This thread coordinates the migration of existing XNB mods to Content Patcher packs, and tracks unofficial conversions.
What is Content Patcher?
Content Patcher lets you edit the game's XNB data through SMAPI, without replacing the actual files and with zero programming needed. You can edit a specific part of each file, instead of replacing the whole file.
Why not create XNB mods?
Content Patcher packs have several benefits over XNB mods:
- Update checks: when a new version of the pack is released, players see an alert in the SMAPI console so they know about it.
- Compatibility checks: when a game update breaks the pack, SMAPI can disable it (to prevent game crashes and bugs) and give them a URL to download the latest version.
- Easy install/uninstall: drop a content pack into your Mods folder to install it, and remove it to uninstall it.
- Localisation support: edits are applied to all languages automatically, no need to create multiple copies of each file. (Or, target a specific language if you want.)
- Mod compatibility: many content packs can edit the same file without conflicting. (Unlike XNB mods, which only support one mod per file.)
- Game compatibility: Content Patcher packs can edit only the part of each file they need, and the game rarely changes existing content, so most packs will work fine in new versions of the game. (Unlike XNB mods which replace the whole file and lose newer content.)
- Easy to create: configure the changes through a JSON file, and drop your unpacked PNGs and maps directly into the content pack folder. Edit them and run to see your changes, no repacking or recopying files needed.
- Easy to edit: players can edit the JSON file to tweak the changes, no need to unpack/repack files.
How do I create Content Patcher packs?
See the
Content Patcher guide. Feel free to ask questions in this forum, the
SMAPI subreddit, or in the #making-mods channel of the
Stardew Valley Discord.
Unofficial XNB mod conversions
For authors who haven't migrated their mods officially yet, players have created unofficial conversions so they work with the latest Stardew Valley updates. If you migrated an XNB mod unofficially, post a message below and update the list on the wiki!
See
list of conversions on the wiki.