About This File
Please see http://github.com/th3w1zard1/KOTORModSync for the main repo.
Please report any bugs or problems you encounter. While I test this heavily, it's difficult to find any and all problems when incorporating 200+ mod's instructions across dozens of operating systems and platform combinations. If you happen to notice something odd or out of place, please report them.
KOTORModSync is a multi-mod installer for KOTOR games that makes it easier to install and manage mods.
I usually install the Reddit mod build every year or so. The process takes about an hour and it's repetitive moving files, running tslpatcher, deleting specific files, and occasionally renaming some files. The last time I installed the modbuild I made a mistake on a single different step, 3 times in a row. Most mistakes require a full restart from the beginning. This is tedious, so I decided to create an installer creator in C# to simplify the process.
Goals
Mod creators work really hard on their mods. It's the least we can do to install them and use them, right? However, who wants to reinstall to vanilla and spend several hours reinstalling mods, just to add 1 or 2 extra mods on top of it? Other mod managers I've tried were either too difficult to configure, require significant changes to a hard-to-understand configuration file, or only provided limited functionality for defining new mods. KOTOR mods definitely can have complex dependency relationships with each other in regard to compatibility, due to the nature and age of TSLPatcher.
Usage
If you are an end user just wanting to install some mods, simply load up the instruction files provided, choose the mods you want from the left list and any options, and press 'Start main install' Watch Xuul's tutorial video here: Effortless Modding with Kotor Mod Sync: The Ultimate Guide for Star Wars KOTOR Mods (youtube.com)
If you are a mod developer, this program contains a full-blown instruction editor that'll allow you to quickly create instructions for your mod and define its compatibility with other mods. See Dependencies/Restrictions and InstallBefore/InstallAfter explanation - Pastebin.com for more information. See the video tutorial here: Creating involved instructions for KOTORModSync - YouTube
Features
- Can install the https://kotor.neocities.org/ mod builds in about 20 minutes from a vanilla install.
- Supports TSLPatching on mac/linux without wine!
- Select the individual mods you want for an install - the dependencies and incompatibilities will automatically be chosen and sorted. This means end users don't have to worry about specific instructions regarding other mods in the list.
- All the compatibility steps are handled internally by KOTORModSync and the default instructions files provided here. An end user simply can select the mods they want to install in the left list, and any customizations if they like, and simply press 'Install All' to have everything installed automatically.
- This program has a built-in GUI editor and an installer packed into one. Modbuild creators can create instructions with little to no knowledge of the format and easily share them with end users. End users can install everything from the instruction file with a simple click of a button. Edit any instructions and verify the configuration with built-in tools.
- Some support to dry run an install.
- A flexible configuration editor and parser utilizing TOML syntax. This is very user-friendly and similar to INI which TSLPatcher already uses and most modders are used to.
- Create instructions files with complex dependency structures for multiple mods, and have end users install everything exactly according to the instructions created. No more manually copying/deleting files: KOTORModSync handles all of that for your end user.
Platforms
KOTORModSync is a cross-platform 32-bit and 64-bit .NET application. It is compatible with the following operating systems:
- Windows 7 and 8: Compatible if running .NET Framework 4.6.2 or higher.
- Windows 10 and 11: Fully compatible with any Windows release.
- Linux and Mac: Fully compatible - choose one of the two that match your operating system.
Users do not need to download any additional runtimes: everything is self-contained within the application.
Linux
You may need additional X11 libraries. In order to get this working on WSL, for example, I had to install the following packages:
sudo apt install libsm6 libice6 libx11-dev libfontconfig1 libx11-6 libx11-xcb1 libxau6 libxcb1 libxdmcp6 libxcb-xkb1 libxcb-render0 libxcb-shm0 libxcb-xfixes0 libxcb-util1 libxcb-xinerama0 libxcb-randr0 libxcb-image0 libxcb-keysyms1 libxcb-sync1 libxcb-xtest0
Then you can simply run in a terminal like this:
./KOTORModSync
If you run into problems with the Linux or Mac builds, please contact me and I'll try to get a fix ready for the next release.
Credit
Snigaroo
This man saved me a countless amount of hours. I'd still be struggling through game glitches and mod-specific instructions I didn't understand. Actually, I'd probably still be on Dantooine trying to determine why I'm getting visual glitches and crashes which he solved with the one-word message 'grass'.
Cortisol
Created HoloPatcher and the PyKotor library that KOTORModSync uses to patch mods. These projects are the main reason KOTORModSync can be supported on Mac/Linux. While the PyKotor/HoloPatcher projects have had some issues, this guy was more or less available for comment if I had questions on how I could fix any remaining problems myself.
JCarter426
There were so many KOTOR-specific things to learn, without his help I'd still be trying to deserialize encapsulated resource files. His time and patience were incredibly useful to the project and this project would be impossible without him.
Testers:
Lewok from r/KOTOR
Thank you for helping test that obnoxious UAC elevation problem legacy Windows apps like TSLPatcher have.
Other notable users
Fair-Strides
Provided the perl source code of TSLPatcher on GitHub, and generally maintained the TSLPatcher project in Stoffe's absence.
Stoffe
Creator of TSLPatcher
Thank you to the entire KOTOR modding community for what you do.
KOTORModSync - Official Documentation.txt
KOTOR1_Full.tomlKOTOR2_Full.toml
KOTOR1_Spoiler_Free.tomlKOTOR2_Spoiler_Free.toml
KOTOR1_Mobile_Full.tomlKOTOR2_Mobile_Full.toml
What's New in Version v0.6.0 See changelog
Released
v0.6.0
This release focuses on allowing the user to choose the individual mods to be installed from the config. It automatically selects dependencies, and automatically deselects conflicts. We also define 'InstallBefore' and 'InstallAfter' keys that directly determine the order of install operations. Other minor bugfixes and UI improvements were added.
v0.5.03
Fix undocumented issue with ArchiveFactory library observed on the .NET Framework 4.6.2 version for win7. This issue affects the 'extract' action. If you experience this on another build (e.g. the net6 win10 or linux), this release will fix it.
v0.5.02
Fix minor issue with the archive validators
v0.5.01
Fixes a minor message box error caused by this pseudocode:
```
if ( success == InstallExitCode.SuccessfullyInstalled )
print( there was an error: success.ResultMessage)
```
v0.5.0
This is a very important release. After finishing my college .net lecture on build targets, I was able to define better build settings using RIDs and `dotnet publish` for KOTORModSync.
## What's Changed?
- Full support for Linux/Mac on NET6
- Users no longer need to pick and choose their downloads here. Just download the release matching your operating system.
- Runtimes are no longer necessary as everything is self-contained. You don't need to install NET6 manually from the Microsoft Website anymore.
- Added a 'no admin' option for Windows users: If a user does not have admin, KOTORModSync will run instructions that target child programs as if it already has admin. This is done using the environment variable `__COMPAT_LAYER=RunAsInvoker`. The problem is legacy applications such as TSLPatcher don't include an app manifest, so UAC doesn't know what permissions it requires. This causes UAC to assume it always needs admin even if it doesn't. Setting 'no admin' to true will work around that problem.
- Massive performance improvements due to the new build settings. In my NUnit tests and my own personal tests, KOTORModSync runs over 800% faster and starts in under a second.
- Significantly reduce number of files in the program directory. Most everything is self-contained into the executable.
- Reimplement Output Window: You'll find the button to open it on the right side.
### Other notable changes
- Improve contrast and brightness of the K1-Style theme. I guess my eyes are broken as I've had many reports it was much too dark.
- Improved the file validators. Still very much in beta due to the *ENORMOUS* size of the KOTOR install. It takes 20 minutes on my m.2 ssd
- Fixed the broken dropdown boxes. They now have intended functionality. (holo patcher is NOT supported yet).
- Rephrased logging and output for readability
- Fixed styling on comboboxes and checkboxes
- Progress window now shows number of components installed and the amount remaining.
### **Full Changelog**: https://github.com/th3w1zard1/KOTORModSync/compare/v0.4.9...v0.5.0
## Instructions:
Download the `.zip` that matches your operating system. Extract all contents and run.
- With version v0.6.0:
- Download