Mod your (vanilla) save

You have a Savegame (vanilla or workshop scenario) and want to change a few things?
Transform you Continental Dawn, Northlands or Ancient Warriors save into your own custom scenario.
Get rid of the population soft caps, have more or less raiders, animals, resources ...

Get Scenario XML Files

I did not invent this. This is an explanation of how it works written in my own words. Basis for this knowledge is formed from the posts linked below and many trials (and errors).

Download scenario files from Madruga:
https://madrugaworks.com/dawnofman/files/BuiltinScenarios.zip

Workshop scenarios are stored within steam:
SomewhereOnYourHardDisk\steam\steamapps\workshop\content\858810\scenario_id

Find the scenario_id in the workshop link (Flatlands: 1693186543):
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1693186543
DawnOfMan loads scenarios from the workshop and your documents:
"C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\DawnOfMan\Scenarios"

The "Scenarios" directory in Documents does not exist by default, you need to create it.

Copy the folder that contains the scenario files. BuiltinScenarios-zip\Freeplay\ContinentalDawn" to local "Scenarios":
Example destination: "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\DawnOfMan\Scenarios\ContinentalDawn"

Check if the scenario appeared and works

A new scenario should now show up in the Community Tab for a new game.
Start a new game with that version and save - ignore settings screen - you might need that savegame later.
Optional: Replace Thumbnail (Example: thumbnail_continental_dawn.png)
with signal-color (Neon-Pink?) can help to find it faster.

If it's not there or does not start, you should repeat the previous steps.

Hint: The mentioned filepath is for WINDOWS, if you use MAC use the Finder to find the DawnOfMan directory in your Documents.

Insert Savegame

Copy your savegame (that you want to use as base for the new mod - in my example hardcore save number 27) from Saves into the new Scenario:

"C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\DawnOfMan\Saves\hardcore27.sav"

to

"C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\DawnOfMan\Scenarios\ContinentalDawn\hardcore27.sav"

Rename the file according to the scenario:
Example with Continental Dawn: ("hardcore27" -> "continental_dawn.sav")


Save the changes, start a new game in that scenario and see, if it starts with your save.
If that works you are good to go and might start to edit your own custom scenario based on your savegame.
You may use the save and load function as before from now on.

Hints: Windows hides file extensions by default - you might wanna show them to do this.
WindowsEditor can do the job - you might use a Editor with XML Syntax highlighting - it helps.

To open the save and edit text it might be required to extract the .sav file with 7zip, winrar or similar, to display real text in your editor instead of stuff like "�;��^".
In that case the file extension is ".sav.xml"
("hardcore27" -> "continental_dawn.sav.xml")

Modify Your Scenario

Just a few things one could do:
- Edit raider configuration
Search for "SetRaider"

- Edit animal configuration
Search for "SetAnimalPopulation"

- Edit migration softcap
Search for "SetMigrationParameters"

- Edit birth softcap
Search for "SetBirthParameters"
"-1" for min and max gives (permanent) pregnant women according to wellfare.

Insert some events

Paste example events within the "events", at the end of the scenario file above the following:

	</events>
</scenario>

- Spawn Free Beer

<event flags="MultipleExecutions">
	<condition type="EntityCountComparison" comparison="Less" entity_type="beer" value="20"/>
	<actions>
		<action type="Spawn" entity_type="beer" amount="1" placement="StartLocationCircular" angle="40" radius="3"/>
	</actions>
</event>

- Trigger a big attack for your endgame

<event>
	<condition type="ValueReached" id="Population" value="250"/>
	<actions>
		<action type="TriggerRaiderAttack" amount="150"/>
	</actions>
</event>

WIll provide further examples and details to configs, they can currently be found within the steam workshop / modding discussions.

Mess With Time

Messing with time is complicated because it is "A big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff" - according to The Doctor.
If you change the length of a season (Prolong Fall for example) shorten other seasons.
Make sure the total duration of all seasons added is equal 1.0 - not more - not less.

We'll need an environment override for our new custom scenario.
If your save is based on a workshop scenario, skip the following, your environments.xml file and folder are included the copy you made.
If your save is based on one of the three official scenarios the environment is one of the following:
eurasia; eurasia_north; eurasia_conflict

You can look it up in the scenario_name.xml in "environment":
<location id="blood_lake" seed="533288934" environment="eurasia_conflict" map_location="0.2,0.22" river="false" lakes="9"/>

Create the "Environments" directory within the scenario folder:
"C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\DawnOfMan\Scenarios\ContinentalDawn\Environments"
Create the environment.xml within:
"C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\DawnOfMan\Scenarios\ContinentalDawn\Environments\eurasia.xml"

Fill the file with the following content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<environment>
	<seasons>
		<season id="Spring" setup_id="Spring" duration="0.25" precipitation_chance="0.25" windy_chance="0.5" very_windy_chance="0.1" fish_boost="0.5">
			 <min_temperature value="5"/>
			 <max_temperature value="25"/>
		</season>

		<season id="Summer" setup_id="Summer" duration="0.25" precipitation_chance="0.0"  windy_chance="0.25">
			<min_temperature value="20"/>
			<max_temperature value="35"/>
		</season>

		<season id="Fall" setup_id="Fall" duration="0.25" precipitation_chance="0.25" windy_chance="0.5" very_windy_chance="0.1">
			<min_temperature value="5"/>
			<max_temperature value="25"/>
		</season>

		<season id="Winter" setup_id="Winter" snow_setup_id="WinterSnow" duration="0.25" precipitation_chance="0.5" windy_chance="0.5" very_windy_chance="0.5" reduced_fauna="true">
			<min_temperature value="-15"/>
			<max_temperature value="10.0"/>
		</season>
	</seasons>
</environment>

Overrides that would change the map (tree overrides, resource_factor, ford_distance_factor) will lead to a crash.
No terrain edits for existing saves with tree_override_prototypes or editing the noise values afterwards.

Every season could contain an fish_boost="1", Winter could be warmer and shorter, Fall a little longer ...
reduced_fauna="true" leads to usage of "min" values from the animal configuration and domestic animals will seek shelter.

Further Helpful Links

Modding Essentials: https://steamcommunity.com/app/858810/discussions/1/1840188800786675958/
Population Growth Cap Discussion: https://steamcommunity.com/app/858810/discussions/1/3454730619128391426/
Save The Mammoth: https://steamcommunity.com/app/858810/discussions/1/1835685838069084508/
In Case you missed it in the Modding Essentials:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1631440251
Actions, Conditions, Entity IDs, Terrain Entity IDs:
https://madrugaworks.com/dawnofman/scenario_reference.php
Flatlands Discussions Board: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/discussions/1693186543
HOW TO MODIFY YOUR SAVE FOR UNLIMITED IRON:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/858810/discussions/1/3001046778348471430/?tscn=1604134011

[phil.elloviht]

Bonsoir et merci Schwifty
Désolé pour le retard de réponse, je n'avais pas vu l'alerte de votre message.
A ce jour, je cherche toujours ce paramètre d'usure des outils et vêtements.
Le codage de Madrugal est bizarre sur ce sujet : je prends l'exemple d'hier soir, j'avais 180 vêtements chauds au cours de la partie et puis tout d'un coup, je n'en avais plus que 70 ! A la rigueur je veux bien croire que les quantités accumulées se déprécient mais là du jour au lendemain, c'est pique qu'une razzia des "raiders" ;-))
Bonne nuit
Phil

[phil.elloviht]

Good evening and thank you Schwifty
Sorry for the late response, I didn't see your message alert.
To this day, I am still looking for this parameter of wear of tools and clothing.
Madrugal's coding is weird on this subject: I take the example of last night, I had 180 pieces of warm clothing during the game and then all of a sudden, I only had 70 left! Strictly speaking, I would like to believe that the accumulated quantities depreciate, but from one day to the next, a raid by the "raiders" is a shame ;-))
Good night
Phil
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Schwifty K]

Hey phil.elloviht , this is nothing that's done in your savegame.
Check how to write mods for unity games - there are many good guides on the internet.
Example: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2968763665 - have not tried that guide / melonloader myself - there are also alternatives. Just a example.

[Schwifty K]

alamoscouts, the issue for you might be the upper case extension (.SAV) try lower case ( .sav ) instead. Enable file extensions to be shown in your operating system.

If you keep it in the saves folder, the file extension .sav should work - no compression required - extractad save for me has around 20mb

TLDR:

[Schwifty K]

Appearently this is "A terribly written, incomprehensible guide."

This is the original info from madruga:

Creating a savegame file
One of the more interesting features of the scenario system is to use a savegame as a starting point. You can even use cheats or trainers to create the savegame you want.

To do this you need to:
Create a regular scenario, as explained in the previous section.
Play your own scenario, and save the game normally.
Take your savegame from the saves folder (Documents/DawnOfMan/Saves), rename it to name_of_the _scenario.sav.bytes and put it in the same folder as the scenario.
Play the challenge again. You can keep on saving the game and replacing the savegame file if you need to make tweaks to it.

[Schwifty K]

My 2cents:
.bytes did not work for me.
Have you enable file-extensions to be shown in your operating system?
Checked they guide, the description is: Copy .SAV file, if you extract and edit, use .sav.xml (yes, 2 dots .sav.xml ).
("hardcore27" -> "continental_dawn.sav.xml")

Check this out: https://steamcommunity.com/app/858810/discussions/1/3001046778348471430/?tscn=1604134011

.SAV (all upper case) did not work for that other guy either.

[phil.elloviht]

Merci Schwifty pour ces éléments d'information.
Une petite question s'il vous plait :
Comme on peut constater dans le jeu que les outils ou habits que l'on fabrique disparaissent dans le temps (usure, perte ? ) il semblerait donc qu'il existe un paramètre de programmation qui supprime l'outil ou l'habit après un certain temps. Le connaissez vous et existe-t-il un moyen pour le modifier ?
Merci pour votre réponse
Bonne fin de journée
Phil
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you Schwifty for this information.
A quick question please:
As we can see in the game that the tools or clothes that we make disappear over time (wear, loss?) it therefore seems that there is a programming parameter which deletes the tool or the clothes after a certain time. Do you know it and is there a way to modify it?
thank you for your reply
Good evening
Phil
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Traduction via Google

[Oriflame]

I can confirm that this guide does not work at all for your save game

[alamoscouts]

This doesn't work at all; the save file cannot be seen by the game after editing it; appending .SAV to the end does not work either.

[alamoscouts]

So....how do you save the extracted save file again so that it can be read by the game after you extract it with 7zip???