the hex compare, i found just 1 little difference, right at the beginning of the file, position 0x00000004.


Original file:

50 46 48 30 02

Opened & saved in Pack Manager:

50 46 48 30 01

Whereas changing a file in the patch.pak chrashes the game, opening and saving it hangs it right before the intro movies.

I'm using windows XP, 32bit

cheers
B