Best Practices

Overview

Follow these best practices to create mods that are stable, compatible, and easy to maintain.

Project Organization

File Naming

Use descriptive, meaningful names:✅ Good:

weapon-rebalance-v2.fbproject
4k-character-textures.fbproject
enhanced-lighting-overhaul.fbproject

❌ Avoid:

project1.fbproject
mod.fbproject
asdf.fbproject

Directory Structure

Organize your modding workspace:

MyMods/
├─ Projects/           # Source .fbproject files
│   ├─ weapon-mod/
│   │   ├─ weapon-rebalance.fbproject
│   │   ├─ notes.txt
│   │   └─ reference/
│   └─ texture-pack/
├─ Exports/            # Built .fbmod files
│   ├─ weapon-rebalance-v1.0.fbmod
│   └─ texture-pack-v2.1.fbmod
├─ Resources/          # Source assets
│   ├─ textures/
│   ├─ meshes/
│   └─ audio/
└─ Documentation/      # Guides and notes

Version Control

Using Git

Track your projects with Git:

# Initialize repository
git init
git add *.fbproject
git commit -m "Initial commit"

# Tag releases
git tag -a v1.0 -m "Version 1.0 release"

.gitignore for mods:

# Ignore built mods
*.fbmod

# Ignore temp files
*.tmp
*.bak

# Keep projects
!*.fbproject

Commit Messages

Write clear commit messages:✅ Good:

Increase assault rifle damage by 15%
Add 4K textures for main character
Fix crash when loading custom level

❌ Avoid:

Update
Fixed stuff
changes

Branching Strategy

Use branches for major changes:

main        - Stable releases
develop     - Active development
feature/*   - New features
bugfix/*    - Bug fixes

Asset Modification

Texture Best Practices

Format Selection
Resolution
Mipmaps

Choose appropriate texture formats:

Use Case	Format	Notes
Color (no alpha)	BC1	6:1 compression
Color + alpha	BC3	Good quality
High quality	BC7	Best quality, larger
Normal maps	BC5	Optimized for normals
HDR lighting	BC6H	High dynamic range

Don’t use uncompressed formats (RGBA8) for shipped mods. They’re 4-6x larger and hurt performance.

Mesh Best Practices

Topology

Maintain good mesh topology:

Quad-based: Use quads where possible
Triangulate: Triangulate before export
No N-gons: Avoid faces with >4 sides
Clean geometry: Remove doubles, fix normals
Proper UVs: No overlapping (unless intentional)

Polygon Count

Match or slightly improve original counts:

Original: 5,000 triangles
✅ Good: 4,500 - 6,000 triangles
⚠️ Warning: 10,000 triangles (2x)
❌ Bad: 50,000 triangles (10x)

High poly counts hurt performance, especially for multiple instances.

Vertex Data

Preserve vertex channel requirements:Required Channels:

Position (always)
Normal (always)
UV0 (almost always)
Tangent/Bitangent (for normal maps)
Vertex Colors (if original had them)
Additional UVs (match original count)

Bone Weights:

Max bones per vertex: Match original
Normalize weights
Remove unused influences

Material Assignment

Keep materials organized:

Use descriptive material names
Match original material count
Preserve material IDs
Don’t create unnecessary materials

EBX Property Editing

Before editing EBX properties:

Understand what the property does
Note the original value
Test changes incrementally
Check for dependent properties

Safe Changes
Risky Changes
Testing

Generally safe to modify:

Numeric values: Damage, range, speed
Boolean flags: Enable/disable features
Strings: Names, descriptions
Colors: RGB values
Asset references: Swap textures/meshes

Compatibility

Mod Conflicts

Minimize Conflicts

Reduce chances of conflicts:

Modify only what’s needed: Don’t change unnecessary assets
Avoid popular assets: Commonly modded assets conflict more
Provide alternatives: Offer compatible versions
Document changes: List all modified assets

Test with Popular Mods

Before release, test with:

Top 10 most downloaded mods
Mods in same category
Known overhaul mods
Different load orders

Communicate Conflicts

Document known incompatibilities:

## Compatibility

**Compatible with:**
- UI Enhancement Mod v2.1+
- Performance Optimizer

**Incompatible with:**
- Total Overhaul Mod (conflicts with weapon stats)
- Texture Mega Pack (use our textures OR theirs)

**Load Order:**
Load this mod AFTER gameplay mods, BEFORE texture mods.

Game Version Compatibility

Version Tracking

Track which game version your mod targets:

Project file: Stores game version (head revision)
Description: Document game version in mod description
Updates: Test after game patches
Changelog: Note when updating for new game version

Handling Updates

When game updates:

Wait for Frosty update: Ensure toolsuite supports new version
Test existing mod: Check if still works
Update if needed: Fix broken assets
Increment version: Update mod version number
Notify users: Announce compatibility

Performance Optimization

Resource Size

Optimize mod size without sacrificing quality:

Use compressed formats: BC1/BC3/BC7 for textures
Remove unused mipmaps: Don’t include more than needed
Optimize mesh data: Remove unused vertex channels
Avoid duplicates: Reuse assets where possible
Test compression: Different formats for different use cases

Runtime Performance

Texture Streaming

Be mindful of texture streaming:

Mipmap chains: Ensure proper mipmap generation
Chunk ranges: Don’t break texture chunk data
FirstMip value: Maintain for streaming textures
LogicalOffset/Size: Required for proper loading

Mesh Optimization

Optimize mesh rendering:

LOD levels: Provide multiple detail levels
Polygon budget: Stay within reasonable limits
Vertex cache: Optimize vertex order
Material count: Minimize draw calls

Bundle Organization

Organize assets efficiently:

Related assets: Keep in same bundle
Streaming: Use appropriate bundle types
Size balance: Don’t create massive bundles

Documentation

Mod Description Template

# [Mod Name] v[Version]

## Description
[Brief summary of what your mod does]

## Features
- Feature 1
- Feature 2
- Feature 3

## Installation
1. Download [ModName].fbmod
2. Open Frosty Mod Manager
3. Import the mod
4. Enable and apply
5. Launch game

## Requirements
- Game version: [version]
- Frosty Mod Manager: [version]
- Dependencies: [list any required mods]

## Compatibility
- Compatible with: [list]
- Incompatible with: [list]
- Load order: [instructions]

## Configuration
[If mod has options or settings]

## Known Issues
- Issue 1 (workaround: ...)
- Issue 2

## Changelog
### v1.1 (2024-01-15)
- Fixed bug X
- Added feature Y

### v1.0 (2024-01-01)
- Initial release

## Credits
- Author: [Your name]
- Thanks to: [contributors, testers]
- Tools: Frosty Toolsuite

## License
[License terms]

## Support
[How to get help or report bugs]

Screenshots

Take quality screenshots:

In-game: Show mod in actual gameplay
Comparisons: Before/after shots
Key features: Highlight main changes
Resolution: 1080p or higher
Clean UI: Hide debugging overlays
Good lighting: Show details clearly

Testing

Pre-Release Testing

Bug Reporting Template

Provide users with a bug report template:

## Bug Report

**Mod Version:** 
**Game Version:** 
**Frosty Version:** 

**Description:**
[What happened?]

**Expected Behavior:**
[What should happen?]

**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. 
2. 
3. 

**Other Mods:**
[List other enabled mods]

**Screenshots/Videos:**
[Attach if relevant]

**Console Errors:**
[Any error messages]

Release Process

Final Testing

Before release:

Full playthrough test
Clean game install test
Performance profiling
Asset validation

Prepare Release

Package for distribution:

Export final .fbmod
Write/update README
Create changelog
Gather screenshots
Record demonstration video (optional)

Upload

Publish to platforms:

Choose appropriate category
Add descriptive tags
Include all screenshots
Link to documentation
Set correct game version

Post-Release

After publishing:

Monitor comments/feedback
Fix critical bugs quickly
Update documentation as needed
Thank users for feedback

Maintenance

Update Strategy

Version Numbering

Use semantic versioning:Format: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH

MAJOR: Breaking changes, incompatible
MINOR: New features, backwards compatible
PATCH: Bug fixes only

Examples:

1.0.0 → 1.0.1: Bug fix
1.0.1 → 1.1.0: New feature
1.1.0 → 2.0.0: Major overhaul

Changelog Format

Maintain detailed changelogs:

## v1.2.0 (2024-03-01)

### Added
- New weapon textures
- Alternate color options

### Changed
- Improved mesh quality
- Updated for game patch 1.5

### Fixed
- Crash when using feature X
- Visual glitch on weapon Y

### Removed
- Deprecated feature Z

Deprecation

When retiring features:

Announce early: Warn users in advance
Provide alternatives: Suggest replacements
Gradual removal: Mark deprecated first
Archive old versions: Keep available for existing users

Community

Being a Good Mod Author

Community Best Practices:

Respond to feedback: Engage with users
Credit others: Acknowledge help and inspiration
Be receptive: Accept constructive criticism
Share knowledge: Help other modders learn
Respect licenses: Follow other mods’ terms
Be patient: Users have varying technical knowledge

Licensing

Consider your mod’s license:

Open Source: Allow others to learn/modify
Restrictive: Prevent unauthorized use
Credits Required: Ensure attribution
Commercial Use: Allow/disallow monetization

Common licenses:

MIT: Very permissive
CC BY 4.0: Requires attribution
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: Non-commercial, share-alike

Resources

Create Mods

Start creating your first mod

Asset Modification

Learn to edit different asset types

Package Mods

Export and distribute your mods

Install Mods

Use Frosty Mod Manager

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Applications

Modding Guide

Plugin Development

Supported Games

Overview

Project Organization

File Naming

Directory Structure

Version Control

Asset Modification

Texture Best Practices

Mesh Best Practices

EBX Property Editing

Compatibility

Mod Conflicts

Game Version Compatibility

Performance Optimization

Resource Size

Runtime Performance

Documentation

Mod Description Template

Screenshots

Testing

Pre-Release Testing

Bug Reporting Template

Release Process

Maintenance

Update Strategy

Community

Being a Good Mod Author

Licensing

Resources

Create Mods

Asset Modification

Package Mods

Install Mods

​Overview

​Project Organization

​File Naming

​Directory Structure

​Version Control

​Asset Modification

​Texture Best Practices

​Mesh Best Practices

​EBX Property Editing

​Compatibility

​Mod Conflicts

​Game Version Compatibility

​Performance Optimization

​Resource Size

​Runtime Performance

​Documentation

​Mod Description Template

​Screenshots

​Testing

​Pre-Release Testing

​Bug Reporting Template

​Release Process

​Maintenance

​Update Strategy

​Community

​Being a Good Mod Author

​Licensing

​Resources

Create Mods

Asset Modification

Package Mods

Install Mods

Overview

Project Organization

File Naming

Directory Structure

Version Control

Asset Modification

Texture Best Practices

Mesh Best Practices

EBX Property Editing

Compatibility

Mod Conflicts

Game Version Compatibility

Performance Optimization

Resource Size

Runtime Performance

Documentation

Mod Description Template

Screenshots

Testing

Pre-Release Testing

Bug Reporting Template

Release Process

Maintenance

Update Strategy

Community

Being a Good Mod Author

Licensing

Resources