What are some cool mods?

Hi all!
So, recently my SMAPI app started acting up and it was super slow and unusable. Sadly, I had to delete all my mods. I recently re-downloaded only two mods - SMAPI and Content Patcher. I was looking for some cool new mods for a new save file. BUT - I can't download SVE because the SVE file was the one that crashed SMAPI. Sad, I know.
So I wanted to start this thread to ask you guys which mods I should download! Here are a few things you should know about my playstyle before you start suggesting any mods!
  1. I don't use cheats, like CJB Cheats Menu or things like that. I used to use Skull Cavern Elevator and No Fishing Minigame, but this time I don't want any cheats.
  2. My favorite dateable NPCs are Shane, Harvey, and Sam. If you have any expansion mods for any of them I would love to download them.
  3. I don't like Immersive Farm mods, I like using the vanilla farm layouts.
  4. I especially like mods that add new quests and events to the game. Here's the link to the category in Nexus Mods
  5. I want some sprite replacement mods! I'm currently looking for a dog and horse sprite replacement mod. I've heard of Elle's sprite replacements, can anybody tell me if that mod is good?
  6. I only speak English
  7. I don't really want new NPCs added to the game, I like mods that expand on the vanilla NPCs.
  8. The Train Station mod doesn't work for me, I always get stuck in the station and have to use a warp totem. So this excludes mods like the Aquarium mod.
  9. I want some seasonal outfit mods, can anyone suggest one?
  10. Besides the outfits, I like vanilla portraits. So no mods that change the portrait of an NPC (besides their outfit)
  11. Pregnancy Events and the Life Cycle (Emily and Shane, and Marnie and Lewis) mod seem interesting to me. Does anybody use them?
  12. I don't really want HUGE expansion mods like SVE

So far, I've downloaded (I'll edit this post as I start downloading new mods)
  1. SMAPI
  2. Content Patcher
  3. Starbrite's Sam Dialogue Expansion Mod
  4. Immersive Characters - Shane
  5. Season NPC Outfits
  6. Toddler Like Parents
  7. Canon Friendly Dialogue
  8. Once Upon a Winter's Eve
  9. Expanded Preconditions Utility
  10. Elle's Dog Replacements
  11. Shop Tile Framework
  12. Unlikely Friendships
  13. Sebastian's Birthday Surprise
  14. Generic Mod Config Menu
 
Last edited:

mouse

Farmer
I feel like you listed so many specifics (and even categories on Nexus) that you seem to have a handle on what you want to use already, hehe. I haven't used Life Cycle and other rival events mods personally, and would probably need to do some personal edits to make them work for me, but I like the concept a lot and think they would be fun to try. Seb's Birthday Surprise is simple and cute event addition, I played it during Discord's last winter event when it was submitted. Once Upon A Winter's Eve is similarly focused and sweet.

Canon Friendly Dialogue is still popular, and the author keeps it updated. A Shane fan should not be without Immersive Shane (same author as Birthday Surprise). There are several dialogue mods available, but I'm not familiar with most of them (and am also a bit picky, hehe).

Can confirm everything Elle makes is golden. Elle's animal packs also have versions for Adopt n Skin if you want to have multiple potential skins all at the same time (I wouldn't use it in multiplayer). There are a lot of retexture options around though, many of them very very good, so I'd just browse and see what appeals, and just make sure it's been updated since 1.4 (November 2019) to avoid any issues.

Lumi's Toddlers Like Parent is my go-to for toddlers. There are others, but hers have a million options as well as cute Halloween costumes :P Similarly, there are many many neat sprite/portrait mods, some I like very much, but it's difficult for me to give up Seasonal Villager Outfits because of all the fun things it does. (The mermaid pendant overlay is such a cute detail, for example.)

All that said, if you have a problem with a specific mod (whether SVE, Aquarium, whatever), you may have a problem with your installation. You can always upload and share your SMAPI log to ask for help with the mods in question, if you should want to try them again in the future. It's really really rare that any modding problem is so large that it reaches "start over" levels, except when you just want to of course :)
 
I feel like you listed so many specifics (and even categories on Nexus) that you seem to have a handle on what you want to use already, hehe. I haven't used Life Cycle and other rival events mods personally, and would probably need to do some personal edits to make them work for me, but I like the concept a lot and think they would be fun to try. Seb's Birthday Surprise is simple and cute event addition, I played it during Discord's last winter event when it was submitted. Once Upon A Winter's Eve is similarly focused and sweet.

Canon Friendly Dialogue is still popular, and the author keeps it updated. A Shane fan should not be without Immersive Shane (same author as Birthday Surprise). There are several dialogue mods available, but I'm not familiar with most of them (and am also a bit picky, hehe).

Can confirm everything Elle makes is golden. Elle's animal packs also have versions for Adopt n Skin if you want to have multiple potential skins all at the same time (I wouldn't use it in multiplayer). There are a lot of retexture options around though, many of them very very good, so I'd just browse and see what appeals, and just make sure it's been updated since 1.4 (November 2019) to avoid any issues.

Lumi's Toddlers Like Parent is my go-to for toddlers. There are others, but hers have a million options as well as cute Halloween costumes :P Similarly, there are many many neat sprite/portrait mods, some I like very much, but it's difficult for me to give up Seasonal Villager Outfits because of all the fun things it does. (The mermaid pendant overlay is such a cute detail, for example.)

All that said, if you have a problem with a specific mod (whether SVE, Aquarium, whatever), you may have a problem with your installation. You can always upload and share your SMAPI log to ask for help with the mods in question, if you should want to try them again in the future. It's really really rare that any modding problem is so large that it reaches "start over" levels, except when you just want to of course :)
Thanks so much! Just two questions - what's adopt n' skin? Also, I see in the Elle's Dog Replacements it says to go into the config.json file, but I have no idea how to do that. I'm on Chromebook, if that helps.
 

mouse

Farmer
Instead of all your chickens/ducks/cows/etc sharing the same sprite, you can install multiple skins so that your animals can have random skins :) It also lets you adopt more cats/dogs, or rarely find wild horses. (All of these also supporting different skins, so they don't all look the same.) Without it, you'd download Elle's pack for, say, barn animals, and use CP's config.json to select which skin of all the options you wanted to use. The A&S option just lets you install all of them at once into A&S's skins folder and let them be randomly used.
 

mouse

Farmer
Also, I see in the Elle's Dog Replacements it says to go into the config.json file, but I have no idea how to do that. I'm on Chromebook, if that helps.
Sorry, I just saw this part. When you run the game for the first time with any configurable mod installed, a file called config.json will be generated in that mod's folder where you installed it, with all the options and their default choices filled in. You can open it in any text editor. Very simple configs are easy to understand, with stuff like "DoThisThingOnlyWhenItsRaining" = "false" where you can go "okay, I want that on true", but with more complicated mods that have many options, you'll want to refer to the mod page to see what choices you have!
 
Sorry, I just saw this part. When you run the game for the first time with any configurable mod installed, a file called config.json will be generated in that mod's folder where you installed it, with all the options and their default choices filled in. You can open it in any text editor. Very simple configs are easy to understand, with stuff like "DoThisThingOnlyWhenItsRaining" = "false" where you can go "okay, I want that on true", but with more complicated mods that have many options, you'll want to refer to the mod page to see what choices you have!
Hmm ok interesting. Let me try that real quick.
 
Sorry, I just saw this part. When you run the game for the first time with any configurable mod installed, a file called config.json will be generated in that mod's folder where you installed it, with all the options and their default choices filled in. You can open it in any text editor. Very simple configs are easy to understand, with stuff like "DoThisThingOnlyWhenItsRaining" = "false" where you can go "okay, I want that on true", but with more complicated mods that have many options, you'll want to refer to the mod page to see what choices you have!
Thank you so much. By any chance, would you happen to know the name for the blonde terrier in Elle's dog replacements? EDIT: Found it! Haha I just didn't read the description!!
 
Last edited:

Bark Ruffalo

Planter
Hi all!
So, recently my SMAPI app started acting up and it was super slow and unusable. Sadly, I had to delete all my mods. I recently re-downloaded only two mods - SMAPI and Content Patcher. I was looking for some cool new mods for a new save file. BUT - I can't download SVE because the SVE file was the one that crashed SMAPI. Sad, I know.
So I wanted to start this thread to ask you guys which mods I should download! Here are a few things you should know about my playstyle before you start suggesting any mods!
  1. I don't use cheats, like CJB Cheats Menu or things like that. I used to use Skull Cavern Elevator and No Fishing Minigame, but this time I don't want any cheats.
  2. My favorite dateable NPCs are Shane, Harvey, and Sam. If you have any expansion mods for any of them I would love to download them.
  3. I don't like Immersive Farm mods, I like using the vanilla farm layouts.
  4. I especially like mods that add new quests and events to the game. Here's the link to the category in Nexus Mods
  5. I want some sprite replacement mods! I'm currently looking for a dog and horse sprite replacement mod. I've heard of Elle's sprite replacements, can anybody tell me if that mod is good?
  6. I only speak English
  7. I don't really want new NPCs added to the game, I like mods that expand on the vanilla NPCs.
  8. The Train Station mod doesn't work for me, I always get stuck in the station and have to use a warp totem. So this excludes mods like the Aquarium mod.
  9. I want some seasonal outfit mods, can anyone suggest one?
  10. Besides the outfits, I like vanilla portraits. So no mods that change the portrait of an NPC (besides their outfit)
  11. Pregnancy Events and the Life Cycle (Emily and Shane, and Marnie and Lewis) mod seem interesting to me. Does anybody use them?
  12. I don't really want HUGE expansion mods like SVE

So far, I've downloaded (I'll edit this post as I start downloading new mods)
  1. SMAPI
  2. Content Patcher
  3. Starbrite's Sam Dialogue Expansion Mod
  4. Immersive Characters - Shane
  5. Season NPC Outfits
  6. Toddler Like Parents
  7. Canon Friendly Dialogue
  8. Once Upon a Winter's Eve
  9. Expanded Preconditions Utility
  10. Elle's Dog Replacements
  11. Shop Tile Framework
  12. Unlikely Friendships
  13. Sebastian's Birthday Surprise
  14. Generic Mod Config Menu
Have you looked at any of the building and map recolor mods?
Elle's Seasonal Building Mods
Starblue Valley
Overgrown Fairy Buildings
Daisy Niko's Earthy Recolor
 
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