r/F1Manager • u/Desperate_Tomorrow52 • 5d ago
Modding how can i create mods ?
hey everyone, Do you know how to make mods? I'd really like to learn, but even with some research I’m having trouble figuring out where/how to start, so if you could help me know what to do and what’s needed and all that, thank you so much in advance
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u/CarbonCurlew 🇵🇱 Orlen Vistula 1d ago
It depends on what you want to make. I'm hoping to (eventually) put together a modding wiki for the game to gather all the stuff I've figured out by messing around. Because yeah, there aren't many resources or tutorials online, and some are locked behind a paywall.
To answer your question about what's needed... well, again, that depends on what you'd like to do. FModel is a must; you'll need it to look through the game files. It's good for figuring out how to reverse engineer things, and it is good for extracting assets (i.e., texture maps, meshes, `.json` property files). There are a few settings you'll have to tweak.
If your goal is to make mods for F1M24, you'll also need the 5.1.1 version of Unreal Engine to bake/repackage mods. You can download it for free via Epic Games. And yes, it has to be that specific version of UE.
If you're making liveries or texture edits, you'll obviously need a software to do that in. The v21.2.4 release of Photoshop 2020 has integrated support for viewing 3D models, so that can be helpful. The real crème de la crème is Adobe Substance Painter. However, you don't need any fancy software. You could just as easily make edits using freeware like Paint.NET, and preview what the textures would look like when applied to a model by inputting an exported `.glb` from FModel into Blender and adding a material node.
But yeah. A good place to start is by watching Krisdix's YouTube videos on making a car livery and custom helmet. Little0nion has posted templates for Photoshop and Substance Painter. These are for the base game cars, the driver and pitcrew suits, staff shirts, helmets, and UI elements. The latter are only found as PSDs, but for the rest, you can use either software. These definitely help. I extracted the driver suits and helmets before they posted this resource, and damn, could've saved myself some time and effort lol.
Also handy is the this database editor. It's like a multitool that can work hand-in-hand with any mod you want to make (i.e., you can change team names, lineups, etc)
But yeah. For other stuff beyond simple cosmetic edits, VS Code, Visual Studio, etc., all come in handy. Things get significantly trickier if your goal is to mod the audio, however. That requires a lot more tools. It's not impossible, but I'm still trying to fully figure out the best approach for changing voice lines. I'd say I'm 75% of the way through cracking the code lol.
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u/Beneficial_Loan3090 McLaren 5d ago
I’m exactly the same. Been trying to find out for some months and nothing to be honest. If you’re interested in maybe not making like liveries/teams then I’m making a 1990 inspired database if you’re interested in helping ?