The 7D2D Mod Launcher - A Mod Launcher for 7 Days to Die

[DreamSmith]

All of the Valmod Expansion and Valmod Overhaul that are "with Big Backpack" with and without CompoPack crash out when launching 7dtd. We tried clean install of 7dtd, and even used the advanced option to make unique clean installs of the mods. The issue appeared when Valmar updated to version 4.4 of his overhaul/expansion, all Big Backpack versions fail to launch 7dtd.

 

Here are logs for refreshing "7DaystoMod/Valmod Overhaul" and "7DaystoMod/Valmod Overhaul with Big Backpacks"

 

http://pastebin.com/kbeiQvaR

 

using Vanilla XMLs I can manually install Valmod Overhaul and Big Backpacks successfully.

Issue continues with the CompoPack, but not MegaCity as MegaCity does not have the Big Backpack variants.

[sphereii]

Thanks! I found the issue. Valmar had re-structured his folders, and I fixed the filters to compensate.

 

Restart the Launcher to get the new filters. You'll have to Delete Mod, and re-install it, since the Server DLL got installed.

[Death2gnomes]

I was looking for a simple mod changer so i can play different mods for both SP and server play. This Application (V1.0.2.0) is nice but extremely confusing at first. I cant seem to successfully launch the game with any mod causing blank screen also cant launch the game without any mods installed without being forced to do a fresh install from Steam.

 

a few other notes:

 

-no "favorites" ability, right click "Add to My Mods" is not the same thing nor does it actually copy the mod to your My Mods.

-tried to find out the latest version on the external website but doesnt give any dates when the last update was, cant determine if this is the cause of my blank screen or not.

-Blank screen when launching any mod.

-Cant just uninstall a mod, it ruins the steam install, so you have to delete everything and re-download the game again.

-Purge game files deletes the everything including the game install. kinds stupid with Steam since you have to right click-delete local content to get Steam to re-install the game.

-Help file is ... confusing.

 

What I'd like to see:

-My Fav Mods list, not the same as My Mods, Im not modding anything or changing any mods, its a bookmark adding to a bookmark list.

-expandable description windows, ability to change its size.

-a warning that when "Purging" Steam will not automatically re-install files.

-change the "Pick a 7 Days to Die game folder to play a mod with" to something like "Pick the folder with the 7dtd executable". If thats not the intent here make it clearer what this folder pointer is supposed to point to if its not pointing to the pointed folder for the pointed file. (LOL)

-I changed my installation folders to another HDD (Who doesnt?), does this mean the Launch with Steam wont work now? so tooltip="This is not valid Steam folder..."

-Enable EAC should add "if server requires it"? If this isnt check does that mean its disabled in the game? Maybe even make on a per-Mod isntead of global (as it appears). [EDIT: It shows properly in Advanced but not Simple ? ]

-Validadate Game Files From Steam doesnt actually check the files so it launches the game instead??? Intended purpose seems broken so just remove it.

-font sizing.

-ability to indicate whether a mod is for SP or MP games.

 

 

***

 

Happy New Year.

 

***

 

You dont have to pay attention to any of this. I just want an app that will switch between mods, one for SP one for server play. took 3 beers to post this! /cheers!

 

nothing is working... now to install anther fresh copy ... 5,6,7...I lost count now.

 

oh is there a log of everything or a way to log all actions?

Edited January 1, 2017 by Death2gnomes (see edit history)

[sphereii]

I was looking for a simple mod changer so i can play different mods for both SP and server play. This Application (V1.0.2.0) is nice but extremely confusing at first. I cant seem to successfully launch the game with any mod causing blank screen also cant launch the game without any mods installed without being forced to do a fresh install from Steam.

 

a few other notes:

 

-no "favorites" ability, right click "Add to My Mods" is not the same thing nor does it actually copy the mod to your My Mods.

-tried to find out the latest version on the external website but doesnt give any dates when the last update was, cant determine if this is the cause of my blank screen or not.

-Blank screen when launching any mod.

-Cant just uninstall a mod, it ruins the steam install, so you have to delete everything and re-download the game again.

-Purge game files deletes the everything including the game install. kinds stupid with Steam since you have to right click-delete local content to get Steam to re-install the game.

-Help file is ... confusing.

 

What I'd like to see:

-My Fav Mods list, not the same as My Mods, Im not modding anything or changing any mods, its a bookmark adding to a bookmark list.

-expandable description windows, ability to change its size.

-a warning that when "Purging" Steam will not automatically re-install files.

-change the "Pick a 7 Days to Die game folder to play a mod with" to something like "Pick the folder with the 7dtd executable". If thats not the intent here make it clearer what this folder pointer is supposed to point to if its not pointing to the pointed folder for the pointed file. (LOL)

-I changed my installation folders to another HDD (Who doesnt?), does this mean the Launch with Steam wont work now? so tooltip="This is not valid Steam folder..."

-Enable EAC should add "if server requires it"? If this isnt check does that mean its disabled in the game? Maybe even make on a per-Mod isntead of global (as it appears). [EDIT: It shows properly in Advanced but not Simple ? ]

-Validadate Game Files From Steam doesnt actually check the files so it launches the game instead??? Intended purpose seems broken so just remove it.

-font sizing.

-ability to indicate whether a mod is for SP or MP games.

 

 

***

 

Happy New Year.

 

***

 

You dont have to pay attention to any of this. I just want an app that will switch between mods, one for SP one for server play. took 3 beers to post this! /cheers!

 

nothing is working... now to install anther fresh copy ... 5,6,7...I lost count now.

 

oh is there a log of everything or a way to log all actions?

 

Hey Death3gnomes, sorry you are having trouble.

 

The app auto-updates to the latest version, so I typically don't post which version is the latest.

 

You may be interested in the Advanced mode. There's a toggle on the screen called "Simple" and "Advanced". Simple mode re-uses your existing Steam folder, attempting to swap out mods. However, Advanced mode makes a copy of your Steam folder, which isolates each mod. I think this is what you are looking for, where you can run multiple mods easily, just by simply relaunching through the Launcher.

 

Simple mode was added after Advanced Mode, and was designed with the type of gamer that is only interested in playing a single mod. Some of these mods are very indepth, and would take a long time to master.

 

Advanced mode is meant to satisfy the needs of the other types of gamers, who are interested in playing different mods, connecting to different servers, trying new things, etc.

 

Some mods modify DLLs, which will get in the way of EAC checks. This could explain why you are seeing the black screen on a few mods.

 

I only maintain a master list of available mods, and I work with the modders somewhat on what settings they want. For instance, Dawn of the New Apocalypse, adds in stallionsden's bigger backpack mod. Since this modifies the DLL, we disable EAC through the configuration.

 

Other times, I just maintain a link of where the mods are to be downloaded from, such as Spider's True Survival or Valmar's mods. In these cases, I usually don't have any idea of what files each mod adds or changes, so it's not necessarily possible for me to know if it's valid for SP only, or if MP, or even if it'll violate EAC.

 

For uninstalling mods, it's challenging. As mentioned above, files can be added, removed, and changed without me really knowing which files have changed. Nor is there a master list of files that have changed, which would be maintained by the mod creater. In the beginning, only the XML files were being changed in mods, so we could create a back up of the Config file, and just switch back. However, with more DLL modifying going on, along with SDX, a lot more files can be changed. The Launcher will actually replace any file that the modder wants changed, in order for their mod to install correctly.

 

This is why the Advanced mode exists, since it'll only install a single mod per game instance. It does take up more hard drive space, but it's a far cleaner process.

 

If you are using Advanced mode, you should not be using Launch From Steam, as this will launch the only copy of the game that Steam knows about.

 

My personal setup is as follows:

- Default Steam folder is clean, vanilla copy of the latest game.

- Using Advanced mode, I have the Destination folder set to C:\MyMods\

- Added the 7d2dmodlauncher.exe to Steam, as a non-Steam game. This allows me to use my Steam overlay in all modded games.

 

 

Under the View menu, there's a Log Files option. This will display two log files, available in the drop down box:

- The latest copy of the Launcher log file itself

- The latest copy of the output.log from the currently selected game

 

It gives you an option to Upload Log File up to pastebin, then gives you a link. You can copy and paste that link into a forum post if you'd like me to review.

 

I do test all mods in the Default list, which is available if you go to File -> Load Defaults. However, I do not do any kind of epic game play throughout, nor am I aware of all changes that a modder does on their files. Sometimes things get inadvertently broken, but a kind message to me will draw my attention to it, re-test it, and fix it, if I can.

 

I'll look over, and try to make the GUI a bit more intuitive.

 

Thanks for the feedback, and let me know if you still need help. Feel free to add me to Steam for some one-on-one help.

 

Happy New Year to you as well

[Death2gnomes]

I figured a few things out eventually last night, ugg my head still hurts from trying so hard. Advance mode was more confusing than Simple. However, now knowing your intent for Simple mode, I have to say its not so simple to understand at first glance, it still needs a clean-n-fresh Steam install to work correctly.

 

What I figured out was that with each mod you want to play requires a completely fresh clean install of the game from Steam, even after you delete local content thru Steam you have to go thru and manually delete the folder as well because steam does not delete modded folders. After you reinstall the game (Steam) you can then, using Advanced mode, make a copy, and the desired mod will install to the copied folder. Play it at this point to make sure the mod works as intended.

 

After that one mod is installed, repeat same steps, delete local content, delete the folder, reinstall game, then in 7Mod Launcher, pick another mod, copy to folder and again launch the modded game. Repeat this for every mod you want to play. At this point you should now have 2 working mods and be able to switch between them.

 

Now I dont know if this is the process you intend Sphereii, but as I said its not clear how the process works when you first look at it.

 

I did try to create a different folder to copy the game to and it didnt copy to that folder. Slim chance I might not have properly selected the folder but if you make the default pointer to use [%app path%/7DTD/ ] instead of using the underscore [%app path%/7_days_to_die/ ], that might be easier to find in file explorer. Being full of New Years cheer didnt help which might also be the reason I missed the log file in the View menu. IMO, save (replace?append?) a copy the of the log file to each mods folder each time that mod is launched. Whatever works, I'd like to know what went wrong if a mod doesnt launch or there is an error.

 

Once its figured out, its a nice tool, but the path to figure it out is a ....steep curve.

 

Do you have a group on steam? if not make one, I'd join!

 

EDIT:Oh the black screens was from not manually deleting the existing Steam install folder before using a clean-fresh Steam install

 

Edit2:just mention there is no uninstallation, do mention that how to do a clean install which includes deleting the install folder before re-installing the game.

 

edit3: if ya do a log file from each mod installed and upload from the mod page/tab/frame?? to narrow down problem mods so user can upload both, the current log file setup on a log file from within a mod. idk something like this.

Edited January 2, 2017 by Death2gnomes (see edit history)

[sphereii]

I figured a few things out eventually last night, ugg my head still hurts from trying so hard. Advance mode was more confusing than Simple. However, now knowing your intent for Simple mode, I have to say its not so simple to understand at first glance, it still needs a clean-n-fresh Steam install to work correctly.

 

What I figured out was that with each mod you want to play requires a completely fresh clean install of the game from Steam, even after you delete local content thru Steam you have to go thru and manually delete the folder as well because steam does not delete modded folders. After you reinstall the game (Steam) you can then, using Advanced mode, make a copy, and the desired mod will install to the copied folder. Play it at this point to make sure the mod works as intended.

 

After that one mod is installed, repeat same steps, delete local content, delete the folder, reinstall game, then in 7Mod Launcher, pick another mod, copy to folder and again launch the modded game. Repeat this for every mod you want to play. At this point you should now have 2 working mods and be able to switch between them.

 

Now I dont know if this is the process you intend Sphereii, but as I said its not clear how the process works when you first look at it.

 

I did try to create a different folder to copy the game to and it didnt copy to that folder. Slim chance I might not have properly selected the folder but if you make the default pointer to use [%app path%/7DTD/ ] instead of using the underscore [%app path%/7_days_to_die/ ], that might be easier to find in file explorer. Being full of New Years cheer didnt help which might also be the reason I missed the log file in the View menu. IMO, save (replace?append?) a copy the of the log file to each mods folder each time that mod is launched. Whatever works, I'd like to know what went wrong if a mod doesnt launch or there is an error.

 

Once its figured out, its a nice tool, but the path to figure it out is a ....steep curve.

 

Do you have a group on steam? if not make one, I'd join!

 

EDIT:Oh the black screens was from not manually deleting the existing Steam install folder before using a clean-fresh Steam install

 

Edit2:just mention there is no uninstallation, do mention that how to do a clean install which includes deleting the install folder before re-installing the game.

 

It's strange you had to re-validate and clean up your default steam paths after each mod install. The Launcher simply copies it, and shouldn't make any changes to it.

 

You are correct, that once a mod gets installed in the default steam path, that "re-validate" and "delete local content" through Steam does not adequately clean up the folder. This is more of a steam quirk, and why I suggest keeping the Steam path clean of any mods.

[Death2gnomes]

Yeaaa Steam has too many quirks, not just for 7d2d. So I thought of another feature I'd like to see, aside from a larger play button, is an optional auto-close feature, cuz after you launch 7days you dont need really need the launcher if you're playing. We only need 1 icon on the desktop if we're using Mod Launcher.

 

Definitely need an auto-beer fix too.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Death2gnomes
typo (see edit history)

[Darkstardragon]

Something going on with launcher, game crashed this am, then couldnt start any of the modded games with the launcher?

[sphereii]

Something going on with launcher, game crashed this am, then couldnt start any of the modded games with the launcher?

 

Would you mind posting the logs, both from the Launcher and a modded game that crashed? This is available through the View -> Log Files.

 

I was able to launcher a few mods this morning.

[Darkstardragon]

np now, seems like a one time thing, working fine today

[sphereii]

np now, seems like a one time thing, working fine today

 

Hmm weird. Let me know if it happens again. The Launcher itself needs the Microsoft Azure system to be up, as well as github, which are both reliable. I have seen some people run into issues with mediafire.com leaks messing up sometimes, causing the downloads to be corrupted. Most mods are hosted on github though.

[naterz98]

First of brilliant mod. Secondly a quick question. I have downloaded your launcher and selected the True Survival Mod to play with. If I want to start another save game with Valmod how would I do that and not have it affect my True Survivor save game?

[sphereii]

First of brilliant mod. Secondly a quick question. I have downloaded your launcher and selected the True Survival Mod to play with. If I want to start another save game with Valmod how would I do that and not have it affect my True Survivor save game?

 

Are you using Advanced mode? If so, then you can just select which of Valmar's many mods you want to play, and the Launcher will make an extra copy of the game, with only that mod. Then you can switch back and forth easily.

[Death2gnomes]

dont forget you need a virgin copy with each mod you use, I had to learn the hard way.

[sphereii]

dont forget you need a virgin copy with each mod you use, I had to learn the hard way.

 

This is usually accomplished by keeping you Steam copy just vanilla, with no mods ever added to it

 

But if you had previous mods installed on your Steam copy, you would have to delete, and re-sync with Steam first.

[mele1231]

Question(s)! your launcher is superb gamer tool Sphereii

 

Hi Sphereii,

I am attempting to put together a modded server at gameservers.com that utilizes your launcher though I am very much a stranger to properly placing computer files across a number of utilities/services unfortunately.

I have read many of the discussions around your launcher and before I can really begin I am hoping to confirm if there are specific server hosts (bluefang, gameservers, etc) that may be better suited to use your launcher and other mods? Or am okay to proceed with modding the server file(s) directly via ftp-tool site? I fortunately modded both my game files and the server with success, now my issue is that player(s) with 32bit are having issues with getting the new UI interface to display properly --> suggestions anyone???

 

I've been playing 7d2d since the radar was on the UI with 7 (and counting) friends and family joining in along the almost 1300 hours of gameplay - I certainly figure its time to enhance this excellent game if I can!

 

Any direction you can pass someone (me) that has very little file modding experience would be most appreciated.

 

Best Regards

 

PS I have full intentions of completing donations to you and others that have added excellent tools and mods once they are in place and my peeps are able to venture back into survival mode

Edited January 22, 2017 by mele1231
progressed past (see edit history)

[sphereii]

Hey mele1231

 

The Mod Launcher doesn't really care about what server hosts you use, so you are free to go there. The Launcher is for your players, to be able to download your modded files, and have them installed, easily. It doesn't do anything with the server itself, so I may not be much help to you to get a server up and running.

 

There are a lot of great mods out there, so the choice can be a bit intimidating. If you wanted to dip your toes in, I'd suggest Valmar's Expansion mod. It adds a lot of elements to enhance the base game, and is already configured in the Launcher. It's well documented on how to get the server up and running as well.

 

I think Valmar's Expansion + Magoli's CompoPack are the most popular choices; CompoPack adds many new buildings to the mix for your explorers. This combination is also available in the Mod Launcher, so it's easy to get your players setup.

 

Once you get get use to playing with the mod, you may have your own tweaks and changes you want to do, and would be able to easily make a transition to using Valmod + your own tweaks.

 

If you want a more aggressive play challenge, you could give Spider's True Survival a spin, or StompyNZ's Bad Company, which adds bandits to the mix for extra fun. dwallorde's War of the Walker was a fun play through for me as well, and he's added many UMAs since I played last.

 

Setting up the mods on the server and clients are pretty much the same steps regardless of which mod you go with, so I'd take some time reading the forum posts above and get an idea on what your players would enjoy the most. New players may be awed at True Survival, but may not be able to make much progress.

 

For my personal preference, I worked my way up through the various mods, getting a feel for quite a few of them. Each have their perks and different spin on things. Depending on how fast your friends and family play through a world, you may be able to set up and rotate mods on a monthly schedule. For some players, the end game can be reached quickly, and players can get bored. Cycling through a new mod every month or so may keep things fresh, if your players are reaching end-game in that time.

[Death2gnomes]

any chance you can add "Launch with Steam" to the global settings and then replace the check box to something like "dont launch with steam (override)".

[sphereii]

any chance you can add "Launch with Steam" to the global settings and then replace the check box to something like "dont launch with steam (override)".

 

The "Launch with Steam" option is a bit confusing about what it does. I was going to remove it. The purpose of it was to enable the Steam Overlay for all your mods.

 

The Launch With Steam option simply does a steam://run, which will tell Steam to launch the game. However, that only works if you are using your main Steam folder for your mods. Originally, I was hopeful that I would be able to give it a path, and have Steam still launch it, providing the Steam Overlay. However, that wasn't possible.

 

The only reliable way to get the Steam Overlay was to add the Mod Launcher to Steam as a non-Steam game. Then it, and any game it launches, provides the Steam overlay. If the Launcher exists, then the Overlay may not work in the game.

 

Was there another purpose that is possible with a Launch with Steam option?

[mele1231]

Thank you very much for the reply Sphereii

 

Hey mele1231

 

The Mod Launcher doesn't really care about what server hosts you use, so you are free to go there. The Launcher is for your players, to be able to download your modded files, and have them installed, easily. It doesn't do anything with the server itself, so I may not be much help to you to get a server up and running.

 

There are a lot of great mods out there, so the choice can be a bit intimidating. If you wanted to dip your toes in, I'd suggest Valmar's Expansion mod. It adds a lot of elements to enhance the base game, and is already configured in the Launcher. It's well documented on how to get the server up and running as well.

 

I think Valmar's Expansion + Magoli's CompoPack are the most popular choices; CompoPack adds many new buildings to the mix for your explorers. This combination is also available in the Mod Launcher, so it's easy to get your players setup.

 

Once you get get use to playing with the mod, you may have your own tweaks and changes you want to do, and would be able to easily make a transition to using Valmod + your own tweaks.

 

If you want a more aggressive play challenge, you could give Spider's True Survival a spin, or StompyNZ's Bad Company, which adds bandits to the mix for extra fun. dwallorde's War of the Walker was a fun play through for me as well, and he's added many UMAs since I played last.

 

Setting up the mods on the server and clients are pretty much the same steps regardless of which mod you go with, so I'd take some time reading the forum posts above and get an idea on what your players would enjoy the most. New players may be awed at True Survival, but may not be able to make much progress.

 

For my personal preference, I worked my way up through the various mods, getting a feel for quite a few of them. Each have their perks and different spin on things. Depending on how fast your friends and family play through a world, you may be able to set up and rotate mods on a monthly schedule. For some players, the end game can be reached quickly, and players can get bored. Cycling through a new mod every month or so may keep things fresh, if your players are reaching end-game in that time.

 

I edited my original post before I realized that you had replied - thank you!

Turns out that my game is modded with ValMod BB, the server is modded with ValMod BB, but my Bro is having issues with his ValMod BB mod where the new UI is not displaying ingame (he can reach the server game and 'play' normally however the UI is all "???'s" --> could this be due to that fact that his puter is running 32bit win? (yea, we need to change that I know)

 

If this can be confirmed I would certainly have a lead on getting this fixed and back into game!

 

Kind regards & thank you again for all of your gaming community efforts!

[sphereii]

I edited my original post before I realized that you had replied - thank you!

Turns out that my game is modded with ValMod BB, the server is modded with ValMod BB, but my Bro is having issues with his ValMod BB mod where the new UI is not displaying ingame (he can reach the server game and 'play' normally however the UI is all "???'s" --> could this be due to that fact that his puter is running 32bit win? (yea, we need to change that I know)

 

If this can be confirmed I would certainly have a lead on getting this fixed and back into game!

 

Kind regards & thank you again for all of your gaming community efforts!

 

I think I've read other people experiencing the ???s in the UI. I think Valmar uses remote hosted image files. So rather than having some icons locally, they are stored on a site like imgur.com. You can look in the UI/ xml files and look for references to http://. It's possible your brother, or maybe the 32-bit version, cannot find these files remotely.

[Death2gnomes]

The "Launch with Steam" option is a bit confusing about what it does. I was going to remove it. The purpose of it was to enable the Steam Overlay for all your mods.

 

The Launch With Steam option simply does a steam://run, which will tell Steam to launch the game. However, that only works if you are using your main Steam folder for your mods. Originally, I was hopeful that I would be able to give it a path, and have Steam still launch it, providing the Steam Overlay. However, that wasn't possible.

 

The only reliable way to get the Steam Overlay was to add the Mod Launcher to Steam as a non-Steam game. Then it, and any game it launches, provides the Steam overlay. If the Launcher exists, then the Overlay may not work in the game.

 

Was there another purpose that is possible with a Launch with Steam option?

 

Thanks for the explanation, and no, I just wanted the steam overlay with each mod.

[QuakeNaked]

Hi there! Someone recommended I get this mod mgr so I can deactivate mods to join vanilla servers, without having multiple installations. Is this mod launcher good for that purpose? I don't really have the disk space for multiple installations, and I do like to use the Valmod pack, but when I play on vanilla servers, it still locks recipes, so I can't really play on vanilla servers while I have Valmod installed. I was looking for a way to unload the mod when I join vanilla servers, and load it when I play Valmod servers, but still have it active for when I play my single player games.

[sphereii]

Hi there! Someone recommended I get this mod mgr so I can deactivate mods to join vanilla servers, without having multiple installations. Is this mod launcher good for that purpose? I don't really have the disk space for multiple installations, and I do like to use the Valmod pack, but when I play on vanilla servers, it still locks recipes, so I can't really play on vanilla servers while I have Valmod installed. I was looking for a way to unload the mod when I join vanilla servers, and load it when I play Valmod servers, but still have it active for when I play my single player games.

 

Hey QuakeNaked

 

Yes, the Mod Launcher will keep separate installs for each of your mods, allowing you to play different mods for different purposes. I recommend keeping your Steam path as vanilla, so you can continue to join vanilla servers. You can use the Mod Manage to play Valmar's mods either in single player, or connecting to valmod servers.

 

The each mod folder will take about 2G of disk space (the size of the game + a bit more for the mod). You can delete and re-make a modded folder easily, to help you manage disk space better.

[jprasch]

Hi sphereii. Your mod launcher is awesome. I have been playing Spider's mod for sometime. Something happened and his mod wouldn't run for me anymore maybe due to the 15.2 update. My son applied that mod for me weeks ago. I couldn't reinstall it correctly if I tried. I was thrilled to see that you had True Survival plus other goodies on the launcher. If not for guys like you, Spider, and other modders I would have moved on from 7DTD a long time ago. I can't imagine that all the mods are compatible with each other. How can I determine which mods can be loaded together? Can I add Bad Company to True Survival or War of the Walkers? Thanks for sharing your talents.