Modding directions

[riinagaja]

Hi,
I have long since followed this game, but only from the recent update (and Splattercat recommendation) considered it mature enough to play. There is however a big hurdle that is keeping me, which is the 30 level cap. If the developer considers this balanced for their vision, it is fine, but since I play most RPGs with what I coincidentally always also described as the "Rags to Riches" style, I would only play in hard Ironman mode but then demand there better be actual 'riches' at the end of that torturous path. ...In form of high levels, I am talking about high levels. I love the feeling that a struggle or grind was worth it, and that you really earned your character's strength and have stories to tell.
A peculiar style, I know, which is of course why I can usually only get this game mode via modding. Currently, in Stoneshard though, I don't see it possible.

So long story short, I looked into modding Stoneshard, but a brush over recent Reddit and older modding topics seems to conclude that though the game used to be accessible through the Undertale Mod Tool, it has moved to store all real code in the .exe instead of the database (.win) with the recent patch, thus making deeper functionality modding like level limits inaccessible.

My question thus is if anyone here has either a direct idea on how to continue modding on code, or if you instead know directions to some modding forum or discord that I could ask instead.
I am a modding veteran of many games, and can handle code, so I would be able to do everything once I know how to get access at all.

[Mimung]

Hey riinagaj :)

This is the Stoneshard Discord, modders aggreate there too:

https://discord.com/invite/stoneshard

But yes afaik the modding scene is currently trying to regroup and figure out how to move on from here.

From what I can gather of what you enjoy, you will absolutely enjoy Stoneshard.

Albeit goofy, there is a save game editor you an find via google that would let you add Stat and Skillpoints without limit. It still works.

But tbh I think that wont be necessary because your character will be almost the equivalent of a god at lvl30 with a reasonable amount of purples and artefacts.

There wont be anything threatening anymore in the Gameworld when you reached that point.

*edit: as of this early access patch, mind you

[riinagaja]

Originally posted by Mimung:

Hey riinagaj :)

This is the Stoneshard Discord, modders aggreate there too:

https://discord.com/invite/stoneshard

But yes afaik the modding scene is currently trying to regroup and figure out how to move on from here.

From what I can gather of what you enjoy, you will absolutely enjoy Stoneshard.

Albeit goofy, there is a save game editor you an find via google that would let you add Stat and Skillpoints without limit. It still works.

But tbh I think that wont be necessary because your character will be almost the equivalent of a god at lvl30 with a reasonable amount of purples and artefacts.

There wont be anything threatening anymore in the Gameworld when you reached that point.

*edit: as of this early access patch, mind you

Thank you, I will look into the modding discord.

Power might be okay at level 30, but if the long grind stops too early, it would also be a problem to me. I require rewards to keep pushing. :)

[Včelí medvídek]

Originally posted by riinagaja:

Power might be okay at level 30, but if the long grind stops too early, it would also be a problem to me. I require rewards to keep pushing. :)

That exactly my case.. I like my build when it is final which comes at high levels.. but than explore top dungeons, getting artefacts etc is kinda not rewarding and feels bad if there is zero character progress. Hence only modding I ever used was Speedshard and onyl for increase level cap to 40. Kinda sad it is now not option.

It would be nice if the game allow at least some kind of continuous level grind (eg as Battle brothers where past lvl 11 you get no more perks whcih make major power of build but only very small stat updates.. but still can be grinded and progress up as you like and reward with some progress. In stoneshard points are much stronger and from all indication i doubt it would ever happen:(

[Mimung]

Yeah you are done with one run in a week, ofc depending heavily on how much time you have available atm.

Id say tho that new players may need a lot more time to become familiar with the game, at least id recommend to do so.

After u did around 4 T4s and the 3 T5s and Manticore with one arm strapped behind your back you can reroll or wait for a new update.

It just do be like that atm.
T5 purples are mostly not as game changing as say going from a normal T3 to a T4.
In fact often times T5 blues are better but rarer.
Some legendarys however turn you into a god.
And you recieve them rather quckly

[riinagaja]

Originally posted by Včelí medvídek:

Originally posted by riinagaja:

Power might be okay at level 30, but if the long grind stops too early, it would also be a problem to me. I require rewards to keep pushing. :)

That exactly my case.. I like my build when it is final which comes at high levels.. but than explore top dungeons, getting artefacts etc is kinda not rewarding and feels bad if there is zero character progress. Hence only modding I ever used was Speedshard and onyl for increase level cap to 40. Kinda sad it is now not option.

It would be nice if the game allow at least some kind of continuous level grind (eg as Battle brothers where past lvl 11 you get no more perks whcih make major power of build but only very small stat updates.. but still can be grinded and progress up as you like and reward with some progress. In stoneshard points are much stronger and from all indication i doubt it would ever happen:(

That is funny, because I was one of the early modders in Battle Brothers that made it so there are way more perks and stuff to do in the 11+ veteran levels. I also provided this with a module of my prefered playstyle, which is of course -you can guess- the solo hedge knight super difficult challenge, where you had to bite yourself through adversity to get to a now much higher power ceiling thanks to the mods.
Now there is this supermod that does it all at once, but we 'rags to riches' players got the ball rolling back then. :D

I think I see an interim solution for the leveling problem with the save editor that still works fine. Though it is not elegant, you can just reset your level back to 20 or 25 and continue gaining points this way. Of course this circumvents levels getting more expensive, and it is annoying to not be able to see your actual level. (you can still calculate it by doing 'sum of all attributes' - 52, but that is tedious)
For the moment it is enough though to get to playing this version I think.

[Včelí medvídek]

I will look on the save editor. Would not play the lvl 30 chars anyway without it so I have less fear to mess something:)

As the BB.. I jsut do not want it to be too much "cheating":p

But in last years I play legends that do it own way anyway.. still I simply found the system already satisfying as-is,

[riinagaja]

Absolutely. I too always cite the soft cap paradigm of BB as exemplary for rpgs. Grind always needs little reward at least, and this is a powerful compromise between that and devs wanting game balance.

My modding in BB was simply to be able to have that solo character get a fair fight. The game was made for team tactics, and 11 perks (and the available selection) just weren't enough for one guy to ever be able to beat the game by himself.
Legends mod has now improved on the base where you still get perks I believe every 4 levels, and every 2 if you play as solo hedge knight. Legends really absorbed all these ideas that early BB modding had seeded and made them into the ultimate bundle where I don't need any other mods anymore.