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Packing Maps

Overview

To pack the map, you need to click the Pack terrain button () on the toolbar of the Editor.

This operation will pack an individual map (as a mod) as is performed the same way in both Expeditions and SnowRunner. The corresponding button exists in the corresponding Editors for both games.

NOTE: Packing is necessary for both local testing of the map mod and publishing of the map mod to mod.io after it.

Generated Files

After packing, the system will create two sets of files:

  • set of .pak files – that are necessary for local testing.

  • set of .zip files – that are intended for uploading to mod.io.

After successful packing, the set of .pak files is automatically copied to the mods folder of the game, which will allow the game to find this map and display it in game UI. So, directly after packing, you can proceed to local testing.

The .pak files themselves can be found in the folder with local mods of the game, i.e. in the Media\Mods folder, which is created in the folder of the game within Documents\My Games\ folder.

For example, the typical full path to this folder is similar to the following:

  • For Expeditions: C:\Users\<name_of_user>\Documents\My Games\Expeditions\Media\Mods

  • For SnowRunner: C:\Users\<name_of_user>\Documents\My Games\SnowRunner\Media\Mods

The .zip files generated for the packed map mods can be found in the Media\levels folder in the folder of the game within Documents\My Games\ folder.

For example, the typical full path to this folder is similar to the following:

  • For Expeditions: C:\Users\<name_of_user>\Documents\My Games\Expeditions\Media\levels

  • For SnowRunner: C:\Users\<name_of_user>\Documents\My Games\SnowRunner\Media\levels

These .zip files can be uploaded mod.io sites of the games in a standard way.

Expedition Specifics

Custom Specialists, Base Modules, and Inventory Items are packed differently.

Particularly, they can be packed from the dialog that opens after clicking the EXP MODs creation () button on the toolbar, using File > Pack command in the main menu of this dialog.

Custom Regions with multiple interconnected maps are currently not supported in Expeditions. However, they will be for sure supported later, in the next versions of the game. Currently, only mods of standalone maps are supported.

SnowRunner Specifics

Custom Regions with multiple maps are packed differently, see Regions with Multiple Maps.

And, in SnowRunner, you can pack your map for PC only and generate only the .zip package for PC, using the Pack terrain for pc only () button on the toolbar. This button is located next to the usual Pack terrain button () that generates all .zip packages. Typically, Pack terrain for pc only is used only when it is necessary to generate the local PC version of the map mod for local testing.