Hello, this is my real official forum thread, so please give feedback. I have noticed alot of confusion related to installing mods, like where you should put them, what format they should be in, what should be inside of them, and why some mods work, while other don't. So before I get into it, this tutorial is for game versions 0.4.0.5 and later, which was released a while ago, so you should have it. There is an existing thread about the mod installation change here, this thread is a tutorial for converting the old mods to the new structure. Basic Mod Structure Info: In order to understand how to install mods, you should understand how the game handles vehicle files and mods first. Vehicles and levels that come with game have their own folder in the game directory (not the folder in your documents). You generally should not put mods in here, as I don't think the in-game mod manager detects them here, and then it can be hard to distinguish between mod vehicles/levels and game vehicles/levels. Mods are supposed to be placed in the "Documents/Beam.NG Drive/mods" and contained in a zip file. The structure should be "mods/modname.zip/vehicles/modname/vehicle files" for vehicle mods or "mods/modname.zip/levels/modname/level files" for level mods. Quick Written Tutorial: Ok, so now the actual tutorial. Before you attempt to install a mod, check that it is contained in a zip file. Like said earilier, the actual mod folder with the vehicle files in it should be in a "vehicles" folder, which is inside the zip. If you get a mod that is not in a zip, right click the vehicles folder, and click "Send to Compressed Archive (ZIP)", then rename the zip to the name of the mod (doesn't matter). If the mod is not in a zip file, and is not in a vehicles folder, then follow the next steps before you zip it. If the mod is zipped, but does not contain a vehicles folder, then unzip the mod, place the mod folder (with the vehicle/level files inside it) into a vehicle folder that you make, then send the vehicles folder to a zip like before. At the end of these steps, or if the mod already is fine (most recently created mods) the structure should be "mods/modname.zip/vehicles/modname/vehicle files" for vehicles or "mods/modname.zip/levels/modname/level files" for levels. If you are a mod creator, MAKE SURE your mods are packaged like this, it is a huge help to players, and people new to the game. Tutorial with Pictures: Step 1: First check if the downloaded mod is already compatible. Pretty much all mods you will download and install are packaged in a zip archive. You can open up the zip without unzipping it to check what is inside. For the mod that I am installing (Zakspeed Capri by Jalkku), there is no vehicles folder, so we will have to modify it. First unzip the archive. Step 2: After the archive is unzipped, create a folder called "vehicles". Step 3: Drop the folder originally inside the zip into the vehicles folder. Below is a picture of the folder inside the vehicles folder. Step 4: Compress the vehicles folder into a zip. On Windows, you would right click the vehicles folder, then select Send To -> Compressed (Zipped) Folder. Step 5: Rename the vehicles zip archive to the name of the mod. Step 6: Drop the new zip into your mods folder. Done! Enjoy your perfectly formatted mod! I hope this tutorial helped, I will update it with a better-structured layout and pictures when I get some time, please provide feedback! If you are confused you can check the file structure in the before and after versions of the capri mod attached.
Re: [Tutorial] Ultimate Guide to Installing and Packaging Mods Bumping this so people will see this... wouldnt want all this text go to waste
Re: [Tutorial] Ultimate Guide to Installing and Packaging Mods Awesome, thanks! I will be updating with a better format and pictures today. - - - Updated - - - Now updated with pictures!
What files are required in the vehicle mod folder? I have a single jbeam file, but it won't recognize it...
If the jbeam replaces a stock jbeam directly, that is all that is required. Make sure you get the folder structure correct as well as the file name.
No, it's an additional jbeam for a stock car, the Pigeon. Currently the folders are laid out as such: mods/PowerPigeon.zip/Vehicles/pigeon/pigeon_engine_v10.jbeam Do I need to copy the rest of the Pigeon's assets as well and create a json or pc file? Sorry, I'm very new to this. Thanks.
You should definitely not copy the rest of the Pigeon's assets. You shouldn't need a jbeam file or a pc file either. All you should need to do to get into the part selector is: Make sure that the engine has a unique name all the way at the beginning of the jbeam file (not "pigeon_engine" for example, this will replace the stock part!). Make sure that you have it going into the correct slotType (which is pigeon_engine) If you need to, compare pigeon_engine.jbeam with pigeon_engine_600.jbeam to see what's different between the two. Notice that the name of the engine (not the pretty name with spaces, but the real name from the top of the file) is referenced more than once in the file. You'll also note that the jbeam file should setup another transmission if needed and connect the engine to the exhaust. EDIT: I intended to attach a demo file. I have done so now, see attached for a 230cc demonstration engine for the Pigeon. I did not actually tune the engine/transmission, it's just the stock pigeon engine but weaker as a demonstration of getting into the parts menu and interfacing with transmission/exhaust. Blender is common, but anything which supports COLLADA which is probably most things. Check the Wiki in the top bar for "Content Creation" information. Considerably more than creating a model is required in order to complete an asset to use in the game.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I renamed the file and changed it like you said, but it still won't work. Can you download it here and tell me what I'm doing wrong?
I don't have time right now. If someone doesn't beat me to it, I'll take a look later. In the meantime download the file I provided and take a careful look at folder layout and jbeam contents vs what you've got.
I make custom tires for a mod I wish to release (just a copy and paste of a preexisting tire, I just tweaked the friction coefficient). How would this get packed in with my custom car in terms of file structure?
