Package Plugins
Many games store 3D models, textures, and other game files in some type of compressed package format. These can be anything from a simple ZIP file to a custom multi-file archive system. This has the benefit of making the install size of the game smaller, and can prevent users from accessing the raw files. Often times undocumented proprietary file formats are used to optimize loading time, although with DDS and glTF this is not such a problem anymore.
Leadwerks uses built-in support for encrypted ZIP files. In our new engine I wanted the ability to load game files from a variety of package formats, so our tools would have compatibility with many different games. To support this I implemented a new plugin type for package files. Packages can be used like this:
auto pak = LoadPackage("data.zip"); auto dir = pak->LoadDir(""); for (auto file : dir) { if (pak->FileType(file) == 1) { auto stream = pak->ReadFile(); } }
I created a package plugin for loading Valve package files and added support for browsing packages in the new editor, alongside with regular old folders. Ever wanted to see what the insides of some of your favorite games look like? Now you can:
This can work not just for textures, but for materials, 3D models, and even scene or map files.
I envision this system being flexible enough to support a wide variety of games, so that the new editor can be used not just as a game development tool but as a tool for modding games, even for games that don't have any official tools. All it takes is the right set of plugins to pull all those weird specialized file formats into our editor and export again in a game-ready format.
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