How to create custom weapons

This guide will teach you the best way to create your own custom weapons for Team Fortress 2 and try them out ingame, including allowing other players to use them without downloading client-side mods and making a demonstration video for your weapon.

I have talked to multiple people regarding this topic, including Crafting, Top Kekkeroni, CHData, Karma Charger, WindPower. I hope to put as much information as possible in a central place.

Setup - files you will need

• SteamCMD (to install dedicated server)
  
• Metamod: Source (dependency of SourceMod)[sourcemm.net]
  
• TF2Items (dependency of Custom Weapons 3)[builds.limetech.org]
  
• TF2Attributes (dependency of Custom Weapons 3)[forums.alliedmods.net]
  
• tf2items_randomizer.txt (contains Game Data information)[forums.alliedmods.net]
  
• Custom Weapons 3 (do I need to explain why?)[forums.alliedmods.net]
  
• TF2 Custom Attributes (needed to create your own attributes)[github.com]
  
• GCFScape (not needed for mainstream end users, but necessary for client-side mods like demonstration files)[nemesis.thewavelength.net]

Formatting custom weapon file

In addition to creating your own attributes, you can also use already existing attributes. You can use "tf2attributes" as the plugin file to use any attribute that already exists in TF2 (see here for a list. Keep in mind some of the "unused" attributes do not work). There are also Orionr's attributes[forums.alliedmods.net] and Yoner's attributes[forums.alliedmods.net].


Crafting has created a video tutorial on formatting this file as well. See some example weapons[forums.alliedmods.net].

Creating custom attributes

If you are not already experience in SourcePawn, you may have some difficulty creating custom attributes.

custom attributes can be read using the functions TF2CustAttr_GetString, TF2CustAttr_GetInt, and TF2CustAttr_GetFloat from tf_custom_attributes.inc ,i.e. TF2CustAttr_GetInt(WeaponIndex, "attribute name") with the weapon's text file containing something like this


"attribute name"
{
"plugin" "custom-attribute-adapter/plugin_name"
"value" "1"
}

Generally 0 will be returned if trying to pull an int from a string value, or if the weapon doesn't contain the attribute.

Here is an example[pastebin.com] of a custom attribute that prevents a weapon's primary fire from being used.

Custom models

Custom models can either be modelled yourself using a program such as Blender, or taken from another place such as GameBanana. Sometimes, models may not be visible to other players -- Valve has done this intentionally to hinder community modding instead of buying from the Mann Co. Store.

Custom models can be put as "viewmodel" or "world_model" - but you will need to use this plugin[forums.alliedmods.net] to ensure the model files are downloaded.

Resources

• Custom TF2 Weapons Steam Group
  
• Custom Weapons 3 AlliedModders Topic[forums.alliedmods.net]
  
• Video tutorial on formatting a custom weapon file

[Puddle (She/Her)]

btw I made a kind of different tutorial about the same thing https://tf2maps.net/threads/what-ive-learned-on-how-to-make-custom-weapons.52961/

[Xavier Dharmawan]

Is this works on team fortress 2 Classic?

[KitChaos]

ahaaaaa thats where I went wrong, I don't seem to have any JSON files in the directory. I was just pointing out the path in downloads.ini (assuming tf was root) and that wasn't working where should I put/find such a json file?

[Blue bridge]

You can put them in any path you want-- you just need to set it in the JSON to point to the path you put them in.

[KitChaos]

Is there a more in-depth tutorial I can find on how to assign weapon models? or can you give me some advice such as on file placement?
thanks
(hopefully last thing)

[KitChaos]

thank you so much for all the help, this guide is really useful!

[KitChaos]

ah, my bad, I did not have custom weapons 3 installed, I will get that in
sorry!

[KitChaos]

Could you give me the syntax rq? Like if I was to give myself the afterburner weapon from the test weapons, how would I do that? as I don't seem to see a /c command anywhere

[Blue bridge]

With the /c command!

[KitChaos]

How can I actually give myself the weapon to use in game? for my local server