Balancing

Everything below works through type: cdo documents. Every reflected property of every FactoryGame class is addressable this way. Creating new content has its own page per type: Item, Recipe, Schematic, and friends. Start at End-to-End Pack for the tied-together version. Building and machine tuning lives in Power & Machines.

ℹ️ Verify property names and asset paths against your game version. The examples on this page use real FactoryGame properties and content paths, but game updates occasionally rename or move them. If a target: path or path: doesn’t resolve, nothing breaks, the load report tells you exactly which patch failed (/kdf report, see Getting Started → Troubleshooting). Confirm the effect in-game after every patch.

Recipes (`UFGRecipe`)

Every craftable recipe in the game, whether base, alternate, or buildable, is backed by a UFGRecipe class default object. This means rebalancing crafting time, ingredient ratios, or output without replacing the recipe outright is just a cdo patch against that class. The properties worth knowing are mDisplayName, mDisplayNameOverride, mIngredients, mProduct, mManufactoringDuration, mManualManufacturingMultiplier, mProducedIn, mRelevantEvents, mVariablePowerConsumptionConstant, mVariablePowerConsumptionFactor, and mGameplayTags.

The patch below halves iron ingot smelting time, doubles the ore cost, adds a bonus iron plate to the output, and unlocks the recipe in the Manufacturer as well as the Smelter:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Recipes/Smelter/Recipe_IngotIron.Recipe_IngotIron_C
    properties:
      - path: mManufactoringDuration
        op: multiply
        value: 0.5
      - path: mIngredients[0].Amount
        value: 2
      - path: mProduct
        op: append
        value:
          ItemClass: /Game/FactoryGame/Resource/Parts/IronPlate/Desc_IronPlate.Desc_IronPlate_C
          Amount: 1
      - path: mProducedIn
        op: append
        value: /Game/FactoryGame/Buildable/Factory/ManufacturerMk1/Build_ManufacturerMk1.Build_ManufacturerMk1_C

Items (`UFGItemDescriptor`)

UFGItemDescriptor is the base class behind every stackable item in the game. It drives how the item stacks, what it burns for, how much radiation it emits, where it sorts in the build menu, and its display text. Balancing an item’s inventory footprint or fuel value means patching one of mDisplayName, mDescription, mAbbreviatedDisplayName, mStackSize, mForm, mEnergyValue, mRadioactiveDecay, mCanBeDiscarded, mRememberPickUp, mResourceSinkPoints, mSmallIcon, mPersistentBigIcon, mCategory, mSubCategories, mMenuPriority, mFluidColor, mGasColor, mIsAlienItem, or mGameplayTags.

The example below bumps iron ingots to the largest stack bucket, rewrites its tooltip description, and doubles the AWESOME Sink points earned for scrapping it:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Resource/Parts/IronIngot/Desc_IronIngot.Desc_IronIngot_C
    properties:
      - path: mStackSize
        value: SS_HUGE # EStackSize enum: SS_ONE/SS_SMALL/SS_MEDIUM/SS_BIG/SS_HUGE/SS_FLUID
      - path: mDescription
        value:
          key: IronIngot_Desc
          ns: MyPack
          source: Now stacks higher.
      - path: mResourceSinkPoints
        op: multiply
        value: 2

⚠️ mStackSize is an enum, not a count. EStackSize has exactly six buckets (SS_ONE…SS_HUGE, plus SS_FLUID). It isn’t “items per stack” as a number, so always set it by name. It’s also cached by the engine: writing it on the CDO alone would change nothing in-game (KBFL ships a dedicated UKBFLCDOItemStackSize helper for exactly this reason). KDataForge handles the cache automatically. Any op that writes mStackSize on an FGItemDescriptor-derived target also resets the descriptor’s cached stack size (mCachedStackSize), so the example above works out of the box. Two things to know: inventories that already contain the item may need the item re-added (or a game reload) before existing slots reflect the new limit. Also, if you use KBFL’s own CDO assets for stack sizes, don’t patch the same descriptor from both sides. See YAML Schema → Special-cased properties.

Resources (`UFGResourceDescriptor`) & fluids/gases

Raw resources, fluids, and gases extend the same UFGItemDescriptor chain but add a handful of fields that only make sense for non-solid items: mForm selects solid/liquid/gas, and mFluidColor/mGasColor drive the color used for pipe contents, tank fill levels, and the resource icon in the UI. Recoloring a fluid or changing its form uses those fields directly:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Resource/RawResources/Water/Desc_Water.Desc_Water_C
    properties:
      - path: mFluidColor
        value:
          R: 20
          G: 120
          B: 255
          A: 255
      - path: mForm
        value: RF_LIQUID

Equipment & consumables (`UFGEquipmentDescriptor`, `UFGConsumableDescriptor`)

Descriptor subclasses inherit every UFGItemDescriptor property. Equipment adds, for example, mEquipmentClass (soft class), while consumables add health and consume properties.

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Resource/Equipment/Chainsaw/Desc_Chainsaw.Desc_Chainsaw_C
    properties:
      - path: mEnergyValue
        value: 0

Removing radioactivity

mRadioactiveDecay on the item descriptor drives the radiation emitted by held or stored items. set it to 0 on the nuclear items:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Resource/RawResources/OreUranium/Desc_OreUranium.Desc_OreUranium_C
    properties:
      - path: mRadioactiveDecay
        value: 0
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Resource/Parts/NuclearWaste/Desc_NuclearWaste.Desc_NuclearWaste_C
    properties:
      - path: mRadioactiveDecay
        value: 0

Repeat the patch entry for every radioactive descriptor you want to neutralise (uranium fuel rods, plutonium parts, …).

Conveyor belt speed: ALL belts at once

Every belt mark derives from the native AFGBuildableConveyorBelt, so one subclass-expanded patch covers Mk.1 through Mk.6 (and modded belts!):

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Script/FactoryGame.FGBuildableConveyorBelt
    applyToSubclasses: true # Mk.1–Mk.6 + every modded belt class
    properties:
      - path: mSpeed
        op: multiply
        value: 2

ℹ️ mSpeed is not items/min. It is stored in the engine’s internal unit (cm/s scaled by 2), so a Mk.1 belt’s “60 items/min” is not 60 here. Prefer relative ops (multiply) over absolute set values, and verify the resulting throughput in-game.

Schematics (`UFGSchematic`)

UFGSchematic backs every unlockable in the game: HUB milestones, MAM research nodes, and AWESOME Shop entries alike. It’s the single class to patch whether you’re rebalancing progression cost, research time, or which tier something unlocks at. The properties in play are mType, mDisplayName, mDescription, mSchematicCategory, mSubCategories, mMenuPriority, mTechTier, mCost, mTimeToComplete, mUnlocks, mSchematicIcon, mSmallSchematicIcon, mSchematicDependencies, mHiddenUntilDependenciesMet, and mRelevantEvents.

The patch below shrinks a tutorial schematic’s completion time to a tenth, clears its cost array so it’s free, and clamps its tech tier into the valid range from 0 to 9:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Schematics/Tutorial/Schematic_Tutorial1.Schematic_Tutorial1_C
    properties:
      - path: mTimeToComplete
        op: multiply
        value: 0.1
      - path: mCost
        op: clear # free!
      - path: mTechTier
        op: clamp
        min: 0
        max: 9

Making a milestone free

Same mechanism, applied to a HUB milestone: clear the cost array and set the cooldown to (nearly) nothing:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Schematics/Progression/Schematic_1-1.Schematic_1-1_C
    properties:
      - path: mCost
        op: clear # no item cost
      - path: mTimeToComplete
        value: 1 # 1-second freighter turnaround

Research / M.A.M. (`UFGResearchTree`)

M.A.M. research trees are their own class, UFGResearchTree, separate from the schematic nodes they unlock. This class supplies the tree’s own display name and grouping in the M.A.M. menu. Renaming a tree, for a total-conversion pack or just to fix a typo, is a one-line patch against that display name:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Schematics/Research/Mycelia_RS/ResearchTree_Mycelia.ResearchTree_Mycelia_C
    properties:
      - path: mDisplayName
        value: 'Mycelia (Rebalanced)'

Categories (`UFGItemCategory`, `UFGSchematicCategory`)

Categories are the group headers shown above rows of items in the inventory and build menus, and above schematic groups in the M.A.M. and AWESOME Shop. They hold nothing but display metadata, so renaming one is the same mDisplayName patch as any other descriptor. Just target the category asset instead of an item or schematic:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Resource/ItemCategories/Cat_Ingots.Cat_Ingots_C
    properties:
      - path: mDisplayName
        value: 'Metals'

Vehicles (`AFGWheeledVehicle`)

UFGVehicleDescriptor (the buildable-menu entry) only points at the actual vehicle class, the tunable stats live on AFGWheeledVehicle itself, same as any other actor CDO:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Buildable/Vehicle/Tractor/BP_Tractor.BP_Tractor_C
    properties:
      - path: mManualFuelConsumption
        op: multiply
        value: 0.75 # 25% less fuel while driven manually
      - path: mAutopilotFuelConsumption
        op: multiply
        value: 0.75
      - path: mInventorySize
        value: 12

applyToSubclasses: true on /Script/FactoryGame.FGWheeledVehicle tunes every vehicle (Tractor, Truck, Explorer, Cyber Wagon, and modded vehicles) in one patch, same as the belt-speed example above.

Trains (`AFGLocomotive`)

The locomotive’s power draw is an FFloatInterval (idle/full-throttle range), not a flat number:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Buildable/Vehicle/Train/Locomotive/BP_Locomotive.BP_Locomotive_C
    properties:
      - path: mPowerConsumption
        value:
          Min: 5
          Max: 80
          # MW; vanilla is roughly Min 15 and Max 110

There’s no separate top-level “max speed” stat on the locomotive to patch, speed on a given track segment is governed by curvature/signals, not a flat per-locomotive cap.

Creatures (`AFGCreature`, `AFGCreatureDescriptor`)

Creature identity/UI lives on the lightweight UFGCreatureDescriptor (mostly just a pointer at the creature class plus arachnophobia-mode icons); combat/movement stats live on AFGCreature itself and its movement data, reflectable the same way. Move speed is a lookup table (mMoveSpeedData: TArray<FMoveSpeedPair>, one entry per EMoveSpeed, MS_Walk/MS_Run/ MS_Sprint), so target the entry by index rather than a single flat property:

type: cdo
patches:
  - target: /Game/FactoryGame/Character/Creature/Stinger/Char_Stinger.Char_Stinger_C
    properties:
      - path: mMoveSpeedData[2].Speed # index 2 = MS_Sprint in the base game's authored order
        op: multiply
        value: 0.75 # 25% slower at a sprint

ℹ️ Array index isn’t guaranteed by the enum value, confirm which index holds which MoveSpeedType for your target creature (export it from the in-game editor, or check /kdf report after a dry patch) rather than assuming index order matches EMoveSpeed’s declaration order.

⚠️ Spawner density fields are per-instance, not a class default. AFGCreatureSpawner (mNumberOfCreatures, mCanSpawnDuringDay/mCanSpawnDuringNight, mRespawnTimeIndays) controls how many creatures a given spawner produces, but every spawner is a pre-placed level actor, its property values are baked into the map/save data at placement time, the same way an already-built building keeps its saved values after a CDO edit (see Power & Machines → Runtime actor patches). A cdo patch to AFGCreatureSpawner changes the class default, which only affects spawners that don’t already have their own saved override, in practice, treat this as unverified until you’ve confirmed it in-game on your target save, and prefer patching the creature class itself (as above) for stats that are meant to apply uniformly.

Bulk edits with the tag matcher

Patching one target at a time doesn’t scale once you want “every alternate recipe” or “every Tier 3+ schematic” to shift together. matchTag (with a required ofClass scope) finds every CDO or asset of that class, including subclasses, that carries the given gameplay tag, then applies the same ops to all of them in one patch entry. The tag container property is auto-detected, but it can be pinned explicitly with tagProperty when a class exposes more than one.

The example below speeds up every recipe carrying the KMods.AlternateRecipe tag by 20%:

type: cdo
patches:
  - matchTag: KMods.AlternateRecipe # every recipe carrying this tag …
    ofClass: /Script/FactoryGame.FGRecipe
    tagProperty: mGameplayTags
    properties:
      - path: mManufactoringDuration # … gets 20% faster
        op: multiply
        value: 0.8

Buffing all alternate recipes (KAPI tags)

KMods.AlternateRecipe is a KAPI-registered native tag, so gate the document behind hasMod. Without KAPI, the tag does not exist and the document is skipped with an Info diagnostic:

type: cdo
conditions:
  hasMod: KAPI
patches:
  - matchTag: KMods.AlternateRecipe
    ofClass: /Script/FactoryGame.FGRecipe
    properties:
      - path: mManufactoringDuration
        op: multiply
        value: 0.75 # all alternates 25% faster
      - path: mVariablePowerConsumptionFactor
        op: multiply
        value: 0.9

Registering and matching your own tags works the same way. See Game Tags.

Bulk edits by producer building (`producedIn`)

Not everything you want to select carries a tag. The most common recipe question is “everything crafted in machine X”, and producedIn: answers it directly. It defaults its scope to FGRecipe, takes one class or a list, and a recipe matches when its mProducedIn references that class or a subclass of it. Full class paths, bare class names, and generated-content ids all work:

type: cdo
patches:
  # every Constructor recipe: 25% faster
  - producedIn: Build_ConstructorMk1_C
    properties:
      - path: mManufactoringDuration
        op: multiply
        value: 0.75

  # every Assembler OR Manufacturer recipe: 10% less power (variable-power recipes)
  - producedIn:
      - /Game/FactoryGame/Buildable/Factory/AssemblerMk1/Build_AssemblerMk1.Build_AssemblerMk1_C
      - /Game/FactoryGame/Buildable/Factory/ManufacturerMk1/Build_ManufacturerMk1.Build_ManufacturerMk1_C
    properties:
      - path: mVariablePowerConsumptionFactor
        op: multiply
        value: 0.9

The subclass rule turns the native base classes into families. Three are worth memorising:

`producedIn:` value	Selects every recipe crafted …
`/Script/FactoryGame.FGBuildableManufacturer`	in any manufacturing machine: Constructor, Assembler, Manufacturer, Refinery, Blender, Packager, … and modded machines built on the same base
`/Script/FactoryGame.FGBuildGun`	with the build gun, that is every buildable’s build recipe
`/Script/FactoryGame.FGWorkBench`	by hand at the Craft Bench / Equipment Workshop (`BP_WorkBenchComponent_C` and friends derive from it)

type: cdo
patches:
  # hand-crafting is twice as fast, everywhere
  - producedIn: /Script/FactoryGame.FGWorkBench
    properties:
      - path: mManualManufacturingMultiplier
        op: multiply
        value: 0.5

  # every buildable costs 20% less (rounded down by the game per ingredient)
  - producedIn: /Script/FactoryGame.FGBuildGun
    where:
      path: mIngredients
      isEmpty: false
    properties:
      - path: mIngredients[0].Amount
        op: multiply
        value: 0.8

Bulk edits by ingredient or product

ingredient: and product: follow the same rules for mIngredients and mProduct: an item class (or a base class, to catch every item deriving from it), one or many, any-of. They stack with each other and with producedIn:; every filter on the entry has to hold:

type: cdo
patches:
  # everything that consumes Plastic or Rubber crafts 10% faster
  - ingredient: [Desc_Plastic_C, Desc_Rubber_C]
    properties:
      - path: mManufactoringDuration
        op: multiply
        value: 0.9

  # every recipe producing Screws in an Assembler yields double
  - product: Desc_IronScrew_C
    producedIn: Build_AssemblerMk1_C
    properties:
      - path: mProduct[0].Amount
        op: multiply
        value: 2

  # every recipe that produces ANY equipment (subclass rule on an item base class)
  - product: /Script/FactoryGame.FGEquipmentDescriptor
    properties:
      - path: mManufactoringDuration
        op: multiply
        value: 0.5

mProduct[0].Amount addresses the first product. Recipes with several outputs need one op per index; a where: clause such as path: mProduct[*].ItemClass / equals: Desc_IronScrew_C does not tell an op which index matched.

Bulk edits by name pattern (`matchName`)

Vanilla content follows naming conventions, and matchName: lets you select on them without tags. Patterns are case-insensitive wildcards; the _C suffix is optional, and a pattern containing / is matched against the full class path so you can select by content folder:

type: cdo
patches:
  # every vanilla alternate recipe, no KAPI dependency needed
  - ofClass: /Script/FactoryGame.FGRecipe
    matchName: Recipe_Alternate_*
    properties:
      - path: mManufactoringDuration
        op: multiply
        value: 0.8

  # every milestone (Progression folder) researches twice as fast
  - ofClass: /Script/FactoryGame.FGSchematic
    matchName: /Game/FactoryGame/Schematics/Progression/*
    properties:
      - path: mTimeToComplete
        op: multiply
        value: 0.5

Bulk edits by property value (`where`)

where: compares any reflected property of every candidate in an ofClass: scope. One map, or a list of maps that must all hold; each map has a path: and exactly one operator (equals, notEquals, lessThan, lessOrEqual, greaterThan, greaterOrEqual, contains, notContains, matches, isEmpty). [*] in a path means “any element”:

type: cdo
patches:
  # slow recipes (longer than 8 s) that use Iron Ingot get a bit faster
  - ofClass: /Script/FactoryGame.FGRecipe
    where:
      - path: mManufactoringDuration
        greaterThan: 8
      - path: mIngredients[*].ItemClass
        equals: Desc_IronIngot_C
    properties:
      - path: mManufactoringDuration
        op: multiply
        value: 0.8

  # every schematic up to tier 3 unlocks instantly
  - ofClass: /Script/FactoryGame.FGSchematic
    where:
      path: mTechTier
      lessOrEqual: 3
    properties:
      - path: mTimeToComplete
        value: 0

  # every liquid or gas: no sink points (`in` = any of the listed values; enums compare by name)
  - ofClass: /Script/FactoryGame.FGItemDescriptor
    where:
      path: mForm
      in: [RF_LIQUID, RF_GAS]
    properties:
      - path: mResourceSinkPoints
        value: 0

  # items whose display name mentions "Nuclear" cannot be discarded
  - ofClass: /Script/FactoryGame.FGItemDescriptor
    where:
      path: mDisplayName
      matches: "*Nuclear*"
    properties:
      - path: mCanBeDiscarded
        value: false

  # recipes with no producer at all become hand-craftable
  - ofClass: /Script/FactoryGame.FGRecipe
    where:
      path: mProducedIn
      isEmpty: true
    properties:
      - path: mProducedIn
        op: append
        value: /Game/FactoryGame/Buildable/-Shared/WorkBench/BP_WorkBenchComponent.BP_WorkBenchComponent_C

Reference-typed comparisons (equals/contains/in on a class or soft-class property) match the class or any subclass, the same way producedIn: does, so path: mProducedIn / contains: /Script/FactoryGame.FGBuildableManufacturer is the long-hand spelling of producedIn:, and path: mProducedIn / in: [Build_ConstructorMk1_C, Build_AssemblerMk1_C] of a two-entry producedIn: list. The full operator table lives on Targeting.

Removing content in bulk

The same filters drive remove:. Taking every Particle Accelerator recipe and every tier-8 milestone out of the game is two short documents; the mechanics, save impact, and the recipe-plus-schematic pairing are on Removing Content:

type: recipe
remove:
  - producedIn: Build_HadronCollider_C

type: schematic
remove:
  - where:
      path: mTechTier
      greaterOrEqual: 8

Balancing

Recipes (UFGRecipe)

Items (UFGItemDescriptor)

Resources (UFGResourceDescriptor) & fluids/gases

Equipment & consumables (UFGEquipmentDescriptor, UFGConsumableDescriptor)

Removing radioactivity

Conveyor belt speed: ALL belts at once

Schematics (UFGSchematic)

Making a milestone free

Research / M.A.M. (UFGResearchTree)

Categories (UFGItemCategory, UFGSchematicCategory)

Vehicles (AFGWheeledVehicle)

Trains (AFGLocomotive)

Creatures (AFGCreature, AFGCreatureDescriptor)