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Would like to restart with a solid set of mods...Suggestions?

Started by leefordss, October 02, 2020, 08:40:58 PM

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leefordss

I've been playing Banished for a while, but took a break for a little while and when I started back up I ran into a lot of issues with the mods I had installed.  I'd like to start fresh with a new set of solid mods.  I'm looking for suggestions on how I could do this and suggestions for your favorite set of mods.  Of course, to ease frustrations, if you could provide the order for the mods, that would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks so much!

Abandoned

Since you have had problems with mods before, I would suggest that if you plan to use CC, RKEC, or The North mods that you use them separately and alone - they all have special start conditions and plenty of content.  For the least problems I recommend Kid's mods.  There are several like Fairy Tale, Swamp Thing, Wagons Ho and other, that have special start conditions - use only one mod at a time that has a special start condition.  Read download page information carefully - each mod also has a thread under Mod Discussions 107.

Good luck

Here is the system I use to organize mods

http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=3126.0

Also you can see how I select mods for a map and the load orders in my Village Blog stories.

brads3

read this to start with-http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=1790.0

Abandoned and I both have done many village blogs.  there are mod orders and some tests of different setups there.

make a list of what you think should be in the game before starting. this saves you from being overwhelmed with the many mods.we have all kinds of options.

if you run into a problem ,let us know.

Abandoned

Yes, if you have any problem with mod order, just ask. Brads3 will be able to help with that.  :)

Nilla

I agree with @Abandoned, start with one of the big mods; why not RKEd only. Explore it, it has a lot, new startconditions, different kind of houses, new production chains, the fertilizer greenhouse chain, canals, decorations.....I prefere it over CC because it's better balanced. If you want something different try the North. It's almost a different game and has some really hard options. That too is a mod that works very well alone or with a few added mods.

And you can always add mods along the way. If you've built a canal and find, here would be nice to have some house boats. Load Kid's houseboat mod. I generally do it that way and as long as you don't forget to totally exit the game after you've made the changes, it will work in most cases. And I guess, that if you get problems loading something along the way, you will have these problems when you start it like that, too.


Abandoned

Actually, I would not recommend starting with one of the big mods at all.  I recommended Kids mods for the least problems.  There are many mods that can be combined together with a lot of good basic uncomplicated variety.

It depends also on how you like to play.  For large longer playing maps you may prefer one larger mod, for smaller maps more often with different mod selection then choose Kid's.

I would also advise to use only 107 mods - the older 106 mods will cause a lot of problems since flags have been changed with Banished update.  Most of the 106 mods have been updated to 107 and can be found with the 107 downloads.

brads3

i hate to correct  NILLA, but for this player or any others that might read this post i will. adding mods that ADD ONLY can be done that way. however, there are many many mods that do more than that.the game only adds part of the mod when you do that.organizing the order and enabling the mods before starting a map does allow more of the mod to load and enhances them.

back to step #1. play the vanilla game version and make a list of what is missing or what you want to see in your games. this gives a base to start from. each player has different ideas. it is easy to get lost in the forest full of mods and forget which tree<mod> you came looking for. then start slow by adding 1 or 2 mods.

leefordss

I appreciate all the great feedback.  I do have one question
Quote from: Abandoned on October 02, 2020, 09:04:49 PM
Since you have had problems with mods before, I would suggest that if you plan to use CC, RKEC, or The North mods that you use them separately and alone

I know that the files are loaded into the WinData folder, so if I want to do the above, do I just keep the mods in a separate folder and then clear out the WinData folder and replace contents with the mods from one of these collections and then start a new map?  I'm then guessing I should name the map based off the the mods used in it?

Thanks so much!

Abandoned

I currently have 319 files in my WinData folder but I do not have CC, RKEC full, or The North.  I have those files in a separate folder and if I want to use them I move them to WinData.  I do not take other files out or rearrange my mod list.  I start the game, disable all mods, and then choose the ones I want to use for the new map.  Depending on your computer you may be able to keep the larger mods in also, just disable them.

Others have different systems and some use mod manager.

Nilla

Quote from: brads3 on October 03, 2020, 06:52:48 AM
i hate to correct  NILLA, but for this player or any others that might read this post i will. adding mods that ADD ONLY can be done that way. however, there are many many mods that do more than that.the game only adds part of the mod when you do that.organizing the order and enabling the mods before starting a map does allow more of the mod to load and enhances them.
That you must explain Brad. What do I miss when I add a mod along the way? Maybe some start condition or map variation, but that's totally uninteresting when I've already started a map. But I would never add a big mod during the game, like CC to RKEd but on the other hand I never play them together anyway.

[quote author=leefordss link=topic=3845.msg68502#msg68502 date=1601759432
I know that the files are loaded into the WinData folder, so if I want to do the above, do I just keep the mods in a separate folder and then clear out the WinData folder and replace contents with the mods from one of these collections and then start a new map?  I'm then guessing I should name the map based off the the mods used in it?

Thanks so much!
[/quote]
I would say it depends on what kind of player you are and like @Abandoned says, how good your computer is. I think we all have somehow different systems for this.

Personally I only keep a few smaller mods I use frequently in the WinData. Larger mods and mods I test or play seldom and don't use in that game, I remove before I start a new game. But I'm a player who never returns to my games after I'm done with them. I frequently delete old saves. I would not recommend to do it the way I do if you think you will return to a game after you've started a new one. I find the game loads and saves faster with fewer mods in the WinData but I often use bigger mods so with many smaller mods, I suppose it doesn't make any difference.

You don't need to name the game after the mods. If you want to switch between two games with different mods, the game finds the right mods, in the right order without your doing, as long as you keep them in the WinData.

I have a folder named "mods" where I keep mods I've downloaded. Each of the major modders have their own under-folder. That way I find what I'm looking for fast.

brads3

NILLA, answered her own question. mostly anyhow. KID has made several mods as well as the others that do have different start settings that can affect the map.  when you add a mod to a started map, the game will add buildings but many of the features of the mod won't load. there are also patches to help some mods work together,tree mods,minerals,age mods,happiness mods,etc. as NILLA said these factors are set at the map start and can not be changed after.

new players  show us mod orders,usually due to them having a crash. what i see is they have added several mods  but ordered them where some are not even working at all. take 10 mods and add a start mod toward the bottom of the list, the game skips the mod completely. so  the player intended the mod to do someting,yet it is just taking space.

this goes back to why we recommend players add mods slowly, 1 or 2 at a timie. this way they see what each mod does and have more understanding before adding many mods. it is also why i recommend making a list of what each player wants to see or add to their game. there are so many neat toys,we can fill the toy box up quickly. which 1's do we want to play with?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i agree with NILLA,only add the mods you are using to the WinData folder. make a folder to keep mods in that you download.keep these as backups and copy to the WinData folder when you use them. keeping unused mods in the WinData folder can take some of the memory.

i actually have older versions of some mods. as they are upgraded, they become larger files. sometimes the changes might not be to your liking. if you have the prior version you have the option to switch back.

Abandoned

I have some minor older versions too because I like old location on toolbar - like the first separate Tiny pieces. 

I very rarely add a mod to an map in progress.  Only at the beginning when choosing mods for a map - I start test map and add or remove - starting over each time.  When satisfied I start map for play.  Rarely after start do I add a mod or upgrade, never what I would call a major or complete mod.  I would not recommend doing so to a new player who does not know the difference.

I have no problem with 319 mods always in Windate (none of the big 3)- a slight slower load time, that's all

Goblin Girl

Quote from: leefordss on October 03, 2020, 02:10:32 PM
I know that the files are loaded into the WinData folder, so if I want to do the above, do I just keep the mods in a separate folder and then clear out the WinData folder and replace contents with the mods from one of these collections and then start a new map?  I'm then guessing I should name the map based off the the mods used in it?

Thanks so much!

I recall that someone did some testing of this and posted about it on Reddit a few years ago.  They concluded that it *can* slow your load times down if you have a bunch of disabled mods in the folder.  I don't recall what the caveats were--operating system, how much RAM, processor speed, or something else.

Personally, I like my folder clean.  So, I have all my many banished mods in their own folder on my backup hard drive.  I load them into WinData or remove them as needed. 

As for your other questions, consider what parts of the game you want to change.  Do you just want houses/schools/businesses that look different?  Or do you want new product chains, new crops, new UI, and so on?

I also agree with Abandoned that picking a few of Kid's mods is a great place to start. 


theonlywanderer

Unless you're looking for something real specific, just load up Mega Mod 8.01 from Black Liquid and you'll have tons of options that all work perfectly together.

https://www.blackliquidsoftware.com/forum/Thread-MegaMod-8-01