Simple VS Manager

A simple mod manager and launcher for everyday use! I know, I know, another mod manager...

I made it mostly for me (at least in the beginning!), I think it's pretty nice as an alternative to the mod menu ingame - just a bit easier to get an overview and see whats been updated, then launch the game from it.

Download from Github or directly from this page

If you get virus/security warnings sometimes downloading from a source such as Github helps.

Visit the Discord server to add suggestions, report issues or ask questions

Any suggestions are welcome - random ideas, code improvements, performance issues etc.

 

Why it might be useful

• No installer; simply extract the zip and open the .exe!
• No login, no install, no separate VS installs or importing mod folders
• Update mods, all at once or selected, solve mod dependencies, skip versions, and see every new changelog when updating
• Modlists - share your Modlists online in a dedicated tab and install other peoples Modlists. You can also save your list as an importable PDF that actually looks OK.
• QoL - select and delete mods easily, launch game button, update notifications, tag sorting, presets for enabled/disabled mods, menu for opening those damn folders you always have to navigate to...
• Mod DB Search/Browse - fast integrated mod browser, also with the option to use relevant search to actually prioritize what you write instead of sorting after downloads etc.
• User Reports System - a fast way to judge if a mod is compatible or not with your game version, see what other users have reported and share your own result to help the community!
• Game Profiles (Multiple VS versions) - set a separate Game and Data folder for each profile and switch easily between multiple VS installations.
• Customizable - hide/show and move columns, custom color theme, compact view

 

Other things it does

• If enabled, backup Data folder every time the game is launched through the manager, with ability to rollback.
• Set your existing Vintage Story shortcut as a Launch Game option in case you're using command line arguments
• Switch between any version of a mod using a dropdown list
• You can toggle Disable Internet Access to opt out of all that nice stuff above
• Change to another VintagestoryData folder location
• Color themes, as well as custom colors
• Creates backup modlists for every big action, allowing you to restore a timestamped modlist
• "Uninstall" option that deletes every folder and file created by the app.
• "Server options" to enable a "Copy to Server" button for selected mods, gives a command to install the mod to paste in game.

 

Good to know

• Does not create any new Mods directory - uses the Mods directory in your VintagestoryData folder
• Basically syncs with the Mods directory and the clientsettings.json, if you delete a mod in the manager it is deleted from the folder, and vice versa.
• As default all mods, and their versions, are cached (stored) on your computer so you do not have to redownload when switching between modlists for example
• Install by just unpacking the zip file and and running Simple VS Manager.exe

 

Modlists

• Save currently installed mods as .json, .pdf or to the online database
• Import other users .json and .pdf files, or browse the online database
• To include a mods config in the modlist, select it and make sure the path to the config is set. You will be asked which mod configs you want to include when saving.
• Use the Scan for mod config files option in the Help & Advanced menu to identify some of the configs
• Does not include the actual mod zip files, the manager will download the mods from the Mod DB or use the cache if available

 

User Reports

• Help the community out - if your installed mods are stable mark them as "No issues noticed" or "Fully functional" if you're confident. 
• Does a mod have some minor issues but still does its job? Vote "Some issues but works".
• If a mod is outdated or has serious issues which impacts the core functionality of the mod, use "Not functional".
• And lastly for mods that crashes or freezes the game, "Crashes/freezes game".
• You have one vote per specific combination of your installed mod version and your installed VS version.
• Installed mods will show the most voted option for your specific VS & mod version, Mod DB will show for your specific VS version and the latest mod version.
• Thanks for voting!

 

Things to know if you want to use it

• Connects to the internet, namely to the Vintage Story Mod DB API
• Creates a folder in your AppData/Local folder called "Simple VS Manager", contains a config file, cached mods (if enabled) and presets/modlists
• Just like the ingame mod menu, it uses the normal Mods directory, so if you delete a mod in the manager it's deleted from the folder
• To use the Modlist cloud functionality, a file called "firebase-auth" is created in the "Simple VS Manager" folder. A backup is also created in AppData/Local/SVSM Backup
• I am not a professional developer, in fact I'm not a professional anything, so please report any of the plentiful bugs you encounter so I can tell a robot to fix it :)

 

Troubleshooting

• Windows 10 or 11 only and requires the .net 8 Desktop Runtime which you should have installed if you are running VS 1.21+
• If you are still running 1.20 or older, install the .net8 runtime from the Vintage Story Client Area page.
• As with any zipped .exe files (that's not from a known source etc) there will be false positive virus warnings - if you feel unsafe downloading this I recommend you don't download this!
• Github source is available for those who wants to check out the code (it's a mess) or build themselves.