Difference between revisions of "Modding Tutorials"

Revision as of 17:39, 11 September 2022

Mods

This is the table of contents for the modding tutorial. Here, you'll learn step by step how to create mods of gradually increasing complexity.

In light of little official documentation, most of the knowledge here was gained by experience, trial-and-error, decompiling and learning from the source. Keep in mind that RimWorld is a big game that underwent substantial code changes during its alphas. While most of this wiki was updated for 1.0, some information you find may be outdated.

What's a mod?

A mod is a folder containing data the game reads/loads. Mods can add, remove or alter the content of other mods (including the Core mod) in the broadest sense of the word. For more info, see also Modding.

Introduction to modding

General modding

Must-knows

Steam Workshop Specifics

If you want to upload your mod to the Steam Workshop you must own the game on Steam. Owning it on Epic or GoG etc is not enough, both Steam and Tynan have confirmed this.
Your Preview.png must be under 1MB to upload to the Steam Workshop otherwise you will see "Error : Limit Exceeded"
Steam mod descriptions don't use markdown, they use a form of BBCode. There is a guide.

XML tutorials

XML File Structure
Introduction to XML Defs
- XML Def Compatibility
- Auto Documentation
In-depth XML Def tutorials
- ThingDef explained
- Weapons_Guns.xml explained. Slightly dated.
PatchOperations, replace specific xml elements of core files while keeping the rest untampered. Uses xpath.

C# tutorials

Setting up
Hello World
Decompiling Source Code
Writing Custom Code
Linking XML and C#
Alter Code at Runtime with Harmony - this is a best practice for modifying game code, replacing C# code injection to reduce Mod Conflicts
The wonderful things you will want to do with C#
- Adding fields and methods to classes
Useful things:
- Mod settings - Add settings to your mod
- Def mod extensions - Add (custom) fields to Defs
- Custom Comp Classes - A quick overview of what types of Comps there are, and what they're suited for.
  - ThingComp - Learn all there is to know about ThingComps.
  - Components - GameComponents, WorldComponents, and MapComponents
- Introduction to Def Classes
- Using Harmony to optionally patch other mods for the sake of compatibility
- TweakValues - Change values on the fly (handy for quick iteration!)
- ExposeData - Save stuff
- The big ass list of useful classes - A non-exhaustive list of classes you'll use most
- Grammar Resolver - PAWN_objective, PAWN_possessive? Find out what it all means here.
- ExampleJob - Mehni's top to bottom breakdown of Jobs.
- Config Errors - Provide configuration issues to the user on startup.
- Debug Actions - Call methods from the debug menu
Getting started with RimWorld modding on Linux

Art Tutorials

Artstyle - Officially unofficial guide to RimWorld's Artstyle
Ekksu's guide to creating RimWorld animals
ChickenPlucker's guide to creating apparel
Seraphile's guide to masks

Under construction

These tutorials are under construction.

Modding Tutorials/Quests - Creator: User:NightmareCorporation
Modding Tutorials/Troubleshooting/Finding Exceptions - Creator: User:NightmareCorporation

Examples

RimWorld 1.3: XML Mod Creation
Assembly Modding
The Plague Gun tutorial originally by Jecrell, updated to 1.1+.

Dangerously Outdated

Modding Tutorials/Smelter
Modding Tutorials/Items
Modding Tutorials/Weapons
Modding Tutorials/Furniture
The Plague Gun based on the Plague Gun tutorial by Jecrell, updated for 1.0. Thread.

@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 * If you want to upload your mod to the Steam Workshop you must own the game on Steam. Owning it on Epic or GoG etc is not enough, both Steam and Tynan have confirmed this.
 * Your Preview.png must be under 1MB to upload to the Steam Workshop otherwise you will see ''"Error : Limit Exceeded"''
+* Steam mod descriptions don't use markdown, they use a form of BBCode. There is a [https://steamcommunity.com/comment/Guide/formattinghelp guide].
 ==XML tutorials==