I'm trying to make a mod and I have the files unpacked and whatnot, but there's one thing that I don't understand: Is the metadata file just a .txt file with the name _metadata? Also, I just tried copying the _metadata from assets/user and then deleting the contents. Will that work?
That's a file that identifies your mod to Starbound. It is in JSON format like most things. The most important function is when you need to control load order. It is the successor to the old .modinfo files too. You wouldn't need both. An error in this file CAN stop Starbound from loading. You can lazily generate the _metadata file by running the upload tool from Steam, and pointing it to your mod folder. You don't need to actually upload your mod at that time. Just edit the fields. Put the mod name in and all that. The tool will save your _metadata automatically when you close it.
