cobra-tools

"Life Modding finds a way."

A simple GUI for extracting OVL and OVS archives and modifying their contents, as well as editors for the associated in-house file formats. Also includes a model plugin for blender.

Installation

Read the instructions steps carefully and do not jump ahead and start downloading everything or you will miss important steps.

Get the latest source code here and unzip to a folder of your choice.

Installing Prerequisites

You need to have installed:

• Python 3.11 64-bit (make sure you select the option "Add Python to PATH" during installation; 32-bit versions of Python are not recommended.)
• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2017 x64 (needed for texture conversion)
• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2013 x86 (needed for lua decompile)

Installing Python dependencies

Opening any of the GUI tools after installing Python 3.11 and the redistributables will auto-install the Python dependencies for you. You may also be prompted to update outdated packages.

Simply follow the instructions, typing y and hitting Enter.

---

If you would like to install the dependencies manually:

1. Open the Cobra Tools folder in Windows File Explorer.

2. In the File Explorer address bar, type cmd and hit Enter. This will open a command prompt in your Cobra Tools folder.

3. In the command prompt type the following line and hit Enter

   pip install --upgrade pip && pip install .[gui]
   

   ^{Please note:
   There is a dot . at the end of the command .[gui].
   If you do not open cmd in your Cobra Tools folder, you will need to replace . with the full path to the folder.
   You may need to upgrade pip using python.exe -m pip install --upgrade pip instead.}

Blender Plugin Installation

Currently the tools work in blender 3.6 to 4.0.

• Blender Plugin - How to Use

Developers

If you are contributing to the project:

1. Install the dev dependencies. From cobra-tools directory run:

   pip install --upgrade pip && pip install .[gui,dev]
   

   ^{Note: You may need to upgrade pip using python.exe -m pip install --upgrade pip instead.}

2. Then install the pre-commit hooks:

   pre-commit install -f
   

How to use

• OVL Tool - How to Use
• List of supported file formats and recommended tools for editing them

Basic Tutorials

• Tutorial: Jurassic World Evolution New Species Mod
• Tutorial: Planet Zoo New Species Mod

Disclaimers

• Remember to backup all mod files and stock files. Any patches will reset or break the mods and will need to be redone and re-released.
• Not all model files are supported at this time. Some may crash on import or export. Even if they (seemingly) import and export fine, the result is not guaranteed to work ingame.

Legal Notice and Terms Of Conduct

This software is developed under 'fair use' by enthusiasts and is not affiliated with Universal© or Frontier® in any form.

By downloading and using this software, you agree to the following conditions:

• Use this software at your own risk. It may cause damage to you, your equipment or your data. The authors are not responsible for your actions.
• Do not use this software to circumvent copy protections. Especially, do not try to unlock downloadable content for free, share official artwork or intellectual property or engage in so-called data mining to announce game content before an official announcement.
• Do not seek monetary compensation for mods made with this software. Do not charge money or ask for donations in order to download the mods. Do not accept payment in exchange for exclusive rights (even if temporary) to commissioners of mods.
• Secure permission to use other parties' work in your mods. This includes but is not limited to using IP, artwork, skin designs and 3D models (eg. porting models from another game). If you don't have the approval of the copyright holder(s), be prepared to face the consequences.
• Porting models when done without strict permission should not seek for monetary compensation. This means that using the tool to re-publish other's work should not be done for profit, but for the modding community. Ported models mods must be opt-out of any direct revenue. General donations for the work done are still fine, as long as they are not tied to any specific port mod.
• Do not affect online modes of the game drastically using this software. Do not try to gain any advantage over other players. Online gameplay and modifications should be restricted as much as possible and not encouraged.

If you still have doubts, consider checking the official Frontier's Mod Policy.

Credits

• Planet Zoo, Cobra, Frontier and the Frontier Developments logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Frontier Developments, plc.
• Jurassic World, Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic World Evolution, Jurassic World Evolution 2 and their respective logos are trademarks of Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment, Inc.
• Daemon1, DennisNedry1993 and Inaki for initial modding attempts and documentation.
• mpeterv for luacheck
• texconv from DirectXTex is used internally to convert to and from DDS textures.

Get in touch

Some Discords where modding progress is discussed can be found here:

• Open Naja Modding Community