Useful AoM Modding Tools & Applications

Depending on the type of modding you plan on doing, you may only need some of these apps. To make it easier to identify which apps you will need for which purpose, I have included the modding disciplines which use each app. The disciplines are broken down into: data modding, anim modding, texture modding, modeling, audio modding, AI/RMS/VC/trigger scripting, porting, scenario design, and app design.

None of the applications here listed will require you to spend money. However, I encourage you to support community projects such as the AoM Model Plugin as you see fit. Other lists of useful modding tools can be found on AoMH. This list reflects my own modding experience but I welcome suggestions for tools that aren’t listed.

AOM Edit (AoMED)

Download: http://aom.heavengames.com/scendesign/modding/mod_resources

Author: Ykkrosh

Uses: extracting XMB files from BAR compressions, converting XMBs to XMLs which can be read by most text editors, porting disk version mods to EE, note: the texture format for EE is new so AoMED is out of date for that application – use the newer texture conversion tool (although old-style DDTs should be compatible with EE)

Disciplines: porting

It would not be undue praise to say that Ykkrosk is the father of all modding in AoM and AoE3. His file converters for these games literally made modding possible prior to the release of EE (when Skybox did away with BAR and XMB files, and shortly thereafter Petar Tasev developed AMP). His Bar Builder utility probably influenced the development of the EE workshop and certainly provided the groundwork for the largest total conversion mods (LOME and Star Wars).

Notepad++

Download:

https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Author: Don Ho

Uses: editing text and XML files such as data, anim, AI, RMS, VC, and trigger files, performing line-by-line comparisons on text files, pulling texture file names from BRGs using the hex editor plugin, automatically organizing ES' messy XML nesting, some modders prefer Programmers Notepad

Note: The most important reason you should get used to using Notepad++ instead of Notepad, aside from all the great features, is that Notepad++ displays characters correctly for a much wider range of encoding schemes. Fortunately for AoM modders, almost all of the data files are UTF-8 encoded which is supported by Notepad, however, you will quickly find that for other games that use different encoding schemes, Notepad can cause serious problems. Simply opening and saving a text file in Notepad that's in an unsuported encoding, even without making any changes, can corrupt the file so that the game crashes at start (this is known to happen for Total War games, etc.). You may not even be able to see any changes yet the file will become unreadable. You can find more information about this issue here https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20070417-00/?p=27223/

Essential Plugins:

- HEX-Editor: allows you to quickly find material information such as texture names without opening the model in a 3D editor
- XML Tools: allows you to automatically check for syntax errors and properly format ES' messy XML nesting
- Compare: allows you to automatically run a line-by-line comparison of two files

Disciplines: data modding, anim modding, texturing, app design, porting, AI/RMS/VC/trigger scripting

Guide: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1133297440

WinRAR

Download: http://www.win-rar.com/start.html?&L=0

Author: Jesus himself

Uses: compressing/uncompressing RAR and ZIP files, living a wholesome and fulfilling life

Disciplines: all

Gimp

Download: https://www.gimp.org/

Author: Spencer Kimball, Peter Mattis, et al.

Uses: texture editing, opening/editing TGA files

Disciplines: texture modding, modeling

Guide: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1291736376

[optional] DDS Plugin: https://code.google.com/archive/p/gimp-dds/downloads

[optional] Normal Map Plugin: https://code.google.com/archive/p/gimp-normalmap/downloads

For plugins, download the correct version if you have Windows 32- or 64-bit OS. The DDS format is used for most textures in other games (AoM uses DDT). Here is a video on installing these plugins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21-U-4Ul4zM

Texture Conversion Tool

Download: http://aom.heavengames.com/downloads/showfile.php?fileid=10791

Author: Arctic0ne

Uses: extracting TGA texture files from DDT compressions, converting old-style DDT compressions into new-style DDTs for EE

Disciplines: texture modding, modeling

AoM File Converter

Download: http://www.ryder25.com/modding/bang-engine/

Author: Petar Tasev

Uses: converts a bunch of file types to editable formats, extracting MTRL files from BRGs, converting PRT files for SFX to XMLs, porting disk version mods to EE

Disciplines: modeling, porting

Audacity

Download: http://www.audacityteam.org/

Author: Dominic Mazzoni, Roger Dannenberg, et al.

Uses: editing AoM audio files or creating new files, exporting to a range of file formats

Disciplines: audio modding

AoM Model Plugin

Download: http://aom.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=19,29352,,20

Author: Petar Tasev

Uses: 3DS Max plugin that exports 3DS files to a format that can be read by EE

Disciplines: modeling

Along with names like Ykkrosh and Stephen Caines, Petar Tasev is one of the few modders of Age of Mythology who we can say has had a truly profound impact on modding. His converters and AMP tool allow us to add nearly anything we can imagine to the game making them by far the most important tools for modding EE.

3DS Max

Download: http://www.autodesk.com/products/3ds-max/overview

Author: Autodesk, Inc.

Uses: editing 3D models

Disciplines: modeling

Note: Autodesk makes professional modeling software intended for license to institutions such as game developers, universities, engineering/architectural firms. Individuals usually can’t afford to buy yearly subscriptions. If you are a student, you may use the free version for three years. Popular alternatives to 3ds are Gmax (which I believe has an outdated import/export plugin) and Blender (the plugin for which is currently in development).

AMP has been updated to work with 3ds Max 2017-2020.

Guide: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1220056900

Visual Studio

Download:

https://www.visualstudio.com/downloads/

Author: Microsoft

Uses: Visual Studio is an industry standard IDE (integrated development environment) for working in various programming languages, specifically C++ (a low level language which AoM was written in), IDEs can be used to write new apps for modding or to 'unhardcode' aspects of the game by creating new DLLs

Disciplines: app design, programming

Advanced Editor TotD

Download: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=619206960

Author: Reyk, nottud, et al.

Uses: enables editor UI for lots of hidden features as well as adding new editor features

Disciplines: scenario design

Advanced Triggers

Download: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=257493942

Author: nottud, Reyk, Invent00r, Mythic_Freak, pftq

Uses: adds tons of critical conditions and effects, you might want to manually move triggers from the typetest into a new XML file so they don’t override vanilla triggers (see Android’s suggestion in comments)

Disciplines: scenario design

Tools for Porting from Other Games

Adjutant

- Download: http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=6771
- Games: Halo series
- Uses: extracting mesh, textures, sometimes materials

AoE3 Ed

- Download: http://aoe3.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=1,23622,,all
- Games: Age of Empires III
- Uses: extracting BAR files: audio, models, textures, materials, text

AoE3 UnHardCode

- Download: http://aoe3.heavengames.com/downloads/showfile.php?fileid=3776
- Games: Age of Empires 3
- Uses: allows you to make some minor changes to the aoe3 executable file without the source code

GRN Reader X

- Download: http://aoe3.heavengames.com/downloads/showfile.php?fileid=3789
- Games: Age of Empires 3
- Uses: importing mesh, bones, materials from aoe3 into 3ds Max
- Note: the AoM modding community is fortunate to have people like Petar Tasev, the aoe3 scene wasn't as fortunate, modding aoe3 is considerably more difficult and restrictive than modding AoM, for example, there is currently no way to export animated meshes into the game (although you can use a limited set of animations in the anim file), further, aoe3 has no Steam workshop and their Heaven site which hosted mods has been veritably dead for years, I recommend using the Wars of Liberty forums to find active aoe3 modders

Divinity Sound Converter

- Download: https://forum.worldofwarships.com/topic/95552-converting-wem-to-ogg-for-sound-mods-tutorial/
- Games: many games use .wem encrypted audio files
- Uses: converting .wem files to .ogg audio, use in conjunction with XMedia Recode

XMedia Recode

- Download: http://www.xmedia-recode.de/download.html
- Games: many games use .wem encrypted audio files
- Uses: converting .ogg audio to .mp3 or other openable format

GrannyViewer

- Download: https://forums.civfanatics.com/resources/granny-viewer-2-8-45-0.21206/
- Games: many
- Uses: view Granny 3D model files to check texture and material names, etc., this is not a 3D editor

Pack File Manager

- Download: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?680538-PFM-3-5-0-Attila-support
- Games: Total War: Rome 2, Attila, Empire, Napoleon, Shogun
- Uses: extracting assets from .pack compressions, models, materials, textures, audio, text, etc.

SoundExtractor

- Download: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?542796-SoundExtractor-v1-2
- Games: Medieval 2: Total War
- Uses: extracting .mp3 audio files from .dat compressions

Medieval 2 Total War Modeler's Toolbox

- Download: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?647775-M2TW-Modeler-s-Toolbox-Version-0-6-Beta-Released-On-06-06-2015
- Games: Medieval 2 Total War
- Uses: converting .mesh to Milkshape3D format, converting between .dds and .texture formats

[UserMike]

Thank you for making this list and providing detalis.

[Callistonian]

*guide created over a year ago*

[ROTG]

Nice, Thanks.