New to PZ modding - looking for tutorial how to make items

[Minister]

Hi,

 

I'm interested in making mods for PZ and would love to start off from the easiest bit which would be making simple items, but I'm unable to find any information on how I for example could begin doing so... Could anyone pinpoint me to where I could find some simple tutorial how I can make e.g. food item?

 

Sorry if posting in wrong section, couldn't tell if it would be here or tutorial category.

Thanks!

Edited January 5, 2020 by Minister

[psykikk]

here´s my 2 cents:

 

open up the project zomboid folder on your pc. 

there you want to go to this location:

Steam\steamapps\common\ProjectZomboid\media\scripts (if it´s a steam install that is)

 

in this folder you will find the base game items and recipes, in those files:

newitems.txt

recipes.txt

 

now for the mod part (adding new stuff into the game).

it is never adviced to alter main game files. in case of an update, all your changes would be lost.

 

instead, go to this folder:

 

(main os install drive)/user/<enter your user name here>/Zomboid

 

in there, should be a /mods folder . 

 

if there´s none, simply make one. 

in there, create the following structure:

 

 

/mods-name (folder)

 

in that folder, you want

/media (folder -> all your new stuff goes in here)

a png graphics file for your mod. its not mandatory but sure is helpful if you ever want to publish your mod)

a mod.info file. 

its a basic editro based file that includes the following:

 

Quote

name=Makeshift Machetes //* name of the mod
poster=machete.png        //* link to the mod main graphic
id=MSMachete            //* the id. this is used when referring to the mod. 
description=Allows the fabrication of makeshift Machetes //* this shows a brief description what your mod is supposed to do. 

 

in the mentioned /media folder, you would need this:

structure:

/scripts (folder -> your new scripts , like items.txt or recipe.txt files go in here)

/texture (folder -> your new png item icon graphics etc go in here)

 

now down in the /scripts folder, you can create one .txt file that has all items and recipes you want to make. you COULD also separate items and recipes. this is your choice really. 

depending on complexity choose as you seem to be comfortable managing it. 

 

when it comes to the actual item properties, the original mentioned game files include almost all info, but of course we do not know (yet) what all the infos mean. 

 

I can refer you here:- 

 

 

this section is also pretty good when it comes to basic stuff. most info is still valid, other info has changed but you can easily reverse engineer thoe changes from the main game files if necessary.

 

getting past that (for example world items, building objects that can be placed and used etc etc) is a total different beast altogether though.

 

I hope this helps. 

have fun!!

Edited January 6, 2020 by psykikk

[ohgodspidersno]

I think the best thing to do is to find a mod that seems similar to what you want to do, copy it, and use that as a template for your own mod. Keep changing things in it until it is yours.

 

When it comes to programming I find that the the fastest, easiest, and most effective way to learn is to pick a goal (add a new item) and accomplish it in the laziest possible way.

 

Seriously. Copying and tweaking is how humans, and most animals, actually learn new skills and ideas.

 

If you've never programmed anything before at all, however, I recommend going through a few free interactive tutorials on code academy. It really doesn't matter which language you choose, the principals carry over between languages. That said, you should do HTML, and then either Java, JavaScript, or some version of C.

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by ohgodspidersno