Side Hustle - Gamemode Hub for Schedule I

🛟 Need help or found a bug? Get support at support.doodesch.de.

One menu entry for every gamemode. Side Hustle adds a single button to the main menu that lists every installed gamemode mod and launches it straight from the menu - no savegame required. It is the shared hub that gamemode mods plug into.

What it is

Side Hustle is a hub, not a gamemode by itself. On its own it just adds a Side Hustle button to the main menu. Install gamemode mods that build on it and they appear in the list; pick one and it launches immediately in its own self-contained session - gamemodes never load or touch a normal save.

If you installed Side Hustle as a dependency of another mod, there is nothing to do: that mod registers itself and shows up under the Side Hustle entry.

Features

• One menu entry for every gamemode - name, description, author and a Singleplayer / Multiplayer badge, launched from the main menu.
• No savegame - gamemodes run in their own session and never load or alter your saves.
• Singleplayer, host or join - multiplayer gamemodes show a Singleplayer / Host / Join choice with a built-in public server browser (filtered per gamemode; bigger lobbies supported with BiggerLobbies).
• World gamemodes - gamemodes that need the loaded game world get a throwaway session, outside your save slots, so your real saves are never touched.
• Conflict-free mod sets - a gamemode can declare which mods it works with; Side Hustle launches it in a temporary, isolated profile with only those mods (after a confirmation listing the changes) and switches back to your full set when you leave. Your installed mods are never disabled, renamed or moved, so your mod manager stays in sync. Applying it restarts the game, which Side Hustle does for you.
• Load-order independent API so gamemode mods register whether they load before or after the hub.
• A single setting to hide the entry without uninstalling.

Requirements

• Schedule I (IL2CPP) with MelonLoader 0.7.3+.
• S1API (pulled in as a dependency).
• Optional: Mod Manager & Phone App for the in-game settings UI.
• One or more gamemode mods that use Side Hustle.

Settings

Enabled (default true) - show the Side Hustle menu entry. Editable in the Mod Manager & Phone App UI or UserData/MelonPreferences.cfg under SideHustle_01_Main.

License

MIT. See the included LICENSE.md.

Changelog

All notable changes to Side Hustle are documented here. This project adheres to Semantic Versioning.

[1.6.0] - 2026-07-09

Native bigger lobbies - Side Hustle now raises the co-op player cap on its own.

Added

• Bigger co-op lobbies, built in. Side Hustle now seats far more than the vanilla 4 players by itself (default up to 32), and the host player-count slider opens up to match. No separate lobby mod required.

Changed

• Larger lobbies no longer rely on the external BiggerLobbies mod. If you still run BiggerLobbies, the two cooperate and the higher cap wins.

[1.5.3] - 2026-07-08

A multiplayer-focused update - public lobbies work with anyone, plus host controls, friend invites and smoother mod-set switching.

Added

• Play with anyone, not just friends. Schedule I normally kicks a joining player who isn't on the host's Steam friends list a few seconds after they connect - so public sessions were effectively friends-only. While you host a Side Hustle gamemode that kick is lifted, so friends and non-friends alike can join your public (or password-protected) lobbies. Normal co-op outside Side Hustle is unaffected.
• Kick players. The host can remove a player from the session from the gamemode's UI (a reusable framework control, so any gamemode can offer it).
• Clients can invite friends too. The Steam friend-invite (+) button in the pause-menu lobby panel now shows for everyone in the lobby, not just the host, and works past four seats (with BiggerLobbies).
• A heads-up before a "Required mods only" host restarts the game. Instead of restarting instantly, a short countdown appears (Restart now / Cancel) and restarts on its own when the timer runs out - so the restart is never a surprise.
• Gamemodes can default to "Required mods only". A gamemode can ask the Host form to pre-select the isolated "required mods only" set (the host can still switch it), so a mode that wants everyone on an identical set gets it by default.

Fixed

• "Required mods only" re-hosting is now solid. Hosting a gamemode with only its required mods, returning to the menu, then hosting again now works reliably: each launch builds a fresh isolated profile (a locked leftover can never block it), the gamemode list comes back on its own, and a quick re-host no longer times out.

Changed

• Better connection routing for public lobbies. Public P2P connections now allow all connection routes and warm up Steam's relay, so a join picks the best available path instead of falling back to relay-only.

[1.5.0] - 2026-07-03

Added

• Gamemode presets. Gamemodes can now ship named presets (like "Classic Hunt") that show up as a picker at the top of the host setup form. Pick one and it fills in all the settings for you - you can still tweak anything afterwards. The form auto-selects whichever preset best fits your lobby size, a preset can suggest a player count, and one whose headline mechanic isn't finished yet is flagged EXPERIMENTAL so you know what you're getting.
• Name your lobby. The host form has a lobby name field now, and that name (plus the mode you picked) shows on the server-browser cards, so joiners can tell sessions apart at a glance.
• Session-hygiene flags for gamemode authors. A gamemode can opt into a handful of world-cleanup switches instead of reinventing them: skip the new-game intro and character creator, stop vanilla quests from auto-starting (with an allow-list for your own guide quest), block saving for the session so a throwaway world never overwrites a real save, keep NPCs from reacting to gunfire, and turn off vanilla player death when the gamemode runs its own elimination. All opt-in, all off by default.
• A heads-up when versions don't match. When you join a session, Side Hustle compares your build of the gamemode against the host's and warns you - in the log and right on the browser card - if they differ. It's the classic "we're all on different versions" bug, now easy to spot. It only warns; it never stops you joining.

Changed

• Host form polish. Settings can be grouped under section headers, there's a new compact dropdown for one-of-many choices, and the settings list scrolls with a smooth mouse-wheel glide.

[1.4.0] - 2026-06-26

Added

• Host configuration screen. Hosting a multiplayer gamemode now opens a native-style setup form: pick the exact player count (up to the lobby cap), a public or private (friends-only) lobby with an optional password, and any settings the gamemode itself exposes - sliders, toggles, choices and text fields - all handed to the gamemode at launch.
• Restyled server browser. The Join screen lists open lobbies as cards (host, player count, gamemode, and a lock for password-protected lobbies); a locked lobby asks for the password before joining.

Changed

• The mod policy is now a per-session choice on the host form. When you host a gamemode that declares which other mods it works with, the setup form offers "Current installed mods" (the default - keep your full set) or "Required mods only" (run just the gamemode's mods in an isolated profile, after a confirmation listing the changes). Nothing in your real Mods folder is ever renamed, moved or deleted (junctions/hardlinks, no admin needed), so your mod manager stays in sync. Joining a session never changes your mods - that is the host's choice.

[1.3.0] - 2026-06-26

Changed

• Conflict-free mod sets are now fully non-destructive. When a gamemode declares which other mods it works with, Side Hustle launches it in a temporary, isolated profile that loads only those mods - your installed mods are never disabled, renamed, moved or deleted, so your mod manager stays in sync and a normal launch always loads everything. Leaving the gamemode restarts back to your full set. The confirmation still lists exactly what changes before anything happens, and a "Restore my mods" entry returns you to your full set at any time.

[1.2.0] - 2026-06-25

Added

• Conflict-free mod sets. A gamemode can declare which other mods it works with (a mod policy). When you launch it, Side Hustle shows exactly which mods it will pause and enable, then - on your confirmation - launches the gamemode in its own mod set. When you leave the gamemode your normal mods are restored. A "Restore my mods" entry is there if you ever need to put everything back yourself.

[1.1.0] - 2026-06-25

Added

• Multiplayer launch. Multiplayer and hybrid gamemodes now show a Singleplayer / Host / Join choice in the menu. Hosting opens a public lobby (with a player-count picker); bigger lobbies are supported with BiggerLobbies.
• Public server browser. Browse and join open sessions for a gamemode, filtered so each gamemode only lists its own lobbies.
• World gamemodes. Gamemodes that need the actual game world get a throwaway session booted for them, outside your five save slots - your real saves are never created or touched.
• Richer launch context. Gamemodes receive the host/client role, lobby id, player count, host name and the host's settings when they launch.
• Play-mode badge (Singleplayer / Multiplayer / SP + MP) on each gamemode in the list, optional per-gamemode icons, and a recently-played ordering so your last gamemodes appear first.

[1.0.1] - 2026-06-24

Fixed

• The "Side Hustle" menu entry could be added more than once (showing duplicate entries) when the main menu re-initialised during loading. Injection is now idempotent, so exactly one entry appears.

[1.0.0] - 2026-06-24

Initial release.

Added

• A "Side Hustle" entry on the main menu that lists every installed gamemode mod (name, description, author) and launches the selected one without loading a savegame.
• Public, load-order-independent registration API (SideHustle.API.Register with GamemodeDescriptor / LaunchContext) for mods to appear as gamemodes.
• Singleplayer launch flow with a clean return to the menu (LaunchContext.ReturnToHub).
• Multiplayer host/join and a server browser are shown but disabled, ready for a later update.
• Enabled setting (MelonPreferences) to hide the menu entry without uninstalling.