Best Compression Methods for 'Specific' Games. Q&A

[Dragonis40]

Good morning! I'd like to replace "Ultraarc v2.9.0.0 R9" with a simple .bat file, but the issue (for me) is I don't know how to merge the various .tmp file generated from compression into a final .bin file.
The reason why I'm asking this is because, sometimes, final .bin files decompression (whose setup.exe is generated using Inno Setup) generates an error (unarc.dll -1 error). If I decompress final .bin file with a simple .bat file, I have no unarc.dll error.
Thank you for your reply!

[Masquerade]

Originally Posted by Dragonis40

Good morning! I'd like to replace "Ultraarc v2.9.0.0 R9" with a simple .bat file, but the issue (for me) is I don't know how to merge the various .tmp file generated from compression into a final .bin file.
The reason why I'm asking this is because, sometimes, final .bin files decompression (whose setup.exe is generated using Inno Setup) generates an error (unarc.dll -1 error). If I decompress final .bin file with a simple .bat file, I have no unarc.dll error.
Thank you for your reply!

The tmp files are only used when Freearc compression is running. FA should automatically take tmp file from the finished operation and put it into the archive

[Dragonis40]

Originally Posted by Masquerade

The tmp files are only used when Freearc compression is running. FA should automatically take tmp file from the finished operation and put it into the archive

Thank you for your reply, but how can I use masks using batch file? Let me better explain: when I compress a batch of files using a specific mask (e.g. .bik or .bk2 files compressed with MASK=BPK), FA creates a .tmp file. What I'd like to do is add more .tmp files (created by the compression of other files using specific masks) to the one previously created and, when all files have been compacted, "close" the compression creating a final .bin file.

[KaktoR]

-m<default method>/$<mask1>=<method>/$<mask2>=<method> ...

arc.groups is required

Tbh I don't understand what your question is about at all. It is like Masquerade already said, FA will create tmp files with every compression step and collect them together on final stage to create a readable archive then.

[Dragonis40]

Originally Posted by KaktoR

-m<default method>/$<mask1>=<method>/$<mask2>=<method> ...

arc.groups is required

Tbh I don't understand what your question is about at all. It is like Masquerade already said, FA will create tmp files with every compression step and collect them together on final stage to create a readable archive then.

This is what I was looking for: how to concatenate several masks in a batch file! Thank you so much!
One more question: is there any way to speed up decompression? I've tried XLolz, which is very faster in compression rather than lolz, but decompression is slower and compression ratio is not as good as lolz.
Any suggestions? Thank you.

[Masquerade]

Originally Posted by Dragonis40

This is what I was looking for: how to concatenate several masks in a batch file! Thank you so much!
One more question: is there any way to speed up decompression? I've tried XLolz, which is very faster in compression rather than lolz, but decompression is slower and compression ratio is not as good as lolz.
Any suggestions? Thank you.

Don't use XLolz - there's absolutely no need for it to exist. Lolz decompression speed through cls-lolz plugin is imensely quick and already much faster to the point where your limiting factor is the speed of your storage medium, not the algo.

Your decompression speed will be limited by any precompressor you have used and what algo it's trying to recompress. I think you were talking about CyberPunk 2077, right? That game uses Oodle Kraken compression and XTool is working it's ass off to compress that for you as quick as possible.

[Dragonis40]

Originally Posted by Masquerade

Don't use XLolz - there's absolutely no need for it to exist. Lolz decompression speed through cls-lolz plugin is imensely quick and already much faster to the point where your limiting factor is the speed of your storage medium, not the algo.

Your decompression speed will be limited by any precompressor you have used and what algo it's trying to recompress. I think you were talking about CyberPunk 2077, right? That game uses Oodle Kraken compression and XTool is working it's ass off to compress that for you as quick as possible.

I'm talking about Cyberpunk 2077. I've used Oodle Kraken (the one you can find into bin\x64 folder) to compress most of .archive files. I've also noticed two of them can be decompressed and files inside can be compressed with other methods.
Of course I've used Oodle Kraken file for decompression as well.
For decompression, I've used cls-srep, cls-lolz, xtool_2020, precomp and something else to compress decompressed .archive files.
I'm still unexperienced in compressing and decompressing world, but how can Fitgirl version be 200 mb smaller then my final compressed .bin file and taking almost 20 minutes less (installation time) then mine?

[Masquerade]

OK now you've completely lost me. The archives are already compressed with kraken. You use the precompressor (XTool) on them. There's absolutely no need to use precomp here. It's not needed.

[dixen]

Project CARS 2 (7.1)

*.bff - XTool v053 (BMS DB)+srep+lolz
45.6 gb > 102 gb > 46 gb > 17.2 gb

*.bik - bpk
2.6 gb > 1.9 gb

*.bank - srep+lzma2
1 gb > 500 mb

Rest files - srep+lolz
1 gb > 129 mb

RePack's size - 20 gb
Install time - 30 min (R5 3600)

BMS Database - here

Note.
Also need oo2core_4_Win64.dll from Game folder.

[KaktoR]

Kena Bridge of Spirits
pak zlib

bk2 bpk doesn't work (kb2n)

[Masquerade]

Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator

xzlib+srep+lolz/$jpg=brunsli

• 3.2GB ---> 1.5GB

[Wanterlude]

Terra Invicta (v.0.3.18)

XTool (Unity plugin + liblz4 1.9.3)+srep+lolz

Compressed 979 files, 20,418,359,013 => 7,908,853,159 bytes. Ratio 38.73%
Compression time: cpu 149.16 sec/real 9259.21 sec = 2%. Speed 2.21 mB/s
Overall conversion time: 02:34:21

19.02 GB => 7.37 GB

[angeldarkRS]

Originally Posted by Wanterlude

Terra Invicta (v.0.3.18)

XTool (Unity plugin + liblz4 1.9.3)+srep+lolz

Compressed 979 files, 20,418,359,013 => 7,908,853,159 bytes. Ratio 38.73%
Compression time: cpu 149.16 sec/real 9259.21 sec = 2%. Speed 2.21 mB/s
Overall conversion time: 02:34:21

19.02 GB => 7.37 GB

What specs your PC/Laptop?

[Wanterlude]

Originally Posted by angeldarkRS

What specs your PC/Laptop?

11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-11400F
16,0 GB RAM
M.2 SSD

[L33THAK0R]

Whats the best method for processing unencrypted UE4 ".pak" files? I've tried just applying xtool's zlib+reflate / oodle codecs but whilst the streams are picked up I always have issues decompressing, with the archives being reported as corrupted. I used to just process the pak's by unpacking and compressing the loose files but with larger titles this isn't very efficient for the user's disk I/O and with some titles I'm investigating currently (such as "Phantom Doctrine"), seemingly random files fail to decompress, pushing me to investigate again into packing the compressed ".pak" files as they're originally presented instead.