BetterCarts

Better Carts makes hauling with Carts more pleasant with quality-of-life features, all configurable in-game

Features

• Chain Overflow - when a full Cart picks up an item, it is passed to the next Cart in the chain with a free slot. Nothing is left behind until every chained Cart is full
• Grab Priority - when unloading a Cart by hand, a Massive Pot is grabbed first, then an empty Bucket
• Cart Release Fix - releasing a pulled Cart never grabs a different Cart on the same press
• Cart Capacity - set how many items the vanilla Carts can carry (0-64, default 4). The Mercury cart-capacity blessing adds a configurable bonus on top (0-64, default 1), and Eject Overflow drops anything above the limit beside the Cart when a world loads. Modded Cart types are not covered
• Cart Overlays - the item count is shown above a Cart carrying more than 5 items, and a Cart that comes loose from the chain by itself says so. Counts for ordinary capacity and for empty Carts can be turned on too
• Collect Range - Carts automatically pick up loose items within a configurable range (0-10 tiles, default 2). 0 = vanilla
• Deposit Range - Carts deposit matching cargo into Material Storages within range (0-10 tiles, default 2). 0 = vanilla
• Connect Range - free Carts are pulled toward a Cart the player is pulling once in range (0-10 tiles, default 2). 0 = vanilla
• Stockpile Range - Carts take resources from building output stockpiles within range, into free slots and empty Buckets on the Cart (0-10 tiles, default 2). 0 = vanilla

Configuration

All settings (master toggle, per-feature toggles etc.) are configured from the Mod Settings button in the main menu (added by Mod Settings Menu), or in BepInEx/config/com.beesq.romestead.bettercarts.cfg

Every feature loads by default. Troubleshooting Mode (in the Troubleshooting section, off by default) is only for bug reports: after turning it on and restarting the game, it shows diagnostic log options and a Load switch for each feature, so features can be tested one at a time

Requirements

• BepInExPack_Romestead (Mod Loader) by Ice Box Studio
• ModSettingsMenu (Settings Menu) by Ice Box Studio

They are installed automatically as dependencies by your mod manager

Multiplayer

The host's settings decide how the server-side features work for everyone. Every player should install the mod: without it, a joining player still gets the server-side features, but sees cargo beyond the vanilla slots lying on the ground and has none of the client-side features

Server-side - run by the host, with the host's settings

• Chain Overflow
• Cart Capacity - the host's values apply to everyone
• Collect Range
• Deposit Range
• Connect Range
• Stockpile Range

Client-side - applies to each player that has the mod installed

• Grab Priority
• Cart Release Fix
• Cart Overlays - the cargo count appears for every player with the mod, and the disconnect message is shown to whoever was pulling the Cart

Troubleshooting Mode's Load switches only affect the game they are set in - a player whose game does not load Cart Capacity also sees extra cargo on the ground

Compatibility

• Iron Cart by burdock12 - compatible but not supported by the Cart Capacity feature
• Cart Capacity by Specsfo/Encordeo - not compatible
• CartEnhancements by chuxiaaaa - not compatible (it does not currently load, with or without Better Carts)

Install

Automatic (recommended): click Install with Mod Manager on this page, works with Thunderstore Mod Manager, r2modman, or Gale

Manual:

1. Install the packages listed under Requirements.
2. Download the zip and extract its contents into a new BetterCarts folder inside Romestead/BepInEx/plugins/.
3. Launch the game through Steam.

Notes

• The mod adds data to your save only for Carts that have carried more than the game allows on its own - more than 4 items, or more than 5 with the Mercury blessing
• With Eject Overflow on, a Cart over its capacity drops the surplus beside itself once per world load, the first time it is near a player
• High capacity values can cause stutter and stack cargo into a tall tower above the Cart
• Before removing the mod, set every Cart type's capacity back to 4 and Blessing Bonus back to 1, keep Eject Overflow on, then load each world and visit every Cart carrying extra cargo so it drops the surplus. Save, close the game, then remove the mod. Keep a backup of the save until it loads fine without the mod
• Deposit Range takes only matching resources from Cart cargo
• Stockpile Range takes only from output stockpiles, a building's input storage is never drained

Known Issues

• The game rarely stops responding while saving. Reopening the world loads the last completed save

Bug Reports and Feedback

Please submit through GitHub Issues on the source repo (link below)

Credits

Thanks to Beartwigs for creating Romestead

AI Disclosure

• AI does the writing - the code and all the text that comes with it
• I write the rules it follows: what gets built, how it works, how it reads
• I test every build

Links

• Source code (MIT): https://github.com/BeesQ/Romestead-BetterCarts-Mod
• Also on Nexus Mods: https://www.nexusmods.com/romestead/mods/91
• More from me: https://solo.to/BeesQ

1.6.0

• Added Construction Site Protection (on by default): Carts leave loose materials that a Construction Site still needs. Spare materials and items the site does not need can still be picked up
• Added the protection message: a Cart that Construction Site Protection keeps from taking an item now says so, once per world load, shown to the player pulling it (client-side, applies per player with the mod)
• Stockpile Range skips a Cart standing on a Construction Site while the protection is on
• If a game update breaks one feature, only that feature now turns off. Mod Settings Menu and chat say which one has been turned off
• Updated the Mod Settings Menu dependency to 1.1.3 (Better Carts' settings now appear in the main menu only)
• Troubleshooting Mode's Save Watch now needs a restart
• Small text changes

1.5.0

• Updated to Romestead 0.26.2
• Bucket Priority is now Grab Priority and takes Massive Pots first, then empty Buckets. Its setting resets to ON, so make sure to check it
• Eject Overflow now drops extra cargo once per world load, in a small circle beside the Cart
• Small cargo fixes and a safer Collect Range scan
• Clearer mod page: removal steps, save and multiplayer notes, Troubleshooting Mode

1.4.2

• Added Troubleshooting Mode (off by default): after a restart it shows diagnostic logging for bug reports and a Load switch for each feature. Memory monitoring and the separate log file stay OFF unless turned on
• The Cart Overlays count now updates as soon as a Cart takes or drops an item
• Fixed Connect Range jolting Carts to a new direction, joining players sometimes seeing extra cargo on the ground, and thrown items keeping their thrown state in the save
• Extra cargo is no longer dropped when a Cart is temporarily unloaded, or when Cart Capacity or Eject Overflow is turned off
• Better performance with many Carts or high capacities
• Added a Known Issues section to the mod page, plus small text changes

1.4.1

• Fixed the Disconnect Message description
• The Mod Settings Menu entry now links the Thunderstore page alongside the Nexus Mods page
• Updated the Thunderstore dependency to Mod Settings Menu 1.1.2
• Small text changes

1.4.0

• Updated to Romestead 0.26.1
• Added Cart Overlays: the item count is shown above a Cart carrying more than 5 items (client-side, applies per player with the mod)
• Counts for ordinary capacity and for empty Carts are available in the settings, off by default
• Added the disconnect message: a Cart that comes loose from the chain by itself now says so, shown to the player who was pulling it (client-side, applies per player with the mod)
• Small Config text changes

1.3.1

• Fixed Bucket Priority failing on Carts carrying more than the vanilla slots - the empty Bucket is now found whatever the Cart's capacity
• Bucket Priority now takes the Bucket from the Cart being unloaded rather than the nearest Cart in range
• When a Cart holds several empty Buckets, the one at the bottom of the stack is taken first
• Cargo stacked high on a Cart can now be taken by hand instead of only the lower layers

1.3.0

• Added Cart Capacity: set how many items the vanilla Carts can carry (0-64, default 4). Modded Cart types are not covered
• Added Blessing Bonus: how much the Mercury cart-capacity blessing adds on top of a Cart's base capacity (0-64, default 1)
• Added Eject Overflow (on by default): on world load, a Cart over its capacity drops the surplus beside itself
• Stockpile Range now fills a Cart up to its configured capacity instead of stopping at the vanilla slots
• Items collected beyond the vanilla slots now play the Cart pickup sound
• Settings toggles are now labelled by what each feature does instead of "Enabled"
• Corrected the settings location: Mod Settings is its own button in the main menu, not a page inside Settings

1.2.0

• Added Cart Release Fix: releasing a pulled Cart never grabs a different Cart on the same press (client-side, applies per player with the mod)
• Added Stockpile Range: Carts take resources from building Output stockpiles within range - solid resources go into free slots, bucket resources fill empty Buckets on the Cart (0-10 tiles, default 2). 0 = vanilla. While Pulled / While Parked toggles decide when it runs; Chain Overflow applies to taken items
• Added Mod Settings Menu integration: named and ordered settings, mod icon, Nexus link, and an update check when Mod Settings Menu is installed. The mod still works without it
• The mod now ships icon.png next to BetterCarts.dll

1.1.0

• Added Bucket Priority: prefer grabbing an empty Bucket when unloading a Cart
• Added Connect Range: free Carts are pulled toward a Cart the player is pulling once in range (0-10 tiles, default 2). 0 = vanilla

1.0.0

• Initial release: Chain Overflow, Collect Range, Deposit Range - all configurable in-game