Note: Due to legal reasons, and the fact that the Modding API was released for the latest Beta version today; This page has been locked and will be edit very soon.
Since Game Dev Tycoon is almost entirely written in JavaScript and run using Node.js, it is quite easy to see the full source code and modify it.
Reminder : This guide is about "hacking" and not about "modding" currently. The game does not allow reverse engineering so "hacking" is against the EULA and you should wait, because the developers want to think about a modding API after the steam release.
Finding the code
- Launch the game
- While the game is still running navigate to:
| Platform | Destination |
|---|---|
| Windows (8) | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\nwXXX_XXX |
| Windows (7) | C:\Users\<Your Username>\Appdata\Local\Temp\ |
| Linux | /tmp/.org.chromium.Chromium.XXXXX
or /dev/shm/.org.chromium.Chromium.XXXXX |
| Mac OS X (10.7+) |
Go to Finder, go to Applications. Option click on the Game Dev Tycoon App and select "Show package contents". The source code is located under Contents/Resources/app.nw Steam: Save Files /Users/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata/107165204/239820/remote Note: The numbered folders may be different. Just have to search. |
- The correct folder will contain several folders and the logo of the game as a file named package.json
- The main source code is located under compressed/codeNw.js
- Note: The exact value of XXX_XXX or XXXXX will differ from computer to computer, but all folders will start with "nw."
- Note: If the game was installed from the desktop on Windows 8 and not from the Windows Store, the game will be in the same directory as Windows 7.
Modifying the game
If you have JavaScript editing skills, you can now make changes to the assets of the game (consider running it through a beautifier such as this one beforehand).
Mac Mod the save files (Steam)
1) Download the Tincta Application from the App Store if you dont already have it.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tincta/id448340648?mt=12
2) Show hidden files on Mac via Terminal
- open terminal app
- copy and paste this: deafaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
- press option + command + esc
- with force quit application window open select and relaunch finder
3) open the file location: /Users/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata/107165204/239820/remote (file location after userdata may vary depending on different games that are installed onto system)
4) right click your particular save file: slot_ xxxx
5) Select other in the right click menu
6) Find the Tincta App and double click it.
7) Once open in the top right corner select syantax coloring and select javascript.
8) Find your company name and the other things you want to edit
9) Do your editing
10) Save file by pressing save in the top left corner of the Tincta App
11) Open Game
Where to find specific code
After running the source code through jsbeautifier (everything including the copyright at the beginning), you can find the code for certain functions listed here:
- How review score is computed:
- Starts at line 6275.
- Alternatively, search for lastTopScoreIncrease until you see a section where it appears a few times in quick succession.
- Text strings:
- Starts at line 16325 (not all of it is there, but most of it). {n} causes it to put text after it in a new dialogue. Chop out the {n}s for less clicking.
- Research cost computing:
- Starts at line 17533
- Find "typewrite" and adjust the delay and wait to eliminate the slow typed messages so they appear instantly.
Repackaging
To be able to play with those modifications you just made, download node-webkit(you'll generally need to download the prebuilt binaries in the description below the file list). Unzip node-webkit's content to the same folder as the game's source code folder. To be clear, the nw.exe should be in the same directory as package.json and readme.txt. Run the game with nw.exe.
If you don't want to overwrite the save files of the unmodded game, you might want to consider editing package.json (can be opened using any text editor such as notepad) and change the game name to say "Game Dev Tycoon Mod".
It's also recommended to move the whole game folder to somewhere (say, C:\Games) other than the temp folder.
Alternative Way
How to unpack the game without running it.
Tools: Hex Editor (HxD ), any Archiver that can read and write ZIP files
Create a backup of GameDevTycoon.exe and your savegame!
- Open GameDevTycoon.exe in HxD.
- Search for bytes 50 4B 03 04 (This is the signature bytes for a zip-file). You should stop at offset 020F1400, and see a long series of 00-bytes just before it.
- Select from the last 00 byte in front of the "P", up until the beginning of the document. Cut the content and confirm the prompt with yes.
- Create a new file from inside HxD. Paste and save the file as "Loader.exe".
- Switch back to GameDevTycoon.exe and save as "GDT.zip".
- Extract the zip and mod the hell out of it.
- Pack the files and folders as uncompressed zip, name doesn't matter, let's name it "GDTmod.zip".
- Open a command line, navigate to the folder where .exe and .zip are located, and run copy /b loader.exe + gdtmod.zip gdt.exe - this removes the need to run the .exe with the .zip as parameter.