Posted August 20, 2016
Pathfinder Update 1.2 breaks many mods - As we found with the Foundation Update you will have to only use mods that have been updated to work on this latest Pathfinder update version. The same method for getting your mods to work is outlined below.
Foundation Update 1.1 breaks many mods - also as of the first patch (1.12) for it you have to change the way you use mods and you have to have a mod that works with the Foundation Update (1.1). Once you have an updated mod follow these steps:
Look for the file DISABLEMODS.TXT and change it to a different name or delete it.
Then create a folder called MODS in your PCBANKS folder.
Move your updated mods into the GAMEDATA\PCBANKS\MODS folder
Restart the game - you will get a message telling you the game is modded then carry on as normal.
General tips on modding:
1. Always back up your save game before adding a new mod. Put that backup somewhere safe!
Saves game folder is normally in C:\User\*Your User Profile Name\AppData\Roaming\Hello Games\NMS
*The User Profile Name will be specific to you.
Also AppData may be a hidden file, so you might need to go into Folder Options and show hidden files/folders
2. Always read all the modders notes about how to install the mod, and also read through the thread of the mod to maybe get tips about potential problems etc.
3. Mod not functioning? Post a question in the mod thread where you downloaded it from. The modder may be able to help you more quickly.
4. Sometimes you need to delete the whole /SHADERCACHE folder to get a mod to work. On game restart it rebuilds this folder, so don't worry about that, but a mod might require it be built again after installing. You may also need to delete the 'Cache' folder in your save game folder.
5. Mod 'load order'. People who mod their games a lot will know that phrase right? Well it seems that even at this early stage of NMS mod development, this can be a method to solve potential mod conflicts. One example i saw in the reddit mods forum was about someone having difficulty getting the excellent Immersive Space mod to work.
The solution was to simply rename the mod .pak file to '_Zimmersivespace.pak'
The game reads load order alphabetically and numerically, so in this case putting the 'Z' in the name of the .pak file made it load last which in turn made it function with the other mods it had been conflicting with.
In general i have taken this renaming option:
_001_MOD.AsteroidsHits.pak
_002_MOD.IronAsteroidFields.pak
etc. Most mods come in the _MOD.name.pak format so adding an extra underscore then number before that is a good way to handle load order.
This is very much a trial and error process until we get good mod manager support etc.
Another solution I have seen given was to uninstall the mod, load the game, then leave the game, then re-install the mod and load your game again.
Edit: I have read some reports (not 100% confirmed yet) that some of the mods will stop functioning when the new patches/updates come from Hello Games. So try the highlighted suggestion above.
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Where to get the mods?
So far there are two main sites hosting mods for NMS and here are the links for those:
http://nomansskymods.com/
That can be a bit slow at times but seems the main/initial place that mods are being posted to.
http://www.nexusmods.com/nomanssky/
The Nexus (familiar to Bethesda gamers no doubt!) also has some mods, most coming here from that first site, but i expect to see it get it's own as time goes by. It's a 'faster' site in general.
This third link i picked from Reddit, and it is the official reddit thread for everything about modding in NMS. It is bound to have some useful info for us all:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyMods
As the main reddit thread has become increasingly negative (and had it's own recent problems!) you might want to check out this other reddit where people are more interested in enjoying the game:
https://www.reddit.com/r/nomanshigh/comments/4yhudh/nms_information_compilation
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Huge mod news! - All the game files can now be accessed by modders, even the MBIN types, so pretty much any type of mod can now be built (in theory). Info here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyMods/comments/508nwe/mbincompiler_now_supports_decompiling_recompiling/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- -----------
Mod highlight - Note: my running modlist is post #39 of this thread
Edit: this section is outdated and mods keep coming, your best bet is to go to the site you get your mods from and view the avialable mods by 'popularity' or 'downloads' to get an idea of the most popular mods.
Foundation Update 1.1 breaks many mods - also as of the first patch (1.12) for it you have to change the way you use mods and you have to have a mod that works with the Foundation Update (1.1). Once you have an updated mod follow these steps:
Look for the file DISABLEMODS.TXT and change it to a different name or delete it.
Then create a folder called MODS in your PCBANKS folder.
Move your updated mods into the GAMEDATA\PCBANKS\MODS folder
Restart the game - you will get a message telling you the game is modded then carry on as normal.
General tips on modding:
1. Always back up your save game before adding a new mod. Put that backup somewhere safe!
Saves game folder is normally in C:\User\*Your User Profile Name\AppData\Roaming\Hello Games\NMS
*The User Profile Name will be specific to you.
Also AppData may be a hidden file, so you might need to go into Folder Options and show hidden files/folders
2. Always read all the modders notes about how to install the mod, and also read through the thread of the mod to maybe get tips about potential problems etc.
3. Mod not functioning? Post a question in the mod thread where you downloaded it from. The modder may be able to help you more quickly.
4. Sometimes you need to delete the whole /SHADERCACHE folder to get a mod to work. On game restart it rebuilds this folder, so don't worry about that, but a mod might require it be built again after installing. You may also need to delete the 'Cache' folder in your save game folder.
5. Mod 'load order'. People who mod their games a lot will know that phrase right? Well it seems that even at this early stage of NMS mod development, this can be a method to solve potential mod conflicts. One example i saw in the reddit mods forum was about someone having difficulty getting the excellent Immersive Space mod to work.
The solution was to simply rename the mod .pak file to '_Zimmersivespace.pak'
The game reads load order alphabetically and numerically, so in this case putting the 'Z' in the name of the .pak file made it load last which in turn made it function with the other mods it had been conflicting with.
In general i have taken this renaming option:
_001_MOD.AsteroidsHits.pak
_002_MOD.IronAsteroidFields.pak
etc. Most mods come in the _MOD.name.pak format so adding an extra underscore then number before that is a good way to handle load order.
This is very much a trial and error process until we get good mod manager support etc.
Another solution I have seen given was to uninstall the mod, load the game, then leave the game, then re-install the mod and load your game again.
Edit: I have read some reports (not 100% confirmed yet) that some of the mods will stop functioning when the new patches/updates come from Hello Games. So try the highlighted suggestion above.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- -----------
Where to get the mods?
So far there are two main sites hosting mods for NMS and here are the links for those:
http://nomansskymods.com/
That can be a bit slow at times but seems the main/initial place that mods are being posted to.
http://www.nexusmods.com/nomanssky/
The Nexus (familiar to Bethesda gamers no doubt!) also has some mods, most coming here from that first site, but i expect to see it get it's own as time goes by. It's a 'faster' site in general.
This third link i picked from Reddit, and it is the official reddit thread for everything about modding in NMS. It is bound to have some useful info for us all:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyMods
As the main reddit thread has become increasingly negative (and had it's own recent problems!) you might want to check out this other reddit where people are more interested in enjoying the game:
https://www.reddit.com/r/nomanshigh/comments/4yhudh/nms_information_compilation
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- -----------
Huge mod news! - All the game files can now be accessed by modders, even the MBIN types, so pretty much any type of mod can now be built (in theory). Info here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyMods/comments/508nwe/mbincompiler_now_supports_decompiling_recompiling/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- -----------
Mod highlight - Note: my running modlist is post #39 of this thread
Edit: this section is outdated and mods keep coming, your best bet is to go to the site you get your mods from and view the avialable mods by 'popularity' or 'downloads' to get an idea of the most popular mods.
Post edited March 27, 2017 by ThorChild