BLANCO

4. DLC packs

Folder structure

mods/update/x64/dlcpacks/mypack/
└─ dlc.rpf
   ├─ setup2.xml
   ├─ content.xml
   ├─ common/data/          # handling.meta, carcols.meta, …
   ├─ data/                 # alternative meta location
   └─ x64/
      ├─ levels/gta5/
      │  ├─ mypack.rpf              # ydr/ydd/ybn/ytd
      │  └─ mypack_metadata.rpf     # ymap/ytyp/ymf
      ├─ vehicles.rpf
      └─ vehiclemods/foo_mods.rpf

Convention (Rockstar's):

• _metadata.rpf → .ymap, .ytyp, _manifest.ymf
• .rpf (main) → .ydr, .ydd, .yft, .ybn, .ytd

✅ Pack-verified variant (Dekurwinator template1 / eastsidetrailers): the .ytyp travels with the models, not the metadata:

• map_props.rpf (no <contents> tag) → .ydr .ydd .yft .ytd + .ytyp
• map_meta.rpf (<contents>CONTENTS_DLC_MAP_DATA</contents>) → .ymap .ybn _manifest.ymf

✅ Putting models+ytyp inside the CONTENTS_DLC_MAP_DATA rpf (or everything in one rpf) mounts fine but the props silently never load, a verified failure mode, twice (v4/v5).

Splitting metadata out is not inherently fatal: the pack-verified template (§4) puts ymap/ybn/_manifest.ymf in map_meta.rpf, separate from the models, and loads fine in SP. The crash reports (documented as a caveat on the gta5-mods DLC Pack Creator tool page) trace to a specific broken arrangement, usually a missing manifest ityp dependency or a DLC_ITYP_REQUEST aimed at the wrong rpf. Fix the dependency, not the split.

✅ Counterpoint from the working pack: the split is what made props load. If a split pack misbehaves, check first: models/ytyp misplaced into the map-data rpf, missing CONTENTS_DLC_MAP_DATA, or resources imported as binary entries (§11). Don't merge the rpfs as a first resort.

setup2.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<SSetupData>
  <deviceName>dlc_mypack</deviceName>
  <datFile>content.xml</datFile>
  <timeStamp>05/06/2026 00:00:00</timeStamp>
  <nameHash>mypack</nameHash>
  <contentChangeSets/>
  <contentChangeSetGroups>
    <Item>
      <NameHash>GROUP_STARTUP</NameHash>
      <ContentChangeSets>
        <Item>mypack_AUTOGEN</Item>
      </ContentChangeSets>
    </Item>
  </contentChangeSetGroups>
  <startupScript/>
  <scriptCallstackSize value="0"/>
  <type>EXTRACONTENT_COMPAT_PACK</type>
  <order value="80"/>
  <minorOrder value="0"/>
  <isLevelPack value="false"/>
  <dependencyPackHash/>
  <requiredVersion/>
  <subPackCount value="0"/>
</SSetupData>

content.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CDataFileMgr__ContentsOfDataFileXml>
  <disabledFiles/>
  <includedXmlFiles/>
  <includedDataFiles/>
  <dataFiles>
    <Item>
      <filename>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/mypack_metadata.rpf</filename>
      <fileType>RPF_FILE</fileType>
      <overlay value="false"/>
      <disabled value="true"/>
      <persistent value="true"/>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <filename>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/mypack.rpf</filename>
      <fileType>RPF_FILE</fileType>
      <overlay value="false"/>
      <disabled value="true"/>
      <persistent value="true"/>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <filename>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/mypack_metadata.rpf/mypack.ytyp</filename>
      <fileType>DLC_ITYP_REQUEST</fileType>
      <overlay value="false"/>
      <disabled value="true"/>
      <persistent value="false"/>
    </Item>
    <Item>
      <filename>dlc_mypack:/common/data/handling.meta</filename>
      <fileType>HANDLING_FILE</fileType>
      <overlay value="true"/>
      <disabled value="true"/>
    </Item>
  </dataFiles>
  <contentChangeSets>
    <Item>
      <changeSetName>mypack_AUTOGEN</changeSetName>
      <filesToInvalidate/>
      <filesToDisable/>
      <filesToEnable>
        <Item>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/mypack_metadata.rpf</Item>
        <Item>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/mypack.rpf</Item>
        <Item>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/mypack_metadata.rpf/mypack.ytyp</Item>
        <Item>dlc_mypack:/common/data/handling.meta</Item>
      </filesToEnable>
      <txdToLoad/>
      <txdToUnload/>
      <residentResources/>
      <unregisterResources/>
      <executionConditions/>
    </Item>
  </contentChangeSets>
  <patchFiles/>
</CDataFileMgr__ContentsOfDataFileXml>

Rules of thumb:

• %PLATFORM% expands to x64 on PC. Don't hardcode.
• Anything with <disabled value="true"/> must appear in a changeset's filesToEnable, or it never loads.
• overlay="true" = merge into the existing global list (metas). overlay="false" = plain mount (rpfs).
• persistent="true" = never unloaded once mounted.
• Every .ytyp needs its own DLC_ITYP_REQUEST entry, path pointing inside the rpf. ✅ Nuance: with correct _manifest.ymf imap→ityp deps, map-streamed ytyps work with no request at all (template1 ships none); keeping one is harmless belt-and-braces. Valid forms: full in-rpf path to the physical .ytyp (✅ working pack), or device-root with .ityp extension (R/gtawprops style). 💥 Device-root with .ytyp = CTD at startup* (verified).
• Ordering inside dataFiles matters for metas: later overlays win.

✅ Map DLC content.xml: the pack-verified pattern

The generic example above (GROUP_STARTUP changeset, disabled=true/persistent=true) is the props-pack pattern (gtawprops etc.), which loads ityps for object spawners but does not stream ymaps (verified failure v1). A map DLC needs the streaming changeset with a level condition:

<dataFiles>
  <Item>
    <filename>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/props/map_props.rpf</filename>
    <fileType>RPF_FILE</fileType>
    <overlay value="false"/> <disabled value="false"/> <persistent value="false"/>
  </Item>
  <Item>
    <filename>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/props/map_meta.rpf</filename>
    <fileType>RPF_FILE</fileType>
    <overlay value="false"/> <disabled value="false"/> <persistent value="false"/>
    <contents>CONTENTS_DLC_MAP_DATA</contents>
  </Item>
  <Item>
    <filename>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/props/map_props.rpf/mypack.ytyp</filename>
    <fileType>DLC_ITYP_REQUEST</fileType>
    <overlay value="false"/> <disabled value="true"/> <persistent value="true"/>
  </Item>
</dataFiles>
<contentChangeSets>
  <Item>
    <changeSetName>CCS_MYPACK_NG_STREAMING_MAP</changeSetName>
    <filesToEnable>
      <Item>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/props/map_props.rpf</Item>
      <Item>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/props/map_meta.rpf</Item>
      <Item>dlc_mypack:/%PLATFORM%/levels/gta5/props/map_props.rpf/mypack.ytyp</Item>
    </filesToEnable>
    <executionConditions>
      <activeChangesetConditions>
      </activeChangesetConditions>
      <genericConditions>$level=MO_JIM_L11</genericConditions>
    </executionConditions>
  </Item>
</contentChangeSets>

• $level=MO_JIM_L11 = GTA V's main SP map level; the changeset fires when it loads.
• Pair with setup2: changeset under GROUP_UPDATE_STREAMING, EXTRACONTENT_LEVEL_PACK, isLevelPack=true, order 2 (template1 verbatim).

fileType values (the common ones)

Archives / map RPF_FILE, RPF_FILE_PRE_INSTALL, RPF_FILE_PRE_INSTALL_ONLY, PERMANENT_ITYP_FILE, DLC_ITYP_REQUEST, IPL_FILE, IDE_FILE, DELAYED_IDE_FILE, EXTRA_FOLDER_MOUNT_DATA, ZONED_ASSET_FILE

Vehicles VEHICLE_METADATA_FILE, HANDLING_FILE, CARCOLS_FILE, CARGRP_FILE, VEHICLE_VARIATION_FILE, VEHICLE_LAYOUTS_FILE, VEHICLE_POPULATION_FILE, VEHICLE_CAMERA_OFFSETS_FILE, VEHICLEEXTRAS_FILE, VFXVEHICLEINFO_FILE

Peds PEDSTREAM_FILE, PEDGRP_FILE, PED_METADATA_FILE, PED_PERSONALITY_FILE, PED_VARS_FILE, PED_BOUNDS_FILE, PED_HEALTH_FILE, PED_COMPONENT_SETS_FILE, PED_OVERLAY_FILE, PED_TASK_DATA_FILE, PED_BRAWLING_STYLE_FILE, PED_FIRST_PERSON_ASSET_DATA

Weapons WEAPONINFO_FILE, WEAPONINFO_FILE_PATCH, WEAPON_METADATA_FILE, WEAPONCOMPONENTSINFO_FILE, LOADOUTS_FILE, PICKUPS_FILE, EXPLOSION_INFO_FILE

World / population POPGROUP_FILE, DLC_POP_GROUPS, SCENARIO_INFO_FILE, SCENARIO_POINTS_FILE, AMBIENT_ZONE_FILE, TRAFFIC_LIGHT_FILE, POPSCHED_FILE

Audio AUDIO_SOUNDDATA, AUDIO_WAVEPACK, AUDIO_GAMEDATA, AUDIO_SYNTHDATA, AUDIO_DYNAMIXDATA, AUDIO_SPEECHDATA

Text / misc TEXTFILE_METAFILE, GXT2_FILE, SCALEFORM_PREALLOC_FILE, SCALEFORM_VALID_METHODS_FILE, CONDITIONAL_ANIMS_FILE, CLIP_SETS_FILE, EXPRESSION_DLC_FILE, SHOP_PED_APPAREL_META_FILE, TATTOO_SHOP_DLC_FILE

(Full enumeration: github.com/gtasnail/gta5-meta-fileTypes)

Registration (SP)

mods/update/update.rpf/common/data/dlclist.xml:

<Item>dlcpacks:/mypack/</Item>

mods/update/update.rpf/common/data/extratitleupdatedata.meta, required if your DLC needs a device mount:

<Item>
  <deviceName>dlc_mypack</deviceName>
  <datFile>dlcpacks:/mypack/dlc.rpf</datFile>
</Item>

Also: mods/update/update.rpf/common/data/gameconfig.xml, bump pool sizes when you add lots of archetypes/props (ConfigArchetypeManager, MaxNoOfVisibleEntities, fwStaticBoundsStore). Separately, the "worked fine until my Nth DLC" crash is ERR_FIL_PACK_1: the exe has a fixed cap on how many packfiles (RPFs) it will mount, and enough dlcpacks exhausts it. Raise it with the Packfile Limit Adjuster. The count that trips it varies with how many RPFs each pack ships, so there is no fixed "40".

15. Appendix: the pack-verified test cycle

The ✅ claims in this document come from building a real standalone SP add-on (eastsidetrailers, two ymaps + six custom trailer props extracted from a larger map pack into a self-contained dlc.rpf). It took eight builds to get a working pack; every failure and its root cause:

The validation gates that would have caught all of it before launch:

1. Every .y* file in the built rpf is a resource entry, never a binary entry.
2. RSC7 magic + version per type (ydr 165, yft 162, ytd 13, ybn 43, ymap/ytyp 2).
3. Every ymap entity archetype resolves against bundled ytyps ∪ the vanilla game.
4. Manifest imap names match bundled ymaps; ityp deps match bundled ytyps; both dep forms present.
5. Every disabled=true content.xml entry appears in a changeset's filesToEnable.
6. No models/ytyps inside the CONTENTS_DLC_MAP_DATA rpf, no ymaps outside it.
7. Extraction fidelity: re-extracted bytes equal the source (compared through the same API form).
8. Total rpf size below 4 GB.

In-game triage, once it's installed:

• Crash at startup → content.xml / setup2.xml (changesets, ityp requests, double-enables).
• Loads, nothing appears → streaming pattern, props/meta split, or manifest deps.
• Loads, crash on approach → a streamed resource is invalid (entry type, header, version).
• Appears untextured → txd reference; no collision → physicsDictionary / ybn list.