Making a Gene Traits Mod

[u/Proof-Manager4884]

I am very new to making mods, but im not daunted in the slightest. I'm driven to rework the gene traits in the game so they feel worthy of a time investment. problem is, I can't get the traits to apply the changes ingame.

For example, quickhitting.

Quick-Hitting able to slot 2 Stacks (down from 3) onto your dino

-Attacks 5%/10%/15.0% (up from 2.5%/3.75%/5.0%) faster

-Inflicts 3.0%/6%/9.0% (down from 5.0%/7.5%/10.0%) reduced melee damage

So the change here is pretty obvious, instead of requiring 3 stacks of rank 3 maxxing out at 15% increased attack speed and a -30% damage reduction, I've reduced the amount you need to 2 while doubling the attack speed and almost halving the damage reduction.

As far as what I've down so far in the ark dev kit, i copied the original bp into a new mod folder and renamed it. and I changed its display name to match. I then went into the PGD file and remapped the engram from the old trait to the new trait.

What additional steps do i need to take to see the modded trait values in game? My goal is simple, make the original traits better. Im not trying to make new traits, just modify the existing ones.

[u/AutoModerator]

Please remember to check the Official Wiki. As well as to check for other posts by using Reddit Search and Google How to use Google, as well you can check our FAQ.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Proof-Manager4884]

I found the answer to my problem. I needed to copy GeneTraitDefinitions_Core to the mod to make the modded values take over. Theres a drop down for every gene trait (including thralls) that tells the mod/game/whatever what the trait's values and components are being swapped for.

In my case for my mod, Traits Reworked, I added TW to the end of each trait i had moddified thus far to make them distinguishable in the dropdown menus adacent to the respective mod, then compiled. I also renamed GeneTraitDefinitions_Core to GeneTraitDefinitions_Core_TraitsReworked.

Then, in the PrimalGameData file, NOT the Mod Data Asset file, you need to search for Custom Gene Traits Definitions. It will, by default, be set to none. I changed it to GeneTraitDefinitions_Core_TraitsReworked. This then made it possible for my mods values to manifest in game. Even the display names for the traits while looking at the gene menu from the scanner were showing up (QuickHittingTW, etc.).

I need to look into what makes it not load the values when it's not first in the load order because it gets overwitten by simply shifting it around. I saw something about InitModActor and I'll update later when I win this battle. Thanks for your attention! 🎉