Unofficial Multiple Modding Guide

A guide to installing and playing a game with multiple mods. With pictures!

This Guide

Hello to you, fellow Gnomad! Do you love playing Gnomoria with mods, but can't seem to figure out how to make multiple mods work? This guide will help make the process less confusing by taking a step-by-step approach for the lay-mads out there.


A few caveats - this may not be the best method to do this, however it is the only way I found that works. Always back up your saves. I plan on keeping this guide up-to-date, so please post any problems, suggestions, concerns, etc. politely and I'll be happy to address what I can. I am not a mod-maker, and only found this all out by a few hours of trial-and-error.

This is only a guide for how to mod Gnomoria with multiple mods subscribed through Steam, though I'm sure you could extrapolate how to do it by downloading the files using this guide as well.

This guide also does not address conflicts, crashes or bugs associated with mods altering the same files. This is only a how-to about allowing multiple mods in-game.

When using multiple mods (or any mods, really), expect crashes. Be patient, as this may require further tweaking to mod files/folders by you or the authors.

Another note: when using Multiple Mods as a folder, any updates to mods will not automatically apply. You will need to replace the files in order to see the changes.

The first section is a text-only guide and the second is almost word-for-word the same, but with pictures. Hopefully this should eliminate any uncertainty and allow you to easily find what you need. Below is a quick-reference for the key files and folders associated with multiple modding.

Hope this helps you!

KEY FILES/FOLDERS:

• 224500 - Gnomoria-associated files; found in \Steam\SteamApps\workshop\content
  
• Imported Mods - create one (or use EspEcons) in the Mods folder
  
• modmergeorder.ini - create one (or use EspEcons) in the Mods folder

How to (text only)

First things first - we need some mods to add! Head over to the Steam Workshop and subscribe to the ones you want. For the sake of this guide, I have chosen 3 mods - gcook725's Glassworks v1.01, Henx's Grand Arboretum Mod, and coolcoder9t's EspEcon v0.2. These are immediately downloaded to the following directory:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\workshop\content\224500

Navigate to the \Steam\SteamApps folder, right click 'workshop', and Open in New Window. In that new opened window, click 'content', then '224500'. The numbered folders now shown are your respective mod folders. To see which is which, click into one then open the 'settings.ini' file. Next to "Name =" is what the mod is. Remember which is which, as you may want to rename some of these copied folders later.

Leave that window as it is for now, and go over to the previous Steam\SteamApps window. Click 'common' and find 'Gnomoria'. You should now see Gnomoria's game files, with a folder labeled 'Mods'. Click into it. It should be empty.

Now we'll want to add in a mod. In this instance, we will choose coolcoder9t's EspEcon mod, as it comes with a template for multiple modding. If you don't want to use EspEcon, you'll need to create an 'Imported Mods' folder in whichever mod you decide to make your parent mod. It should look like this: \SteamApps\common\Gnomoria\Mods\mod ID number\Imported Mods. You'll then need to create a 'modmergeorder.ini', then write in which mods you'd like to add. To create the ini, right-click to create a new text file (or open Notepad), then save it as 'modmergeorder.ini'.

For now, we'll continue using EspEcon as our parent mod. Find your mod folder (\SteamApps\workshop\content\224500) and right-click '526668662'. This is the EspEcon file folder. Click copy, then paste it into the 'Mods' folder we have open. Double-click it to navigate in.

Find the 'settings.ini' file and open it. Change the name to 'Multiple Mods'. Save and exit the notepad. Now when you click 'Advanced Settings', the mod drop-down menu will have another available mod labeled 'Multiple Mods'. This however, does not change the original mod files in their location.

As of now, the game will only load with the EspEcon mod, but we want to add more! Let's grab another mod from our downloaded mods folder (\content\224500). Let's use Glassworks, as this is what most people will be using. Find '506402407'. This is the Glassworks mod files. Right-click it and copy the files.

Now double-click into the 'Included Mods' folder in your \Gnomoria\Mods\526668662 folder. Paste the Glassworks files into this folder. It should still have the numerical mod ID, so we're going to rename that folder the exact text from the settings.ini file. I have provided it here for easy copypasta:

Glassworks v1.0.1 (S)

Note: this name may change with updates to the mod. Be sure to check the ini file for the exact name. Alternatively, you can keep the numerical ID, but be sure to list those in your 'modmergeorder.ini'. Whatever the folder is named for each mod in your 'Imported Mods' folder is what you must list it as in your modmergeorder.ini.

Now, let's grab our final mod - Henx's Grand Arboretum Mod, labeled '532073762'. Copy and paste it into the 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Gnomoria\Mods\526668662\Included Mods' folder. Now rename the numbered folder you just added in to 'Grand Arboretum Mod', or its equivalent found in the settings.ini file.

We're almost done! Let's give the game the load order. In your 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Gnomoria\Mods\526668662\Included Mods' folder, open the 'modmergeorder.ini'. Place the following text in so it looks like this:

Glassworks v1.0.1 (S)
Grand Arboretum Mod
EspEcon part 2
Vanilla Gnomoria Files

or this, if you decided to keep the original folder names:

506402407
532073762
EspEcon part 2
Vanilla Gnomoria Files

*Note: the 'Vanilla Gnomoria Files' folder is (as far as I know) only associated with EspEcon part 2, and should be disregarded in your modmergeorder.ini if not using that mod.

Save and exit the notepad. This will have all three mods load into your game, however due to Glassworks and EspEcon both including the base files in their 'newgamesettings.xml', you will start games with double all starting items (including gnomes). To prevent this, move the additions at the end of Glassworks' newgamesettings.xml in the 'Included Mods\Glassworks v1.0.1 (S)\Data' folder to EspEcon's newgamesettings.xml (thanks to Glassworks author gcook725, see comments for more).

Now test it out! Go start a new game, click Advanced Settings, and choose 'Multiple Mods'. Load up the game. You should see some Ebony trees from the Grand Arboretum Mod (may not show on smaller maps), the workshops from Glassworks available in your build menus, and Bandages and Straw being tracked automatically by EspEcon. If they don't show up, you may need recheck that you've completed all the steps. See next section for pictures.

This method can be done using other mods, though from what I gather, expect some serious conflicts. You will get crashes with multiple modding, but a little patience will go a long way. If using other mods, be sure to select only one parent mod to be placed into your \Gnomoria\Mods folder, then create a new folder named 'Imported Mods' in there. Don't forget to change the name in the settings.ini of your parent mod, or else the drop-down menu in Advanced Settings in game will list the mod by name again (you'll see 2 instances of one mod, except one of them will be your multi-mod. For clarity, it's important to change that name).

How to (with pictures)

For the lay-gnomes out there, here is a step-by-step guide with pictures on how to mod your Gnomoria with multiple mods.

First things first - we need some mods to add! Head over to the Steam Workshop and subscribe to the ones you want. For the sake of this guide, I have chosen 3 mods - gcook725's Glassworks v1.01, Henx's Grand Arboretum Mod, and coolcoder9t's EspEcon v0.2.

Next, lets navigate to our SteamApps folder. To do so, open the file explorer (the file folder on the bottom left in Windows 8.1). Click into Local Disk C:, and then into Program Files (x86) like so.

Now navigate to Steam, then SteamApps.

Now that you're in the \Steam\SteamApps folder, right click 'workshop', and Open in New Window.

In that new opened window, click 'content', then '224500'. The numbered folders now shown are your respective mod folders - your subscribed mods.

To see which is which, click into one then open the 'settings.ini' file. Next to "Name =" is what the mod is.
Remember which is which, as you will need to rename some of these folders later.

Leave that window as it is for now, and go over to the previous Steam\SteamApps window. Click 'common' and find 'Gnomoria'. You should now see Gnomoria's game files, with a folder labeled 'Mods'. Click into it. It should be empty.

Now we'll want to add in a mod. In this instance, we will choose coolcoder9t's EspEcon mod, as it comes with a template for multiple modding. If you don't want to use EspEcon, you'll need to create an 'Imported Mods' folder in whichever mod you decide to make your parent mod. It should look like \SteamApps\common\Gnomoria\Mods\mod ID number\Imported Mods. You'll then need to create a 'modmergeorder.ini', then write in which mods you'd like to add. To create the ini, right-click to create a new text file (or open Notepad), then save it as 'modmergeorder.ini'. For now, let's continue using EspEcon's template.

Find your mod folder we just left (\SteamApps\workshop\content\224500) and right-click '526668662'. This is the EspEcon file folder. Click copy, then paste it into the 'Mods' folder we have open.

Double-click our folder we just pasted in. Find the 'settings.ini' file and open it. Change the name to 'Multiple Mods'. It should appear 'Name = Multiple Mods'. Save and exit the notepad. Now when you click 'Advanced Settings', the mod drop-down menu will have another available mod labeled 'Multiple Mods'. This however, does not change the original mod files in their location. This is good, as we should not be altering the original mod files.

As of now, the game will only load with the EspEcon mod, but we want to add more! Let's grab another mod from our downloaded mods folder (\content\224500). Let's use Glassworks, as this is what most people will be using. Find '506402407'. This is the Glassworks mod files. Right-click it and copy the files.

Now double-click into the 'Included Mods' folder in your \Gnomoria\Mods\526668662 folder. Paste the Glassworks files into this folder. Glassworks should still have the numerical mod ID when pasted in, so we're going to rename that folder the exact text from the settings.ini file.

Note: this name may change with updates to the mod. Be sure to check the ini file for the exact name. Alternatively, you can keep the numerical ID, but be sure to list those in your 'modmergeorder.ini'. Whatever the folder is named for each mod in your 'Imported Mods' folder is what you must list it as in your modmergeorder.ini.

Now, let's grab our final mod - Henx's Grand Arboretum Mod, labeled '532073762'. Copy and paste it into the 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Gnomoria\Mods\526668662\Included Mods' folder. Now rename the numbered folder to 'Grand Arboretum Mod', or its equivalent found in the settings.ini file.

We're almost done! Let's give the game the load order. In your 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Gnomoria\Mods\526668662\Included Mods' folder, open the 'modmergeorder.ini'. Place the following text in so it looks like this:

Glassworks v1.0.1 (S)
Grand Arboretum Mod
EspEcon part 2
Vanilla Gnomoria Files

or this, if you decided to keep the original folder names:

506402407
532073762
EspEcon part 2
Vanilla Gnomoria Files

Save and exit the notepad. This will have all three mods load into your game, however due to Glassworks and EspEcon both including the base files in their 'newgamesettings.xml', you will start games with double all starting items (including gnomes). To prevent this, move the additions at the end of Glassworks' newgamesettings.xml in the 'Included Mods\Glassworks v1.0.1 (S)\Data' folder to EspEcon's newgamesettings.xml (thanks to Glassworks author gcook725, see comments for more).

Now test it out! Go start a new game, click Advanced Settings, and choose 'Multiple Mods'. Load up the game! Here's what mine looked like*:

*You may not see Ebony trees on smaller maps.

This method can be done using other mods, though from what I gather, expect some serious conflicts. You will get crashes with multiple modding, but a little patience will go a long way. If using other mods, be sure to select only one parent mod to be placed into your \Gnomoria\Mods folder, then create a new folder named 'Imported Mods' in there. Don't forget to change the name in the settings.ini of your parent mod, or else the drop-down menu in Advanced Settings in game will list the mod by name again (you'll see 2 instances of one mod, except one of them will be your multi-mod. For clarity, it's important to change that name).

Known Issues

This list will be updated as more issues surface, these are just what I've run in to. Sometimes the files will merge nicely (albeit with some lag), sometimes they will not (crash-to-desktops). If they do not, the mods you've chosen simply might not be compatible. Post any incompatibilities in the comments, and I will add them to this list. Either a fix will be provided, or we will at least have a small resource to know which mods won't play nicely with each other. Don't forget to also report bugs on the forums. Fixes for the issues will be posted when they are found, with appropriate credits:

• [FIXED](Thanks to coolcoder9t, see comments for very detailed response) Double instances of workshops and items in build menus can be fixed by deleting the 'constructions.xml' located in Gnomoria\Mods\mod ID number\Included Mods\EspEcon part 2\Included Mods\Vanilla Gnomoria Files\Data\Objects folder. Now move Glassworks' 'jobsettings.xml' and 'rightclickmenusettings.xml' into your \Mods\mod ID number\Data folder. The game should now load with only one set of menu options.
  
  
• [FIXED](Thanks to coolcoder9t) If your game crashes upon clicking your Stocks tab, be sure you have the Vanilla Gnomoria Files placed in your Included Mods folder. You may also need to rename the added mods in your \Gnomoria\Mods\mod ID number\Included Mods folder back to their original numerical ID's, and do the same in your 'modmergemenu.ini'. See the text only section for a bit more detail. Note: there may still be some lag upon bringing up the Stocks menu, as any mod that includes new items will undoubtedly alter the 'stocksmenusettings.xml'.
  
  
• [FIXED](Thanks to gcook725, see comments for more) If you experience double starting items/gnomes, move the additions in the Glassworks' 'newgamesettings.xml' from the Included Mods\Glassworks v1.0.1 (S)\Data folder, and move it to EspEcon's (or what ever your parent mod is).

Valediction

I'd like to thank RoboB0b for making this awesome game; gcook725, Henx, and coolcoder9t for their excellent mods; thanks especially to coolcoder9t for including the multiple modding template files, as I would never have been able to do this without them; and everyone reading - thank you as well.

All images placed within this guide were created by the author, using GIMP and/or Paint.

For a detailed guide on all things involving your Military, check out my Unofficial Military Guide. The guide also contains a quick reference for statue (and other material) colors.

For a detailed guide on how to efficiently manage your first Spring, check out my Unofficial First Spring Checklist.

For a detailed guide on all things production, check out my Unofficial Production Guide.

If this guide helped you, rate it up for better visibility to help other Gnomads!

[X.P.M.T]

its still needed for 1.0??

[WrenCookie]

I tried my best with making Glassworks as hassle-free to manually combine with other mods! As a kind of decorative mod, I never really saw Glassworks as a major "Core Mod" or anything, so I had to plan for people wanting to merge it with other fun mods.

[cadinlamonte]

Something that is much appreciated, thank you for making it so clear. It really makes things easier when trying to make things work together.

[WrenCookie]

If Glassworks is the core mod, then it won't change anything I don't think. If it isn't, then I think it'll just show the normal "WorkshopTable" sprite instead of the glass one if a glass table is used since the vanilla workshops as they are defined in Glassworks will be ignored (except for recipes).

As a rule of thumb, with a few exceptions (such as the Workshop Tables thing) all of my mod files can be copy-pasted to the bottom of another mod's file to maintain compatibility since I keep all new and changed stuff on their own at the bottoms of their respective files.

[cadinlamonte]

Thanks for clarifying, I'll update the newgamesettings.xml deletion with a copy-paste picture. Regarding the non-commented table-snippets: what does that mean for multiple modding? Will this cause conflicts or prevent them?

[WrenCookie]

ANOTHER PRETTY BIG NOTE: All tables for workshops have a snippet added to the ends of them which renders glass tables if the material of the tables is one of the three types of glass added in Glassworks. I DID NOT comment those workshops out and redo them simply because that would be pretty much the entire workshops.xml file. Instead I added comments around the new code for each workshop.

[WrenCookie]

The way I've formatted all of my mods, it should be reletively easy to combine them with other mods. For example, instead of deleting newgamesettings.xml, you can just copy and paste everything at the bottom of Glasswork's newgamesettings.xml to the bottom of whatever core mod you want it to be. Same with rightclickmenusettings.xml.

Some xml files in Glassworks have things commented out however. This is because instead of just editing the vanilla code, I just copy-pasted it at the end and editted it so that the vanilla code would still be present in case of a conflict with another mod. This is present in jobsettings.xml -- for example -- and you can see what is added through comments.

[cadinlamonte]

Wow, this was awesome! Thank you for your responses, they were enlightening. I moved jobsettings and rightclickmenusettings.xmls and it fixed the doubled menu items, which is perfect. I'll add it into the guide.

Seriously, thanks for your incredibly detailed response. I will maintain this guide with the hopes of at least addressing conflicting issues, so we can see the boundaries of where each mod may conflict.

[Espoire]

Read from bottom up; I posted in the order they appeared in my original wall of text without realizing they'd be reversed on screen.

[Espoire]

Other thoughts:

Grand Arboretum introduces its new tree types (other than Ebony) via traders. There's no practical way to resolve this. Using them together, you're either basically downgrading Arboretum to Ebony Wood mod (if you use EspEcon as the base as in this guide), or you're not going to get any of EspEcon (if you were to use Arboretum as the base mod).

You could resolve this by adding Arboretum's vendor additions into the approprites places in EspEcon's factions.xml... but that's about 100x (not hyperbole; literally 11+ entries in 9 locations) worse than option B from above. Plus, EspEcon makes merchants have two additional scaling tiers (60+ pop and 80+ pop) which Arboretum almost certainly didn't add vendor goods for, so you'd need to invent stock amounts for those based on the pattern set by 1-45 (or just copy the one from 45 pop). It's bad. I'd be comfortable saying that EspEcon and Arboretum are fundamentally incompatible.