Modding of Command & Conquer

The "Command & Conquer" series is one of the most modded within the real-time strategy genre. The first true modder-friendly "C&C" game was ', but ' and its expansion pack "" had more features to work with.

Until "", the games could be modded with simply by editing certain *.ini files with a text editor.

*.ini files

The games use many *.ini files which can be changed to successfully mod the game. There typically are 3 main file types for a "C&C" game:
* Art(md).ini — The Art coding file
* Ai(md).ini — The AI coding so the computer will use the certain units
* Rules(md).ini — The main coding file for almost all things in the game

Modding "", for example, would require the use of a program like [http://www.wagnerma.de/ FinalBIG] because the *.ini files are compressed into *.big files; FinalBIG uncompresses the *.big files and allows access to the *.ini files.

.art files

The .art files for ' and ' & "" use two variations of .art files:
* SHP: These files are 2D animated images (much like GIF files) but require palettes for use. They are mainly used for buildings, infantry and landscape tiles.
* VXL (voxel files) & HVA: These two types of files work in unison with each other. The VXL contains the main 3D art, whilst the HVA contains information on use for the game; i.e. rotor blades, etc.

These files are stored in the "MIX" archives.

See also

* Mod (computer gaming)
* Modding

External links

* [http://www.tibed.net/index"TibEd.net" website]
* [http://www.wagnerma.de/"FinalBig" website]
* [http://www.mojo2go.we.bs/cnc.html'MoJo2Go CNC website]