BATTLETECH Mod Support and the Paradox Mod Backbone

[Prussian Havoc]

@HBS_RedMenace suggested I take this question to the forum, so here it is. : )

Paradox already has a system for introducing Mods to its games. Surviving on Mars, Planetfall and others all use: https://mods.paradoxplaza.com/

Then these mods can be added, selected, deselected from within each of these games.

Will BATTLETECH be taking advantage of this same Mod Backbone?




With all that is going on at Team HBS in advance of next week’s HEAVY METAL release, I know a response to this question may not be possible at this time.

Thanks for all you are doing Team HBS! It is greatly appreciated. :bow:

 

[HBS_Null]

Patch 1.8 is not adding the Paradox launcher interface when you start the game. (Which is different from the Paradox Plaza Launcher to download/run games you own, which we will continue to support). The interface for enabling/disabling installed mods will be done through an ingame menu instead.

 

[Prussian Havoc]

Patch 1.8 is not adding the Paradox launcher interface when you start the game. (Which is different from the Paradox Plaza Launcher to download/run games you own, which we will continue to support). The interface for enabling/disabling installed mods will be done through an ingame menu instead.

Thank you Good @HBS_Null. I had been curious about that. :bow:

 

[Jamey]

Patch 1.8 is not adding the Paradox launcher interface when you start the game. (Which is different from the Paradox Plaza Launcher to download/run games you own, which we will continue to support). The interface for enabling/disabling installed mods will be done through an ingame menu instead.

I know you all don’t talk about the future past the current release, so I’m not expecting any information. That said, it would be awesome to have an automatic interface for mod downloading at some point. If the best (or easiest) way of doing that is the Paradox launcher, I’d be good with that.

 

[Rojo]

I´m not really too fond of the Paradox launcher. I prefer independent access to my games.

 

[Jamey]

I´m not really too fond of the Paradox launcher. I prefer independent access to my games.

There are (confusingly) Paradox Launcher. One is a game download platform. The other is a game loader and mod manager. It sounds like you object to the former, not the latter.

 

[stjobe]

I´m not really too fond of the Paradox launcher. I prefer independent access to my games.

You will not have to use the Paradox launcher:

Patch 1.8 is not adding the Paradox launcher interface when you start the game

 

[Rojo]

There are (confusingly) Paradox Launcher. One is a game download platform. The other is a game loader and mod manager. It sounds like you object to the former, not the latter.

English is not my native language, so perhaps I´ve not been too clear. I don´t like the first: having bougth the game in steam, I prefer not to use another downloading platform (which, been true, I don´t need to at the moment).

I was writing that I don´t like the second too, but I have a question first: do you refer to a loader similart to the EU4 one? It´s quite annoying to have to confirm that I want to play the game, but at least the mod manager it´s the only redeeming factor. PROBLEM I see there: mods will be detected if they are installed manually like they need to be installed today? Then I don´t see any point there. Let´s see how this works.

Thanks for trying to clarify.

 

[Rojo]

You will not have to use the Paradox launcher:

Ok, it seems that I needed to reread the initial post.

I prefer to download mods from steam (a lot of people bougth the game there, and at least I prefer not to split my attention too much).

I suppose I´m the negative guy today

 

[stjobe]

Ok, it seems that I needed to reread the initial post.

Please pay attention to this part:

The interface for enabling/disabling installed mods will be done through an ingame menu instead.

Most likely it will work like this:

• You will have to download mods manually, from wherever the mod author publishes them.
• You will have to place the downloaded mods in a specific mod folder.
• When the game starts up it will have a menu (see above quote) where you can enable/disable any mods you have in the mod folder.
• When you load a saved game, it will alert you if you don't have the mods loaded that were active when you saved the game.

 

[Chaon]

From what I remember of the stream where they described the Mod support in the game, you have to extract the mods into a Mod folder in the game directory to be able to use them.
As a guess, I think that inside the game at the main splash screen you get to select which mods you are going to use in an options list and when you load up your game, the game will know which mods to load up and thus which files get overridden in game.

 

[Hobbes__]

You will have to download mods manually, from wherever the mod author publishes them.

Regarding this bit, do you have any indications if the current forum policy of 'no outside links to mod sites like nexusmods' will be revoked?

It would be nice to have a place to act as a hub for all mods, either these forums, Paradox, Steam Workshop or somewhere else.

 

[stjobe]

Regarding this bit, do you have any indications if the current forum policy of 'no outside links to mod sites like nexusmods' will be revoked?

No indications of that, no.

 

[EmptyPepsiCan]

Please pay attention to this part:

Most likely it will work like this:

• You will have to download mods manually, from wherever the mod author publishes them.
• You will have to place the downloaded mods in a specific mod folder.
• When the game starts up it will have a menu (see above quote) where you can enable/disable any mods you have in the mod folder.
• When you load a saved game, it will alert you if you don't have the mods loaded that were active when you saved the game.

That's really disappointing. Granted, it's a big improvement over what we have now, but still having to hunt through Nexus or wherever and then dig around in the Steam folder to manually install mods is really unfortunate. I was hoping for something more like Steam support.

I hope that mod support is expanded over time. I also hope that Paradox eases up on their ridiculous prohibition of linking to mods from the Forums. I'd like to see a vibrant modding community develop around this game, but for that to really take off it has to be easier for modders to point players to what they've created and for players to access and install their content.

And modders, I know that you're here and doing great work. That wasn't meant as an insult. I've used and enjoyed a lot of mods. What I'm saying is that more people would use and enjoy more mods if there were an easier, more streamlined way to do it.

 

[stjobe]

That's really disappointing. Granted, it's a big improvement over what we have now, but still having to hunt through Nexus or wherever and then dig around in the Steam folder to manually install mods is really unfortunate. I was hoping for something more like Steam support.

Please take into account that the above was a best guess on my part; I have no special insight into either HBS' or Paradox's inner workings. I'm just a volunteer mod here

That said, I have heard no word on Steam Workshop support, and it is entirely possible that the mod folder can be wherever you want it - as long as the game knows where it's at it doesn't have to be in the Steam folder. In fact, it might be easier to not have it in the Steam folder, what with Steam's file checks and all.

I hope that mod support is expanded over time. I also hope that Paradox eases up on their ridiculous prohibition of linking to mods from the Forums. I'd like to see a vibrant modding community develop around this game, but for that to really take off it has to be easier for modders to point players to what they've created and for players to access and install their content.

While you can't link to the mods or mod sites, you can say which site they're on and what their name is, like so: "Search nexus for DariusTellsItStraight mod". That should be easy enough for people to find.

 

[ronhatch]

That's really disappointing. Granted, it's a big improvement over what we have now, but still having to hunt through Nexus or wherever and then dig around in the Steam folder to manually install mods is really unfortunate. I was hoping for something more like Steam support.

I hope that mod support is expanded over time. I also hope that Paradox eases up on their ridiculous prohibition of linking to mods from the Forums. I'd like to see a vibrant modding community develop around this game, but for that to really take off it has to be easier for modders to point players to what they've created and for players to access and install their content.

And modders, I know that you're here and doing great work. That wasn't meant as an insult. I've used and enjoyed a lot of mods. What I'm saying is that more people would use and enjoy more mods if there were an easier, more streamlined way to do it.

From my standpoint, at the end of the day whatever 1.8 gives us is going to be a massive step in the right direction towards making mods easier to use. I'm confident that HBS is aware of remaining issues and will address them as they have time. I figure they need to balance time spent working on free updates vs. time spent working on paid expansions, and at this point I trust them to do what's right for their company while still giving me things I look forward to with each development cycle.

 

[Jamey]

The Paradox Mod site has a manual download function and cross linking to the forums.

If the Nexus will not be linkable and people want to host their mods in a linkable location HBS could ask PDX to create a mod site for BATTLETECH like they have for some other published titles.

There are manual download links on the mods I looked at, so it should probably work well enough.

The website is here if anyone else wants to poke around:
https://mods.paradoxplaza.com/

 

[Prussian Havoc]

The Paradox Mod site has a manual download function and cross linking to the forums.

If the Nexus will not be linkable and people want to host their mods in a linkable location HBS could ask PDX to create a mod site for BATTLETECH like they have for some other published titles.

There are manual download links on the mods I looked at, so it should probably work well enough.

The website is here if anyone else wants to poke around:
https://mods.paradoxplaza.com/

That is the same link from the my OP. It seemed a good idea to me too. But judging from the response I received, I don’t think using the Paradox site is in the cards. Of course I could have misunderstood that response. :bow: