Preamble
ℹ️ Note: This guide is the English version of my pervious Traditional Chinese guide.
ℹ️ Note: Akarnokd's mods are constantly under development. If any of the mod information here is outdated or incorrect, please leave a comment and I will revise accordingly.
⚠️ Warning: This guide contains minor spoilers about unlockable items / buildings in the mid and late game.
Plan B: Terraform is currently at Early Access stage and does not yet support Steam Workshop. However, this does not stop enthusiastic players from making mods. One of the best existing mods is the QoL/Cheat mods made by akarnokd.
The purpose of this guide is to provide step-by-step instructions for installing akarnokd mods, and outline the core features provided by the mods. You can find more details about akarnokd mods on the mod's github page[github.com] . (This guide is basically a simplified version of that page)
Installation Steps
1. Download the .zip file of BepInEx 5.4.21BepInEx is an open-source plugin / modding framework for Unity Mono, IL2CPP and .NET framework games.
Visit BepInEx releases page[github.com] and download the 64-bit BepInEx 5.4.21+.
ℹ️ Note: Make sure you don't download the pre-release version, which is the 6.x.x line.
ℹ️ Note: Make sure you don't download the "Source code" .zip file.
2. Unpack the BepInEx .zip file into the game's directoryHere's an example of the most common path to the game's directory:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Plan B Terraform\
ℹ️ Note: The path to the game's directory may differ between different devices.
Move the downloaded BeplnEx .zip file into the game's directory, and right click the .zip file to select "Extract Here".
3. Generate the BepInEx\plugins directoryRun the game, then quit the game. The plugins directory should then appear under the BeplnEx directory.
Here's an example of the most common path to the plugins directory:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Plan B Terraform\BepInEx\plugins\
ℹ️ Note: The path to the plugins directory may differ between different devices.
4. Download the .zip file of akarnokd mod(s)Visit akarnokd mods releases page[github.com] to download the latest akarnokd-all.zip. If you only intend to install a specific mod instead of the whole mod package, you can download only the .zip file of the specific mod.
ℹ️ Note: Make sure you don't download the "Source code" .zip file.
5. Unpack the .zip mod file into the BepInEx\plugins directoryMove the downloaded .zip mod file into the BepInEx\plugins directory, then right click the file and select "Extract Here". Once the extraction is completed, you should be able to use the mods during your playthrough.
ℹ️ Note: It's advisable to keep the directory structure of the .zip file intact, which allows player to install or uninstall mods more easily.
6. Mod configuration (Optional)Many mods have configuration files (.cfg) you can edit under the BepInEx\config directory, which can be opened and editted via any text editor.
If something not working properly, delete the .cfg file and the mod will create a default one the next time the game is run.
Uninstallation Steps
1. Delete the mod directory under the BepInEx\plugins directoryIf you want to remove certain mod, you only need to delete the mod directory (including all files inside it). Example:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Plan B Terraform\BepInEx\plugins\akarnokd - (Feat) Add City Names\
2. Delete the mod configuration files from the BepInEx\config directory (Optional)Example:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Plan B Terraform\BepInEx\config\akarnokd.planbterraformmods.cheatprogressspeed.cfg
List Of Current Mods
The latest veriosn is v77, which includes the following mods:
Features Add City Names -
Customize the selection of city names the game will use to generate the map.
City Population Label -
Display the population number underneath the city label.
Depot Priority -
Set priorities on depots so containers will be force-transferred towards higher priority depots.
Disable Building -
Enable and disable production buildings via a on-screen button or keyboard shortcut.
Go to Exhausted Extractors -
Show a blinking panel (bottom left) if there are any extractors that have run out of minable ore.
Hotbar -
Add a bar at the bottom of the screen with 3 subpanels and 9 slots each for quickly selecting a building to be built.
More Cities -
Generate more cities for a new game.
More Ore Fields -
Generate more and bigger ore fields.
Multiplayer -
Lan/Internet-based co-op multiplayer where one player is the host. (Opens wiki).
Live GUI Scaler -
Scale the GUI by holding CTRL and pressing Numpad Plus, Numpad Minus or via Mouse wheel
Navigate to Points of Interest -
Show a panel on the right side of the screen with cities and landmarks. Clickable/Scrollable.
Production Limiter -
Limit the production items that go into the global storage.
Production Statistics -
Show the production and consumption speed of items.
VSync Limit Framerate -
Reduce the framerate when vsync is turned on to 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4 of the system's default framerate.
Translations Hungarian Translation -
Hungarian Translation (Magyar fordítás, translated by akarnokd).
Traditional Chinese Translation -
Traditional Chinese Translation (繁體中文, translated by Johnruby).
Cheats Build Ice Extractors Anywhere -
Allow building Ice Extractors anywhere on the map, not just on ice.
Edit Ore Cells -
Place and remove ores from the surface.
Endless Resources -
All resource nodes being extracted will have a minimum amount and never run out.
Progress Speed -
Speed up extractors, factories, drones and vehicles.
Mod Configuration
The following mods allow player to configure via edit configuration file:
Add City NamesCustomize the selection of city names the game will use to generate the map. The names are randomly picked by the game.
In the configuration, list the city names (comma separated). The mod then can add these names to the default game list or overwrite it.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.feataddcitynames.cfg
City Population LabelDisplay the city population number under the city's name in the main view and/or minimap (configurable).
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.uicitypopulationlabel.cfg
Depot PrioritySet priorities on depots so containers will be force-transferred towards higher priority depots.
Select a depot and see the small panel on the bottom-left of the screen. The up and down buttons can adjust the priority. You can have any priority number, only the relative numbers between depots in each other's reach matter. Use the Middle mouse on the panel to reset the priority.
Press P (configurable) to show and hide the priority numbers in the world overlay.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.featdepotpriority.cfg
Disable BuildingEnable and disable production buildings via an on-screen button or keyboard shortcut.
Toggle enable/disable with K (configurable) when a building is selected or use the factory icon button (default bottom-left of the screen). Disabled buildings will show a red crossed out circle (🚫) over the buildings on the main screen.
ℹ️ Note: The building state is persisted in your save. The save format is not changed by the mod and remains compatible with the vanilla save, meaning that removing the mod won't break it.
ℹ️ Note: The location and size of the factory icon button does not adapt to screen resolution by itself. Player may use the configuration settings to adjust its position and size.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.featdisablebuilding.cfg
Go to Exhausted ExtractorsShows a blinking panel (bottom left) if there are any extractors that have run out of minable ore. Click on the panel, or press . (configurable) to go to one of those Extractors.
The panel does not adapt to screen sizes. Player may use the configuration to position the panel and adjust the font size.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.featgotoexhaustedextractors.cfg
HotbarAdds a bar at the bottom of the screen with 3 subpanels and 9 slots each for quickly selecting a building to be built.
The bar can be hidden via H key (configurable). To clear a slot, Middle click on the slot.
⚠️ Warning: The hotbar currently allows selecting any building, not just the unlocked ones, so spoilers!
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.feathotbar.cfg
More CitiesGenerate more cities for a new game.
The game currently defaults to 3 cities per planet. This mod adds a slider to the New Planet screen where you can set the number of additional cities to be generated. For example, if set to 2, the game will have 5 cities total.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.featmorecities.cfg
More Ore Fields
Adjust the ore field generation logic by changing the field frequency and size range of the ore fields in the New Planet dialog (or via configuration file).
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.featmoreorefields.cfg
Live GUI ScalerThis mod requires game build 623+, and does nothing on older versions due to lack of official scaling support.
Scale the GUI by holding CTRL and pressing Numpad Plus, Numpad Minus or via Mouse wheel. You can configure the minimum (50%), maximum (300%) and scaling step (5%).
ℹ️ Note: The game's scaling is between 70% to 270% and may jump back into this range when opening the options screen.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.uiliveguiscaler.cfg
Navigate to Points of InterestAdds a panel on the right side of the screen with cities and landmarks. You can click on a line and the map will center on that point of interest.
Use L (configurable) to hide the panel. Use the Mouse Scroll while hovering over the panel to scroll up or down if there are more than the preset limit of lines.
ℹ️ Note: The panel does not adapt to screen sizes, use the configuration to position the panel and adjust the font size.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.featnavigatetopoi.cfg
Production LimiterLimit the production items that go into the global storage. There is an ingame button to the top-left of the screen ("Limit Prod") that opens up a dialog where each limit can be adjusted ingame.
You can hold SHIFT to change by 10x the button's amount and CTRL+SHIFT to change by 100x. (I.e., clicking on the +100 while holding CTRL+SHIFT will add 10000 to the limit.)
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.featproductionlimiter.cfg
Production StatisticsAdd a button to the top left of the screen that when clicked, shows a panel of current production and consumption statistics.
The panel can be toggled via F3 (configurable too).
ℹ️ Note: The save format is not changed by the mod and remains compatible with the vanilla save, meaning that removing the mod won't break it.
ℹ️ Note: The graphics does not adapt to the current screen resolution. You may adjust the font, button and panel sizes via configuration.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.featproductionstatistics.cfg
VSync Limit FramerateBy default, when VSync is turned on in an Unity game, the engine will try to render everything at the system's default framerate. E.g., If you have a 60Hz monitor, then 60 FPS. Unfortunately, this can tax the system unnecessarily.
The mod will reduce the framerate when VSync is turned on to 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4 of the system's default framerate. You may set the divider in the config file.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.uivsynclimitframerate.cfg
Build Ice Extractors AnywhereAllows building Ice Extractors anywhere on the map, not just on ice.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.cheatbuildiceextractorsanywhere.cfg
Edit Ore CellsAdd or remove various ores by clicking on the surface.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.cheateditorecells.cfg
Endless ResourcesAll resource nodes being extracted will have a minimum amount and never run out. Default is minimum 500 units.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.cheatendlessresources.cfg
Progress SpeedSpeed up extractors, factories, drones and vehicles. Extractors and factories can produce 2x, 3x, etc. (integer) rate. Drones have increased speed and (if negative) decreased takeoff time.
🔧 Configuration file: akarnokd.planbterraformmods.cheatprogressspeed.cfg
Epilogue
Many QoL features are already in plan according to the dev (i.e. Gaddy, the solo dev), but it may take some times before these features are actually implemented. Before that, players can always rely on akarnokd mods to make the gaming experience more enjoyable.
Many thanks to akarnokd's good work! (ﾟ∀。) <3
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding akarnokd mods, feel free to join the official Discord[discord.com] and share your comments in #modding-csharp channel.
Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2938220761
More Plan B: Terraform guilds
- All Guilds
- Recycling - Just How Renewable? 66%
- Simple resource tree
- Early Access guide to the game I guess
- Guide to 1 Million
- Plan B: Terraform Guide 6
- City sizes & resource requirements
- Supply Chains and Ratios
- Resources Break Down List
- Plan B: Terraform Guide 1