Add contributing guide

[budak7273]

Document should cover:

• The structure of this repo
  • It contains the starter project, game headers with modding edits, stubs with modding edits, stub assets, SML mod, AccessTransformers editor time plugin, SMLEditor editor time mod, ExampleMod mod, Alpakit editor time plugin
  • https://docs.ficsit.app/satisfactory-modding/latest/Development/BeginnersGuide/StarterProjectStructure.html
• Expectations for testing
  • Content should work on windows clients, windows servers, linux servers
  • Test locally on all the platforms you can before opening a PR
• Expectations for implementing things in blueprint versus c++
• Code style (UE Style)
• Discuss on the Discord with the team first - not all features belong in SML
  • Examples of things that usually do:
    • Hooking enhancements
    • General systems to improve cross-mod compatibility
    • Access transformers or blueprint-callable helpers for C++ functions that would benefit every mod trying to extend the game
    • ExampleMod examples of SML or base-game features
    • Developer utilities in SMLEditor
  • Examples of things that usually don't:
    • New resources or machines
    • Changes to base game behavior, even fixing bugs (https://ficsit.app/mod/FixReliableBufferOverflow)
    • Something that would prevent vanilla clients from joining an SML server
    • Access transformers or blueprint-callable helpers for C++ functions that only certain mods would need
    • Runtime tests (these go in https://github.com/satisfactorymodding/SMLFeatureTests)
• Supporting merged content
  • We won't merge changes that we can't reasonably support in the future

[T342guy]

Hey there, @budak7273 !

I came across SML randomly, and decided to draft your contributing guide. Beware this is the first draft, and that I would like you to point anything out not to your liking. Id also like information on the UE blueprints and C++ section, as your description didnt give me any details.

Contributing to SatisfactoryModLoader

Hello, and welcome to the StatisfactoryModLoader contributing guide! This document will outline the expectations and best practices of the StatisfactoryModLoader team, so that you can help the project. Got questions? Head on over to the StatisfactoryModding discord server.

Expectations and best practices

Expected targets

SML is expected to run and function as expected on a windows client, windows server and a linux server.

Test before pull request

Please test SML on expected and available targets before you open a pull request.

UE Blueprints V.S. C++

(Insert needs here, need to ask issue creator for details.)

Use the Unreal Engine coding style.

For legibility and the ease of the other maintainers, please use the Unreal engine coding style. Specifically, Allar's UE5 style guide.

Discuss changes with the maintaining team.

Please discuss changes and ideas/improvements with the maintaining team on discord. This allows other maintainers to stay up to date, make suggestions, and ask questions.

Does this belong?

Some changes, features, and/or tools may not be suitable to be added to SML, and rather more suitable for mod.

Things that DONT belong in SML.

• Base-game bugfixes, additional content, or any base-game modification.
  • SML is a mod loader and not a revamp tool. That's what mods are for.
• Moddable content.
  • Content that gets added to the base game should be a mod and does not belong in the SML source code.
• Functions that would prevent vanilla clients from connecting to SML loaded clients.
  • Keep vanilla and SML client functionality unimpeded.
• Access Transformers and/or blueprint-callable functions that are used in niche instances.
  • Keep SML Access transformer functionality to what is useful, and not adding niche functions only one mod would use.
• Runtime tests.
  • Runtime tests are added to SMLFeatureTest

Things that DO belong in SML.

• Hooking enhancements.
• General systems that improve cross-mod compatibility.
• Access Transformers and/or blueprint-callable functions that benefit in a useful way.
• ExampleMod examples of SML or base-game features.
• Developer utilities in SMLEditor

Supportable content

We advise to all contributors that the SML team will not merge changes that we cannot reasonably maintain in the future.

Filestructure

Filestructures of the StatisfactoryModLoader repository.

Full folder structure - Click to expand

This is the hidden content. You can use Markdown here.

(work on this)

[T342guy]

Hey there @budak7273 !
Asking for a follow-up, I'd love to complete this if you give me some feedback on it :>