weapons.meta explained, field by field

#How the file is loaded

An addon weapon resource ships several meta files and registers each with a data_file line. This is the set the weapon studio writes for every export:

fx_version 'cerulean'
game 'gta5'

files {
    '**/weaponcomponents.meta',
    '**/weaponarchetypes.meta',
    '**/weaponanimations.meta',
    '**/pedpersonality.meta',
    '**/weapons.meta',
}

data_file 'WEAPONCOMPONENTSINFO_FILE' '**/weaponcomponents.meta'
data_file 'WEAPON_METADATA_FILE'      '**/weaponarchetypes.meta'
data_file 'WEAPON_ANIMATIONS_FILE'    '**/weaponanimations.meta'
data_file 'PED_PERSONALITY_FILE'      '**/pedpersonality.meta'
data_file 'WEAPONINFO_FILE'           '**/weapons.meta'

#The structure

<CWeaponInfoBlob>
  <SlotNavigateOrder>…</SlotNavigateOrder>
  <Infos>
    <Item>
      <Infos>
        <Item type="CWeaponInfo">
          <Name>WEAPON_MYRIFLE</Name>
          <Model>w_ar_myrifle</Model>
          <!-- … every field below … -->
        </Item>
      </Infos>
    </Item>
  </Infos>
  <Name>MY_WEAPON_PACK</Name>
</CWeaponInfoBlob>

SlotNavigateOrder places the weapon in the weapon wheel’s order; each CWeaponInfo is one weapon. One file can define several weapons.

#Identity: name, model, slot, group

#Damage, headshots and falloff

Values are illustrative from a real addon rifle; tune against your own server’s health and armour. For server-wide balance without editing files, damage modifiers are often simpler, and headshots have their own guide: headshot damage settings.

#Magazine, fire rate, range and accuracy

#Recoil shake and cameras

The shake is visual; it does not move where bullets go. Scripted recoil that actually lifts the aim is covered in recoil scripts.

#WeaponFlags

<WeaponFlags> is a single space-separated list. Each word switches on a behaviour. From the example rifle:

<WeaponFlags>CarriedInHand Automatic Gun CanLockonOnFoot CanLockonInVehicle CanFreeAim TwoHanded AnimReload AnimCrouchFire UsableOnFoot UsableInCover LongWeapon UseFPSAimIK</WeaponFlags>

#AttachPoints: which components fit

<AttachPoints>
  <Item>
    <AttachBone>WAPClip</AttachBone>
    <Components>
      <Item><Name>COMPONENT_MYRIFLE_CLIP_01</Name><Default value="true" /></Item>
      <Item><Name>COMPONENT_MYRIFLE_CLIP_02</Name><Default value="false" /></Item>
    </Components>
  </Item>
  <Item>
    <AttachBone>WAPSupp</AttachBone>
    <Components>
      <Item><Name>COMPONENT_AT_AR_SUPP</Name><Default value="false" /></Item>
    </Components>
  </Item>
</AttachPoints>

Each attach point is a bone on the model (WAPClip for magazines, WAPSupp for suppressors, WAPFlshLasr for lights, WAPScop for scopes, WAPGrip for grips). A component only fits if it is listed here — which is why an attachment item does nothing on some addon guns. Weapon components explains the scripting side.

#The HUD stats

HudDamage, HudSpeed, HudCapacity, HudAccuracy and HudRange (0–100) only fill the stat bars in the game’s weapon wheel and shop menus. They do not change how the weapon behaves; set them to reflect the real values so players are not misled. To see what each field starts at without opening a file, a weapons.meta editor reads the real values out of the game data and writes the changed lines back.