How to add new units to a mod in OpenRA?

[uprootannoy]

Hello everyone in the OpenRA forum!
I am currently learning how to edit and create my own mod for the OpenRA game, but there are still many things that are unclear. I would like to ask if there is any detailed guide on how to add a new unit (such as a tank or soldier) to the game? I tried editing the rules.yaml file but when I enter the game, the new unit does not appear. I am also not sure if I need to edit any other files. If anyone has experience or knows any easy-to-understand documents, I hope to help. Thank you everyone in advance!

[chanelingot]

To add a new unit in OpenRA, you need to do more than just edit rules.yaml. Besides defining the unit’s stats and build options there, you must also add its graphics and animations in sequences.yaml, give it a weapon (either reuse one in weapons.yaml or create a new one), and ensure it’s linked to a build queue with prerequisites so it appears in the sidebar. Don’t forget to include your changes in mod.yaml so the game loads them. The easiest way is to duplicate an existing unit (like a Medium Tank), rename it, adjust its cost/stats, and confirm it shows up in-game before adding custom graphics or weapons.

[malicial]

Hi uprootannoy,

As chanelingot said, adding a unit takes more than rules.yaml. You’ll also need to:

• Define graphics/animations in sequences.yaml
  
  Assign or create a weapon in weapons.yaml
  
  Link it to a build queue with prerequisites
  
  Make sure it’s all included in mod.yaml

Easiest way: copy an existing unit (like the Medium Tank), rename it, tweak stats, and test. Once it shows up in-game, you can add custom graphics or weapons.

[Mechanicat]

Creating a modmap is a good first step into modding OpenRA. Its way easier than making a whole mod.
You can take a look at existing maps to see how it gets done.
Just extract the .oramap with something like 7zip then you will see it has a bunch of .yaml files that define the new unit, alongside with additional art files of the new unit.

Here is a example of adding one unit in a map:
https://resource.openra.net/maps/57264/