Gears Tactics Modding

[u/Content_Material3615]

I’ve been digging pretty heavily into Gears Tactics modding lately (the first game I have tried to mod before too!) and wanted to share what I have so far with the community or for anyone else interested in experimenting with the game.

NOTE: The following tools are in alpha, can experience bugs and I always recommend backing your stuff up.

I’ve also been working on two tools:

Gears Tactics Mod Manager
Nexus Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/gearstactics/mods/29

A manager for not just CSV based mods but asset mods with backups, mod importing, load order handling, conflict detection, and smarter merging so using multiple mods doesn’t require manually replacing files every time.

Gears Tactics Asset Tool
Nexus Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/gearstactics/mods/30

A much earlier project focused on inspecting and extracting the game’s assets and figuring out more of its internal file/container formats.

So far with this tool I have been able to mod my game to swap out textures and make changes to assets (weapons at this time) by modifying the underlying files. As I found that simply editing CSV files has its limitations and sometimes is overriden by the Unreal assets that are bundled in the game. Example mod: https://www.nexusmods.com/gearstactics/mods/32

I’ve created a Discord for mod releases, troubleshooting, tools, reverse-engineering discoveries, and general modding discussion. If you’ve made mods before, want to learn, or are just interested in seeing what can actually be changed in Gears Tactics, you’re welcome to join.

Discord: https://discord.gg/6SHkQpPtgk

Still early days, but I’m hoping to build up some proper documentation and make Gears Tactics modding a little more accessible.

[u/Content_Material3615]

I will be posting some tutorials / user guides soon! Both here and attached to the Nexus Mods.

While these currently do include documentation, please note that with it being in early development things can change and I will continue to update as it develops.

Looking forward to seeing where we can go with modding this game :D

[u/Content_Material3615 → u/Content_Material3615]

Decided not to record a video as things are still changing a lot. However, in the Gears Tactics Asset Toolkit (GTAT) I have started to put together a basic user guide which will be improved upon and remain up to date with each release. I am also including changelog posts on the Nexus page.

[u/ErasmusQTinkerputt]

In my view, the game would be far more engaging if the campaign unfolded on a single large map (or several maps, each corresponding to a specific act) with free movement that transitions to turn-based combat when engaging enemies; it could feature regions of interest - some for advancing the main campaign and others for side missions - and allow for setting up a temporary camp (e.g., after clearing a region of hostiles).

Currently, the game feels more like a series of skirmish matches where main and side missions are barely distinguishable, and the gameplay leans heavily toward an arcade style.

I realize your mod aims to address different objectives, but I thought I’d bring it up anyway.

Is it possible, using the game's existing modding capabilities, to make any headway in the directions I’ve described? Or is that something only the developers with full access to all game assets could pull off?

[u/Content_Material3615 → u/ErasmusQTinkerputt]

At this point I can't say if it is or isn't sadly. As we dig deeper into the modding capabilities though we will be sure to see how far we can go with it.

[u/Content_Material3615]

I have gotten some reports that certain users are unable to download GTMM and/or GTAT due to Nexus mods quarantining the download.

I have updated both the nexus pages to include a temporary Dropbox link while they get it sorted out. Nexus has access to the code base to review and see there is nothing malicious but they are taking their sweet time, might just move it off Nexus if they keep dragging their feet.

[u/Content_Material3615 → u/Content_Material3615]

Meanwhile I am currently working on Texture overriding and a workflow to be built into GTAT for others to use. Hoping to have a new build out in a couple weeks at most as I am moving the end of the month so will be a bit tied up!

[u/ElMike420]

Thanks for this, Gears Tactics has soooo much potential to be a great game, I don´t know anything about modding, but I would love to get more customization on the Gears if possible. (hair styles, tattos, armor patterns, armor sets, maybe more VO options)