I am sick of being unable to install two mods along each other just because they happen to use the same directory name. :-(
For instance, we have countless mob API mods, many use the directory name “mobs” which makes them a pain in the ass to maintain simutanously.
So can we please add a requirement for adding mods into the Mod Releases forum that those must must have an unique “technical” name (=directory name)?
IMO it can be checked easily by just searching through titles in the Mod Releases forum. Given that all thread titles must follow a strict syntax, it could even be checked by a script automatically. :-)
Checking against names of other mods might be a bit more difficult, however. :-(
So the minimum requirement could be that all mods in Mod Releases have an unique names within Mod Releases at least, but preferably they are globally unique.
I think all mods should have unique folder names because:
- You should be at least be able to install all mods without problems (enabling them is another question)—this is a core feature of the modding system IMO, we should not ignore it
- Helps with searching mods
- Helps with keeping dependencies clean
- Helps users by uniqely identifying a mod in conversations
If we allow for mods with equal names like we do now, we are just asking for trouble: Mods with equal names can't be installed at the same time. If you still want to use those two mods along each other, you have to manually rename them. This is sometimes not trivial as this may break other mods which often depend on the exact mod directory name (in depends.txt and the Lua code itself). Getting mod names and dependencies sorted out schould be the task of modders, not of users.
I know this is probably not achievable for all mods in existance because there are so many mods around. But we could try for mods in Mod Releases. The whole point of Mod Releases is to have at least some quality standard, right?
And while we're at it, the file “lua_api.txt” should also strongly suggest to make sure the mod directory name is not already used by someone else.
One question remains: What should happen to mods already in Mod Releases? Strictly speaking, they must be moved back to WIP Mods until they comply. But to be fair to the mod developers, a reasonable transition period should be given to comply. Yes, moving the mods back to WIP Mods is not nice to the modders, but it will be nice to the users and needs to be done someday to decrease the overall modding chaos just a little bit. ;-)
To address a common excuse beforehand:
No, being a “similar” or “replacement” mod is not an excuse to not care about unique names. Assume there are two similar mods with a similar but not equal functionality. Maybe those mods are incompatible. My use case for wanting both of them is experimentation. Sometimes I want to try one mod, sometimes the other one (not at the same time, mind you!). This is easier when all mods have unique folder names. With equal names I have to manually rename the mod names each time I want to switch which is not fun at all.
That having been said, I want to hear your opinion on this. If you think I'm wrong, I'm excited to hear your justification for allowing for two mods with an equal directory name.
PS: Yes, I have brought up this thing before, but that was a long time ago and the comunity has changed a bit. I also think I brought up some new arguments here.