OpenAssetTools
OpenAssetTools is a free, GPLv3-licensed suite for creating mods and custom assets for older Call of Duty PC titles.
What OpenAssetTools is
OpenAssetTools is a free, GPLv3-licensed suite for creating mods and custom assets for older Call of Duty PC titles. Its Unlinker loads supported fastfiles and can dump some assets to disk, with available asset types varying by game. The Linker builds custom fastfiles and can reuse assets loaded from existing zones; disk-readable types also differ by title. The guide covers PC versions of IW3, IW4, IW5, T5, and T6, with progress varying across them. Supported formats include fastfiles (.ff), IWD files, IPak files, zone files, and scriptfile assets. The Unlinker runs without the game, and Windows users can drag a fastfile onto it. Both tools provide command-line use. Zone project files use text-based, comma-separated key notation with optional comments and C-like preprocessing. Windows builds require Git, Premake, and Visual Studio 2022; Linux builds require Git, Premake, g++, and multilib for 32-bit builds. The project remains incomplete and covers only a subset of modding features.
Good
- Free and open source under GPLv3
- Builds and extracts supported fastfiles
- Works without running the game
- Command-line and Windows drag-and-drop use
- Supports Windows and Linux
Watch out
- Project is incomplete
- Only a subset of assets is supported
- Progress varies across supported games
- Build setup requires development tools
Who it suits
It suits modders working with the listed older Call of Duty PC versions and supported archive formats. It is also useful for developers comfortable building tools on Windows or Linux.
Verdict
OpenAssetTools provides focused extraction and packaging tools for several older Call of Duty PC games. Its incomplete coverage and game-dependent asset support make the specific title and format important checks.
The facts
Each one read from OpenAssetTools's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Affiliation
- The project states that it is not endorsed by or affiliated with Activision, Treyarch, Infinity Ward, or their descendants.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Asset creation
- The site says users can create custom assets and mods for supported games.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Asset extraction
- The Unlinker loads supported games’ fastfiles and can dump a subset of their assets to disk, depending on the game.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Asset formats
- Unlinker dumps assets in formats intended to be close to the original game formats or in commonly used formats.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Build requirements
- Building requires Git and Premake; the Windows guide specifies Visual Studio 2022, while the Linux guide specifies g++ and multilib for 32-bit builds.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Command line
- The Linker and Unlinker both provide command-line usage, and the Unlinker can also be used by dragging and dropping a fastfile onto it on Windows.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Compatibility
- The project aims to be compatible with existing formats and add support for previously unsupported titles.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Create fastfiles
- The Linker builds custom fastfiles and can reuse assets loaded from existing zones.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Extract assets
- The Unlinker can load supported fastfiles and dump a subset of their assets to disk, depending on the game.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Fastfile building
- The Linker builds custom fastfiles and can reuse assets loaded from existing zones, although disk-readable asset types vary by game.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Legal note
- The site says extracting game files does not grant rights to their contents, which remain with their respective owners.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Legal rights
- The guide says extracting game file contents does not grant rights to those contents, which remain with their owners.checked 9 Oct 2026
- License
- The source code is licensed under GPLv3.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Limits
- The project is incomplete; only a subset of assets can currently be dumped or read from disk, depending on the game.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Project files
- Zone project files are text-based and use comma-separated key-based notation with optional comments and C-like preprocessing.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Project limits
- The guide describes OAT as incomplete and says it currently provides only a small subset of modding features.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- OpenAssetTools is a work-in-progress modding tool suite for older Call of Duty titles.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Source license
- The OAT source code is licensed under GPLv3.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Standalone operation
- The Unlinker works standalone, and the homepage says running the game is not necessary to use the toolset.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Standalone use
- The Unlinker works standalone, and the home page says running the game is not necessary.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Supported games
- It currently supports the PC versions of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops, and Black Ops II, with varying progress across games.checked 9 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Linux build
- Building on Linux requires Git and g++, with multilib needed for 32-bit builds on a 64-bit machine.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Linux use
- The Linux build guide uses generate.sh to create make files, followed by make or the provided release or debug scripts.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Windows build
- Building on Windows requires Git and Visual Studio 2022 according to the getting-started guide.checked 8 Oct 2026
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