🎨 Visual, Audio, And Asset References¶

This page explains the first generated catalog for visual, audio, and asset-like references in the local GameDatabase XML files.

It is meant as a lookup aid for modders who want to answer questions such as:

Which icon does this resource, building, notification, or tech tree row use?
Which prefab, mesh, texture, character kit, or VFX path is referenced by an entity?
Which units and props have audio ambience or selection audio?
Which buildings have visual state overrides or cycleable visual variants?
Which asset references come from core, dlc1, decorations1, or tools?

Generated Files¶

Run the catalog generator from the repository root:

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts\generate_catalog.ps1

Useful output files:

generated/catalog/asset-references.md
generated/catalog/asset-references.csv
generated/catalog/visual-audio-components.md
generated/catalog/visual-audio-components.csv
generated/catalog/filters/assets/icons.md
generated/catalog/filters/assets/prefabs.md
generated/catalog/filters/assets/meshes.md
generated/catalog/filters/assets/textures.md
generated/catalog/filters/assets/audio-events.md
generated/catalog/filters/assets/character-kits.md
generated/catalog/filters/assets/visual-components-with-assets.md
generated/catalog/filters/assets/visual-components-with-audio.md
generated/catalog/filters/packages/<package>/asset-references.md
generated/catalog/filters/packages/<package>/visual-audio-components.md

The local catalog currently detects 5,406 asset reference rows and 2,760 visual/audio component rows.

Asset Reference Catalog¶

asset-references is one row per detected asset-like value.

Important columns:

Column	Meaning
`Package`	Source package folder such as `core`, `dlc1`, `decorations1`, or `tools`
`Name` / `Entity`	Display name and technical entity name
`Kind`	Broad entity kind inferred by the generator
`Component`	Component that contains the reference
`FieldPath` / `FieldName`	XML path to the value
`AssetType`	Heuristic category such as `Icon`, `Prefab`, `Mesh`, `Texture`, `AudioEvent`, `CharacterKit`, `VFX`, or `JsonAsset`
`AssetRoot`	First path segment or `event:` root
`Extension`	File extension if the reference has one
`Asset`	The raw referenced path or event string
`Components`	Other components on the same entity
`Guid` / `File`	Source identity and XML file

Current asset type counts:

Asset type	Count
Icon	1,978
Prefab	995
AudioEvent	944
Mesh	811
Texture	473
CharacterKit	125
VFX	63
JsonAsset	17

1.4.0 asset-extension scheme. The 1.4.0 "Pagonia Editor Update" renamed every asset-reference path extension — the pre-1.4.0 double suffix .<type>.json became a bare .<type> (and .png → .image, .pile.json → .slicedmesh), and texture-map references (DiffuseMap / NormalMap / ParameterMap / …) dropped their extension entirely. The classifier (Get-AssetType) was updated to recognise both schemes, so the total row count is unchanged (no content was lost). One genuine improvement falls out of the new scheme: texture maps that the old .texture.json suffix could only bucket as the generic JsonAsset are now correctly Texture — which is why Texture is higher (and JsonAsset lower) than in the pre-1.4.0 snapshots. See CHANGELOG.md → Asset-reference extension scheme.

The catalog classifies references by field names and path-like values. It is intentionally broad enough to catch likely reusable assets, but it does not prove that every referenced file exists in a pak or that swapping it is safe.

Visual And Audio Component Catalog¶

visual-audio-components is one row per visual/audio-related component or asset-bearing entity row.

It includes components and entity rows such as:

TerrainProp
VisAudioAmbience
VisCycleableBuilding
UnitAnimations
UnitAttachment
UiBuildingStatesOverwrite
ResourceDescription
Deposit
Notification
ShrineAbility
TechTreeTierGroup
VisTexture
VisVegetation
VisFactionColor

Important columns:

Column	Meaning
`Component`	Component or entity row that carries visual/audio data
`AssetReferences`	Non-audio asset references detected inside the component
`AudioEvents`	Audio event references detected inside the component
`Values`	Compact scalar value summary for context
`Components`	Component list of the owning entity
`Guid` / `File`	Source identity and XML file

Current high-volume components include 712 TerrainProp rows, 318 VisAudioAmbience rows, 315 Building rows, 203 VisCycleableBuilding rows, 177 UnitAnimations rows, and 176 UnitAttachment rows.

Common Workflows¶

To find reusable icons:

rg --no-ignore "icon_build|icon_resource|icon_unit" .\game-gdb\

Then compare with:

generated/catalog/filters/assets/icons.md

To inspect unit visual and audio data:

generated/catalog/visual-audio-components.md

Search for UnitAnimations, UnitAttachment, SelectionAudio, or the unit name.

To trace a building's visual states:

generated/catalog/filters/assets/visual-components-with-assets.md

Search for the building name, Building, VisCycleableBuilding, or UiBuildingStatesOverwrite.

To find audio hooks:

generated/catalog/filters/assets/audio-events.md
generated/catalog/filters/assets/visual-components-with-audio.md

Useful raw XML search:

rg --no-ignore "event:/|SelectionAudio|VisAudioAmbience|StartLineMusic|Sound" .\game-gdb\

Modding Notes¶

Asset references are usually safer to study than to edit blindly. A value may look like a file path, but the runtime can still expect a matching prefab structure, animation set, material setup, audio bank, or engine-side binding.

Good first experiments:

compare two similar building icon references
inspect a resource icon and trace where that resource appears in UI catalogs
compare unit SelectionAudio values across similar units
compare TerrainProp prefab and mesh references across similar props

Riskier changes:

swapping character kits or animation sets between unrelated units
replacing prefabs used by buildings with different size or attachment expectations
changing notification sound or music events without testing scenario flow
editing visual cycle components without checking all building states in game

Treat this catalog as a map. It tells you where visual and audio references live. Final compatibility still needs in-game testing.