Making a mod for Dispatch

December 30, 2025

Modding Dispatch: A Developer’s Guide to Audio & Text Replacement

I recently made a mod for Dispatch, (one of my favourite games this year, that you should play if you haven't already).

The mod (like maybe most of my mods?) is a silly one - one of the characters in the game, Sonar, is voiced by none other than MoistCr1Tikal

So understandably the modding potential is insane. For the mod I chose a specific moment in one of the episodes (without giving away too much spoilers), where Sonar sabotages a teammate which reminded me of the iconic "Misinput"

I've been messing with Unreal for many months as a game dev, but first time as a modder. Dispatch is built with Unreal 4, and unlike Cyberpunk modding - there is no real single mod editor like Wolvenkit for it - it's a bit distributed for reasons I think I understand (there are so many UE games). Regardless apart from having to use 4 or 5 tools, the tools themselves are solid and do what they do well. I decided to write this down for future me and anyone else looking to mod Dispatch.

I obviously don't know everything and given this is my first UE mod - I'm sure there are better ways to do things (I really just rushed through most of this)

My usual modding disclaimer: This guide assumes you own the game. Support Adhoc Studio - they made something really good.

This guide covers the workflow for replacing Voice Over (VO) and Subtitles in Dispatch. The specific example used here modifies a line for the character Sonar in Episode 103, but the logic applies to all episodes.

The Toolkit

1. Setup & Exploration

FModel Configuration

  1. Open FModel.
  2. Add Game: Point the directory to ...\Steam\steamapps\common\Dispatch\Dispatch.
  3. Set Encryption: In Settings, paste the AES key (extracted using the guide above).
  4. Load: FModel will now list the file contents.

Understanding the PAK Structure

Dispatch organizes data sequentially. Knowing this saves search time:

  • pakchunk0-1: Core/Shared assets.
  • pakchunk2: Episode 1 Data (Localization, Assets).
  • pakchunk3: Episode 1 Cinematics (.webm).
  • pakchunk4: Episode 2 Data.
  • pakchunk5: Episode 2 Cinematics.
  • (Pattern continues: even numbers are Data, odd numbers are Movies).

2. Asset Identification

Do not listen to every audio file blindly. Match the Script ID to the Audio ID.

  1. Search: In FModel, search the relevant pakchunk (e.g., chunk 2/3 for Ep 1, or chunk 6/7 for Ep 3) for the dialogue line name (e.g., Line_Sonar_).
  2. Extract ID: Note the unique suffix in the filename (e.g., Line_Sonar_bfc02e -> ID: bfc02e).
  3. Match: This ID corresponds to the .wav filename inside the FMOD bank.

Quick-Search Script (PowerShell) Save as find_asset.ps1 and run to quickly find assets in encrypted PAKs without extracting everything:

param($Pak, $AesKey, $Query)
.\repak.exe --aes-key $AesKey list $Pak | Select-String -SimpleMatch $Query

3. Replacing Audio

Dispatch loads audio from loose bank files on disk (banks aren't inside paks). You do not need repak for the VOs.

  1. Locate: Go to Dispatch\Content\FMOD\Desktop.
  2. Select Bank: Find the bank for your Episode (e.g., Shift03AVO.bank for Ep 103).
  3. Extract: Use Fmod Bank Tools -> "Extract".
  4. Swap:
    • Open the wav folder.
    • Replace the file matching your ID (e.g., bfc02e.wav).
    • Requirement: Match the sample rate. Matching duration isn't a hard requirement, but it's recommended (more due to the subtitle timing, which we aren't modifying)
  5. Rebuild: Use Fmod Bank Tools -> "Rebuild".
  6. Install: Overwrite the .bank file in the game directory with your new one.

4. Replacing Subtitles

Subtitles are stored in .locres files.

  1. Export: In FModel, find the localization file (e.g., pakchunk2 -> Dispatch/Content/Localization/103/en/103.locres). Right-click -> "Export Raw Data".
  2. Edit:
    • Open UnrealLocresEditor.
    • Load the exported .locres file.
    • Search for your Line ID (e.g., 1FC02E62...) and change the text.
    • Save.
  3. Pack:
    • Create a folder MyMod.
    • Recreate the exact game path inside: MyMod\Dispatch\Content\Localization\103\en\.
    • Place the modified .locres inside.
    • Run repak: 
      .\repak.exe pack "MyMod" "Dispatch_Mod_ZZ_Subs_P.pak"
    • Note: The _ZZ suffix forces your mod to load last, overriding the original file.
  4. Install: Place the .pak file in Dispatch\Content\Paks.

5. Testing

Launch the game. Use the Dispatch Debug Menu mod to help speed up testing and jump directly to the Shift/Episode you modified.

And that's it! Happy modding.