DSMapStudio Text Editor Guide

The Text Editor is the third of DSMapStudio's editors, alongside Map and Param, and it handles everything written: item names, descriptions, NPC dialogue, menu text. Any time a mod renames a weapon, writes a description for a new spell, or changes what an NPC says, the work is here. The text lives in the game's FMG files (FromSoftware's localization format), and the Text Editor reads and writes them directly — no separate text-unpacking on top of your normal project setup.

What it edits

All human-readable text sits in FMG files — one of the core types DSMapStudio handles, alongside params (.param) and maps (.msb). Each FMG holds a set of entries, and each entry is just an ID paired with a string. The Text Editor presents these as an editable list per category, so you change "the description of weapon X" by editing the matching entry rather than touching the file by hand. Because it's all text, edits are quick and low-risk — worst case is a typo, not a crash.

Text categories — names and descriptions are separate

Text is split into categories, and names and descriptions are separate entries:

So renaming a weapon and rewriting its description are two edits in two entries — the usual reason text "only half" changes.

The key rule — text ID matches the param row

This is what makes the Text Editor useful: a text entry's ID matches the param row it describes. A weapon's name entry shares the ID of its EquipParamWeapon row, an item's description matches its goods row, and so on. That shared ID is the link — it's how the game knows which text belongs to which item. It's also why creating content always spans both editors: duplicate a weapon to a new ID in the Param Editor, then add matching name and description entries at that same ID in the Text Editor, and only then does your new weapon read correctly in menus.

Editing names and descriptions

To change existing text: open the Text Editor, pick the category, find the entry by ID or current text, edit the string. For new content: add an entry at the new item's ID. Either way — match the entry to the param row's ID, write the text, save. Keep names and descriptions consistent; an item with a new name but the old description looks unfinished in-game.

Localization across languages

FromSoftware games ship localized into many languages, each with its own FMG set. The Text Editor edits text per language, so changing an item name in English doesn't change it in French or Japanese — those are separate entries in separate FMG files. For a mod aimed at one audience, editing the language you and your players use is enough; for a widely-shared mod, update the same entry across the languages you support so text isn't inconsistent for players on other settings.

Where it fits

On its own, text editing is simple; its value is as the finishing layer on content made elsewhere:

• New weapons — stats in the Param Editor, name and description here. See adding a weapon.
• New spells — behavior in params, name and description here. See creating a spell.
• Renamed/reworked items — change the param values and the text so presentation matches the new behavior.

In every case the Text Editor and Param Editor share the item's ID — the thread that keeps a mod's stats and its words pointing at the same thing.

Put it to work alongside the Param Editor hub, follow adding a weapon or creating a spell to see text and params together, and start at first project setup if you're not set up.