4A Games has also released the SDK (software development kit) for Metro: Exodus, so you can start modding the game on PC.

Ukraine’s 4A Games has published a blog post in which the now Malta-based studio first pointed out that many of their employees remain in Kyiv, possibly Ukraine, and that the Russian war against them continues to weigh heavily on the developers: “For our Kyiv studio and Ukraine-based personnel, it’s now being made under the most extraordinary and horrifying of circumstances. Some days start with our morning stand-ups and a coffee. But some start with air-raid sirens and missile strikes. Some days we take the Metro to work, but we’re forced to shelter in it on others. Each day we try to live as normally as possible, yet we’re dealing with power and water cuts, families who need re-locating, and friends and colleagues volunteering or being called to the front. Our “new” normal… isn’t normal by any stretch of the imagination. It’s life during wartime and inevitably shapes the games we make,” the studio says.

4A Games tries to make the best of the situation by basing its newest game on experiences gained in the past year: “The next Metro game is also changing for the better. And not simply because of the circumstances we find ourselves in. We’ve never hidden that the Metro series has always carried a strong political and anti-war message. Yes, we’ve always wanted to entertain and immerse you in our post-apocalyptic world, but there’s also been a bigger story to tell. And the war in Ukraine has made us re-think what kind of story the next Metro should be about. All the themes of Metro – conflict, power, politics, tyranny, repression – are now part of our daily life experiences. So, we’re embracing them and weaving them into the game with a renewed purpose.”

It sounds intense, but the team didn’t stop there: they made the development kit used for Metro Exodus public. No, it’s not some watered-down mod kit. They’ve released the mods they used to make the game. Here are some tools we can use: “The Scene Editor is the tool you use while working on a level. It is mainly used to add and manipulate objects, from NPCs and weapons to patrol points, restrictors, and proxies. The Model Editor allows you to change collision properties, textures, and materials, add locators and texture presets, and edit animation tags and other animation properties. The Navigation Mode allows you to create/edit the level’s navigation mesh (aka AI map). This is required for the AI (enemies, friends, etc.) to move through the level. The Particles Mode allows you to create/edit particles in the game.

The Terrain Tool allows you to edit terrain for your level. Valleys, mountains, caves, uneven or sloped ground, etc. You can easily modify shape and appearance by using various tools. The Weather Editor allows you to create weather presets to use within weather volumes. There are several options to adjust: Skybox, Sun, Clouds to Post Process, Snow/Water Levels, etc. You can create different types of weather, Day/Night Cycles, or Modifiers. The Track Editor makes cutscenes; camera spans, camera shakes, and screen effects. The VS (Visual Script) Editor allows scripting complex gameplay features and AI behavior without writing a single line of code. The main advantages of visual scripts include their simplicity and clear visual feedback to the user. Their logic is founded upon so-called events produced in the scripts by specific triggers, and further processing of these events.”

How do you access the SDK? “You must own a copy of Metro Exodus (2019) or Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition on Steam, GOG, or Epic Games Store and have it installed on your PC. Download Exodus SDK as a Tool (for Steam) or Additional Content (for GOG and Epic Games Store). Then on Steam, you can access Exodus SDK as a Tool and launch it from Steam. On Epic Games Store, find sdk>bin_x64 folder in the Metro Exodus game folder and launch Exodus_SDK.exe. On GOG, you can launch Exodus SDK from the launcher (Additional Executables → SDK). Make all you want and share your fantastic creations with the world at Mod.io!”

Get ready to mod!

Source: WCCFTech