¶ Overview
Phantom Brigade Mod SDK is a mod development suite created in collaboration with our valued community. Based on the tools we used to develop the game, it is a free Unity project that includes:
- Mod project manager: simplifies mod metadata setup, manages mod source files and helps you manage different mod tools. Facilitates export of completed mods to the local user folder, to a distributable archive or to Steam Workshop.
- Config editors: powerful inspectors putting every database underpinning the game at your fingertips. Modify everything from game balance to enemy squad compositions and from mission logic to combat abilities. Take advantage of data validation, reactive inspectors, value dropdowns and specialized editors for complex data types like curves to create what would take hours to set up through manual text editing in minutes. Preview kitbashed weapons, put together bosses with complex behaviors, create new status effects and more.
- Level editor: enables you to create new combat arenas for new and existing missions. Our voxel-based level system and an array of specialized editing tools allow you to quickly create intricate architecture and complex natural terrains.
- Asset builder: enables you to include custom 3D assets into your mods, unlocking modding of weapons and armor with custom models.
While Phantom Brigade supported mods for a while and is underpinned by easily editable YAML files, modding was by no means an easy process. It is time consuming to define complex data through a text editor, easy to make mistakes and hard to visualize what you're building. A small balance tweak can be reasonably straightforward, but building an entire scenario or a missile guidance program is anything but. With the release of this SDK, we hope to change that.
We can't wait to see what you create!
¶ Installation
Please proceed to the GitHub repository for the most up to date download and setup instructions. Here's a quick setup overview:
- Download & install Unity Hub
- Open the download page for Unity 2020.3.34 LTS. Click Install on top of the page to begin installation through Unity Hub. If this doesn't work, try downloading a Windows installer through links at the bottom of that page.
- Download the project from the repository linked above. We strongly recommend cloning the repository with Git to facilitate easy updating.
- In Unity Hub, navigate to the Projects tab and choose Open, selecting the folder with the project. Wait for the project to import.
- Once the project is open, click PB Mod SDK/Getting Started in the top menu of the Unity Editor
Pick a drive with at least 10Gb of free space and select a location with a short path, such as C:/Work/Unity Projects/PB_ModSDK. The core repository is a fairly small download, but an optional asset package totals around 3Gb. Full import of the project with the optional asset package installed might create up to 5Gb of temporary files, hence our recommendation to reserve up to 10Gb.
If you're not familiar with Git and are unsure how to download the SDK project from GitHub, try installing the GitHub Desktop client and following this tutorial. You can find the list alternative Windows GUI clients here.
The Getting Started window can guide you through subsequent steps such as:
- Opening the main scene
- Opening the mod project manager
- Creating your first mod
- Installing the optional asset package
¶ Optional assets
We separated some assets into an optional download to keep the repository light and easy to update. These include 3D models of mech items, levels, textures and some other art assets. These files are not required for most of the tools included in the SDK, but we recommend downloading and installing the optional asset package to unlock every feature. This includes ability to edit levels and ability to display items in the 3D viewport.
Follow the instructions in the Getting Started window to install this optional asset package.
If you would like to create your own custom assets, feel free to check these two articles: Custom Mech Armor Assets and Custom Weapon and Item Assets
¶ Getting help
If you get stuck or experience a bug, please don't hesitate to ask questions in the #phantom-modding channel of the official Discord server.