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[EntropicDecay]

Completely new to modding the game, though I've played it for a good while. With the new changes to make modding more accessible, I'm looking to create my first proper mod for the game, but all resources I've been able to find thus far on how to do so have been for 0.47 or earlier.

As for what sort of mod I am planning on making, I'd rather keep the main focus of it a secret for the time being - I'll make a release post with it when it's done.
Relevant info I'm particularly looking for includes:
 - changing flags on a creature to make it fully tameable, alter difficulty level for taming, change age at which it is considered an adult, and making it a valid mount
 - adding flags to a creature to make it able to wear specific armor
 - adding new armor pieces and a new variety of leather with different stats
 - making one particular kind of chitin able to be tanned
 - adding creatures to a particular race's sites and sieges, but not their raids
 - making a particular creature require "live" food, i.e. having to kill a living thing to eat rather than being fed normally

[brushapocalypse]

The Steam release only just came out, so it's going to take time for people to figure out everything that's changed and assemble that information into a tidy document. That being said, it's my understanding that not that much has changed within the files outside of the addition of graphics and the ability to amend preexisting files. Following the outdated modding guides should be enough to get you ~70% of the way there. From there, I recommend keeping a close eye on the modding forums and the wiki to keep abreast of all the things that are changed as they're discovered.

With all that, I should be able to give some pointers on whether the things you're hoping for are possible! (With the disclaimer that any of these things might have changed, we can only know by testing.)

 - The answer to your first inquiry depends on whether you mean to change an existing creature, or whether you're making a new creature out of whole cloth. In the latter situation, you simply include the relevant tags when creating it. In the former, you use [SELECT_CREATURE:] to select it and add the tags like so.
 - I don't think there's a way to make a creature only wear a specific type of armor, but you can certainly add [EQUIPS] to allow it to wear armor and wield weapons in general, and if the creature is associated with a civilization you can make your modded armor unique to that civilization.
 - You can add new types of armor + define new materials. No problem. I haven't heard of any changes from the previous version, but again, anything could've happened.
 - You can mod chitin to be tanned. I'm not sure if you can mod a specific creature's chitin to be tannable? I wouldn't be surprised, though.
 - I don't know enough about the mechanics of creatures sites/sieges/raids to comment on this one, I defer to someone more familiar with the subject.
 - I don't think live food as you're imagining it is possible in the current version, unfortunately. Only animals with the [GRAZER] tag experience hunger, and those are strictly herbivorous.

[EntropicDecay]

I'm aware that not many things have changed, I'm mainly perplexed by where files have been moved, and how to create a file for the mod that can simply be placed into the mods folder.
As for the various functions you answered, I appreciate it. Somewhat disappointed I can't make a creature require live prey, but that's fine, it was more of a side feature than anything. This will be modifying an existing creature, as well.

[voliol]

Have you seen this?

[EntropicDecay]

That guide was very helpful.
Just one last thing I need to figure out besides the "adding an existing creature to a race's sites" thing
how would I modify a particular armor piece's properties? I have an armor piece I'm adding (a linothorax specifically made of silk), and I want it to be relatively weak when it comes to slashing and bludgeoning attacks but very good at absorbing piercing attacks.

[Putnam]

"Piercing" isn't really a thing, as such, and there's "piercing" blunt attacks as well as "broad" blunt attacks. Broad attacks are simply worse against armor than small attacks, no way around it. If it's good at absorbing piercing attacks, slashing attacks cannot get through it

[FantasticDorf]

I read your mod outliner and without trying to be a negative nancy, it would have significantly helped if you set out your understanding of the capacity for mods ahead of your goals as there is very much so a definite ceiling that can be reached for modding without dipping into DFhack just from RAW's even in the changes from 47. to 50. .

RAW impossible tasks

- Pet armor: Best you could achieve is special castes of war-spiders who are tougher, but there isn't a capacity to equip armor to nonsapient creatures.
- Live food: Carnivorous/omnivorous animals don't require feeding, you could make them hunt vermin like cats though.

Technically challenging RAW tasks.

- Linothorax: This is doable, but you would have to immerse yourself in the technicalities, you could already apply a MATERIAL_FORCE_MULTIPLIER to the linothorax's material to offer it artificial toughness, combined with altering the material you're using's properties to least deflect the intended scope of attacks.

[Bihlbo]

Are there any resources for troubleshooting? I'm having an issue of mods uninstalling themselves after world creation. Description: When I create the world and click on mods, the mods are listed on the left side as "Installed." I go through the proper steps to create the world, and the troubled mods (there are two of them, in my case) have no effect. I save and return to the main menu, click on Mods at the bottom, and the troubled mods are no longer listed as "Installed."

In both cases, these are non-Workshop mods. One is made from scratch. The other is a Workshop mod that used to work, but then I tweaked a couple of minor numbers, changed the folder name, and unsubscribed from the original so that it won't update (I don't want an update to replace the changes I made). So, this is entirely my fault, but I don't know what I did wrong.

Edit: A clue! In the data/installed_mods folder, all the mods that work have a parenthetical number appended to the end of the folder name. The two that don't work have no number. FREX: folder "soft_hills (15)" holds a mod that works, while folder "personal_mod" holds a mod that uninstalls itself.

[Putnam]

Are there any resources for troubleshooting? I'm having an issue of mods uninstalling themselves after world creation. Description: When I create the world and click on mods, the mods are listed on the left side as "Installed." I go through the proper steps to create the world, and the troubled mods (there are two of them, in my case) have no effect. I save and return to the main menu, click on Mods at the bottom, and the troubled mods are no longer listed as "Installed."

In both cases, these are non-Workshop mods. One is made from scratch. The other is a Workshop mod that used to work, but then I tweaked a couple of minor numbers, changed the folder name, and unsubscribed from the original so that it won't update (I don't want an update to replace the changes I made). So, this is entirely my fault, but I don't know what I did wrong.

Edit: A clue! In the data/installed_mods folder, all the mods that work have a parenthetical number appended to the end of the folder name. The two that don't work have no number. FREX: folder "soft_hills (15)" holds a mod that works, while folder "personal_mod" holds a mod that uninstalls itself.

If they are on the left, they're not actually in the save. You have to move them to the middle with the vanilla mods to install them properly.

However, that clue is also quite helpful. If they're missing the number, it means they have no NUMERIC_VERSION. Add one.

[Bihlbo]

I go through the proper steps to create the world

If they are on the left, they're not actually in the save. You have to move them to the middle with the vanilla mods to install them properly.

However, that clue is also quite helpful. If they're missing the number, it means they have no NUMERIC_VERSION. Add one.

The quoted segment, "I go through the proper steps to create the world" was meant to describe the process of moving the mods to the middle to install them properly, without going through that detail. Sorry I wasn't more clear.

I'll go see if I can find out how to add a NUMERIC_VERSION, thank ☼you☼ so much!!!

Edit: I had NUMERIC_VERSION tags in the info files (copied from another mod), so that isn't my main problem. Oddly, I pasted a few lines from another mod that had (5003) in the folder name, and had NUMERIC_VERSION:5003, but when I installed my mods with that info, DF changed the folders to have a (1) at the end instead. /boggle. I know enough about the edits I'm making, but not enough about how v50 uses mods and needs them to be differently-written from the vanilla raws. Working on it.

2nd Edit: I must be stupid. The files go in DF/mods, not in DF/data/installed_mods. That was my problem, I'm brain dead.