Heavy Iron Modding

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'''Heavy Mod Manager''' is a tool made by community member [[User:igorseabra4|igorseabra4]] using .NET 6. It is a mod manager intended to simplify the process of playing and managing mods for the GameCube and Wii version of the Heavy Iron Studios games on Dolphin. Please check the use guide below if you want to use the mod manager to play or create mods.
 
The mod manager is currently able to apply mods with file replacement, modsHIP/HOP onlymerging, game ID change (for custom save files) and other patches. The program is still under development, so manysome features are still planned.
 
==Playing mods==
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You can start playing mods on this game now! If you want to test, click on "Apply Mods" and then on "Apply + Launch Game", even if you don't have any mods installed yet. Dolphin should launch with the selected game already running.
 
If you accidenally selected the wrong ISO file, don't worry, just click on "Create Backup" again and choose the correct ISO.
 
===Installing and playing mods===
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[[File:HeavyModManager 3.png]]
 
On this window, you should type in the mod's name, creator name and an optionala short description. You can also set an optionala date/time for when the mod was created and last updated.
 
The last field, Mod ID, is an ID that is generated automatically for the mod which should be unique among all mods, by all creators, for all games (installing a mod will overwrite a mod with that ID if it already exists). It's recommended not to change this from the default text, but you can if you believe another mod might already use this ID. You cannot change a mod's Mod ID after it is created.
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===Editing a mod===
Click on Manage -> Edit Mod to open a window where you can edit the mod's metadata. Note that you cannot change an existing mod's target game or Mod ID. You can also configure additional settings for you mod under "Patches and Replacements":
 
* Game ID (Save File) - change the game ID for when your mod is applied. This allows your mod to have a unique save file.
====Removing files====
* INI Values - alter game INI entries without having to replace the entire INI.
It is possible to exclude files from a mod, meaning they will be deleted from the game's filesystem once the mod is turned on. You can do this when creating or editing a mod.
* Merge HIP Files - HIP/HOP files whose assets will be imported into the existing files instead of replacing the entire file.
* Remove Files - files which will be deleted once the mod is applied. This is useful if you created a level with all assets in the HIP and need to delete the HOP.
* DOL Patches - allows you to edit the binary of the game's executable.
 
For more information on each item, click on the "Info" buttons next to the text boxes.
 
[[File:HeavyModManager 6.png]]
 
Enter the files or folders which you want to remove, one per line. Note that you must enter the full path to the file, including folder names. In the example shown, the file "boot.hip", all the contents of the "hb" folder and the files "db01.HIP" and "db01.HOP" from the "db" folder will be deleted.
 
This is probably not necessary on most mods, as any files which are not referenced ingame will be simply ignored.
 
===Distributing mods===
Once you've set up a new mod, you might want to share it in a mod manager compatible ZIP so others can play it. To do this, simply select the mod from the list and click on Manage -> Zip Mod. This will create a mod manager compatible ZIP with your mod, which you can share with others.
 
If you want to, feel free to create the ZIP yourself by zipping the contents of the mod folder (make sure the ''mod.json'' file and ''files'' folder are on the root).
 
===Developer Mode===
Under Settings -> Developer Mode, you can turn on developer mode. This mode is meant to be used '''not''' while playing mods, but by mod developers while '''working''' on mods.
 
To understand what developer mode does, here's a bit of insight on how the mod manager works: it keeps two copies of the game's files. One of them is a backup, clean copy and the other one is the running copy, which has the mods applied and is launched on Dolphin. Every time you add, remove or reorder mods, the running copy is invalidated, which means that, when you apply the mods (by clicking on "Apply Mods" or "Apply + Launch Game"), first the backup copy is restored and overwrites the running copy, then each mod's files are copied into the running copy, in order. But, if you applyclick theon mods"Apply + Launch Game" without changing the active mod list, no action is performed. The running copy already contains the active mods, so there's no need to reapply the same mods again. ClickingDolphin onis "Applylaunched Mods" actually does nothing and clicking on "Apply + Launch Game" will simply launch the running copy of thestraight gameaway.
 
However, when Developer Mode is on, the mod files of enabled mods are copied to the running instance '''every time''' you apply the mods. This means that you can edit your mod's HIP and HOP files (the ones in the mod's folder) with Industrial Park and, when you apply the mods, your edits will be copied to the running game, regardless of if you changed the active mods. This allows you to use the mod loader to quickly preview changes on your mods without needing a completely separate copy of the game just for a mod.
 
Note that, when developer mode is on, clicking on "Apply Mods+ Launch Game" will '''not''' restore the backup copy before applying the mods. This means that, if you deactivate a mod with developer mode on, applying the mods"Apply + Launch Game" button will not actually remove the deactivated mod's files from the running instance. To restore the backup copy with Developer Mode on, click on the "Apply Mods" withbutton developeras modethat button will always restore the backup offfirst.
 
Developer mode also forces any running Dolphin instances to close when you click on "Apply + Launch Game". This means you do not need to close your running Dolphin instance before running the game, as the mod manager will do it automatically for you.
 
==Adding a game from extracted files==
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==Planned features==
Features planned for Heavy Mod Manager's future:
* DOL patching
* Save file redirection
* Automatically enabling per-mod AR or Gecko codes
* Support for managing mods on other consoles
* Automatically editing the game's INI configuration
* Support for Xbox and PS2 versions of the games
 
==External Links==
Retrieved from "https://heavyironmodding.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/9395"