1000 - How to repack PC games

[Vosur]

[This thread is more or less a 1:1 copy of a tutorial I wrote on KickAssTorrents a couple months month ago]

Greetings, fellow pirates!

During my time on TPB, I have noticed that there is, unfortunately, a dire lack of PC game repackers. The number of people who create and upload them on a frequent basis can be counted on one hand. In order to solve that problem, I thought it would be a good idea to increase the number of capable repackers by teaching people how to make them. For the sake of having a learning curve, we will start with a simple game and increase the complexity as time goes on. Now, without further ado, let's get right into it.

01. Required software
In order to repack games, you will need to install the following three freeware programs. You can download them by clicking on the links below.

Inno Setup
ISTool
regshot

02. Find a game you want to repack
As I've said earlier, we will start with a simple game, in this case, the indie game "Bastion". If you want to repack a game, it's important to choose a working copy from a reputable release group. I have downloaded mine from TiNYiSO.

03. First Steps
Before doing anything else, start the program regshot and press the "1st shot" button. This will create a snapshot of your current registry; I'll explain the purpose of this later on.



Once you've done that, it's time to install the game. Mount the previously downloaded .iso file with a DVD-emulator of your choice (I'm using Alcohol 120%) and follow the regular installation process, including copying and pasting the crack to the correct location (read the .nfo file for more information). Upon finishing the installation, press the "2nd shot" button and then the "compare" button. Regshot will compare the registry snapshot from before and after the installation, effectively finding out which registry entries have been added by the game's installer. The results, which should be opened in notepad automatically, should look something like this.



Like I said, we are going to take things slowly at first, which is why we do not need to concern ourselves with complex issues like registry entries yet. The primary reason why I still want you to follow these steps is because it will help you to grow accustomed to the process of repacking games. As soon as we move on to more challenging games, we will have to make use of the information contained in the .txt file above.

04. Creating a script for the installer
If you merely want to store your games in a compressed state, downloading a file compressor like 7-Zip or Winrar would be sufficient. However, since we are repackaging games, we will have to write a script whose purpose, among other things, is to instruct the installer what it is supposed to do with the files of your chosen game. Don't worry, though, as you will see, you do not have to learn a programming language.

It's about time that we start scripting, so open up the program ISTool.



To create a new script, you can either press on "File", then "New", or you can simply press CTRL+N. Whichever method you use, the next step is to fill out the forms in the new window. You can see how it works in the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-1lSGcRN9A

So far, so good. Now that we've created a new script, it's time to customize our installer. First, click on "Project", then on "Setup Options" and finally on "Compiler...". Alter your settings in the "Compiler" and "Disk Spanning" tab so that they look like this.



These settings are going to ensure that your installer is as small as possible.

Now that that's done, it's time to add the game's files to the installer. All you have to do is switching from the "Script" to the "Files and Dirs" tab and then dragging the installed game's files into the program. If you get the following pop-up, check the "Add directories" box and click "OK".



05. Finishing touches
While the majority of our work is done at this point, there are still a couple of tweaks we can and should make. First things first, check whether or not any of your files are tagged as "readonly". You can find that out by switching back to the "Script" tab, pressing CTRL+F and searching for the phrase "Attribute: readonly". If any instances of it are found, delete them. This will make sure that all of the game's files will be deleted when you uninstall it. After that, look up the software requirements for the game you downloaded. In the case of "Bastion", the installer from the .iso we downloaded tells us that we need the following programs to run the game.



They are usually found in the .iso file, however, if they aren't there, you can simply download them for free on the Internet. Take all the .exe/.msi files and put them in a folder called "Redist". That way, people who download your game will know that they have to install these programs before they can play the game.

Last but not least, if you want to customize your installer visually, you can do so by pressing "Project", then "Setup Options" and finally "Appearance...". Here you can alter the image that is shown at the left side of your installer and the icon of the .exe itself. When all is said and done, press CTRL+F9 to start compiling your installer into an executable (.exe file).

Congratulations, you just created your first game repack! Before uploading one of your repacks, make sure that it works correctly.



If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to send them to me via PM. You can find the second part of this tutorial here.

Special thanks go to http://tech.tiq.cc for inspiring me to write tutorials on this topic.

[Vosur]

[This thread is more or less a 1:1 copy of a tutorial I wrote on KickAssTorrents a couple months month ago]

Hello again, fellow pirates!

During my time on TPB, I have noticed that there is, unfortunately, a dire lack of PC game repackers. The number of people who create and upload them on a frequent basis can be counted on one hand. In order to solve that problem, I thought it would be a good idea to increase the number of capable repackers by teaching people how to make them. In my previous tutorial, I taught you the basics of PC game repacking; this time around, we'll have a look at something more difficult.

01. Required software
In order to repack games, you will need to install the following three freeware programs. You can download them by clicking on the links below.

Inno Setup
ISTool
regshot

02. Find a game you want to repack
Just like I said in my previous tutorial, always remember to download the game you want to repack from a reliable release group. For this advanced tutorial, we will repack RELOADED's version of "Anno 2070" (including the "Deep Ocean" add-on).

03. First Steps
Before doing anything else, start the program regshot and press the "1st shot" button. This will create a snapshot of your current registry; we will make use of it later on.



Once you've done that, it's time to install the game and its add-on. Mount the previously downloaded .iso files with a DVD-emulator of your choice (I'm using Alcohol 120%) and follow the regular installation process, including copying and pasting the crack to the correct location (read the .nfo file for more information).

04. Exporting relevant registry keys
As soon as the installation is finished, press the "2nd shot" button and then the "compare" button. Regshot will compare the registry snapshot from before and after the installation, effectively finding out which registry entries have been added by the game's installer. The results, which should be opened in notepad automatically, should look something like this.



As promised, we will actually process the above information this time. First things first, the only relevant registry entries are those listed under the first instance of "Keys added". Look out for important keywords, such as the game's name and the name of its publisher ("Anno 2070" and "Ubisoft", respectively). Now it's time to export the right registry entries into a .reg file. The first step is to open Window's registry editor by pressing the Home key, typing "regedit" in the search bar and then clicking on the result.



If you followed my tip correctly, you will have come to the conclusion that only the following entries are of interest to us.

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\ANNO 5
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\ANNO 5\GameUpdate
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\Launcher
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\Ubisoft Game Launcher

Note that "HKLM" is short for "HKEY_LOCAL_Machine".



Once you've found the entry, right click on it and press "Export" to save it on your PC. We are going to use it later on.

05. Creating a script for your installer [Registry/Files]
If you merely want to store your games in a compressed state, downloading a file compressor like 7-Zip or Winrar would be sufficient. However, since we are repackaging games, we will have to write a script whose purpose is to instruct the installer what it is supposed to do with the files and registry entries of your chosen game. Don't worry, though, as you will see, you do not have to learn a programming language.

It's about time that we start scripting, so open up the program ISTool.



To create a new script, you can either press on "File", then "New", or you can simply press CTRL+N. Whichever method you use, the next step is to fill out the forms in the new window. You can see how it works in the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-1lSGcRN9A

So far, so good. Now that we've created a new script, it's time to customize our installer. First, click on "Project", then on "Setup Options" and finally on "Compiler...". Alter your settings in the "Compiler" and "Disk Spanning" tab so that they look like this.



These settings are going to ensure that your installer is as small as possible.

Now that that's done, it's time to make use of the registry entries we exported earlier in the tutorial. To import them into your script, click on "Project", then "Import From File" and finally "Registry...".

If you scroll to the bottom of your script, you should see the following lines of code.

Code:

[Registry]
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\ANNO 5; ValueType: string; ValueName: Language; ValueData: ENG
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\ANNO 5\GameUpdate; ValueType: string; ValueName: Info; ValueData: 3937a2fd8d4c67120ce6735d1d8484ec
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\ANNO 5\GameUpdate; ValueType: string; ValueName: installdir; ValueData: C:\Spiele\Anno 2070
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\ANNO 5\GameUpdate; ValueType: string; ValueName: Language; ValueData: Uk
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\ANNO 5\GameUpdate; ValueType: string; ValueName: execPath; ValueData: C:\Spiele\Anno 2070\Anno5.exe
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\Launcher; ValueType: string; ValueName: Version; ValueData: "0323 "
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\UBISOFT\Launcher; ValueType: string; ValueName: InstallDir; ValueData: C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\

Before we can use it in our finalized script, we have to make several modifications to it. Firstly, add "; Flags: uninsdeletekey" behind every line. This will ensure that all registry entries made by the installer are removed upon uninstallation. Secondly, remove all instances of "Wow6432Node". To keep things short, we have to do this for compatibility reasons. Thirdly, and this is where things get more complicated, replace your chosen installation path (in my case "C:\Spiele\Anno 2070") with the correct constant. You can find a comprehensive list of constants used by Inno Setup/ISTool here. The constant for the installation path you can choose in the final installer is "{app}". Reading the registry entries carefully reveals that that the Anno 2070 setup also installed the Ubisoft Game Launcher. Search for the correct constant, "{pf32}", and use it to replace the current installation path. If you followed all steps correctly, you will end up with the following modified entries.

Code:

[Registry]
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\UBISOFT\ANNO 5; ValueType: string; ValueName: Language; ValueData: ENG; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\UBISOFT\ANNO 5\GameUpdate; ValueType: string; ValueName: Info; ValueData: 3937a2fd8d4c67120ce6735d1d8484ec; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\UBISOFT\ANNO 5\GameUpdate; ValueType: string; ValueName: installdir; ValueData: {app}; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\UBISOFT\ANNO 5\GameUpdate; ValueType: string; ValueName: Language; ValueData: Uk; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\UBISOFT\ANNO 5\GameUpdate; ValueType: string; ValueName: execPath; ValueData: {app}\Anno5.exe; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\UBISOFT\Launcher; ValueType: string; ValueName: Version; ValueData: "0323 "; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKLM; SubKey: SOFTWARE\UBISOFT\Launcher; ValueType: string; ValueName: InstallDir; ValueData: {pf32}\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\; Flags: uninsdeletekey

With that out of the way, it's time to add files to our script. All you have to do is switching from the "Script" to the "Files and Dirs" tab and then dragging the game's files into the program. If you get the following pop-up, check the "Add directories" box and click "OK".



06. Modifying our script
If you paid close attention while installing the game, you may have noticed the following pop-up.



All this means is that "Anno 2070" requires Ubisoft's Game Launcher to be installed to run correctly (hence the registry entries). Now, there are two primary methods that we can use to ensure that those who download our repack fulfill this requirement. We can either include the original setup in the download, or we can include the Game Launcher in the repack itself. While I can confirm that both methods are working, I prefer the latter one because it is more convenient for the user. First things first, locate the Launcher's directory and drag it into ISTool as if it was part of the game itself. To ensure that the files end up in the right folders, we have to alter their paths a little. We can save ourselves a ton of tedious work by using ISTool's "Replace" function. In order to use it, click "Edit", then "Replace..." and enter the following information before pressing the "Replace all" button.

Search for: {app}\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\
Replace with: {pf32}\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\

Repeat the same process with the following modification.

Search for: {app}\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher
Replace with: {pf32}\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher

Since this method isn't fool-proof, we'll have to double check the paths later on. With that said, this is only one of two essential requirements. If you read the .nfo file included in the RELOADED torrent, you may have noticed that it contains a rather unusual crack which you have to copy and paste in your application data directory. Note that the instructions in the .nfo are slightly incorrect, you have to copy the "Accounts" folder which is located within the "Profile" folder to the specified location. Since these files weren't created by the original installer, we have to add them manually to our script. Simply drag and drop the directory in ISTool and modify the files' paths. Take a good look at the list of constants and you will notice that we have to use the constant {userappdata} this time around. Once again, open up the "Replace" function and enter the following information before pressing the "Replace all" button.

Search for: {app}\Ubisoft\ANNO 2070\
Replace with: {userappdata}\Ubisoft\ANNO 2070\

Repeat the same process with the following modification.

Search for: {app}\Ubisoft\ANNO 2070
Replace with: {userappdata}\Ubisoft\ANNO 2070

07. Finishing touches
While the majority of our work is done at this point, there are still a couple of tweaks we can and should make. Firstly, as I've said previously, double-check the modifications made to the installation paths under "[Files]" and "[Dirs]" in your script. If the "Replace" function missed any of them, edit them manually. Secondly, check whether or not any of your files are tagged as "readonly". You can find that out by switching back to the "Script" tab, pressing CTRL+F and searching for the phrase "Attribute: readonly". If any instances of it are found, delete them. This will make sure that all of the game's files will be deleted when you uninstall it. Thirdly, look up the software requirements for the game you downloaded. They are usually found in the .iso, however, if they aren't there, you can simply download them for free on the Internet. Take all the .exe/.msi files and put them in a folder called "Redist". That way, people who download your game will know that they have to install these programs before they can play the game.

Last but not least, if you want to customize your installer visually, you can do so by pressing "Project", then "Setup Options" and finally "Appearance...". Here you can alter the image that is shown at the left side of your installer and the icon of the .exe itself. When all is said and done, press CTRL+F9 to start compiling your installer into an executable (.exe file).

Congratulations, you just created your second game repack! Before uploading one of your repacks, make sure that it works correctly.



If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to send them to me via PM.

Special thanks go to http://tech.tiq.cc for inspiring me to write tutorials on this topic.

[Dubsteam]

It works Perfect! I tried it on NFS Hot Pursuit it played well and from 5 GB to 3GB it was compressed but when i installed the setup it took too long while when i install RG mechanics games they just install in few minutes any solution??

[mohammeud1]

Hello sir
Sorry for disturbing you



The problem only appear if I repack a Microsoft live game

In resident evil operation raccoon city: I want to repack the echo six DLC and I don’t quite know how to make the dlc recognize my installation directory  

because the value data in the below registry file is fixed to a fixed location in DlcBasePath

The problem is I want to make the repack to any location not only a specified one (in my case values Data D:\Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City\dlc\)
If I change the location to {app}\Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City\dlc\
It will store as {app}\Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City\dlc\
Not my destination folder

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Wow6432Node/XliveEmulator/43430FA1 change DlcBasePath : values Data D:\Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City\dlc\

[ydros69]

It works Perfect! I tried it on NFS Hot Pursuit it played well and from 5 GB to 3GB it was compressed but when i installed the setup it took too long while when i install RG mechanics games they just install in few minutes any solution??

hi my friend I try to repack games with your method but I stuck in step 4 that creating a script.what I will write to the script? I try to play the video in youtube but not working. can you help me?

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It works Perfect! I tried it on NFS Hot Pursuit it played well and from 5 GB to 3GB it was compressed but when i installed the setup it took too long while when i install RG mechanics games they just install in few minutes any solution??

hi my friend I try to repack games with your method but I stuck in step 4 that creating a script.what I will write to the script? I try to play the video in youtube but not working. can you help me?

[RobertX]

Pardon my ignorance, but what does a repack do?

[Unkindled]

The video is no longer working. Does anyone have a copy/similar version to what was shown in the video? Great tutorial but i'm just missing that one piece.

---

Pardon my ignorance, but what does a repack do?

It reduces the game's original size but also is a way to Install pirated games

[exult]

Would love to try this out, thanks for the share. I hope this is still working fine?