How to create and play custom maps in Mekcha Chameleon

Mod support has become one of the best ways to build a community for a game Soft chameleon is a jump into the fun with tools that allow players to create and share their own maps. If you've spent some time tinkering around in Unreal Engine, you've got a chance to turn a great idea into something other players can actually explore, survive, and get hopelessly lost in.

The process is a bit more complicated than just building a level and clicking publish. Custom maps must be created inside the mod, properly packaged, and ready for the Steam Workshop before they can be shared with the world.

How to create and upload your own map

Creating your own map in Meccha Chameleon is a fairly straightforward process once you understand the workflow. You will be the first create a map within your own plugin, package the project right through Unreal Engineand then upload the finished files to Steam Workshop.

Open the Mod Kit and create the plugin

Before you start, make sure you're using Unreal Engine 5.6.1, as the Meccha Chameleon module was built for that version. Open the plugin you downloadedreferenced above. Once the project is opened, create a new content-only plugin go to Edit > Plugins > Add > Content Only Plugin. Give the plugin a unique name as you will need it later during the packaging process.

Create your own map

In the plugin folder create a folder called Maps and then create a new level in it. This level will be the map loaded by the game when players use your mod.

Go to File > New Level > Basic to start with a simple grid to work from. You can use the Fab plugin to find objects and buildings to use.

When designing a level, note that players spawn at X=0, Y=0 and Z=100. If you're building a larger environment, it's a good idea to expand out from here. To avoid camera issues, walls and other solid surfaces should use the CameraBlockWall collision profile to prevent the camera from passing through them.

The Mod Pack

Once the map is complete, open the Legacy Project Launcher (located on the Platforms button at the top). Here you will need to create two packaging profiles:

The FullGame profile should match the following settings:

• Cook > By the Book > Cooked Platforms: Windows (also check 'Create a release version of the game for distribution' and name it 1.0).

• Package > Package and Save Locally > Check 'Is this build distributed to the public' > Check 'Use container files for optimized loading (I/O Store).

• Deploy > Don't Deploy

For the MyMod profile, enter the name of the plugin you created in the Name of the DLC to Build field. This tells the project which content should be packaged as a mod.

• Cook > By the Book > Cooked Platforms: Windows (also check 'Create a release version of the game for distribution' and name it 1.0).

• Package > Package and Save Locally > Check 'Is this build distributed to the public' > Check 'Use container files for optimized loading (I/O Store).

• Deploy > Don't Deploy

When everything is configured, first the FullGame package and then pack MyMod by clicking “Launch this profile”. Avoid changing project settings between the two builds as this can cause packaging errors.

Prepare the Workshop files

After finishing packing, create a folder where you will save the files which will be uploaded to the Steam Workshop.

Go to the packaged output of your plugin and copy the .pak, .ucas and .utoc files generated during the build process. You will also need to copy the AssetRegistry.bin from the Cooked folder. Finally, create a thumbnail called Preview.png and place it in the same folder.

At the end of this step your upload folder should contain the packed mod, AssetRegistry.bin and Preview.png files. These are the files Steam Workshop needs to distribute your map.

Set up SteamCMD

Meccha Chameleon uses SteamCMD to upload from the Workshop. Download SteamCMD, extract the files and run steamcmd.exe. Once it opens, log in with your Steam account credentials (Steam > login Username Password).

The mod kit contains a Sample.vdf file that serves as a recording configuration. Make a copy of this file and edit the required fields. You will need to specify the location of the upload folder, the location of Preview.png, the name of your mod and its description.

Upload the Mod to the Steam Workshop

With the VDF file configured return to SteamCMD and run the workshop_build_item commandpointing to the VDF file you just created. SteamCMD will package the information and upload it to the Steam Workshop.

If the upload completes successfully, your mod will appear on the Steam Workshop and you can subscribe as you would any other Workshop item. If the upload fails, check again that all required files are present.

Once the upload is successful, your custom Meccha Chameleon map is ready to download and enjoy.

How to play your own map

Fortunately, downloading your own maps is much easier than creating them. From the main menu click on Maps in the lower left corner of the screen. This will open the Meccha Chameleon Steam Workshop page where you can find all available community-made maps.

Browse through the selection and find the one that catches your eye, then click Subscribe on his Workshop page. Steam will automatically download the map in the background. Once the download is complete, create a server as normal in-game and the new map should be available for selection.