Mod loading system #5
Description
Describe the feature or enhancement
A built-in mod loader that doesn't require overwriting vanilla game files. Currently, the patch allows for overriding existing vpp_pc files by placing them in the overrides folder; this is done by hooking the keen_cf_open_file function to redirect the game to open a different vpp_pc file.
As an example, the already modified vpp_pc files of the Terraform Patch can be placed into the overrides folder and the game will correctly reflect those changes. The files 1-19.vpp_pc and mp_1-6.vpp_pc aren't recognised by the game unless they are placed in the data folder. May need to look at the functions init_packfiles and packfile_add and see if they can be hooked to add the new vpp_pc files and whether they can replace hooking keen_cf_open_file.
XML files can also be placed in the overrides folder which hooks the xml_parse function and manually allocates the space needed for it in the XML memory pool.
SyncFaction requires 2 large backups: the vanilla files and the vanilla files + patch applied on top. Allowing for non-destructive editing will resolve the need to rely on backups and allow the user to quickly switch from vanilla and modded files.