Creating Packs

Every mod in DINOForge is a pack — a self-contained, versioned, validated bundle of content definitions.

Pack Types

Type	Description	Example
content	Units, buildings, projectiles, effects, icons, audio	New unit pack
balance	Stats, costs, spawn sizes, economy rates	Archer damage buff
ruleset	Research requirements, wave timings, victory conditions	Hard mode rules
total_conversion	Full faction swap with theme	Star Wars Clone Wars
utility	Debug tools, profilers, inspectors	Entity inspector

Directory Structure

packs/my-pack/
  pack.yaml              # Required — pack metadata
  units/                 # Unit definitions
    trooper.yaml
    sniper.yaml
  buildings/             # Building definitions
    barracks.yaml
  weapons/               # Weapon definitions
    rifle.yaml
  factions/              # Faction definitions
    my_faction.yaml
  doctrines/             # Doctrine definitions
  waves/                 # Wave template definitions
  assets/                # Icons, audio, VFX references
    icons/
    audio/
  localization/          # Text/string bundles
    en.yaml

Manifest Format

Every pack requires a pack.yaml:

id: my-awesome-pack
name: My Awesome Pack
version: 0.1.0
framework_version: ">=0.1.0 <1.0.0"
author: Your Name
type: content
description: Adds new units and buildings

depends_on:
  - dino-warfare-domain    # requires warfare plugin

conflicts_with:
  - some-incompatible-pack

load_order: 100            # lower = loads earlier

loads:
  factions:
    - my_faction
  units:
    - trooper
    - sniper
  buildings:
    - barracks
  weapons:
    - rifle

overrides:
  units:
    - vanilla_archer       # this pack overrides the vanilla archer

asset_policy:
  allow_generated: true
  allow_public_assets: true
  allow_borrowed_assets: only_with_permission
  credits_manifest: assets/CREDITS.md

Required Fields

Field	Format	Description
id	^[a-z][a-z0-9-]*$	Unique identifier
name	string	Human-readable name
version	semver	0.1.0, 1.2.3-beta.1
framework_version	range	>=0.1.0 <1.0.0
author	string	Author name
type	enum	content, balance, ruleset, total_conversion, utility

Content Layering

DINOForge applies content in layers with clear priority:

Base Game (vanilla DINO)
  └── Framework Defaults
        └── Domain Plugin (e.g. Warfare)
              └── Pack Overrides (your mod)

Later layers override earlier ones. If two packs override the same unit, load order determines precedence.

Dependencies and Conflicts

Packs declare explicit relationships:

• depends_on — Required packs that must be loaded first
• conflicts_with — Packs that cannot coexist
• framework_version — Compatible DINOForge version range

The pack compiler resolves the dependency graph, detects cycles, and flags conflicts before anything loads.

Validation

Always validate before building:

# Validate a single pack
dotnet run --project src/Tools/PackCompiler -- validate packs/my-pack

# Validate all packs
dotnet run --project src/Tools/PackCompiler -- validate packs/

The validator checks:

• Schema conformance for all YAML files
• Required fields and correct types
• ID format and uniqueness
• Dependency resolution (no cycles, no missing deps)
• Asset reference integrity
• ECS registration conflict detection

Building

dotnet run --project src/Tools/PackCompiler -- build packs/my-pack

The build pipeline:

1. Validates all schemas
2. Resolves references across files
3. Checks for missing assets
4. Checks for circular dependencies
5. Builds the pack artifact
6. Emits compatibility metadata

Next Steps

• Schema Reference — Detailed schema docs for every content type
• Registry System — How registries merge pack content
• Warfare Overview — Build themed faction packs