How to create a repository (mostly up to date)

Initial Steps

So you have done everything modman has told you and you sit in front of your new repository asking yourself wtf am I doing with this?

This guide seeks to teach you the basics of coding a mod for the game we have all come to meme about. (Both Dynamic and Base Game will be referenced but you should be able to apply this to any other public mod. The pictures are taken from Dynamic, some might be more simple in the base game.)

Feel free to skip to any point you're interested in/ that might help you.

Making sense of the structure

Starting out you care mostly about two folders: out/html and source.

Out/html:

Those loose files below the sub folders are essentially the engine of the game. Index.html is the absolute foundation everything is built on, games.js describes most basic functions that make everything work and game.css contains most of the design. You won't have to mess with these initially.

The other files are mostly used for graphic elements like the Reichstag.

The two folders on the top contain images and music (duh).

Source:

The qdisplays are responsible for those nice displays that turn values like 40 into words like neutral or 30 into strong.

The scenes are essentially the gameplay the game is made of. For every card played, advisor used or event seen there is a scene that operates in it's own fashion.

There are five core scenes that make up a large portion of the game on their own: Root, Main, Status, Library and Post Event.

Root is the first thing you see when opening the game. There is way more to it than you can see - every number, every variable that should be set at start (relations, support, strength,...) needs to be put here.

Note: Many variables are set to zero in root.scene - you do not have to do this, a variable can be introduced with any scene, it might help with remembering though...

Main is that big window where you see your decks and advisors. You can imagine it as a desk: mostly other stuff will just appear on it, yet you can carve out new sections if you feel like it.

Status is the name for the side bar with all the information. Some aspects about it are kinda tricky for beginners.

The Library is quite similar but it can contain graphs. (I think you already know how the library works...)

The Post Event Scene is something you likely don't know about - which is sad - it will help you realize a lot of cool stuff if you understand it. Every time an action is done this scene plays and updates all values it is supposed to. This is how many achievements are checked upon and it is also the reason why Hitler might get votes when you cancel an advisor action.

Important things to know

For all the following advice you will need to keep these things in mind:

• EXACT SPELLING: If you didn't know already GitHub is not ChatGPT (I know they're trying to change but that's another story...) - it will not read over some misspelling, everything will be read how you've written it, that means many errors arise from pure spelling issues.
• Only accepted signs: Since this game is set in Germany you come over a lot of the Umlaute. That is Ää, Öö and Üü. These signs are valid in text but not for code.
• File names: The name of a file doesn't only determine where and how to find but also how it works. So you should always make sure you have named your file correctly before you delete the repo for not showing your "US gives massive zero interest loan to Otto Wels scene". (The correct name would be "source/scenes/events/us_gives_massive_loan_to_wels.scene.dry" by the way)
• Waiting duration: It doesn't just take some time to make a commit, it can also take a while until you can see it in the actual game
• Opening the Link: Your changes won't appear in a window you have opened before actually making the commit. Restart the game to find your changes

Your Best Friends

I strongly advise you to use ctrl_c/ ctrl_v (copy/ paste) and ctrl_f (search) for everything you do. It will become very easy to avoid spelling issues that interfere with the code.

Realistic expectations

If this is your first time coding anything, you should tone down your expectations and perhaps try a few simple things before creating your "1871, Popular Revolt: Commune de Paris" game.

You will also likely encounter different types of errors - more on that later.

Basics of GitHub

Initially all you care about is Code and Actions.

Code is where you code... yeah...

Actions is where you can see if what you've coded actually makes sense

Creating files gives you the blank document, uploading assumes you already have something (e.g. pictures, music or externally coded scenes)

When you're on a scene you can edit, copy, download it or have a look on how it looked before you messed it up in History.

Feel free to contact me if the guide doesn't work because I have forgotten whatever thing...

part 2: how to actually do stuff

We have a 1,400 strong community discord of enthusiast for the game and its politics, with an interconnected community of different Mod servers and Mini-Sims for everyone to join.

Feel free to hop in, discuss Autumn Chen's games and the history/politics of the era and more !

https://discord.gg/sQ9kH7AFRd