Species Swap Research — Issue #18

Species-Specific Fields

When swapping a creature's species, 6 fields must be updated across 2 data locations, plus the talent array must be rebuilt.

JSON-level fields (in SavedMounts[])

Field	Description
MountType	Species identifier string (e.g., Buffalo, Wolf, Wild_Boar)
MountIconName	Numeric icon ID (e.g., 316749)

Binary fields (in RecorderBlob.BinaryData)

Field	Description
AISetupRowName	AI behaviour row name (e.g., Mount_Buffalo)
ActorClassName	Blueprint class name (e.g., BP_Mount_Buffalo_C)
ObjectFName	Instance name = ActorClassName + _ + <numeric_id>
ActorPathName	Full path = <map_path> + . + ObjectFName

Talent array (in RecorderBlob.BinaryData)

Talent row names contain species-specific suffixes that must be remapped to the new species tree.

Complete Species Lookup Table

Mounts (rideable + cargo)

Type	ActorClassName	AISetupRowName	MountType (JSON)
ArcticMoa	BP_Mount_Arctic_Moa_C	Mount_Arctic_Moa	Arctic_Moa*
Blueback	BP_Mount_Blueback_Daisy_C	Mount_Blueback_Daisy	Blueback*
Buffalo	BP_Mount_Buffalo_C	Mount_Buffalo	Buffalo ✓
Bull	BP_Mount_Bull_C	Mount_Bull	Bull*
Chew	BP_Slinker_Mount_C	Mount_Slinker	Slinker*
Horse	BP_Mount_Horse_C	Mount_Horse	Horse*
HorseStandard	BP_Mount_Horse_Standard_C	Mount_Horse_Standard	Horse_Standard*
Moa	BP_Mount_Moa_C	Mount_Moa	Moa*
SwampBird	BP_Mount_SwampBird_C	Mount_SwampBird	SwampBird*
SwampQuad	BP_Swamp_Quadruped_Mount_C	Mount_SwampQuad	SwampQuad*
Tusker	BP_Mount_Tusker_C	Mount_Tusker	Tusker*
WoollyMammoth	BP_Mount_WoollyMammoth_C	Mount_WoollyMammoth	WoollyMammoth*
WoolyZebra	BP_Mount_Wooly_Zebra_C	Mount_Wooly_Zebra	Wooly_Zebra*
Zebra	BP_Mount_Zebra_C	Mount_Zebra	Zebra*

Combat Pets (fight alongside player)

Type	ActorClassName	AISetupRowName	MountType (JSON)
Boar	BP_Tame_Boar_C	Tamed_Wild_Boar	Wild_Boar ✓
Cat	BP_Tame_Cat_C	Mount_Cat	Cat*
DesertWolf	BP_Tamed_Wolf_Desert_C	Tamed_Desert_Wolf	Desert_Wolf*
Dog	BP_Tame_Dog_C	Mount_Dog*	Dog*
SnowWolf	BP_Tamed_Wolf_Snow_C	Tamed_Snow_Wolf	Snow_Wolf*
TundraMonkey	BP_Tundra_Monkey_C	Tamed_Tundra_Monkey	Tundra_Monkey*
Wolf	BP_Tamed_Wolf_C	Tamed_Forest_Wolf	Wolf ✓

Farm Animals (station-based production)

Type	ActorClassName	AISetupRowName	MountType (JSON)
Chicken	BP_Tame_Chicken_C	Mount_Chicken	Chicken*
Cow	BP_Tame_Cow_C	Mount_Cow*	Cow*
Pig	BP_Tame_Pig_C	Mount_Pig*	Pig*
Rooster	BP_Tame_Rooster_C	Mount_Rooster*	Rooster*
Sheep	BP_Tame_Sheep_C	Mount_Sheep	Sheep*

Legend: ✓ = confirmed from save data, * = derived from pak extraction patterns (needs verification)

Naming Inconsistencies Found

Issue	Example
Actor prefix varies	Mounts use BP_Mount_, pets use BP_Tame_ or BP_Tamed_
Wolf is Tamed not Tame	BP_Tamed_Wolf_C (all wolf variants) vs BP_Tame_Boar_C
AISetup prefix varies	Mounts: Mount_X, wolf variants: Tamed_X, but Cat/Chicken/Sheep also use Mount_
Chew = Slinker internally	BP_Slinker_Mount_C and Mount_Slinker
Blueback has "Daisy" suffix	BP_Mount_Blueback_Daisy_C — variant name baked in
Boar has "Wild" qualifier	Tamed_Wild_Boar not Tamed_Boar
Wolf has "Forest" qualifier	Tamed_Forest_Wolf not Tamed_Wolf
Cat/Dog have sub-variants	BP_Tame_Cat_A_C/B_C/C_C, BP_Tame_Dog_A_C..E_C

Field Relationship Rules

ObjectFName   = {ActorClassName}_{numeric_instance_id}
ActorPathName = {map_path}.{ObjectFName}

During swap: - Preserve: numeric instance ID, map path - Replace: ActorClassName portion in ObjectFName and ActorPathName

Talent Remapping Strategy

Talents follow naming patterns like: - Creature_Base_{Ability}_{Species} (shared base talents) - Creature_{Species}_{Ability} (species-specific talents) - CombatPet_{Ability}_{Species} (combat pet talents)

Approach: 1. Get current mount's talent list with ranks 2. For each talent, extract the display name from talent_data.TALENT_TREES 3. Look up the equivalent talent in the new species tree (match by display name) 4. If found → preserve rank; if not found → refund (warn user)

MountIconName Values

Type	Icon ID	Source
Wild_Boar	545995	save data
Wolf	386873	save data
Buffalo	316749	save data
Others	unknown	need pak extraction or gameplay testing

Note: These appear to be stable hash/ID values. A pak extraction for the icon mapping table would complete this.

Implementation Priority

1. Start with known types (Boar, Wolf, Buffalo) — we have full data
2. Add mount types as data is confirmed from pak files
3. Defer farm animals until someone tests with farm saves
4. Cat/Dog variants — may need special handling for sub-variant selection