Injects a basic mod loader into PULSAR: Lost Colony.

.\PulsarModLoaderInstaller.exe [Path\To\Pulsar\PULSAR_LostColony_Data\Managed\Assembly-CSharp.dll]

By default, PML will attempt to patch the Steam version of the game in Steam's default install location. To patch a PULSAR installation in another location (non-Steam version, copy of client, etc), simply specify the path to Assembly-CSharp.dll as shown above.

Afterwards, add mods to then PULSARLostColony\Mods directory, then run PULSAR normally. PulsarModLoaderInstaller.exe is not needed after this.

Use Steam's Verify Integrity of Game Files option to restore any modified files with minimal download.

Non-Steam users can attempt to rename Assembly-CSharp.dll.bak to Assembly-CSharp.dll, assuming no official patches were released since it was last generated. Otherwise, restore a clean copy from the official non-Steam download.

Optionally remove PulsarModLoader.dll and Assembly-CSharp.dll.bak from PULSARLostColony\PULSAR_LostColony_Data\Managed, and the Mods directory from PULSARLostColony

All mods must be C# Class Libraries targeting .NET Framework 4.0 or later (to work around some jankery). See this screenshot for an example of project creation settings in Visual Studio Community 2019 (free download).

You Should reference the following assemblies in your mod project:

• PulsarModLoader.dll (PML code)
• Assembly-CSharp.dll (Game code)

Additionally, the following Assemblies might be needed.

• 0Harmony.dll (Patch Code)
• ACTk.Runtime.dll (Obscured Object Code)
• UnityEngine.CoreModule.dll (Engine code)
• UnityEngine.*.dll (optional; specific DLL depends what changes are made)

Mods must also contain a subclass of [PulsarModLoader.PulsarMod] for mod initialization. This class is instantiated once during game startup (currently before PLGlobal.Awake()), so do mod setup in its constructor. The base constructor already loads Harmony, so only overriding protected string HarmonyIdentifier() may be enough for simple mods. To extend setup, override the constructor with a call to base:

class MyMod : PulsarMod
{
    public MyMod() : base()
    {
        // Do additional setup here
    }
    
    [...]
}

Using [HarmonyLib] to hook PULSAR methods is strongly recommended due to its simple API and tools that help multiple mods play nicely when modifying the same methods (stacking hooks instead of overwriting each other, prioritization, etc). Any class using Harmony decorators will magically hook their methods.

using PulsarModLoader;

namespace ExampleMod
{
    class MyMod : PulsarMod
    {
        public override string HarmonyIdentifier()
        {
            // Make this unique to your mod!
            return "com.example.pulsar.mods";
        }
    }
}

using Harmony;

namespace ExampleMod
{
	[HarmonyPatch(typeof(PLNetworkManager))]
	[HarmonyPatch("Start")]
	class VersionModifier
	{
		static void Postfix(PLNetworkManager __instance)
		{
			__instance.VersionString += "\nCool Kid Version";
		}
	}
}

Distribute mods as .dll assemblies. To install, simply drop the assembly into the Mods folder; any properly-defined *.dll mods assemblies are automatically loaded.