Creating a memorable Friday Night Funkin’ mod involves more than designing characters and composing music. A well-organized Story Mode campaign gives players a clear progression system, while a customized credits menu adds a professional finishing touch. With Psych Engine, mod creators can customize week data, arrange songs, display characters, and personalize menu elements to build a more engaging gameplay experience.
Whether you are developing a small fan-made project or a larger FNF modification, understanding how story weeks and credits screens work will help you create a consistent interface. This guide explains how to prepare your files, configure a custom week, customize menu graphics, build a credits menu, and troubleshoot common problems without making your project unnecessarily complicated.
Understanding Story Mode and Credits in Psych Engine
How Story Mode Weeks Work
Story Mode organizes songs into groups called weeks. Instead of selecting individual tracks from the Freeplay menu, players choose a week and progress through its songs as part of a connected campaign. Each week can have its own name, character artwork, background, song order, and difficulty options, depending on the engine version and the available customization features.
In Psych Engine, a custom week generally requires correctly configured week data and the assets referenced by that data. The engine uses these settings to determine how a week appears in the menu and which songs belong to the campaign. Understanding this relationship is essential because a week can be configured incorrectly even when its song charts and audio files work perfectly in Freeplay.
What the Credits Menu Does
A credits menu presents information about the people and resources behind a mod. It can acknowledge the developers, musicians, artists, charter, programmers, voice actors, and other contributors. A thoughtful credits screen also helps players distinguish original work from third-party assets used with permission.
Depending on your Psych Engine version, the credits interface may be available through existing menu functionality, editable source files, or custom scripts. Before building a replacement, inspect the features already included in your version. Extending an existing interface is often easier and more reliable than recreating an entire menu from scratch.
Preparing Your Psych Engine Mod Files
Understanding the Mod Folder Structure
Start by locating your Psych Engine installation and identifying the folder where your mod files belong. Many versions support individual mod directories, while older builds or custom forks may organize assets differently. The correct location depends on your engine build, so avoid assuming that every tutorial uses the same structure.
Keep story week data, song charts, audio, character graphics, menu artwork, and scripts organized according to your version’s conventions. Use clear filenames and consistent capitalization. For example, a song folder should contain the expected chart files and audio tracks, while menu graphics should remain in the asset location referenced by the game. Always preserve a backup of your working mod before changing configuration files or source code.
Preparing Songs, Characters, and Graphics
Before configuring your custom week, make sure every song you intend to include is playable. Check that the instrumental audio, vocal tracks, chart data, and difficulty variants are named and placed correctly. A song that works in Freeplay is easier to integrate into Story Mode than one that still has unresolved chart or audio problems.
Prepare your character sprites, icons, backgrounds, and week artwork before adjusting the menu. Use the dimensions and file formats expected by your engine build, and make sure transparent PNG files retain their transparency. Missing graphics can cause blank icons, unexpected placeholders, or visual inconsistencies. Keeping all required assets ready at the beginning also makes troubleshooting much easier.
How to Create a Custom Story Week in Psych Engine
Configuring Week Data
The first major step is to create or modify the configuration that defines your custom week. In versions that use week JSON files, this configuration commonly contains information such as the week identifier, display name, songs, character references, menu artwork, and related settings. The exact property names and required values can vary between releases and community forks.
The safest approach is to inspect a working week configuration from the same Psych Engine version. Copy its structure into a new file, rename the relevant identifiers, and change only the properties you understand. Preserve required fields and follow the formatting conventions of the original file. A missing comma, invalid quotation mark, or incorrectly named property may prevent the week from loading as expected.
Give the week a distinctive identifier that does not conflict with an existing campaign. Its internal identifier and player-facing title serve different purposes: one helps the engine locate the relevant data, while the other communicates the week name in the menu. Keeping these values consistent across related files reduces confusion when your mod grows.
Adding Songs and Difficulty Settings
Once the basic week configuration is ready, define the songs that belong to the campaign. Use the song identifiers expected by your engine and ensure that their spelling matches the corresponding chart and asset names. If the configuration accepts a list of songs, follow the exact formatting and data structure used by a working example.
The order of songs matters because it determines the intended campaign progression. Place the introductory track first, followed by the songs that advance the story. Test the complete sequence rather than checking only the opening song. This helps reveal incorrect song identifiers, missing charts, or configuration problems that appear only when the game moves to the next track.
Difficulty settings should also match the charts available in your mod. If a difficulty is offered but the corresponding chart does not exist, players may encounter errors or an unavailable song. Test each supported difficulty individually and remove options that your project does not actually provide. A smaller, fully functional difficulty selection is better than a larger menu with broken entries.
Setting Characters and Menu Graphics
Character references help define the visual identity of a Story Mode week. Depending on the engine version, week data may reference the player character, opponent, companion, or associated menu icons. Use identifiers that match your character definitions rather than assuming that the displayed character name is always the correct internal name.
Next, assign the week artwork or background using the properties supported by your build. Some versions use predefined menu assets, while others require particular filenames or additional configuration. Check a working week to determine the correct asset location and expected naming conventions. After making the changes, launch Story Mode and confirm that the artwork appears correctly at the intended size.
If you are creating a completely new visual style, keep text readable against the background and make sure character art does not obscure important interface elements. Consistent colors, clear silhouettes, and recognizable icons help players identify your week quickly. Small visual refinements can make a custom campaign feel much more polished without requiring extensive programming.
Customizing the Story Mode Week Selection Menu
Designing Week Icons and Backgrounds
The week selection menu is often the first place players see your custom campaign. An original icon, recognizable character portrait, and suitable background can make the week stand out from the default content. Design these elements around your mod’s theme rather than treating them as unrelated decorations.
Use transparent backgrounds for icons when the menu expects them, and check that the artwork remains recognizable at its displayed size. Large images may look impressive in an editor but become difficult to read when scaled down. Test your graphics inside the actual game interface before finalizing them.
Improving Menu Navigation and Visual Consistency
A custom week should feel like a natural part of the game rather than an isolated addition. Match the general spacing, typography, and selection behavior of the existing interface unless you intentionally want a different style. Consistency helps players understand which week is selected and how to move between available options.
Avoid adding unnecessary visual effects that compete with the song information or character artwork. If you modify menu behavior through Lua scripts or source code, preserve the existing navigation logic wherever possible. Test keyboard controls, selection changes, confirmation actions, and transitions to make sure the new design remains usable.
How to Create a Custom Credits Menu in Psych Engine
Planning Credits and Contributor Information
Before changing the credits screen, decide which contributors and resources should appear. A useful credits menu identifies the people responsible for music, artwork, coding, charting, character design, and other important work. Include appropriate attribution for third-party resources whenever their licenses or usage terms require it.
Organize the information into logical categories so players can find the relevant names quickly. Keep role descriptions short and use consistent formatting. If your mod has a large development team, consider separating contributors into groups rather than placing every name in one crowded section. Accurate credits are more valuable than elaborate animations that make the information difficult to read.
Adding Custom Artwork and Menu Styling
Your credits menu can use a custom background, title graphic, character illustrations, or themed decorative elements. First, determine how your version of Psych Engine implements the credits screen. Some builds may already provide editable credits data or menu assets, while others require source-level customization to replace the default interface.
If the existing system supports configurable entries, use its intended format to add names, roles, and other information. If it does not support the layout you want, you may need to modify the relevant menu code or build a custom state. Keep new artwork in the appropriate asset directory and verify that every reference matches the actual filename and path.
Design the screen with readability as the main priority. Use enough contrast between text and background, leave sufficient spacing between contributor entries, and avoid placing important names over visually busy artwork. If the credits list is longer than the available screen space, use a scrolling layout only when your implementation supports it reliably.
Using Lua Scripts or Source Code When Needed
Lua scripting can be useful for supported menu adjustments, custom transitions, and interactive behavior. However, the available scripting functions differ between Psych Engine versions. Do not assume that a function from another fork or an older tutorial will work in your installation. Review the scripting features available in your build before relying on them.
More advanced credits menus may require source code changes, particularly when adding a new menu state, custom navigation, or a scrolling contributor list. In that situation, locate the existing menu implementation and understand how it handles input, drawing, and state transitions before modifying it. Preserve the original behavior where possible, and compile your changes using the development setup required by that version.
Avoid replacing multiple unrelated menu files at once. Make one change, launch the game, and confirm the result before moving to the next modification. This incremental approach makes errors easier to identify and reduces the risk of breaking Story Mode or other menu screens while improving the credits interface.
Testing and Troubleshooting Your Custom Menus
Fixing Missing Weeks and Menu Assets
If your custom week does not appear in Story Mode, begin by checking the week configuration and its location. Confirm that the file follows the structure expected by your Psych Engine version and that the engine can access it. If your build uses a separate week registry or additional menu configuration, make sure the new week has been registered correctly.
If the week appears but displays missing artwork, verify the asset filename, directory, and capitalization. Also check whether the game expects a particular image format or naming convention. Test one asset at a time so you can identify the exact file causing the problem. Avoid renaming multiple files simultaneously because that makes it harder to determine which change fixed the issue.
Resolving Credits Screen and Script Errors
A credits menu that fails to open may contain an incorrect asset reference, unsupported script function, or problem in the modified source code. Review the game console or error output for clues, especially messages about missing files, invalid syntax, or unavailable functions. Compare your changes with a working version of the original menu to identify unexpected differences.
If the game crashes after adding a script, temporarily disable the new script and test the menu again. If the crash disappears, reintroduce the script changes gradually. For source-code modifications, confirm that the new menu state is initialized correctly and that returning to the main menu works as intended. Testing these transitions prevents a visually complete menu from becoming unusable during gameplay.
Best Practices for a Professional FNF Mod
Organizing Assets and Maintaining Compatibility
A well-organized project is easier to update and troubleshoot. Keep week configurations, song files, character graphics, menu artwork, and scripts in their expected locations. Use descriptive filenames and maintain a consistent naming system across your project. Before making substantial changes, save a backup of the working version so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Compatibility also matters when sharing your mod with other players. Psych Engine releases and forks may handle week configuration, menu assets, Lua functions, and credits screens differently. Build and test your project against the version you intend to distribute rather than assuming that a feature supported by one build exists in every release.
Improving Performance and User Experience
Custom artwork and menu effects should improve the experience without making the interface unnecessarily heavy. Optimize large image files where appropriate, avoid loading redundant assets, and use animation sparingly. A clean interface with clear text and responsive navigation usually delivers a better experience than a screen crowded with unnecessary effects.
Finally, test the complete player journey. Start from the main menu, select your custom week, play every included song, return to the menus, and open the credits screen. Check that selections work correctly, artwork displays as expected, and no unexpected errors appear during transitions. A final test using a fresh copy of your mod folder can also reveal missing files that were accidentally available only in your development environment.
Conclusion
Creating a custom Story Mode week and credits menu in Psych Engine involves careful configuration, organized assets, and thorough testing. Start by preparing your songs and graphics, configure the week using a working example from your engine version, and customize the selection menu without disrupting navigation. Then adapt the existing credits system or implement a custom solution when necessary. By testing each change and maintaining compatibility, you can create a polished Friday Night Funkin’ mod that feels cohesive, professional, and enjoyable to play.