Overview
You can publish any mod you create to the public space so it can be downloaded and played by others.
To publish a mod, follow the steps below.
Every type of mod uses the same flow for publishing. The example used below is a Crafted Map mod.
Publishing a Mod Video
If you prefer to watch a video detailing the mod publication process, check out our video guide here:
Age of Empires IV Content Editor: Publishing Mods
Minimum Mod Name Length
Before you save and build your mod for publication, assure its name contains at least 4 characters.
If your mod name does not meet this minimum name length, you will get an error preventing you from publishing your mod. This minimum length assures all mods possess meaningful names once published, so they are more easily identified and searchable by players.
Preparing a Mod for Publication
To make a mod available for publication, you must first BUILD it.
BUILDING your mod is an essential step that must be performed before your mod will show up in the client as being available for publication.
Building your Mod
Once you are finished working on your mod, go to the main menu and select Build > Build Mod.
Your mod will then be saved and built.
The building process will save your mod to the following location:
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\My Games\Age of Empires IV\mods\extension\local
Once you have built your mod, it is ready for publication and will show up in the main Age of Empires IV client, allowing you to proceed with steps 1 to 6, detailed below.
Step 1
Once you have built your mod, launch Age of Empires IV.
From the game's Main Menu, go to: Mods > My Mods.
You will see your new mod in the list.
Mods in this list appear either Green (Published) or Orange (Local).
Your new mod will appear Orange since it currently only exists on your computer.
Step 2
Click on the Mod Publisher tab along the top of the screen.
Then, select your new mod.
An interface for your new mod will appear.
Step 3
From this interface, press the Publish Mod button in the top-right corner.
The mod will then go through the publication process.
Step 4
Once the publication process finishes, there will now be two copies of your mod that appear in the Mod Manager tab.
- One that is the Published version in Green.
- One that is Local to your computer in Orange.
You may continue to edit the Local version of your mod freely.
Each time you publish your Local version, it will overwrite your Published version.
Mod Not Appearing?
If your mod does not appear in this list, you may need to exit and re-load Age of Empires IV for your new published mod to appear.
Step 5
To check if your mod is now published, go back to the main menu and create a Skirmish Game.
Then, go find your mod in the listed game options. Note your map will be listed under it's display name.
- Crafted Maps are located under Map Setup > Change Map > Crafted Maps
- Generated Maps are located under Map Setup > Change Map > Generated Maps
- Tuning Packs are located under Game Setup > Tuning Pack
- Game Modes are located under Game Setup > Change
Crafted Maps and Generated Maps
Tuning Packs and Game Modes
Step 6
Once your mod is selected, return to the game lobby.
You may invite any friends you wish to this lobby. Each player you invite will be prompted to download the map before joining the lobby.
When you are ready to start a game using your new mod, click Start Game.