How to create new weapons

There are *five* things you need to know in order to create your own weapon.

1. **IT IS VERY IMPORTANT** to make a backups folder **WHENEVER** you're modifying vanilla\_winter or vanilla. If you fail to do so, you may never play RWR multiplayer ever again! (incompatibility) Also, making a backups folder inside vanilla file doesn't affect the game at all.

2. **The Model**: The model is made with the RWR Voxel Editor, and detailed instructions for use can be found here: How to use RWR voxel editor. While this will likely be the most difficult part of the process, simply stated, it's just forming the blocks to look like a gun. From close up it will look blocky but when viewed at a distance, your gun will look like a gun (Yay!). See the example file inside the voxel editor folder to take a closer peek at a pre-existing gun. Just remember to make sure that the size of your model isn't too big or too small for the weapon you are trying to make.

3. **Sounds**: You could just take sounds for your new weapon from the existing Running With Rifles files, however, a second option is to download an audio file from internet. One common problem with sounds downloaded from internet is that they are sometimes too loud when compared to the in-game sounds. If this happens to you, just get a sound editor program (e.g. Audacity) and fix the problem.

4. **Stats**: Weapon statistics are where a weapon gets its power and its features. These scripts control how the weapon performs in game.

The following are the stats for the G36 for example:

```
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<weapon file="base_primary.weapon" key="g36.weapon">
    <tag name="assault"/>
<specification
          retrigger_time="0.110"
          accuracy_factor="1.0"
          sight_range_modifier="1.0"
          sustained_fire_grow_step="0.36"
          sustained_fire_diminish_rate="1.38"
          magazine_size="30"
          can_shoot_standing="1"
          suppressed="0"
          name="G36"
          class="0"
          projectile_speed="100.0"
          barrel_offset="0.4" />

<animation key="recoil" ref="12"/>
<animation key="recoil" ref="13"/>
<animation key="recoil" ref="14"/>
<animation state_key="reload" animation_key="reloading, g36"/>

<animation state_key="celebrate_shoot" animation_key="celebrating, shooting"/>

<sound key="fire" fileref="g36_shot.wav" pitch_variety="0.06" volume="0.8"/>
<sound key="magazine_out" fileref="rifle_clip_out.wav" />
<sound key="magazine_in" fileref="rifle_clip_in.wav" />
<sound key="cycle" fileref="rifle_chamber.wav" />
<sound class="impact" fileref="rifle_drop.wav" />

<model filename="assault_rifle2.xml" />

<hud_icon filename="hud_g36.png"/>

<commonness value="0.2"/>
<inventory encumbrance="11.0" price="2.0"/>

<weak_hand_hold offset="0.0"/>
<projectile file="bullet.projectile"
        result class="hit"  kill_probability="0.5" kill_decay_start_time="0.35" kill_decay_end_time="0.70"
</projectile>

<modifier class="speed" value="-0.018"/>

</weapon>

```

For a simple mod, "commonness value", "price", "name", "suppressed", "can shoot standing/crouching", and "magazine size" are the only settings you need to mess with.

For more advanced modifications, the table below should help explain the less self-explanatory parts of the script:

A notice there are many other stats for the weapons, but these are just the basic, best way to learn is to rip open the text files and start messing around you will never know what you might find. (remember though, backups folder!)

For example this article doesn't even go over arced projectiles and custom bullets.

5. **Weapon HUD**: This is optional but strongly recommended for a proper weapon mod. All you really need to do is modify the HUD for your weapon from a picture you snagged from the interwebs, another game, or your friend who spends all his time making vector drawings in Adobe Illustrator. Whatever route you go, make sure that your weapon's image is standing with it's barrel pointed up, in proper Running With Rifles fashion. If you really want you get fancy and know your way around Gimp or Photoshop, you should try to add some shadow and polish to make it fit in with the "factory settings" RWR guns. While you may not care for your own personal use, if you intend to share your mod with others, they will probably appreciate it. Generally speaking, if it looks like it was meant to be there in the first place, it will be a much more appreciated mod than if it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Microsoft Paint should be enough, but an advanced picture editing program is recommended so you can make your HUD shiny. If you don't already have it, gimp is a free, open-sourced, advanced picture editing program for all of your image editing needs.

If you can add more information to this entry, please, don't hesitate to edit it.