Hello Survivors!
Exciting times as Mod Tools and Steam Workshop support is making its way to Stranded: Alien Dawn! This has been highly requested by the community since Early Access launch and we are delighted to roll it out for you in update #3. We're back with a new Developer Journal with our friends from Haemimont Games to talk about the new mod tools. Let's dive right in:
Hello! Thank you for joining us for the dev journal! Could you please introduce yourself and what you do on Stranded: Alien Dawn?
Hi there, my name is Kali, I am Associate Producer of Stranded: Alien Dawn and recently main helper-slash-tester for the new update and the modding functionality.
This new update brings Mod Tools and Steam Workshop support to Stranded: Alien Dawn could you talk a bit about your approach to mod support?
With this update, we're providing the community with tools that our game designers use daily to create content such as plants, animals, devices, resources, and much more. Players will have the ability to modify many features in the game and even create their own content using the same tools. The modding environment is separate from the main game and also allows for testing of mods. We've provided both sample mods and documentation to demonstrate how some of the mod items work.
Mods can be a bit of a technical challenge to overcome – how do you think those who have previous experience with modding will be able to use the new tools?
While modding does require some technical knowledge, we believe that players with experience will understand our approach. Those who have modded our previous games will have a significant advantage, as they will be familiar with our modding environment. For those taking their first steps into modding with our editors, they will have the option to copy existing items to see how they were created for the game, and then tweak them to their liking.
Could you tell us more about the official mods you've created?
We've prepared four official mods for players to try out, which will be available on the Steam Workshop on 28 February:
We anticipate all types of mods, as players' creations have always exceeded our expectations. We can't wait to see the first mods and the creative ideas that players come up with!
Could you talk a bit about the sample mods you've been making for players to download? Anything you can share about what they contain and how they will change people's game experiences?
Our sample mods were created to showcase the editor's capabilities and provide guidance on where to start and what to include in a mod. By demonstrating how to link separate items, the samples help modders understand what is required for their mod to function properly. Additionally, the sample mods provide examples of code and how it can be incorporated into mods.
Are there things mod creators won't be able to do with the new Mod Tools?
Although the maps themselves will not be editable, players can modify everything else they see in the game, including the moons!
How can I share mods that I’ve created with my friends?
Using the Steam Workshop, players can share their mods with the community and subscribe to other players' mods.
That's all we had time for this week! We're looking forward to all the new mods you'll be making using these new Mod Tools.
Don't forget to join the Stranded: Alien Dawn Discord and you'll never miss any news! You can also follow the game on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, or join the discussions on Steam and the Frontier Forums.
On 28 February at 3:00pm GMT, the community team will be joined by developers from Haemimont Games for a live demonstration of animal taming and the new update on Twitch and YouTube. We'll see you there!
Exciting times as Mod Tools and Steam Workshop support is making its way to Stranded: Alien Dawn! This has been highly requested by the community since Early Access launch and we are delighted to roll it out for you in update #3. We're back with a new Developer Journal with our friends from Haemimont Games to talk about the new mod tools. Let's dive right in:
Hello! Thank you for joining us for the dev journal! Could you please introduce yourself and what you do on Stranded: Alien Dawn?
Hi there, my name is Kali, I am Associate Producer of Stranded: Alien Dawn and recently main helper-slash-tester for the new update and the modding functionality.
This new update brings Mod Tools and Steam Workshop support to Stranded: Alien Dawn could you talk a bit about your approach to mod support?
With this update, we're providing the community with tools that our game designers use daily to create content such as plants, animals, devices, resources, and much more. Players will have the ability to modify many features in the game and even create their own content using the same tools. The modding environment is separate from the main game and also allows for testing of mods. We've provided both sample mods and documentation to demonstrate how some of the mod items work.
Mods can be a bit of a technical challenge to overcome – how do you think those who have previous experience with modding will be able to use the new tools?
While modding does require some technical knowledge, we believe that players with experience will understand our approach. Those who have modded our previous games will have a significant advantage, as they will be familiar with our modding environment. For those taking their first steps into modding with our editors, they will have the option to copy existing items to see how they were created for the game, and then tweak them to their liking.
Could you tell us more about the official mods you've created?
We've prepared four official mods for players to try out, which will be available on the Steam Workshop on 28 February:
- Blue Moss Expedition - This mod adds a new expedition that appears at the beginning of the game, along with related story bits. The moss can then be used to make a tea that will improve your survivors' moods and help them relax. Opening this mod in the editor will let you see how resources and recipes work together, and how to create new technology for research
- Meat Plant - A new research option that unlocks a plant that grows meat, based on the barrel cactus. Now you can more easily get meat for your survivors
- Landing Pod Statue - This mod changes the starting resources by adding some stone and unlocks a statue of the landing pod that is available at the start of the game. It also shows how to import custom assets into the game. To make the process easier, we have provided a Blender scene that can be imported into the game.
- New Survivor - This mod creates a new character with specific traits and happiness factors.
We anticipate all types of mods, as players' creations have always exceeded our expectations. We can't wait to see the first mods and the creative ideas that players come up with!
Could you talk a bit about the sample mods you've been making for players to download? Anything you can share about what they contain and how they will change people's game experiences?
Our sample mods were created to showcase the editor's capabilities and provide guidance on where to start and what to include in a mod. By demonstrating how to link separate items, the samples help modders understand what is required for their mod to function properly. Additionally, the sample mods provide examples of code and how it can be incorporated into mods.
Are there things mod creators won't be able to do with the new Mod Tools?
Although the maps themselves will not be editable, players can modify everything else they see in the game, including the moons!
How can I share mods that I’ve created with my friends?
Using the Steam Workshop, players can share their mods with the community and subscribe to other players' mods.
That's all we had time for this week! We're looking forward to all the new mods you'll be making using these new Mod Tools.
Don't forget to join the Stranded: Alien Dawn Discord and you'll never miss any news! You can also follow the game on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, or join the discussions on Steam and the Frontier Forums.
On 28 February at 3:00pm GMT, the community team will be joined by developers from Haemimont Games for a live demonstration of animal taming and the new update on Twitch and YouTube. We'll see you there!
