MYTH II MODDING FOUNDATIONS — LOCAL DIGEST
Recorded: 2026-09-16
Evidence level: DOCUMENTED LOCAL SOURCE PACK

THE BASIC TAG CHAIN
Myth II stores game data in typed tags. A beginner-safe unit path is Unit -> Monster/Object: Unit connects the playable entry to collection references, Monster describes creature and attack behavior, and Object describes physical/body properties such as health, vitality, resistance, and hit or selection behavior. A Monster alone is not normally enough to make a playable unit appear in a map.

Mesh controls what units, scenery, objects, and resources a map can draw from. Map actions are map-level logic and are not unit or projectile tags. Projectiles have their own Object and behavior chain; keep it separate while learning the unit path.

TOOL BOUNDARIES
- Oak: high-level Myth II data and relationships.
- Fear: tag editing and plugin-oriented changes.
- Loathing: map work, actions, and placement.
- Plugins can override default data, so active build and load order belong in every test record.

SAFE TEST METHOD
Preserve the original tags and map first. Make one declared change, record the source tag and field, export an isolated test artifact, and reopen it in the intended editor. An import that succeeds proves only editor acceptance; in-game proof requires a disposable map or build, a launch, and a captured result.

PROVENANCE AND LIMITS
Derived from C:\Myth2Bot\knowledge\core\myth2_fundamentals.md, tag_relationships.md, modding\plugin_testing.md, modding\map_actions_basics.md, and oak\backup_workflow.md. The source pack marks several exact field meanings as TODO or needing source capture; this digest avoids inventing them. See /MYTH-II-RESEARCH-INDEX.json for the wider evidence policy.