Create or Open a Character¶

The Character Editor opens on a character selection screen for the current mod. The mod's name is the title, and everything on this screen is scoped to it.

The Selection Screen¶

Two rows of controls sit above the list:

Mode — Mod or Classic Reskin. This decides where your work is saved and what it can do; read Mod Characters vs Classic Reskin if you are unsure.

Filter — Players, Enemies, or Items. This filters the list below.

Below them is the grid of characters. Click one to open it.

You can also drag sprites, image files, or a SOR2 ROM onto this screen to start a new character from them.

Opening an Existing Character¶

In Mod mode the list shows characters in the current mod's Entities folder. Entries are grouped by entity type according to what their logic.json says they are — player, enemy, or item. If a character you expect is missing, check the filter first, then check its entity type.

In Classic Reskin mode the list shows the original SOR2 characters. Ones that already have reskin data in this mod are highlighted, so you can see at a glance what the mod already replaces. Select one to create or edit its replacement.

Creating a New Mod Character¶

In Mod mode there are three ways to start:

Create New¶

Creates an empty character folder. You are asked for a name, which is also used as the folder name inside the mod, so it must be unique.

You then choose a reference character. This is the most consequential choice on the screen, because the reference decides whether your character is a Player, Enemy, or Item — and that in turn decides how the game spawns and controls it. It also pre-populates:

Animation names and their order.
Reference timing, and the ghost/base artwork shown in the preview.
A default body box and common logic defaults.
Behaviour references in animations.

Pick the closest classic character to what you are building. Starting from a reference you will fight against is more work than starting from a near-match.

Drop Sprites¶

Drop PNG or GIF files onto the editor. The editor asks for a classic character to act as the logic and animation reference — same effect as above — and creates the character with your sprites already imported.

Drop a ROM¶

Drop a modded SOR2 ROM and choose which classic character to import from it. See Import from ROM for the compatibility limits.

A Reference Is Not Shared Artwork¶

Choosing a reference character does not make your character reuse that character's sprites. New entities default to custom art only.

Use Sprites from is a separate, optional setting. Turn it on only when you deliberately want to reuse another entity's sprite library — for example making a playable version of an enemy. Reused art has to follow the referenced entity's palette layout, so this is a commitment, not a convenience.

Creating a Classic Reskin From a ROM¶

Switch to Classic Reskin mode and drop a supported modded SOR2 ROM. The editor asks which player to import: Max, Axel, Blaze, Skate, or All Players. Each imported player is saved as a skin for the matching classic character under Entity Replacements/Classic.

ROM compatibility is the same in both modes: hacks built on the US/western Streets of Rage 2 ROM are supported. Hacks built on the Japanese version (Bare Knuckle 2), or on heavily rearranged hacks such as Streets of Rage 2 Syndicate Wars, are not.

Saving¶

Every change is saved immediately and automatically. There is no save step. Tweak a value, switch to SOR2 New Era, hit hot-reload, and the change is already there.

The 🏠 button closes the current character and returns you to this screen.

What Is in a Character Folder¶

File	Contents
`0.png`, `1.png`, …	Sprite frames, numbered in the order they were added.
`spriteSettings.json`	Scale, pivots, icon selection, optional sprite reference data.
`animations.json`	Animation names, frames, timing, frame art references.
`logic.json`	Entity type, movement settings, sounds, body and hit boxes, events, scripts, animation behaviour.

Classic Reskin replacements use the same file layout, under the classic replacement path.

Next: Import Sprites, Import from ROM, Animations and Frames.