Godot: Issues with ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack(pack) when running the project from the editor

[LikeLakers2]

Godot version:
v3.0.4 stable + PR 19708 (because it fixes my touchscreen issues)

OS/device including version:
Surface Pro 4, running Windows 10 Home v1709 (Fall Creator's Update)

Issue description:
ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack('pack.pck') seems to replace the entire res:// structure rather than add to it upon its first use (edit: only when running from the editor; see comment for details). After the first use, any new loads will add to the current file list.

To give you some examples (presume current_pack.pck is the game's main file pack):

# No load; or
ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack("current_pack.pck")
# Can load current_pack.pck's files (expected)

```gdscript
ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack("other_pack.pck")

Will replace files

Can't load files from current_pack.pck as the file list has been replaced (NOT expected)

In order to still have access to my main pack's files, I have to load my game's pck first:
```gdscript
ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack("current_pack.pck")
ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack("other_pack.pck")

# Will add other_pack.pck's files onto the file list (replacing any files that are already in current_pack.pck) (expected)
# Can load current_pack.pck's files as normal except where they've been replaced by other_pack.pck (expected)
# But now I need to load the current .pck over itself, which isn't fun. (NOT expected)

# At this point though, loading resource packs works the same:
# always adding/replacing files after the first load, rather than replacing them like the first load.

I would expect to be able to use ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack("other_pack.pck") alone and still have access to the files from current_pack.pck, without needing to load current_pack.pck over itself.

Steps to reproduce:
N/A, though here is some code you can use to check the res:// structure after loading:

func _ready():
    # Should print normal directory structure
    print(dir_contents('res://'))

    # Is supposed to only append/replace files, but instead replaces the entire `res://` filesystem
    ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack("other_pack.pck")
    print(dir_contents('res://'))

    # But this brings it back to normal by reloading the original pack
    # Except this appends/replaces, which means inconsistent behavior!
    ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack("current_pack.pck")
    print(dir_contents('res://'))

func dir_contents(path):
    # taken from the docs and modified
    var dir = Directory.new()
    if dir.open(path) == OK:
        dir.list_dir_begin(true, false)
        var files = []
        var file_name = dir.get_next()
        while (file_name != ""):
            if (file_name == '.git') or (file_name == '.import'):
                pass
            elif dir.current_is_dir():
                for file in dir_contents(path + file_name + '/'):
                    files.append(file)
            else:
                files.append(path + file_name)
            file_name = dir.get_next()
        dir.list_dir_end()
        return files
    else:
        print("An error occurred when trying to access the path.")
        return []

Minimal reproduction project:
N/A (you can use the demo project repository for this -- just export a couple or five to .pck files and replace current_pack.pck and other_pack.pck in the script above with appropriate paths)

[eon-s]

You cannot use directory with resource packs, files are there but the virtual filesystem lose references.

See #7845.

[LikeLakers2]

I already checked this. The files aren't there unless I load the game's main .pck over top of itself, and even the global load() function fails to see the old assets.

Presume my main game pack (let's say current_pack.pck) has node1.tscn. If I load another .pck (let's say other_pack.pck) that doesn't have a node1.tscn, without first loading the main game pack over itself:

# No `ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack("current_pack.pck")` here!
ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack("other_pack.pck")

Then attempting to load('res://node1.tscn') will return a null object. I lose access to node1.tscn, even through load(), until I do this:

ProjectSettings.load_resource_pack("current_pack.pck")

At which point load('res://node1.tscn') will work again, and I'll still have access to other_pack.pck's files.

[eon-s]

Also related #17696 #16798

[LikeLakers2]

16798 seems to be the closest to what issue I'm having. Though load() just doesn't work for me as I described in my comment above.

[LikeLakers2]

It's been nearly a month since anything was done with this issue. Is it being marked as a bug? Or should I close it?

[eon-s]

Patience, some issues can be stalled longer and devs are now doing checks and tagging, etc. before alpha.

[sxkod]

I am up against the same hurdle. Anyone found a way round? I would like to have a menu/init scene at the root and then offer various scenes that can be downloaded as a zip from a server. I got everything set and can download, save in user:// etc. However once I do a load_resource_pack it overwrites the menu/init, so no way to go back to it again!

Any suggestions/work arounds or any update on fixes?

By the way, great engine, I keep finding new things that have a lot of thought behind them. It constantly surprises me with how well planned it is overall.

Thanks

[sxkod]

Don't mean to answer my own question but I found a way round for now. Not great but seem to work.
As follows:

1. game starts and loads user://menu.zip and changes in to menu.tscn
2. menu offers and loads user://packN.zip and changes to packN.tscn
3. Each packN.tscn has an option to quit and on quit, will load user://menu.zip and changes to menu.tscn again.

So essentially I could cycle between the menu and various loadable packs. However this probably won't let me use a single globals file for singletons. I guess one can store the necessary global data to user://transition_file and reload it on change.

Thanks

[charliewhitfield]

OK, Please register me as another developer who discovered this issue and (for now) has put modding on the back-burner.

Please, please, please...! I was a modder before I was a game developer. Let's have some love for modders! (Related issues: https://github.com/godotengine/godot/issues/22950, https://github.com/godotengine/godot/issues/7753)

[LikeLakers2]

So I tested this today with a build of the master branch, and while the issue I described seems to occur when running a project from the editor... running an exported version of the project (I used godot_editor.exe --main-pack "path/to/exported.pck") seems to not have this issue? At least, using the code I placed under "Steps to Reproduce" seems to show that the file list is not replaced when running an exported version.

However, this still leaves the issue of why it happens when running the project from the editor.

I'm surprised (and admittedly, feel a little stupid) that I didn't think of trying an exported version before I made this issue -- or at any point before now.

[EIREXE]

So I tested this today with a build of the master branch, and while the issue I described seems to occur when running a project from the editor... running an exported version of the project (I used godot_editor.exe --main-pack "path/to/exported.pck") seems to not have this issue? At least, using the code I placed under "Steps to Reproduce" seems to show that the file list is not replaced when running an exported version.

However, this still leaves the issue of why it happens when running the project from the editor.

I'm surprised (and admittedly, feel a little stupid) that I didn't think of trying an exported version before I made this issue -- or at any point before now.

I know this is a late reply, but the reason why this works is that godot has no problem loading multiple pcks, the problem comes when you mix the editor filesystem type and pcks, that's when pcks replace the tree.