Universal Modder Examples
Universal Modder ships with three substantial example projects. Each one comes with its code, setup requirements and lessons, so you can study the route before attempting a similar mod.
Start with installation and the first-mod tutorial if you are new to the toolkit. The FAQ covers costs, ownership and platform limits.
| Example | Main route | A useful first checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Terraria: Fal Arsenal | tModLoader API and sprites | Build and use one weapon in a spare world |
| AoE2: San Franciscans | Data mod and rendered unit sprites | Select the data mod and inspect one unit |
| Minecraft inside GTA V | Two-game passthrough and frame compositing | Verify alignment with the synthetic host checks |
Terraria Fal Arsenal
Fal Arsenal is a tModLoader project with a homing missile launcher, tactical nuke, lightning rifle, singularity launcher and orbital strike, plus enemies and a boss. The source includes generated sprites and the commands that processed them into usable game assets.
Route: the tModLoader C# API. The example uses loader classes for items, projectiles, enemies and game hooks. It targets Windows single-player; multiplayer is untested.
Useful lesson: build one item with the loader first, then fit the sprite to its actual draw direction and frame size. Restore test worlds after destructive effects, and capture from outside the game rather than with an in-game recorder.
Read our Universal Modder Terraria example guide for setup, checks and remix ideas, or get the Fal Arsenal build instructions on GitHub. Our tutorial narrows this larger example to a first weapon.
AoE2 San Franciscans
The San Franciscans example creates an Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition civilization with Robotaxi and Delivery Drone units and a Transamerica Pyramid wonder. Its unit art follows a concept-to-3D-to-sprite workflow.
Route: a data mod built with genieutils-py, plus Blender rendering and .sld sprite generation. The example occupies an existing civilization slot, because the game's selection interface does not show additional civilizations.
Useful lesson: the underlying data format and the game's interface can impose different limits. A value that can be written into data still needs to appear and behave correctly in the running game. Directional sprites also need the game's camera projection, shadows and player-color masks.
Read our Universal Modder Age of Empires II example guide for the build sequence and civilization-slot constraint, or browse the San Franciscans source and requirements. This route is a strong reference for custom units, but it involves more asset-conversion work than a first item mod.
Minecraft in GTA V
This example runs real Minecraft alongside GTA V Legacy story mode. A Fabric mod and a ScriptHookV/ReShade integration share camera, ground and events through a local bridge, then combine the rendered views.
Route: a passthrough between two running games. The example requires specific Minecraft, Fabric, GTA edition, Windows and build-tool versions; GTA V Enhanced is not supported.
Useful lesson: a mashup requires more than visible art. Camera timing, depth, coordinate alignment and event synchronization must all agree. The source includes tests that exercise parts of the bridge without GTA running.
Read our Minecraft inside GTA V example guide for version requirements, the connection design and known installer/cleanup limits, or browse the Minecraft/GTA source and requirements. Stay in story mode and keep this integration away from GTA Online.
More projects in the knowledge base
The knowledge base marks these projects as working:
- Portalcraft: Minecraft rendered inside Portal 2 through a passthrough route.
- Bloons TD 6 in Minecraft: the guest game's rules run as a headless simulation, with Minecraft supplying the view.
- An offline Elden Ring conversion: a native Rust integration built for an offline setup.
Before applying one of these recipes to your own installation, compare its versions, verification section and unresolved issues with your setup.
Choose a first project
Pick a result you can describe and check in one sentence: obtain one item, spawn one unit or change one visible behavior. Use the prompt examples to record the environment and success check, then follow the tutorial's backup and verification steps. Use the CLI reference to inspect the shared tools and project news to follow source changes that may affect an example.