Official TerraTech Mod Support

## Setting Up the Workspace

You will need

* **Unity Hub** - Install from this link https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download
* **Unity 2018.4.13f1** - Paste “*unityhub://2018.4.13f1/497f083a43af* “ into your web browser (When Unity Hub opens and asks you to select modules, untick all and press “Install”).
* **Steamworks.NET unitypackage** https://github.com/rlabrecque/Steamworks.NET/releases/download/13.0.0/Steamworks.NET\_13.0.0.unitypackage
* **TerraTechModTool unitypackage** https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18GZx65Z1f8uZsoUDApOQI8iF4uns-OID
* **Image Editing Software (skin textures) -** **GIMP** is a good choice as it’s free and open source, but you can use any program that supports the **.png** image format.
* **3D Modelling Software (block models) -** We'd recommend **Blender** It's free and open-source, and it supports the features you'll need to make blocks, but any 3D modelling package that supports the **.fbx** model format will be suitable.
* **TerraTech Modding Resources** - A package of template texture and model files: https://terratechgame.com/downloads/TerraTechModdingResources.zip

### Follow these steps to create a new project and get it set up for Modding TerraTech

1. Run the Unity Hub. **Due to a bug with Unity Hub we cannot create our project through the Hub. Instead, do this:**

   1) In Unity Hub click on *'Installs'.*

   2) Click the cog icon behind *Unity 2018.4.13f1*.

   3) Then select *'Show in Explorer'.* If this version doesn’t appear, go back to the setup steps above and install it.

   4) Open *Unity.exe* directly to bypass the Hub.

   4) In this launcher, click *'New project'.*

2. Name your project and choose a folder. Choose 3D as the template. Now click “Create” (6). This will take a minute to open a new Unity Editor window.

3. Open the “Assets” menu and navigate to “Import Package” > “Custom Package…”.

4. Navigate to where you downloaded the **Steamworks.NET.unitypackage** and select it

5. In the “Import Unity Package” window, click “All” in the bottom left and then “Import” on the bottom right.

6. Repeat steps 3-5 for the **TerraTechModTool.unitypackage**

   If after this step you have errors that say *'ImageConversion'* cannot be found, make sure you have followed step 1 correctly!

## Creating a Mod

A mod can consist of Skins, Blocks and Custom Corporations. You may want to create a mod that contains only custom blocks or skins for existing corporations, or maybe build your own unique corporation with its own blocks.

1. The ‘**Mod Designer**’ panel should open automatically. If it does not, or if you close it at any point, you can open it again by selecting the ‘**Tools**’ item from the menu bar and clicking on ‘**TerraTech Mod Designer**’.

2. In the **Mod Designer**, give your new mod a name. This is the name that will appear on the Steam Workshop if you decide to publish it. Click the ‘**+**’ icon to create it.

3. Now select your mod from the drop-down list and click **‘Edit Content’**

4. Depending on the type of content you’ll be adding to your mod, follow the appropriate guide;

**How to Mod - Skins**

**How to Mod - Blocks**

**How to Mod - Corps**

## Exporting to the Game

As you develop your mod, you will want to test it in game. To do this you must export the mod to a local folder.

1. Enter the path of your TerraTech folder (you can find this by right clicking the game in Steam, going to properties and clicking on ‘Browse Local Files’)

2. Press ‘Export’. This will take a moment to package up the mod and then copy it into the specified folder.

Your mod will load automatically **in singleplayer only** when you run the game.

***NB. The unitypackage can’t obtain permissions to copy to Program Files, so if you have TerraTech installed in Program Files, you will need to manually drag and drop the exported files into the LocalMods folder in your TerraTech directory.***

## Share your Mod on the Steam Workshop

When you are happy with your mod and it has been thoroughly tested you may wish to publish it to the Steam Workshop.

1. If you want to change the preview image that will display when people view your Mod on the workshop, you can edit **preview.png** in your mod’s folder *(Assets/Mods/{Your Mod Name}/preview.png)*. **It must be under 1MB.**

2. When you are ready to push your mod to Steam Workshop, click ‘**Steam Upload**’ and then ‘**Register Steam Workshop Item**’ to get an id assigned to your mod. At this point, a blank item will appear on the Workshop on your Steam account.

3. Once you have a Steam Workshop ID registered for your mod, you can enter change notes and click ‘**Publish Mod To Steam**’. This will update the Workshop item with the latest copy of the mod files and *will go live immediately.* Users of your mod will have to redownload it next time they start the game.

4. To test, navigate to Steam Workshop and search for ‘Mods’. Your mod should now be listed there, and players will be able to subscribe to it.