Infinity Ward has included me in the BETA distribution of the CoD4 mod tools, and I must say I am quite impressed. They seem to have included all the prudent components in making maps + mods, including the CoD4 Radiant, CoD Effects Editor, Asset Manager, and some Maya binaries that were missing from the CoD2 tools.


The Radiant is what you would expect, with some nice enhancements. Obviously there are now some physics controls. I am told that there is no real limit to the number of physical objects you can put in a map, and I must say from my test map I made I am starting to believe it! The controls are otherwise the same, and the files that are saved are .map files. And before it is even asked: yes, you can import CoD2 maps!. Obviously none of the textures or models are going to port, but your geometry will be there.

One of the cool new features of CoD4 Radiant, among others, is the ability to see exactly how powerful the lights are going to be, where the shadows will be casted, etc. Very handy improvement from the rather hit-and-miss lighting done with CoD2 Radiant. Also, the ability to define dynamic lights in crucial in making your maps as immersive as possible.

I haven't had a ton of time to delve into the tools yet, but I wanted to put everyone's mind at ease. The tools are indeed coming, and there is a lot more this time around.



For instance, there will be viewmodel rigs and other Maya binaries to make modding that much easier. We all know that the #1 obstacle for CoD2 modding was the lack of source Maya files for rigging + exporting weapons and characters. Infinity Ward has included all the source you'll need to accomplish it this time around.

Finally, there will also be a Wiki up with tutorials and instructions for using these tools. Currently it is read-only and available to testers, but after the tools are released it will be open for community contributions. It will be the center for everything you'll need to know to get your maps and mods under way.

The tools are still being tested, and as soon as we can release them I'll have them up here for download. Until then, enjoy Call of Duty 4!