MODDER’S GUIDE TO THE MODHUB

DEAR READER
Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step to launching your very own mod on our ModHub.
We want to make this process easy and enjoyable—and give you the tools you’ll need to help
your mod find its audience.

As passionate gamers, we understand all too well why you want to make your favourite game
even better and more comprehensive. Modders from around the world create something
extraordinary every day and we look forward to seeing what you want to create for your fellow
players.

Building a mod isn’t easy, and the work doesn’t end at launch. That’s why we wrote this booklet
to help you create your mod, get it into ModHub and to plan what comes next. From finding
the right tools to create a mod, building that mod, to getting it into players’ hands and making
a profit. This book is designed to guide you through the entire process and share what we at
GIANTS Software have learned from our own experience working with mods.

We’ve build the Giants Developer Network to help modders like you create mods that are
creative, useful, and engaging to players. We also built the ModHub to help millions of players
discover new mods, be they vehicles, maps, tools or something completely unexpected.

Let’s dive right into it now.

Good luck, and welcome aboard.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
The content on these pages has been created to serve both novice and experienced modders.
Each chapter covers a stage in the mod development process, so you can reference relatively
self-contained segments, reading along as you move through the phases of creating, testing,
publishing, and promoting your mod. You can, of course, choose to read through the entire
contents of the book end to end, if that’s your preference. The order in which topics are covered
in these pages is sequential.
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Seasons from
Realismus Modding,

1 WHAT ARE MODS

winner of the
Farming Simulator
Mod Contest 2017.

A mod (short for “modification”) is an alteration that changes some aspect of a video game, such
as how it looks or behaves. In our case, mods are often used to add vehicles or machines that
are not available in the base game, to create new buildings, or even whole landscapes (read:
maps) and to change existing content to suit the modder’s personal taste.

Mods are often used to make things easier or more realistic, and many of our modders come
from agriculture themselves, or have families who are involved in agriculture and then use mods
to build equipment or areas from their childhood.

Some mods even change the whole feel of the game. The two most famous mods in this case
are probably “Seasons”, a mod that adds complete seasons to the game, along with all their
pros and cons, and the “4Real” modules that provide a more realistic driving experience when
using our vehicles. 4Real module 01 adds
crop destruction to
Mods are thus the possibility to adapt the game to your own ideas. all wheels except
care wheels or thin/
narrow wheels.
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“Are you already

modding, or are you
still just playing?

Modding is the art of

2 WHY MODDING looking behind the
scenes of the game—
and understanding it.”
Do you sometimes play a game and discover things you would like to have done differently?
Do you sometimes wish a feature had made it into the game that doesn’t exist? Modding allows
you to do exactly these things. Through mods you can not only make your dreams come true,
but you can even share them with other players and influence and improve their gaming
experience.

Maybe you just want to gain some first experience in game development or deepen your
programming skills? If so, modding is the right thing for you. Many of our developers started
out as modders and have gradually turned their hobby into their profession.

Last but not least, of course, money can also be an incentive. Modders can make a profit with ”We develop the
mods, because we give modders a thank-you for their work. You can find details in the chapter Kerner Corona 300
“Monetisation: when pixels turn into incentives” at the end of this book. for players who like
to play on small
farms. Its various
attachments make
it a versatile tool.”
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3 POPULAR MODS
There are no limits to creativity when it comes to modding. However, some mods have proved
so popular that they are the common entry point for most modders. In this chapter we will
describe the three most common mods and give some hints on what to look for if you want to
make your mod successful.

POPULAR MODS VEHICLES

Vehicles are probably the most obvious target for mods. From tractors to trailers, cars or trucks,
there are many different vehicles that find their place in our game. If you want to create a good
vehicle, you should pay attention to some details. A perfect vehicle should not only look like its
real model, it should also sound like it and ideally have the same characteristics (horsepower,
working width etc.). When dealing with vehicles, the devil is often in the details. Does the colour
match 100%? Are the stickers in the right place? What about the passenger area? Does it look
realistic? Try to capture as many details as possible to make the mod perfect.
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“Modding allows you

POPULAR MODS TOOLS to bring your vision
to life.
While a realistic appearance is also required for equipment, the main focus here is on functional-
ity. Does your cultivator have the right working width? Does your plough behave exactly as you A hobby can become
imagine it? The best thing to do is to look at moving pictures from the real counterpart of your a profession with
device, look for movies or maybe even a farm in your area on which this device is used and modding—we have
observe exactly how it behaves. Take a look at the moving parts and think about how to do ani- proven that.”
mations for e.g. folding and unfolding a tool. The closer you are to the original, the better!

POPULAR MODS MAPS

Anyone building a map needs to focus on more than just the effort of creating it: they need to
make design decisions. A good map stands or falls on its planning. There are many things to
consider when building a map that players will like. How many fields are there and in what size
will you place them? Where is the player’s farm? Which vehicles and equipment will they start
with? Have you thought about all the important NPCs, like shops, grain mills, etc? Are the fields
easy to reach, or are your roads simply detours? Think of trees and meadows, rivers and lakes. The Valley The Old
Farm is a fictional
A good map offers something of everything and yet focuses on a theme. The best way to get an
European style mod
idea for a map is to look at the existing maps in our game and ModHub. Make a note of exactly map from Blacksheep
what you should not forget before you start and place everything important on the map before Modding with 92
you start making it a beautiful place. fields.
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4 PREPARATION
STEP 1 PLANNING

At the beginning you’ll need an idea and the will to implement it. First, ask yourself: What do I
want to do? Do you want to build a new map? A new vehicle? Maybe you just want to rebuild
existing things at the beginning to get a feeling for modding?

Already at this early phase it’s important to think about the final mod. The most important part
here is the investigation and recording of results. Think about what your mod needs, e. g. new
maps need not only fields but also streets and yards, buildings and silos and so on. If you have
decided on a vehicle, then find the most accurate pictures of your dream vehicle, get as much
data as possible in order to be able to reproduce it as realistically as possible. If you realize later
in the development process that something has been forgotten, a rebuild can mean a lot of
unnecessary work and frustration.

Have a look at how other maps/vehicles/devices are constructed and note down the important
key data.

Make sure what you want to do is in line with our ModHub rules that can be found here:
https://www.farming-simulator.com/mods
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STEP 2 TOOLS

You know what you want to do? Then it’s time for the “how”, because that’s what we’re here
for. An important source for all our modders is the Giants Developer Network (https://gdn.
giants-software.com) Here you will find the Giants Editor to download, along with further
documentation, tools and last but not least a forum in which you can exchange tips and ideas
with other modders. You’ll also find exporters for Maya, Blender and 3ds Max, popular tools for
creating your own 3D models.

STEP 3 GO FOR IT

A tutorial about how to use the tools to create a mod would make this a lot more than a quick-
guide, so as we continue we’ll assume that even fledgling modders know how to create the
assets for their mod. If you’re a beginner in this field, there are great books, tutorials and videos
out there on modding and how to create or edit mods.

We wish you all the best for your first mod and we’ll see you again in the next chapter as soon
as your mod is ready to find its way into the game.
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5 THE FINISHED MOD

How to upload your mod to the ModHub

So your mod is ready to find its way to the ModHub and embark on its adventurous journey to
our players? Then it’s time to deal with the ModHub itself.

The ModHub is our portal for players and modders. It can be accessed via the website (https://
www.farming-simulator.com/mods) or via the game itself. However, uploading a mod only works
via our website. To load a mod into the ModHub you’ll first need an account. You can
create one by clicking on the green “Login” in the top right navigation bar and clicking on
“Register new account here” in the following window. If you already have an account, you can
log in here.

As soon as you are logged in you will find the “Add New” button at the bottom left corner. If you
click on it, a new, empty mod will be created. You can find it at the top of the list and it is called
“Untitled Mod”.

A mouse click on the name brings you into the menu to upload the mod.

Scroll down to “Data” and select the. zip file from your hard disk. Don’t forget to read the terms
and conditions and then check the box. Then you can click on Upload Mod and the mod will be
uploaded to our server.

Common Rookie Mistakes

Textures are missing MipMaps
The following errors most often lead
to a mod being rejected: The mod hasn’t been tested and doesn’t run
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Remember that mod names have to be unique, if you get an error message that a mod with
this name already exists, simply rename the. zip file. In addition, mod names always start with
Maschio Gaspardo
Pack from AngryBear
the game, so a mod for Farming Simulator 19 must always start with FS19_ (e.g. FS19_sample-
Modding – DD Mod- mod.zip).
Passion, 2nd place
in the Farming IMPORTANT: Once you have uploaded your .zip file, the website draws all its information
Simulator Mod
from the ModDesc XML file (modDesc.xml). So make sure that this file is as accurate as
Contest 2017.
possible.

After the data has been extracted from ModDesc XML, most fields should already be filled. Fields
that still have to be filled in are marked with a red name on the left side of the page.
Add all information indicated by the red fields and by clicking on “Submit” next to “Certification”.

Your mod will now receive pending status and our QA team will check it as soon as possible.
Sit back and be patient. These tests may take several business days.

Follow up on your mod

The CSZ Set from
It may take some time, but you’ll hear from us. No matter if your mod was accepted or if we
DD ModPassion and
zBlacklion includes found errors, we will inform you by email. If you have any questions or would like to talk to
many frontloader our QA team during the waiting period, you can use the Messenger which is also available in
attachments for ModHub. The Messenger starts a conversation with our QA team, who will be happy to help you
handling bales,
silage and more.

XML entries were copied from other devices or mods

Guidelines were ignored
Duplicated fileIDs in the i3D
1 2 3 4 5 6

with words and deeds. Please note that this is not a chat; it works like a ticket system. Therefore,
it may take some time before you get an answer.

If there have been problems with your mod, you will find more detailed information in the email.
Fix the bugs and upload the mod again, and we will test it again for you.

As soon as your mod has passed the tests, it will be immediately available to our players.

How to get a mod on console

Our QA team will generally check every submitted mod for console compatibility. However, due
to various limitations, not every mod automatically qualifies for console publishing. For example,
consoles cannot process scripts, which means that all mods with scripts cannot be considered
for a console release.

If your mod is suitable for console publishing, our QA team will let you know. This also applies if
the mod needs some minor adjustments to become console compatible.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact our QA team via the Messenger or by
email.

Textures were saved in DXT3 format

Screenshots do not show the HUD in English
Tab-spacing was used in the modDesc description
 1 2 3 4 5 6

Fendt 500 Vario from

SimuFreunde / Ahran
Modding with dual
rear wheels.
Updating your Mod after it’s been released

Of course you can still improve your mod after it has been released. Maybe you discover
things that you want to improve or maybe you have some changes in mind that you want to
implement.

In this case, simply upload the updated mod again to our ModHub. Again, it is important to pay
attention to the naming. The update should have the same name as the original mod, but add
a “_update” at the end. For mods released on consoles, it is also important to add a “_console”
if the update concerns the console version. Examples would be “FS19_samplemod_update.zip”
or “FS19_samplemod_console_update.zip”.

After the mod has been uploaded, our QA team will test it as usual and either release it or give
you feedback on problems.
Same Fendt 500 Vario
mod customized in
black and with tracks.

Description is not available in English and German

Use of modified logos or copyrighted icons
Shaders not updated to the latest patched basegame version
 1 2 3 4 5 6

6 MONETISATION…
The MF Old
Generation pack
from Black Sheep
…when pixels turn into incentives Modding lets you
relive the agriculture
Once your mod is in ModHub, hopefully hundreds, if not thousands of players will download it
of the 80’s.
to enhance their own gaming experience. At GIANTS Software we know how much added value
your work brings to our game and we want to show our appreciation accordingly. For this
reason we pay modders a small ‘thank you’ for their efforts.

How much money you get depends on the type of mod, number of downloads and the rating it
received from the players.

At the end of each month we automatically transfer the money to your bank account; all you
have to do is give us your account details and wait for the money to arrive.

CONCLUSION
Donate your income and we’ll double it!

You also have the possibility to donate the money your mods made to one
of the listed charities.
If you decide to do so, we will put the same amount on top of it, so we
will double your donation!
As always: If you have any questions about donating, contact our team by
Messenger and we will be happy to help you.
Congratulations! You’re now equipped with everything you need to successfully launch your
Mod in the Farming Simulator ModHub. From deciding on your type of mod to preparing
everything you need; from uploading and updating your mod to making money with it, every
step in the journey will reward your dedication.
We hope this guide has helped you navigate the fascinating world of modding and we look
forward to seeing your work.
Best of Luck – Your GIANTS Software Team
© 2018 GIANTS Software GmbH. GIANTS Software and its logos are trademarks or
registered trademarks of GIANTS Software. All rights reserved.