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Guidebook CSharp 06 Deploy Debug

Get your DLL into the game and diagnose it when it misbehaves. Discovery path verified in GregPluginRegistry.LoadAll + AssemblyScanner (Mono.Cecil scan, no assembly load).

Where the DLL goes

Section titled “Where the DLL goes”
  • MelonLoader: <game root>/Mods/YourMod.dll — the same folder as gregCore.dll. (GregPluginRegistry scans MelonEnvironment.ModsDirectory.)
  • BepInEx: use your loader’s equivalent mod folder; the framework is supported on both, but the scan path above is the MelonLoader directory — verify placement against your loader layout before reporting issues.
  • The framework’s own deploy script (scripts/Deploy-Release-ToDataCenter.ps1) shows the convention: gregCore.dll → {GameRoot}/Mods, plugins → greg/Plugins, Lua → UserData/gregCore/Mods/Lua, hooks → UserData/gregCore/game_hooks.json.

What makes your DLL load

Section titled “What makes your DLL load”
  1. Exactly one class carries [GregMod("your.id", "Name", "1.0.0")] — the Cecil scan reads this attribute without loading your assembly. No attribute (NO_MOD_ATTRIBUTE) or empty ID → silently skipped.
  2. Duplicate IDs: the first loaded wins; later DLLs with the same manifest ID are skipped.
  3. Dependencies resolve via GregDependencyResolver before LoadRuntimeMod instantiates your class.
  4. No MelonInfo needed and no MelonMod inheritance — GregMod is managed by gregCore (OnUpdate per frame, OnSceneLoaded per scene, OnShutdown on unload).

Update loop

Section titled “Update loop”

Edit → dotnet build -c Release → copy the DLL over <game>/Mods/YourMod.dll → restart the game (C# has no hot-reload; Lua does — see Guidebook Debugging). Keep Private=false on the gregCore.dll reference so you never ship the framework inside your mod.

Debugging

Section titled “Debugging”
  • Loader log (MelonLoader Latest.log in the game root): look for Mod registriert: <Name> (<Version>) [ID: ...], [DynamicPatcher] lines, and your Logger.Info output. No registration line → attribute/scan problem (§ above).
  • Backquote console: mods (registry?), menus, keys, version — confirms wiring without reading files.
  • GregDoctor: boot self-checks (directories, hook files, game-build fingerprint, safe mode on unsupported builds).
  • Common failures: silent skip (attribute missing/empty ID) → add [GregMod]; duplicate ID → rename; crash without framework → GregHost.HasCore guard (see Guidebook CSharp 01 Setup); stale behavior after game update → re-copy interop, regenerate GameApi + hooks (see Guidebook CSharp 04 Patches).

Checkpoint

Section titled “Checkpoint”
  • DLL in Mods/, registration line in the log, Hub entry visible.
  • Rebuild → overwrite → restart picks up changes; uninstall (delete DLL) leaves saves loadable.

Next: Guidebook Release — packaging and publishing.