Amnesia Modloader - Application for Windows & Mac

Use the Amnesia Modloader to neatly list and display all the full conversion mods you have installed for Amnesia - The Dark Descent, and launch them with only a click!

The Modloader supports displaying extra information, launching special mods like Amnesia - The Second Dimension, automatically install custom shaders and more. It installs as a separate program and should work with practically any mod. This page explains what you need to know.

Overview

The Amnesia Modloader is an application I wrote to simplify the process of launching Amnesia mods. No longer will you need to use any .bat files or command line arguments to start a mod. It will list all the full conversion mods you have installed, place them in an intuitive table, allow you to see additional information about them, and launch one just by selecting it. Easy peasy!

This Modloader is also available to view on these platforms:

• Frictional Games forum[www.frictionalgames.com]
  
• ModDB
  
• My own website[www.buttology.net]

The Modloader will list information from the selected mod in the panel on the right if the mod creator has made it available. This includes an Author field, a Description field, a Minimum game version required and more. If available, the Modloader will also display a custom icon for each mod. The name of the mod will display regardless, because it is fetched from an existing location within the mod, so even if the mod was not made to explicitly support this Modloader, it will still work just fine without the extra details.

System Requirements

These are the specifications required to run this application.

• Microsoft Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 or 10) or Mac OS X 10.6.5 Snow Leopard or later
  
• Amnesia - The Dark Descent
  
• Whatever mods you wish to play

Download

Latest version: 1.6.6 (Windows) 1.6.1 (Mac OS X)
Due to Steam removing my links, you can grab the latest download at the Frictional Games forum instead:

Get it here (@FGF)[www.frictionalgames.com]

All versions

Keep in mind these include old versions, available for the sake of legacy. I recommend you use the latest version.

All files available at my website[buttology.net].

Changelog

February 2, 2017 - v1.6.6 - Windows

• Added support for higher DPI settings on Windows so that it doesn't look compressed.
  
• Edited how the root config is deployed so you don't have to update it for every Modloader update, but instead when I actually add something to it.

October 23, 2016 - v1.6.5 - Windows

• Added option to create a Windows shortcut to a mod to start it even quicker, in case you launch it a lot.
  
• Removed ability to patch config (since FG updated Amnesia to fix this).
  
• Moved "Use Steam" to advanced page since it's no longer important (also fixed by FG)
  
• Moved "Apply shaders" to advanced page since it doesn't need to be in your face.

October 10, 2016 - v1.6.4 - Windows

• Fixed issue with update crashing the app while offline.
  
• Added more multi-threading so that the app works a bit smoother.
  
• Greatly improved scanning speed.
  
• Added field below mod list to display scan progress/currently selected mod.
  
• Added proposed default directory for first-time start.
  
• Changed mod list font from "System" to "Consolas".

October 1, 2016 - v1.6.3 - Windows

• Added "Use Steam" checkbox to Windows version and made it work with Steam copies.
  
• Added a window to show up with a changelog when running first time after installing a new version (if you have run it before).
  
• Rearranged the options page to be like the Mac version. Includes an "Advanced" page with more settings and warnings.
  
• Added ability to check online for a newer update and then link to the forum post. Auto-check is enabled by default but can be turned off in the options.
  
• Organized internal code a lot to hopefully be easier to manage in the future.
  
• Miscellaneous bugfixes and tweaks.

April 20, 2016 - v1.6.1 - Mac release

• This update applies to the Mac version of the Modloader, as it's the first Mac release. It's slightly tweaked from the Windows version.
  
• Added "Use Steam" checkbox because Mac version is not DRM free.
  
• Added "Advanced" page in Options which includes warnings.
  
• Added warning for starting mods on the Steam copy of Amnesia (because it prompts a Steam popup).
  
• Added warning for patching mods to work with 1.3 (because due to a bug in Amnesia on Mac, mods created prior to 1.3 cannot start unless the config is updated).
  
• Packaged entire app into an application bundle, including depenencies and runtime. Acts like a native Mac application.
  
• Might contain some issues, so please report if you find anything.

March 20, 2016 - v1.6.0 - Big update

• No longer requires Java to be installed! It comes bundled with a sandboxed runtime, so download size has increased to 65MB.
  
• Comes with a simple installer which will extract the files for you. It lists in your installed programs list, can add shortcuts, and comes with uninstaller. Basically it now acts as a native Windows program.
  
• Added ability to auto-update config by disabling the warning.
  
• Minor bug fixes and edits.

March 19, 2016 - v1.5.1

• Fixed critical issue that prevented it from starting first time.
  
• Added more error handling, so that you'll know if something unexpected goes wrong.
  
• Changed shader directories to be /core/shaders instead of just /shaders. Oops, my bad.
  
• Fixed minor boundary issues in About page.

March 18, 2016 - v1.5.0

• Finally made the app responsive while searching for mods! Much smoother to use now, comes with a progressbar and cancel button.
  
• Added a sweet cache feature, which will save the last list you had open, and instantly display it upon next start. This means you only need to refresh if you've changed/added mods. Smoooth~
  
• Added button to clear the cache if needed. The cache is automatically cleared before a new is created.
  
• Some extra bug fixes.
  
• Cleaned up code a bit and organized internal content (for those who care).

March 9, 2016 – v1.4.3

• Improved and fixed several issues with the shader installation feature.
  
• General bug fixes, including a critical issue where it would not work at all for those who have changed the location of their "Documents" folder to another drive.
  
• Changed preference save directory to be within AppData instead of Documents.
  
• Added automatic installation for extracting the config file to your Amnesia config folder (this to prevent issues with the main game). Manual installation is no longer required.
  
• Added a "Warnings" dialog in the preferences, where you can disable certain warnings.
  
• Improved the About page.

June 8, 2015 – v1.4.0

• Added option to automatically install a mod’s custom shaders if it has any (experimental).
  
• Made icons anti-aliased so that they look much better, even when resized.
  
• Added CustomExecName flag for config file, so that mods which utilize it can start using their own executable.
  
• Removed icon size 16×16. It’s too small anyway. 48x is default, you can still choose 64x or 32x.
  
• Retired CustomShaders flag from config, as it will not be the determining factor whether they are installed or not (rather the existance).
  
• Edited web link to point to my website.
  
• Added ability to right click mod in the list instead of selecting and launching the standard way.
  
• Added some extra graphics in the form of icons for certain features.

February 26, 2015 - v1.3.2

• Re-wrote the GUI and some of the logic behind the application.
  
• Fixed several bugs, including failed retail launches.
  
• Added several features, including "Minimize Modloader on launch," a customized icon size for the list, and options for starting game launcher or game directly.
  
• Changed mod custom file from aml.cfg to modloader.cfg. Is still backwards compatible with aml.cfg, so no worries :)
  
• Added custom graphics for background and icon (thanks to Traggey).
  
• Removed max compatibility. It feels redundant.

August 4, 2014 - v1.1-pre

• Initial release.

Additional Information

Usage

Here's a video on what this Modloader is and how to use it.

If you prefer to read, I will cover it next.

The first time starting the application, it will open the preferences. Here you need to select which directory your game is installed in. Simply point to the folder where you can find the Amnesia executable file. You can also choose where to search for mods. You can use the same directory as the game (as this is most common), or a custom location. The rest of the options are mostly personal preference.

Once you've accepted the preferences, you may be prompted to update a config file. This will copy a file to your specified Amnesia/config directory. This file avoids issues with the main game.

Afterwards you will be presented with the main window. First time you will need to do a refresh to update the list. The application will search through your mod directory and list any mods it finds. It may list incomplete mods as well, so be wary if you're developing one.

The Preferences button will re-open the preferences.
The Open mods folder will open your file browser at the location specified in your preferences.
The Launch mod button will start the selected mod from the list. You can use the arrow to start the launcher or the game directly, or use the primary option from the preferences.
The Quit button will close the application.

Behind the scenes

This is a Java application, however it does not require Java to be installed as it comes bundled with a sandboxed runtime. The application will save its data to the location you installed it in. By default, this will be C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Amnesia Modloader as to not require administrator privileges on Windows, and within its own application bundle on Mac OS X (probably /Applications/Amnesia Modloader.app).

This application is also open-sourced, and you can find the source code here[github.com].
Feel free to look around if you're curious, and perhaps even submit proposed edits.

Credits

Please do give me any feedback you may have regarding this application. I want it to work the best I can make it, and your suggestions will be very valuable for the continued development of it. Any bug reports, feature suggestions or changes you feel will make it better are all greatly appreciated.

You can contact me in different ways. Email me at [e-mail]

Otherwise I would like to thank the following people:

• MrBehemoth [www.frictionalgames.com]for helping me beta test it prior to the 1.1-pre release!
  
• Daemian [www.frictionalgames.com]for helping with development and custom shader support.
  
• Traggey [www.frictionalgames.com]for making sweet artwork!
  
• Kreekakon [www.frictionalgames.com]and Lazzer [www.frictionalgames.com]for helping with beta testing prior to the 1.3.2 release.
  
• You [gifsound.com]for using it and helping me improve it :D

For Amnesia Mod Developers

If you are currently creating a mod for Amnesia, I would love if you added extra support for my Modloader. It only takes a minute <3

You can do this by adding 2 additional files to your mod's config folder.
The first is a config file named modloader.cfg and the second is an icon file. The config file should contain this information:

Author = Your Name
IconFile = icon.png
Description = Your Description
MinVersion = 1.2

Author - The name of the mod creator.
IconFile - The name of your accompanying icon file.
Description - Type your mod description here, similar to a custom story description. If you wish to use line breaks, use \n. If you want to use tabulators (tabbing), use \t.
MinVersion - Specify the minimum game version required to play your mod. 1.2 is the Justine update. 1.3 is the Machine For Pigs update.

Remember to place your icon file in the same folder as your modloader.cfg file. The resolution of your icon file should be 64x64 pixels, and I recommend you use the PNG format (or JPG or GIF).

Here are some advanced flags for modloader.cfg that are not required to include:

IgnoreShaders = false
CustomExecName = MyExec

IgnoreShaders - This flag can tell the Modloader to NOT install shaders even if they are found. I recommend keeping this false or excluded unless you have a reason not to. If you don't use custom shaders, this has no effect.
CustomExecName - This flag should not be included unless you know what it does. Improper use of it will have the Modloader fail at starting this mod. This flag can be used to override launching Amnesia using Amnesia.exe or Launcher.exe, and use your own executable instead. Amnesia - The Second Dimension is an example of a mod that utilizes this feature.

[Yogurt]

I really hope you fix this, this is great but this one thing is super annoying

[Yogurt]

I already tried that and nothing helped

[Mudbill]

@Yogurt Hmm, that's a shame. I wonder if it might be caused by a higher-than-100% DPI setting in Windows, since I don't recall seeing this last I tested it. Maybe you can override the DPI profile on the .exe file as a fix.

[Yogurt]

Certain settings of the menu are hidden and I cannot scroll the window downwards.

i went to set a particular graphics profile to be given universally and I cannot because I can't scroll it down to the other settings. Bruh

[Yogurt]

Certain settings of the menu are hidden and I cannot scroll the window downwards.

i went to set a particular graphics profile to be given universally and I cannot because I can't scroll it down to the other settings. Bruh

[PsyWarVeteran]

I'm aware of those "isolated" ones. In Lucy's Eyes for example can be played from its own folder as long as there are no spaces in the folder name and that folder stays in the base Amnesia directory, so it's definitely possible.

If you decide to return and create something like this, maybe even as an update to the Modloader that would be a great addition for the community.

[Mudbill]

@PsyWarVeteran Full conversion mods can be just as neat as custom stories - assuming the author knows how and implements it. That's what we call "isolated" full conversion mods. Unfortunately not everyone follow that pattern, and it causes issues. There MAY be a way to automate a fix for them, but I'm unsure how stable it would be. It may cause some things to not work, but I would have to look into it. Perhaps I will dive back in if I find the time.

[PsyWarVeteran]

Yeah, that's what I thought. It really ticks me off that custom stories can be neatly organized in their own folder but to play total conversions, which are the best mods most of the time, you have to fill / overwrite the Amnesia directory with copy & pasting.

It would be great to have a more neat way to set up and play them.

[Mudbill]

@PsyWarVeteran Unfortunately not, since the mod may reference files relative to the root folder of Amnesia, so moving it elsewhere is tricky. It might work to use a symlink though. Technically it works fine to load mods from any location, but it depends on how the author made the mod.

[PsyWarVeteran]

I think I misunderstood what the modloader does, what I was doing is specifying the Amnesia directory and the custom folder I keep my total conversions and then trying to play them. I thought it had the ability to play TCs from any folder as long as I set the path to the Amnesia folder, I guess that's not the case?