New Mod Organization Tool

[EarlyBirdDev]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to know if anyone would be interested in a new tool that allows the user to arrange, activate and deactivate installed mods?

I wrote the tool for myself after having a few frustrating moments dealing with issues that cropped up when the mod order wasn't quite right and after a bit, I even forgot which mods were and weren't active. I just can't imagine going back to having to de-activate and re-activate mods to rearrange mod priority again. 

Originally this tool was one of several I expected to complete and package together (Features I feel WildCard missed which I would have included from the very start). The other phases of the project have not yet started and as this tool stands now, I have not included support for other languages and haven't tested it on the full range of what will ultimately be supported systems. However, if there is enough of a demand for it at this stage, I might be willing to put in the extra effort now before the next phases of development are finished to get this in the hands of those who would want to use it faster.

In the case that there is insufficient immediate interest, I will begin work on the other phases of the overall project (mentioned below) and if that happens, it may be a while before I have time to dedicate to adding the finishing touches to this tool; distribution could end up being pushed back for up to a year or possibly even longer.

 

P.S.

I know there is a  possibility of deprecation if WildCard changes the MOD UI for SP and this would indeed duplicate the functionality I have ready now. However, if you knew the full scope of my project, I'm sure you would undoubtedly see my dilema.

To give you at least a general idea what would be set back, my completed project also encompases full support for SP character profiles as well as MP host profiles which will allow not only the option of selecting which character to play but also which world, config options and mods are in play for each profile independent of the others. In the end the full set of utilities will offer the ability to try different things out without screwing anything up; I guess I should also mention that I do have profile configuration sharing and a few other things planned as well.

I expect the completed workbench to include tools for everyone (SP gamers, Server Hosts and Modders alike) to insure maximum compatibility and flexibility when it comes to those supporting and playing ARK. And once I have all of this trivial stuff out of the way, I'm going to be dedicating my time to the world of modding ARK (that is unless I have other ARK related projects underway first). 

 

If you like, you can leave a comment to let me know what you'd like to see happen.

Thanks Everyone!

[slpintern]

I like the idea.  My biggest issues right now with the MODs is almost exactly as you say, I don't always remember the order I place them in.  Additionally, if your tool keeps track of the MOD order for EACH map that alone would make it extremely useful.  I have a different set of MODs that I use for each individual map so I just have a word document that I have to open every time I change the map and have to make sure the order matches the document (biggest issue here is sometimes a new MOD comes out that requires a specific place in the list and now I have to fix it in game, on the word document, and then launch).  Of course, as I get older I continuously miss something or mess up the order and lose a few hours of work because I jacked something up.  If your tool fixes these problems, it would be a lifesaver for me at least.

[EarlyBirdDev]

8 hours ago, slpintern said:

I like the idea.  My biggest issues right now with the MODs is almost exactly as you say, I don't always remember the order I place them in.  Additionally, if your tool keeps track of the MOD order for EACH map that alone would make it extremely useful.  I have a different set of MODs that I use for each individual map so I just have a word document that I have to open every time I change the map and have to make sure the order matches the document (biggest issue here is sometimes a new MOD comes out that requires a specific place in the list and now I have to fix it in game, on the word document, and then launch).  Of course, as I get older I continuously miss something or mess up the order and lose a few hours of work because I jacked something up.  If your tool fixes these problems, it would be a lifesaver for me at least.

Thanks for your response!

Once the whole workbench has been completed, it will allow you to maintain the integrity and relationship of game configuration, active/inactive mods, character, world, saves and everything else on a per profile basis; with support for virtually unlimited profiles (limited only by disk space). As you have pointed out, this can be done through careful manual file manipulation at the risk of corrupting the integrity of vital game files. My goal is to give the ARK community tools that expand our flexibility and allows us to play ARK the way we want to without the fear of messing anything up.

Just to be clear, the tool I have ready now does not accommodate profiles, (it does allow you to clearly see installed mods, which are active / inactive, allows you to activate/deactivate mods, allows you to to move mods up an down in priority and allows you to save your new mod configuration/order to disc.

If I go ahead and release this tool in its current form, it will need to go through alpha and beta testing  on a multitude of platforms as well as internationalized versioning. All of this is necessary for the entire workbench when it's completed as well the only question is whether to release this as a separate tool now knowing the rest of the workbench will be delayed or to get the whole workbench finished prior to releasing this tool. If enough people show interest in this tool, I will release it now , so people can benefit from it sooner; if not, I will release it with the workbench (which will get the entire workbench in the ARK community's hands quicker).

 

[slpintern]

Well, whether you release now or wait, I will give it a shot, guaranteed.  I am not too worried about "damaging" my ARK files so if you need a tester, I would have no issues (of course when you release you will have plenty of testers I am sure).  I have ARK on 3 XBOXs and my gaming PC so if I lose some data or saves, it won't be the end of the world at all (I have 2 boys that play as well and I am just a grown-up kid, haha).