!! Please Note !! This modlist is currently under construction! While it is technically playable and has entered a full testing stage, I have not fully validated the balance and progression, so I fully expect there to be broken mechanics and/or bad progression somewhere. I would hide it if I could, but I need it in the portal for testing purposes. When the modlist is ready to be played, I will be deprecating this listing and uploading the real deal to a new listing with a better name. You are welcome to try this list for now, but don't expect it to work properly yet.
This is a Modlist focused on the following principles:
- Heavy preference toward adding rather than removing. However, changes/additions must not be merely complex for the sake of complexity. No "Iron plates now spoil into rust" or "I added a new resource that just gets in the way" type mods
- A mod that adds new content is given preference over a mod that alters existing content if a conflict arises
- If a powerful tool/building/incentive is added, it must have a new production chain to obtain or introduce its own separate puzzle to solve. No free powerups.
- I explicitly avoid design shortucts like Right-Angle Inserters, or space-saving mods like Factorissimo
For organization's sake, the mods are divided into the following Categories. This will eventually be subdivided into separate modpacks, one for each category.
- New Locations. As many unique planets, playable surfaces, and space connection locations as possible, with the following caveats to whether a given Mod is included:
- The New Location must be in a playable state, but doesn't have to be 'finished' (i.e. Alpha/Beta-style releases ok, but not placeholder/WIP/Abandoned).
- Planets are specifically excluded if the author's description says the planet is not playable, or otherwise advises against use.
- The New Location must not directly conflict or negatively interfere with other mods in this category
- Integration features that synergize with other planets are a positive in this context.
- This means Starcraft planets are excluded for now, as they change the entire game into an RTS due to their reliance on ERM.
- The New Location must not come at the cost of removing Vanilla Locations (i.e. Nauvis/Volcanus/Gleba/Fulgora/Aquilo and Space Platforms)
- Adding a planet to Shattered Planet is okay, as there is nothing there in Vanilla.
- The New Location must actually add something new (i.e. No "Nauvis again, but this time it's a different color" or "Nauvis+Gleba stapled together" type planets.)
- Exceptions to this are made for things like the duplicated Asteroid Belt locations in Better Planets
- Some New Locations may be excluded for personal taste/aesthetic reasons (Excessively discordant art styles,egregiously bad gameplay ideas, or obvious AI-slop)
- Some Optional Dependencies to Planet Mods are included, in this category.
In short; every planet should have something meaningful to do, but may not necessarily be balanced, or even entirely functional. In most cases, if you find a planet's content is unfun, it can just be ignored.
- Recontextualizing Vanilla Surfaces. Moderate-to-Heavy changes to Vanilla planets & space platforms to shake up existing puzzles.
- Compatibility with above-added Planet/surface mods is a must.
- Enhancing and Expanding Gameplay. Changes to Gameplay (independent of Surface), and Mechanical Changes to UI
- Beautification. Changes to UI and/or the game world to enhance the visuals and/or provide additional information.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a heavy modlist. It is not recommended to add very many other mods, especially large ones, as the mods contained in this list are pushing the engine's limits for "collision-layer" and "tile-effect" prototypes. If you add any additional mods that use either of those prototypes, you will likely encounter an error on loading. I have also added default settings changes that enforce certain specific settings to allow loading to occur without errors; simply downloading all of these mods and running them unaltered will cause crashes.
