Overview
This guide is to provide a consolidate page for necessary mod tools and useful modding references.
Program List
This topic is meant to be a simple go to reference for people potentially interested in modding Contagion to let them what tools they will need and can start researching themselves.
- Hammer – The engine/builder/compiler (choose a term) for Source levels. This comes with the Contagion game files (located in bin).
- Vice – Used for decrypting .nut/.nuc/.ctx files. Located in the bin folder same as Hammer.
- GCFScape – Used for unpacking .vpk folders (When opening multi-pack .vpk open the *_dir.vpk, you’ll get blank folders otherwise). You’ll need to download this.
- Crowbar – Decompile models (gun models and such). You’ll need to download this.
- BSPSource – Decompile .bsp files into Valve Map Files (.vmf) the Hammer editor can load. (Note: Decompilation is not always perfect and can break certain features in a map. I haven’t noticed any particular issues that couldn’t be ignored decompiling the original maps.) You’ll need to download this (Vmex may also work).
- Text Editor of Choice – You need something to edit scripts with. I personally like notepad++ but whatever floats your boat here.
- Model Editor of your Choice – And of course something to edit models with. I don’t do much here but I have used Blender and a few other freebies. I don’t have any favorites though.
Scripting/Mapping/Modeling References
- [link] – Contains some useful plugins (located on someones Google drive as a .zip file – is safe). These are very high level (in terms of difficulty) scripts but have very insightful code.
- [link] – Basic Vscript guide (located in Contagion guides in Steam)
- [link] – Setting up Hammer
- [link] – Creating custom weapon model/script edit
- [link] – Useful knowledge for creating a modpack as well as simple texture editing of weapons
- [link] – Some useful knowledge relating to the cvars
- [link] – List of cvars themselves (tons of these are broken or are not implemented in Contagion and are ‘leftover’)
- [link] – List of known Contagion script commands
This by far is not a comprehensive list of everything out there. I chose resources that will hopefully let people get the jump start in modding. I will also be posting this under the guides section as well so it is a little more visible.