Install custom Zombies maps in World at War with T4M and the Mod Tools

Custom Zombies maps are the reason most people still install Call of Duty: World at War, and getting one running takes three things: the right game version, the T4M memory patch, and knowing which folder the game actually reads. This guide covers all three, then installs the Mod Tools so you can compile a test map and see how the pipeline fits together.

It assumes the PC version. Console releases never got mod support.

Patch to 1.7

Every custom map targets the final official patch.

• Steam: already 1.7, nothing to do.
• Retail disc: install, then apply the official patches in order up to 1.7. Check the version string on the multiplayer main menu before continuing.

Find the mods folder

World at War does not keep mods in the game directory. It reads them from your Windows user profile:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Activision\CoDWaW\mods\

Paste that into the Explorer address bar. If the mods folder does not exist yet, launch the game once and open the Mods menu, or simply create the folder yourself. Each custom map you install becomes one sub-folder here.

Install T4M

T4M raises the engine's memory limits. The original engine was tuned for the official maps and falls over when a custom map ships more textures, models and sounds than that budget allows. A large share of maps released in recent years require it.

1. Download T4M from a trusted community source such as the UGX Mods site.
2. Copy the included library file into the game's install directory, next to the game executable. On Steam that is steamapps/common/Call of Duty World at War/.
3. Launch the game. If it starts normally, T4M is in place. Some maps will confirm it in their loading screen.

Nothing else changes. T4M does not alter gameplay, and official maps run the same as before.

Install your first custom map

1. Download a map. Start with something popular and well-reviewed on the UGX map list so you know it is not broken.
2. Extract the archive. You should end up with a single folder, typically named after the map, containing .ff fast files and one or more .iwd archives. Some maps ship an installer that does this for you.
3. Move that folder into %LOCALAPPDATA%\Activision\CoDWaW\mods\.
4. Launch the game. Open the Mods menu from the main menu, select the map, and click Launch. The game restarts with the map loaded as the active mod.
5. Now choose Solo or Co-op from the main menu and start. The custom map replaces the official one in the list.

That last step trips up almost everyone. Launching the mod does not start the map; it only switches the game into that mod's content.

Install the Mod Tools

Even if you never plan to release anything, compiling a test map teaches you what the folders you just used actually contain.

1. In Steam, filter your library to Tools and install Call of Duty: World at War Mod Tools.
2. Launch the tools. The Launcher opens with buttons for Radiant, Asset Manager and the compile steps.
3. Create a new map from the Zombies template. Use a lowercase name with no spaces, such as nazi_zombie_test. The nazi_zombie_ prefix is what makes the game treat the map as a Zombies map, and the template scripts depend on it.
4. Tick Compile, Light and Build Fast Files, then run. Radiant and the compiler put the output straight into your mods folder as a new entry.
5. Launch the game, select your new mod, and start it from Solo. If you can walk around the template room, the tools work.

Radiant is old software with an old interface. Community video tutorials are the fastest way to learn it, and most of the custom Zombies tutorial content online is recorded for exactly this tool.

Common gotchas

• Crash to desktop while loading a map with no error, or an error mentioning memory, almost always means T4M is missing or was copied to the wrong folder.
• The map is not in the Mods menu. Check that the folder is directly inside mods, not nested one level deeper because the archive contained a wrapper folder.
• Missing textures or invisible weapons usually mean the download was incomplete. Re-download and compare the archive size against what the author lists.
• Co-op partners cannot join. Everyone needs the same map, same version, in their own mods folder. There is no automatic download in World at War.
• A map that was fine now crashes after you installed another one. Some maps write shared files. Remove the newest map and test again.
• Antivirus flags T4M because it replaces a system library the game loads. Only download it from a source the community recognises, then whitelist it.

Where to go next

The World at War page on OpenMods lists GitHub-hosted script packs and tooling for mappers. When you are ready for a modern version of the same workflow with Workshop publishing built in, the Black Ops III guide picks up where this one ends.