Hello Miners!
Some time back we made the decision to delay the modding support planned for Update 34 in order to create a more comprehensive and robust solution for using mods in your game. We have been hard at work ever since and wanted to give you some insight into two aspects of the solution we are planning: Mod.io support and approval categories.
Mod.io support
Our initial solution only included a save game profile setup while relying on players to install mods manually through various tools and scripts. We have decided to implement a modding platform that lets modders upload mods for players to install within the game. In terms of modding platform we have chosen Mod.io, a relatively new platform made by some of the original creators of Moddb. We evaluated multiple different platforms, including Steam Workshop, which had a lot of great features as well. In the end, we chose Mod.io as it was the best fit for the solution we are developing. We are at this very moment implementing Mod.io into Deep Rock Galactic.
Approval Categories
We have also developed multiple levels of mod approval categories as a better solution to mods only being available on modded save games profiles. Here are the categories:
Sandbox - This will be the default value for any mod uploaded to Mod.io. You are free to use any of these mods with a modded save. Which means you cannot use your regular save with your main progression when playing with these mods. Servers running these mods will be tagged in the server browser and only people using modded saves can join. Examples of mods that would fall into this category are mods that change rewards or mission payout, and mods that unlock in-game items.
Approved for Progression - You can use these mods along with your regular save, meaning you can still earn xp and resources in your regular progression while using them. Your game will be tagged as ‘using mods’ similarly to Sandbox. If you have these mods installed you cannot play on vanilla servers. Examples would be harder or alternative game modes, weapon changes, and mods that moderately alter gameplay elements but still retain progression inline with the regular game.
Fully approved - You can use these mods along with your regular save, and your game will not be tagged as ‘using mods’. You can also join any game as if you were not using mods at all. It is possible for the host to opt out of all mods. Servers where the host has actively chosen not to allow any mods will not be visible to you if you have any mods installed, and vice versa the person will not be able to see servers with any mods on them. This category is likely to be somewhat exclusive and limited to select mods. Examples would be QoL mods that do not impact gameplay, audio or visual mods that improve accessibility, and localized versions of in-game graphics.
We are also working on guidelines for these mod approval categories. So you can more easily anticipate which category your mod will be approved for if you are developing one. As we already mentioned, most of the mods we have seen would likely fall into the Approved for Progression category, and you would not need a separate save game profile for those.
We are still hard at work developing this solution. We do not have a release date yet, but we will keep you posted as the project progresses. We have also updated the Modding Support FAQ we previously posted, you can find it here.
With Love,
The Ghost Ship Crew