Anatomy of a mod

A mod is a folder with an .ulmod file in it. Everything else is optional: a mod can be a single scene, a single city, a furniture pack, or a whole module as big as ul_Base.

#Where mods live

Both roots are treated exactly the same way. The shipped modules are ordinary mods; they are only listed first by default so that yours can override them. See Load order and overrides.

#The .ulmod file

One KEY: value per line. The game reads the first *.ulmod file it finds at the top of the folder.

iniMODULE_UNIQUEID: yourname_nightlife
MODULE_NAME: Nightlife Expanded
MODULE_AUTHOR: Your Name
MODULE_VERSION: 1.2.0
MODULE_CATEGORY: Gameplay
MODULE_LINK: https://example.org/nightlife
MODULE_DESCRIPTION: More to do after dark: new club scenes, bouncers, and last orders.
MODULE_REQUIREMENTS: ul_Base, ul_Health

Put a thumbnail.png next to the .ulmod file to give the mod a picture in the mod list and on the hub.

#What goes where

The game finds content in two ways, and the difference matters when you organise a big mod.

#Found by extension, anywhere in the mod

These files can sit in any subfolder you like. The game searches the whole mod for them, so organise them however reads best to you.

The folder an action sits in still means something: its name is the action's category in the action list (Actions/food/… is listed under food).

#Found in a fixed folder

These are looked up by folder name at the top of the mod.

#A typical mid-sized mod

textMods/yourname_nightlife/
├── yourname_nightlife.ulmod
├── thumbnail.png
├── Lua/
│   └── nightlife.lua          -- shared helpers, Nightlife.* settings
├── Stats/
│   └── drunkenness.ulstat
├── Actions/
│   └── nightlife/             -- category "nightlife" in the action list
│       ├── order_shot.ulaction
│       └── dance.ulaction
├── Scenes/
│   ├── bouncer.ulscene
│   └── last_orders.ulscene
├── Menu/
│   └── nightlife.lua          -- settings page in the Mods panel
└── Images/
    └── Nightlife/
        └── cocktail.png