Mod projects
Mods can be created without any tools, through manual edits to YAML files and careful file management. However, we recommend using the tools provided in this SDK to make the process easier. If you have questions not addressed here, don't hesitate to ask for help in the #phantom-modding channel on Discord.
This tutorial is available directly in the SDK under
PB Mod SDK/Getting Started/Tutorials/Mod projects. The SDK version can include interactive elements such as buttons automatically selecting project assets. Make sure you are in the right scene (game_main_sdk or game_extended_sdk). You should see DataModel and ModManager in the Hierarchy window. If you're unsure how to find the right scene, use the scene buttons in the Getting Started window.
The mod project manager is your first stop. It can store information about the mods you make, unlock a variety of tools and help you prepare your mod for distribution. Try opening selecting the ModManager object in the Hierarchy tab of your Unity window.
Start by opening the "New mod" foldout in the project manager. You will see the grayed out button reading "Create" and an empty field asking for a "Unique ID". That ID and is used as the project folder name and a unique identifier helping the game track your mod. The name is subject to a few rules, but it's fairly straightforward: must be a valid folder name, can't contain special characters, etc. Try typing something and the field will tell you if there's anything wrong.
A few examples:
- MyName_PaintMod
- MyName.Balance.ArmorPlateRework
Your players will not see this name in-game, so there's no need to add spaces and make it overly descriptive - just make sure it's unique. You'll have an opportunity to enter a player facing name and description in a bit. Once a valid ID is filled, the "Create" button to the right would unlock. Press it, and the new mod project will be created. You'll see your ID appear further down, under the "Selected mod" header.
Don't worry about all the buttons that appear further down for now. You don't need to save just yet: your project was automatically saved to the default folder under AppData/Local/PhantomBrigade/ModsSource.
If you'd like to see the contents of that folder, click the folder icon to the right of the grayed out project path. The top level information about your mod project is saved into the project.yaml file.
The first thing you'll need to edit as a mod developer is the metadata. This is a set of fields that helps the game make sense of the mod and present it to the player. It contains everything from player facing name, description and version to compatibility restrictions, flags telling the game about the included changes and even an accent color displayed in the mod menu.
Try filling in a name, adjust the description to your liking, link to your page if you'd like. Make sure to set Game Version Min to 2.0 (your mod won't be loaded by PB 2.0 otherwise). Once you're happy with the metadata, click Save on top of the project. Here's a quick example of description syntax:
Enter your description here. You can use some BBCode tags here, such as [b]bold[/b], [i]italic[/i] and [u]underlined[/u] text.
You can also embed more links if the URL field above is not enough:
- [url=www.google.com][u]Example text[/u][/url]
For now, your mod exists as only a project folder and doesn't make any changes to the game. For a start, it might be good to give it a spin to check whether the mod is recognized by the game and to see how your metadata looks in the ingame mod menu. To do that, you'll need to export your mod project into the user mod folder.
Phantom Brigade stores all user data (including installed mods) in AppData/Local/PhantomBrigade. This user folder is where you'll find saves, settings & screenshots. Mods are installed into the PhantomBrigade/Mods folder (with an exception of Steam Workshop subscriptions). This folder is automatically created when you start the game.
You can copy the files and folders manually, but it's much more convenient to click the "Export to user" button in project inspector. The SDK will scan your mod project, create a new folder under the user Mods folder based on your ID and will copy all the necessary files over. Give it a try by pressing the Export to user button here:
With your mod now installed, it should be discovered and automatically enabled the next time you start the game. You can verify this by opening the Mods screen in the main menu. You should see the Mod ID as well as the name and description you've entered into metadata on that screen.
Now that you know the basics, it's time to make your mod do something. For now, it's just a metadata file, which has no effects on its own. To change the game, you'll need to include some content. Mods support quite a lot of different content types so check out the rest of the tutorials to learn how to add some of these content types to your mod.