Age of Empires II: DE Modding Tutorial – Adding Custom Icons

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Age of Empires II: DE Modding Tutorial – Adding Custom Icons

This tutorial will guide you through the process of creating a mod for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition that includes custom icons for techs, units, or buildings. Proper folder structure is crucial for the game to recognize and display your custom icons correctly.

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Step 1: Set Up Your Main Mod

• Purpose: This mod contains the game data changes, such as new units or techs.
• Folder Structure:
  • Create a folder for your main mod (e.g., MyMainMod).
  • Inside this folder, place your modified data file (e.g., empires2_x2_p1.dat), which you edit using Advanced Genie Editor (A.G.E.).
  • The path should look like:
    MyMainMod\resources\_common\dat\empires2_x2_p1.dat

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Step 2: Create a UI Mod for Custom Icons

• Purpose: This separate mod holds your custom icon files and tells the game where to find them.
• Folder Structure:
  • Create a folder for your UI mod (e.g., MyUIMod).
  • Inside this folder, create a widgetui folder with subfolders matching the game's texture paths. For tech icons, use:
    widgetui\textures\ingame\icons\techs

  • Place your custom icon DDS files in the appropriate subfolder (e.g., my_custom_icon.dds).

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Step 3: Configure the UI Mod’s JSON File

• Purpose: This file specifies the location of your custom icons so the game can load them.
• Instructions:
  • In your UI mod folder, create a mod.json file (or edit the existing one).
  • Add the following structure to include your custom icon:
    json

    {
        "name": "My UI Mod",
        "version": "1.0",
        "description": "Custom icons for my mod",
        "files": [
            {
                "path": "widgetui\\textures\\ingame\\icons\\techs\\my_custom_icon.dds",
                "type": "texture"
            }
        ]
    }

  • Ensure the path matches the exact location of your icon file within the widgetui folder.

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Step 4: Link the UI Mod to Your Main Mod

• Purpose: This ensures your main mod uses the custom icons from your UI mod.
• Instructions:
  • In your main mod folder, edit the mod.json file.
  • Add a dependency to your UI mod:
    json

    {
        "name": "My Main Mod",
        "version": "1.0",
        "description": "My custom mod",
        "dependencies": [
            "My UI Mod"
        ],
        "files": [
            {
                "path": "resources\\_common\\dat\\empires2_x2_p1.dat",
                "type": "data"
            }
        ]
    }

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Step 5: Assign Icon IDs in A.G.E.

• Purpose: Link your custom icons to specific techs, units, or buildings in the game data.
• Instructions:
  • Open your empires2_x2_p1.dat file in A.G.E.
  • For the tech, unit, or building you want to customize, set the Icon ID to the appropriate value.
  • Ensure the Icon ID corresponds to your custom icon in the UI mod.
    Note: Icon IDs are typically assigned sequentially, so you may need to find an unused ID.

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Step 6: Import and Test Your Mods

• Instructions:
  • In the game’s mod manager, import both your main mod and UI mod.
  • Enable both mods and restart the game if necessary.
  • Test your mod in-game to ensure the custom icons appear as expected.

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Troubleshooting Tips

• Icon Not Showing Up:
  • Double-check the folder structure in your UI mod. It must match the game’s texture paths exactly.
  • Ensure the DDS file is correctly formatted and named.
  • Verify that the Icon ID in A.G.E. matches the custom icon’s ID.
• Game Crashes or Errors:
  • Make sure your mod.json files are correctly formatted.
  • Check for typos in file paths or names.
• Organizing Strings (Optional):
  • If you’re adding custom strings (e.g., unit names), create a separate mod or place them in the correct folder within your main mod. Strings typically go in:
    resources\en\strings\key-value

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This tutorial should help you set up a mod with custom icons in Age of Empires II: DE. For more advanced modding, consider exploring the game’s official modding resources or community forums.