Hey there survivors!
Before I started making games, I was a game modder. My first ever game development experience was modding games back when I was in high school. It was fun to create something new and add it into a game I was playing, or just to see something stupid happen by changing a few variables.
I want people to enjoy my game not only by playing it, but also by fooling around with it and possibly creating something awesome in the process (or something funny). So, I set a few goals when I started working on Infectonator : Survivors. One of those goals was to build a moddable game that allow its players to add their own content and share their creations with other players.
I'm happy to announce that Infectonator : Survivors now supports modding! It's a work in progress, so not everything is moddable yet, but hopefully it will be in the future. Currently, you can create your own characters, weapons, teams and zombies or change existing ones.
Trying Out Mods
You can install and try our test mod by following these simple steps!
- Download our test mod conveniently named "testMod" here : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/10l8ksjnbyyia9e/AAAIzYDOghqNYDDbSriTE2L8a?dl=0
- Locate Infectonator Survivors installation directory. Usually it's under "Steam\SteamApps\common\Infectonator Survivors". You can simply open Steam -> Library -> Right click on Infectonator Survivors -> Properties -> Local Files Tab -> Browse Local Files
- Locate "assets/mods" folder inside, then place the "testMod" folder there.
- Windows - in Windows the path should be something like this : Steam\steamapps\common\Infectonator Survivors\assets\mods\testMod
- Mac - in Mac, right click on Survivors.app -> show package contents -> Contents\Resources folder -> create assets\mods folder inside of resources -> place testMod inside assets\mods.
This simple mod will replace Sydney with a Black and White male character.
[img=http://imageshack.com/a/img913/6336/OkcdtS.png]
Click on Browse Local Files to access the game's installation directory.
[img=http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3010/hM2xG9.png]
This is the testMod in action.
Creating Mods
To create your own mods you can follow these steps.
- Download game asset resources templates and examples. You can download the modding resources here : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/31uisfnr4ae394t/AADkz_VUj06palMzkzsLaZ2Za?dl=0
- Follow the link above and you'll find Character Mod template and Weapons Mod template.
- We use Flash CS5 to create our game assets and animations. So, we provide you with the Flash CS5 template FLA file that you can modify. If you don't have Flash we also provide you with the exported sprite images in PNG format.
- After you have created your own game assets, export it into PNG sequences. Then you'll need to turn it into a Texture Atlas. To do this we use TexturePacker, you can download it for free here : https://www.codeandweb.com/texturepacker
- Select the Starling/Sparrow format to create your texture atlas in TexturePacker. Then insert all your game assets inside. You can also check out the TPS file included in the template.
- The final product should be a Texture Atlas PNG and XML file. Place these files into your own Mod folder and place it inside the "assets/mods" folder.
- For a Character Mod to be loaded properly you'll need to include a couple of XML config files.
- EquipmentList.XML, an XML file that begins with tag
- CharacterList.XML, an XML file that begins with tag
I recommend that you play around with our testMod to learn about these XML config files.
WARNING!
Use mods at your own risk. By modding this game you may unintentionally cause the game to crash.
If you find that the game crashes, simply delete your mod and restart the game
Modding Rules:
- Place your mod files inside a new folder.
- Place the new folder inside the 'assets/mods' directory.
- You can add more than one mod into the 'mods' directory. Each mod should be separated with a unique folder.
- Avoid using the same file name. Name conflicts may cause errors.
- Always use this naming format [YourName]_[ModName] on the beginning of your files and textures when modding to avoid conflicts with other modders. Example "Kris_ResidentEvilMod_Characters.xml".
In the future when the system is more stable, we'll integrate this mods system with Steam Workshop. However, at this stage we are still actively tweaking and rewriting game codes to make the game more mod friendly.
New gears and perks!
Now your inventory can be added with new collection of gears, such as several bigger medic kits, scopes with longer range, an electric-powered shock-therapy portable defibrillator, and, guess what, pack of LANDMINES! Now you get the chance to be able to tactically set the mine up and let it set off to kill zombies passing it over. It has its range to make a killing area effect.
Several new character perks have also been made and added on, and soon will take effect immediately when you use them. Some of the characters haven't got perk yet and we'll make sure to make it done on later update.
[img=http://imageshack.com/a/img908/333/cIBuri.gif]
UPDATES
Here are the detailed change log for this week
- Modding System - Introduced modding into the game.
- Extra Gears - More higher tier and brand new gears.
- Additional Perks - New perks for some of the characters, such as quick reload.
- Bug Fixes - fixed other more minor bugs.
Let us know what you think of the updates in the comments below!
We've done creating additional music and hopefully we add them as soon as we release next update.
We promise to bring more updates in the following weeks!
Thank you for being patient with us and the game's development.
Suggestions & Feedbacks
If you have suggestions and/or feedback on the game, please post on Infectonator : Survivors' Steam Discussions Forum. You can also make a shout out on Toge Productions' Facebook or Twitter