saints row iv · files & mods
Saints Row IV Mods Folder & Packfiles (.vpp_pc)
How files are found: mods folder, packfiles, streaming.
Files & Mods8 rows
| Topic | How it works | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Search order | When the game opens a file it checks, in order: 1) the mods folder, 2) packfiles, 3) memory, 4) loose files. The first match wins. | cf_find_file 010b7b00 |
| Mods folder | A file named exactly like a packed file, dropped (no sub-folders) into 'mods' next to SaintsRowIV.exe, replaces the packed copy. | mods_find_override 011060e0 |
| Packfiles | Archives in packfiles\pc\cache\*.vpp_pc. Versions 9 and 10 are accepted; header magic 0x51890ACE. | packfile_validate_header 010e1f40 |
| Reading | Opening and reading go through one file layer that can read from disk, a packfile or memory. | cf_open 010baf90 / cf_read 010b9f70 |
| Background loading | The 'hdd thread' reads, the 'mem thread' unpacks; requests have priorities. | cfile_io_thread_main 010bd710 |
| Streaming | City zones and big assets are 'containers' described by .asm_pc files inside .str2_pc packfiles. | stream2_load_prepackaged_asm 010df300 |
| Data tables | XML .xtbl files; DLC/mod packfiles can add extra copies of a table that get merged in. | xtbl_load_file 010a6690 |
| Saves | Steam Cloud only: sr4save_<N>.sr4s_pc and savedir.sr3d_pc (CRC-checked directory of 99 slots). | gamesave_read_directory 00d93430 |
Built from SR4_Game_Explained.xlsx (650 KB), if you'd rather filter it in Excel. SaintsRowIV.exe v1.0.6.1 (Steam). Names are ours unless they're Volition's own Lua or C++ class names.