Installing mods

Mods come as .t3mod files. A package can hold code (a DLL that T3SDK loads into the game), content (files that replace or add game files, such as a texture pack), or both. The launcher's Mods page installs packages, turns them on and off, keeps their load order and saves sets of mods as profiles.

Code mods need T3SDK installed (see Playing with T3SDK); content mods do not. Back up your saves before you try a mod.

WARNING

Only install mods you trust. A mod's DLL is a program: it runs inside the game with the same rights as you. The mod index checks that its entries are well formed; nobody reviews what the mods do.

Install a package

Drag a .t3mod file onto the launcher window, or add it from the Mods page. The launcher reads the package's manifest (mod.json), refuses a package that is broken or unsafe to unpack, and installs it into its own folder, System\mods\<id>\. A new mod goes to the end of the load order.

The mod browser

The browser lists the mods published in the mod index, with their descriptions, versions and requirements. Pick one to download and install it.

Mods are downloaded from their authors' own release pages; the index only lists them. Before it opens a download, the launcher checks its size and SHA-256 against the index, and that the package's manifest names the same mod and version. A mismatch is refused.

Turning mods on and off

Each installed mod can be switched on or off. For code mods this changes which DLLs T3SDK loads. For content mods the launcher copies the mod's files into the game folder, and puts the game's original files back when you turn the mod off. Changes take effect the next time the game starts.

Load order

Mods load from the top of the list to the bottom. When two mods provide the same file, the one lower in the list wins. The launcher checks the mods that are on:

Problem	What happens
A mod needs another mod that is missing, off, or the wrong version	Error: the mod stays off until it is fixed.
A mod needs another mod that loads after it	Warning, with an action that fixes the order.
Two mods that conflict with each other are both on	Error.
A mod needs a newer SDK than the one installed	Warning: the mod may refuse to load. Update the launcher and install T3SDK again.
A code mod is on but T3SDK is not installed	Warning.
Two mods provide the same file	Information: the later one wins.

Profiles

A profile is a saved set of mods: which ones are on, and in which order. Switching profiles applies the whole set at once, for example a "Vanilla" profile with every mod off. Mods named in a profile that are not installed are skipped, and the launcher tells you which.

Loose DLLs

A mod DLL put straight into System\mods still loads, after the packaged mods. The launcher lists it as a loose mod that can be switched off (it moves to System\mods\disabled). A loose DLL has no manifest, so there are no requirement or conflict checks for it.

Texture packs

Texture packs come in two kinds:

• Packs for Sneaky Upgrade. Most texture and material packs replace files in Sneaky Upgrade's override folders (Content\T3\PCTextures\DynamicallyLoaded and Content\T3\MatLib\DynamicallyLoaded). They need Sneaky Upgrade installed; the mod's description should say so.
• Packs that replace textures inside the game's bundles (experimental). These work without Sneaky Upgrade: the textures are written into the game's .ibt files. The bundles are always rewritten from a backup of the originals, so turning packs off or changing their order never stacks changes. It is experimental because it has not yet been confirmed in the game that the engine accepts the rewritten bundles.

Removing mods

Uninstalling a mod deletes its folder in System\mods and puts back any game files it had replaced. If something else changed one of those files since the mod placed it, the launcher leaves that file alone and tells you.

How packages, the load order and the files in System\mods work in detail is in the package specification.