I would first like to start out by an issue with both modders and IV;
Files such as the 'Materials.txt', 'base-language.txt' and the 'grants.lua' are being loaded additively. I noticed that a lot of people didn't use this methode and I that dissappointed me because this is how we can make mods both compatible with other mods as with other Alpha's. For example:
If I wanted to make the beds cost $600 instead of the $200 I see a lot of modders copying the entire 'materials.txt'. This however means that the game will load your 'materials.txt' fully and I were to then create another mod that made the toilets cheaper I could only use one of them since that will then overwrite the other 'materials.txt'. If you make a 'materials.txt' which just contains the following the game can load multiple mods at the same time. This allows users to use a variety of mods as they choose.
Code: Select all
BEGIN Object
Name Bed
Height 2
ConstructionTime 3.00000
MoveSpeedFactor 0.500000
Toughness 30.0000
Price -600
NumSlots 2
AttachToWall true
Group StaticObject
BlockedBy Wall
BlockedBy StaticObject
BlockedBy UtilityStation
Sprite Bed
MadeOf Wood
ToolbarSprite BedToolbar
Properties StaticObject
END
The same works for the 'base-language.txt' and the 'grants.lua' although I see it being used in the 'grants.lua' often but I think a lot of modders didn't know about the possibility of this with the 'base-language.txt' and the 'materials.txt'
Now the problem with this method is that IV hasn't fully coded it yet. The 'base-language.txt' and the 'grants.lua' are loaded correctly on startup but the 'materials.txt is loaded primarily, causing the entire map to look like a concrete wall. This bug has been reported on the mantis bugtracker and I hope that this will be addressed by IV as soon as possible to make mods more compatible.
Please feel free to add to this list with tips and tricks to make Prison Architect an even more enjoyable game to the entire community!
