I know that some multiplayer platforms and games implement file integrity checks to prevent malicious code or cheats disguised as mods. I’m not saying that would necessarily solve anything here (we know how easy it is to hide mods in 0 A.D.), but I also don’t have enough knowledge to take a strong position on it. I was mostly wondering whether removing it could introduce other problems. Your explanation helps clarify the situation. My original comment was more about the idea that this feels like a solution that lets modders skip some basic precautions, rather than addressing a real engine issue. I understand that this can be somewhat subjective.   I see. The point I was trying to illustrate is that, regardless of where the mod is downloaded from, its correct functioning depends on it being distributed properly: the same file structure across all download sources, and the correct download link in the case of git. Not through Code -> Download ZIP, but by creating a release that appears on the right side of the repository page. Also, if I remember correctly, this caused issues with Feldmap in the past when different versions were used, resulting in OOS. Not trying to make a big issue out of this. Thanks for the explanation!

And for completeness sake here is the announcement post the banner links to (for everybody who stumbles over this thread after the banner is gone):   

I was the one who improved the AI's eco and the army size hehe I hope it's not too hard for new players 

Thank you, it worked!

There is always a solution to still make it work, despite the path checking. But good UX is generally about making things simple, resilient (can adapt to a variety of users with a variety of technical level), and not add unnecessary complexity. Why do you think we should keep the path checking? What is it useful for? Note that in the examples I give, I pretend like files after the folder where is the mod.json matters but actually it doesn't, yet anyways..   Community mod was downloaded probably exclusively on mod.io I think. As for Feldmap, it is marked "compatible" for convenience although it's obviously technically incompatible.   Can't agree more.