Guide: Multiple Parallel Installations of Vintage Story

[Thorfinn]

26 minutes ago, Echo Weaver said:

OK, I have an example of a mod that doesn't work when loaded from --addModPath -- Salty's Manual Tool Crafting. It triggers the tool-crafting animation, but it doesn't actually craft the tool. Also, this mod allows sticks to be placed in the off-hand, and that also does not work.

I'll have to look and see what bugged out. Used to work.

27 minutes ago, Echo Weaver said:

Didn't you say that you only install content mods, Thorfinn?

Might have. Not exactly what I meant, though. I just run them in a VM until I'm content (which is usually forever) and/or crank the heuristics to 11.

[Echo Weaver]

14 minutes ago, Thorfinn said:

I'll have to look and see what bugged out. Used to work.

I will be beyond delighted if it turns out there's a way to get everything to work with --addModPath, so please keep me posted on anything you discover.

15 minutes ago, Thorfinn said:

Might have. Not exactly what I meant, though. I just run them in a VM until I'm content (which is usually forever) and/or crank the heuristics to 11.

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I'm usually not that cautious, but it's smart.

[Dilan Rona]

On 9/21/2025 at 4:34 PM, Echo Weaver said:

OK, I have an example of a mod that doesn't work when loaded from --addModPath -- Salty's Manual Tool Crafting. It triggers the tool-crafting animation, but it doesn't actually craft the tool. Also, this mod allows sticks to be placed in the off-hand, and that also does not work.

Config Lib also does not appear to work. The Mod Config button appears on the pause menu, but nothing happens when it is clicked.

 

Thanks for catching that problem. ConfigLib was one of the mods that actually caught me with it not working.

[Echo Weaver]

10 minutes ago, Dilan Rona said:

Thanks for catching that problem. ConfigLib was one of the mods that actually caught me with it not working.

I bet there's some kind of best practice that would ensure that they worked, but I have no idea what it is. Or, on the other hand, there's some loophole in Anego's API that should be fixed. If I get deep enough to have some guess at that, I'll file an issue. It really should work reliably, and it's a bummer than it doesn't.

[Dilan Rona]

Tbh, I havent had that problem in a long time. I actually forgot about that problem, including which mods gave that problem at the time. Most of my mods are in the default mods directory, with the exception of the new mods that I am busy playtesting, and need to keep seperate so I can find what is the newest mods (that I havent used before). But I am sitting with a situation where I need to make maps that needs specific mods that cannot be used on other maps (mostly for project purposes or mega builds), So I'll be using the --addModPath a lot more often now for the more specialised maps and their mods. And the more troublesome mods will have to be dealt with then (when they dont work as expected),  and where possible replaced with alternative mods.

[Dilan Rona]

#!/bin/bash
cd "$(dirname "$(readlink -f "$0")")"
home=$(pwd)

ProfileName="Home"
dir="./Profiles/$ProfileName/Data/"

# This shell script launches the game client on linux
./Vintagestory --dataPath "$dir/" --addModPath "$dir/ModsSpecial" # --openWorld "vintage adventure lands"

 

The above script is for Linux. And should run just fine on Mac (cannot confirm as I dont own a mac, but the commands are similar). Not sure what the equivalent will be for Windows though regarding the variables. And I just save the script to whatever profile name I need to run from (i the examples case, it would be Home.sh.

Edited September 24, 2025 by Dilan Rona

[Thorfinn]

Looks like it is a known issue, @Echo Weaver, @Dilan Rona. In the comments, Salty diagnoses it, and the people who were reporting the issue found that to be the case. It appears to have to do with mods that tweak the stick itemtype. That is a problem there's no good way to address, other than a mod that loads after everything else that restores default stick. But then of course, it removes whatever the other mod did with it. And thinking on it, that's probably the issue I was running into when I redid mushrooms to be able to be harvested via right-click, like berries. I just backed out my change rather than spend a whole lot of time diagnosing it, but its quite plausible some of the other mods were counting on default behavior.

I'm not finding issues with JUST ConfigLib. It's apparently a conflict with whatever mods you use that ConfigLib is trying to, um, config.

[EDIT]

Oh, wait. ConfigLib itself may not be respecting the --addModPath. That I did not check. I wonder if it can? If VS allows mods access to its environment?

[EDIT2]

No, that's not it. I just went back to an older instance that used ConfigLib within an --addModPath setup, and it works fine. Either the API or the update to ConfigLib botched it.

Edited September 24, 2025 by Thorfinn

[Dilan Rona]

So if its a known issue, is it something that can be fixed on the mod level (enforcing --addModPath proper usage), or fixing on the game level itself (seeing that the stick is as basic as you can get).

[Echo Weaver]

11 minutes ago, Thorfinn said:

Looks like it is a known issue, @Echo Weaver, @Dilan Rona. In the comments, Salty diagnoses it, and the people who were reporting the issue found that to be the case. It appears to have to do with mods that tweak the stick itemtype. That is a problem there's no good way to address, other than a mod that loads after everything else that restores default stick. But then of course, it removes whatever the other mod did with it. And thinking on it, that's probably the issue I was running into when I redid mushrooms to be able to be harvested via right-click, like berries. I just backed out my change rather than spend a whole lot of time diagnosing it, but its quite plausible some of the other mods were counting on default behavior.

I'm not finding issues with JUST ConfigLib. It's apparently a conflict with whatever mods you use that ConfigLib is trying to, um, config.

I'm not sure I follow? I tried to sift through the comments on Salty's mod thread, and it didn't sound like what I'm describing.

I don't have a mod that tries to make a conflicting update to the stick itemtype. Salty's mod works fine when it's in the dataPath. It only fails to work when it's in a folder I link to using --addModPath.

ETA: I suppose adding in the mod using --addModPath could cause changes to be applied in a different order. I can't think of anything it would conflict with, though, and I haven't noticed anything behaving different from expected when everything is dumped into the Mod folder in the dataPath.

Edited September 24, 2025 by Echo Weaver

[Thorfinn]

8 minutes ago, Echo Weaver said:

It only fails to work when it's in a folder I link to using --addModPath.

I'd ask Salty about it. I don't see anything in particular about the off-hand equipping that should be an issue. All it does is add a storage flag to say they can be "stored" off-hand. Other mods might have done a "replace" and overwritten that.

But the rest of the mod is compiled into a .dll. There's nothing I can do to investigate it.

Edited September 24, 2025 by Thorfinn

[Dilan Rona]

Then the best thing to do is have an issue opened so it can be fixed on the game level then. Mods themselves should work fine regardless what mod directory was specified or used (default or otherwise). I hate to flag a developer directly, but I think we need the input of @Tyron on this topic as well.

[Thorfinn]

18 hours ago, Dilan Rona said:

Then the best thing to do is have an issue opened so it can be fixed on the game level then.

Unless that's something Salty did as a workaround to make things work the way he wanted. Until you do the leg work to investigate what specifically he did to make the mod not work within the game, it's premature to put that on the dev team. Maybe it's something reasonable, maybe not. Who knows until someone looks into the source code. For all you know, it could be selling off your stuff on the dark web.

No sane person would hold the lawnmower company to account because some moron picked it up and tried to use it as a hedge trimmer.

Edited September 25, 2025 by Thorfinn

[Echo Weaver]

Considering the trouble with ConfigLib in a modPath, I feel like the issue has something to do with interacting with the user interface. But it's just a vague sense. If I feel stubborn and have a lot of time to kill, I'll do some more mods to find ones that don't work with modPath

[Thorfinn]

You might be right, @Echo Weaver. Since ConfigLib used to work in with --addModPath, and now it doesn't, the path stuff might have gotten hosed in the update. Seems weird it's just those two. On the other hand, @Maltiez is no slouch. I've gone through his code before, so I'm leaning towards it being a VS issue. Salty, I have no idea. I'm not sure I've ever seen source, other than in .jsons. It still would not hurt for those who know the code forwards and backwards to take a quick look and say, "Yeah, VS' API is no longer returning the correct path value." 

[Echo Weaver]

1 minute ago, Thorfinn said:

You might be right, @Echo Weaver. Since ConfigLib used to work in with --addModPath, and now it doesn't, the path stuff might have gotten hosed in the update. Seems weird it's just those two. On the other hand, @Maltiez is no slouch. I've gone through his code before, so I'm leaning towards it being a VS issue. Salty, I have no idea. I'm not sure I've ever seen source, other than in .jsons. It still would not hurt for those who know the code forwards and backwards to take a quick look and say, "Yeah, VS' API is no longer returning the correct path value." 

Huh. I only tried making heavy use of addModPath since upgrading to 1.21, so it totally could be that recent. 

Think it's worth filing an issue on the VS bug tracker, even without digging deeper? It'll be a while before I have the drive to poke at this issue again. 

[Thorfinn]

It's up to you. I don't use many mods, and those I do use don't throw the error. My in-house mods don't either, but, then again, I'm not trying to read all installed mods, like ConfigLib is doing.

[EDIT]

Oh, you know a solid possibility? That the API call to return whether a given package is installed isn't working right in some circumstances. I don't do much with it, because I'm not overly worried about being compatible with a bunch of mods. I know exactly which are there, so don't even waste processor time checking. But I could see Salty doing that, and, obviously, ConfigLib does. But I would think so does Primitive Survival and Expanded Foods. Granted, EF does it largely brute force (or at least did last I looked) not checking to see whether a given mod is installed, just letting load time throw a warning. I don't think PS does it that way, too, but, alas, it's been a long time since I played PS by itself, let alone with any other mods, so I don't really know. I didn't really know what I was looking for last time I went through PS code.

Edited September 26, 2025 by Thorfinn

[BolloBeule]

On 2/17/2025 at 5:16 PM, Thorfinn said:

You absolutely can do that. The base directory has a Mods directory that has only the core three, but you can (or at least could) put all your mods in there. Saves is a little more difficult since they have tried to abide by Microsoft's standard for protected status based on directory structure, i.e., you can do almost anything with stuff in your own user directory, but very little in Program Files. So for saves, yes, you have to use the command line switch. 

[EDIT]

You aren't considering running the game from the stick, are you? Database access at the speed of USB...

What would the thing with the saves look like? I'm trying to have my saves separated from the rest of the game files preferably on OneDrive so I can play the same save from different devices.

[Thorfinn]

I don't use OneDrive (or any cloud, for that matter) so you have to substitute in the correct syntax, but it would look something like, 

c:\games\vs121\vintagestory.exe --dataPath OneDrive:\gamesaves\vs\121\vanillaPlusPrimitiveSurvival

 

[dakko]

On 3/16/2023 at 2:21 AM, Streetwind said:

Some people have reported issues with loading mods from this custom data folder, while for others (like me) it is working without problems. I have no real explanation for why this happens. But in case you suffer from this, or you just want to preempt the possibility of it happening, you can append an additional switch: --addModPath your:\path\here\mods. Again, if that path contains spaces, the path (but not the argument switch) needs to be enclosed in double quotes.

Thank you so much for including this information about mods. I've been successfully using your method for a long time, up thru 1.21.1. However installation of 1.21.5 required some troubleshooting because it wasn't loading the mods. This additional switch fixed the problem. Much appreciated!!

[CastIronFabric]

On 3/16/2023 at 4:21 AM, Streetwind said:

 

 

A note regarding the new auto-updater!

Since version 1.18, Vintage Story now has a comfortable way to install game updates. You simply click a button inside the client and it downloads and installs everything for you.

Unfortunately, that function doesn't support multiple parallel installations. It relies on an entry in the Windows Registry to know where VS is installed, and that entry is rewritten everytime you run the installer. That means the auto-updater only works for the installation that you installed last. Even if you launch a client you installed previously, and start the auto-update process from within it, it will not update the client you started it from, but rather the client you installed most recently. Always. There is no workaround for this, other than not using the auto-updater. If you want to maintain multiple installations and keep them all updated, you'll have to do manual updates like in the past.

I want to ask just to make sure I am super clear on this.

If I copy the VintageStory folder and the VintageStory data folder and have my shortcut pointing to those copied folders and do not hit the auto update on that game instance that it will not update to a new version regardless of what I do with the uncopied version.

I really really really super really..do not want this copied version of Vintage story to update at this time and all the game files for that version will be isolated using that VintageStory folder that has been copied.

I know how to target the shortcuts, I have done that several times given different mod pack setup so on that part I am good I think.

 

The reason this is super important for me is that even if I backup my game file I am not entirely sure I can revert safely to an older version of the game and if I can a lot (if not most) of the mods I am using will break.

 

Thanks 

Edited December 5, 2025 by CastIronFabric

[Streetwind]

On 12/5/2025 at 9:20 PM, CastIronFabric said:

If I copy the VintageStory folder and the VintageStory data folder and have my shortcut pointing to those copied folders and do not hit the auto update on that game instance that it will not update to a new version regardless of what I do with the uncopied version.

That is my understanding, yes. Because you copied the files to another location, the Windows Registry doesn't have that location. If you download and run the installer, it'll either fail, or it'll recreate the original folder you copied from.

But also, the term "auto-updater" may not have been chosen very well by me. The game will never update on its own, at least as of the time of this writing. All it does is pop open a message on the main menu that offers to download and run an update installer for you. You need to confirm that you want this, and even after the installer has downloaded and started, you can still cancel out of it then.

[CastIronFabric]

1 hour ago, Streetwind said:

That is my understanding, yes. Because you copied the files to another location, the Windows Registry doesn't have that location. If you download and run the installer, it'll either fail, or it'll recreate the original folder you copied from.

But also, the term "auto-updater" may not have been chosen very well by me. The game will never update on its own, at least as of the time of this writing. All it does is pop open a message on the main menu that offers to download and run an update installer for you. You need to confirm that you want this, and even after the installer has downloaded and started, you can still cancel out of it then.

Thanks!

I was not thrown off by the term 'auto-updater' I was just hyper/triple checking so to speak. Even though I will back up this save it still feels like I am changing a tire for the first time with the save file right under the wheel, just gotta get er right.