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These guidelines are here to allow mods to work together without incompatibility. As such they will only work if people do follow them, so I would ask that you read at least the sections appropriate to your mod. These guidelines apply only to non-scripted mods. Before creating a mod you will need a modder ID. These can be registered by requesting them in this thread. A list of those modder IDs already taken is shown below in this post.

Each mod should include a file in its root directory called modinfo.txt. This file should contain the information detailed below. Please note that this file is not intended as a replacement for the basic descriptive files, but as a more detailed resource for other modders to allow alteration and combination of mods.

Main Details

Modder Name	- text
Modder ID	- text
Modder ICQ	- text
Modder E-Mail	- text
Modder Website	- text

Mod Details

Mod Name	- text
Mod Date	- text
Mod ID	- text
Mod Version	- text
Mod State	- Alpha/Beta/Release
Mod Type	- System/Weapon/Ship/Combined/Other (If   Combined or Other, please include   further detail)
Description	- text
Language	- text

Developer Notes

Feedback	- text
Version History	- text
Known Issues	- text
File List	- include all new or altered files and specify   location. Altered versions of original file should   be starred.

Any non-scripted mod should be categorised as one of the following. If your mod doesn't appear to fit into any of these categories, try to use all the relevant information to ensure compatibility and include any known issues in modinfo.txt.

System/Weapon Mods
Ship Mods
Combined Mods

New files should be used where any changes are made except where modding system/weapon ini files independent of ships, or the in the case of the ship ini file itself, otherwise use standard v14.6 files, which will not need to be included in the mod as they will be retrieved from the zipped resource folder.

New files should be listed in modinfo.txt, this file to be included in the root directory of the mod.

The location of the files should also be included in modinfo.txt.

Two prefixes should be used in all new files and the mod folder.

Use of a prefix will make sorting easier if attempts were made to combine mods.

The first prefix should be a modder ID between 3 and 5 lowercase characters.

The second prefix should be a mod ID to differentiate between mods made by the same modder, consisting of between 1 and 5 characters (lowercase or numbers). Each new mod and each new version will need a new mod ID.

The mod folder should have a name of the form ModderID_ModID, eg. dbeh_1.

For files, the prefixes will be followed by the descriptive part of the filename.

These parts of the filename will be separated by underscores.

The full format will be ModderID_ModID_Description.Extension

Example - if I were to create a file for a missile in my destroyer mod the file would be dbeh_destr_missile.ini.

If system or weapon mods are used alone they will need to replace a current system or weapon file, meaning that changing the name of the file is impossible. This applies only to the ini file contained in the subsims/systems/player or subsims/systems/nonplayer folders. For all other alteration such as those to avatars and ini files for projectiles (rather than the launcher) a new file should be created.

To avoid confusion, the file for the appropriate type of system or weapon should be replaced.

Replacing the most basic version of the appropriate system or weapon will also allow easier access to it from early saves.

When altering nonplayer systems or weapons, identify and list the nonplayer ships which will be affected by the change in modinfo.txt.

The systems or weapons altered should be listed in modinfo.txt.

Any new player system or weapon (weapon here referring to a gun or launcher ini file, not the projectile or avatar files) files should be located in subsims/systems/player, the programs and subsystems subfolders to be used where necessary.

Any new nonplayer system or weapon (weapon here referring to a gun or launcher ini file, not the projectile or avatar files) files should be located in subsims/systems/nonplayer, the external subfolder to be used where necessary.

All weapon (projectile) files should be located in sims/weapons.

Any known problems relating to saved games, such as the crash caused by switching off the mod after new systems have been added to the saved game should be detailed in modinfo.txt.

If new systems are created, new entries can be added to the end of text/player_systems.csv to set the names to be used when the system is displayed in the hangar or trade screen and the HUD. If existing systems have been modded then existing entries will have to be changed. In any case please make a note of any changes and of any steps required to change the language in modinfo.txt.

For single player the command section should be replaced.

One ship should be altered per mod to allow for combination of mods with minimal editing.

Where mods for many ships are designed to be used in conjunction, ensure that the mods all begin with an appropriate identifier so that they are listed next to each other when the list is alphabetically sorted. This will allow easy selection of all appropriate mods.

Systems or weapons should be added as new files (no need to replace the standard files) and prefitted to the modded ship (see section on system/weapon mods above).

New files should be used where any changes are made except where modding system/weapon ini files independent of ships, or the in the case of the ship ini file itself, otherwise use standard v14.6 files, which will not need to be included in the mod as they will be retrieved from the zipped resource folder.

For instant action the storm petrel should be replaced.

Where player ships are renamed using text/player_ships.csv please note this in modinfo.txt.

New ships should replace those which would play a similar role to allow for balanced combination of mods.

Combined mods should be used only where this combination does not affect compatibility with other mods.

Combining a ship mod with a weapons mod will work, since all the weapons would be given new filenames and no conflict would arise.

When creating a combined mod, details of the combination should be included in modinfo.txt.