RARC (File Format)
RARC files (Revolution ARChive) are archive files used in some Wii games, such as Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2. The directories is always stored inside a root node. Compared to U8, this root node is always named.
File Format
Header
The file starts with a header that is 0x20 bytes long:
| Offset | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0x00 | String | File magic. Always RARC in ASCII. |
| 0x04 | UInt32 | Length of the file in bytes. |
| 0x08 | UInt32 | Length of this header in bytes. Always 0x20. |
| 0x0C | UInt32 | Offset to the file data. Relative to the end of this header. |
| 0x10 | UInt32 | Length of the file data. |
| 0x14 | UInt32 | Length of the file data again? Always the same as the previous value. |
| 0x18 | UInt32 | Unknown. |
| 0x1C | UInt32 | Unknown. |
Info Block
Directly after the header comes the info block. It is a 0x20 bytes structure:
| Offset | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0x00 | UInt32 | Number of nodes. |
| 0x04 | UInt32 | Offset to the first node. Relative to the start of this block. |
| 0x08 | UInt32 | Number of directories. |
| 0x0C | UInt32 | Offset to the first directory. Relative to the start of this block. |
| 0x10 | UInt32 | Length of the whole string table. |
| 0x14 | UInt32 | Offset to string table. Relative to the start of this block. |
| 0x18 | UInt16 | Number of directories again? |
| 0x1A | UInt16 | Unknown. |
| 0x1C | UInt32 | Unknown. |
Node
A node represente a folder. There is a root folder which links to other files and folders. Each node is a 0x14 bytes structure:
| Offset | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0x00 | String | Some kind of identifier. The root has ROOT, other nodes have their first 4 characters of the name in upper case. |
| 0x04 | UInt32 | Offset to a string into the string table. Relative to the start of the string table. |
| 0x08 | UInt16 | Seems to be a hash of the name. |
| 0x0A | UInt16 | Number of directories in this folder. |
| 0x0C | UInt32 | The index of the directory. |
Directory
A directory can either be a file or a folder. If it's a folder, then it refers to a node.
| Offset | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0x00 | UInt16 | Index of this directory. 0xFFFF if it's a folder. |
| 0x02 | UInt16 | Seems to be a hash of the name. |
| 0x04 | UInt16 | Unknown. |
| 0x06 | UInt16 | Offset to a string into the string table. Relative to the start of the string table. |
| 0x08 | UInt32 | File: Offset to file data. Folder: Index of the node that represente this folder. |
| 0x0C | UInt32 | Length of the file data in bytes. Unused if this is a folder. |
| 0x10 | UInt32 | Unknown. |
String Table
The string table consist of null-termined strings. The offset and length of this string table is stored in the info block.
Tools
The following tools can handle RARC files:
- ARCTool, by Tpw_rules
- Every File Explorer, by Gericom
- Wiimms SZS Tools, by Wiimm