Character Data Modding for 2K23?

[Featherine]

So the last WWE game I played was 2K19, and that was pretty straightforward to mod. I tried to find out how to mod for the newer games and I got nothing but people dumping hex strings everywhere so I'm super confused.

• What happened with the Character Tools?
• Why aren't we getting new versions of Character Tools?

I remade my OC from 2K19 into 2K23 but I'm missing the Demon Finn Balor Title Entrance animation and his Titantron so I wanted to find out how to either bring the title animation+titantron over from an older game or see if I can edit the character data and maybe find out that the title entrance animation is hidden in the files but not selectable in-game so modding the data would let me use it, kinda like how CM Punk's entrance was hidden in earlier games.

All I got so far is that for the newer games the only way to interact with the game's data is using a tool called Cake to manage the .cak files and that there's no version for 2K23 yet.  I'm pretty handy when it comes to modding games in general so all I would need is a bit of direction to catch up on what changed so I can figure out how to do this.

Edited March 22, 2023 by Featherine

[BlindedByTheGrace]

4 hours ago, Featherine said:

So the last WWE game I played was 2K19, and that was pretty straightforward to mod. I tried to find out how to mod for the newer games and I got nothing but people dumping hex strings everywhere so I'm super confused.

• What happened with the Character Tools?
• Why aren't we getting new versions of Character Tools?

I remade my OC from 2K19 into 2K23 but I'm missing the Demon Finn Balor Title Entrance animation and his Titantron so I wanted to find out how to either bring the title animation+titantron over from an older game or see if I can edit the character data and maybe find out that the title entrance animation is hidden in the files but not selectable in-game so modding the data would let me use it, kinda like how CM Punk's entrance was hidden in earlier games.

All I got so far is that for the newer games the only way to interact with the game's data is using a tool called Cake to manage the .cak files and that there's no version for 2K23 yet.  I'm pretty handy when it comes to modding games in general so all I would need is a bit of direction to catch up on what changed so I can figure out how to do this.

Hi,

Just to answer a few of your questions,

The structure for character data in the game has changed with WWE 2K20 so a tool which works the way CCT tools worked in 19 as we now have to add characters to compressed cak files rather than folders in the game like in WWE 2k19.

I don't know what plans there are for character tools, but the Pro Wrestling mods team has taken great leaps forward for modding with the new data structure. A new tool called Discovery Meta was developed last year for adding characters to unused slots in 2k22. This tool is coded to add character data using the new structure the developers have implemented. This tool along with Caketools which is being developed for 2k23 is the main modding tool moving forward.

A lot has changed under the hood from 2k19 so a lot of assets cannot be carried over to the new games or backported.

I also need to mention that  the Demon Finn title entrance animation wasn't in WWE 2K19. It was ported over from WWE 2K17 as a mod, it's not that the motion was hidden in the files.. CM Punk's entrance was also not hidden. It was last in wwe2k15 and the motion was removed thereafter. These were ported over to 2k19.

You will not be able to p[ort over any animations or moves from previous games to 2k22 or 2k23 as the motion data structure has changed. Also titantrons and gfx are in slightly different formats now so you can't directly import a 2k19 gfx file to 22 or 23 without some modifications in after effects.

I will also suggest you join the Pro Wrestling mods discord as there is a lot of information regarding 2k22 modding and 23 modding tools  there. The caketools development itself is a Pro Wrestling mods project .

 

[Featherine]

Much appreciated for all the answers! Also thanks for the discord suggestion, gonna do that 😊

When I said bring the animation from an older game though I meant any of the previous games that use the same system as 2K23, I think that'd be 2K20 & 2K22 if i'm not mistaken. I haven't played either of those games so I wouldn't know, but Demon Finn doesn't have a championship entrance in those either?

12 hours ago, BlindedByTheGrace said:

I also need to mention that  the Demon Finn title entrance animation wasn't in WWE 2K19.

I was kinda confused about this because I remember having his entrance on my CAW with the belt, so I went back and checked, turns out you could use normal non-title motions as championship entrances which is why I could use FINN BALOR DEMON 1 as title motion. It's been so long I had forgotten all about that.

This begs the question though: would it be possible to edit the character's data to force the game to use the Demon Balor entrance motion (like UNLEASH THE DEMON 2 for example) as the title motion? Since I just noticed Finn himself does use a non-title motion for his title motion. "FINN BALOR" does not exist on the title motion list, and all title motions end with CHAMPION as well.

 

This makes me think that assigning a non-title motion as a title motion should technically be possible, right? If not now maybe when the modding tools are updated for 2K23 at least.

Edited March 22, 2023 by Featherine

[Scyfi1985]

I had a similar question, only modding 2k19 myself, well modding using tools. I spiked 2020 and 2022, and have heard rumors about a few mods from last year, Cake tools or something? Perhaps they will work this year? The new thing you mentioned above  that will be out hopefully soonish/ or ones that worked last year do any of the following? ALso heard rumors of a new data editor, and was unsure how the following questions were handled in 2022.  Sorry if  any of these are repeated questions in the post above mine. 

-unlock hidden models like commentators ect?

- allow height/gender/name alterations?

Ty for whoever resounds, and ty to all the modders for working on this. 

 

PS- you mention the discord, is it the one on here?

Edited March 23, 2023 by Scyfi1985

[Featherine]

1 hour ago, Scyfi1985 said:

PS- you mention the discord, is it the one on here?

The Pro Wrestling Mods discord.

Edited March 23, 2023 by Featherine

[Scyfi1985]

Ty!

15 hours ago, Featherine said:

The Pro Wrestling Mods discord.

 

[me man]

All the tools require certain memory blocks to be found and figured out.

Some are working on this here, but the more the merrier.

As far as unlocking everyone, gender swaps, height,, etc. that's all in the "POFO", and a lot of it is the same.

I started a thread on here about a week ago and described how find supersarts, how to to to the swaps, posted the
super pofo" and created a version of the super pofo with all characters unlocked, that you can load in via cheatengine.

 

Confirmed data will be posted here:

With the "pofo breakdown and analysis" section, probably of the greatest interest.

[Scyfi1985]

Awesome stuff!

On 3/22/2023 at 10:57 PM, Featherine said:

The Pro Wrestling Mods discord.