arcdEx vs Rusted PackFile Manager

arcdEx is a free Linux tool for listing and extracting files from .arcd archives made by the Defold game engine. It handles compressed files and can decrypt files only when they use Defold's default encryption key. The tool can inspect .texturec resources and extract their contained textures, as well as inspect compiled .luac files and extract Lua source code. To work with an archive, provide the .arcd file; arcdEx guesses paths to the associated .arci index and .dmanifest manifest files. The repository says this version supports manifest version 5, while the README also lists versions 1 through 4. Multiple .arcd files from a Defold web game must be combined before use. The README distinguishes desktop applications, which contain compiled Lua bytecode, from web projects through Defold 1.3.4, which contain Lua source code. It supports command-line and batch extraction, and runs as a Java JAR. The project is licensed under AGPL v3, and its author is credited as Christian Weiske. Archive repacking is not supported.

Rusted PackFile Manager (RPFM) opens, inspects, edits and saves PackFiles for Total War games from Empire onward, including Pharaoh, Warhammer 3, Troy, Three Kingdoms, Attila and Rome 2. Its pack editor handles multiple archives and supports bulk file additions, extraction, renaming, duplication and deletion. Editors cover database tables, localisation, scripts, animations, models and other listed game formats. The DB editor offers schema-aware lookups, sorting, filtering and TSV import and export; localisation data can also be exchanged through TSV. Global search and replace spans packs, vanilla data and parent mods, and diagnostics flag issues including invalid references, missing localisation, portrait variants and animation gaps. Per-game MyMod workspaces include asset folders, templates, import and export, and one-click installation to a game's data folder. Translation tools connect mod translations with the Total War Translation Hub. A headless server provides a documented WebSocket protocol and an MCP endpoint with more than 150 tools, prompts and resources. RPFM is free under the MIT License; listed platforms are API, Linux, self-hosted and Windows.