Modding Guide

This article is updated for Update 15.

See Modding: Backwards Compatibility for info on changes from previous alpha version.

This guide will teach you how to create mods for Judgment: Apocalypse Survival Simulation.

## Current state of modding

The following can be modded in Alpha 9:

* Items & Equipment
* Crafting
* Research
* Skills
* Professions
* Scavenge locations & loot
* World Map Generator
* Texts & Localization
* Food Types
* Combat Abilities
* Enemies & loot drop

Steam Workshop integration is available.

## Basic concept

Much of Judgment's game mechanics are controlled by external data files. Mods are created by creating additional copies of these data files, which add, remove or modify elements from the built-in versions. These files are then placed inside a mod folder, together with any media files such as image files.

Read more about the Mod File Structure

For your convenience, a copy of the original configuration files is provided in the "OriginalConfigs" folder in the "Mods" directory. These files are for reference only, and modifying them will have no effect on the game.

## Getting Started

1. Start by creating a new folder for your mod, within the "Mods" folder. The "Mods" folder is located in the game's install directory.
2. Within your mod folder, create an empty text file called ModConfig.json. Do not copy the file from another mod since these files contain unique IDs. Simply create an empty text file and you can then use the mod edit tools (see Steam Workshop) to edit the mod config data such as title and description.
3. Check the data files in the "OriginalConfig" folder in the "Mods" directory, and determine which of the built-in files you wish to modify or add to (do not change files directly in the OriginalConfig folder, these are just for reference and changing them will not affect the game).
4. Create new data files with the new data or modify the built-in data. Place these data files in your mod's folder. (Be sure to read about the Mod File Structure on how to add or modify to the built-in data files)
5. Run Judgment, click the "Mods" button in the main menu, and enable your mod. Test it thoroughly.
6. Upload your mod to Steam Workshop so other players can access it.
7. Upload the mod to ModDB. Follow the Steam Workshop guide in the previous step (you can skip the actual upload step if you don't want it on Steam) to set up all the details, and then simply upload the entire folder as a zip.

## Guides

To create a community translation mod, check out Creating a Translation Mod - Step by Step.

These are the main guides that will help you modify different parts of the game. Additional guides are linked from within them, as necessary.

* Modding: Items
* Modding: Crafting Recipes
* Modding: Research
* Modding: Skills
* Modding: Professions
* Modding: Map Locations - Scavenge locations in the world map
* Modding: Food
* Modding: World Map Generation
* Modding: Combat Abilities
* Modding: Enemies
* Modding: Enemy Generation
* Modding: Other Configurations
* Modding: Localization - All texts displayed in the game. Use for supporting new languages.

## Debugging Mods

Many invalid configurations will cause the game to end as soon as it starts. The best way to debug is look for errors in the game log, located in the judgment\_Data folder in the install directory.

## Example

Bundled in the game, inside the Mods folder, there is a small demo mod that adds Aliens to Judgment. This mod adds alien resource, grenades, an alien blaster, an alien research tree and a crashed alien ship scavenge location.