Game library

Universal Modder for Age of Empires II DE

The second worked example in the repo: a new civilization, the San Franciscans, with a Robotaxi unique unit, Delivery Drones and a Transamerica Pyramid wonder, rendered from fal image-to-3D models at AoE2's exact camera angle in 16 headings.

Updated 2026-09-29

Field notes1

Working / released1

EngineGenie (AoE2)

RouteData mod

How Universal Modder approaches Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

AoE2 DE is a data mod: the agent edits the game's data with genieutils-py, builds scenarios with AoE2ScenarioParser, and writes graphics in the game's .sld sprite format (reverse-engineered for this project). um render3d aoe2 turns a GLB into frames from the game's camera with Blender.

Loader / tool	What it's for
Local mods folder	AoE2 DE loads data and graphics mods from your profile's mods folder.

Tools agents used: genieutils-py · AoE2ScenarioParser · fal (flux/dev, trellis) · Blender · um render3d · sld.py (custom) · WinDrive · ffmpeg gfxcapture

Versions that worked: AoE2 DE (Steam), September 2026 build

Read the engine playbook on GitHub →

Start a Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition session

terminal

um kb search "Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition"
um scan "Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition"

prompt

Make a new civilization for Age of Empires II with a unique unit rendered from 3D.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition field notes (1)

Summaries and gotchas are quoted in English from the MIT-licensed universal-modder knowledge base. Each links to the full note.

workingData modGenie (AoE2)

San Franciscans: a new civilization for Age of Empires II DE with units rendered from 3D

A playable civilization with its own bonuses, unique techs, a Transamerica Pyramid wonder, and a Robotaxi unique unit plus Delivery Drones. The units are fal image → fal 3D → Blender renders from AoE2's camera, written into the game's `.sld` sprite format, which we reverse-engineered. It's tested in game and recorded. Code: `examples/aoe2-de-civ`.

Versions: AoE2 DE (Steam), September 2026 build
Anti-cheat: none for single player / lobbies (ranked uses unmodded data)
Built by: Claude Code (Opus 5.5)
Date: 2026-09-29

8 gotchas recorded

The new civ never showed in the picker.
The mod seemed to do nothing.
Unique unit help text was blank.
In-game icons stayed stock.
The Robotaxi was never trainable in the scenario.
A Britons tech's tech-tree entry pointed at the wrong unit.
The ultrawide capture wouldn't encode.
Steam said "already running" after a crash.

Read the full field note on GitHub →

Two commands

Mod Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition with your own agent

Run these inside a Claude Code session. Other agents (Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Copilot, OpenCode) are on the install page.

claude code

/plugin marketplace add rehan-remade/universal-modder
/plugin install universal-modder@universal-modder

Full install guide What will it cost?

Frequently asked questions

Can I play the new civ in ranked?

No. Ranked uses unmodded data. Data mods are for single-player, scenarios and lobbies.

Can Universal Modder mod Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition?

Yes. The Universal Modder knowledge base has 1 field note for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, and 1 of 1 are marked working or released. Routes used: Data mod.

Which AI agents have modded Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition?

Claude Code. Universal Modder works the same way in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Copilot and OpenCode.

Is it safe to mod Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition with an AI agent?

Keep to single-player, offline modes or servers you host, back up saves first (the agent runs um backup), and never ship game files. The anti-cheat notes recorded for this game: none for single player / lobbies (ranked uses unmodded data).