Getting Started

This guide walks you through setting up DINOForge for development or mod authoring.

Prerequisites

• .NET 8 SDK or later
• Node.js 20+ (for docs only)
• Diplomacy is Not an Option (Steam)
• Git

Install BepInEx and DINOForge

DINOForge requires the modified BepInEx 5 with Unity ECS support from Nexus Mods. Standard BepInEx from GitHub will not work — this game requires a custom-forked winhttp.dll (Doorstop) that enables loading multiple assemblies from the ecs_plugins/ directory, which is how Unity ECS plugins are bootstrapped. The fork was created by devopsdinosaur specifically for this game.

One required boot.config fix

After installing BepInEx, edit <GameRoot>/Diplomacy is Not an Option_Data/boot.config and ensure it contains:

single-instance=0

This disables Unity's native single-instance enforcement (the empty single-instance= value it ships with causes "Another instance is running" fatal errors on relaunch).

Option A: Automated Installer (Recommended for Users)

DINOForge includes a GUI installer that handles BepInEx and DINOForge setup automatically.

1. Download the latest DINOForge installer from Releases
2. Run DINOForge.Installer.exe
3. Select your DINO game installation directory
4. The installer will:
   • Download and install the modified BepInEx 5 (ECS fork) from Nexus Mods
   • Apply the boot.config fix
   • Install DINOForge Runtime and example packs
   • Verify the installation
5. Launch the game and verify mods load (F10 to open mod menu)

Option B: Manual Installation (For Developers)

1. Download BepInEx 5 with Unity ECS Support from Nexus Mods (version 5.4.23.2-ecs)
2. Extract into your DINO game directory (where the .exe lives)
3. Apply the boot.config fix (see above)
4. Verify the folder structure:

GameRoot/
  winhttp.dll              # Modified Doorstop (ECS multi-assembly fork)
  doorstop_config.ini
  Diplomacy is Not an Option_Data/
    boot.config            # Must contain: single-instance=0
  BepInEx/
    ecs_plugins/           # DINOForge.Runtime.dll goes here
    plugins/               # Standard mono plugins (unused by DINOForge)
    config/

5. Launch the game once to let BepInEx initialize, then close it.
6. Copy the built DINOForge.Runtime.dll to BepInEx/ecs_plugins/

Clone and Build

git clone https://github.com/KooshaPari/Dino.git
cd Dino

Build the solution:

dotnet build src/DINOForge.sln

Run tests to verify everything works:

dotnet test src/DINOForge.sln --verbosity normal

Project Structure

DINOForge/
  src/
    Runtime/           # BepInEx plugin — bootstrap, ECS detection, hooks
      Bridge/          #   ECS bridge: component mapping, stat modifiers
      HotReload/       #   Hot reload bridge
      UI/              #   Mod menu (F10), settings panel
    SDK/               # Public mod API — registries, schemas, pack loaders
      Assets/          #   Asset service, addressables catalog
      Dependencies/    #   Dependency resolver
      HotReload/       #   Pack file watcher
      Models/          #   Content data models
      Registry/        #   Generic registry with conflict detection
      Universe/        #   Universe Bible system
      Validation/      #   Schema validation (NJsonSchema)
    Bridge/
      Protocol/        #   JSON-RPC message types, IGameBridge
      Client/          #   Out-of-process game client
    Domains/
      Warfare/         #   Factions, doctrines, combat, waves
      Economy/         #   Rates, trade, balance
      Scenario/        #   Scripting, conditions
      UI/              #   HUD injection, menus
    Tools/
      Cli/             #   dinoforge CLI
      McpServer/       #   MCP server for Claude Code
      PackCompiler/    #   Pack compiler (validate, build)
      DumpTools/       #   Entity dump analysis (Spectre.Console)
      Installer/       #   BepInEx + DINOForge installer
    Tests/             # Unit tests (xUnit + FluentAssertions)
      Integration/     # Integration tests
  packs/               # Content packs (6 example packs)
  schemas/             # JSON/YAML schema definitions (17 schemas)
  docs/                # This documentation site

Load a Pack

Once built, the Runtime DLL goes into BepInEx/ecs_plugins/:

BepInEx/ecs_plugins/DINOForge.Runtime.dll

Content packs live in a packs/ directory relative to the game root. The runtime discovers and loads them at boot.

Next Steps

• Quick Start — Create your first pack in 5 minutes
• Creating Packs — Full pack authoring guide
• Architecture — Understand the layered design