Installation and Usage - DW2MC/DW2ModLoader GitHub Wiki
Installing the Mod Loader is very easy, go over to the latest release and download DW2ModLoader .zip:
Then unpack the contents to your Distant Worlds 2 directory, e.g. "\Steam\steamapps\common\Distant Worlds 2".
If you also want to use the DW2Net6 launcher, you need to download and install the Desktop runtime, unless you're sure you already have at least .NET 6.0.3 installed.
Now if you run Distant Worlds 2 from anywhere, you will already be using the Mod Loader and you should be greeted with a popup window in the main menu.
What are all these files?
The following files are the main course of this package.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
DistantWorlds2.ModLoader.dll |
The mod loader and runtime mod manager. |
DistantWorlds2.exe.config |
This lets the mod loader work when not using the .NET 6 launcher. |
DW2Net6Win.exe |
The .NET 6 launcher. This runs the game under .NET 6 instead of .NET 4. |
What about the .cmd files?
These are executable scripts used to run the game under different configurations.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
DistantWorlds2-Debug.cmd |
This runs the game with the Mod Loader's debug mode enabled. |
DW2Net6Win-Debug.cmd |
This launches the .NET 6 launcher with the Mod Loader's debug mode enabled. |
DW2Net6Win-PGO.cmd |
This launches the .NET 6 launcher with Profile Guided Optimizations (PGO) enabled. |
Debug mode should only be needed if you're having problems or when debugging your own mods.
What about the .reg files?
These are registry patches used to make it easier to run the game under different configurations.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
DW2Net6Win.reg |
This sets the .NET 6 launcher to run instead of DistantWorlds2.exe by Steam/GoG/etc. |
DW2Net6Win-PGO.reg |
This sets the .NET 6 launcher w/ PGO enabled to run instead of DistantWorlds2.exe by Steam/GoG/etc. |
DW2Net6Win-Undo.reg |
This undoes what the other two change such that the normal DistantWorlds2.exe is run by Steam/GoG/etc. |
What about that .keep file in the mods directory?
The mods directory is where you will extract your modifications.
Extracting this package to your game directory just creates the directory for you.
The .keep file is empty, it just holds that directory in place for packaging purposes.
You can safely remove it if you want.