Build, Deploy & Debug

You've written the code — now how do you get it running in the game?

Compiling

Use Visual Studio / Rider or the command line:

dotnet build -c Debug

The template project references DLLs from the game directory, so before building make sure:

• The game has been set up with UMM (injected)
• The assembly paths in .csproj exist (usually $(ADOFAI_PATH) or a relative path)

Deploying: Put the Output in Mods

The template usually has "auto-copy after build" configured:

MyFirstMod.dll  →  ADOFAI/Mods/MyFirstMod/
Info.json       →  ADOFAI/Mods/MyFirstMod/

If the template doesn't auto-deploy, copy manually. When publishing, you also need to put these two files together.

Verifying in Game

1. Launch the game and open the UMM interface (default Ctrl+F10)
2. Find MyFirstMod in the Mod list and check the enable box
3. Watch the log for Mod loaded output
4. If your Mod isn't in the list, check:
   • Does Info.json's AssemblyName match the actual DLL filename
   • Is EntryMethod in the format Namespace.Class.Load
   • Was the compiled output actually copied to Mods/

Debugging Tips

1. Use Logs to Locate Problems

modEntry.Logger.Log($"Current value: {value}");   // Output to UMM interface

2. Hot Reload After Changes

UMM supports disabling then re-enabling a Mod in-game: uncheck then recheck it in the UMM interface. This applies new code without restarting the game (provided you've recompiled and overwritten the DLL).

3. Check Player.log on Crash

Exceptions thrown by your Mod are written to the game log (see Getting to Know UMM for log location). When you see NullReferenceException, first check:

• Did you access Settings before OnToggle
• Does your Harmony patch signature match the target method

4. Attach a Debugger (Optional)

In your IDE, use "Attach to Process" and select A Dance of Fire and Ice.exe to set breakpoints directly in C# code. Note: you need to compile in Debug configuration, and the game must be running first.

What You Learned

• How to compile and deploy a Mod to the game directory
• How to enable, verify, and hot-reload a Mod in-game
• How to troubleshoot using logs and Player.log

Next Step

Learn to modify game behavior with Harmony → Harmony Introduction