Programs that you will need to be able to view and modify game files:
Double Fine Explorer (Technically not needed, but you wouldn't be able to know what you're modifying without it)[quickandeasysoftware.net]
Any Hex Editor (I personally use HxD)[mh-nexus.de]

A majority of the stuff that is modifiable (and that you'd most likely want to modify are in Win > Packs > Man_Trivial Package. You're free to look inside any other package and see all the things the game has to offer. (Ignore the Save All Files thing, thought it would have been necessary for easier viewing but it is not)


Now, some files have extremely long file names. To be able to completely see them, you should maximize the window and pull the code preview window to the right.


Notes: The game will not be able to launch if Double Fine Explorer is left on. Close it before attempting to launch your game. This is not the case with HxD editor on the other hand.

Click on Open and navigate to your Brutal Legend packs folder. Each package has 2 types:
.~h - Contains only file names of every file within that package. Not much can be done here except file name swaps (with rather weird results such as making the game not recognize them or really simple team color swaps)
.~p - Contains the actual code of all the files in the package

There are also text files for each packages which will be mentioned.


Notes when modifying:
Adding and or removing bytes (adding and or removing text) will prevent the game from launching (and the reason modding is limited). The exact reason for that is unknown, but my theory is that it has something to do with the text files all of the packages seem to have, containing information on the exact number of bytes of each package and all the files contained inside. Therefore, for the game to be able to launch without any issues, the file size of the package needs to remain exactly the same, as well as the file size of each individual file/code contained inside it. There possibly could be a workaround (by modifying said text file) but I haven't found a way myself.

Edit: It's most likely a limitation of HEX Editing maybe.

The program also doesn't search Forward properly. When you try to search for the same thing multiple times while the Search Direction is set on Forward, it just stays on the same thing. Therefore, you need to select some text placed right after it to be able to properly search/find the next one. Might not be a problem with any other Hex Editor.

Also note that not all code is displayed as text in Hex Editor, or in proper recognizable hex code, as it is in Double Fine Explorer, and because of that, some files/code are practically un-modifiable as a result, hence another limitation to modding. This includes Tech Trees for example.

Looking through all the packages and files with Double Fine Explorer we've discovered that there is a test map in the game only available to the developers. It is unavailable to the players by a simple value switch, and it is pretty much the only thing I've been able to find that is marked as Dev Only.

So we open up HxD, Man_Trivial.~p, CTRL+F and search for DevOnly=1
And we simply change the number 1 to 0 and Save.

If we launch the game and look in the Multiplayer maps list, we'll be able to access a new one!

(The map is not selectable unless all players in the lobby have the DevOnly value set to 0)

You can also modify the colors of almost anything in the game. In the Man_Trivial package, there are hundreds if not thousands of Material files. Diffuse Color values are the main parts of the colorization.

Let's say for example you want to modify the color scheme of Multiplayer Doviculus because you don't like him wearing Pink (I certainly don't).

In Double Fine Explorer, locate/search for:
characters/bipeds/d01_avatar/materials/d01_avatar

You will get a list of all of Doviculus's variations. Any file name ending in _pri indicates the Primary Team Color (in his case/case of The Tainted Coil, it is the Pink variant). Any file name ending in _alt is the Alternative Team Color (Green variant). Anything without _pri or _alt endings indicates base material used in the Campaign (although do note that some characters such as Doviculus and the Overblesser use different textures and simply copying the Diffuse Color of the Base/Campaign variant will not get you a proper recreation of their Base/Campaign variants)

Click on any of the files in Double Fine Explorer and look at all the values. The Primary Multiplayer Cloth aspect of Doviculus has a DiffuseColor Scheme of <0.90588242,0.039215688,0.47058821>
We can see that the colors are based on an RGB system (Red/Green/Blue) and that a high value of Red, really low value of Green and medium value of Blue gives an awful Pink color.

Copy that part of the code and search for it in HxD. Some other files might have the same Color Scheme, hence why you should use the surrounding code as a reference of where you are located in the package/which exact file you're modifying. Now simply modify it into any color you wish.

You can have his head gear colored in black (Leather) and his lower waist (Cloth) in red if you wish so. Or maybe have him completely colored in Blue (even skin if you want)



Those are just some examples of what you can do with the game. You can also modify the values of buffs/debuffs of certain units or solos give if you're interested in that (like making the Hate Cage a worthwhile unit). Experiment with the game and have fun. Make backups of the packages, or verify the game files whenever you're not happy with what you've done or have screwed something up :P