Modding Tutorial for Total Beginners

Introduction

• Presenter: Nurse Girl, creator of UMC mods for Hearts of Iron 4
• Series divided into 7 videos:
  1. Introduction (current video)
  2. Focuses
  3. Ideas or National Spirits
  4. Events
  5. Decisions
  6. Localization
  7. Summary and Phase 2 preview (advanced concepts)

Topics Covered in This Video

• Introduction to modding
• Some rules about modding
• Choosing programs for modding
• Using debug mode
• Creating a new mod
• Explanation of mod files and vanilla files
• Usage of a starter pack for creating mods

About the Presenter

• Creator of the UMC mods on Steam Workshop
• Preparing for the release of UUMC 2.0
• Aim of Tutorial: To provide a beginner-friendly guide to modding

Importance of this Tutorial

• Existing tutorials are not suited for total beginners
• Existing tutorials might be outdated
• Aiding the recruitment of new modders for UMC

Rules of Modding

1. Modding is easy
   • Initially seems hard, but becomes easier with time (approx. 5 hours)
   • Majorly involves copy-pasting from existing files
2. Never edit vanilla files
   • Editing vanilla files may require reinstallation of the game
3. What is opened must be closed
   • Ensure all brackets are properly closed to avoid coding errors
4. Always use debug mode
   • Facilitates easier modding and error detection
5. Comments in code
   • Anything after # symbol is not counted in code

Program for Modding

• Recommended: Notepad++ (free)
• Alternative: Any text editor that supports note modification

Debug Mode

• Enables easier modding and displays errors
• Steps to enable debug mode:
  1. Go to Steam
  2. Click on Hearts of Iron 4
  3. Click Properties
  4. Go to General
  5. Add .debug to the Launch Options
• Benefits of debug mode:
  • Displays error log
  • Shows state information when hovering with mouse
  • Shows Focus ID in the Focus Tree
  • Reflects focus tree changes immediately

Creating a New Mod

1. Start Hearts of Iron 4
2. Go to All Installed Mods
3. Click Create a Mod
4. Input the Mod Name, Version, and Directory
5. Enable the mod in the Playset

Using Starter Pack

• Folder structure: Should match the vanilla folder organization
• Common folders used: common, events, localization
• Steps for putting files into mod:
  1. Go to the Hearts of Iron 4 directory in Steam
  2. Go to Documents > Paradox Interactive > Hearts of Iron 4 > mod
  3. Copy vanilla folder structure and files
• Benefits of the starter pack:
  • Contains the most important folders pre-organized
  • Saves time in creation
• Example workflow:
  • Copy files from vanilla directory to mod directory
  • Rename and edit files to avoid conflicts

Summary

• Created your own mod
• Next video: Focuses
• Additional resources: UMC Discord and Patreon