New Contributors Guide Getting Started

Getting Started

Before you can create a mod or change, you need to set up a github account, make a copy of the CDDA code online, and transfer your copy to your local computer so you can make and test your changes.

A brief introduction to `git` and `github`

If you don't know anything about git or github, you should read the brief introduction to git and github. If you know how git works, move on to the next section.

Setting yourself up with github

Here's a bunch of links that contain more information about how set yourself up to make a change to CDDA:

Super important! Start here! AMurkin's setup guide is an illustrated tutorial on setting up a github account, forking and cloning the repo, and pushing changes through the Github Desktop and making a PR.

Alternatively, if you are using the console git command, you can checkout the Guide to set up git locally.

Technically, you can just edit the files in your game's data/json folder, but if you do that while in a git repo, then git will automatically keep track of your changes.

http://cddawiki.chezzo.com/cdda_wiki/index.php?title=Contributing has the same information as the "guide to set up git locally" in the middle. You can 100% ignore all the stuff about compiling, but it's the same process to share JSON and code changes, so set up a github account.

This is mostly about the mod manager app, but it gives the basics of setting up a new mod: http://cddawiki.chezzo.com/cdda_wiki/index.php?title=Mod_manager

There's a fair bit of documentation in the game already: https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/tree/master/doc

Start with the modding guide: https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/blob/master/doc/MODDING.md

then the general JSON format guide: https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/blob/master/doc/JSON_INFO.md

Before you contribute, make sure you read the JSON style guide and the manual of style for descriptive text: https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/blob/master/doc/JSON_STYLE.md https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/blob/master/doc/MANUAL_OF_STYLE.md