This thread is for dumping all your discovered information about modding the new version of dwarf fortress.
Working with modsThe correct way to load mods (other than through the Steam Workshop) is to place the folder or zip file in the
mods folder. The format for this folder is
described here. Once a world is created that uses that mod, then the game will copy the mod to the
data/installed_mods folder. That is the version that the game actually uses. If you make any changes to your mod, you must delete the folder in the installed_mods directory first, otherwise the changes will not load.
When testing mods, it is
very important to test saving and loading a world. There are some pitfalls that can cause a mod to brick any saves, namely overwriting things without using CUT.
GraphicsThere is a palette of colors that can be tinted (depending on what it's used on). You can find this palette in the top row of
data\vanilla\vanilla_descriptors_graphics\graphics\images\palettes.png. Those colors can be tinted, but no others will be.
You cannot save the image as a PNG with indexed color, otherwise any transparency will be rendered as black. Paint.net's default mode is Auto-detect, which will save valid images if you have any semi-transparent tiles, but will save images with indexed color if there are only fully-transparent tiles.
ThumbnailYou can create a thumbnail for your mod by creating an image called
preview.png in the same level as your info.txt file. This image will become the thumbnail when the mod is uploaded to steam workshop.