Steamforge Inclusivity & Modding Support Specification - wwestlake/Steamforge GitHub Wiki

Steamforge Inclusivity & Modding Support Specification

Purpose

Define the technical and structural features that support Steamforge’s goals of:

  • Thematic inclusivity
  • Player and developer modding support
  • Scalable internationalization and localization
  • Future DLC extensibility (free or monetized)

1. Thematically Neutral Lore Architecture

✅ Design Philosophy

  • No ties to real-world religions, politics, or controversial ideologies
  • Fully original calendar, mythos, factions, rituals, and terminology
  • All names and events are stored in data-driven formats (JSON, DataTables)

✅ Technical Implementation

  • FCalendarLabelRow, FItemData, FEventDefinition, etc., use arbitrary text
  • Game logic uses neutral identifiers (e.g. Ritual_003, Season_2)—display handled via localization
  • Language-specific data tables are loaded per client locale

2. Modding Support (Community & Commercial)

✅ Access Model

  • Steamforge enables mods through the Epic Mod Support system
  • Mods can:
    • Add new items, recipes, and systems
    • Extend or replace lore and calendar systems
    • Inject new levels, quests, and UIs

✅ Free or Paid Distribution

  • Mods may be released as:
    • Free extensions via Epic Mod portal
    • Paid DLC, either developer-supported or community-authored
  • Future-proofed with asset references via TSoftObjectPtr and TSubclassOf

✅ Blueprint-First Design

  • Most systems (inventory, time, item spawning) expose Blueprint hooks
  • Designers can:
    • Create items without C++
    • Add tags, properties, and visual metadata
    • Attach localized lore and tags to any data-driven object

3. Localization & Internationalization (i18n, l10n)

✅ Strategy

  • All visible content (dates, time, items, rituals, seasons) uses:
    • FText for runtime translation
    • DataTables for localizable names/descriptions
  • Date and time are computed from replicated real-time seconds, allowing full client-side styling

✅ Modder/Author Customization

  • Localization tables support multiple languages
  • Mod creators can include localized data tables with their mod package
  • Full support for:
    • Font overrides
    • Alternate calendars
    • Right-to-left formatting (Arabic/Hebrew)

4. DLC & Live Expansion Hooks

✅ Extensibility Features

  • Item, Event, Ritual, Quest, and Time systems use:
    • USTRUCT-based config formats
    • Soft class references for dynamic loading
  • Future expansions can:
    • Add entirely new item systems
    • Replace or extend calendars
    • Plug in story-driven seasonal events

✅ Monetization Readiness

  • All gameplay content is separated from core binaries
  • DLC can inject:
    • New Blueprints
    • Level assets
    • Narrative content
    • Mechanics extensions

Conclusion

Steamforge is designed to be:

  • Inclusive by design
  • Moddable by the community
  • Expandable through both developer and user-generated content
  • Ready for global deployment through scalable localization

Author: Steamforge Systems Team
Version: 1.0
Last Updated: 2025-03-28