On its own, Stationeers only loads XML mods (recipes, stack sizes, ore veins and the like). A DLL in the mod folder is completely ignored by the game. Eleven of my twelve mods, however, are code mods with their own devices and their own logic. To get those running, you need two helpers:
- BepInEx injects code into the game at startup.
- StationeersLaunchPad (LaunchPad or SLP for short) builds on that: it loads the mods, sorts them, manages their settings and, since version 1.0, the mod packs as well.
The only exception is the Furnace Mod: a pure XML mod, subscribing is enough.
Before you install anything: back up your saves. A missing or broken mod can make a save unloadable. How to do that is described under Backing up saves.
What you need
| Part | Version | Where from |
|---|---|---|
| Stationeers | 0.2.6428.27798 (tested with) | Steam |
| BepInEx | 5.4.23.5, file BepInEx_win_x64_5.4.23.5.zip | github.com/BepInEx/BepInEx/releases |
| StationeersLaunchPad | 1.0 (ships with LaunchPadBooster 0.3.1) | github.com/StationeersLaunchPad/StationeersLaunchPad |
Why exactly BepInEx 5.4.23.5? The game runs on Unity 2022.3.62f3, and 5.4.23.5 is the first BepInEx version that works cleanly with exactly this Unity version. All my mods are built and tested with it.
1. Find the game folder
In Steam: Library → right-click Stationeers → Manage → Browse local files. For a default installation that is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\StationeersYou are in the right place if rocketstation.exe is in there.
2. Extract BepInEx
Extract the contents of the zip file directly into the game folder, i.e. next to rocketstation.exe. Afterwards you will find there, among other things:
- the folder
BepInEx winhttp.dlldoorstop_config.ini
The most common mistake: the extraction tool creates a subfolder BepInEx_win_x64_5.4.23.5. Then winhttp.dll sits one level too deep and BepInEx never starts. The file has to be directly next to rocketstation.exe.
3. Start the game once
Start Stationeers until the main menu appears, then quit again. On the first start BepInEx creates its folders (BepInEx\config, BepInEx\plugins …) and writes the log file BepInEx\LogOutput.log.
Quick test: open BepInEx\LogOutput.log. The first line reads BepInEx 5.4.23.5 - rocketstation. If the file is missing, BepInEx did not start, see above.
4. Install StationeersLaunchPad
Extract the LaunchPad client zip into the folder BepInEx\plugins\. Result:
Stationeers\BepInEx\plugins\StationeersLaunchPad\StationeersLaunchPad.dll
Stationeers\BepInEx\plugins\StationeersLaunchPad\LaunchPadBooster.dllLaunchPadBooster is a library that many mods build on (mine too). It comes with LaunchPad, you don't have to get it separately.
5. Check
On the next start the LaunchPad window with the mod list appears on the loading screen. BepInEx\LogOutput.log now contains a line like:
[Info : BepInEx] Loading [StationeersLaunchPad 1.0.0]LaunchPad checks for new versions by itself at startup. Its settings are stored in BepInEx\config\stationeers.launchpad.cfg.
6. Subscribe to mods
Click Subscribe on the mod's Workshop page. Steam downloads the mod to steamapps\workshop\content\544550\<Workshop ID>\.
| Mod | Workshop ID |
|---|---|
| Power Engineering (Stromtechnik) | 3814576969 |
| Steam Power (Dampfkraft) | 3814813154 |
| Electric Smelter | 3814799972 |
| World Map | 3814800174 |
| BMA Fire Alarm System | 3814265035 |
| IC10 Editor Tablet | 3813685110 |
| Electric Furnace T1 & T2 | 3813753764 |
| Barren Stacks (Ingot Stacks) | 3813769841 |
| Ice Generator | 3813684862 |
| Gas Freezer | 3813684977 |
| Deep Miner Ice | 3813684684 |
| Furnace Mod | 3691523188 |
7. Add to the mod pack
Since LaunchPad 1.0, only what is in the active mod pack gets loaded. A freshly subscribed mod is not in there automatically.
- Start the game and open the LaunchPad window on the loading screen.
- Find the new mod in the mod list.
- Tick the checkbox at the start of the row. As LaunchPad's own hint says: "Changes in the mod list save to the active pack".
- Let it load.
More on this, including the typical pitfalls: Mod packs.
8. Loaded?
LaunchPad loads the mods alphabetically by name, dependencies first. You can see whether everything is there in three places:
- in the mod list in the LaunchPad window,
- in
BepInEx\LogOutput.logandPlayer.log(see Reporting bugs), - in the console F3:
strom status,dampf status,schmelzofen statusandbma statusanswer with a version number if the respective mod is running.
Updating mods
Steam updates subscribed mods by itself, usually on the next start. If a mod is stuck on an old version: unsubscribe in the Workshop, wait a moment, subscribe again and then add it to the pack again.
Make a backup before every mod update. In multiplayer, the host and all other players must have the same version afterwards, otherwise the server rejects players.
Uninstalling
- Removing a mod: untick it in the pack or unsubscribe. Check first whether the save contains devices from the mod. If the mod is missing, such a save no longer loads.
- Disabling BepInEx: rename
winhttp.dllin the game folder. The game then starts without code mods. Renaming it back switches everything on again.
Common problems
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
No LaunchPad window, no LogOutput.log | BepInEx is in the wrong folder | winhttp.dll has to be next to rocketstation.exe |
LogOutput.log exists, but no LaunchPad | LaunchPad not in BepInEx\plugins\ | extract the zip there |
| Mod subscribed, but not in the game | not in the active pack | tick the checkbox at the start of the row |
Save does not load, message The specified type was not recognized: name='…savedata' | a mod with devices in the save is missing from the pack | add the mod to the pack, restart |
Log shows TargetException: Object does not match target type | the same mod is active twice (local copy and Workshop) | remove one of the two versions from the pack |