Add a new weapon

Create a new WeaponDef beside a shipped weapon. The player can keep the original and obtain the new weapon as a separate inventory item.

The quick way: the bench

1. Open the bench and choose Add a weapon. Type your mod’s name in Your mod, click a weapon kind, and check the shipped weapon it copies (1).
2. Pick your .glb (2), type a name (3), then press Create weapon (4). The bench copies the model and writes the publish and weapons rows shown below; no DLL is needed.
3. Press Next: Build & share, then Build & test. Enable the mod in Mods and restart the game.
4. Return to Add a weapon, click the weapon under Weapons in <mod> (5), press Put it in the hand, fit it with the sliders, and press Save fit. Check its moves on the strip under the soldier (7).

Add a weapon walks through every step with screenshots. The steps below are the manual way to make the same weapon, and the way to add a DLL of your own.

You need

• ContentTool installed and enabled.
• A shipped WeaponDef of the same weapon class to clone.
• A fixed, unique GUID for each new weapon.
• Either no DLL at all ("AssemblyName": ""): ContentTool then builds the mod’s weapons rows when the mod is enabled. Or your own DLL, which must call WeaponBuild.Build itself; follow Build a behaviour DLL. The steps below use a DLL.
• For a new model, a GLB under Content\Models, a published key, and either "fit": "auto" or a declared "shoot" socket. aim and shell are optional.
• A new campaign if you use count and clips to seed starting storage.

Folder layout

MyAddedWeapon\
  meta.json
  ppcontent.json
  MyAddedWeapon.csproj
  src\
    MyAddedWeaponMain.cs          <- calls WeaponBuild.Build
  Content\
    Models\
      ar181.glb                   <- optional new prefab
  Dist\
    MyAddedWeapon.bundle          <- created by the bake
  bin\Release\MyAddedWeapon\
    MyAddedWeapon.dll             <- created by the DLL build

Steps

1. Find an exact donor name in the game console:

ct_list defs SY_LaserAssaultRifle WeaponDef

Choose a donor of the same class so its hold and fire actions suit your weapon.

1. Create meta.json:

{
  "ID": "example.myaddedweapon",
  "AssemblyName": "MyAddedWeapon.dll",
  "Version": "1.0.0",
  "Name": [{ "Key": "English", "Value": "My added weapon" }],
  "Dependencies": ["com.morgott.ContentTool"]
}

1. Put ar181.glb directly under Content\Models. Create ppcontent.json:

{
  "id": "example.myaddedweapon",
  "bundle": "MyAddedWeapon.bundle",
  "publish": [
    {
      "key": "8f924c3a6d7e4b22a5f149b3cd882001",
      "asset": "models/ar181",
      "type": "GameObject",
      "deps": "defaultlocalgroup_unitybuiltinshaders.bundle"
    }
  ],
  "weapons": [
    {
      "id": "Example_AR_WeaponDef",
      "name": "Example AR",
      "clone": "SY_LaserAssaultRifle_WeaponDef",
      "guid": "8f924c3a-6d7e-4b22-a5f1-49b3cd882011",
      "model": "8f924c3a6d7e4b22a5f149b3cd882001",
      "fit": "auto",
      "damage": "45",
      "spread": "2.4",
      "count": "10",
      "clips": "10"
    }
  ]
}

Keep the guid stable across releases: it is the saved def identity. weapons[].model must equal publish[].key. A malformed weapon row refuses the whole weapons block.

1. Create the .NET project described in Build a behaviour DLL, with assembly name MyAddedWeapon. Put this in src\MyAddedWeaponMain.cs:

using Morgott.ContentTool.Tactical;
using PhoenixPoint.Modding;

namespace Example.MyAddedWeapon
{
    public sealed class MyAddedWeaponMain : ModMain
    {
        public override bool CanSafelyDisable => true;

        public override void OnModEnabled()
        {
            WeaponBuild.Build(Instance.Entry.Directory, message => Logger.LogInfo(message));
        }
    }
}

1. Build the DLL against your installed game, then confirm bin\Release\MyAddedWeapon\MyAddedWeapon.dll exists:

dotnet build MyAddedWeapon.csproj -c Release -p:PPRoot="<Phoenix Point>"

Bake, verify the published key and package:

ct_project MyAddedWeapon
ct_catalog apply MyAddedWeapon
ct_catalog verify
ct_package MyAddedWeapon

1. Enable the mod and start a new campaign. Equip the new weapon. If its model needs visual adjustment, load a geoscape campaign, open the bench with ct_bench open, and use Fit a weapon (or Add a weapon with the weapon picked under Weapons in <mod>). Select the new weapon, adjust it and save, or inspect and save its fit in the console:

ct_fit Example_AR_WeaponDef
ct_fit Example_AR_WeaponDef save

A fit save writes the fitted values to this mod’s own ppcontent.json.

Check it worked

The bake and catalog verification should include:

ct_project: ALL PASS - <path>
ct_catalog: PASS - the game's own Addressables served the mod's own bundle, and nothing was written to the installation
ct_weapon PASS 'Example AR' (Example_AR_WeaponDef) cloned from SY_LaserAssaultRifle_WeaponDef; <report>

Check the new item, its model, firing and ammunition in game. ct_weapon is a log prefix, not a console command.

Common errors

What you see	Why	Fix
ct_weapon FAIL System.IO.InvalidDataException:	A required field, socket choice or GUID rule failed; the weapons block is refused.	Read the reported reason and correct the manifest before restarting.
ct_weapon FAIL 'SY_LaserAssaultRifle_WeaponDef' is not in the def repository	The donor name is wrong.	Copy an exact WeaponDef name from ct_list defs.
[ContentTool] ct_weapon FAIL key	The published model key did not load.	Match model and publish[].key, bake the bundle and inspect ct_catalog status.
ct_fit: no weapon has been fitted this session.	There is no fitted new weapon to adjust yet.	Enable the mod and give a soldier the new weapon first.
ct_fit save REFUSED	The bench could not update the declared weapon row.	Fix the manifest or path named by the refusal.

See messages for more diagnostics.

Example

WeaponAdd declares three new weapons, published model keys and a DLL that calls the builder.