Outward Mods Communicator enables seamless communication between mods through shared events and configuration syncing. It also lets users override any changes made by other mods, giving them full control over their settings. You can find library published on NuGet as Outward.ModsCommunicator.
Benefits of using this library:
This library allows mod pack creators to synchronize configuration files without directly editing them.
Users don’t need to download configuration files from third-party sources.
Configurations can be edited through XML, and the control flow follows this order: User -> Mod -> Cfg Documents
.cfg configuration files inside the BepInEx/config directory.
Mods Communicator solves this by using two XML files. One XML file is placed in the
mod’s plugin directory (recommended), and Mods Communicator uses it to override
configuration settings right after the ResourcesPrefabManager class
finishes its Load method.
Afterwards, it reads the player’s PlayerModsOverrides.xml file, located
in BepInEx/config/gymmed.Mods_Communicator folder, to apply personal overrides based on the player’s preferences.
BepInEx/config/gymmed.Mods_Communicator/PlayerModsOverrides.example.xml file —
players must rename it to BepInEx/config/gymmed.Mods_Communicator/PlayerModsOverrides.xml.
This makes their configuration safe from updates and re-downloads.
ResourcesPrefabManager.Load method?ResourcesPrefabManager.Load completes, all
.cfg files are loaded, and it becomes safe to apply overrides.
Outward Game Settings mod uses this dependency
solely for the EventBus feature to publish additional events.
PlayerModsOverrides.example.xml file
inside your BepInEx/config/gymmed.Mods_Communicator folder.
You will need to change it's name to PlayerModsOverrides.xml
when you can open it to add or modify XML values. OutwardModsCommunicator.OMC.xmlFilePath = "FullPathTo/MyModsOverrides.xml";
BepInEx/config/gymmed.Mods_Communicator/PlayerModsOverrides.example.xml document as an example.
Each override is added inside a ConfigOverrides element:
<ConfigOverrides>
<Mod GUID="gymmed.outward_game_settings">
<Section Name="Enchanting Modifications">
<Entry Key="EnchantingSuccessChance" Value="5" />
<Entry Key="RequireRecipeToAllowEnchant" Value="false" />
<Entry Key="UseRecipeOnEnchanting" Value="false" />
</Section>
</Mod>
<Mod GUID="gymmed.outward_mods_communicator">
<Section Name="Event Profiler">
<Entry Key="EnableEventsProfiler" Value="true" />
<Entry Key="InstantLogEventsProfileData" Value="true" />
</Section>
</Mod>
</ConfigOverrides>BepInEx/config directory inside .cfg documents## Settings file was created by plugin Outward Game Settings v0.0.1
## Plugin GUID: gymmed.outward_game_settings
[Enchanting Modifications]
## Allow enchanting only if enchantment is on character?
# Setting type: Boolean
# Default value: true
RequireRecipeToAllowEnchant = false## Remove recipe after using it on enchanting?
# Setting type: Boolean
# Default value: true
UseRecipeOnEnchanting = false## What is success chance(%) of enchanting?
# Setting type: Int32
# Default value: 50
# Acceptable value range: From 0 to 100
EnchantingSuccessChance = 5
## Play additional audio on enchanting failed/success?
# Setting type: Boolean
# Default value: true
PlayAudioOnEnchantingDone = true
Communication is handled through an Event Bus — a system that allows mods to fire (publish) and listen (subscribe) to shared events.
Outward’s BepInEx framework uses Harmony for patching — allowing mods to modify or extend existing game logic. However, Harmony alone cannot handle communication between mods. That’s where the Event Bus comes in.
Harmony and the Event Bus serve different purposes:
Harmony is a patching library that injects code before, after, or inside existing game methods. It’s great for changing how things work but not for sharing data between mods.
Harmony changes how things behave — not how mods talk to each other.
The Event Bus allows mods to publish and subscribe to events without referencing each other’s DLLs. It introduces a safe, modular way for mods to share information and react to in-game events.
Example:
A Game Settings mod can publish an OnEnchantSuccess event.
Another mod can listen for it and play new sounds, change visuals,
or trigger additional effects when enchantments succeed.
You can — but it’s fragile. You’ll need to include that mod’s DLL as a dependency, and any update to it can break your patch. The Mods Communicator Event Bus avoids this problem — mods only publish and subscribe to shared events, keeping them safe and compatible.
Yes. You can create lightweight library mods that listen for published events and transform complex logic into simpler, abstracted event calls. Example: The Loot Manager listens for death events and injects new loot.
The Game Settings Mod adds enchantment success chance and exposes success/failure events. Other mods can subscribe to these to:
Summary: Harmony modifies existing game behavior. Event Bus enables safe, modular mod communication. Together, they make Outward’s modding ecosystem more powerful and extensible.
using OutwardModsCommunicator.EventBus;
...
void Awake()
{
...
// GUID is your plugin ID provided as a string
// "EnchantmentMenu@TryEnchant" is the event name
// ("menu", typeof(EnchantmentMenu)) defines your variable name and its type
EventBus.RegisterEvent(GUID, "EnchantmentMenu@TryEnchant", ("menu", typeof(EnchantmentMenu)));
// add optional event description
// EventBus.RegisterEvent(GUID, "EnchantmentMenu@TryEnchant", "Event fired before calculating enchantment success/failure.", ("menu", typeof(EnchantmentMenu)));
// add optional description about parameter(is variable optional?)
//EventBus.RegisterEvent(GUID, "EnchantmentMenu@TryEnchant", ("menu", typeof(EnchantmentMenu), "The enchantment menu instance that invoked the TryEnchant method."));
// you can add multiple variables and
// add as many as you need like this:
//EventBus.RegisterEvent("MyPluginId", "MyClass@MyMethod", ("name", typeof(string)), ("health", typeof(int)));
...
}using OutwardModsCommunicator.EventBus;
...
void YourMethod()
{
...
// Add variable receiver names and your variables references
var payload = new EventPayload
{
// Will get it as named menu
["menu"] = yourVariable,
};
// Send event for subscribers to receive data
EventBus.Publish(OutwardGameSettings.GUID, "EnchantmentMenu@TryEnchant", payload);
}using OutwardModsCommunicator.EventBus;
...
void Awake()
{
...
// Provide other mod GUID
// Provide event name
// Provide method you want to execute
EventBus.Subscribe("gymmed.outward_game_settings", "EnchantmentMenu@TryEnchant", OnTryEnchant);
}
private static void OnTryEnchant(EventPayload payload)
{
if (payload == null) return;
// try to retrieve passed event data
EnchantmentMenu menu = payload.Get<EnchantmentMenu>("menu", null);
// if event data is null log and stop execution
if (menu == null)
{
Log.LogMessage("Mod gymmed.outward_game_settings event EnchantmentMenu@TryEnchant returned null for EnchantmentMenu");
// log received payload for errors inspection
EventBusDataPresenter.LogPayload(payload);
return;
}
// Lets log success
Log.LogMessage($"{GUID} successfully communicated with gymmed.outward_game_settings mod and passed menu!");
}using OutwardModsCommunicator.EventBus;
...
// We use harmony patch to execute code after each plugin is loaded
// and have already registered their events
[HarmonyPatch(typeof(ResourcesPrefabManager), nameof(ResourcesPrefabManager.Load))]
public class ResourcesPrefabManager_Load
{
static void Postfix(ResourcesPrefabManager __instance)
{
// Log all registered events
EventBusDataPresenter.LogRegisteredEvents();
// Log all subsribers
EventBusDataPresenter.LogAllModsSubsribers();
}
}The project also includes extra tools like EventProfiler and EventBusDataPresenter — feel free to explore them to learn more.
You can view mod creation template here.
You can view outward game settings mod here.
You can view outward scene tester mod here.
You can view more complex example outward loot manager mod here.
To manually set up, do the following
Outward\BepInEx\plugins\OutwardModsCommunicator\.BepInEx\plugins\OutwardModsCommunicator\ directory you created.Outward\BepInEx\plugins\OutwardModsCommunicator\OutwardModsCommunicator.dll
Launch the game.