RimWorld Mod Template

A minimal, reusable skeleton for a RimWorld 1.6 mod with Harmony, ModSettings, and a build that drops the DLL straight into 1.6/Assemblies/.

Quick start

1. Copy this folder to a sibling location, e.g. ../MyNewMod/.

2. Rename the source folder and files inside Source/:

   • Source/__ASSEMBLY__/ → Source/MyNewMod/
   • Source/MyNewMod/__ASSEMBLY__.csproj → MyNewMod.csproj
   • Source/MyNewMod/__ASSEMBLY__.cs → MyNewMod.cs

3. Find-and-replace across the whole folder (Rider/VS Code: replace-in-files):

   Sentinel	Replace with	Example
   __MODNAME__	display name (spaces & punctuation OK)	Janitor's Closet
   __AUTHOR__	your handle	Synergy
   __PACKAGEID__	unique id, lowercase, dot-separated, no spaces	synergy.janitorscloset
   __DEFPREFIX__	short uppercase prefix for every defName	JANITOR
   __ASSEMBLY__	C# identifier; matches the renamed folder/files (no spaces, no punctuation)	JanitorsCloset

   The replace is case-sensitive and content-only: file/folder names use __ASSEMBLY__ so step 2 handles those manually.

4. Add art to About/:

   • Preview.png (640×360 recommended)
   • ModIcon.png (32×32 recommended)

5. Build the project (dotnet build from Source/MyNewMod/, or via Rider/VS). The DLL outputs directly to 1.6/Assemblies/MyNewMod.dll.

6. Symlink or copy the mod folder into RimWorld/Mods/ (or your local Steam Workshop dir) and enable it in the in-game mod list.

Folder layout

__ModTemplate__/
├── About/
│   ├── About.xml              metadata (name, author, packageId, deps)
│   └── (Preview.png, ModIcon.png — add your own)
├── 1.6/
│   ├── Assemblies/            built DLL lands here (gitignored)
│   ├── Defs/Things.xml        ThingDefs, RecipeDefs, etc.
│   └── Patches/Patches.xml    XML PatchOperations
├── Languages/English/Keyed/Keys.xml
├── Source/__ASSEMBLY__/
│   ├── __ASSEMBLY__.cs        Mod, ModSettings, Harmony bootstrapper
│   └── __ASSEMBLY__.csproj    net472, refs Assembly-CSharp + UnityEngine, Harmony 2.3.3
├── Textures/                  PNGs referenced by texPath in Defs
├── LoadFolders.xml            tells RimWorld to load both / and 1.6/
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Conventions

• Every defName starts with __DEFPREFIX___ (prefix + underscore) to avoid collisions with vanilla and other mods.
• Every translation key in Languages/.../Keys.xml also starts with __DEFPREFIX___.
• Harmony id uses the packageId (__PACKAGEID__), so it's automatically unique.
• DLL output goes straight to 1.6/Assemblies/ — no manual copy step.

Adjusting the Steam path

The .csproj references RimWorld DLLs at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\RimWorld\RimWorldWin64_Data\Managed\. If your install lives elsewhere, update the five <HintPath> entries in __ASSEMBLY__.csproj (or set up a Directory.Build.props if you want one source of truth across mods).

Targeting other RimWorld versions

This template targets 1.6. To support 1.5 alongside:

• Add a 1.5/ folder mirroring 1.6/.
• Add a <v1.5> block to LoadFolders.xml.
• Add <li>1.5</li> to <supportedVersions> in About.xml.
• Either build twice with different references, or use MayRequire/version checks in code.