How to play SP without ScriptHook Update - for next time

JohnFromGWN

For those who didn't read the warning thread, for those who would rather not wait for Alexander Blade, it's time to back up 3 files for next time R* does there GTA5 online updates.

On that topic, what if Alexander is no longer around? What if he decides to stop updating ScriptHook? Will someone step in and modify the source code? Probably, but let's play safe.

If that didn't happen, well then say goodbye to all your mods unless you have someone who has backups of the original files and remember it is illegal to exchange system files so that will make it even harder. Ok, Ok, I'm being overly dramatic.

The good news? You only need, despite misinformation on other forums and youtube, 3 files backedup. At least for Steam, sorry not familiar with Epic so I'll ask someone to comment on that process. All 3 files are from your installation/root GTA5 folder.

GTA5.exe
GTAVLauncher.exe
Update.rpf (from installation/root, NOT from your Mods folder).
You may want to backup all the .exe files, so add PlayGTAV.exe just to be safe - it will be modified but I have never had to replace it.
(Actually I backup all the files except the large rpf files - but I only restore the 3 in the video).

Here is the process:

Note: You can't stop Steam from Updating by disabling autoupdate - all it does is wait for you to hit the Play button.
As for Epic, I think the process is the same except R* will keep trying to update so you need to bypass the launcher (can't be done for Steam) with a mod.

Finally, once SH is released, you can do a verify integrity (if you want to play online for example) and Steam will do the update again - it will replace the 3 files we restored. Then with the new SH you can play with the updated version.

JohnFromGWN

One other thing. Once SP is updated and you've installed it and verified your integrity of the game so it is updated, you now need to backup those 3 files again - taken from the GTA5 folder after you update.

So suggest you create a new folder, call it whatever you want (GTA Backup July 20 Update - for example) and you will be ready for next update.

BTW, if you never want to update again that's fine too. Just keep your existing backup and unless R* completely change their process or have a SP DLC, you can keep your old version. Having said that, some newer mods might not work and you won't be able to use the new tuner cars in SP.

9BallAC

@JohnFromGWN Do you know how to access the new cars before we get the new scripthookv and trainers? Like how everyone on youtube shows off the drip feed cars in SP? I want to be able to do that. I can't find a tutorial.

JohnFromGWN

@9BallAC I haven't tried because honestly I don't like their cars.
What you could try is this if you have backup files. I think you can do the update, identify the new dlc packs (in the GTA folder Update.rpf), add those to your dlclist.xml.
Given SH will not work with the update, you will still need to copy over GTA5.exe and I think the launcher as well.
That should work. Let us know if you try it.

P.S. I'm assuming you can launch the new cars with a trainer - which is why you need the backup GTA5.exe, to allow the current SH to work.

JohnFromGWN

@WGotch07 Thanks for confirming that. I'm not really interested in any new DLC, but wasn't there 2 packages? Or is the mptuner the only one that's interesting?
You can also spawn them with Menyoo I'm sure if you just look up the spawn names with OpenIV.

People still need to restore the previous GTA version files so that SH can allow any trainer or addon to load.

9BallAC

@WGotch07 @JohnFromGWN Ok thats fine I did restore the exe's to the old ones. So from the sounds of it, just add mptuner to the dlclist.
Two more things, should I add the mptuner folder to my mods dlcpack folder, and can I use the prevoius version's update.rpf? Assuming thats what you mean by modded update.rpf.

I just want to be sure before I do it. Thanks for the help, both of you.

JohnFromGWN

@WGotch07 I just tried something interesting. I had always read that if you didn't restore your old update.rpf the game would crash on loading.
Wrong. I just updated the game again and the only change I made was to copy over GTA5.exe.
Loaded and my mods work perfectly.

JohnFromGWN

@9BallAC You may not need to restore the previous game version of update.rpf.
I just did a test for fun. I kept the July 20 update.rpf, in fact I kept all the July 20 files except GTA5.exe.
Just restoring GTA5.exe seems to have worked for me. The game loaded, Menyoo loaded, and my personal C# scripts ran as well.

Fabito48hd

@JohnFromGWN nice work friend!

JohnFromGWN

@WGotch07 Actually if you think of it, it does make sense.
Your gameconfig file is the one in your mods folder, not the one in the game's update.rpf. And the update folder you do use, is the one in your Mods folder - so who cares what the game does. This might have been necessary for some updates in the past but it definitely was not required on this one, only GTA5.exe.

Having said that, I always err on the cautious side - I cover the bases by backing up all files which may or may not be required.

JohnFromGWN

@WGotch07 Does not work for me. No Menyoo, no script, not even the addon vehicle spawner which i just installed and tested. Problem with the latter is that it looks at the GTA5.exe which has to be from the previous build to run with this SH, and it gives you error message that you have the wrong version of GTA for Los Santos Tuners.

Epix

I duplicated the updated GTA into a new folder. Then I downgraded gta5.exe, gtavlauncher, playgtav and update.rpf. In the downgrades update.rpf I added mptuner to the dlclist.xml. But when I play GTA I cant spawn any of the new vehicles with the vehicle spawner. Do you know what I can do?

JohnFromGWN

@Epix At first I had zero interest to spawn the new DLC because I only use addon vehicles for cars (with a few exceptions such as the insurgent).
So many people were having this problem and at least 2 or 3 said they easily succeeded that I decided to try myself.
I followed their steps, launched GTA5 with all my mods, and tried 3 different ways (Menyoo, addon vehicle spawner mod, and c# with LemonUI) to spawn.
Either nothing happened (C#) or Invalid Model (Menyoo), or "Wrong version of GTA" from addon vehicle spawner because it correctly saw I had downgraded GTA5.exe to bypass the SHV that no longer works.

So I verified all my steps. Went into OpenIV.
Were the DLCs there? Yep.
Could I see the vehicles like Euros? Yep.
Was my dlclist.xml updated for MPTUNER without syntax errors (after about 300 manual entries, I think have the process down).

Next I experimented, Steam Version. Only constant was that GTA5.exe had to be the previous version - if not, no Mods.
I basically tried every combination, and they are limited, and nothing worked. Either game would hang during launch, or launch but not allow spawns.

In summary I tried.

The steps that those who had succeeded posted.
Having MPTUNER also in my mods folder
Downgrading my mods version of Update.rpf
Upgrading my mods version of Update.rpf
Downgrading my mods version of Update.rpf but adding MPTUNER, then downgrading game version of Update.rpf
Made sure my gameconfig was properly loaded in Mods (each attempt)
Tried with a lighter version of my dlcpacks
A few more combos which I know probably didn't make sense out of desperation.

Conclusion: I can't do this on my setup. Likely something is conflicting. My setup is highly customized and tweaked with many edits, a custom ped addon process which I created, etc. So my game is definitely full of variables.

Anyway, as I said before have no interest in this DLC but was hoping to create a tutorial - that won't happen.