Moria MOD Creator

A desktop application for creating mods for Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria.

Overview

Moria MOD Creator simplifies the process of modding Return to Moria by providing a graphical interface to:

• Import and extract game files
• Convert game assets to editable JSON format
• Create mod definitions that specify what values to change
• Edit Buildings, Constructions, and Secrets with dedicated tabs
• Build complete mod packages ready for use

Features

• Novice / Advanced UI Modes - Simplified card-based mod builder for beginners, full editor for power users
• Buildings Tab - Edit item properties, stack sizes, durability, loot tables, and more
• Constructions Tab - Edit construction recipes, costs, building properties
• Secrets Tab - Edit secrets and hidden game content
• File Import - Import game files using FModel integration
• JSON Conversion - Convert .uasset files to editable JSON format using UAssetGUI
• Mod Definition Editor - Create and manage .def files that define mod changes
• Build System - Process definitions, modify JSON, convert back to game format, and package as a zip
• Prebuilt Mods - 16 ready-made mods replicating popular Nexus mods
• Filterable Dropdowns - Type-to-filter combo boxes for quick item selection
• Combined Import - Import constructions and secrets from game data with one dialog

Installation

Windows Installer (Recommended)

Download the latest MoriaMODCreator_Setup_v1.1.exe from GitHub Releases. The installer bundles all required utilities and definition files.

From Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/jbowensii/MoriaModCreator.git
   cd MoriaModCreator

2. Create a virtual environment:

   python -m venv .venv
   .venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Place required utilities in %APPDATA%\MoriaMODCreator\utilities\

5. Run the application:

   python main.py

Requirements

• Python 3.10 or higher
• Windows OS
• The following utilities (placed in %APPDATA%\MoriaMODCreator\utilities\):
  • UAssetGUI - For JSON/uasset conversion
  • retoc - For creating zen format packages
  • FModel - For extracting game files (optional, for import feature)
  • ZenTools - For UE4 zen packaging

Usage

Getting Started

1. Import Game Files - Click the Import button to extract game files using FModel
2. Convert to JSON - Convert the extracted .uasset files to JSON format
3. Create a Mod - Use "My Mods" dropdown to create a new mod project
4. Add Definitions - Create .def files or use the built-in tabs to edit values
5. Build - Click Build to process your mod and create a ready-to-use zip file

Mod Definition Files (.def)

Definition files are XML files that specify what changes to make to game data:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<definition>
    <description>Makes mining song buff last longer</description>
    <author>YourName</author>
    <mod file="\Moria\Content\Character\Shared\Effects\GE_MiningSong_CompleteBuff.json">
        <object name="GE_MiningSong_CompleteBuff">
            <change property="DurationMagnitude.ScalableFloatMagnitude.Value" value="1800" />
        </object>
    </mod>
</definition>

Build Output

When you click Build, the application:

1. Copies and modifies JSON files based on your definitions
2. Converts JSON back to .uasset format
3. Packages assets into zen format (.utoc/.ucas/.pak)
4. Creates a zip file in your Downloads folder

Project Structure

MoriaModCreator/
├── main.py                          # Application entry point
├── requirements.txt                 # Python dependencies
├── assets/                          # Icons and images
│   ├── icons/
│   └── images/
├── src/
│   ├── build_manager.py             # Build pipeline logic
│   ├── config.py                    # Configuration management
│   ├── constants.py                 # Application constants
│   ├── definition_manager.py        # .def file handling
│   └── ui/
│       ├── main_window.py           # Main application window
│       ├── buildings_view.py        # Buildings tab
│       ├── constructions_view.py    # Constructions tab
│       ├── about_dialog.py          # Help/About dialog
│       ├── config_dialog.py         # Settings dialog
│       ├── import_dialog.py         # File import dialog
│       ├── combined_import_dialog.py # Combined import dialog
│       ├── secrets_import_dialog.py # Secrets import dialog
│       ├── import_construction_dialog.py # Construction import
│       ├── json_convert_dialog.py   # JSON conversion dialog
│       ├── mod_name_dialog.py       # Mod naming dialog
│       ├── filterable_combobox.py   # Type-to-filter dropdown
│       ├── shared_utils.py          # Shared UI utilities
│       ├── html_text_renderer.py    # HTML rendering
│       └── utility_check_dialog.py  # Utility validation
├── tests/                           # Test suite (211 tests)
├── scripts/                         # Build and release scripts
├── helpers/                         # Developer utility scripts
├── installer/                       # Inno Setup script and zip bundles
└── docs/                            # Documentation and example mods
    ├── definitions/                 # Reference .def files
    └── prebuilt modfiles/           # Pre-built mod .ini files

Data Directories

The application stores data in %APPDATA%\MoriaMODCreator\:

Directory	Purpose
Definitions/	Global definition files
mymodfiles/	Per-mod project files
cache/	Cached game JSON (constructions, game, secrets)
changeconstructions/	Construction change definitions and build intermediates
changesecrets/	Secret change definitions and build intermediates
prebuilt modfiles/	Pre-configured mod .ini files
New Objects/	Custom object/NPC definitions
Secrets Source/	Secrets .def source files
utilities/	External tools (UAssetGUI, retoc, FModel, ZenTools)
output/	Build output files

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Bug reports: https://github.com/jbowensii/MoriaModCreator/issues

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• UAssetGUI - For uasset/JSON conversion
• retoc - For zen format packaging
• FModel - For game file extraction
• ZenTools - For UE4 zen packaging
• CustomTkinter - Modern UI framework

Disclaimer

This tool is for personal use only. Always respect the game's terms of service and the rights of the developers.