how to add mods to starbound

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Now with Steam Workshop - installing mods is as simple as hitting subscribe.
For users who use the GoG version though - you will need to do it manually or for those who prefer not to use Steam Workshop.

Mods will come either as a .pak file or will be compressed as a .zip or .rar file.
.PAK
If the mod you downloaded came as .pak file then the modder has made your life easy. All you need to do is drop the file in your mods folder.

View attachment 157104

.ZIP or .RAR
If you have a .zip or .rar file though you have a few steps. If it is a .zip file most modern operating systems can open the file without a 3rd party program. If for some reason your operating system can't you will need to download a file archiver tool such as,

Windows

7-zip - http://www.7-zip.org/download.html

Mac

KekaOsx - http://www.kekaosx.com/en/

Once you have extracted the file you need to see if it is a .pak file inside, or is it a folder.
If it is a .pak file then simply place the .pak as detailed earlier.
Now the next step is reasonably easy with a bit of common sense but also is the step where many users generally make a mistake. All you need to be wary of is where the .metadata file is located.

Correct Way to Install.

You will notice the .metadata file is in the first folder inside mods.
When you launch the game and open the mod manager you should see the mod if done properly.

Incorrect way to Install.

You will notice in the first folder there is no .metadata file. Instead it is in a folder 2 branches below the mods folder.

Because it is 2 folders down - the mod will not load properly. Remove the extra folder ( DO NOT just move the .metadata file ) shown as an example above by moving the 2nd folder directly into the mods directory. So it matches the correct format shown earlier.

If you follow the steps correctly you will have no issues installing mods.
If you need any further clarifications - I strongly suggest contacting the mod author as some mods may require different methods to install. Contact the mod author through the discussion page in the mod overview page.
Attached Files:
Last edited by a moderator: Aug 13, 2016
For a mod like "ILikeCheating," and I'm sorry if I'm asking this too much, but how do you install the "ILikeCheating" mod on a Mac?
This tutorial is for all 3 operating systems. You install the mod in exactly the same way as you would anywhere else.
Download your Ilike cheating unzip it and read this tutorial again and do accordingly.
Ilikecheating description also explains how the directory structure should look like
http://community.playstarbound.com/...ompatible-building-aid-and-item-spawner.1978/
Also to note ilikecheating mod only works for enraged koala. It will not work for upbeat giraffe.
When I put the folder in and run the game it leads to no result at all. It's just normal vanilla Starboard with not even the slightest hint of the mod. Also, I am in enraged koala.
Did you accidently unpack all 7 folders into a single folder and place that single folder into mods directory?
Because as I have said in the guide - that will cause the mod not to be read.
When I place the 7 folders into the mods directory it crashes instantly, which is my original problem.
Whats not working? His issue was different.
Starbound now uses mods in the
starbound/giraffe_storage/mods/
updated thread accordingly.
yeah i put the mods in there n start the game nothing happened
what ship mod is working now?[DOUBLEPOST=1422566723][/DOUBLEPOST]do i need to get to t3 to use the mod?

Last edited: Jan 29, 2015
..... I have no idea what your asking dude. You should contact the mod author in the discussion page.
maybe some mod doesnt work with the new update. i only can get the mega man x mod working
Seems there was a difference in installation of mods in nightly and stable.
Updated accordingly.
can you explain this in plain English? from what I understand I put the mods in a folder called mods in steamapps/common/starbound. is that true?

Donner and River Song like this.
starbound/giraffe_storage/mods
thanks mister! really clears it up!
For some reason, all of my mods are working except for one. I get a PGI, and the log gives this error:
[23:44:21.458] Error: Could not instantiate item '[willdrill, 1, {}]'. (VariantException) Improper conversion to VariantList from null
All the other mods work fine (they were all modified to work with the nightly builds), and they work with the stable version as well. What should I be looking for in troubleshooting this one?
I'll upload a zip of the mod in question.
Attached Files:
post full log after making pgi
Here's the pastebin. All I did was beam to a planet, spawn the item, then quit the game.
http://pastebin.com/1KMc5qds