Modding:Content Patcher
Revision as of 23:01, 23 July 2018 by Pathoschild (talk | contribs) (→Content Patcher vs other mods: tweak link)
Content Patcher is a SMAPI mod which lets you change the game's images, dialogue, data, etc without replacing XNB files. No programming is needed.
FAQs
How does it work?
With Content Patcher, you create a content pack which contains your changes and a JSON file (that's just a text format). Players install it by unzipping it into Mods, just like a SMAPI mod. Just by editing the JSON file, you can...
- replace one image file;
- make seasonal changes;
- make dialogue that changes based on the weather, date, your relationships with other NPCs, etc;
- make very specific changes (like coffee is more expensive in winter when it's snowing on the weekend);
- and much more.
Content Patcher vs XNB mods
If you're familiar with creating XNB mods, Content Patcher supports everything XNB mods supported. Here's a quick comparison:
XNB mod | Content Patcher | |
---|---|---|
easy to create | ✘ need to unpack/repack files | ✓ edit JSON files |
easy to install | ✘ different for every mod | ✓ drop into Mods |
easy to uninstall | ✘ manually restore files | ✓ remove from Mods |
update checks | ✘ no | ✓ yes (via SMAPI) |
compatibility checks | ✘ no | ✓ yes (via SMAPI DB) |
mod compatibility | ✘ very poor | (each file can only be changed by one mod) |
✓ high | (mods only conflict if they edit the same part of a file) | game compatibility |
✘ break in most updates | ✓ only affected if the part they edited changes | |
easy to troubleshoot | ✘ no record of changes | ✓ SMAPI log + Content Patcher validation |
Content Patcher vs other mods
Content Patcher supports all game assets with some very powerful features, but it's a generalist framework. More specialised frameworks might be better for specific things. You should consider whether one of these would work for you:
- Advanced Location Loader to add and edit maps.
- Custom Farming Redux to add machines.
- Custom Furniture to add furniture.
- CustomNPC to add NPCs.
- Custom Shirts to add shirts.
- Json Assets to add items and fruit trees.
[[../Tutorial Mod|Creating a Basic Mod]] →