Alien: Isolation modders can build worlds of their own

After nine years of work, OpenCAGE has reached version 1.0. Creator Matt Filer told PC Gamer he is demonstrating its scope with a Halo-themed map containing new enemies, weapons, cinematics and a custom display. That project remains in development; the toolkit is available now.

The practical change is how much of Alien: Isolation a modder can rebuild. According to the project documentation, you can start a level from scratch, reuse pieces of existing environments or import your own geometry. Its build process generates the lighting, navigation, collision, cover and sound needed to make that space work.

A feature called Live Link also reduces the stop-and-start routine of editing. With the game running, creators can move objects, change lights and adjust scripts without reloading. The game camera can follow the editor’s view, making it easier to see an adjustment from the same angle.

Separate editors expose character and weapon settings, inventory items and the behaviour trees used by the alien, humans and androids. Finished changes can be packaged through the Mod Manager, which also handles installation, combinations, updates and removal. The project offers OpenCAGE free through Steam, with its code available on GitHub.