WinMPQ, MPQ2k installation and usage tutorial

It's available here.

I made this specifically because of the mass of users here asking about how to install them, and then complain that they suck because they don't know how to install them.

Any comments, etc. are appreciated!

I posted already an installation guide for it in my FAQ thread. But yours is also nice.

Following the link in your signature, I noticed that you did not include MPQ2k. That, and I provide helpful screenshots :)

Yes, because MPQ2k is not that good (I only added WinMPQ, because no one asks how to use MPQ2k; this is what a FAQ should cover). But every guide is good as long as it helps to track the number of noobs down:D .

Just curious, in your opinion, why is MPQ2k not that good? :P

I prefer it over WinMPQ :P

Because it has no GUI (in my opinion that is important). And it does support the scripting commands of MPQ2k too. MPQ2k is only for patches for mods good, as it is easy redistributeable.
Additionally it doesn't support local IDs, deflate compression, external listfiles, the list is long!

I can spit out MPQ2k commands faster than I can click the WinMPQ buttons and browse for the path.

External listfiles, gah. There are full-sized listfiles in every blizzard MPQ, and for those which aren't, you can just download one from somewhere else and insert it. External listfiles == useless, IMO.

Everyone has his point. I accept your opinion. I stated my point already. You can say what you want, for Warcraft III MPQ2k is outdated (Deflate compression, Local IDs). But no offense, everyone uses what he/she wants.

War3 really isn't a problem, as mpq2k can use sfmpq, and when you have a mod which needs to be rebuilt a mpq2k batch can be much faster and easier than winmpqing. Overall, winmpq is far faster and easier for most people, tho.

You can do batch scripting very easy with WinMPW. The script will even be smaller, as you don't have to run WinMPQ in each line and specify the MPQ to work with, but instead you open the MPQ at the beginning, do stuff with it, close it open another MPQ (if this is needed).
I can proove that the scripting interface of WinMPQ is easier than the one of MPQ2k (well, basically it's the same).

About the Deflate compression: You know that I know about the thingy that you can use sfmpq.dll, but the disadvantage is that you can't compress files with this. Via scripting you can't do this with WinMPQ too. I told Shadowflare that she should add a script command for deflate compression.

You do know that the WinMPQ scripts were based off of the MPQ2k scripts, correct?

Well, it's more than based, it's an identical copy of the MPQ2k scripts :P


You don't have to run MPQ2k on each line either :P

Overall, just adding one file, use WinMPQ. If you're going to be adding entire directories multiple times (where more than one file has changed), it's MPQ2k that pwns.

Edited because: Expect an addition to that doc soon, namely MPQ2k scripts (aka WinMPQ scripts :P).

Last I checked, the only diff between WinMPQ's scripts and MPQ2k's scripts is that the version info command is not implemented in WinMPQ. It says that it supports MPQ2k scripts for a reason :P

Ur tutorial on how to install win mpq was very good. I followed the directions and it worked. I say to anyone looking to install win mpq go to the site at the top of the page







:foot: Keep Up The Good Work!

Random poll for you, crt1990, which tut is better?

http://www.smempire.org/staff/scythe/mpq/
or Starcraftfreak's?

Even I agree that yours is better, because it is far more detailed and also contains screenshots. My tutorial is a short one that should provide the most important information.