Starbound and Modding Discussion

So Starbound is still being developed and it's already confirmed to support mods.
Further info about modding was revealed aswell, which was the fact that each item, monster and blocks has their own config file.

Each config file will store information about the entity, like their type, if they move or are subject to gravity, if they drop something, and what exactly they might drop.
Pretty much every entity behavior/condition that will be ingame will also be available for the custom ones.
That's awesome!
Or is it?

This simple coding will save modders a lot of time, sure. But here is some things I've been wondering since then:

-How detailed the modding will be (Allow us to add items on tech trees or create our own, mixed movement for creatures like flying and walking)
-Will Starbound also allow new behaviors and lines of codes?
-How mods will be loaded?
-Will there be any way to directly modify the core items of the game?
-Mods will work on multiplayer? How mod downloading will be handled?

What your thoughts about this? What your expectations concerning how the devs will handle these?

I hope they add support to new lines of codes. The simple code is pretty good and easy to deal with, but would hinder some mod developers due to not allowing complex coding.

 

I'm pretty confused when it comes to modding, if its simple as you make it sound, then flying pig vehicle and chicken blaster here I come!

 

It does sound pretty simple, Tiy mentioned in the IRC once he was add just a bunch of silly stuff just for the sake of it.

This is a good thing and yet it's a bad thing.
I just hope the fact its so simple to code new entities won't end up in a oversaturation of "bad mods" in the future modding section. But that's just me being pessimistic.

 

The complexity of modding is how complex the actual game entities are really. I think all mods should be approved by moderators to stop an overflow of painfully average mods and multiplayer hacks.
Edit: Although, that might need a few more mods though...

 

Assigning trustworthy mods to test and approve mods?! That'd require a lot of time and work.

If it would to find a way to control the mod income, better leave the community do it then.
Perhaps have 2 section in the modding sub forum, one for starting mods, and other for high-rated threads (the OP could request to have his/her mod moved to that area if the post archived 20 likes or something.)

 

Likes is not really a good measure of how popular something is though.

 

The mod'état ion could come up with a rating system or simply incentive people to Like material they enjoy.

Or perhaps let the community itself make up their own rating system and requests to put the thread on the other sub forum.

 

With all of the promised random generation, it will literally be months before most of us try any mods. After all, this game is designed to have insane amounts of stuff already, right?

At the very least during that time a few really good mods will surface, and we will know about them when we are ready to try some out.

 

You do have a point, but I see no reason why we shouldn't discuss about it already.
Better have a plan now rather than wait until a group of bloodthirsty, unhappy modders/mod users jump from the bushes and rip our jugulars apart with their pointy teeth.

But you also reminded me of something: If most things will be procedurally generated, so EACH weapon/creature/terrain part would have it's config file? Tiy mentioned the core config files would be hidden/locked so no one could modify them, so if you want to add more parts for, let's say, a rifle type that already exist, you'd have to code each new part on a config file?

 

i hated the fact that terraria never got proper modding, we never got to see some really awesome and game-changing mods, like there are on minecraft. i REALLY do hope they "fix" that in this game

 

I don't know if anyone will agree with this, but if possible (probably not on initial release but at a later date) perhaps the starbound dev team could release a mod loader that modders could use to allow for greater coherence. To make this more clear, one problem with other similar titles' modding features is that several to many mods require different mod loaders. This becomes a problem when those mod loaders cannot work in tandem. Thus, players are limited to pick from mods that run off of one mod loader. If the dev team were to have a standardized mod loader (or even built in mod loader), the modding community wouldn't have to worry about the players raging that their mods stopped working when a patch goes live. Or at least it would alleviate some of this pandemonium.
Pros:
greater compatibility
(ideally) vibrant, cohesive modding community

Cons:
More work for the devs and less time spent on actual game additions (however, it could be argued that support for the modding community opens avenues that creates exponentially more content--especially considering the procedural nature of the game itself. It may not all be high quality stuff, but players will naturally gravitate towards the mods with higher quality or utility which can lead to modders joining forces and pooling users thus creating high quality, high utility content)

Just my two cents to the discussion.

 

-Will there be any way to directly modify the core items of the game?

One would simply modify the config file and/or the .img file (I know fro, experience making simple mods for Terraria.

Dude, go check out the modding section of Terraria Online. None of the mods are really game changing, but some of the packs modders have released are like 3 updates worth of content.

 

minecraft never got proper modding.
the game was never built to be modded.

its just that the community is larger and so they saw more mods.

 

Well for how simple the modding is you have to look at the code the game is built around, if starbound is built on lua, like cortex command, the modding will be easily as 123, no seriously if you have a lua game the code is so easy that you can easily change the whole game if you like.

 

lua - dungeon generation
thats all i remeber about lua.

 

imagine changin the gravity of your enemies
so that when you hit them they go flying.

amusing.

 

that could happen with lua

 

step 1: change the weigh of the enemies to 0.00000001
step 2: hit them.
step 3: laught as they go flying miles and miles.

 

step 4: watch them enter a perfect orbit of the planet

 

perhaps we could play a multiplayer game of hit the enemy over the house
some time?

or we could mod some slimes into a football.