Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- extraction_basics [2026/04/14 13:41] – ultracomfy
+++ extraction_basics [2026/04/14 17:48] (current) – ultracomfy
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 ====== Engine and Middleware Files ======
-The reason video game engines, middleware and container files are important to talk about is because they both affect what you can expect to find inside game files. Importantly, <wrap em>video game engines and plugins tend to use their own, custom file formats for things</wrap>. For example, files in Unreal Engine games are generally stored in **Container Files** generated by Unreal, ending with .pak and .utoc. Inside them, you will find **Game Engine Files** ending with .uasset, among others. When you extract these, it is possible that you will actually end up with a readable .wav audio file, but if the game used WWise **Middleware** for its audio design then you will probably find .bnk, .bank and .wem files instead. .bnk files themselves are another container format and often contain multiple individual audio files.
+The reason video game engines, middleware and container files are important to talk about is because they both affect what you can expect to find inside game files. Importantly, <wrap em>video game engines and plugins tend to use their own, custom file formats for things</wrap>. For example, files in Unreal Engine games are generally stored in **Container Files** generated by Unreal, ending with ''.pak'' and ''.utoc''. Inside them, you will find **Game Engine Files** ending with ''.uasset'', among others. When you extract these, it is possible that you will actually end up with a readable ''.wav'' audio file, but if the game used WWise **Middleware** for its audio design then you will probably find ''.bnk'', ''.bank'' and ''.wem'' files instead. ''.bnk'' files themselves are another container format and often contain multiple individual audio files.
-It is helpful to know what to expect. To get to a game's audio, you will often have to break through multiple layers of file formats you won't immediately know what to do with. .pak/.utoc can contain .uasset which can contain .bank which can contain .wem which you can convert to .wav/.mp3/etc. Each step requires understanding what you're dealing with and how to work through it. That's what the tutorials are here for.
+It is helpful to know what to expect. To get to a game's audio, you will often have to break through multiple layers of file formats you won't immediately know what to do with. ''.pak''/''.utoc'' can contain ''.uasset'' which can contain ''.bank'' which can contain ''.wem'' which you can convert to ''.wav''/''.mp3''/etc. Each step requires understanding what you're dealing with and how to work through it. That's what this tutorials are here for.
 ====== Plain Files ======
 Some games store their assets plainly, ie. their textures, sounds and many other things are just literal picture and sound files. In this case, "extraction" is as simple as copying the folder's contents elsewhere. [[DEFCON (Game)]] is one such case. As a "dataminer", it's useful to know what is a plain file and what isn't.
+----
+You are now ready to properly get into video game extraction. Return to [[Extraction|overview]].