Skip to content

Make your first mod

This walkthrough gets one unmistakable custom item into a running game. You do not need Lua, animation tools, or a Workshop page yet.

1. Open Mod Prep

In Signs of Life → Mods, choose Create / Edit Mods. You can also run Tools/Mod Prep.bat beside the installed game.

Choose Create New Mod. Enter:

  • UniqueModName: a short permanent ID such as alex_first_mod. Players do not see this name.
  • Display name: the name players will see.
  • Description: a sentence suitable for the future Workshop page.

The default project location is your live Mods folder:

Documents/My Games/Signs of Life/Mods/

Press Create and Continue. Mod Prep creates modinfo.json, a sample item, a visible cyan-and-magenta sprite, and a project README containing these test steps.

Do not casually rename identities

These technical IDs tell saved games exactly which mod and item they belong to. UniqueModName prefixes every content ID. The starter item is <UniqueModName>.sample_widget. Once players save mod content, changing the mod name or an item's UniqueIdentifier creates a different identity.

2. Validate

Press Validate. Errors block testing and staging; warnings explain something worth reviewing. The starter project should report one content entry and no errors.

If you chose a project location outside the live Mods folder, press Install / Refresh Test Copy after each edit. A project created in the Mods folder is already installed.

3. Load it in the game

  1. Launch Signs of Life and open Mods.
  2. Find your display name under Installed Mods.
  3. Press Load Now, or restart the game.
  4. Enter a single-player world.
  5. Open chat and type /creative (or /c).
  6. Find <Display name> Sample under Misc.

The item's bright cross-shaped icon proves that the game found your mod, read the new item, and loaded its picture.

4. Make a change

Open the project folder from Mod Prep. Edit item_sample_widget.json, changing the item Name or Description while leaving UniqueIdentifier alone. Save, then repeat Validate → Install / Refresh if needed → Load Now.

That simple cycle—edit, check, reload—is the safest way to work. Keep changes small until each one appears in the game.

5. Publish privately

When the local copy works:

  1. In Mod Prep, choose Continue to Workshop.
  2. Add a useful description and preview, then press Stage for in-game.
  3. Launch Signs of Life and open Mods → Staged Mods.
  4. Select the package and choose Upload to Workshop.
  5. Confirm whether the game will create a new item or update the remembered Workshop item.

New projects are private by default. Check the resulting Steam page before making one public.

Where to go next

  • Content packs — content types, file layout, and publishing
  • Troubleshooting — when a pack, item, or upload is missing
  • Lua API — add behavior after the plain-item loop works
  • Example Mod — a broad cookbook shipped beside the game, not the smallest starting point