Installing mods for Empire at War (Revised 12/17) tutorial - Star Wars Fan Group

I. Installing your mod

(Note that some mods come with their own proprietary installers, such as Republic At War. In such cases, you should refer to the readme file included with that mod for information on how to install it. In any case, if your mod comes with a readme file, read it!)

Assuming you have downloaded your mod already, it will likely be a .rar or .zip archive that contains the mod folder with an appropriate name; RotM, Eaw-Re, FX_MOD, AEM1.5, etc. This name will be what we reference when we create the mods shortcut.
Within your main FOC directory, you should create a folder called Mods - as written.
For example:
Retail: C:\Program Files\LucasArts\Star Wars Empire at War (or FOC)\Mods
Steam: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Star Wars Empire at War\corruption\Mods
GOG: C:\GOG Games\Star Wars - Empire At War Gold\EAWX\Mods

Extract whatever is in your downloaded archive and drag it into your Mods folder. Once you have done that, you can create your own shortcut as a batch file or download a mod launcher. If you have a Steam copy, skip to section II.

Ia. Creating your own mod shortcut for FOC or EAW

While in the main FOC game directory, create a notepad file and paste the following command line within

swfoc MODPATH=Mods\mod folder name

For Empire at War, put the mod files in your EAW mods directory. Then in the notepad paste

sweaw MODPATH=Mods\mod folder name

Save it as a .bat file. For the sake of simplicity you should give the batch file the same name as the Mod it is for. It's worth noting you can rename a particular mods folder to whatever you want, so long as the command line referencing it has the same name.

After saving, you'll notice a new file in your directory in addition to the original text document that you just created. You can delete the text file as we only need the batch file. You can create as many batch files as you need depending on how many mods you have. You should keep them in your EAW/FOC directory. I recommend creating a short cut to the batch file itself, or your game directory.

Ib. Using a Mod Launcher

There are many mod launchers out there available for download. They essentially recognize and compile all of your mods into a comprehensive list, so you can just pick one and launch it immediately. I personally don't like using them. Your mileage may vary. A cursory google search will net you some results.

II. Launching mods with Steam

Instead of making a .bat file, simply right click the game in your steam library. Go to [Properties]. Under the general tab, click [SET LAUNCH OPTIONS...] Paste in one of the following command lines, depending on which game your mod is for.

sweaw MODPATH=Mods\mod folder name

swfoc MODPATH=Mods\mod folder name

You'll notice these are the same command lines used in batch files for manual shortcuts. After that, simply close the window and pick whether to launch eaw or foc.

What NOT to do

NEVER use the Data folder contained within any download mod to overwrite your game directory. Mods all use the games base files to run, and overwriting these files can create all sorts of interesting bugs and glitches. You wont be able to launch other mods unless you do a clean install. In some cases the game itself won't even work properly.

If you dont have keys with your game, you can find some here.

Ihav.net

These keys are legitimate, but are used by many so unless you buy a new copy don't plan on playing multiplayer.