Pak files are compressed data archives used for the storage of Battlezone II game assets stored in the root directory. The stock game uses several of these, and several mods install their own to the same location. Several other video games use the .pak format, but there is no established standard between them and the format used by Battlezone II is believed to be unique.
Pak files can be opened and extracted with PAK Explorer, a program created specifically for the purpose by the Battlezone II Community Project. Users using this tool are advised not to change overwrite existing .pak files for fear of causing Bad Assets.
Three .pak files are included in a stock installation of Battlezone II:
- data.pak: Contains every asset used by the game and has not changed since 1.0.
- patch13.pak: Contains every asset updated by the 1.3 patch. Not included in pre-1.3 installations.
- smtex.pak: Contains smaller versions of most game textures. Has not changed since 1.0.