This guide will primarily cover the process involved in actually uploading and submitting your Mod to VCD's Steam Workshop.
It will NOT cover how to actually make a mod/level or any of the processes involved in that.
To learn more about that side of things, head on over to the Level Creation Guide.

Likewise, this guide will not cover how Steam Workshop itself works, or anything of that nature.
It really only applies to the system used in VCD.


Be aware that this is a guide for the system employed in VCD after v1.1.
If you are looking for information on the system used in previous versions...well, you really shouldn't be, as it's now obsolete and we've hidden the guide.

What this tool does:

• Creates new Workshop Items
  
• Manages your existing Workshop Items
  
• Uploads a folder structure
  
• Controls your Mod's visiblity
  
• Allows you to change your Mod's meta-data
  
• Publishes your Mod on Steam Workshop

What this tool does NOT do:

• Make Mods
  
• Defeat tough stains
  
• Organize Crates

A few important things need to be done before you can even consider uploading your mod, and that is arranging and naming your files correctly.
First and foremost, make sure you have your mod files in the right place for testing and creating your mod.

• .INI files go under UDKGame\Config\
  
• .INT files go under UDKGame\Content\Mods\Localization\INT\
  
• And finally, for everyone's sake, put your content packages(and script) under UDKGame\Content\Mods\*UniqueName*\

This will guarantee that users of your mod, as well as yourself can easily find your files and avoid file conflicts.
The next important thing is to name your mod something appropriate.
Once again, for everyone's sake, make sure you choose a name that is distinct and recognizable. Ideally something that matches what is seen on Steam Workshop.

Likewise, do not give your mod files generic names like "Textures.upk" or "MyMod.udk".
These kinds of names are certain to cause conflicts with other mod files, as well as infuriate players.
Try naming things using this formula: *UniqueName*_GameplayTextures_01.upk, or *UniqueName*_LevelSounds_01.upk.
Replace *UniqueName* with the name of your mod.
Be sure to never use spaces or any other whitespace, always use underscores: _


The next thing is to make sure you have a separate folder outside of VCD's install directory where you will place your mod in preparation for uploading.
This is the folder that "RUST Mk2" will want to use, and it really helps to keep things clean and separate.
You do NOT want to be uploading anything straight from the game's install directory!

Inside this separate folder(referred to as a "root" folder) you'll still want to preserve the same folder structure however.
Here is an example of a correctly arranged upload("root") folder named DarkPlace.
Note: Darkplace is for illustration purposes only. You are meant to replace it with a name of your choosing, following the naming advice above.

• Darkplace\UDKGame\Content\Mods\DarkPlace\VC_DarkPlace.udk
  
• Darkplace\UDKGame\Content\Mods\DarkPlace\DarkPlace_GameplayTextures_01.upk
  
• Darkplace\UDKGame\Content\Mods\Localization\INT\Darkplace.int
  
• Darkplace\UDKGame\Config\Darkplace.ini

Follow this example, and there will be no problems.
Fail to do so, and you'll have a headache from all the other people with headaches screaming at you to fix it.

Now that you know how to sanely keep your files in order, it's time to get started with the actual tool.

First things first, make sure the Steam Client is running.
The tool needs it open to be able to access Steam Workshop and check your items.
No Client; no Uploading, no nuffin'.

To open the tool, simply find it on your computer under the game's install folder.
There you will see a RUSTUGC folder, and inside the folder is a RUSTUGC.exe file, launch that.

A window will open with a few important options available, and the "[New Item]" option already selected.
If you already have VCD workshop entries, then they will be visible in the list on the left.

To create a new entry, simply have the "[New Item]" option selected in the list.
Then, on the right panel, begin to fill in your mod's information.

You can leave your mod on private for now if you wish to simply test the tool, or review the submition on Steam Workshop before actually making it public.
This is usually a good idea.

Fill in a Title for your mod, and a Description and any Tags that might help people search your mod.

Finally, click on "Browse" below the "Content" field.
This must point to that nice neat folder outside of VCD that you made earlier.
If you haven't already done that properly, do it now!
Simply navigate into the folder and click on "Open".
The folder in question should be your "root" mod folder. See the "Darkplace" example above.
The folder should not be named "Content", despite the confusing name of the tool's field.



Lastly, you'll need a preview image for your workshop item.
The image must be under 1MB and use one of the following common formats:
JPG, PNG, GIF

Once you have a suitable file, click on "Browse" below the "Preview image" field.
Simply navigate to the file and click on "Open".


Hoorah! Your mod is now ready for upload!
Simply click on the "Create Item" button at the bottom to send it onward!
NOTE: If you haven't already, you may have to agree to Steam's legal agreement allowing your mods to be available to the public.
This can be done by simply clicking on the blue text.


After clicking on "Create Item", you mod will be uploaded and submited to Steam Workshop.
You can see what the tool is doing at the top of the window, and follow its upload progress.
Once complete and successful, the Steam Client window will browse to your workshop item.
Here you can make further changes and see if everything is how you want it.

Once you have one or more workshop items already submitted, you can use the tool to make updates.
If you relaunch the tool, you should now see your named entry in the list on the left.

Simply click on this item and then change the fields as you see fit.
If your mod was set to "Private", you may want to change it to "Public".
Or maybe you want to change the preview image or Description.

Make your changes and then click the "Submit Update" button.
Maybe you want to include a note about the changes?
Simply enter it into the "Update Note" field.
These will appear in the "Change Notes" tab on Steam Workshop.

If you wish to undo your changes before you've submitted them, simply click "Revert" on the left.

That's pretty much all there is to it. Enjoy!

Let us know if you have any problems, or need advice by heading over to the Workshop Discussion forums.

If you run into trouble, here is a short list of some issues you might encounter.

• Fails to upload an unreleased mod.
  This could be due to Steam Cloud Sync being active.
  Make sure you disable it for VCD, then delete all the files in the following folders(under the game's install directory):
  \Viscera\UDKGame\Autosaves\
  \Viscera\UDKGame\Autosaves\Backup\
  
  
• Game becomes bricked and stops working for all subscribers
  Could be you changed the filenames for your level or one of its content packages and then re-uploaded.
  Don't ever change filenames!
  Be sure to delete the now wrongly named files, and instruct your subscribers on how to do the same on their end.
  
  
• Can't select a root folder in Rust mk2's content upload box.
  If this happens, then select a terminating folder(one with no other folders below it).
  Then, in the actual "Content" field, remove parts of the text field until it points to your mod's root folder as it should.