Before you can do anything with your CKC game files - you need to know where those files are! Fortunately, Steam makes this easy. (If you don't use Steam, presumably you know where to find the root CKC directory!)

In Steam, right-click on CKC, the select "Properties" -> "Local Files" -> "Browse Local Files" This brings you to the ROOT directory.

Specifically, you should see (among other things) a "Music" "Monsters" "Battles" and "LoadScreens" directories. These are your four big modding locations.

Inside your "Music" directory in CKC, you will find a plain text file which tells you that any .ogg files you place in that directory will be available for the game to play during battles.

At this time, music selection is randomized. But in Custom Battles, you will be able to specify specific custom tracks.

Inside your "LoadScreens" directory in CKC, you will find a plain text file which tells you that any .jpg files you place in that directory will be available for the game to display as Loading Screens.

At this time, Loading Screen selection is randomized. But in Custom Battles, you will be able to specify specific screens to show between specific battles.

Inside your "Monsters" directory in CKC, you will find a plain text file which tells you how to create custom skins.

In short, browse to the character directory you wish to make a skin for, and notice that the directory contains 2 or more folders - each with a simple name like "Blue" or "Green." To make a new custom skin which you can select in-game, you will need to create a new directory - the name of that directory will be the name of the skin in the menu.

The easiest thing to do is simply right-click on an existing skin directory, and copy it. Then rename it however you wish.

Once you have your directory, open it and look at the file(s) inside. These are the unwrapped texture files. Many characters have only one, but some have more than one. Simply edit this file with your favorite edit program - then launch the game to see how it looks on that character!

If you don't have any experience with digital editing, we suggest downloading "Paint.net" as a great free option.

If you play an online match, your opponents will NOT see your custom skins UNLESS the have a custom skin with the identical name. Once Steam Workshop is integrated into CKC, the process of sharing skins should become easy.

Custom Battles allows you to set up specific conditions for a fight - you select who, where, how, edit parameters, and generally tweak the combat rules to your liking. You can even create a series of battles - with special screens, videos, and music during and between fights.

The Custom Battles format is the same way we create single-player game modes for CKC.

In your "Battles" directory, you will find a single example file of a battle. It is written in plain XML - which should be easy to pickup if you have any experience in scripting or markup languages.

Custom Battles are for local play only. They can be multiplayer - but all players must be playing on the same machine. (Co-Op campaign modes are totally possible!)