HELP: How to Install and Update All Types of Mods, 1.0 Update and beyond

Started by Iwillbenicetou, September 19, 2014, 08:11:57 PM

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Do you think this is helpful?

Yes
No
A bit
We should remove this now, I hate it
We should move this into the mod help area

Iwillbenicetou

Instructions on how to download modifications for Rimworld
WINDOWS HELP:
1) Download it. The download page could be Dropbox, google drive, GitHub, or through the forums. You need an account if a mod creator decides to put the download attached to the post. On GitHub, the mod creator normally provides a zip file on their repository, but if there is none, you can click on the green "code" button in the top right above the files and then click "Download zip."

2) The file you get will most likely be zipped or compressed, use your decompression tool of choice (winzip, winrar, 7zip with help to use it on bottom) to extract the files.

3) Move the folder into the mods folder, located in your Rimworld install location, make sure that the mods files are 1 level deep. For example, /mods/modname/defs. not /mods/modname/modname/defs which can sometimes happen. Make sure the file structure is /mods/defs/, which can then be moved the mods folder. On steam, navigate to Program Files (x86 if your PC is 64bit) /Steam/SteamApps/common/Rimworld/Mods. Then you can drag in the mod folder here.

4) Start Rimworld and select "mods" from the menu, here you can activate and deactivate mods. Never deactivate the core mod, as it will break your game. Some mods require restarting the game instead of opening the mods folder and exiting it without restarting the game. Restarting the game happens most of the time anyway, but if you want to be extra cautious, quitting and starting the game up again doesn't hurt.

5) If you add a mod which adds factions, you have to create a whole new game for the new factions to appear on the map. Remember your coordinates and seed!

6) If you cannot start your game after enabling a mod, navigate to %appdata% folder. This will either be in your user folder: /c:/users/username/, and make sure you have "hidden folders and folders" on and go to the "AppData" folder, or by searching %appdata% in windows search, then into "LocalLow." In here you should see a "Ludeon Studios" folder, navigate to Rimworld/config and remove the offending or broken mod from the "modsConfig.xml" file. This is how to recover a broken installation.

MAC HELP:

1) Download it. The download page could be Dropbox, google drive, GitHub, or through the forums. You need an account if a mod creator decides to put the download attached to the post. On GitHub, the mod creator normally provides a zip file on their repository, but if there is none, you can click on the green "code" button in the top right above the files and then click "Download zip."

2) The file you get will most likely be zipped or compressed, which means you have to uncompress the file. Most Macs already have the capability of doing this, but installing the unarchiver from the app store lets you download .rar files if you are unable to do so already.

3) Find the mod folder. Wherever you store the Rimworld app, either in the downloads or applications folder, right click or double finger click on the Rimworld application. Then choose the option to "open package contents." You should find the mod folder in there.

4) Move the folder. Either copy and paste (Cmd + C) or click and drag into the folder.

5) Activate the mod. Open Rimworld and select the mods tab. Never deactivate the core mod, as it will break your game. Activate your mods, and start a new game.

OTHER TIPS:
Rimpy, an external application to help with managing and ordering mods: Steam GitHub
When installing, always keep a window showing your downloads, and another showing the mods folder. Helps installing a lot easier.
Steam Workshop makes everything downloadable with clicking the subscribe button. It also allows for mods to be updated without reinstalling it.

UPDATING MODS:
If the mod author has not stated how to update mods, follow these instructions below!

Simply just replace the old folder with the new one, (keeping the name of the old file). Some mods require you to start a new game, as it may crash and or corrupt the game/world files if you try to load it up. This means you may have to create new worlds or colonies to update the mod!
Modsync is a good tool to keep mods updated and it keeps your mods organized

If you are having trouble, restart your game and restart your computer. Or make new worlds...
If you have any more problems, PM me and if you still have trouble try Support.

7z OR 7zip HELP
I spent way too much time trying to figure out how to use this
When you first install 7zip, it will probably be in either "Program Files," or "Program Files (x86)."

The (x86) is if you have a 64bit computer. Or if you install off of Google Chrome or any other browser except Internet Explorer, it will be in your downloads folder.
Then when you open the file, you will get a bunch of weird files and programs. You will most likely have a program called "7zFM.exe" When you open this program up, you will get:
"Computer, Documents, Network, and \\. (maybe not the last one).

Then double click on Computer, and then double click on C:\, and then double click on Users, then on your user (for example, mine is Iwillbenicetou), then you can go into the downloads folder from there.
Then you get downloads and you can expand any file you want. And if you close 7z, it will save your location.

HOW TO REPORT BUGS AND/OR ISSUES

First, you should look to see what the mod author suggests. Some mod authors use Mantis (a program), or Github's issue tracking program to find and report bugs. If the mod author specifically does not say this, post your issue in the thread/post.

Always include these following ideas/rules

1) A DETAILED description of your issue. What was happening before, how did it crash/freeze up, what did the error say. What were pawns doing (Colonists, animals, enemies) doing before. What mods were you using? What was the mod order? Things like these

2) Include the file output_log.txt file. You can get here by going to where the Rimworld.exe/.app file is located. For PC users, open the RimWorld1135Win_Data file. For macs, you should find it in this string of files: /Users/[your user name]/Library/Logs/Unity/Player.log. For Linux: /home/[your username]/.config/unity3d/Ludeon Studios/RimWorld/Player.log. Inside should be the Output_log.txt file. DO NOT COPY AND PASTE THE CONTENTS. Instead, attach it to your post by copying it onto the desktop and attaching it (for easy attachment). If the file is too big, use the code BB tag, like this:

and copy and paste it in here.(use the forum's [ code ]the log text[ /code ] and delete the spaces between the square brackets)

3) Misc. details. For example, if you edited the mod files, put it in here. Or if you got it from a modpack, explain it.

Appreciation:
Great people who helped shape this guide into its final form
Skullywag. Thanks for the grammar help! Much appreciated since my grammar wasn't so great when this was first written.
Julia Ellie. I love your amazing small additions and I appreciate your points in this guide.
Vogonistic. Thanks for reminding me to add mac support back in.
Tynan. You are the reason this guide exists, thank you for all the support!
milon. Thank you for pointing out my mistake in reporting bugs on mac and linux. Then for pointing me to enystrom8734 for his guide on reporting bugs.
enystrom8734. Thanks for the help, especially the location of the output log text file for mac and linux.

Since Alpha 6!
Mod Help! The basics on how to download mods!

C. Fenderson

Quote from: Cala13er on September 20, 2014, 03:48:32 AM
This probably should of been posted in the mods help sub-folder
I think this should be stickied here, to be honest.  This is the first place people will look when installing mods, since it links to the clients, and it seems somewhat relevant.  Instructions right on the tin are always nice.

skullywag

Quote from: Iwillbenicetou on September 19, 2014, 08:11:57 PM
These instructions are on how to download mods.
1. Download it! If you are having trouble, it may be your internet, your computer, or just spamming the download button because it wasn't loading... Maybe not the last one...
2. The file you get will most likely be zipped (compressed), use your decompression tool of choice (winzip, winrar, 7zip) to extract the files.
3. Move the folder into the mods folder, located in your Rimworld install location, make sure that the mods files are 1 level deep (for example /mods/modname/defs. not /mods/modname/modname/defs as sometimes happens.
4. Start Rimworld and select "mods" from the menu, here you can activate and deactivate mods. Some mods are buggy when you open mods folder and exit it without quiting the game. These include Clutter, Animal Rugs (?) and some others. If you're unsure, then quit the game and start it up again.
5. If you add a mod which adds factions, create a whole new world. Not colony, world. So remember your seeds!
6. If you cannot start your game after enabling a mod, navigate to your user folder (c:/users/username) make sure you have "hidden folders and folders" on and go to "AppData" then "LocalLow". In here you should see a ludeon Studios folder, navigate to Rimworld/config and remove the offending mod from the "modsConfig.xml" file.

If you have any more problems, PM me and if you still have trouble try support.

Tweaked your text and added 1 more point.
Skullywag modded to death.
I'd never met an iterator I liked....until Zhentar saved me.
Why Unity5, WHY do you forsake me?

Iwillbenicetou

Thanks for feedback, and I posted this here for a reason, and also because Tynan let me. I will also add the extra text.
Mod Help! The basics on how to download mods!

ItchyFlea

This section seems like a good place for this thread given the reasoning behind it. Stickied as a result. :)
This should be helpful for others in the future.

May want to include the contents of this thread as well: http://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=3549.0
All my mods are licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
Ask for permission before using in ModPacks

Click here for a list of the mods I've created

Jaxxa

It would also be good to note that mods that are attached to forum posts will only show up if you have an account and are logged into the forum. I have seen a few people make that mistake.

Goldsmyths

Nice, thank you.

But can you also help how to remove a specific mod from a mod bundle?
For the sake of example (no harms intended),
How to remove Jaxxa Shield which exist in both Tech Tree Minami and Superior Crafting?
Or maybe the Project Armory (since the stand alone PA has an exe that lets us choose which weapon to add).
When half of my screen is filled with building options I'd never end up using, I prefer the freedom to choose what I add in the game.

mrofa

Whats with point 4 i dont get it how is clutter buggy ?
All i do is clutter all around.

skullywag

#8
Quote from: mrofa on September 21, 2014, 04:54:27 AM
Whats with point 4 i dont get it how is clutter buggy ?

I'm not sure but its worded like he's opening the mod folder from inside the game...I've never needed to do this...I could be wrong, but I see no reason for that to be buggy. Some explanation needed.

Edit - oh maybe he means textures. Some mods need you to restart or you get the pink squares.
Skullywag modded to death.
I'd never met an iterator I liked....until Zhentar saved me.
Why Unity5, WHY do you forsake me?

mrofa

Pink textures are done becouse of graphicPath class, it cant be avioded in xml, i had to fix it in dll.
As for folders, if you initialize mod in game, you can delete the mod folder while game is active and the mod will still function properly in game.
All i do is clutter all around.

C. Fenderson

Quote from: Goldsmyths on September 21, 2014, 04:32:57 AM
Nice, thank you.

But can you also help how to remove a specific mod from a mod bundle?
For the sake of example (no harms intended),
How to remove Jaxxa Shield which exist in both Tech Tree Minami and Superior Crafting?
Or maybe the Project Armory (since the stand alone PA has an exe that lets us choose which weapon to add).
When half of my screen is filled with building options I'd never end up using, I prefer the freedom to choose what I add in the game.
If there's the same mod in two modpacks, all you have to do is tell your OS to not copy it when you unzip the pack.  Generally speaking, these guys don't change the names of mod folders inside their packs, so you don't have to do much.  If they did change the name of the mod folder, then you can just disable one within the mods menu of the game, or delete the folder inside of your mods folder

Iwillbenicetou

Quote from: mrofa on September 21, 2014, 05:16:59 AM
Pink textures are done becouse of graphicPath class, it cant be avioded in xml, i had to fix it in dll.
As for folders, if you initialize mod in game, you can delete the mod folder while game is active and the mod will still function properly in game.

Yeah, I was talking about that "bug" If you start it up, then they don't show the correct placeholder. People then will say that the mod doesn't work and PM me that Clutter or something doesn't work.
Mod Help! The basics on how to download mods!

Jaxxa

Quote from: C. Fenderson on September 21, 2014, 08:56:56 AM
If there's the same mod in two modpacks, all you have to do is tell your OS to not copy it when you unzip the pack.  Generally speaking, these guys don't change the names of mod folders inside their packs, so you don't have to do much.  If they did change the name of the mod folder, then you can just disable one within the mods menu of the game, or delete the folder inside of your mods folder
I don't know about that, that assumes that the modder has just done a single zip file with the separate folders inside. It looks like they are now merging them all into the same folder so it shows up as a single mod in the manger.

Quote from: Goldsmyths on September 21, 2014, 04:32:57 AM
Nice, thank you.

But can you also help how to remove a specific mod from a mod bundle?
For the sake of example (no harms intended),
How to remove Jaxxa Shield which exist in both Tech Tree Minami and Superior Crafting?
Or maybe the Project Armory (since the stand alone PA has an exe that lets us choose which weapon to add).
When half of my screen is filled with building options I'd never end up using, I prefer the freedom to choose what I add in the game.

You had to pick that example  :'(

Is your problem that there is some incompatibility between the two or you just not want them?
This will change depending on the specific mod but for most of them (including mine) if you just want to hide the buildings, commenting out the building def in the xml file would probably be easiest. I don't think this should cause any errors.

Goldsmyths

Quote from: Goldsmyths on September 21, 2014, 04:32:57 AM
Nice, thank you.

But can you also help how to remove a specific mod from a mod bundle?
For the sake of example (no harms intended),
How to remove Jaxxa Shield which exist in both Tech Tree Minami and Superior Crafting?
Or maybe the Project Armory (since the stand alone PA has an exe that lets us choose which weapon to add).
When half of my screen is filled with building options I'd never end up using, I prefer the freedom to choose what I add in the game.

You had to pick that example  :'(

Is your problem that there is some incompatibility between the two or you just not want them?
This will change depending on the specific mod but for most of them (including mine) if you just want to hide the buildings, commenting out the building def in the xml file would probably be easiest. I don't think this should cause any errors.
[/quote]

LOL, don't get me wrong jaxxa, I think your shield is great, and it works well. It even protects enemies that got to close... tactical... Also, I can has square shield instead of circular shield? :3
As I said, your mod there is just for example. Since yours is integrated in both TTM and Superior Crafting. Instead of individual folders, it's combined with Clutter, Project Armory, and whatnots. I'm trying to figure out how to remove a specific item without causing any errors.
Removing the xml in Defs sometimes causes an error, maybe because it's linked to another item that uses it.
Maybe the modding structure/arrangement should be revised so that we can have a 1 app solution to enable and disable items in the mods?

Jaxxa

No problem, I was just joking, glad you like the mod. Although I realize it wont be for everyone.

I suppose that is the problem with mod packs. While they take all the mods and get them to work nicely with each other, but in doing this they usually combine all the mods and make it harder to disable parts that you don't want.

Really you are trying to do what the creator did in reverse. So you are going to have to edit parts and just keep running it and fixing the errors.

I would try removing building defs, I would not think that usually there should be too many other things that depend on a building def. Assuming that it is a building you want to remove from the pack.