EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6: Guide to Mod Installation and Item Modification in Earth Defense Force 6

This guide is designed to simplify making changes in the game without requiring deep programming knowledge or modding experience — it helps you customize your favorite items and enhance game mechanics in simple ways, opening up new opportunities for fun in a game you’ve already completed!

To edit items and attributes in EDF6, you will need the following tools:

CriPakTools — a tool for extracting game files. link[github.com] This is a slightly modified version of the original CriPakTools link[github.com], which simplifies interaction with the tool.

EDFModLoader — a mod loader for EDF6. link[github.com] Download two files: EDFModLoader.zip and Plugins6.zip.

SGO Transformation Tool — a tool for converting sgo files to json format and back, allowing you to edit item attributes in a text editor. link[github.com] Written in JavaScript, so you’ll need Node.js. link[nodejs.org]

Unpack EDFModLoader and move the contents into the folder with EDF6.exe. Typically, this is located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Earth Defense Force 6

Unpack Plugins6 and move the files into the Mods folder, which should appear after unpacking EDFModLoader.

In the end, it should look something like this:

Create a folder for CriPakTools and place the CriPakTools.exe file there. Copy the Root.cpk file from the game folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Earth Defense Force 6 and place it next to CriPakTools.exe. Open the folder in the terminal (right-click on any empty space in the folder and select “Open in Terminal”) and run the following command:

The result should look like this:

Install Node.js.

I’ll demonstrate using weapon modifications as an example, but the same process can be used to edit other files in their respective directories. Unpack the SGO Transformation Tool folder and copy the WEAPON folder generated in the previous step into it.

Open the terminal in the folder containing sgott.js and run the following commands:

If you receive an error, run the command below. If no error appears, you can skip this step.

After the necessary files are installed, run

again to check that no errors appear.

Next, there are a few options for what to do with the generated files. You can look for a reference list matching file names to items (such as this one for EDF5 link[github.com]; I couldn’t find one for EDF6, but I can create one if needed) and convert the desired file to JSON, edit, save, and convert it back to SGO. Alternatively, you can convert all files to JSON and then use a search (e.g., by weapon name) to locate and edit specific files as needed from the entire list (I’ll illustrate this approach using all weapon files as an example).

You’ll need to run the following three commands in the terminal:

• $inputFolder = “C:\Users\(your username)\Downloads\sgott-master\sgott-master\WEAPON”

  You can actually copy the path to the generated CriPakTools files here instead of moving them to sgott.

  ---

• $outputFolder = “C:\Users\(your username)\Downloads\sgott-master\sgott-master\WEAPON”

  You can specify any convenient path here, but I found it useful to keep it in the same folder.

  ---

• Get-ChildItem -Path $inputFolder -Filter *.sgo | ForEach-Object { $inputFile = $.FullName $outputFile = “$outputFolder$($.BaseName).json” node .\sgott.js “$inputFile” “$outputFile” }

  This essentially initiates a loop to convert SGO files to JSON.

  ---

Now, you have a folder full of JSON files with weapon attributes, which can be easily edited in any text editor.

I’ll explain the function of some parameters below.

Now that you have the files in JSON format, you can open them in any text editor and adjust the necessary parameters. However, there are quite a few, and finding the right one manually can be time-consuming, so we can use the terminal again. Let’s say you want to tweak the Ranger’s turret from DLC2. The easiest way to find it is by name — ZE Blaster.

Navigate to the JSON folder, right-click to open the terminal in this folder (or use cd followed by the path to the JSON folder), and enter the following command:

Copy the file name that appears, locate it in the folder (or open it directly in the console if needed — I can tweak the script for that if necessary).

You’ll see a number of parameters inside, and for detailed descriptions, you can refer to this excellent guide for EDF5 link; the parameters are fairly similar between games, though many are intuitive even without a guide.

One exception is that parameter values don’t always correspond directly to in-game values. For example, if you want to increase the number of carryable turrets from 4 in the top variant, look for the AmmoCount parameter. You might see several values here without a 4 in sight, but by changing the top value from 3 to 113, you’ll get 132 turrets in-game.

There’s likely a simple explanation for this, but since this is a casual guide meant more for fun than precise numbers, this approach is enough. You can do the same for ReloadTime by lowering the value to enjoy faster reloading, or adjust AmmoDamage similarly.

One less obvious setting is the weapon’s range, determined by the AmmoSpeed and AmmoAlive parameters. I increased AmmoAlive frames to extend the range significantly. Overall, these are the primary parameters, and they’re usually straightforward by name.

You can also adjust many other settings, like penetration, color, or even ammo type (e.g., replacing bullets with wasp stingers or acid). If you’d like to explore more parameters, here’s the same link to the EDF5 guide.

To convert your edited JSON file back to SGO format, use the following command:

Here’s an example using my case:

After running this command, you’ll get the file MPACK_B_WEAPON008.SGO.

Move the SGO files to the appropriate folders in the game’s Mods directory based on their function. For weapons, for instance, the path might look like this:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Earth Defense Force 6\Mods\WEAPON

And that’s it — you can now launch the game and test your modifications. Just one note: the changes won’t appear in the character equipment selection screen. To fix this, you’d need to edit one more file, but it’s not essential.

Apart from cool mods, NexusMods also has several helpful patches available here[www.nexusmods.com].

Some useful options include:

AutoLoot — Automatically picks up red and green crates.
ItemDropRate Patch — I recommend adjusting it slightly. By default, it removes limits on the number of crates on the ground and the loot quantity you can bring back from a mission. You can also tweak the loot drop rate and quantity. In the last line, set DropRate to 0.147, which should be enough to fill your inventory with weapons and add up to 300 armor on larger missions. This is fun to use after you’ve completed the game! Note: the lower the DropRate value, the more loot drops, but I don’t suggest setting it too low, as your screen will fill with crates even with AutoLoot.

Some interesting points:
– Mods do not disable achievements.
– You can play multiplayer with mods without crashes, as long as everyone has the same mods installed. You can simply share your Mods folder with friends for convenience.

I hope this guide helps newcomers step-by-step to dive into the EDF6 modding process and enhance their gameplay experience in a personalized way.