There shouldn't be any program you need to install to write the code, Mod the Spire is only needed to install the mods (and even then, its existence is more to make it easy, because it itself has to inject into the game from scratch at some point. This is what is known as "bootstrapping" in programming circles), rather than necessary to write the code at all. Base Mod is what you're probably looking for, as it exists to offer a more extensive set of user-friendly mod making tools.

In other words, you could use Notepad to write the code, but the community has settled on using Mod the Spire as where you write the code because it handles the issues of actually getting it into the game, while Base Mod is a toolkit to let less knowledgeable people make mods, and allow more complicated ones to be made relatively easily.

Zany - come join the STS modding discord, there are tons of helpful links in the pinned comments and on the modding wiki. https://discord.gg/X6G2Jvg

The game is written in Java and you'll need to be able to navigate Java code to get a grasp on how to make your own mods. Getting started with basic online java tutorials may be useful. I like just diving in myself, but it can be overwhelming to some.

Originally posted by Morphile:

There shouldn't be any program you need to install to write the code, Mod the Spire is only needed to install the mods (and even then, its existence is more to make it easy, because it itself has to inject into the game from scratch at some point. This is what is known as "bootstrapping" in programming circles), rather than necessary to write the code at all. Base Mod is what you're probably looking for, as it exists to offer a more extensive set of user-friendly mod making tools.

In other words, you could use Notepad to write the code, but the community has settled on using Mod the Spire as where you write the code because it handles the issues of actually getting it into the game, while Base Mod is a toolkit to let less knowledgeable people make mods, and allow more complicated ones to be made relatively easily.

Thank you, I think I understand it somewhat now but I'm still a little unsure of what to do with Base Mod? I installed it but it just shows up in Mod the Spire as a mod. How do i use the tool? Or am I misssing something here?

Originally posted by Michael Mayhem:

Zany - come join the STS modding discord, there are tons of helpful links in the pinned comments and on the modding wiki. https://discord.gg/X6G2Jvg

The game is written in Java and you'll need to be able to navigate Java code to get a grasp on how to make your own mods. Getting started with basic online java tutorials may be useful. I like just diving in myself, but it can be overwhelming to some.

Cool, didn't even think about the discord server, thank you! :D

Yea, I know a little about javascript i guess but I have made mods for Stellaris for example and then i could just copy the files for a trait and modify it to make a new one, is this possible for StS?