Getting started.

[LetswaveaBook]

I would like to make a mod to enhance competitive play by doing simple(and conservative) stat changes and try to see what effects they have on gameplay. The first thing I would like to do is to give a civbonus to all civs that increases tower build time by 50 seconds, as it is easy to check if it works. I thought this would be the way that required the least steps. I am working on Linux mint 19(I heard that mint 20 is a good upgrade though.)

The mods that I have successfully installed are located in: /.var/app/com.play0ad.zeroad/data/0ad/mods

Then I create a directory ./.var/app/com.play0ad.zeroad/data/0ad/mods/lwb_mod for my mod and place a file mod.json containing

{
    "name": "lwb_mod",
    "version": "0.0.24",
    "label": "LwB mod",
    "description": "by LetswaveaBook",
    "dependencies": ["0ad=0.0.24"]
}

I copied this format from a maya civ mod and that mod works.

Afterwards I create a directory ./.var/app/com.play0ad.zeroad/data/0ad/mods/lwb_mod/simulation/data/technologies/civbonuses an create a file lwb_change.json containing

{
    "genericName": "MThe lwb thing.",
    "autoResearch": true,
    "description": "The lwb thing.",
    "icon": "ionic_column.png",
    "tooltip": "A lot of things.",
    "modifications": [
        { "value": "Cost/BuildTime", "add": 50 },
    ],
    "affects": ["SentryTower", "StoneTower"]
}

Then I start 0ad, enable the mod and see it does not work. Any ideas what additional steps needed to be done? I also tried to mess around by coppying the celtic build time bonus and adjusting the numbers which worked neither.

[maroder]

Try changing (first copying) the template under 0 A.D. alpha\binaries\data\mods\public\public\simulation\templates\template_structure_defensive_tower_stone.xml

<BuildTime>150</BuildTime> to <BuildTime>200</BuildTime>

[Nescio]

40 minutes ago, LetswaveaBook said:

        { "value": "Cost/BuildTime", "add": 50 },

There shouldn't be a comma after the last item in a list.

41 minutes ago, LetswaveaBook said:

Then I start 0ad, enable the mod and see it does not work. Any ideas what additional steps needed to be done?

No additional steps are necessary: the fact your mod shows up in game implies you've placed it in the correct location, which is possibly the most difficult part, since file locations can vary, depending on your operating system and installation method.

What do you mean with “see it does not work”? Do you get any errors or warnings? (And did you check and double-check your files for typos?)

[LetswaveaBook]

Thanks for your replies, even though they were not the answer to the specific problem, the were still insightful.

2 hours ago, Nescio said:

No additional steps are necessary:

That was exactly what I needed to know that I was heading in the right direction, so that a good thing to know.

In the end (after messing with root access with the command line), the issue was that I should have had /mods/lwb_mod/simulation/ while I had /mods/lwb_mod/lwb_mod/simulation/