Valve Data File
The .vdf file is a Valve Data Format configuration that defines your modβs metadata, loaded resources, convars, and load conditions for R5Reloaded.
π Top-Level Structure
"mod"
{
// Metadata
"name" "..."
"id" "..."
"description" "..."
"version" "..."
"author" "..."
// Subsections:
"LocalizationFiles" { ... }
"PakLoadOnPlaylists" { ... }
"ConVars" { ... }
}
π Key Sections
1. Metadata
"name"
β Display name of your mod"id"
β Unique identifier"description"
β Mod description"version"
β Mod version string"author"
β Mod author's name
2. LocalizationFiles
"LocalizationFiles"
{
"resource/sdk_%language%.txt" "1"
}
β Loads language resource files to support different in-game languages.
%language%
is replaced by the playerβs language setting (e.g.sdk_english.txt
).All language files R5Reloaded supports should be present.
3. PakLoadOnPlaylists
"PakLoadOnPlaylists"
{
"survival_dev" 1
"winter_express" 1
...
}
β Defines .rpak files to auto-load when specific playlists are active.
Key: Name of the gamemode.
Value:
1
means enable loading on that playlist.
Example usage:
If a player starts playlist
survival_dev,
the mod loads all the rpaks that is in mod's pak folder automatically.
4. Convars
The ConVars
section declares custom console variables for your mod. Each convar:
Defines variable name
Includes a
helpText
descriptionSets flags (usually
ARCHIVE
to save across sessions, andRELEASE
)Lists allowed Values, including:
default
β The default settingmin
β Minimum allowed valuemax
β Maximum allowed value
Example:
"enable_healthbar"
{
"helpText" "Displays healthbars"
"flags" "ARCHIVE|RELEASE"
"Values"
{
"default" "1"
"min" "0"
"max" "1"
}
}
This defines a toggle for displaying healthbars, with 0
as off and 1
as on.
π§ How the VDF System Works in Practice
Placement: The
.vdf
file is placed in your modβs folder within the R5Reloaded mods directory.Startup Loading: When R5Reloaded boots:
It scans all active modsβ
.vdf
files.If mod is enabled, registers declared convars.
Loads required localization files.
Sets up pak loading logic based on the current playlist.
Runtime Usage:
ConVars can be read or modified in the developer console or scripts.
Pak files are mounted dynamically when their playlists activate.
Currently there is no way to choose which rpaks are loaded for which gamemodes. As game will just load every rpak inside Win64 folder.
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