How to Fish - PVP Mode

Author: Mox

A 20-round PVP match on How to Fish Steam co-op. Islands, custom stone / ice arenas, snow island rounds, sky-falling guns, grab, rare custom weapons (including Rope Gun), host PVP server settings, rising water, and a winner cam.

Everyone in the lobby should install it. The host must have it or the match will not run.

Changelog

1.1.0

• Server settings — Host Escape → Server Settings adds PVP rows for Rounds and Round Length (while PVP MODE is queued).
• Rope Gun — New rare custom pistol: shoot a player to rope them / ragdoll hang them.
• Ice variants of falling / moving stone maps (slippery pads + snowfall FX).
• Snow Island rounds — paints the current island white with snowfall (any island except Volcano).
• Map cooldown — the same layout cannot return for the next 2 rounds (earliest again 3 rounds later). Ice and normal of the same pad share that cooldown.
• Better weapon drops — rain can land close to players, between them, near mid, or on random pads (still avoids dropping on top of someone).
• Spawn facing / rope hang no longer break networked look direction.
• Volcano stays in the normal island pool; skipped only on Snow Island rounds.

Requirements

• How to Fish on Steam (Windows)
• BepInEx 5.4.23.5 (x64) — Thunderstore package BepInEx-BepInExPack-5.4.2305

Skip the BepInEx steps if How to Fish already loads other BepInEx 5 plugins. Then you only need this mod.

Installing (mod manager)

1. Open Thunderstore Mod Manager or r2modman for How to Fish.
2. Install this package. BepInEx is a dependency and will install automatically.
3. Launch the game from the mod manager.
4. On Host Game / New Game you should see PVP MODE above Create.

Installing (manual)

1. Close How to Fish.
2. Install BepInEx 5.4.23.5 (x64) if you do not already have it: https://github.com/BepInEx/BepInEx/releases/tag/v5.4.23.5
   File: BepInEx_win_x64_5.4.23.5.zip
   Extract it into the folder that contains How to Fish.exe.
3. Copy HowToFishPvp.dll into:

How to Fish\How to Fish\BepInEx\plugins\

1. Start How to Fish from Steam.
2. On Host Game / New Game you should see PVP MODE above Create.

The DLL should end up here:

How to Fish\How to Fish\BepInEx\plugins\HowToFishPvp.dll

Joiners without the plugin can still fight through Steam co-op, but they will not get the PVP HUD, grab, or custom weapons looking right.

How to play

1. Host Game -> PVP MODE -> invite friends on Steam.
2. Lobby stays normal Forest until the host starts. It does not auto-start when someone joins.
3. Host press F8 in-world.
4. 20 rounds. Round 1 is always an island. Round 2 prefers Docks. The rest mix islands, snow islands, and stone / ice arenas.
5. Freeze for 3-2-1, then GO. Weapons fall from the sky after GO.
6. Last player standing wins the round.
7. After 20 rounds: WINNER, then a new match starts.
8. If a round drags on, WATER WILL RISE and the ocean climbs.

Controls

• PVP MODE — Host Game / New Game. Create stays grey until you type a save name.
• Escape → Server Settings — Host only, while PVP is queued. Set Rounds and Round Length.
• F8 — Host, in-world. Starts the match.
• F9 — Host, during a round. Skips the current round.
• Empty hands + hold right click — Grab a nearby player (punch range) or hang on custom-map rocks/docks.

Maps

• Islands — Forest, Lighthouse, Desert, Rocks, Volcano. Shops, NPCs, radios, and island boats are hidden. No hunger.
• Snow Island — Same islands with snow paint and snowfall. Volcano is excluded for these rounds only.
• Docks — Wooden square walkway with a square hole, on the water. Usually round 2.
• Movers / Ferries / Orbit — Stone platforms that slide side to side.
• Falling Floors / Ring / Lanes / Steps — Stone tiles that drop when you walk on them.
• Ice copies of the falling / moving maps — same layouts, icy materials, slippery movement, snowfall.

Custom maps sit above the water. Fall off and you are out of the round.

The same map layout cannot appear again for 2 rounds after it plays (ice and normal count as the same layout).

Weapons

After GO, the game's guns and melee fall around the players. Dropped guns can roll random attachments. Packed-backup knife / brass knuckle variants are not in the rain. Normal Knife and Brass Knuckles still drop.

Rare customs (about 2%, at most one per round). If none appeared by round 16, one is forced that match.

• Boom Pistol — Explosive shots.
• Urchin M4 — M4 dressed with sea urchins.
• Stealth Knife — Hold it to turn invisible. Attacking or pressing left click breaks cloak.
• Rope Gun — Pistol that ropes a hit player into a hang / ragdoll.

Rules

• Friendly fire on.
• No hunger.
• Dying ragdolls you until the next round. No respawn screen. No slap revive.
• Shops / NPCs / boats hidden or blocked. You cannot drive island boats.
• If nobody wins after about 55 seconds, a warning hits, then the ocean starts climbing.

Troubleshooting

• No PVP MODE button — Need BepInEx 5.4.23.5. The DLL must sit in BepInEx\plugins next to How to Fish.exe, not the outer Steam folder.
• Friend has no HUD — They did not install the plugin.