Maps & chapters

Note

Status: chapter re-sequencing proven in-game 2026-07-11. A net-new level is blocked on level-asset authoring, not on RE.

Three layers

Layer	Class / asset	Codec
Map	oCDtMapDefinition, *.mapdef.ot (loader MapDef_RegisterAssetLoader = FUN_140322a50)	cooked_schemas.definitions mapdef.json — level_ref, field_a, tribe_ref + _tail_hex
Chapter	GameModeDefInternal::Chapter	inside the game-mode def tail
Sequence	GameModeDefaultDefinition, *.gamemodedefaultdef.ot (library Library_GameModeDefaultDefinition)	gamemodedefaultdef.json — field_a + _tail_hex

A run is a GameModeDefaultDefinition: an ordered list of chapters, each referencing the map(s) it can roll. GAME_END_NEXT_CHAPTER advances it. The “One chapter” modifier truncates the sequence to one — see Game modifiers. “Current chapter” and “Current map id” are entity-value keys (Entity values).

Sequence layout

The GameModeDefaultDefinition tail is a plain u32 count followed by count × u32 chapter index (vanilla [0,1,2,3]).

Deserializer-verified: GameModeDefaultDefinition::Deserialize reads the list via Serializer_ReadPolyPtrVector into the ordered vector at def+0x290, and each GameModeDefault entry is a resource-ref to its chapter content at entry+0x8. So the u32s are sub-object ids into the file’s section directory, and the vector order IS the run order as stored.

SDK kind (shipped)

m.register("game_mode", id="ReverseRun", chapters=[3, 2, 1, 0])  # reorder
# [0,0,0] repeats biome 0; [3] is a one-chapter run.

game_mode (src/rsmm/sdk/kinds/game_modes.py, engine game_mode_cook.py), confidence experimental. Indices must reference existing chapters (0..3). Tests: tests/test_game_mode_cook.py.

Proven route is override-in-place: overriding the retail All_Chapters def at its own cooked path with chapters=[2, 3] starts the run directly in the third chapter — the engine honours the rewritten order, and skipping indices 0/1 hits no first-run/tutorial coupling (mods/SeedRunsChapter3). A net-new selectable mode id is still unproven, as are repeat orders like [0,0,0].

A re-sequenced start is a fresh run — no items or talents from the skipped chapters. Grant a loadout at run start with R.give if the mod wants one.

Blackboard consumers

FUN_1401da350 is the game-context blackboard registrar: it declares every runtime cvar with a hashed id — "Current chapter" (0x181d17fd), "Current map id" (0x193495b8), "Random seed" (0x17a117c6), "Reroll count" (0x1a922cd6), the four biome map ids, and all GameModifier : … flags.

Run-setup FUN_1401eca80 (called from FUN_14028e5f0 at “DayNightCycle InitCycle”) reads those modifier hashes via FUN_1401c9600(ctx, hash), making it the game-modifier consumer as well. The run reads "Current chapter" to index the ordered vector at def+0x290.

What each goal needs

• Re-sequenced maps — shipped (above). Determinism caveat: map selection is part of the seeded run state, so randomization must be data-level (edit the pool), never a per-peer runtime choice, or multiplayer desyncs — see Multiplayer.
• Brand-new map — hard. A mapdef clone is cheap, but level_ref points at a cooked LEVEL (geometry, spawn volumes, nav); authoring one is far beyond a def edit. The realistic near-term “new map” is a remix: a new mapdef reusing an existing level_ref with a different tribe/reward profile.

Open

1. Prove or rule out a net-new selectable game-mode id; test repeat orders.
2. Mapdef remix kind (clone + repoint tribe_ref).
3. New levels remain out of scope for def cloning.