Want to make a replacer mod? This guide will show a simple way to asset swap the Atelian militia models with soldiers from the Confederation.

With PK3 files you can use 7zip to open them, since they're just renamed zips.

If you just want to get and see my first pk3 mod, here is the download link:
discord dl[cdn.discordapp.com]
mediafire: https://www.mediafire .com/file/mexb6rha1raiko8/z_sb_fac_swap.pk3/file
put it in the base directory folder of the game

If you want to go further and modify the assets in blender you'll need a few plugins.
For using custom .md5 files you'll need to go through extra steps which I've still not fully understood.

Programs for viewing the models I used Noesis and QuArK. Mainly Noesis but QuArK had better luck with loading some of the other 3D models

Noesis:
https://richwhitehouse.com/index.php?content=inc_projects.php&showproject=91

MD3 Importer/Exporter for Blender 2.93 thru Blender 4.2:
https://github.com/SomaZ/Blender_BSP_Importer/releases

MD5 Importer/Exporter for Blender 2.80 thru Blender 3.4:
https://github.com/KozGit/Blender-2.8-MD5-import-export-addon

Replacing assets in this game is done in a modular and very simple way. The PK3 files load in an alphabetical order, So it's best to name things in a way to ensure that they'll load in last to prevent the base game's patches from overriding them.

If you want to you could also rename the game's patches as they all start with a z. Maybe something like zpatch114.pk3 -> ypatch114.pk3 or xpatch114.pk3

The historical mod from moddb is a good way of seeing how PK3 files replace/swap assets around. It was how I myself had started off in looking to mod this game.

Here is what my first pk3 looked like before zipping and renaming as pk3

This is how the game's pk3 files are structured, you'll have to match the same filename and folder pathing for your pk3s to work as a replacer mod.

All PK3s go in the base folder directory of the game.
So for me it's: D:\Steam\steamapps\common\Iron Grip Warlord\base\

With my first asset swap, I took the confederate enemy md5mesh models from:
models.pk3\models\characters\
models_1.pk3\models\characters\


Then I copypasted the files into my pk3 with empty named folders, and renamed the files with the names of the miltia bots and atelia classes.

npc_con1 -> bot_mil1


I'd also taken and renamed the skin files from
models.pk3\models\characters\skins\
to replace the burnt/dead variants of the models.

For example:
damaged_con1 -> damaged_mil1
flamed_con1 -> flamed_mil1

After the files have been copypasted over and renamed accordingly, I just zipped everything under the mod's folder as a .zip, and then renamed it to .pk3



Now you just put this .pk3 file in the base folder of the game.
For example:
D:\Steam\steamapps\common\Iron Grip Warlord\base\
And the pk3 will override the base assets. (If the pk3 is at the end of the loading list)


For example my pk3 that replaces the red teammate arrow with a blank png has z at the beginning of the file name, but still works as the zpatches from the game do not touch any files that have to do with the teammate ui.

I name all my pk3s with ZZ to ensure they're after the game patches in load prio.