ModdingKit

A collection of reconstructed Astroneer proxy blueprints and source files used for creating custom mod blueprints that interact with elements of the game itself. It is not a perfect solution, but it gets the job done.

Install Unreal Engine

Install Unreal Engine version 4.23.1

You will be prompted to also install Visual Studio 2017. When you do you also need to install "Visual c++ tools for CMake and Linux" or you will later encounter a misleading "ERROR: Visual Studio 2017 requires the Universal CRT to be installed."

Create a new mod project

Create a new unreal engine project for your mod. Make a blank project with no starter material. If you can, avoid using a path or project name with spaces in it.

Copy the Content and Source folders from the modding kit into the root directory of your project - the same folder that contains the .uproject file.

The blueprint files will not open yet in the unreal editor. They need the proxy source files to be built first.

Close unreal editor. In windows explorer right click on the .uproject file and select "Generate Visual Studio project files".

Open the generated visual studio .sln and build it.

Open the .uproject file in a text editor and add a module for the built proxies. It should look like this:

{
	"FileVersion": 3,
	"EngineAssociation": "4.23",
	"Category": "",
	"Description": "",
	"Modules": [
		{
			"Name": "Astro",
			"Type": "Runtime",
			"LoadingPhase": "Default"
		}
	]
}

Re-open unreal engine. You should now be able to explore most of the content, including the blueprints.

Open or create Config\Windows\Engine.ini in the project folder and add the following to it:

[Core.System]
UseSeparateBulkDataFiles=False

[/Script/Engine.StreamingSettings]
s.EventDrivenLoaderEnabled=False

Cook and package a mod

The following examples use unreal engine installed in E:\Unreal\UE_4.23 and an unreal engine project E:\AstroneerMods\ExampleProject\ExampleProject.uproject. Most unreal engine commands require absolute paths to work. Replace E:\AstroneerMods\ExampleProject with the path to your project and ExampleProject with the name of your project.

These examples cook and package the Content/Examples/TrashCanMod

Metadata and packaging list

Create a metadata file to describe your mod to AstroModLoader.

{
    "name": "TrashCan Example Build",
    "mod_id": "TrashCanExampleBuild",
    "description": "Adds a trash can to the game which destroys all items placed into it.",
    "author": "Originally Atenfyr",
    "version": "0.1.0",
    "sync": "serverclient",
    "homepage": "https://atenfyr.com/astromods",
    "item_list_entries": {
        "/Game/Items/ItemTypes/MasterItemList": {
            "ItemTypes": [
                "/Game/Examples/TrashCanMod/TrashCan_IT"
            ]
        },
        "/Game/Components_Small/Printer_Breadboards_T1": {
            "PrinterComponent.Blueprints": [
                "/Game/Examples/TrashCanMod/TrashCan_BP"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Save it in the root project folder as metadata.json

Create an UnrealPak response file that lists what should be included in the .pak file. It includes all the cooked files under Content/Examples/TrashCanMod and the metadata.json file. The ../../../ are an unreal engine quirk, and do not depend on where your project is.

"E:\AstroneerMods\ExampleProject\Saved\Cooked\WindowsNoEditor\ExampleProject\Content\Examples\TrashCanMod\*.*" "../../../Astro/Content/Examples/TrashCanMod/*.*" -compress
"E:\AstroneerMods\ExampleProject\metadata.json" "../../../metadata.json" -compress

Save it in the root project folder as paklist.txt

UnrealPak can move but not rename files, so if you need metadata.json files for more than one mod in your project you will need to organize them in separate folders.

Cooking and packaging batch file

Create a batch file to cook and package your mod. Change the PROJECTPATH, PROJECTNAME, MOD_ID, and VERSION to match your mod. Change MODCONTENTPATH to the folder that contains all of your mod's content.

set PROJECTROOT=E:\AstroneerMods\ExampleProject
set PROJECTNAME=ExampleProject
set MODCONTENTPATH=Content\Examples\TrashCanMod

set MOD_ID=TrashCanExampleBuild
set VERSION=0.1.0

set UE_PATH=E:\Unreal\UE_4.23

set PAKLIST="%PROJECTROOT%\paklist.txt"
set PROJECTFILE="%PROJECTROOT%\%PROJECTNAME%.uproject"
set PAKFILE="%PROJECTROOT%\Build\000-%MOD_ID%-%VERSION%_P.pak"

"%UE_PATH%\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UE4Editor-Cmd.exe" %PROJECTFILE% -run=Cook^
 -TargetPlatform=WindowsNoEditor^
 -CookDir="%PROJECTROOT%\%MODCONTENTPATH%"^
 -skipeditorcontent -fileopenlog^
 -unversioned -ini:Game:[/Script/UnrealEd.ProjectPackagingSettings]:BlueprintNativizationMethod=Disabled^
 -abslog="%PROJECTROOT%\Saved\Logs\manualcook.txt" -stdout -unattended -NoLogTimes -UTF8Output

"%UE_PATH%\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UnrealPak.exe" %PAKFILE% -create=%PAKLIST% -compress

"%UE_PATH%\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UnrealPak.exe" %PAKFILE% -List

Run the batch file to cook and package your mod. The final listing of package contents for the trash can mod should look simmilar to this:

LogPakFile: Display: Using command line for crypto configuration
LogPakFile: Display: Added 0 entries to add to pak file.
LogPakFile: Display: Mount point ../../../
LogPakFile: Display: "Astro/Content/Examples/TrashCanMod/Materials/M_TrashCan.uasset" offset: 0, size: 28696 bytes, sha1: 03BF3404E2F1439525EEBA9DDC34E3B793D8A531, compression: Zlib.
LogPakFile: Display: "Astro/Content/Examples/TrashCanMod/Models/trashcan.uasset" offset: 28769, size: 74336 bytes, sha1: D74CFE945A2CECCCF244FA4F73ABE8C101ADEE48, compression: Zlib.
LogPakFile: Display: "Astro/Content/Examples/TrashCanMod/Models/trashcan_Catalog.uasset" offset: 103210, size: 73870 bytes, sha1: 836FEFCE937EDC6C22E64C4D739F70400A2950C6, compression: Zlib.
LogPakFile: Display: "Astro/Content/Examples/TrashCanMod/TrashCan_BP.uasset" offset: 177185, size: 2954 bytes, sha1: B7C4C287E9371F1ECB8CC6A8CE58AA349E83AD0D, compression: Zlib.
LogPakFile: Display: "Astro/Content/Examples/TrashCanMod/TrashCan_IT.uasset" offset: 180212, size: 1493 bytes, sha1: 38F04CAB736FD06A7FD6F2F73A43A5AE93940ABA, compression: Zlib.
LogPakFile: Display: "Astro/Content/Examples/TrashCanMod/TrashCanSlot.uasset" offset: 181778, size: 2839 bytes, sha1: AE92403C7BBA41A4355DD332618C2C7EFC603942, compression: Zlib.
LogPakFile: Display: "metadata.json" offset: 184690, size: 328 bytes, sha1: 634F44F4756BCA22465DB559211C01598522475B, compression: Zlib.
LogPakFile: Display: 7 files (184516 bytes), (0 filtered bytes).
LogPakFile: Display: Unreal pak executed in 0.001545 seconds

Test the mod

Install the built mod package located in E:\AstroneerMods\ExampleProject\Build\ with AstroModLoader and try out the mod.