Quick Start — 5-Minute Pack Creation

Create a minimal balance pack in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

• DINOForge installed (Getting Started)
• .NET 8 SDK installed
• A text editor or IDE

1. Create the Pack Directory

mkdir -p packs/my-balance-mod
cd packs/my-balance-mod

2. Write the Manifest

Create pack.yaml:

id: my-balance-mod
name: My Balance Mod
version: 0.1.0
framework_version: ">=0.1.0 <1.0.0"
author: Your Name
type: balance
description: Doubles archer damage and increases wall HP

depends_on: []
conflicts_with: []

loads:
  units:
    - archer_buffed
  buildings: []

Pack Metadata

• id: Must match ^[a-z][a-z0-9-]*$ (lowercase, hyphens OK)
• version: Semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH)
• type: One of content, balance, ruleset, total_conversion, utility
• framework_version: Supported DINOForge versions (uses semver ranges)

3. Create Content Directories

mkdir units
mkdir buildings

4. Define a Unit Override

Create units/archer_buffed.yaml:

id: archer_buffed
display_name: Elite Archer
unit_class: CoreLineInfantry
faction_id: vanilla
tier: 1

stats:
  hp: 100
  damage: 25          # doubled from vanilla ~12
  armor: 0
  range: 8
  speed: 3.5
  accuracy: 0.8
  fire_rate: 1.2
  morale: 85
  cost:
    food: 40
    wood: 10

weapon: BallisticLight

defense_tags:
  - Unarmored
  - Biological

behavior_tags:
  - HoldLine
  - AdvanceFire

vanilla_mapping: archer

Stats Fields

All stats are optional and default to reasonable values if omitted:

• hp: Hit points (default: 1)
• damage: Base damage per attack (default: 0)
• armor: Damage reduction (default: 0)
• range: Attack range in world units (default: 0 = melee)
• speed: Movement speed (default: 0)
• accuracy: Hit chance 0.0-1.0 (default: 0.7)
• fire_rate: Attacks per second (default: 1.0)
• morale: Base morale (default: 100)

5. Validate the Pack

dotnet run --project src/Tools/PackCompiler -- validate packs/my-balance-mod

Expected output:

✓ Pack validation passed
  Schema: OK
  References: OK
  Dependencies: OK

The validator checks:

• Pack manifest schema conformance
• Unit YAML schema conformance
• Required fields present and correct types
• ID format (^[a-z][a-z0-9-]*$ for packs, ^[a-z][a-z0-9_]*$ for content IDs)
• Version format (semver)
• Dependency resolution (no cycles, no missing packs)

6. Build the Pack

dotnet run --project src/Tools/PackCompiler -- build packs/my-balance-mod

Your pack is now ready. The Runtime will discover and load it automatically at game boot.

Test in Game

1. Launch Diplomacy is Not an Option
2. Press F10 to open the DINOForge mod menu
3. You should see "My Balance Mod" listed with status "Loaded"
4. Your unit override is now active — test it in the game!

What You Just Built

• Pack manifest with explicit metadata (id, version, author, dependencies)
• Unit definition with complete stats (HP, damage, armor, cost, behavior)
• Validated against DINOForge's JSON schema system
• Built as a distributable artifact

No C# code. No Harmony patches. No reverse engineering. Just YAML.

Next Steps

• Creating Packs — Full guide to all pack types
• Unit Schema Reference — All unit fields documented
• Building Schema Reference — Building definitions
• Warfare Overview — Learn factions and unit archetypes