This article lists useful resources and information for modifying and datamining Just Cause 3
A mod has given the CS Odjur a shield.
For other modifying info and relevant warnings see the Modifying main article. Proceed at your own risk.
Overview[]
With mods you can change or expand the game's content, but not just that, it can even lead to discoveries about hidden and unused content. For example it was discovered that a drivable drone is hidden in one of the game's DLC. for more information, see Cut game content from Just Cause 3.
Using "dropzone"[]
In order to use mods at all, you need to create a folder called dropzone in your Just Cause 3 install directory. This will be your mod folder where any mods you install or create will need to go. To get there, open Steam, go to your library and find Just Cause 3 in your list of games, right click it and click on properties. A new window will open up. In here click on installed files, then on browse...
Additionally, you need to set launch options for the game to use the dropzone folder. To do this, return to the properties window, click on general and paste –vfs-fs dropzone –vfs-archive patch_win64 –vfs-archive archives_win64 –vfs-fs . below where it says launch options.
From now on any files you place in here will overwrite the default files the game comes with. Of course you can also add new content, as long as it is hooked up properly. Mind, that unlike Just Cause and Just Cause 2, Just Cause 3 also cares about file paths, not just the filename, so you will also have to maintain the folder structure of the game.
Modding tools[]
| Tool name | Used for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown Miscreant's modding tools | General modding | Use these over the old tools by Naem, except for stat files |
| Naem's modding tools | General modding | Old modding tools, only use these for stat files |
| Just Cause model renderer | Viewing and creating models and textures | |
| Fmod Bank Tools | Extracting and repacking fmod sound banks | The fmod banks contain music and sound effects, not voice-lines. |
| Deca | Extracting game files | Generally Unknown's tools are use to unpack the game, however this tool can extract a few extra files that the regular modding tools currently do not. |
| Program name | Usage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paint.net | Editing textures | |
| Notepad++ | Editing text files | |
| HXD | Hex editing | Hex editing is needed for files that can not be unpacked or repacked by current tools |
| Hexadecimal to Decimal converter | Converting hex to decimal hashes | Only needed for advanced modding |
The basics of how to[]
The first course of action for anyone, regardless of what you want to create, is extracting the game files. In this step, you'll be using Unknown's tools to extract all of the game's files from the file archives. A video guide on how to do this can be found here.
Now that you've unpacked the game, the real fun can begin. It's best to start small and work your way up! Something very basic anyone can do right away is modify stats of an entity. You can for example make a vehicle go faster or give a weapon infinite ammo. This also helps you get familiar with the game's file structure. A video guide on how to do this can be found here.
Another basic thing to look into are textures. Textures are simply images that get put on top of a model and you can alter the appearance of a lot of things in the game. A video guide on how to do this can be found here.
File format information[]
- File archives - These include: ee, .nl and .fl as well as .bl
All four are file archives, similar to a zip file, so a file with more files in it. They are essentially the same on the inside and fall under aaf (Avalanche archive format) also known as sarc (small archive).
The acronym ee stands for exported entity. They can be found in the editor folder and are used for entities, so vehicles, weapons, NPCs, etc. In the locations folder you can mostly find the files making up towns, bases, outposts and cities. For this, the game uses nl and fl archives, which stand for near location and far location. These are always found in pairs, where the fl is used for a location that is far away and has low resolution textures and models and nl for a location that the player is close to or inside of and has the full resolution models and textures. It is possible to remove the nl, which causes the game to keep the low resolution assets even when the player gets close, but it is not possible to remove the fl file. And finally, there are bl files. It is not currently known what the acronym stands for, but these archives are used for missions and minigames that can also be found in the locations folder. The global files are also using bl for their archives. Global files are kind of special. They get loaded on startup and never unload. These are responsible for loading lakes, music configuration and even some files for Rico.
- Property files - These include: .epe, .blo and .bin
Just like file archives, these three are the same on the inside, but are used in different areas based on their file extension. Property files generally contain settings-like information and all fall under rtpc.
epe is used in .ee files and is responsible for assembling all of its files into an entity, for example a car or a weapon. blo is used in .nl/.fl and .bl files to assemble their files into a location, mission or minigame. Often you can find property files inside of the archive, but also next to it. If there is a property file next to an archive, it means it got patched at some point and the one that's inside is no longer used and got replaced by the one outside. You can think of the archive as the body and property file as the brain. The property file controls over half of everything there is, basically what files in the archive get used how. Some examples for vehicles would be: Where are lights placed, what colour do they have, what causes which effect to show up, what sounds does it make and when, what weapons are mounted to a vehicle, where are they placed, can they be aimed or are they fixed, when a missile hits something do you want a regular or a nuke explosion, how many seats does a vehicle have, does it have a shield, how long does it last and so, so much more...
bin files on the other hand are not part of an archive and can only be found in the settings folder where they control a wide range of things. They for example list all the vehicles, weapons and NPCs the game has and tells it where their ee is located. One additional bin file is world.bin that's located in the locations folder. It is responsible for listing all of the game's locations and when they load in. It also loads the global files.
The game's inner workings[]
If you are just getting started, you can take a look at the video here that explains how vehicles are made up and what the purpose of some of their components are.
Advanced modding[]
After you've learned the basics, you can pursue to learn how the professionals go about doing things.
For example, instead of editing and replacing existing vehicles and weapons, you can create new ones, import your own models and textures into the game and tell the game when and how to use your new item to create entirely new experiences. A video guide on how to do this can be found here.
Getting and publishing mods[]
- videogamemods.com - The main Just Cause 3 mod site.
- See also: Just Cause 3 Multiplayer.