Modding:Content Patcher

Creating Content Patcher packs

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Content Patcher is a SMAPI mod which lets you change the game's images, dialogue, data, etc without replacing XNB files. No programming is needed.

FAQs

How does it work?

With Content Patcher, you create a content pack which contains your changes and a JSON file (that's just a text format). Players install it by unzipping it into Mods, just like a SMAPI mod. Just by editing the JSON file, you can...

• replace one image file;
• make seasonal changes;
• make dialogue that changes based on the weather, date, your relationships with other NPCs, etc;
• make very specific changes (like coffee is more expensive in winter when it's snowing on the weekend);
• and much more.

Content Patcher vs XNB mods

If you're familiar with creating XNB mods, Content Patcher supports everything XNB mods supported. Here's a quick comparison:

	XNB mod	Content Patcher
easy to create	✘ need to unpack/repack files	✓ edit JSON files
easy to install	✘ different for every mod	✓ drop into Mods
easy to uninstall	✘ manually restore files	✓ remove from Mods
update checks	✘ no	✓ yes (via SMAPI)
compatibility checks	✘ no	✓ yes (via SMAPI DB)
mod compatibility	✘ very poor	(each file can only be changed by one mod)
✓ high	(mods only conflict if they edit the same part of a file)	game compatibility
✘ break in most updates	✓ only affected if the part they edited changes
easy to troubleshoot	✘ no record of changes	✓ SMAPI log + Content Patcher validation

Content Patcher vs other mods

Content Patcher supports all game assets with some very powerful features, but it's a generalist framework. More specialised frameworks might be better for specific things. You should consider whether one of these would work for you:

• Advanced Location Loader to add and edit maps.
• Custom Farming Redux to add machines.
• Custom Furniture to add furniture.
• CustomNPC to add NPCs.
• Custom Shirts to add shirts.
• Json Assets to add items and fruit trees.

[[../Tutorial Mod|Creating a Basic Mod]] →