How to Report a Mod Bug

[Calahan]

If you encounter a bug with a specific mod then please report that bug to the mod's author (on the respective thread for the mod in question). If you encounter a bug while using a variety of mods, but you are unsure which mod is causing the bug, then you can post the bug here to seek assistance with it. Although two important points of note:

- There is no official support for mod related bugs. The RimWorld developers will always try to address bugs associated with the vanilla game, but there is no such support for mod related bugs (unless the bug can be confirmed as being caused by an underlying vanilla issue). The mod's author is the person(s) who usually provides support for any bugs specifically related to their mod.

- For a variety of obvious reasons, there is no guarantee that anyone will be able to help you with your mod related bug. Mods can, and some do, make significant changes to the game, and there are hundreds of mods available for the game. Sometimes multiple mods can be used together just fine, but sometimes they can't and you get a mod conflict as a result, which subsequently causes numerous errors and problems in-game (that's if the game even starts). All of which means it is impossible for anyone to keep track of every change every mod makes, nor keep track of which mods are compatible with which other mods. As such it is impossible for anyone to know exactly what mod or combination of mods is causing any one particular mod bug, meaning there is no guarantee anyone can know what is causing any particular mod bug.

Log files will often give clues, along with it being possible to take a good educated guess as to the cause based on what a mod does/what the mod is called. But there are no guarantees with any of this, so please don't insist that others help you, or continually bump your thread to keep trying to bring it to other people's attention. If someone can assist you with your mod bug then they usually will. But if nobody can assist you then you will need to try and identify the cause of the bug for yourself (and then report the bug to the mod's author once you have confirmed their mod is causing the bug).


Reporting a mod bug is very similar to reporting a vanilla bug, so most of the information required is the same. So when reporting a mod bug please include:

1 - What the circumstances were.

2 - What happened.

3 - What you expected to happen.

4 - Log File. (Please note, if you are using the Hugslib mod then you can jump to step 5a)

Posting a log file means posting the log file RimWorld generated, and ideally as an attachment. Sometimes the log file will be too big to attach, especially if it has logged a lot of errors. In which case you will need to zip it with a program such as 7zip in order to attach it. Here is where you can find your log file:

• Windows (Steam): C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\RimWorld\RimWorldWin_Data\output_log.txt
• Windows (non-Steam) has TWO possible locations:
  
  
  
  • RimWorld####Win\RimWorld####Win_Data\output_log.txt
  • %userprofile%\AppData\LocalLow\Ludeon Studios\RimWorld by Ludeon Studios\output_log.txt
• Mac (Steam): Users/<UserName>/Library/Logs/Unity/Player.log
• Mac (non-Steam): /Users/[your user name]/Library/Logs/Unity/Player.log
• Linux (Steam): /home/<UserName>/.config/unity3d/Ludeon Studios/RimWorld/Player.log
  Note: You must run RimWorld from the console or the log file will not be created.  If you don't run RimWorld from the console, you may find the log at /tmp/rimworld_log
• Linux (non-Steam): /home/[your user name]/.config/unity3d/Ludeon Studios/RimWorld/Player.log

5 - Your Mod List.

The log file will contain your mod list, but if you are using mods from the Steam Workshop then the mod list in the log file will usually only appear as a series of numbers relating to the mod's Workshop ID's. Obviously a list of Workshop ID numbers is nowhere near as helpful as a list of the names of the mods, so please provide a named list of your mods as well (a screenshot(s) of your in-game mod list will usually suffice).

Or if you prefer, or if your mod list is extremely long, you can find a full list of active mods in your odsConfig.xml files located in the Config folder. So you can just attach this file like you did for your log file, and you can find this file in the same place as your Saves folder (see step #6).


5a. Alternative Log file and Mod list (for if you are using the Hugslib mod https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=28066.0)

Hugslib contains a log publisher feature that you can use (if you wish) as an alternative way to provide your log file and mod list. Quote from the above linked thread:

Log publisher: Adds a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+F12) to publish the logs from within the game. Returns a URL that you can share with others or send to a mod author. The published logs also include the list of running mods and their versions, as well as the full list of active Harmony patches. This is a great way for a mod author to get the logs from a player who is experiencing an issue with his mod.

Press the "Share Log" button when the error window appears and then copy and paste the link that appears into your post.

A large number of mods require Hugslib be installed for them to work, so unless you are only using a handful of mods, then chances are you are using the Hugslib mod.

6 - Save files.

For vanilla bugs, a save file is often invaluable when it comes to both identifying and reproducing a bug (so that it can be fixed). The same applies to mod bugs as well, but only in theory. And that's because in order for someone else to load your modded save file they will usually need to have the exact same mods installed that you are using. Which means needing to track-down, install and activate what could be dozens (if not hundreds) of mods just to load a save file. Which is obviously going to be unreasonable in most cases.

But that does not mean there is no point in posting a save file because the save file can be opened in a text editor, and from which your mod list and load order can be determined. So it is never a bad idea to post your save file, just not as essential for a mod bug as it is for a vanilla bug, and the reason for doing so isn't necessarily the same. Although if you are only using one or two mods then there is a good chance someone will load your save file, in which case it's definitely worth posting it.

To find and post your save file:

• Windows users can find their save files by clicking the 'open save games folder' button in the in-game Options menu.
• Mac users don't have it quite so easy, and you will need to navigate to the save folder manually, which can be found here: /Users/your user name/Library/Application Support/RimWorld . Or you can search for .rws files. Although note that the Library folder could be hidden which might prevent you from both navigating to it and searching for .rws files. More information on where and how to find your save files on the Mac can be found in the following post/thread: https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=35625.msg367050#msg367050

This forum has a 600kb limit for attachments, so the save file (which will have a .rws extension) will be too big to post as it is. But you might be able to attach it after zipping it with a utility such as WinRAR or 7zip. If it's still to big to attach then you can upload it to Google Drive / One Drive / Dropbox / Zippyshare (or other such cloud storage / file sharing service) and post the download link in your bug report.

7 - What steps you have already taken to identify the mod causing the bug.

Mod bugs can be caused by a number of things, but sometimes the only way to identify the exact mod(s) that is causing the problem is by a process of elimination. So if you have already started this process then mention it so as to potentially save the time of those who might help you from having to start the process from the beginning. Please make sure you provide a list of the names of the mods you use in this case.