X-Packer 9 Tutorial: Adding Mods Using the Misc Pac Editor

[kidsampson]

TUTORIAL: How to add alt attires using X-Packer 9

 

Necessary components to complete the steps outlined in this tutorial:

• X-packer 9  (Download and donate to Tekken) - Make sure you are using the latest version so that the arcs update correctly.
• misc01_Start.pac  (2K14 Game Folder)
• plist360.arc  (2K14 Game Folder)
• xbdecompress  (Link in tutorial)
• modified ch pac with additional attires or edited textures  (Download from forum)

 

NOTE: Prior to making changes to any game files, I suggest creating a backup from which you can restore in case something goes wrong.

 

PART I: Updating the arc files
 

So you’ve downloaded a great mod from the forum and want to add it to your game, but you’re wondering where to start. Thankfully, X-Packer 9 simplifies the process and does much of the heavy lifting for us. Adding a wrestler mod to your game requires two steps: updating the arc file entries for the new attires and activating the attires within the misc pac. This tutorial will walk you through each step below, using a mod from the forums to demonstrate the basic procedure for completing these tasks. After you add a few mods, these procedures will become routine.

 

The first step is to download a mod you wish to add to your game. You may also create your own mod and add additional textures or attires to a ch pac, but that is a more complex process for another tutorial. 

 

For this tutorial, I am using Red Rooster’s mod of the Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase, as an example. If you want to follow along, you can download this mod at

 

Each wrestler is assigned a model number. Pac files contain this model reference number. For example, Ted DiBiase’s is 136. By default, DiBiase has two attires in game. Red has edited these attires and added a third texture from Legends of Wrestlemania, a previous WWE game. In order to work in game, this third attire needs to be referenced within the game’s arc files.

 

1. Within X-Packer, press Ctrl + X. Then select the pac file you downloaded: ch136.pac. All pac files you add to your game should follow this naming convention. (chXXX.pac – where XXX represents the character model number)
2. The window that appears shows the contents of the pac file, which is made up of individual attires. These containers are called pach files and there are two types: in-ring attires and entrance attires. Each follows a naming convention.
3. In-Ring Attires are designated with a 2 at the end of their file name. Entrance attires end with a 4.
4. To determine the total number of attires contained within a pac file, count the number of attires that end in 2. For example, this mod has three: 00013602, 00013612, 00013622. (You can see that the naming convention follows a pattern: 000 + Model Number + Attire. The first attire always begins with 02. Each additional attire adds +1 to the second to last number: 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, etc.)
5. Although we are not concerned with the entrance attires at this point, for the sake of thoroughness, notice that this pac has two: 00013604 and 00013624. These attires are for the first and third attires, respectively. 
6. To update our arc entries, simply click on the button that reads: Add additional attire data to arc file. In the window that opens, browse to your plist360.arc and click OK. (If you play on a standard definition TV without widescreen support, you will need to repeat this process and select the second 4x3 arc file. For most users, this step is not necessary.)
7. X-Packer will show which entries were updated successfully. This box should account for all of the attires within the pac, otherwise something went wrong.

 

After updating the arc files, the next step is to add references for new attires to the misc pac file.

 

 

PART II: How to add alternate attires using the misc pac editor

 

Step 1: Decompress the misc pac

 

By default, the misc01_Start.pac is a compressed file. You must first decompress the file before you can open it with X-Packer to make edits.

 

There may be other tools to accomplish this task, but I use XBCompression by XDK. (HotavioH posted a pack of tools here on the forum in January 2013 that contains the file: https://anonfiles.com/file/b1866919e31943eac1165ff53b68b5b5.)

 

After you download and extract the file above, follow these steps:

 

Go to Windows / Start menu, select Run, and type cmd

Click OK to open a window with a black background (command prompt window)

Drag the xbdecompress.exe that is inside the xbcompression folder into the black window.

Then, press spacebar and drag your “misc01_Start.pac” into the same box.

Press the spacebar again and drag the "misc01_Start.pac" into the window one more time.

Without adding any spaces, type .uncompress and press Enter.

 

This will create a decompressed version of your misc.pac file.

 

Step 2: Edit the misc pac with X-Packer 9

 

1. To load your misc pac file select File > Open > WWE 2K14 > Misc.pac (alternate attires) within X-Packer 9.
2. Browse to and select the uncompressed misc pac you created earlier.
3. Once the misc pac loads, you will see a table that displays the package contents.
4. The first column is the wrestler ID. Column 2 shows the number of active attires. Columns A1 : A10 represent attire slots. 2K14 allows for up to 10 attires for each wrestler.
5. Notice that two menus appear along the top of the misc pac editor window: WWE 13 Attire Values and WWE 2K14 Attire Values. These serve as reference lists for available attire strings. (2K14 attire values may also be referenced at: )
6. Recall that Ted Dibiase’s model number is 136. If we scroll to 136 in the misc pac editor window we see that this wrestler has 2 attires by default. Remember that the mod that Red Rooster provided has 3 attires: the two in-game attires with edits and a third attire taken from Legends of Wrestlemania.
7. To make this mod work in game, we must adjust the number of attires using the misc pac editor.
8. Begin by clicking on the row of wrestler 136. In column 2, use the pull-down menu to set the number of active attires to 3.  (NOTE: The misc pac editor also allows you to set values for all attires simultaneously. For individual edits, make changes within the row. Be aware that the larger box at the bottom changes the values of ALL wrestlers.)
9. The next step is to select a name for each attire. Column A1 corresponds to attire 1; A2 corresponds to attire 2; and A3 corresponds to attire 3.
10. The attires Red Rooster provided in his pack are for Wrestlemania 4, Wrestlemania 11, and Legends of Wrestlemania. So we may select the following strings as attire names from the pull-down lists: WM 4 = 000E,  WM 11 = 0136,  Legends = 0016.
11. For each attire, choose the corresponding hex values from the pull-down list. Once all three attire names have been set, click the purple button labeled SAVE CHANGES at the bottom of the window.
    
    At this point you have edited the misc pac to load an additional attire for ch136.pac (aka The Million Dollar Man).

 

Step 3: Rename and Copy Files to Game Folder

 

The last step is essentially cleanup. Rename your edited uncompressed misc pac to the original file name: misc01_start.pac. This file does not need to be recompressed; the uncompressed file will load just fine.

 

Then copy both your edited wrestler pac (ch136.pac) and your new misc01_Start.pac over to their default locations within your game folder.

 

The misc pac should be placed in the root of the pac folder. When prompted, confirm that you wish to replace the file.

 

Within the pac folder is a ch subfolder. Wrestler ch pacs are stored here. Copy ch136.pac and confirm that you wish to replace the file.

 

If everything was done successfully, your game should load properly. Within the game you will notice that DiBiase now has three selectable attires, the third of which will be named Legends. Repeat this process for adding additional mods.

Edited November 27, 2013 by kidsampson

[Red Rooster]

Nice tut 

[motishow]

nice Tuto

I have this error message when i open the uncompressed misc01_Start.pac

 

 

  "the value of the DataGridViewCombooxCell isn't valid"

 

Thanks

[bravebird31]

Thanks. Good tutorial

[kidsampson]

nice Tuto

I have this error message when i open the uncompressed misc01_Start.pac

 

 

  "the value of the DataGridViewCombooxCell isn't valid"

 

Thanks

 

No clue. Tekken may have some insight, but I've never seen this myself.

[motishow]

I have wrestlers with more than four alt. attires (i added it manually to the misc 01 file) may be that's the reason because there are only space for four attires in the editor. I hope Tekken can confirm that.

[tekken57]

Nice tutorial. Thanks for typing this out.

 

@motishow Can please post a bigger picture of the error and pm me the misc file you are trying to open.

 

If you've added your own values which are not on the list, you will get the error. Let me know which values you have added, if they are value string values, I will add them to X-Packer. You can add up to 10 attires per wreslter.

 

Please also ensure that you have opened the misc.pac file using the option under the wwe 2k14 menu. If you are only seeing 4 attires in the editor, then you have selected the wrong option.

Edited November 27, 2013 by tekken57

[tekken57]

Also guys, here's an early x-mas present, dummy.pac with 30 pach files included: http://netload.in/dateiUhm8mtC4gT/dummy_wrestler_wwe2k14.rar.htm

[Red Rooster]

Also guys, here's an early x-mas present, dummy.pac with 30 pach files included: http://netload.in/dateiUhm8mtC4gT/dummy_wrestler_wwe2k14.rar.htm

Its just what Ive always wanted, how did you know? 

[kidsampson]

Now that's handy! Thanks for the dummy file, Tekken. And thanks for the feedback everyone. Glad to contribute.

[motishow]

Nice tutorial. Thanks for typing this out.

 

@motishow Can please post a bigger picture of the error and pm me the misc file you are trying to open.

 

If you've added your own values which are not on the list, you will get the error. Let me know which values you have added, if they are value string values, I will add them to X-Packer. You can add up to 10 attires per wreslter.

 

Please also ensure that you have opened the misc.pac file using the option under the wwe 2k14 menu. If you are only seeing 4 attires in the editor, then you have selected the wrong option.

thanks Tekken , tonight i will see again , i am using the wrong option bcs i saw only four attires. If i can't solve it i will pm you my misc file.

thanks for your new dummy.pac

[tekken57]

No problem guys. You can use the new dummy.pac to add alt attires for the dlc pack 3 wrestlers also. Just name your pach files accordingly i.e if you add an alt attire for slot 395 in the rocks pac file you can name it as follows:

 

- 10002 (the rock)

- 39512 (dlc alt)

- 39522 (dlc alt)

 

You would make your misc.pac entries as normal ie. add entries for slot 395.

[motishow]

No problem guys. You can use the new dummy.pac to add alt attires for the dlc pack 3 wrestlers also. Just name your pach files accordingly i.e if you add an alt attire for slot 395 in the rocks pac file you can name it as follows:

 

- 10002 (the rock)

- 39512 (dlc alt)

- 39522 (dlc alt)

 

You would make your misc.pac entries as normal ie. add entries for slot 395.

thanks tekken, in this eixample we have to update misc01_start.pac file or misc_dlc03.pac file?

thanks 

[kidsampson]

No problem guys. You can use the new dummy.pac to add alt attires for the dlc pack 3 wrestlers also. Just name your pach files accordingly i.e if you add an alt attire for slot 395 in the rocks pac file you can name it as follows:

 

- 10002 (the rock)

- 39512 (dlc alt)

- 39522 (dlc alt)

 

You would make your misc.pac entries as normal ie. add entries for slot 395.

 

Interesting. Never thought to place them in another pac file, but it will save time to put them all in one. Also interested in which misc pac would need updated with this approach.

[tekken57]

If you doing this for an in game wrestler then the original misc.pac and the original arc files should be updated. The dlc files should only be edited if you are making modifications to the files in the dlc pack.

 

I don't advocate this approach for normal alt attires as it's very confusing to work with (you can't recall which pac file as the alt attires). But for the dlc characters, this may be the only way to do it easily.

[kidsampson]

Absolutely. I imagine I'll create one alt attire pac for each custom dlc pack to keep things nice and neat. It will also help to update the dlc misc pac all in one go anyway.

[tekken57]

There's no need to do this for the custom dlc. That works like normal in game wrestlers. The only need to do this is for the dlc packs (nWo) etc where the filesizes of the pac files must be the same size or smaller.

[nsieniski]

 The dlc files should only be edited if you are making modifications to the files in the dlc pack.

 

So If we had alternate attires to the nwo dlc pac we can put the pach files in another ingame pac. That I understand.

What I dont get is how the game knows that the DLC superstars has an alternate attire in the selection screen?

 

I mean, let say I had an alternate attire to Kevin Nash in the Rock PAC, When I will be on the select screen, selecting Nash, how do the game will know he has an alternate attire since we don't edir the dlc misc file?

 

Sorry if it is a dumb question.

Edited November 27, 2013 by nsieniski

[Red Rooster]

 

 The dlc files should only be edited if you are making modifications to the files in the dlc pack.

 

So If we had alternate attires to the nwo dlc pac we can put the pach files in another ingame pac. That I understand.

What I dont get is how the game knows that the DLC superstars has an alternate attire in the selection screen?

 

I mean, let say I had an alternate attire to Kevin Nash in the Rock PAC, When I will be on the select screen, selecting Nash, how do the game will know he has an alternate attire since we don't edir the dlc misc file?

 

Sorry if it is a dumb question.

 

In the misc01_start.pac file edit the Wrestler ID of someone who wont need alt attires eg King Kong Bundy. Change Bundy's ID from C4 to Kevin Nash's ID 79 01 and then change the number of attires to how many you need.

 

Bundy will still load without an entry in the Misc01_start.pac and when you select NWO Nash you can then choose alt attires.

[nsieniski]

Ok, I get it now.

Thank you for the time and the explanations

[nsieniski]

.

 

 

In the misc01_start.pac file edit the Wrestler ID of someone who wont need alt attires eg King Kong Bundy. Change Bundy's ID from C4 to Kevin Nash's ID 79 01 and then change the number of attires to how many you need.

 

 

You mean in an HEX editor I suppose.

 

Ok, found it

Edited November 29, 2013 by nsieniski

[KREATIV]

Help,

I want to add WWE13 Triple H Attitude model as Alt Attire, how to do that?

[kidsampson]

I need to also write a tutorial for how to use the dummy pac Tekken posted. May look into doing that this weekend to answer your question. Because you need to extract the pach files from WWE 2K14 and WWE 13, it requires a few steps and I'm not sure there's an easy way to explain how to do this quickly.

[scottydub]

I'm having a problem getting the xbdecompress tool to work.  When I open cmd the computer isn't allowing me to drag it into the black box.  Any thoughts?

[tekken57]

the copy xbdecompress and it's required dll's to an easy location e.g c:\xbde . Open your command prompt and type in c:\xbde\xbdecompress .....