|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: "Scientific Projects" |
| 3 | +description: Modify Scientific Projects without any code. |
| 4 | +date: 2025-05-14 |
| 5 | +tags: mods timberborn guide modding scientific projects |
| 6 | +--- |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +With this guide you can make an extension mod that **modifies** other Scientific Projects (including the ones added by other extension mods). Note that you _cannot_ add a new project without code. You can also rearrange the grouping of the projects, including creating a new group and moving the projects around into different groups. |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +You should have read at least the first step of the guide: [Getting Started](../ModdingGuide/getting-started). |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +# Changing a simple project |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +All projects are defined by `ScientificProjectSpec` JSON files. You can find them in the mods' `Blueprints` folders or in the mods' source code [here](#to-be-updated). For example, consider the _Resin-Infused Planks_ project: |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +```jsonc |
| 17 | +// ScientificProjects\Factions\FtPlankUpgrade.ScientificProjectSpec.json |
| 18 | +{ |
| 19 | + "ScientificProjectSpec": { |
| 20 | + "Id": "FtPlankUpgrade", |
| 21 | + "GroupId": "Factions", |
| 22 | + "NameKey": "LV.SP.FtPlankUpgrade", |
| 23 | + "EffectKey": "LV.SP.FtPlankUpgradeEff", |
| 24 | + "LoreKey": "LV.SP.FtPlankUpgradeLore", |
| 25 | + "Icon": "Sprites/Projects/ftplank", |
| 26 | + "ScienceCost": 2500, |
| 27 | + "Parameters": [ 1, -0.9999 ], |
| 28 | + "Order": 10, |
| 29 | + "Factions": [ "Folktails", "GreedyBuilders" ] |
| 30 | + } |
| 31 | +} |
| 32 | +``` |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +Most of the time, you will want to change the `ScienceCost` or the `Parameters` properties. If you are not sure which number the parameters are, check the `Localizations\enUS.csv` file, the description should have placeholders explaining which parameter corresponds to which effect. |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +```csv |
| 37 | +LV.SP.FtPlankUpgradeEff,"Woodworkshop uses {1:#.###%} power and {0:+#%} the Treated Planks output.", |
| 38 | +``` |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +**Note**: the parameter index starts at 0. So you can see the first number in `Parameters` is for the output multiplier (but when showing as text, it's formatted as a percentage for easy reading) while the second number is the power reduction, again formatted as a percentage when showing on the UI. |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +For example, let's say you want to increase the science cost but also increase the output (1 stands for +100% output), in your mod, create a file `FtPlankUpgrade.ScientificProjectSpec.json` anywhere in the `Blueprints` folder: |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +```jsonc |
| 45 | +// Blueprints\Vanilla\FtPlankUpgrade.ScientificProjectSpec.json |
| 46 | +{ |
| 47 | + "ScientificProjectSpec": { |
| 48 | + "ScienceCost": 5000, |
| 49 | + "Parameters": [ 2, -0.9999 ] |
| 50 | + } |
| 51 | +} |
| 52 | +``` |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +# The Projects Group |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +As you can see above, the project has the `"GroupId": "Factions"` property. You should see the `blueprints\ScientificProjectGroups\Factions.ScientificProjectGroupSpec.json` file that defines that group: |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +```json |
| 59 | +// ScientificProjectGroups\Factions.ScientificProjectGroupSpec.json |
| 60 | +{ |
| 61 | + "ScientificProjectGroupSpec": { |
| 62 | + "Id": "Factions", |
| 63 | + "NameKey": "LV.SP.FactionsGroup", |
| 64 | + "DescKey": "LV.SP.FactionsGroupDesc", |
| 65 | + "Order": 40 |
| 66 | + } |
| 67 | +} |
| 68 | +``` |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +You can create, modify and move projects into other groups as you wish. |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | +# Daily and Custom Cost projects |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +Some other projects like "Precision Tool Maintenance" (`WorkEffUpgrade2.ScientificProjectSpec.json`) are Daily-cost projects. These projects do not have an up-front cost to unlock but instead use `RequiredId` to be locked by a prerequisite project (note that a normal one-time cost project can still be locked with `RequiredId`): |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +```jsonc |
| 77 | +// ScientificProjects\WorkEffs\WorkEffUpgrade2.ScientificProjectSpec.json |
| 78 | +{ |
| 79 | + "ScientificProjectSpec": { |
| 80 | + "Id": "WorkEffUpgrade2", |
| 81 | + "RequiredId": "WorkEffUpgrade1", |
| 82 | + "GroupId": "WorkEff", |
| 83 | + "NameKey": "LV.SP.WorkEffUpgrade2", |
| 84 | + "EffectKey": "LV.SP.WorkEffUpgrade2Eff", |
| 85 | + "LoreKey": "LV.SP.WorkEffUpgrade2Lore", |
| 86 | + "Icon": "Sprites/Projects/WorkEffUpgrade2", |
| 87 | + "ScienceCost": 15, |
| 88 | + "MaxSteps": 5, |
| 89 | + "HasScalingCost": true, |
| 90 | + "ScalingCostKey": "LV.SP.WorkEffUpgrade2Cost", |
| 91 | + "Parameters": [ 0.1, 15, 20 ], |
| 92 | + "Order": 20 |
| 93 | + } |
| 94 | +} |
| 95 | +``` |
| 96 | + |
| 97 | +With `"MaxSteps": 5`, the project is considered a Daily-cost project automatically and `ScienceCost` becomes the normal daily cost per step instead. |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +However, if you read the Description, you will notice this project cost scales with the number of Adult beavers you have too (and is defined by `"HasScalingCost": true`): |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +```csv |
| 102 | +LV.SP.WorkEffUpgrade2Eff,"{0:+#%} additional work efficiency of all beavers per Level.", |
| 103 | +LV.SP.WorkEffUpgrade2Cost,"[Cost] per Level, and {1} for every {2} Adult beavers (rounded up)", |
| 104 | +``` |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | +With `"HasScalingCost": true`, `ScalingCostKey` is required and it's handled with custom C# code but the text has access to a special placeholder `[Cost]` which is the `ScienceCost`. So for this project `Parameters`, the first number is the Work Efficiency boost **per Level/step**, `ScienceCost` is the flat cost per Level, and the second number is the cost increase per the third number of adult beavers. |
| 107 | + |
| 108 | +For example, let's say we want to keep the flat cost but increase the science cost to 30 per 30 beavers instead, and also increase the maximum Levels/Steps to 10: |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +```json |
| 111 | +// Blueprints\Vanilla\WorkEffUpgrade2.ScientificProjectSpec.json |
| 112 | +{ |
| 113 | + "ScientificProjectSpec": { |
| 114 | + "MaxSteps": 10, |
| 115 | + "Parameters": [ 0.1, 30, 30 ] |
| 116 | + } |
| 117 | +} |
| 118 | +``` |
| 119 | + |
| 120 | +# Conclusion |
| 121 | + |
| 122 | +This guide likely covers all scenarios in which you can mod Scientific Projects without C# code. You can likely make significant balance changes with this approach but unfortunately you cannot really change the behavior or add a new project. |
| 123 | + |
| 124 | +In order to do that, you will need to code a mod using C#. The [Modding Scientific Projects with C# guide](./coding) would come in handy. |
| 125 | + |
| 126 | +[Back to Scientific Projects](./) |
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