COSM-GAME How to Create and Publish Custom Maps for Birds of War
Birds of War includes an official Mod Kit for building custom maps in Unreal Engine 5.6 without gameplay coding. You create the map as a Content Only plugin, add the supplied gameplay markers, cook and test it locally, then publish the finished map to Steam Workshop.
Guide facts
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Install Unreal Engine 5.6 and the official Mod Kit
Birds of War custom maps use the official Mod Kit with Unreal Engine 5.6. No gameplay coding is required for the normal custom-map workflow.
Official Mod Kit section.Download Mod Kit and extract the downloaded ZIP file.ModSupportKit.uproject in Unreal Engine 5.6.The kit includes an example custom map plugin, gameplay markers, cooking tools, a Steam Workshop publisher, and additional setup and troubleshooting documentation.
Create a Content Only plugin for your map
Your map must live inside its own Unreal Engine plugin.
Content Only plugin in Unreal Engine.CustomMap_<YourName> format.Note: Keep the map content inside the custom map plugin instead of building the level outside it. The official cooking workflow expects the map to use this plugin structure.
Add the world and required gameplay markers
Build the playable environment with your geometry, props, lighting, sky, and other level content. Then add the gameplay objects that Birds of War needs to run the map correctly.
The supplied markers are available under /Game/BoW/MapKit/. Add the markers required by the mode you want to support, including:
- Player starts
- Nests
- Egg spawns
- Optional objective markers
The Mod Kit also includes markers for modes such as King of the Hill, Domination, and Search and Destroy.
Cook the map and test it in a Custom Game
cook_bow_map.bat.CustomMaps folder.Custom Game and load your custom map.A successful test means the custom map loads through a Custom Game and the gameplay markers you placed are working in the intended locations.
Publish the cooked map to Steam Workshop
Steam Workshop publishing requires Steam to be running and the active Steam account to own Birds of War.
publish_to_workshop.bat.You can review Birds of War community content from the official Steam Community Hub and open its Workshop tab.
Custom maps work in Custom Games, not ranked play
Published maps are intended for Custom Games. The official Mod Kit instructions state that custom maps are not available in ranked play.
This means Workshop publishing makes the map available for community custom sessions, but it does not add the map to the normal ranked map pool.
If the custom map does not appear or publishing fails
If the map does not appear during testing, confirm that cook_bow_map.bat completed and that all four generated files were copied into the game's CustomMaps folder. Then host a Custom Game rather than checking ranked matchmaking.
If publish_to_workshop.bat does not complete the Workshop upload, verify that Steam is running and that the signed-in account owns Birds of War.
For a first Workshop upload, make sure you accepted the Steam Workshop agreement and changed the item visibility to public after publishing.
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FAQ
7 questionsNo. HexNest Games says the official Mod Kit does not require gameplay code. You build the world, place the supplied gameplay markers, cook the map, and test it in a Custom Game.
The official Mod Kit uses Unreal Engine 5.6. Install that version before opening ModSupportKit.uproject.
The official instructions place the supplied player starts, nests, egg spawns, and optional objective markers under /Game/BoW/MapKit/.
No. HexNest Games states that custom maps are available in Custom Games and are not used in ranked play.
Steam must be running and the Steam account must own Birds of War. On your first upload, you also need to accept the Steam Workshop agreement before making the item public.
Check that you ran cook_bow_map.bat, copied all four generated map files into the game's CustomMaps folder, and are trying to load the map through a Custom Game.
Confirm that Steam is running, the active Steam account owns Birds of War, and you are passing the cooked map folder to publish_to_workshop.bat. For a first upload, also accept the Workshop agreement and set the item public.