NTW Moddability

This list was mostly created by TopCat on the TWC [1]

Things that can be modded

Units

• Unit Sizes
• Unit abilities can be changed / swapped

Morale

• Unit costs, prices and campaign movement points.
• Unit accuracy and reload skill
• Unit formation spacing
• Size of unit's collision model
• Unit movement speeds
• Unit firing arc

Weapons and projectiles

• Weapon apperance (skin only)
• Rate of fire
• Range
• Gravitational effect on projectiles
• New projectiles can be added, using old models and skins
• Explosions can be altered graphically and physically

Unit graphics

• Unit skins and cards can be edited completely

Custom battles

• Starting armies can be edited.

Models

• Models can be made for Empire and imported into Napoleon, but this has many side-effects (unit card, faces etc.)

Battle equipment

• Can be swapped among units; new equipment cannot be added.

UI

• Appearance of UI can be fully changed
• All in-game movies are editable

(NOTE: UI BUTTON CHANGES CANNOT BE MADE WITHOUT SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF LUA)

• The effect of UI buttons can be edited.

Sounds

• Sounds can be changed.
• Sound triggers can be modded, but little is known about them.

Animations

• Animations corresponding to actions can be changed.

Scripting

• NTW has a comprehensive scripting language, but requires a decent knowledge of Lua to mod successfully. It doesn't contain most functions seen in RTW/M2TW (such as spawn), but offers many workarounds.
• Region traits can be used to award building-like effects via script

Mapping

• Region ownerships can be changed
• Starting units can be moved anywhere on the map
• Building slots can be changed and added/removed
• Diplomacy can be changed
• Starting units can be altered slightly (size and actual unit. See below for more)

Technologies

• New techs can be added (created from scratch)
• Tech effects can changed slightly.
• Tech research time can be changed.

Buildings

• New buildings can be added and existing ones modified
• All building effects can be changed

Battle Maps

• Battle maps can be edited using tools for ETW (which are compatible with NTW)

Naval Battles

• Ship speeds can be edited.
• Ship crew and cannon can be edited
• Morale can be edited
• Ship skins and damage appearance can be edited.

Firing drills

• Certain things such as two rank fire can be forced into the game, but the actual drills are hardcoded.
• The effect drills have on reload and accuracy can be edited.

Text

• All in-game text is editable - units, buildings, tooltips, characters, settlements, UI text etc

Morale effects, fatigue effects, general "rules"

• The effect that certain factors have on morale and fatigue can be edited. (New ones cannot be added)
• In-game rules are editable. These includes projectile misfire rates, naval projectile incendiary rates, the effect that firing drills have on reload rates etc.

Campaign AI

Campaign AI is somewhat moddable. It appears that all variables influencing CAI behaviuor are exposed, and moddable, but you can't change the algorithms behind AI decision-making.

Firing Drills

• Adding Empire Total War firing drills can be added into NTW.

Drummers and Fifers

• Editing animations for Drummers, officers, or flag holders are possible

Things that can't be modded

Models

• Models can't be edited or added. A converter is being worked on.

Mapping

• New regions cannot be added.
• Region borders cannot be added.
• Campaign map features (hills, rivers etc) cannot be edited

Buildings

• Building slots on the campaign map cannot be added
• New building chains cannot be added

Animations

• Animations cannot be added, created or edited (see above for more info).

Weapons & projectiles

• New weapons (swords, machine guns etc) cannot be added.

Custom battles

• Starting money cannot be edited.