HumanitZ – Modding gids en tips

Here’s a guide to modding HumanitZ, based on the latest update. In this comprehensive walkthrough, you’ll pick up the skills needed to create different kinds of mods, following what I’ve discovered thus far. Houd er rekening mee, I’ll continue to add new insights as I delve deeper into modding HumanitZ. Dus, keep an eye out for future updates!

Aan de slag

To kick off your HumanitZ modding journey, gather the following tools and software:

• Unreal Engine 4.27x (Bij voorkeur 4.27.2)Unreal Engine 
• UModel
• Unrealpak
• HumanitZ Modding Toolkit

I suggest organizing all these tools within a dedicated folder, for easier and more efficient access. Since I’ve installed the game on my D: drive, I’ve placed all the tools under a folder named “HumanitZ Modding”.

De basis

Before diving into the actual modding process, there are crucial aspects of modding Unreal Engine games, particularly HumanitZ, that you should grasp. Let’s delve into them:

• No Addition of New Files: Presently, adding new custom files to the game as part of a mod isn’t feasible. Your mod must function by overwriting existing files within the game. Bovendien, it’s imperative that the file structure remains identical. We’ll delve deeper into this shortly.
• Unpacking and Packing: Modding HumanitZ necessitates frequent unpacking and packing of files. This is where tools like UModel and the Unreal Engine come into play. Unpacking involves extracting the game’s base files, while packing entails assembling your custom mod files.
• Adherence to File Structure: This is paramount. Your mod won’t function unless you meticulously adhere to the game’s file structure. It’s critical to follow it precisely. Bijvoorbeeld, if you unpack a file located in: [...]\HumanitZ\TSSGame\Content\VehicleVarietyPack\Textures In the Unreal Engine, your file must be placed in: [...]\YourProjectFolder\Content\VehicleVarietyPack\Textures

Herinneren, strict adherence to these rules is non-negotiable for a successful mod. Pay keen attention to these guidelines!

Unreal Project Setup

If you’re making a mod for a game built in Unreal Engine, it’s likely best to create your mod within an Unreal project to ensure compatibility.

Om te beginnen, start by creating your Unreal Project. It’s important to maintain the same file structure for compatibility reasons. Dus, when naming your project, stick to the established file structure to keep things organized.

Creating the Project

When creating your project, kies de “Spellen” category from the options provided.

Volgende, decide on a template that suits your preferences and experience level. You can opt for the “Blank” template for a more organized approach, or if you’re new or don’t mind additional files, consider either Third Person of Top Down.

Ensure to name your project “TSSGame” to maintain consistency with the developers’ naming conventions. This step is crucial for proper organization and compatibility.

Project Configuration

After creating your Unreal Engine project, the next step is to perform some basic configuration.

1. Open your project and locate the big gear button labeled “Instellingen” at the center of the top of the screen. Click on it.
2. From the dropdown menu, selecteren “Project Settings“. This action will open a new window with a list of items on the left.
3. Find the section titled “Project” and look for a subsection labeled “Packaging“. Click on it.
4. Binnen de “Packaging” categorie, scroll down to the bottom until you locate a tab named “Project“.
5. Look for the second option from the top to the bottom, which is a dropdown labeled “Build Configuration“.
6. Click on the dropdown and select “Shipping“.
7. Close the window to save the changes. Your project is now configured and ready to proceed.

Unpacking the Game files

Let’s keep your Unreal Project open. Nu, we need the files you want to modify. Remember where you stored them?

Oké, so now we need to unpack those files. Do you recall how to do that? Let’s find out below!

The Methods

There are two methods to unpack game files:

• Methode #1: This method will unpack the entire game into a folder. Be prepared, as this will require approximately 32.5GB of disk space. If you’re okay with dedicating this much space and want everything unpacked, this is the way to go.
• Methode #2: If you’re short on space or don’t want to bother with unpacking every new update, you can opt for this method instead.

Creating your folder

Let’s create a new folder inside your recommended directory, where we’ll keep all the tools and such. You can name it “Unpacked Files” or whatever you prefer.

Methode #1 – Unpacking Everything:

For this method, we’ll be using the fantastic Modding Toolkit developed by ZGal88. It makes unpacking the entire game a breeze!

1. Install the toolkit and open it up.
2. You’ll see a screen asking for a “Source” en een “Destination“.
   • For the Source directory, navigeren naar: [...]\HumanitZ\TSSGame\Content\Paks.
   • For the Destination, choose the folder you just created (or whatever folder you prefer).
3. Once both directories are selected, klik “Begin” and let it do its thing.

Dat is het! Once the process is complete, all the game files will be unpacked and neatly stored in your chosen folder.

Methode #2 – Unpacking Specific Files:

For this method, you’ll need the UModel tool I mentioned earlier.

1. Install UModel and open it up.
2. You’ll see a screen asking for the “Path to game files“.
   • Set the path to the game files to be exactly: [...]\HumanitZ\TSSGame\Content\Paks.
3. Once set, proceed with the unpacking process.

Don’t worry if a prompt or CMD window pops up; it’s just for displaying logs of what’s happening. You can safely ignore it.

AES Encryption Key

If you encounter a warning screen stating that the app has found an encrypted file and requires an AES encryption key to view it, geen zorgen! Ik heb je gedekt. Just paste the following encryption key into the prompt and hit “OK”: 0x321166CACD1E2BBEAC9794AAF468DE277001D2EF8F74A8D6B3CC6EDFE87945CA

Exploring the Game Files

Akkoord, so you’ve got all your game files ready to unpack. Nu, it’s time to tidy up the file hierarchy. Close those submenus of each folder so it looks neat and organized. Head straight for the Spel map, but remember, in this context, “Spel” actually means “Content.” Sneaky, rechts?

Nu, to preview an asset, just double click it. The app will try to show you a preview of meshes, materials, texturen, and animations. Helaas, it won’t recognize other stuff. But fear not, in the screenshot provided, the mesh of the white box truck has been found!

Geweldig, you’ve found the file you need. Click to preview it and then select version 4.27 at the bottom of the list. Eenvoudig, rechts? Once you’re previewing the truck mesh, you’re on the right track. But how to go back? Simply click Bestand on the top left, Dan Open Package. That’ll take you back to the window where you can select which files to handle.

Nu, once you’ve isolated the files or folder you want, just right-click and select Export. Choose a folder to put the extracted files in, en voila! That’s how you unpack specific things instead of everything. Happy unpacking!

Modding

Sure thing, let’s take a moment to recap our progress.

Tot nu toe, you’ve set up all the necessary tools for modding the game. This involved creating directories for both the tools themselves and the unpackaged game files. Depending on your preference, you either unpackaged the entire game or selected specific files for extraction.

If you opted for Method #1 for unpackaging the game files, you can still preview them by following Method #2, but this time opening the unpackaged folder instead of the game folder, skipping the AES key step.

Daarna, you’ve also created an Unreal Project where you’ll be working on your mods.

Ten slotte, you revisited “THE BASICS” to refresh your memory. Nu, when it comes to actually modding, it varies depending on what you want to modify.

Since this guide is getting quite extensive, it’s time to break it down into smaller, more focused guides. Each mini-guide will explain how to mod a specific aspect of the game. Once you’ve reached the packaging section of any of these guides, you can return here for further instructions.

Modifying Materials (Reskins, enz.)

Feel free to refer to this gids.

Ter verduidelijking, make sure you return to the guide na reaching its final section for the specific modding instructions.

Here’s the breakdown for packaging your mod:

Eerst, after creating your mod and locating the files, paste them into the directory where Unrealpak is stored, which in your case seems to be “D:\HumanitZ Modding\Tools\Unrealpak”.

Ensure you maintain the correct file structure by creating a folder named “TSSGame-WindowsNoEditor” inside the Unrealpak folder.

Binnen deze map, add “_P” to the end of the folder name to prioritize loading this directory, resulting in “TSSGame-WindowsNoEditor_P”.

This folder should be structured like this: “[…]\Unrealpak\TSSGame-WindowsNoEditor_P”.

Volgende, binnen “TSSGame-WindowsNoEditor_P”, create a folder with the project name (vermoedelijk “TSSGame”).

Inside this new folder, create another folder named “Content”.

Following the developer’s file structure, place your cooked files inside the Content folder. Bijvoorbeeld, if you’re adding the VehicleVarietyPack, ensure the directory looks like this:

TSSGame-WindowsNoEditor_P
  └─ TSSGame
      └─ Content
          └─ Materialen
              └─ BoxTruck
                  └─ M_BoxTruck_Body.uasset
                  └─ M_BoxTruck_Body.uexp
          └─ Texturen
              └─ BoxTruck
                  └─ TX_Truck_Box_Diffuse.uasset
                  └─ TX_Truck_Box_Diffuse.uexp

Return to your Unrealpak folder and locate the TSSGame-WindowsNoEditor_P folder. Drag it gently over to the UnrealPak-With-Compression.bat file.

A prompt or command window will pop up, converting your folder into a .pak file. Eenmaal klaar, close the prompt.

Gefeliciteerd, your mod is now ready! Hooray! Simply navigate to the location of the original .pak file of the game:

[...]\HumanitZ\TSSGame\Content\Paks

Paste your TSSGame-WindowsNoEditor_P file there. Feel free to rename the file to your liking, but ensure to keep the _P at the end!

Dat is alles! Launch the game and enjoy your modded experience! 🥳 💖