ValBall Compatibility

Move supported livestock and pets with ValBall while keeping normal taming and a gradual capture progression.

Early release / 0.1.0. Offline checks, client/server startup, joining and settings synchronization have passed. Animal capture/release, horse cargo, save/rejoin persistence, aquatic release and transfers between players have not yet been tested in gameplay. Keep a save backup and begin with an expendable animal.

Install the same version on every player and the dedicated server. The behavior below describes the implemented rules; it is not a claim that every gameplay path has been verified.

Installation

Requires BepInExPack Valheim 5.4.2350, ValBall 1.6.0 and ConditionalConfigSync 1.0.9. Built against Valheim 1.0.15. Other creature mods are optional and are not bundled.

1. Close Valheim and stop the dedicated server normally before installing or replacing its plugins.
2. Install this package and its dependencies in every player profile and on the server.
3. Start the server to generate BepInEx/config/vercadi.ValBallCompatibility.cfg, then join with the same helper version. Server-controlled settings take precedence during a session.

Manual installation: copy plugins/ValBallCompatibility from the ZIP into BepInEx/plugins after installing the dependencies.

Coming from the local candidate? Remove the local entry while the game is closed, install the published package and keep your config. Keep exactly one active ValBallCompatibility.dll. The public 0.1.0 DLL is unchanged from the candidate.

Capture progression

Personal Val Master skill and world boss defeats control new wild captures. Boss progress is shared by the world. Already-tamed supported pets can be relocated at any skill level without capture XP.

Wild hostile creatures need 50% health or less. A basic ball starts at 60% success at the required skill, multiplied by 75% per star. Better balls and additional skill improve the chance, capped at 90%. Peaceful supported livestock is reliable once its requirements are met. Bosses, summoned pets, traders, camp workers and unreviewed creatures are excluded. Rejected targets return the ball; genuine failed catches retain ValBall's BreakOnFail setting.

The helper prevents repeat, already-tamed, young and home-bred captures from farming XP. Failed attempts award no XP. For the intended gentler progression, the development modpack uses XpMultiplier=2 and TameableXpFactor=100: a fresh zero-star Meadows capture then earns 40 raw XP before world/skill modifiers. This package does not distribute that private ValBall config; check the native ValBall settings on your server.

Keeping your animal

Capturing a wild creature does not tame it. Normal food and taming still apply after release. The helper carries prefab identity, stars, health, names, feeding/pregnancy/growth timers and remaining taming progress through the ball. Supported OdinHorse state also includes coat, armor, waiting state, saddle and serialized saddlebags. Dismount, detach carts and close storage first. Conflicting local/network saddlebag contents cause a refusal rather than an overwrite.

Horse cargo contributes weight and keeps portal restrictions, including nested AdventureBackpacks. When the reviewed AdventureBackpackCompatibility helper is present, its synchronized boss-based metal policy is reused. Otherwise restricted cargo remains blocked. There is no new automatic transfer of cargo near portals.

RtD dolphin/orca/mermaid releases require unobstructed water, respectively 2/5/2 metres deep. Their normal taming progress uses 5/15/20 minutes of active taming and their world boss gates. Dolphins keep their shrimp diet. Land release of these aquatic animals is refused and the filled ball returned.

Settings and compatibility

vercadi.ValBallCompatibility.cfg contains the reviewed exact-prefab progression list. Omit an entry to disable new captures; existing filled balls remain releasable. Boss and skill requirements can be adjusted for listed species. Unknown prefab names are rejected. Native ValBall gameplay settings are synchronized from the server; map and UI preferences remain local.

This is a focused adapter for the reviewed ValBall 1.6.0 and optional OdinHorse 1.7.3 binaries. It replaces their capture/release path; mods patching the same path need review. It is not a universal serializer of every creature mod's custom data. The development modpack has CLLC elemental infusions and special effects disabled. Those extra traits are not supported by this release. Native growth bonuses, accelerated breeding, release auto-taming, follow commands and ball healing should remain disabled for the intended balance.

Recovery records are written outside the config folder, under BepInEx/ValBallRecovery. An interrupted or uncertain transfer disables further transports for that session and leaves a record for manual review. Do not replay records or throw another ball to resolve an uncertain transfer: that can duplicate or lose state. Normal completed records are removed.

Release stored animals and empty filled balls before uninstalling the helper. Native ValBall does not restore the helper's extra horse cargo/state by itself. A world reset is not required to install it.

Validation and first use

61 offline rule and installed-binary checks passed. On 23 September 2026, this version loaded on the client and dedicated server, accepted a player connection and synchronized its settings. The packaged DLL matches both installations. That session only joined and quit; it did not validate animal transport or persistence.

Start with disposable livestock, then a named/starred horse with ordinary cargo and armor. Check capture, storage, save/rejoin, handoff to a friend and release. Test a forbidden capture, a full inventory, restricted cargo near a portal, and an aquatic release on land versus suitable water. Confirm exactly one animal/ball outcome and unchanged cargo. If a result is unexpected, keep the affected animal or filled ball and its contents unchanged, and include the action and logs in your report.

Credits

Created by Vercadi as an independent compatibility add-on for ValBall, with configuration synchronization from ConditionalConfigSync. Original helper code uses the included MIT license. Development used AI assistance. Dependency binaries and game assemblies are not bundled.

Support my work on Ko-fi.

Changelog

0.1.5

• Read horse cargo portal permissions through AdventureBackpackCompatibility's public V1 policy API instead of an exact helper hash and private fields.
• Preserve server readiness, synchronization, enabled-policy and exact prefab checks. Missing, unavailable or unsupported APIs keep restricted cargo blocked.
• Keep native teleport-all, special-item and nested cargo/backpack restrictions. Capture, animal state and balancing are unchanged.
• Omit embedded PDB build paths. Validate the production cargo/API route with model tests and actual candidate assembly bindings; saved cargo and multiplayer still require gameplay testing.

0.1.4

• Support the reviewed optional OdinHorse 1.8.2 saddlebag implementation.
• Retain the saddlebag cache-versus-network check, capture progression and animal state handling.

0.1.3

• Update the reviewed optional horse adapter for OdinHorse 1.7.9.
• Keep the saddlebag cache-versus-network check and existing capture, cargo and progression rules. Install matching helper versions on clients and server.

0.1.2 - distinct capture-ball icon

• Replace the duplicated Trough Food Compatibility icon with an original copper-and-green capture ball bearing a paw emblem and rune clasp.
• Preserve the Vercadi dark teal frame and gold palette.
• Icon, package version and release notes only. The bundled helper DLL is byte-for-byte unchanged from 0.1.1 (plugin version 0.1.0).
• No gameplay, configuration, dependencies or network-version changes. This cosmetic update does not require a server restart or coordinated gameplay-mod update.

0.1.1 - page update

• Match the Vercadi mod-page layout with a title, tagline, compatibility box, Ko-fi section and themed headings.
• Rewrite the short description around the mod's purpose.
• Retain the early-release status and untested-gameplay notes.
• Documentation and manifest only. The bundled helper DLL remains 0.1.0 with the same hash; no gameplay, config or network-version changes.

0.1.0 - early release

• Add explicit livestock and creature capture progression with world-boss requirements.
• Preserve reviewed animal and OdinHorse transport state.
• Guard aquatic release, horse cargo weight and portal eligibility.
• Synchronize ValBall gameplay settings and stop repeat capture XP.
• 61 offline checks passed. Client/server startup, joining and config sync checked; capture/release, horse cargo, persistence and multiplayer transport remain untested in gameplay.
• Public packaging updates documentation only; the DLL is unchanged from the 0.1.0 candidate.