The ModSDK isn't public: https://steamdb.info/app/349110/

It's included in all Medieval Engineers subscription packages, however it could be probably available at this time only for people who bought the Deluxe edition during the pre-sale event a week before the release, as that package has set ReleaseStateOverride.

(snip) Found it. Deluxe Edition includes the soundtrack, but there are no SDK details on the store page. Looks like someone made an error; either by publishing that the SDK is on Steam or by not making it available.

The ModSDK should be available for you now.

Awesome! Downloading now.

Originally posted by ♡はゆりん:

Well the SDK is a little underwhelming...

It's a work in progress. Some of the plugins don't load without crashing, but that is absolutely expected. I'm happy that we have access to it, and I'm particularly interested in importing custom assets and writing scripts because those two features alone can introduce entirely new game mechanics.

It will get there. Keen Software is still fleshing out their vision where their voxel engine is concerned; they have a very strong focus on pushing the limits of voxel engines to do difficult things that have been attempted for a long, long time. I bet at one time, they poured much effort into optimizing subdivision of voxels (normal vector preservation versus vertex removal is non-trivial at a low level), and now they're working on physics.

Note that only in the last year or so are competitors just beginning to do things in major third party engines that Keen can do in their own engine. That, to me, means that they will eventually completely eclipse engines that are not specialized for voxel rendering, in terms of features supported at a low level.

Unity, for example, is actually pretty great for voxel engines and can accomplish many of the same things -- but only at a higher level that requires massaging the engine's internal code. There's a HUGE productivity difference between being able to invoke functionality directly and having to pass back and forth between plugin DLLs and internal scripts to achieve something. Keen's engine will ultimately outperform others.

Now, consider that writing modding tools involves exposing access to as much of that as safely possible, and you realize that they're writing an interface for something that doesn't exist anywhere else, full stop. This is something that ONLY Keen will likely do well any time soon, because this functionality in other engines already has to sit on top of the performance overhead involved in retooling those engines. See why this will take time?

Aside from this, VRage is still open source. This is still the only early access developer (that I know of) for whom we can look at their tools and speak of their technical achievements with any measure of certainty. To me, that means we will eventually have amazing, top-notch modding tools, and a future title will combine their tech to absolutely blow our socks off.

Just wait until they get to the point of subdividing voxels with LOD for further details, and doing things like tesselation, more advanced lighting, etc. Seriously, keep your patience and keep updating your mod tool. Within the next two to five years, Keen is going to make jaws drop and absolutely blow up in exposure. It's going to be like watching Bethesda go from their niche days to AAA status; only in the case of Keen, instead of waiting a decade or more for features you dreamed of back in the day only to see them scrapped thanks to consoles, with Keen we'll be able to go in and truly make those features ourselves.

It's very, very, very rare that I can look at a developers and say that we're watching a major studio's birth, but if they keep it together and mainain a solid pace of progress, that is exactly what we're seeing here.

Now, consider on top of all of this that when they hit the point they're converging on, they will be in a position to do more for indie developers than anybody since the recent open access to three major game engines. It's a good time to get into modding, but if you're going to see the golden era as a modder then you're going to have to be patient. Me? I'm happily patient. Gleefully. Excitedly. The way I see it, I have two years to perfect my AI, and in the meantime, I can let my familiarity with the coming golden era grow as it develops.

Do not take for granted that they're letting us access these tools early. Appreciate it. And keep your eyes peeled for the one-day news that Keen has hired GUI designers and is hiring artists. When that moment strikes, the clock starts counting down to the release of something legendary. Mark my words.

Posting twice because the above is long enough. I just gave myself one hell of a pep talk, and I kind of hope someone at Keen sees that an it's like coffee to them. Seriously, bottom line, if you are't excited then you don't really understand what's happening here.