Grid cache file

Game Cache File (.gcf) (game cache file) is a storage format used by Valve Corporation on Steam to distribute computer games and official game content. This format uses the similarity of a virtual file system to host game files. Each file contains part of the game files, as well as information about their size, checksum and allocation table. Games distributed through Steam are not always in the same GCF file. For example, Team Fortress 2 uses three GCF files for its content, plus eight more Source engine files. Each GCF file can be used in several games, mainly these are game engine files (for example, source engine.gcf) or base game files used in add-on games (for example, source materials.gcf, source models.gcf and source sounds.gcf, being Half-Life 2 files, are used in almost all Valve games). GCF files are stored in the Steam directory, a subdirectory of "SteamApps".

GCFScape

GCF was originally an abbreviation of Grid Cache File ^[1] ( Grid ( Grid ) - early code name Steam). Now it is considered that GCF is an abbreviation of Game Cache Files . All games based on such files cannot work without Steam even with full unpacking of GCF content - using them without Steam is possible only with the use of emulators.

Using the GCF format solves several problems, but at the same time it has a number of drawbacks. In general, the GCF format is convenient for auto-updates and data recovery, but only to save the original game as it was created by the developer — the user cannot directly change the game files themselves and implement a modification with changes in characteristics right inside the game. Also, the use of gcf-files requires unpacking of library files (dll) and applications (exe), as well as media files, which reduces the free space on the hard disk. The GCF format is based on the use of modifications while preserving the original game, which makes it easy to restore, but does not give the opportunity to change the basic files of the game.

Due to the inability to use content from a third-party game without unpacking its files, a longer download time for a game based on GCF compared to the unpacked game, as well as a number of other shortcomings, Valve decided to stop using the format in the future and go to the system of unpacked files in its games. To reduce the number of game files, as well as prevent wallhack cheats in online games, a special format of in-game archives was created - VPK . The first game of Valve , based on this system, was Left 4 Dead . However, mods to games released in the GCF format are also created in this format; The situation with the format of the future Half-Life 2: Episode Three remains unclear.