Guide: Multiple Parallel Installations of Vintage Story

[flackstacks]

so I decided to go with seemingly the very easiest option.  I made a new user account on the mac and fucked my whole game up in the process. 

[Echo Weaver]

I've been using this method to maintain a completely vanilla game (largely used for multiplayer), a set of vanilla+ mods for a game I often open to play with my teenager, and an extensive modpack for personal tinkering. So that's three, all running 1.20.

When I run one that is different from the one I used most recently, I'm prompted to log in -- VS doesn't realize that it's all literally the same executable. It's not a huge deal, but it does get annoying.

I'm curious if there's any more command line magic that would allow my various VS configurations to share whatever login token it's storing.

[Thorfinn]

17 hours ago, Echo Weaver said:

I'm curious if there's any more command line magic that would allow my various VS configurations to share whatever login token it's storing.

Not that I'm aware of, but I'm getting really good at typing my PW. Maybe 2 seconds. If only I hadn't done the secure PW thing, but instead went with something simple like "fred" or "asdfjkl;"

Edited July 25, 2025 by Thorfinn

[Dilan Rona]

On 12/3/2024 at 8:29 PM, Thorfinn said:

That is a good way to do it. The only downside is when a mod is updated, you will need to update it in all Profiles. It might not be obvious, but the way I did it, I only have to keep mods updated on one machine on the LAN. It's marginally slower loading the mods, but there's no more hassle with trying to make sure everyone is running the correct versions.

For mods that is used on multiple profiles, yes. But there are a few profiles with mods that are kept deliberately seperate from other profiles, and will not show up there. An example of this is like this.

./Vintagestory --dataPath "./Profiles/Home/Data/" --addModPath "./Profiles/Home/Data/ModsSpecial" # --openWorld "vintage adventure lands"

Anything in the ModsSpecial will not show up in the other profiles as the above command is in its own script (redundant at this point, but kept for special test cases where I need to firewall a specific mod from the rest for testing purposes, and easier removal).

Any mod that is in the default mods directory (same location as the Vintagestory executable) will show up on every profile. Mods in the ./Profiles/Home/Data/mods directory is specific to one profile only, and will not show up on any other profile.

[Dilan Rona]

And using the above method, I can maintain different versions of vintage story as well, as long as they are kept completely seperate in their own directories, each with dedicated Profiles sub directories.

[Dilan Rona]

On 2/14/2025 at 10:50 PM, Thorfinn said:

Incidentally, if you keep multiple installs, DO NOT INSTALL THE UPDATE FROM THE IN-GAME PROMPT.

Maybe it chooses the right directory, maybe it doesn't. Not worth it. Download it and install it as usual, even/especially if you just want to update an existing instance.

Good advice to remember. Always saw the link for updating the game, when given. But never used it myself, prefering to update manually.

[Dilan Rona]

On 3/1/2025 at 8:38 PM, Adnyeus said:

Is possible launch 2 different account on same PC and connect them on one server?

You can using the profiles method I mentioned. Since the account settings are kept in dedicated directories (user, and admin in my case for say a server), I can switch profiles without needing to log out one account, and log into another account.

[Dilan Rona]

On 3/6/2025 at 11:05 PM, Thorfinn said:

One thing I'd note, though, is you should consider the --addModPath switch.

Actually the --dataPath will generate a seperate Mods folder, no need for the --addModPath unless absolutely needed.

Edited July 25, 2025 by Dilan Rona
Extra pic to show a different profile

[Thorfinn]

33 minutes ago, Dilan Rona said:

Actually the --dataPath will generate a seperate Mods folder, no need for the --addModPath unless absolutely needed.

Right. But the problem with that approach is then you have to update mods in every instance you have, any time one of the mods in that instance is updated. --addModPath lets all of them pull from a single repository, in, say, your Downloads\VSMods directory.

[Krougal]

Is this still working properly? Is there somewhere outside the folders where paths might be stored? Like registry or environment settings?

I installed RC1 yesterday, with the datapath. It created it, and it worked right for a couple loads but then something janked up and it kept going to the normal path no matter what I did. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling multiple times. Finally just went back to stable in frustration.

 

[Dilan Rona]

Again, all my mods are in the main instance for every profile, so that is the first one to update. With the secondary mods location (as provided with --dataPath) for mods that is used by a single profile only.

And I dont update the mods manually, this is where VS_ModsUpdater comes in. I run it before VS.

[Dilan Rona]

11 hours ago, Thorfinn said:

Right. But the problem with that approach is then you have to update mods in every instance you have, any time one of the mods in that instance is updated. --addModPath lets all of them pull from a single repository, in, say, your Downloads\VSMods directory.

The way the mods are loaded, it is loaded from the main mods folder first (./Vintage/Mods), then the mods specified in the --dataPath, and then the mods in the --addModPath.

The reason I dont recommend --addModPath though is that the main mods folder and the --datapath option provides enough flexibility imo. And also that some mods dont work properly when loaded from outside the main mods directory (same problem will happen with the --datapath)

[Dilan Rona]

1 hour ago, Krougal said:

Is this still working properly? Is there somewhere outside the folders where paths might be stored? Like registry or environment settings?

I installed RC1 yesterday, with the datapath. It created it, and it worked right for a couple loads but then something janked up and it kept going to the normal path no matter what I did. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling multiple times. Finally just went back to stable in frustration.

 

In your case I guess you are a windows user? Then I would check the shortcut settings and see if something there messed up. Personally though I would do that from a batch file, and not the shortcut file. I had issues with them not working right sometimes.

VS for linux had the same problem not loading when the launch script was placed on the desktop via symlink. That was fixed in 1.20. From a suggestion I made via tickets.

[Thorfinn]

5 hours ago, Dilan Rona said:

The reason I dont recommend --addModPath though is that the main mods folder and the --datapath option provides enough flexibility imo.

If you are only using a couple instances, this is true. It becomes more of an issue when you have several for every minor release of the game. There is one mod for more casual gaming that we occasionally use that has not been updated since 1.13. There is exactly one copy of it on my machine, despite the fact there at least two instances of almost every minor game release since 1.18, and multiple games within each minor release. Sure, I doubt we will ever again play the game that I started with a few nephews who stopped by a couple years ago, but we could, and without any tweaks, if not for the odd (to my way of thinking) behavior that games store the mods disabled, rather than the mods enabled, which means I'd have to go back through and try to remember which are the newer mods I need to disable. 

 

5 hours ago, Dilan Rona said:

And also that some mods dont work properly when loaded from outside the main mods directory (same problem will happen with the --datapath)

I did not know that. Never run into it to the best of my knowledge. Got an example?

 

5 hours ago, Dilan Rona said:

all my mods are in the main instance for every profile, so that is the first one to update.

Oh, that is a no-no now. Yes, it works, but there's a nastygram in the main directory that you are not supposed to do that anymore. I'm guessing that's where the game selection (VS, Adventure Mode, Secret Project, etc.) will be pulled from. That there is either a pointer to or a directory for assets for each game mode, and, as mods don't supply all the assets needed for gameplay, have to be handled differently. 

Edited July 26, 2025 by Thorfinn

[Dilan Rona]

5 hours ago, Thorfinn said:

I did not know that. Never run into it to the best of my knowledge. Got an example?

 

It was on one of the mod pages description (back when 1.19.x was still active, and before 1.20 was worked on). Will take a while to locate it. Once I do, I'll post the name.

[Thorfinn]

No big deal. I just had not run into anything like that, and can't understand why that would be true. Unless maybe it was a mod compatibility thing, I guess. That might be what you have to do to force a mod to load after yours. Still pretty hit and miss, but to the best of my knowledge, there's no way to force someone else's mod to depend on yours.

[Lupum_Rex]

I'm not sure if I've missed something from this thread or not, but is there any way to have multiple versions? I have two parallel 1.20 versions for a private server and modded world, but I want to play the 1.21 version. I've tried to download the update specifically from the vintage story site to no avail; My next thought is to update to 1.21, download the files to an external folder, downgrade to 1.20, then copy the 1.21 files back onto my desktop. Would that work? Or has anyone found an easier way?

[Krougal]

57 minutes ago, Lupum_Rex said:

I'm not sure if I've missed something from this thread or not, but is there any way to have multiple versions? I have two parallel 1.20 versions for a private server and modded world, but I want to play the 1.21 version. I've tried to download the update specifically from the vintage story site to no avail; My next thought is to update to 1.21, download the files to an external folder, downgrade to 1.20, then copy the 1.21 files back onto my desktop. Would that work? Or has anyone found an easier way?

You need to download the full version not the updater.

[Thorfinn]

46 minutes ago, Krougal said:

You need to download the full version not the updater.

Alternatively, if you still have a full installer from 1.18 on in your downloads, you can install that (in a new directory called vs1.21 or something, then simply apply the update. That's what I generally do. You can even just copy your old version to a new directory and run the updater on that.

Edited September 13, 2025 by Thorfinn

[Krougal]

46 minutes ago, Thorfinn said:

Alternatively, if you still have a full installer from 1.18 on in your downloads, you can install that (in a new directory called vs1.21 or something, then simply apply the update. That's what I generally do. You can even just copy your old version to a new directory and run the updater on that.

How does it know which installation to update? Does it ask you?

[Lupum_Rex]

5 hours ago, Krougal said:

You need to download the full version not the updater.

I've tried that as well and, unfortunately, it didn't work. I even tried installing it to a separate folder and telling it to not uninstall anything.

[Krougal]

4 minutes ago, Lupum_Rex said:

I've tried that as well and, unfortunately, it didn't work. I even tried installing it to a separate folder and telling it to not uninstall anything.

Did you set a Windows environment path for VS by any chance? I had to remove that as it was giving me trouble last time I tried to run a parallel installation.

[Ryilo]

It is possible to have multiple installations of different versions, and multiple instances for every version. First of all, you have to always use the full version of the game install, and the instructions are in the first message of this thread. Remarks for those who don't know: when the installer asks to uninstall, do not uninstall the old version, and when it asks where to install, install it in a different folder than the previous version. As specified in the first post, you MUST use custom windows shortcuts to launch the game, never launch it from the start menu or default desktop shortcut.

PS: I never address linux users, as I think they already know how to do all sort of stuff.

Edited September 14, 2025 by Ryilo

[Thorfinn]

16 hours ago, Krougal said:

How does it know which installation to update? Does it ask you?

Yeah. If you copy the updater to the directory you want updated, sometimes it selects the right one, sometimes not. No idea why the difference.

[Echo Weaver]

On 7/26/2025 at 3:16 AM, Dilan Rona said:

The reason I dont recommend --addModPath though is that the main mods folder and the --datapath option provides enough flexibility imo. And also that some mods dont work properly when loaded from outside the main mods directory (same problem will happen with the --datapath)

On 7/26/2025 at 3:28 PM, Thorfinn said:

No big deal. I just had not run into anything like that, and can't understand why that would be true. Unless maybe it was a mod compatibility thing, I guess. That might be what you have to do to force a mod to load after yours. Still pretty hit and miss, but to the best of my knowledge, there's no way to force someone else's mod to depend on yours.

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.

I discovered this when I was trying out a more elaborate setup for a modded game and spent a bunch of time troubleshooting it, so I'm sure that's the problem.

Didn't you say that you only install content mods, Thorfinn? I'll guess that's why you haven't run into this problem. I didn't see an issue with any content mods. 

I'm pretty bummed because I had a config where I could load my always-play-with mods from a central location while adding only the mods specific to this game in the dataPath for the game. It's also possible to add any number of additional modPaths in the clientsettings.json. Both the command line option and the cliensettings approach have the same problem -- some mods only function if the mod is in the dataPath of the game. 

FWIW, I'm pretty confident that the --dataPath flag is reliable. Since Anego moved the default game location on Macs to /Library/ApplicationSupport, which wrecked my organization of parallel games, I run all my games using --dataPath, and everything has always worked.