How to Compress Games (repack)

[thenokiottos]

Hello everyone.
I've discovered repacks a few months ago, and i didn't really give them much importance, as they are always in english and i'm italian. Now, with the wisdom of hindsight, i want to learn how to compress my games in order to backup them, just like those repacks (i'm only talking about compression, not ripping languages/mp etc.)
I've tried every high compression software that i found, UHARC, FreeArc, 7zip, KGB, always at maximum settings, obtaining at max a miserable 98% compression ratio.
When I was browsing into the dark depths of the web, searching for a lighthouse, i shipwrecked in this forum, and i knew that my quest was finally over...or this is what i'd like to say, because, as you might have understood, i'm a noob in this "professional compression" sector.

From this thread (http://encode.su/threads/1190-Precom...highlight=game) i understood this:
"shortly:
1. combine files together using "arc -m0 -dm0"
2. process archive with precomp
3. process output with srep
4. compress output with "arc -mx" " kindly explained by Bulat Ziganshin

I will put here all the questions that i have in mind, brace yourselves:

1. In order to use the first command in cmd what files do i need to have? just arc.exe? (found it in the freearc folder)
2. Does the command function on folders?
3. I will skip the precomp part because even a total noob like me understands it
4. what's the command line for processing files with srep?I found only how to set freearc to use srep in the arc.ini file
5. For the last section i will compress everything with ultra settings on freearc
6. How THE HELL will i decompress all this s**t with a .bat? Do i have to decompress everything in reverse order?

That's all for now. I know nobody wants to help little noobs that don't understand anything and just want to *click* and have everything done,
for this reason i will try my best to limit my questions and understand your instructions.
Thank you for your attention.

[PiPPoNe92]

Hello thenokiottos, I'm also italian and I have got a lot of rips (also repack signed P92 or PiPPoNe92). Then, if you would like repack games, first you must install the entire game in your PC, so you can compress the installation directory (in C:\programs files) it with your right sequence:
1. combine files together using "arc -m0 -dm0"
2. process archive with precomp
3. process output with srep
4. compress output with "arc -mx";
After this, you must save registry game file! Because if you would play in an other computer, it will know installation information of the game. So, go to start>in the search bar write "regedit">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE>game registry>dx mouse>export.
Now you can make file .bat that automates all extract operations.
Finally, you can use innosetup for generate an setup of your game
P.S. Examples of my rips are:
Race Driver GRID (ITA) *Full-Rip* [PiPPoNe92]
Demigod ENG *REPACK* [P92]
Men Of War ITA *REPACK* [P92]
Need For Speed UnderCover (ITA) *Rip* [PiPPoNe92]
Fifa 09 (ITA) *Full-Rip* [PiPPoNe92]
Conflict Desert Storm II (ENG) *Full-Rip* [PiPPoNe92]
Worms 4 Mayhem (Multi5) *Full-Rip* [PiPPoNe92]

[thenokiottos]

Doppio post

[thenokiottos]

Hello thenokiottos, I'm also italian and I have got a lot of rips (also repack signed P92 or PiPPoNe92). Then, if you would like repack games, first you must install the entire game in your PC, so you can compress the installation directory (in C:\programs files) it with your right sequence:
1. combine files together using "arc -m0 -dm0"
2. process archive with precomp
3. process output with srep
4. compress output with "arc -mx";
After this, you must save registry game file! Because if you would play in an other computer, it will know installation information of the game. So, go to start>in the search bar write "regedit">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE>game registry>dx mouse>export.
Now you can make file .bat that automates all extract operations.
Finally, you can use innosetup for generate an setup of your game
P.S. Examples of my rips are:
Race Driver GRID (ITA) *Full-Rip* [PiPPoNe92]
Demigod ENG *REPACK* [P92]
Men Of War ITA *REPACK* [P92]
Need For Speed UnderCover (ITA) *Rip* [PiPPoNe92]
Fifa 09 (ITA) *Full-Rip* [PiPPoNe92]
Conflict Desert Storm II (ENG) *Full-Rip* [PiPPoNe92]
Worms 4 Mayhem (Multi5) *Full-Rip* [PiPPoNe92]

mi hai proprio risparmiato un bordello di lavoro
grazie mille, mi hai chiarito molto le cose
Per curiosità anche a te ci mette tipo due ore per estrarre i giochi compressi con arc+precomp+srep+arc??
Son riuscito a comprimere call of duty ma ci mette una vita a installarmelo

[PiPPoNe92]

thenokiottos, in this forum I speak english because all users interessed to this argument can understand.
If you would waste less time, you can use my trick for compress games:
1-Store (non compress) entire game in a .tar file (you can use 7z) as you have only a file to compress in future;
2-Now, compress .tar file with srep (try different paramiters to compress, they give different results in compression ratio!)
3-Use the compressor with high compression ratio & good compression time: nanozip (http://www.nanozip.net/download.html);
4-Finish, you have got a game repack, you just have to automate it with batch (.bat file).

P.S. It's true, for decompressing a game it would often 30-40 minutes max (is too much 2 hours :O)
P.S. Mi e' capitato in precedenza di comprimere il gioco call of duty ed avere risultati molto soddisfacienti, anche di qualita' superiore a quelli in circolazione parlando di peso del gioco compresso.
Un consiglio che ti do è di estrarre ogni archivio .iwd in una cartella a parte (proprio cosi' sono semplici archivi .zip rinominati .iwd) e "giocare" un po' con i vari file audio all'interno attraverso conversioni e compressioni usando ad esempio un programma comodissimo per questo tipo di cose: Easy CD-DA extractor (http://fcportables.blogspot.it/2012/...tor-16011.html) poi ricomprimere ogni cartella con winzip rinominando i vari file con l'estensione .iwd.....poi fai tu