CustomCreatureCarry

Carry a tamed creature above your head, take it through portals, and place it on clear ground or a floor. Based on Wendigo's CreatureCarry 1.3.0, with a new multiplayer implementation.

0.1.0 is an early test build targeting Valheim 1.0.12 and BepInExPack_Valheim 5.4.2350. Two-player multiplayer and dedicated-server gameplay are not yet verified. Use a disposable world or a backup copy for initial testing.

Validation completed: clean compilation, 17 ownership/placement checks, all 13 game patch targets, successful plugin loading in Valheim 1.0.12, and automated host pickup/release in an unsaved test world. That test preserved the same boar's identity, taming, name and star level and restored its Character component. Distant portals, actual two-client synchronization and recovery still need gameplay testing.

Install with r2modman

1. Select Valheim and create a separate test profile.
2. Install denikson-BepInExPack_Valheim version 5.4.2350 or a compatible later version.
3. Open Settings, find Import local mod, and choose the CustomCreatureCarry-0.1.0.zip release package. Depending on r2modman version this option may be under the Profile tab.
4. Install the same package on the host and every joining player's profile. Remove/disable Wendigo's original CreatureCarry in those profiles; the two plugins are declared incompatible.
5. Start the game through Start modded. The host starts a world normally and enables Start Server to host a listen server.

If the manager's local import is unavailable, open that profile's folder and copy the package's plugins/CustomCreatureCarry folder into BepInEx/plugins.

When this package is published to the Valheim community on Thunderstore, it can be installed from r2modman's Online list. It does not need a separate r2modman upload. This source bundle does not imply that publication has already happened.

Controls

• Aim at a nearby tamed creature and press Left Alt + E to pick it up.
• Press Left Alt + E again to place it where the green circle appears.
• Move to an open area if no placement circle appears. Placement checks the creature's approximate full-size capsule.
• Remove a creature's saddle before picking it up.

One creature per player; one player per creature. All connected players must run this exact mod version before the host accepts pickup. A new player without the mod causes active carries to be released. A version handshake may take a few seconds after joining.

Multiplayer behavior

The host validates pickup/release, owns each carried creature's persistent network object, and distributes carry state. Each peer displays that same creature above the carrier. The creature is not deleted and recreated, so its existing network data remains attached to its identity.

The implementation supports host-side logic without a local player for dedicated servers. Install the plugin on the dedicated server as well as every client. Dedicated-server and two-player sessions remain test targets, not verified support claims.

Disconnect, death, incompatible peers and normal host shutdown release the creature. After reopening a save made during a carry, the host clears the saved carry state and releases the creature near the saved carrier position. Abrupt crashes still roll back to the game's latest completed save.

Only carrying-related behavior is changed. Damage, AI, breeding and growth are suspended while carried. The original creature's scale, enabled colliders, AI and physics states are restored on release. There are no egg-hatching, OdinMounts, ChebsNecromancy or general tame-protection changes.

Configuration

The game creates BepInEx/config/com.ras10.customcreaturecarry.cfg on first launch.

Host gameplay settings are sent to clients. Edit the configuration while the game is closed, or use a compatible configuration editor.

Troubleshooting and limits

• Check BepInEx/LogOutput.log for [startup.ok] CustomCreatureCarry 0.1.0 and [network.ready].
• A waiting-for-host message means the host has not completed the compatible-version handshake.
• Console, chat, inventory and menus suppress the pickup hotkey.
• Custom modded creatures and mod interactions need their own tests. Begin with vanilla boars and wolves.
• Clear space is checked on the carrying client; the host also checks it where its geometry is loaded. The host always validates ownership and placement distance. This is a cooperative mod, not an anti-cheat system.
• Terrain/floor placement, distant portals, visibility to other players, boats, disconnects and recovery must pass the checklist in TESTING.md before moving to a valuable world.
• Release every creature and save before uninstalling. To recover a save with active carry state, load it once with the mod enabled before removing it.

Credits

Original mod: Wendigo's CreatureCarry, version 1.3.0. See CREDITS.md for provenance. Significant portions of this version were developed with AI assistance; select the AI Generated category when publishing on Thunderstore.

Changelog

0.2.0

• Added pregnancy and mating progress to the hover HUD for tamed breeding creatures.
• Added hungry, frightened, crowded, missing-partner, ready, and carried status messages.
• Pregnancy progress is capped at 100% and shows birth pending instead of exceeding 100%.
• Reads replicated pregnancy/love-point fields; hovering does not change breeding rules or ownership.
• Added the per-player ShowBreedingStatus display toggle, enabled by default.
• Host and clients must update together; the carry protocol still requires exact mod-version matching.

0.1.0

Initial test build of CustomCreatureCarry for Valheim 1.0.12.

• Host-managed pickup and release with version handshake and exclusive creature ownership.
• Per-peer presentation of carried creatures; no parenting of creature roots to player objects.
• Persistent creature identity across carrying and portal travel.
• Ground/floor placement preview, bounded release requests and obstruction checks.
• Recovery paths for disconnect, death, incompatible peers, host shutdown and saved carry state.
• Preserve original scale and enabled states on release; pause growth, breeding and damage while carried.
• r2modman/Thunderstore package and reproducible build, protocol tests and game-API checks.

Two-player gameplay and dedicated-server behavior require verification before a stable release.