You can usually expect a bit of seasonal silliness when games get Halloween updates: new skins, spooky questlines, a spot of Halloween loot in lieu of sweets. Endless Legend has most of that, but also a bit more. The science fiction-fantasy 4X game has opened the door to modders.
Shades of Alteration is being billed as a mini add-on, throwing a new side quest, a brand spanking new Broken Lord – those are the bizarre, honourable, vampire-like nobles – hero and an item into the hexy world of Auriga.
Perhaps more significantly, it also adds mod support.
Amplitude has conveniently put together a comprehensive tutorial in PDF form, which will show you how to:
- Create and install mods
- Add a faction trait
- Add a technology
- Add a city improvement
- Add an item
- Add a ski
- Change a resource
- Add a quest
- Add or change text
- Add or change 2D graphics
There are also a few advanced sections of the tutorial, as well, covering AI parameters, simulation descriptors and interpreter prerequisites.
Amplitude says that the support is for XML-based modifications, but that might just be for now. Character portraits and icons are moddable though.
Endless Legend is already pretty fantastic, and surprisingly has ended up thoroughly thrashing Beyond Earth in the war for my heart, so anything that allows it to continue growing is extremely welcome.
Take a gander at the full patch notes:
Changes and additions:
- Added the mod support
- Added a new side quest unlocking a new Broken Lords’ Hero and a new item
- Reduced base XP gain per turn on Hero as Governor from 3 to 2 (now identical to XP gain on Hero as Leader)
Important fixes:
- Fixed an issue where the host receives an unskippable assert during a session
- Fixed an issue where the player receives an assert message and remains stuck in combat after ending the targeting phase
Other fixes:
- Fixed an issue where the AI does not take the Founder’s Memorial improvement into account
- Fixed an issue where the AI factions do not build Watchtowers
- Fixed an issue where the village dust ray indicator from the quest “Too Many Chiefs” does not disappear when the quest is failed
- Fixed an issue where custom factions with the “Make Trade Not War” trait were asked to declare war in a side quest
- Fixed an issue where armour quest items were Tier 2 instead of Tier 4
- Fixed an issue where quest items makes Tier 3 items obsolete (because effects are not always better)
- Fixed an issue where the Ardent Mages main chapter 8 cannot be completed
- Fixed an issue where the custom Cultists affinity factions without “Weapons of the Enemy” trait cannot raze captured cities
- Fixed an issue with custom Vaulters improvements that could be build multiple times
- Fixed an issue with the “Strength of the Vault” tech position when used in a custom faction
- Fixed an issue where the technology allowing to explore again ruins does not reset the FX and 2D icon
- Fixed an issue where some buildings show completion in 1 turn regardless their position in the queue
- Fixed an issue where the minor factions can be assimilated in colonised regions even when never discovered
- Fixed several text issues