tools installing authoring tools

Setting up the modding environment

This guide takes you from an empty machine to an open Captivity Reloaded project with the authoring tools ready. You do not need every optional tool for every kind of mod.

Table of contents

Section	Go there
Choose what to install	Requirements
Install the Unity editor	Downloading Unity
Set up without Git	Quick setup: ZIP and Unity Hub
Set up for contributing	Contributor setup: Git and a C# editor
Add the map editor	Installing Tiled
Add the animation editor	Installing DragonBones Pro
Confirm everything works	Checking the setup

Requirements

Pick the row that matches what you want to make:

Work	Required tools
JSON packs, asset replacements, weapons, clothing, and rules	A text editor; Unity is recommended for validation and packaging
Authored stages	Tiled; Unity is recommended for validation and play testing
Original or paired skeletal animation	Unity and DragonBones Pro 5.6.3
Game development or release builds	Unity, Git, a C# editor, and the applicable build-support modules

Warning

Captivity Reloaded is already a complete Unity project. There is no separate Captivity .unitypackage. Do not create a blank project and import the repository into it.

Downloading Unity

Captivity Reloaded uses Unity Editor 2021.3.45f1. Use that exact patch version; ProjectSettings/ProjectVersion.txt records the same version.

1. Install Unity Hub.
2. Sign in with an account that has a valid Unity license.
3. In the Hub, install Unity Editor 2021.3.45f1.
4. For ordinary Windows mod authoring, install the editor and your preferred C# editor integration.
5. Add Android Build Support and WebGL Build Support only if you will build or verify those targets. They can be added later through Installs > 2021.3.45f1 > Add modules.

After Unity is installed, choose one of the following project setup routes.

Quick setup: ZIP and Unity Hub

Use this route if you want to make a mod and do not plan to contribute changes through Git.

Download the project

1. Open the Captivity Reloaded repository.
2. Select Code > Download ZIP.
3. Extract the archive to a normal writable directory. Do not work from inside the ZIP file.
4. Open the extracted directory and confirm that Assets, Packages, and ProjectSettings are directly inside it.

Open the project in Unity

1. Open Unity Hub.
2. Select Open > Add project from disk.
3. Choose the extracted Captivity-Reloaded directory. Do not select its Assets directory.
4. If the Hub asks which editor to use, select 2021.3.45f1.
5. Let Unity restore Packages/manifest.json and finish its first import. This can take several minutes.
6. Wait until the progress indicator and script compilation finish before opening scenes or authoring windows.
7. Open Assets/Scenes/Main.unity.

The Captivity Reloaded > Modding menu should now be visible at the top of the Unity editor.

Contributor setup: Git and a C# editor

Use this route if you want version control, plan to update your copy, or expect to contribute code or documentation.

Requirements

• Git
• Unity Editor 2021.3.45f1
• A C# editor; the repository's .vsconfig selects Visual Studio's Game development with Unity workload

Clone the project

Open PowerShell in the directory where you keep projects and run:

git clone https://github.com/RealmsStuff/Captivity-Reloaded.git
cd Captivity-Reloaded

If you intend to contribute through your own GitHub fork, clone the fork instead and keep the main repository as an upstream remote.

Open the cloned project

1. In Unity Hub, select Open > Add project from disk.
2. Select the cloned Captivity-Reloaded directory containing Assets, Packages, and ProjectSettings.
3. Open it with Unity 2021.3.45f1 and allow the initial package restore and import to finish.
4. Open Assets/Scenes/Main.unity.
5. Open the generated solution in your C# editor only after Unity has finished creating the project files.

Unity creates Library, Temp, Logs, obj, solution files, and user settings locally. These generated files should not be copied into a mod or committed.

Installing Tiled

Tiled is required only for authored stages.

1. Download the desktop application for Windows, macOS, or Linux from the official Tiled download page.
2. Install and launch it. Captivity maps do not require a Tiled plugin or scripted extension.
3. Copy the complete ModSDK/MapTemplates/TiledStage directory into the workspace for your mod.
4. Keep its levels, templates, tilesets, assets, and reference directories together. Their files use relative paths.
5. Open the copied levels/starter-map.json in Tiled.
6. Keep the map in finite, orthogonal JSON form.

Do not copy only starter-map.json; its preview art, templates, and tilesets will appear missing. Continue with Tiled maps for the supported layers, gameplay objects, properties, restrictions, and verification command.

Installing DragonBones Pro

DragonBones is optional and is needed only when editing bone animation outside Unity. Captivity neither uses nor ships the DragonBones runtime.

Get the verified editor

The project author's Windows tool bundle contains DragonBones Pro 5.6.3 at:

../Tools/DragonBones/DragonBonesPro-v5.6.3.exe

The path is relative to the Unity project. A normal Git clone may not include this sibling Tools directory; obtain the authoring bundle from the project maintainer. Avoid unofficial executable mirrors. The official DragonBones download page is the upstream reference, but Captivity's bridge is tested specifically with version 5.6.3 on Windows.

Verify and install it

In PowerShell, run:

Get-FileHash ..\Tools\DragonBones\DragonBonesPro-v5.6.3.exe -Algorithm SHA256

The expected SHA-256 digest is:

593053196DA93BBE9822E2923145F800AFEFEA3DA00E6E9E174FECE0AAF8C796

1. Run DragonBonesPro-v5.6.3.exe.
2. Retain its bundled Adobe AIR support.
3. Launch C:/Program Files/Egret/DragonBonesPro/DragonBonesPro.exe.
4. Confirm that the displayed version is 5.6.3.

Do not add DragonBones packages to Packages/manifest.json, install a DragonBones Unity runtime, or import a DragonBones .unitypackage. In Unity, open Captivity Reloaded > Modding > DragonBones Round Trip. This window exchanges JSON and PNG files with the standalone editor.

Continue with DragonBones round trip for exporting, editing, analyzing, backing up, and importing animations.

Checking the setup

Unity

1. Confirm that Assets/Scenes/Main.unity opens without compile errors.
2. Confirm that Captivity Reloaded > Modding contains the creation, packaging, preview, and DragonBones commands.
3. Open Captivity Reloaded > Modding > Create Mod....
4. Enter a test pack ID such as yourname.test-mod and confirm that the wizard can select or create an ExampleMods folder.

The first-pack guide continues from this point.

Tiled

Confirm that the copied starter map opens with its preview artwork, templates, and tilesets intact.

DragonBones

When animation work is required, confirm that DragonBones Pro 5.6.3 can import a Unity-generated <enemy>_ske.json file.

Where to go next

• New mod authors: Your first pack
• Map authors: Tiled maps
• Animation authors: DragonBones round trip
• Project contributors: Development setup and Building and testing