This is a mod folder switcher with extra tools
Contents
At it's core functionality, this is a file manager, and it has the ability to edit FS22's gameSettings.xml file to set one of your mod collections as the mod location the game reads.
One method to keep the size of a mod collection down is to use symlinks - Mod Assistant is aware of symlinks, and will treat them much like the game does - like any other mod file. Mod Assistant does not have any sort of built in sym link functions, you'll need a third party app or advanced knowledge of the command line to create them.
When doing file operations
Moveing a symlink will move the LINK DESCRIPTOR (the linked file remains unchanged)Copying a symlink will copy the ORIGINAL FILE (the linked file is duplicated)Deleteing a symlink will delete the LINK DESCRIPTOR (the linked file remains unchanged)Note that invalid links in your folders will be ignored, however a warning message will be added to the debug log.
Due to how windows handles the permission for creating symlinks, it is not currently possible for Mod Assistant to make them
Some effort has been made to produce a version of Mod Assistant in your preferred language, but as the creators only speak english, we need help on this. We accept we have an active CrowdIn project
If a mod file is named incorrectly and won't load in the game.
If a mod is not properly zipped.
If a mod is not intended for FS22 (e.g. FS19 & FS17 mods)
If a file exists that is not a mod at all
Download the installer for your platform from the Releases page - the program will install with 1-click, and auto-run when it's ready.
Builds are available for the following:
Linux and Mac: this might build under MacOS and Linux, however I lack a test machine for either, so at a minimum the assumed paths are going to be wrong. If another developer wants to track down the right paths, I'd be happy to add them.
Either download the new version and install over top, or, the program will self-update itself every time you start it (downloads silently, installs on exit)
PLEASE READ: Note about the Mod Cache: Mods are scanned and cached from disk so that this app can run as fast as possible - but the initial scanning process is in depth, and not very fast. So, be aware than when you add a folder of a lot of mods, it may take a bit of time to scan them for the first time. Mod Assistant goes out of it's way to only scan a "version" of a file once, so subsequent loads on the program will be much, much fast. If you are interested in the details of the cache, see below.
gameSettings.xml is turned off. When "--unknown--" is shown, the mod folder override is set to a folder that FSG Mod Assistant is not trackinggameSettings.xml to off and just use the default mods folder again.
This allows you to refine which parts of the collection you see. This is a simple full text search, however preceding the search string with ! will show mods that do not match the string. In this example, FS22_25DU_Trailers is still shown, even though it does not match the string, because it was selected prior to searching. This is a safety measure so you do not accidentally move, copy, or delete files you were not intending to.
SHIFT+CTRL+ACTRL+ACTRL+I
In this area you will see a list of all of the collections (folders) that you have added.
Special Note: - The Issue badge is based on all the possible issues we know about, including those that the Giants Server software reports - some of those issues are easily ignorable, and in fact do not pose a problem to a mod being included on the modhub. However, for completeness, they are displayed by Mod Assistant.
The active list is marked with a green check over the folder.
This screen allows you to keep notes on a collection, and set some of the multiplayer server details to speed things up.
Keep in mind that all of these details are stored in plain text both in mod assistant's config files, and FS 20222's files.
Double clicking or right clicking on a mod in the main window will bring up the detail window where you can see details about the mod such as the file date, file size, if it uses scripts, how many store items it has, and the mod description. If the mod is on the modhub, the most recent modhub version will appear, along with a link to open the modhub page in your default browser.
If problems or issues were found with the mod, you will also be presenting with detailed information on the issue, often with suggestions of how to fix them
The bottom section of the detail window is for developers, and contains a list of some information they may find helpful in debugging and releasing mods. This is not a replacement for the testRunner, it does not do several of the tests that are included there - however, some of the MP server warning tests are conducted that the testRunner choose to omit.
In the move and copy dialog you will see a list of the selected mods, along with a dropdown that will let you choose the destination for the files. If the file already exists at that location, you will be warned and prompted to Overwrite File?, leaving this box unchecked will ignore the file. To proceed, press the button at the bottom, to cancel simply close the popup window or press [ESC]
To toggle all the overwrite checkboxes on and off you can use CTRL+A and CTRL+SHIFT+A
In the delete dialog you will see a list of the selected mods. This is a permanent action, it directly deletes these files, bypassing the recycling bin. To proceed, press the button at the bottom, to cancel simply close the popup window or press [ESC]
This dialog is used to copy the contents of your favorite collection(s) to multiple non-favorite collections. Check the collections you with to copy to. This function will automatically overwrite files at the destination.
The lower part of the screen shows what mods were found in the favorite collection(s).
In this display, you can compare a collection to a savegame. Both savegame folders and zipped save games are supported. You can use the buttons at the top of the list to filter what is shown. Multiple buttons can be selected at once.
Special Note : Some classes of mods will almost always appear as "unused", even if they are in fact used - notable among them are mods that add the ability to buy already in-game consumables (bales, lime, fertilizer, etc) - so, when making a list of "unused" mods to deactivate, please pay special attention to what the mod does for you.
The Limit To buttons will filter the list to just those class(es) of mods. Note the total displayed is per-class, not what is in the current filtered view.
The Select in Main Window buttons will select those mods in the main window.
This screen shows you when you have the same mod in multiple collections, and if the versions of those mods match or not. If the versions differ, you can double click or right click on the mod and a resolution screen will appear
On this screen, you will be reminded of the name of the mod you are working with, and the newest detected version of it. Note that this tool can only work with fully numeric version strings (1.0.0.0 or 1.0 is fine, 1.4-beta is not). Keep in mind this only compares version numbers, not the mod files themselves - if you have edited the file, the behavior of this tool is unpredictable. (In other words, always change the version number when you edit a mod)
Check the box next to old versions of mods and press the Yes, Copy Mod(s) button to update those collections with the latest version of the mod.
To toggle all checkboxes quickly, you can use CTRL+A and CTRL+SHIFT+A
This display will let you change which collections are loaded, and open them in windows explorer if you wish. Use the arrow buttons to move a collection up, down, to the top, or bottom.
You can use the Sort Alphabetically button to quickly alpha-sort the list
This display allows you to search for a text string across all collections.
Right clicking on an entry will allow you to select a specific instance of a mod in the main window
Clicking the ... button in the upper right corner of the main window will open user preferences. Most of these are straight forward (window sizes, maximization selection, and UI language override).
This displays what is new in the current version
This option lets you set the path to the game .EXE file if it was not found automatically, so that the Launch FS22 button on the main screen works. Additionally, you can set command line parameters here.
This option lets you override where the app looks for the gameSettings.xml file. Once in a while, the app may fail to detect it automatically - this is also useful if you have multiple installs of the game.
You can use this checkbox to easily enable the in-game development controls and console commands.
If you have the LED light that came with the collectors edition, Mod Assistant can use it for some notifications.
This button lets you clean out the mod cache for the app. Under most circumstances, you will need to rarely use this - but if you have recently deleted a large number of mods, this may speed up operation of the app.
By default Mod Assistant remembers the size and placement of all of it's windows. If something goes wrong, use this button to reset to default.
Use this section to change the display language and optionally force Mod Assistant not to guess the proper language on startup.
Downloads folder to the program to easily move or copy new mods into your collections. Mod Assist is pretty smart about what is and isn't a mod, and will happily ignore anything else that might be in your Downloads folder.Please open an issue and let me know what. If it is specific to a mod, let me know where to get the mod. You can also hit CTRL+ALT+D in the app to bring up the debug log - sending that too might be a good idea.
If the app hard crashes (you'll get a popup message), the crash log can be found in (v1.2.0+ only):
C:\Users\YOU\AppData\Roaming\fsg-mod-assistant - please include crash.log and assist.log in your issue report. Thanks!
This app uses a mod cache based on mod file name, size, and date. As such, it only needs to scan a mod once. Unzipped mods, broken mods, and files that don't appear to be mods are not added to the cache. The broken mods item is important as if you have a lot of broken mods in your mod folder, it can slow down the startup of the app.
Also, be aware, that sometimes when adding a new feature, the cache may need to be re-created, making the loading time increase a great deal