The will 'privilege' stuff in the 'mods' folder. If you make a ZIP with this structure: ZIP > vehicles > common > yourskinfile (Which should match the name of an official file) the game will use yours instead of the default one.
Try organizing like this: yourmodname.zip/vehicles/common/yourfiles For a common skin mod, your files need to replace the game files, so the above structure might work. EDIT: I didn't notice the second page (noob mistake) where Nadeox1 has the same answer. EDIT 2: If that method didn't work, the zip might need to be named "common.zip". Hopefully not, as that would be very confusing for users, but give it a try.
Already tried that Either I'm/we're missing something, or BeamNG doesn't properly prioritize .dds files in the mods folder. Not sure if this problem is limited to skins for common.zip.
I guess we will just have to wait until a dev clarifies this. Could you possibly try to do the same thing except for a file not in common.zip? Maybe something else crazy to try would be to have a custom texture name, but also include a your own materials.cs file to redirect to your own files? At this point I'm stumped.
I uploaded my 200BX Glass Roof to the mods page and added all the required info for it, but it seems to be taking a while for it to be approved. I uploaded it on Thursday.
Will the size limit of zips be increased from the current undisclosed size to the 800 MB limit that the old forum had? I have been trying to upload my map of just under 650 MB but the forum says no
we are working on this, until then, please try to strip down the thing and remove unneeded content and use higher compression. We are working on fixing the problem of skins in .zip not overriding the default version of the file. Thats a bug of the game that will be fixed.
I don't understand the logic in all this, especially to do with skins. If a user modifies one skin file which happens to be in the "common" folder for example ( to try and comprehend what steps you are telling the user above to do ), Why would it need to be supplied in a zip? The file itself could be a tiny 100kb what's the point of zipping that? I can understand a partially modded vehicle needing to be reviewed to assess possible conflicts with the original vehicle, but a skin? A dds file that is vehicle specific, named the same as the original and replacing the original file requires these restrictions and conditions for sharing? If say a single vehicle dds file was modified it still has to be uploaded in a zip by itself?. To then install that file on the user's end in reality they would have to unzip the original vehicle from the game, backup the original dds file that will be changed by the modded file ( if the modded file is exactly the same name as the existing one ), unzip the downloaded folder copy and paste the modded file into the original vehicle's folder delete the cache for that vehicle or reassign it manually through the editor and then play the game. What if the files are named individually so they can all be stored in the vehicle folder and assigned manually through the editor? ( which is currently the way I do it ) What if I re-released about 450 skins for multiple vehicles?, obviously that would be supplied in a zip format, would one of you be personally reviewing 450 skins? Then what would I have to tell people downloading it where to put it? Would it be broken up into vehicle categories, would I need to write new pathways to make the skin work for each vehicle? What if there is multiple skins for each vehicle how does the user change from one file to the other without having to unzip the content provided or the vehicle itself? This all just raises so many new questions and creates confusion from where the old system had this beautiful simplicity to it, granted it took people a while to understand how it worked and then the teething problems of people trying to comprehend the effect the cache had when that system was introduced, on top of all that this just seems needlessly confusing and restrictive to say the least, don't get me wrong but if you guys want to change this previously simple system so drastically to the point 95% of your time will be answering questions on how the hell it's supposed to work. Whatever happened to keeping it simple? Also I have a map that has been tested by another user, edit - still can't upload it apparently because the upload file size is still too small. It is also a NEW map, not a "mod", if by mod do you refer to modded original content or any new content uploaded to the forum, i.e. is completely new content also referred to as a "mod", just looking for a clarification on this point and if you have time everything else I mentioned in this post.
We went from users replacing game files, and needing to reinstall the game to get them back, to "drop this zip in your mods folder and it works right away". Don't see how that's not simple. Mods are any content. New or a mod of default content.
So instead of "hey, back up your files" there's this whole new system.... okey dokey. So how would I need to package 450 skins then? How would multiple skins for one vehicle be used?
You have to keep in mind that there are some users that don't have PC skills. Ex. there are some people who haven't ever extracted a ZIP file before. It would just end up in frustration or confusion for them. With this way the mods folder is easily accessible and usable.
Seriously, if a user can't extract a simple zip file, I hate to say it but they have no business in trying to add a mod to a game. OK, so what about my second question, be damned if I have to make 450 individual zip files, Not gonna happen. If I upload as an archive pack would it still be approved for release to users that actually know how to open a zip and understand the simple concept of copy and paste?
I understand your 'frustation' and but had cases alike already (users with near-zero PC Skills), and that's our solution. 'Skins' do not have an official support yet, so that makes things a tad more complex. You can't have have multiple mods, for the same vehicle, to be working in a 'Download&Drop' ZIP at the moment. We need to discuss this, because the thing is that you'd need to use a feature that isn't ingame yet (Skins).
Seriously, if a modder can't make a simple batch file, I hate to say it but they have no business in trying to make a mod for the game. The new system is far, far better than the previous one, and I say this from a modding perspective. Regardless of whether it's aimed at non-technical user, it makes each mod its own little file that's easy to update, replace, delete, move, backup and everything else. There's also far more elegance to it, once you understand how it works (I'm guessing you don't). I might be coming of harsh here, but you really sound like "Argh! Change! Time to complain!".
