i wish there was an extensive modding manual.

[darthdud0]

i don't know if this should be in general or workshop discussion so i will put it here.

i can't find any meaningful info on how to make a mod using the tools, the only thing i could find was a pdf for fallen gods that only told you to "click here to do the thing they wanted you to instead of telling you why you are clicking it" kind of tutorial, there is nothing on how to mod skill trees, it wasn't even a good tutorial on what they wanted to teach often skipping steps such as telling you to open a tab which they didn't tell you was two sub menus deep as if it was easy to see only to yet again not telling you what to do other then "after making your edits" then continuing on their "tutorial", i would like an extensive modding manual to know what commands do so i can you know... make a mod. i want to know how to make skill trees for journey mode and can't find anything on how to even edit skill trees or how to make a mod in general.
for instance when you select create mod in the mods page in game it makes a folder in the mod making folder in the game's folder with sub folders in it, the mod tool when used can't seem to use it to make a mod? are you supposed to select open project or create new project? if you select create new project it requires an empty folder and thus the mod folder the pdf showed them making can't even be used since i tried following the pdf step by step and thus got even more confused.

i want to make mods for this game and if there was more documentation there would be more mods for this game.

[Farlon]

Hello, did you take a look at the updated modding guide? It can be found here: https://spellforce.com/modding/SF3RModdingGuide.pdf
Also, feel free to check out the official Spellforce discord, you can always find some help there!

[darthdud0]

Originally posted by Farlon:

Hello, did you take a look at the updated modding guide? It can be found here: https://spellforce.com/modding/SF3RModdingGuide.pdf
Also, feel free to check out the official Spellforce discord, you can always find some help there!

thank you for pointing me to the guide, i am going to read that now and hope it can show me how to make modded skill trees.

it is odd i couldn't find that guide when i goodled it, all that came up was outdated video on how to move the camera of the original spellforce 3 map editor and the fallen gods guide i referenced in my post.

[darthdud0]

after going through the guide i can't figure out how to use the mod folder that is made when you select create mod in the mods tab in game, open project doesn't work and create project requires an empty folder, doesn't that mean anything i make doesn't go into my mod's folders and thus has no effect? how do you make a mod in that sense? how do you get ArticyDraft to use the folder that is auto generated by selecting create mod in the mods tab?

[Farlon]

Originally posted by darthdud0:

after going through the guide i can't figure out how to use the mod folder that is made when you select create mod in the mods tab in game, open project doesn't work and create project requires an empty folder, doesn't that mean anything i make doesn't go into my mod's folders and thus has no effect? how do you make a mod in that sense? how do you get ArticyDraft to use the folder that is auto generated by selecting create mod in the mods tab?

You can save your Articy project anywhere, you just export it into your mod folder later on, just make sure the folder inside your project has the same name as your mod folder.

[darthdud0]

Originally posted by Farlon:

Originally posted by darthdud0:

after going through the guide i can't figure out how to use the mod folder that is made when you select create mod in the mods tab in game, open project doesn't work and create project requires an empty folder, doesn't that mean anything i make doesn't go into my mod's folders and thus has no effect? how do you make a mod in that sense? how do you get ArticyDraft to use the folder that is auto generated by selecting create mod in the mods tab?

You can save your Articy project anywhere, you just export it into your mod folder later on, just make sure the folder inside your project has the same name as your mod folder.

so for example if my mod i made in the mods tab in game was:
first box TEST
name class mod test
description "whatever i put in"

which makes a folder named TEST

my project must be called TEST even if it is in an empty folder named mod stuff?

or does the project folder have to also be named TEST somehow without ending up as TEST(2)?

or is it after all of the mod is done i move it into TEST afterwards?

i don't understand why the folder made by selecting create mod in the mods tab makes a folder that can't be used by the mod tools? does the folder made by the mods tab get used by the tools at all during the making of the mod? or is it used only after the mod making process is done somehow? am i supposed to move the mod files back and forth to edit them? or am i just missing something? does the mod folder become part of the project at some point?

i don't know anything that isn't said in the mod manual you linked to and the quick start guide doesn't explain anything.

[Farlon]

Originally posted by darthdud0:

so for example if my mod i made in the mods tab in game was:
first box TEST
name class mod test
description "whatever i put in"

which makes a folder named TEST

my project must be called TEST even if it is in an empty folder named mod stuff?

or does the project folder have to also be named TEST somehow without ending up as TEST(2)?

or is it after all of the mod is done i move it into TEST afterwards?

i don't understand why the folder made by selecting create mod in the mods tab makes a folder that can't be used by the mod tools? does the folder made by the mods tab get used by the tools at all during the making of the mod? or is it used only after the mod making process is done somehow? am i supposed to move the mod files back and forth to edit them? or am i just missing something? does the mod folder become part of the project at some point?

i don't know anything that isn't said in the mod manual you linked to and the quick start guide doesn't explain anything.

No, the project can be called anything you want, the folders INSIDE that project must be named after your mod and everything from it will be extracted into your mod folder.
Once you edit everything, you just extract the contents into your mod folder and save the project for future edits.

[darthdud0]

Originally posted by Farlon:

Originally posted by darthdud0:

so for example if my mod i made in the mods tab in game was:
first box TEST
name class mod test
description "whatever i put in"

which makes a folder named TEST

my project must be called TEST even if it is in an empty folder named mod stuff?

or does the project folder have to also be named TEST somehow without ending up as TEST(2)?

or is it after all of the mod is done i move it into TEST afterwards?

i don't understand why the folder made by selecting create mod in the mods tab makes a folder that can't be used by the mod tools? does the folder made by the mods tab get used by the tools at all during the making of the mod? or is it used only after the mod making process is done somehow? am i supposed to move the mod files back and forth to edit them? or am i just missing something? does the mod folder become part of the project at some point?

i don't know anything that isn't said in the mod manual you linked to and the quick start guide doesn't explain anything.

No, the project can be called anything you want, the folders INSIDE that project must be named after your mod and everything from it will be extracted into your mod folder.
Once you edit everything, you just extract the contents into your mod folder and save the project for future edits.

so exampe being still the first box is TEST.

the project can be called bird.
but in bird there must be a folder named TEST which all of my modded stiff is in?
i still don't quite understand but i am vary thankful you are trying to help me.

i don't understand how exporting my mod in the project folder effects my mod folder?
and i don't understand why there needs to be a folder in my project folder named after my mod folder. i am clearly misunderstanding the relation between project folder and mod folder.

[Farlon]

Originally posted by darthdud0:

Originally posted by Farlon:

No, the project can be called anything you want, the folders INSIDE that project must be named after your mod and everything from it will be extracted into your mod folder.
Once you edit everything, you just extract the contents into your mod folder and save the project for future edits.

so exampe being still the first box is TEST.

the project can be called bird.
but in bird there must be a folder named TEST which all of my modded stiff is in?
i still don't quite understand but i am vary thankful you are trying to help me.

i don't understand how exporting my mod in the project folder effects my mod folder?
and i don't understand why there needs to be a folder in my project folder named after my mod folder. i am clearly misunderstanding the relation between project folder and mod folder.

In short: it just works that way. You export the files into "working state" and they automatically go into your mod folder and then work in-game.
Anyways, I really recommend joining the official discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/spellforce
We have dedicated modding channels where I could give you more detailed explanations

[darthdud0]

Originally posted by Farlon:

Originally posted by darthdud0:

so exampe being still the first box is TEST.

the project can be called bird.
but in bird there must be a folder named TEST which all of my modded stiff is in?
i still don't quite understand but i am vary thankful you are trying to help me.

i don't understand how exporting my mod in the project folder effects my mod folder?
and i don't understand why there needs to be a folder in my project folder named after my mod folder. i am clearly misunderstanding the relation between project folder and mod folder.

In short: it just works that way. You export the files into "working state" and they automatically go into your mod folder and then work in-game.
Anyways, I really recommend joining the official discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/spellforce
We have dedicated modding channels where I could give you more detailed explanations

so if the mod folder is called TEST,
and in the project which is in a folder named mod stuff named BIRD has all of my changes\additions are in a sub folder within the project named TEST when i select export it goes to the mod folder TEST?
i.e:
within bird
- (other mod menus)
- TEST
- stuff i modded
(edit i staggered them to look like sub folders in the mod tool but it keeps removing the spaces >:(

(then click export it goes to my mod folder?)



do i understand it correctly?

[Farlon]

Originally posted by darthdud0:

so if the mod folder is called TEST,
and in the project which is in a folder named mod stuff named BIRD has all of my changes\additions are in a sub folder within the project named TEST when i select export it goes to the mod folder TEST?
i.e:
within bird
- (other mod menus)
- TEST
- stuff i modded
(edit i staggered them to look like sub folders in the mod tool but it keeps removing the spaces >:(

(then click export it goes to my mod folder?)



do i understand it correctly?

Yeah pretty much

[darthdud0]

Originally posted by Farlon:

Originally posted by darthdud0:

so if the mod folder is called TEST,
and in the project which is in a folder named mod stuff named BIRD has all of my changes\additions are in a sub folder within the project named TEST when i select export it goes to the mod folder TEST?
i.e:
within bird
- (other mod menus)
- TEST
- stuff i modded
(edit i staggered them to look like sub folders in the mod tool but it keeps removing the spaces >:(

(then click export it goes to my mod folder?)



do i understand it correctly?

Yeah pretty much

thank you so much for helping me.

i just have three more questions since i think i can figure out the rest.

does save all changes to the project = export?

and i think i found where the class trees are but wanted to make sure i know what i am looking at.
exp1_tree_demonic = soul harvest demonologist?

how do you find the config menu the guide mentions? i can't seem to find it with the search bar and i can't find it anywhere and without it i don't think i can even edit spells or anything else without it based on what the guide said.

[Farlon]

Originally posted by darthdud0:

thank you so much for helping me.

i just have three more questions since i think i can figure out the rest.

does save all changes to the project = export?

and i think i found where the class trees are but wanted to make sure i know what i am looking at.
exp1_tree_demonic = soul harvest demonologist?

how do you find the config menu the guide mentions? i can't seem to find it with the search bar and i can't find it anywhere and without it i don't think i can even edit spells or anything else without it based on what the guide said.

No, saving it just saves the project for future uses.
To export it there's an icon at the top left that looks like brackets {} with a yellow arrow.
Once you click it, you select Export Descriptions > YourModName > World.

For spell configs, you use the PakInspector app that can be found in your SpellforceThree folder. Open it up, open any of the packages, navigate to configs\spells and extract them. Then you can either overwrite those or write new configs for your own spells.

[darthdud0]

Originally posted by Farlon:

Originally posted by darthdud0:

thank you so much for helping me.

i just have three more questions since i think i can figure out the rest.

does save all changes to the project = export?

and i think i found where the class trees are but wanted to make sure i know what i am looking at.
exp1_tree_demonic = soul harvest demonologist?

how do you find the config menu the guide mentions? i can't seem to find it with the search bar and i can't find it anywhere and without it i don't think i can even edit spells or anything else without it based on what the guide said.

No, saving it just saves the project for future uses.
To export it there's an icon at the top left that looks like brackets {} with a yellow arrow.
Once you click it, you select Export Descriptions > YourModName > World.

For spell configs, you use the PakInspector app that can be found in your SpellforceThree folder. Open it up, open any of the packages, navigate to configs\spells and extract them. Then you can either overwrite those or write new configs for your own spells.

if i don't export nothing i made mattered?
i tried doing the example to make custom faction from the guide step by step minus making custom hero making sure to be case sensitive and nothing worked at all, nothing i did showed up.

i have been losing my mind trying to figure out how to do even the most simple of things with these tools, i am amazed there are any mods at all if just trying to add even 1 unit is like pulling teeth.

i am sorry for getting frustrated, i have literally spent all day trying to make something and couldn't make even so much as a single change.

i can't figure out how to make new things or edit old things or adding to anything that already exists such as adding a new unit to the elf faction let alone making a new faction.

i am exhausted and stressed out. all i wanted to do was make a skill tree for journey mode and all i have made is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. not even copying the guide made anything work. i did everything it said to do step by step and did every change they said to even in the data editor and still nothing happened. i exported the data in the data editor and still nothing. turning on the mod did nothing and now you are telling me i exported in 1 place but i needed to export in 2 places? or am i STILL missing something?

i am so tired and angry trying to even do as much as lower the cost of a single skill let alone do anything else. nothing i change will even matter since i can't even find where the hell journey mode keeps the damn player character to add a skill tree to it.

i thank you for trying to help and sorry again for being stressed. i will try to mod later, i have a headache.

[darthdud0]

i can't mod for this game.
the longer i try the worse it gets.
now trying to name a mod's first box TEST
names it TEST followed by a long string of letters and numbers even though nothing else is named TEST in the folder.
nothing i do works and the more i try the worse it gets.
the tools might be able to do amazing things with enough knowledge but allows nothing if you have no knowledge.
i can't so much as even touch a single damn thing in this game without something getting in the way.
i wanted to mod this game so bad but nothing is worth this level of stress for literally nothing to happen.
the more i try the less works.
i can't so much as edit or add anything.
i have made mods for other games because other games wanted to be modded. this game does not. other games i have modded had a list of commands in a text document. it could take hours but you could make what you wanted. the other game i have modded had 1 mod tool, it was like this games data editor but you could edit values in the tool then save your file of edits and that was a mod you could toggle on and off.
this game has 3-4 mod tools which need each other just to work by themselves which i can't figure out since i can't figure out even 1 of them. the data editor is the easiest for me to understand and i can't even move the damn camera. this is the reason you have like 10-12 mods when the other games have thousands or mods. because in those games you can make a mod without a lot of technical skill but make amazing mods with technical skill. this game requires technical skill to change a single value of a single unit of a single race.
i wanted to make a mod for this game because the game is fun. modding for this game is not fun. it doesn't want me to make anything so i am not going to. this is the most disheartening experience i have ever had trying to mod a game.