Robin's Mods U・x・U

It's taken a lot of faffing around, but thanks to studying the files I've worked out how to mod in weapons, armour and even a couple buildings. ;3 I've finished work on 5 mods for now, but I'll add a few more as time goes on, provided an update doesn't kill them.

I'll give some tips for doing your own modding at the end too. Just keep in mind that the mods I'll put on here are deliberately balanced to not be game-breakingly powerful, so don't expect to beat Heroic story mode with them. ; ; (Also note that the artwork is in-game assets just given different colours, I'm no artist. >> And for some reason none of the weapons appear when attacking, probably because it's .png instead of .atf or whatever it was. Booo.)

Important note for multiplayer: All players need the same mod files or the ones without will crash when the mod items are built/made by those with the mods. Either synchronise mod folders ahead of time, or temporarily move the mod folder before online play!

How to put mods in the game :D

Putting a mod in the game is as easy as going to your steam directory and finding the Aurora Dusk folder inside of Steamapps. (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Aurora Dusk - Steam Age) and placing the mod folders into a "mods" folder if it's there. (I forget if you'll have to make it or not -3-)

That's literally it. Make sure the mod folders are unzipped, bung them in the "mods" folder and provided there have been no mistakes/conflicts in the mod, the game should load up with no noticeable increase to load time or anything next time you play. (There's no mod manager screen; all mods that are in folders inside the mods folder are active at all times. Move the folder out of the mods folder to disable a mod.)

Blast Shotgun (weapon)

A shotgun I totally made without cannibalising the shotgun mod on the official Aurora website, the Blast Shotgun is a monster available in the Golden Age and built in the Arsenal for 10 cast iron.

Its main features include firing 11 rounds of explosive shells per shot in a wide spray, and having a significant attack range. One important thing to note is that while it uses plain cartridge ammunition, it'll use up 6 rounds per shot and has a 4 second reload time.



Tips for use: From a distance it'll cause good damage to a group of weaker enemies, but unless you equip a few people with them you won't be clearing out crowds in a hurry. If you're brave enough to get up close, you can deal ridiculous single-target damage to anything short of black dragons themselves.

Download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1wwact2vtitsuwc/Blast%20Shotgun.zip?dl=0

Doom Laser Staff (weapon)

Should really be used alongside the Necromantic Magic mod from the official website, (http://www.aurora-dusk.com/?page_id=270) as it changes the Necromancy skill to Intelligence scaling instead of Willpower scaling, meaning more bang for your laser. It's also recommended you disable this mod for Skirmish mode, as it's balanced for killing monsters with death resistance and will annihilate everything in moments flat.

A fairly unassuming staff of dark wood that if inspected closely, glows with a sickly red aura and radiates a sense of foreboding. The Doom Laser Staff uses the power of necromantic magic to rapidly strip life force from any being, even the undead. It doesn't even require any mana to wield; instead draining upon the user's own life energy until they stop using it or it kills them.

To go into further detail, the staff will deal damage 5 times a second, and uses 6 health per cast. It can be built in the ether age at a black magic altar for a cost of 20 wood and a portion of your health. (50 health)



Tips for use: This weapon will absolutely be able to kill you if you overuse it, so stocking up on anything that increases your maximum health is a priority. Health regeneration items/housing helps also, as well as having access to plenty of healing potions. While it can only damage one target at a time, the range and rate of damage is high and, provided you take short breaks to restore health, is more than capable of burning down annoying single targets like the luna elves.

Download here:https://www.dropbox.com/s/4tzpvx6yoqnf1fx/Doom%20Laser.zip?dl=0

Genocide Staff (weapon)

Should really be used alongside the Necromantic Magic mod from the official website, (http://www.aurora-dusk.com/?page_id=270) as it changes the Necromancy skill to Intelligence scaling instead of Willpower scaling, meaning more bang for your laser. Unlike all of the other mods, this one WILL completely break the game balance (Provided you can survive... >>) so it's only for funsies.

Essentially, the full-power version of the Doom Laser Staff. Thanks to rituals which can't be spoken of in a family friendly guide like this, the staff has been powered up to such a degree that it is capable of stripping the very essence out of everything within a small area of the target. Just like before though, the cost to yourself is immensely high and it is recommended you prepare for the worst.

To go into further detail, the staff will deal damage 5 times a second, and uses 15 health per cast. (It costs 75 health to use per second!) It can be built in the steam age at a black magic altar for a cost of 30 wood, 30 paper and a huge portion of your health. (200 health)



Tips for use: If you don't want to become a victim to the staff too, you're going to have to specifically gear for the greatest amount of health, then health regeneration, possible. Steel equipment, life potions, health buffs from potions/lich transformation/perks and so on. The damage this staff can do is ludicrous, but unless you're fully equipped and high level it'll likely kill you well before the enemy can.

Special note:When the beam splits to hit multiple enemies at once, it will stack the beam noise upon itself. In other words, if you hit a big group in a small area with it, it'll make a bit of a racket, so make sure your sound effects/volume isn't too high. >_<

Download here:https://www.dropbox.com/s/a0okvnjbedxl5ff/Genocide%20Staff.zip?dl=0

Berry Blade (weapon)

One of a paired set of equipment, the Berry Blade is exactly what it sounds like; a sword made of blue berries. :3 Thanks to the power of magic, the berries are formed into a squishy, yet somehow quite sharp, blade.

A very special feature to note about this sword is that unlike most swords which gain power with edged weapon skill, this one is entirely powered by your Picking ability! It's designed especially to give people who spend more time gathering herbs, mushrooms and fruits a chance to defend themselves without trying to practice with wooden swords on zombies.

The Berry Blade is also one-handed, and can be duel wielded if you want more damage. It also gives a bonus to your Picking and Harvesting abilities while equipped. To create one, build a shaman altar and sacrifice 100 fruits to the berry gods.



Tips for use: Equipping two at once will give you a good bonus to your Picking and Harvesting skills, which will also in turn increase the attack power of the Berry Swords. The only perk that affects this weapon is the one for increased attack and defence, so you can spend perk points on mostly whatever you want and still be effective.

Download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/i8t2e630pitexsi/Berry%20Blade.zip?dl=0

Berry Shield (shield)

Part of a paired set with the Berry Blade, the Berry Shield is very straightforward. Through the power of magical berries, you gain a solid defence that powers up the more time you spend picking fruits, mushrooms and herbs from the ground. Also it's blue.

The Berry Shield can give a fairly sizeable defence compared to other shields, provided your Picking skill is high enough. It has the added bonus of having a very high resistance to ordinary missile attacks and melee attacks (25% less damage! The squishy texture robs the strength of their attacks!) Like the sword, it can be created at the shaman altar from any age for a mere 100 fruits.



Tips for use: It's a shield. Equip it and you'll take less damage. There isn't much else to mention, apart from the fact that you'll take less damage from normal attacks, as mentioned above. If you feel extra cheeky, equip two at the same time for even more defence and hold the enemy back while your allies fire arrows and magic at them.

Download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vqwnopclpr2m5ai/Berry%20Shield.zip?dl=0

Berry Wall (wall)

Just when you thought the limits for magically transforming fruits had been reached, I give you the Berry Wall! :D A wall that can be built at any age, is a glorious shade of blue, and requires only 20 fruits per section to build.

Being a squishy wall made with magic and fruit, the Berry Wall has less defence than even a wooden palisade and will fall quickly to anything more than a half-hearted swipe or two from a few zombies. This is made up for by the fact that the berries are incredibly easy to form into a wall-like shape and so it takes no stamina whatsoever to build. Berry has wall if you have wares fruits.

Also the squishy berries somehow dampen explosions and take out the punch from ordinary missile attacks. (To a 35% damage reduction in fact)



Tips for use: If Aurora had used these instead of their stone walls, the dusk hordes would have won. Use these walls as a cheap delaying tactic while your allies prepare more solid defences or pepper them with ranged attacks. Alternately, you can just use it as a cheap way to practice building proper walls. :3

Download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0dfhfdswqoc4yvj/Berry%20Wall.zip?dl=0

Slime Person (soldier)

Sometimes, you need to buy time in the game. This is especially important when trying to rush to get the buildings and resources ready for good gear in a Heroic story mode level, as you often start with anywhere from 5 minutes before the first attack to as little as STARTING under attack. Enter the slime people. :3

They might not look like much, but their humanoid-shaped bodies are ideally designed to let them hold back the enemy forces for at least a little while, especially in numbers. In fact, their densely packed slimy bodies give them an extra 15% resistance to normal damage, both ranged and melee! :D Summoning them from the slime elemental plane is costly, so they can be hired from the stone age onwards at the barracks for a princely sum of 16 silver each.

One important thing to remember about these slime people is that while their bodies are tuned towards defence and absorbing blows, (They actually enjoy it!) they aren't very mobile. Nor do they have much will for actually fighting back, so don't expect them to take down a black dragon without a lot of help. If you have the coin for it though, they'll be a fine line of defence against the horde.



Tips for use: A few slime people can hold back a group of zombies for several seconds; a bigger group can hold back entire waves, provided there aren't many high level monsters. They may be costly, but can still be produced far quicker than a golem can. If possible, make them in numbers and wait to send them all in at once, so that damage is more spread out and they last longer. If you feel super cheeky, use healing spells on them.

Download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qtcri7xz91n4jt0/Slime%20Person.zip?dl=0

Training Sword

A wooden sword covered in soft plants and herbs to lower impact. The Training Sword has very little actual attack power, but somehow helps you improve your edged weapon skills at a significantly higher rate. It isn't recommended to practice with black dragons.

You can build this sword from the iron age onwards at the table saw, for only 5 planks and 10 herbs. The smell of freshly cut grass comes for free.



Tips for use: A fresh character can benefit really highly from smacking boars with this, thanks to the terrible damage. Zombies and skeletons are also a safe bet for anyone, provided you have some healing items and don't fight a hundred at once. Try equipping two at once for double the fun and training!

Download here:https://www.dropbox.com/s/665l45x9w6ax8vm/Training%20Sword.zip?dl=0

Training Bow

A cedar wood bow enchanted curiously to change any arrow it fires into a rubber-tipped one, causing minimal harm to the target. If someone isn't quite using it correctly, the string will correct their hand's position, thereby teaching them better how to use a proper bow for later.

It can be crafted at the archery range in the iron age, for 10 wood.



Tips for use: It can fire quickly for low impact, so for ideal training you should round up a gaggle of zombies and just plink away at them until you run out of arrows, rinse, and repeat. Keep in mind that the enchantment reduces arrow damage, it does NOT remove other enchantments however, so crafting ice arrows will slow the enemy and allow you to get more shots off with less danger for example.

Download here:https://www.dropbox.com/s/p9yi03mp14auu0a/Training%20Bow.zip?dl=0

Training Shield

A brightly coloured toy shield made of wood. It's far lighter than it would seem to be, thanks to magical enchantments placed upon it. The actual defensive value of it is near non-existant, but wielding it fills one with confidence for some reason, and also helps the mind focus on learning how to properly defend oneself.

Due to the thinness of the wood, it'll actually leave you more vulnerable to physical attacks if you block with it. (To the tune of a 10% weakness) On the other hand, it's also the only equipment in the game that can specifically train your defence skill. In the iron age, you can craft the shield at the armoury workshop for 8 planks of wood.



Tips for use: If you equip a lot of health increasing equipment and go hug a gang of zombies, you'll learn how to defend yourself pretty quickly. Also likely die. You need to find an ideal in between, and make sure you have a horse so you can get out to let your health regenerate. Keep in mind also that shield skill increases faster the more health you lose, so equipping defence raising gear will actually slow your training!

Download here:https://www.dropbox.com/s/paymwwa2v0efqvv/Training%20Shield.zip?dl=0

H-Steel Wall (wall)

Aka, the Heavy Steel Wall. Designed specifically for one thing and one thing only; keeping the enemy at bay. It'll be hard to build, it'll be expensive to build, and apart from a spiffy purple banner draped around it it's going to make your town look more like a prison or something. If you're willing to look past all of that though, there's no safer defence.

The H-Steel Wall is obviously only buildable in the steam age, as an endgame defensive structure. Each piece will put you back 30 steel, and due to the heavy amount of shaping and hammering to build will be extremely tiring to work on alone so bring friends! :O



Tips for use: Unless you have plenty of spare time to gather resources and melt steel, you really should build this with villager/companion help. A line of a dozen pieces of wall will hold back even a 200 strong horde of monsters for at least a couple of minutes without any help whatsoever. For optimum use, build two wall lines near to each other and have defence towers and people armed with ranged weapons just a couple spaces behind the second line.

Download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7xqkhybjhis00zi/H-Steel%20Wall.zip?dl=0

Elysia Hat

A divine hat that was blessed by a goddess from another world, the Elysia Hat gives a small bonus to stamina and every crafting skill known to man. Just take 3 fabric to the nearest tannery to make one. Artisan hype! \o/

No preview image yet. ; ;

Tips for use: Make one before you do any enhancing, you'll be able to get the most benefit by using it to enhance your tools which in turn means faster production for equipment enhancements. Remember that the effectiveness increases as you become more in tune with nature, so get to picking up lots of grasses and mushrooms.

Download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/low1z5cyyfwlk2k/Elysia%20Hat.zip?dl=0

Modding tips

The first thing to mention is that the best way to figure out what does what is to go into the data/steam age folders in the Aurora directory and just look around in the .js files. :3 And then look at other mods and how they're structured. The official website's mods (http://www.aurora-dusk.com/?page_id=270) were very useful for me to figure out where I was going wrong when I was trying to do my own stuff.

Modding this game is VERY easy to mess up if you're trying to make your own thing. If there are any conflicts, if you try to use an invalid setting for something or if you misplace a SINGLE bracket ( { or } ), comma ( , ) or quotation marks ( " ) then not only will that mod fail but the game will get stuck on loading the main menu and you'll have to Alt+F4 out. One single out of place thing and the game becomes unplayable until you either fix that mod or remove the folder entirely from the mods folder! >_<

Modding currently existing stuff like the core game files and currently existing mods is as easy as changing some values though. If you want a mod to feel a bit stronger then just open the .js file and tweak it how you like! Just keep in mind that changing the main game's files, while easy, will lead to you having to re-install the game if you break it somehow that way. Also an update will likely rub your changes out.


My secret tip to anyone trying their own mods though? Run the game via the Exe in the main directory, rather than through steam when testing. If something's wrong, the game will hang up on the first screen and you'll have to Alt+F4 out. If you keep opening and closing it on steam, anyone with notifications on is going to see that and go bananas. xD

Changelog thingeh

Version 4: Added H-Steel Wall.

Version 3: Added Genocide Staff, Training Sword, Training Bow and Training Shield.

Version 2: Fixed muffed up resistances for Berry Shield and Berry Wall.

Version 1: Added guide, Berry Shield, Berry Wall, Berry Sword, Blast Shotgun, Doom Laser Staff and Slime Person.

[RobDeLaMorte]

Yeah enhancement is like that, but then again berries are like the only thing in the game you can harvest for free. There's 0 stamina cost and you get what like 50 per bush by default? More if you grew it yourself. Pretty sure holding two berry swords at once increases your Picking skill so you get more per tick too. :o

If you want to lower it a bit it's easy. Just go to "D:\Program Files (x86)\steamapps\common\Aurora Dusk - Steam Age\mods\Berry Blade" and open the .js file with Notepad, then go down and change ""costRessource":{"fruits":100}," to whatever number.

[tolaburke]

The high cost of the Berry blade and shield makes them very hard to enhance, due to the sheer number of berries it takes.

[RobDeLaMorte]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that the bonus from enhancing can make tools and stuff capable of re-enhancing. If you have the stamina and resources for it you can get some FILTHY powerful tools and weapons if you're patient. xD

The customisation of the game is probably my favourite part, second only to having so many skills to level up. If something feels slightly off-balance to you, you can just tweak it to make it feel better. Just keep in mind that you won't be able to play online with anyone unless you have the exact same mods and file edits. For single player you can go nuts though.

[Edward Howton]

It works great. You can enhance the hat and it increases the bonus, too. I ended up with a +9 hat before I could do anything else. I'm limited more by the maximum amount of things I can carry than skill, now, which seems fair. Makes me have to harvest and refine stuff to use the best equipment, which requires more.

[RobDeLaMorte]

Well okay. If I can help more just ask. :o

[Edward Howton]

Notepad worked fine. I probably did something wrong, like accidentally click 'open' instead of 'open with'. I don't remember. It's a good lesson to learn. All the cool kids might pressure you, but you should never say yes to brain tumors. It's just not worth it. Don't make my mistake, cancer isn't for cool kids.

After playing around a bit, skills are going up much faster at 500% bonus experience, but even then it can feel incredibly slow. I think I'll leave it at this amount and look at how to add extra skill uses on items when I feel up to spending a day reading.

[RobDeLaMorte]

o.o Maybe Wordpad then or something? The .js files aren't mega encrypted or anything, it's a bit odd notepad didn't work. Unless you're being a silly sausage and are trying to open the ZIP file with notepad.

[Edward Howton]

Yep. I must've missed something obvious. I do that a lot these days. I tried again and it opened without any problems. I looked at a few things and decided to change the training skill to 500% instead of 10%. If I can ever get through Demigod Hawk's Nest without crashing I'll eventually get to the Elysian Hat and give that a try too, see how it works and try tweaking other things.

Much appreciated.

[Edward Howton]

Huh. I could've sworn I tried opening it with notepad and I got an error. I'll try again. I'm not supposed to be missing any important parts of my brain but not being able to see makes it difficult to think sometimes.

[RobDeLaMorte]

I mean I have literally no code knowledge at all, it's very simple stuff if you just open it with notepad and think about it logically. That's what I think anyway.

The "Elysia Hat" will give you +50% of your Picking skill (Harvesting mushrooms, healing grass, berries.) to every crafting skill while worn. Even a new character starts with 100 in every skill so that'll be at worst +50. I wasn't sure how high to set it to make it not hilariously broken, but you can always edit the {"picking":0.5} parts to a higher number. 1 would make it 100% scaling for example.