There should be a mod configuration API that exposes mod options in the main menu

[hjvtdev]

It is pretty silly that players have to go into text files and wrangle a zoo of different configuration formats and styles.

Due to the fact that mods only get loaded when a world is loaded, mods can not alter the main menu, so this suggestion is something that has to be done on the game's side.

Edited August 24 by hjvtdev

[Rainbow Fresh]

While certainly a nice-to-have suggestion you also have to consider that the reason *why* there is a zoo of different configuration formats and styles is because any mod can define it's own config from custom values that then get simply somehow serialized. You could have a complex data format made from a custom class/struct backing it that would break if you turned a 0 into 1 without another 2 being a 3. Catch-all mapping that would be neigh impossible and enforcing one go-to style would break a fair share of mods until updated; some of which may never will.

Edited August 24 by Rainbow Fresh

[hjvtdev]

6 minutes ago, Rainbow Fresh said:

You could have a complex data format made from a custom class/struct backing it that would break if you turned a 0 into 1 without another 2 being a 3. Catch-all mapping that would be neigh impossible and enforcing one go-to style would break a fair share of mods until updated; some of which may never will.

Thats why I'm talking about an API mods can use to describe their configuration to the game. It would not break any mods any more than any update to the game, the plain text configs will keep working, there would just be a Blessed Way To Do Things That's More User Friendly

[Kulze]

6 hours ago, Rainbow Fresh said:

you also have to consider that the reason *why* there is a zoo of different configuration formats and styles is because any mod can define it's own config from custom values that then get simply somehow serialized.

That's literally what the job of an API is, to provide a general access point from which you then derive everything  
So you get the input specifically for the player and what happens beyond that is not the player's thing anyway, it's a QoL aspect.

But takes a bit to coding properly to make it happen. It's not unfeasable though or especially 'special'. Just a baseline API, literally, a 'Application Programming Inteface'.

[rodrisorianoR]

I second that. A tab similar to the "World Settings" menu that allows developers to define and expose settings to the player would be really useful.

Perhaps it could be a tab during world creation, so each world could have its own mod settings.

Also, this API does not necessarily have to be complex, exposing a few Booleans and numbers should be enough for most modders.

Basically, this API should:

• Let the dev expose custom setting fields, as well as default values, and maybe presets.
• Standardize config formatting.
• Handle config serialization and loading.
• Provide the dev with an API to access said settings, without having to read the config file directly.

Edited August 24 by rodrisorianoR

[hjvtdev]

As the ConfigLib event highlights, it's kinda important for a foundational feature like this to be provided by the game itself.