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Getting started: Making mods

You want to make mods? Awesome!

Summary

Created: Jul 18 2024 by Last documented update: Jul 18 2024 by

This page is for people who are just getting started.

How do I start?

First of all, you are welcome to join us on the REDmodding Discord – it's not mandatory, though.

But before you can call yourself a modder, you must master an important skill:

If there are mods that already do what you want, you can analyze them and try to change what they do. You will break them — that's a normal part of the modding experience. Just make sure to keep a working back-up.

Is that allowed?

The short answer: Yes, you are allowed. CDPR says so.

Never forget that somebody made that mod. Another person poured time and creativity in the thing you're holding – treat it respectfully.

Always give credit where credit is due and don't be a jerk.

The long answer

Every mod is a change of CDPR's product. We have their permission to do that:

We’re happy for you to make mods for our games (i.e. software that modifies or works with our games – e.g. changing the UI or adding new mechanics) so long as it doesn’t breach the relevant game’s EULA (e.g. no cheating – this is especially important for GWENT!). If you want to make a mod for another game or service using our content, or make the mod a standalone product, ask us in advance via legal@cdprojektred.com (we just don’t want the next Soulkiller virus).

But how about intellectual property?

From the Fan Content guidelines:

So, we kindly ask that you give us from the moment of creation of your fan content a non-exclusive, permanent, irrevocable, worldwide, sub-licensable, royalty-free licence to use, modify, reproduce, create derivative works from, distribute, exploit, transmit, perform and communicate your fan content in connection with our games. From our side, rest assured that if your creation stands out we will do our best to reach out, have a chat and grant you appropriate recognition.

"We kindly ask" means "you have to". And guess what? CDPR really like open source, so we're surfing on their ticket.

What tools do I need?

Giving you a straight answer would be too easy: that depends on the type of mod you want to make.

Here's the different kinds of mod:

Changing game item stats

The bad news: No cool Wolvenkit magic for you – you can use it to look up stuff, though. The good news: You only need a text editor!

Where do I go from here?

Start with How to YAML: Tweak modding basics
After completing the guide, you know everything to explore theTweakDB: Game database on your own

Cars!

The bad news: Making cars is a long and involved process. The good news: We have a detailed guide, and after doing this, you will have covered all the basics.

Where do I go from here?

Everything you need to know is explained in Boe6's Guide: new car from A to Z

Anything 3d: Gear, body parts and chrome

The bad news: 3d editing is scary and has a steep learning curve. The good news: We have step-by-step guides for almost everything

Where do I go from here?

You can now fuck around and find out on your own. If you feel overwhelmed, I recommend the following guides (in that order):

Recolours and Refits will show you the process and the workflows
Adding new items shows you how to add game items. You can use the results of step 1 as a base.

Anything NPC

The bad news: There are a lot of NPCs, and their files are pretty convoluted The good news: We have guides for almost everything. They are occasionally confused, though.

Where do I go from here?

You can check out the V & NPCs section. If you feel lost or need a mod to fuck around and find out with, take the example project from the NPV: Creating a custom NPC (but ignore everything about making a custom head).

Otherwise, you can take a look at these guides:

Synopsis

Go forth and create mods! If you found any of our tutorials useful, maybe put a link in your mod description? See you around!

Getting started: Making mods

You want to make mods? Awesome!

Summary

Created: Jul 18 2024 by Last documented update: Jul 18 2024 by

This page is for people who are just getting started.

How do I start?

First of all, you are welcome to join us on the REDmodding Discord – it's not mandatory, though.

But before you can call yourself a modder, you must master an important skill:

Is that allowed?

The short answer: Yes, you are allowed. CDPR says so.

Never forget that somebody made that mod. Another person poured time and creativity in the thing you're holding – treat it respectfully.

Always give credit where credit is due and don't be a jerk.

The long answer

Every mod is a change of CDPR's product. We have their permission to do that:

We’re happy for you to make mods for our games (i.e. software that modifies or works with our games – e.g. changing the UI or adding new mechanics) so long as it doesn’t breach the relevant game’s EULA (e.g. no cheating – this is especially important for GWENT!). If you want to make a mod for another game or service using our content, or make the mod a standalone product, ask us in advance via legal@cdprojektred.com (we just don’t want the next Soulkiller virus).

But how about intellectual property?

From the Fan Content guidelines:

So, we kindly ask that you give us from the moment of creation of your fan content a non-exclusive, permanent, irrevocable, worldwide, sub-licensable, royalty-free licence to use, modify, reproduce, create derivative works from, distribute, exploit, transmit, perform and communicate your fan content in connection with our games. From our side, rest assured that if your creation stands out we will do our best to reach out, have a chat and grant you appropriate recognition.

"We kindly ask" means "you have to". And guess what? CDPR really like open source, so we're surfing on their ticket.

What tools do I need?

Giving you a straight answer would be too easy: that depends on the type of mod you want to make.

Here's the different kinds of mod:

Changing game item stats

The bad news: No cool Wolvenkit magic for you – you can use it to look up stuff, though. The good news: You only need a text editor!

Where do I go from here?

Start with How to YAML: Tweak modding basics
After completing the guide, you know everything to explore theTweakDB: Game database on your own

Cars!

The bad news: Making cars is a long and involved process. The good news: We have a detailed guide, and after doing this, you will have covered all the basics.

Where do I go from here?

Everything you need to know is explained in Boe6's Guide: new car from A to Z

Anything 3d: Gear, body parts and chrome

The bad news: 3d editing is scary and has a steep learning curve. The good news: We have step-by-step guides for almost everything

Where do I go from here?

Start by installing Wolvenkit and the required tools. There's a full walkthrough in the red wiki:

You can now fuck around and find out on your own. If you feel overwhelmed, I recommend the following guides (in that order):

Recolours and Refits will show you the process and the workflows
Adding new items shows you how to add game items. You can use the results of step 1 as a base.

Anything NPC

The bad news: There are a lot of NPCs, and their files are pretty convoluted The good news: We have guides for almost everything. They are occasionally confused, though.

Where do I go from here?

Otherwise, you can take a look at these guides:

Synopsis

Go forth and create mods! If you found any of our tutorials useful, maybe put a link in your mod description? See you around!