Compress/Decompress Unreal Files In Windows Explorer

[Elohim]

For those that add custom maps to their servers and would like an easy way to compress unreal files to .uz3, here is an easy way to integrate the process into Windows explorer. All it requires is modifying entries in your registry.

Let's start with *.ut3 files. In your registry navigate to,
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes

1. Add a new KEY called ".ut3" (don't include the quotes)
2. From within the above key, create a new key called "shell"
3. From within the above key, create a new key called "Compress".

The above can be any name you want.

However, if you want to run as administrator (because your maps are in a path controlled by UAC), then name it "runas" and set the (Default) string value to what you want to see in the context menu.

4. From within the above key, create a new key called "command".
5. Set the (Default) value to "<Path>\UT3.com compress %1". For example, mine is
C:\Program Files (x86)\Unreal Tournament 3\Binaries\UT3.com compress %1

Correction: Make it look like this instead (notice the quotes)
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Unreal Tournament 3\Binaries\UT3.com" compress "%1"

Here is a screenshot example.


Just repeat the above process if you want to include *.upk and *.u files. Additionally, you can add the ability to decompress uz3 files by doing the same thing and then using "UT3.com decompress %1". Be sure to change the key name from Compress to Decompress, or call it whatever you want.

So now when you right click on your file, you should see an option at the top of the context menu to compress or decompress the files.

Hope you find it useful - I know I do

There is one issue I found. Sometimes the compressed file does not get placed in the same directory where the source file lives

For example, when I tried to compress the following:
C:\Users\XXX\Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Unpublished\CookedPC\CustomMaps\Tutorial. ut3

it placed it here,
C:\Users\XXX\Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Unpublished\Unpublished\CookedPC\CUSTOM~1 \Tutorial.ut3.uz3

Bizarre ...

[AZ-{OVGY}]

Or you could just use UT3Compress, no registry edits needed, no installation. Just download, unzip, start compressing

[Elohim]

Or you could just use UT3Compress, no registry edits needed, no installation. Just download, unzip, start compressing

No offense, but I don't think that program is very good. It doesn't remember settings, so every time you launch it you have to choose the location of UT3, choose an output directory, and then navigate to the file(s) to compress. So from the point of having a file ready to compress, there is a tremendous amount of mouse clicking needed to be done just to do it.

I actually started my on project to replace UT3Compress, which would provide far better usability, settings memory, suppressing dos boxes, drag & drop, etc. Then again, right clicking on the file and choosing compress sounds much easier to me.

[Slaughter]

Nice. I'll give it a shot.

[»Vûlçåñø«]

Ive do the same thing what "Elohim" before he has written it ^^ but i use an other method.

The Tool UTCompress is a bad tool.

- Everytime you run it, you have to enter the directory who UT3 is installed
- No ini was written here
- this tool starts for every files a session, so it takes a long long time if you have more files to compress.

So, now my method.

Ive written a little tool, that is no other like ...\UT3.com "%1" "%2" "%3" "%4" "%5" ... f.e.
Just link it to the registry or to the "SendTo" Dir an then you can much more Files compress and much faster, because UT3.com was start once only.

cheers

[Slaughter]

Ive do the same thing what "Elohim" before he has written it ^^ but i use an other method.

The Tool UTCompress is a bad tool.

- Everytime you run it, you have to enter the directory who UT3 is installed
- No ini was written here
- this tool starts for every files a session, so it takes a long long time if you have more files to compress.

So, now my method.

Ive written a little tool, that is no other like ...\UT3.com "%1" "%2" "%3" "%4" "%5" ... f.e.
Just link it to the registry or to the "SendTo" Dir an then you can much more Files compress and much faster, because UT3.com was start once only.

cheers

Well, what you've posted is incomplete. How is someone supposed to set it up or test it?

As for Elohim's technique; it works like a champ. I went ahead and set up the keys for .upk and .u files as well.

Since I tend to stage a bunch of files to be compressed and uploaded to the redirect in a separate single folder I can explore and select several at once; right click and select Compress and they are all taken care of. Granted, ut3.com is started for each file selected, but since doing file compression isn't an everyday thing it isn't that much of a bother.

[AZ-{OVGY}]

No offense, but I don't think that program is very good. It doesn't remember settings, so every time you launch it you have to choose the location of UT3, choose an output directory, and then navigate to the file(s) to compress. So from the point of having a file ready to compress, there is a tremendous amount of mouse clicking needed to be done just to do it.

I actually started my on project to replace UT3Compress, which would provide far better usability, settings memory, suppressing dos boxes, drag & drop, etc. Then again, right clicking on the file and choosing compress sounds much easier to me.

The program is still pretty new, hence it being v1.0, UT3Compress is a simple tool for people who do not want to have to edit their registry for the sake of compressing files, or for those who do not know how to do that or are a bit cautious of it.

Quotes from Epitaph (maker of UT3Compress)

"I am keeping track of requests"

"In response to not saving locations: If I create another version I will be sure to save the locations that were chosen to a configuration somewhere so it will remember them the next time you open the program."

[spyd3r]

how do you compress/decompress ut files on linux?

[gämmö]

Thaks, works fine. Only it kills the Ut3 icon on the files and replaces it with a Word Document Icon. It can get a bit confusing, but the ease of selecting a file and then with one single right click to compress is awesome.

Nice work man.

[Slaughter]

Thaks, works fine. Only it kills the Ut3 icon on the files and replaces it with a Word Document Icon. It can get a bit confusing, but the ease of selecting a file and then with one single right click to compress is awesome.

Nice work man.

Easily fixed.

1) Open the Explorer, select menu option Tools | Options and click on the File Types tab.
2) Click New, type UZ3 and click OK.
3) Click the Advanced button, then Change Icon... and browse for the UT3 executable to select the icon and click OK.
4) Click OK and then Close to exit the Folder Options dialog.

(I used CookerSync.exe so compressed files use the green U icon.)

[jcantu20]

When is the creator of Redirect Checker making a UT3 version? That's the best and easiest of all.

[AZ-{OVGY}]

Maybe start a topic for this, you may yield a better response, this topic is about compressing/decompressing files (thats all people see in the title).

[estecb]

it's my first post here

I'm traying to decompress a upk file... I do every step from the elohim method perfectly... but when I try to decompress a upk game file, a DOS windows appears then the game is automaticly executed (runned)... but the file was not extracted.

I don't installed any patch to the game. I need some patch or something?

I hope somebody can help me.

Thanks in advanced

[Slaughter]

There is one issue I found. Sometimes the compressed file does not get placed in the same directory where the source file lives

For example, when I tried to compress the following:
C:\Users\XXX\Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Unpublished\CookedPC\CustomMaps\Tutorial. ut3

it placed it here,
C:\Users\XXX\Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Unpublished\Unpublished\CookedPC\CUSTOM~1 \Tutorial.ut3.uz3

Bizarre ...

This is because UT3.com isn't handling the long file (folder) name properly. UT3.exe would.

I'm traying to decompress a upk file... I do every step from the elohim method perfectly... but when I try to decompress a upk game file, a DOS windows appears then the game is automaticly executed (runned)... but the file was not extracted.

I don't installed any patch to the game. I need some patch or something?

You would need the latest patch.

[estecb]

I install the 1.2 patch, but when I try to decompress a upk file, this message appear:

Init: version: 3543
Init: Epic Internal: 0
Init: Compiled: Feb 13 2008 20:45:17
Init: Command Line: "C:\Program files\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\CookedPC\CTF_Flags.upk"
Init: Bse directory: C:\Program files\Unreal Tournament 3\Binaries\
Init: Character set: Unicode
Log: Executing Class IpDrv.DecompressCommandlet
Error, Compressed files must end in .uz3

Warning/Error summary
----------------------
Error, Compressed files must end in .uz3

Failure - 1error<s>, 0 warning<s>

Execution of commandlet took: 0.07 seconds

This tool should be decompress upk files, right? It's telling me that's only decompress .uz3 files...

I only download the 1.2 patch... I never installed the 1.1 path, maybe it's the problem or something else?

PS: There are some other tool to uncompress upk files?

Thanks in advanced

Edit: I installed the 1.1 patch but it's worst... With this just happend the first problem...

[Slaughter]

Sorry. I wasn't reading your original post correctly. No, you can't uncompress a upk file with these methods.

These methods take an original uncompressed file (like a .ut3 map or a .upk file) and compress them into uz3 files for placement on a redirect server. And then if desired you can take the uz3 file and decompress it back to the original file (like a upk file).

[Bret Hart]

I get an error message when trying to decompress a ut3.uz3 file, it says it's a non-valid unreal package?

[UnrealGrrl]

i used the UT3 Vice Tool to decompress files and it seems to work most of the time. got some corrupt files but they might have been that way from the dl to start. most worked.

http://www.fileplanet.com/187733/180...mpression-tool

http://www.utzone.de/include.php?pat...contentid=6890

[UnrealGrrl]

to use compression on the server do i need to enable anything or it will just see and use the compressed files now? thx!

[idnewton]

So how do I decompress a .uz3?

[unrealloco]

download what they told u to download and youll be able to decompress

i used the UT3 Vice Tool to decompress files and it seems to work most of the time. got some corrupt files but they might have been that way from the dl to start. most worked.

http://www.fileplanet.com/187733/180...mpression-tool

http://www.utzone.de/include.php?pat...contentid=6890

[{DvT}JonahHex]

There is one issue I found. Sometimes the compressed file does not get placed in the same directory where the source file lives

For example, when I tried to compress the following:
C:\Users\XXX\Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Unpublished\CookedPC\CustomMaps\Tutorial. ut3

it placed it here,
C:\Users\XXX\Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Unpublished\Unpublished\CookedPC\CUSTOM~1 \Tutorial.ut3.uz3

Bizarre ...

Adding the "-nohomedir" parameter to the ut3.com command line should fix this. ie,

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Unreal Tournament 3\Binaries\UT3.com" compress "%1" -nohomedir

The new .uz3 files should now be found in the same directory where the original .ut3/.upk/.u files are located.