Autoloaded folder ignores non-wad files (pk3/pk7)

[RicardoLuis0]

Autoloading a pk3/pk7 directly (Path=[path to file]) works, but place any pk3/pk7 file inside an autoloaded folder (Path=[path to folder]), and it will be ignored by the engine.
Chaning the extension of a file from .pk3 to .wad (without changing its format), it will be properly loaded by the engine as a pk3 file, even if its extension is .wad.

[Delfino Furioso]

something similar happens when trying to load a .zip archive which contains one or more .pk3 files

using sparse files:
gzdoom.exe -iwad "DOOM2.WAD" -file "Mapset.pk3" "GameplayMod.pk3"
always works

bundling all pk3 in a .zip archive
gzdoom.exe -iwad "DOOM2.WAD" -file "bundle.zip"
works only if the bundled .pk3 files are renamed within the archive, adding .wad to the extension


this is using 4.7.0


if this is intended behaviour then sorry for false-flagging it

[Caligari87]

@Delfino the behavior you're describing is probably not related to this bug report, in my estimate. Explanation in spoiler to avoid derailing, but TL;DR don't do that.

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Loading wad files inside zip/pk3 files is intended behavior in some cases such as maps, however loading pk3/zip files inside other pk3/zip files is not, so you're basically tricking the loader by renaming the files.

That said, it is explicitly NOT advised to use "nested" archives for anything other than maps: [wiki]Using_ZIPs_as_WAD_replacement[/wiki]

You can embed WADs inside archives. Any WAD file found in the root directory will be added to the lump directory as well. This allows loading many of the ZIPs distributed through /idgames without the need to extract them. If several wads are included in an archive, they will be loaded in alphabetical order.

WARNING: Loading WAD files inside of an archive will cause memory issues to arise. ZDoom will unpack each WAD file and use more memory to access the contents. This effect quickly adds up, especially in larger mods (with the exception of map wads in the maps/ folder, provided they follow the format explicitly -- see below). The bigger the mod is, the more likely it is on lower-end PCs that it may run out of memory during play and crashing ZDoom, or for memory corruption to occur. Thus, it is highly recommended to completely unpack the entire contents of any WADs inside, or part of the mod, into the sorted directories.

[Graf Zahl]

This is working as designed - the file system does not support embedding of non-WADs, and autoloading a folder is just that.