Would it be possible to create your own file type in zip or rar format, then have the engine read it and use the files from it, which would be models and code?

It is possible, but dont ask me how to do that.. if you have good scripting skills try it, but if you just beginning with scripting forget it!
Im actually working on something like this, but I cant find a good way to get the files back to the engine.....

Im guessing you just use file_open_read. Then somehow set it up so it can read models and code etc from it.

A simple way would be if you could write an external function, wich extracts all
the files at runtime to a folder where 3dgs can read it, and erases them after the game
exits.

I cant remember where I found it, but do a DEEP search through these forums for
"super_simple_file_packer.zip" by "thomas oppl" or something similar. (maybe the wiki too?)
It uses a single 33k DLL called "zlib1.dll"

Sorry I cant remember better than that. I dont know what type of compression it uses,
but it is capable of multiple degrees of compression, and matching de-compression.
Password locking and/or encryption was in there, Im sure.
And, most importantly, comes with lite-c code to use it.

I remember the thread has quite a discussion about it, and varying ways of utilising it.
I think it was free-ware too.

Hope this is of some help...

Ok thanks a lot, ill do some looking around!

I found it, it is on this page

http://www.coniserver.net/wiki/index.php/Plugins

sadly A7 is not supported.

Kewl, Ive never actually used it, but Ive got it in my library of "useful stuff"
because I am pretty sure I'll want to use it.

Thanks for the link too.

Actually scratch it doesnt work with A7, i just got it to work!

nvm it doesnt.
Dang!

i remember that i played around with ventilators simple file packer, it was working pretty nice for me.