As I saw on DLC Roadmap thread Modding support will be included in a few months (near the end of this year, 2019 Q1), I have some previous experience on Modding scenes (NexusMods among others) so here are my thoughts or ideas from user and developer perspective focused on Usability and ‘make things easier’, besides a great communication as feedback between modders Community and developers is great to improve the game in many ways.
Requirements: (for modders)
Mods replacing textures
- Tools to assist management of game assets, differences between .DDS like textures, bump maps, cubes, UV maps etc, some small documentation or link to wiki related to CryEngine and how textures work in this game.
Mods replacing meshes
,- import / export tools plugins from Blender, 3DsMax among other tools - some internals about meshes specific for this game (the great meshes by layers system for example)
Mods with code - XML edits and scripts
It is easier managing .XML edits with line based patches-changes than with completed files, more if this files are common edits in many mods, for scripts there are modular systems or dirty edits (like Witcher 3 modding, very risky about mess up with the script files)
Mods (packages, standard formatting)
- Ready to install
- Version compatibility awareness
- possible conflicts advised (overwrites, bugs files edited, etc)
- load order customized (non based on name, but custom ordered list)
- easy to rescue and update if OP o author abandons them.
Tools: (for users)
- A simple mod manager to install/uninstall mods easier (JSGME is old, but exists OvGME, and similar tools to isolate game files from mods with various dependencies)
- A mod merger (more like or similar to The Witcher 3 scene tool ModMerger, alpha on KCD for now, or like xEdit on Bethesda/Gamebryo games (like Skyrim, Fallout, Oblivion), to merge and bundle mods without conflicts or to solve them (textures, meshes, files, overwrites, .XML, text files etc)
Documentation (wiki, reference, including SDK with info)
- Not only game files structure with descriptions, but game functions and objects, 'play with fire’s GitHub project is very interesting and an example of this, which could be community/user driven or/and collaboration with WarhorseStudios developers)
For Developers (WarhorseStudios,)
- I saw you read and appreciate the feedback, mods are consistent feedback most of times with great additions so… If a mod is great eventually will be great if that addition is added to the game officially (for specific mods), something like this happened yet ;).
Note:
Never is too late for Modding (see The Witcher 2, and RedKit 2 case) in a sandbox RPG, first of its kind better.
Post your ideas and suggestions.