1. Submissions Guidelines (Updated April 17th, 2024)

[Pikaspoop]

So, you wanna post a mod you've made? Submissions is where it goes!

When you post mods in Addons & More, a corresponding thread is created here. A judge will check your mod, and if it follows all rules and guidelines, then the mod will be approved, and its thread will be moved into its proper place in Addons & More Discussion. If there is something wrong that needs to be corrected, then a judge will inform you of what needs to be done. Once you've made the requested changes, you must re-submit your mod, and it will be evaluated again. If you don't meet the requirements or continue to not follow the instructions given, then your mod will be moved to Rejected Submissions.

You can only see your own submissions, and only judges and moderators can see all the submissions. Submissions will remain hidden until they are moved to Addons & More.

Addons that do not follow these guidelines will most likely be rejected. However that doesn't always mean you cannot share them on the MS or in the community.
Please refer to the Message Board Rules, Discord Server Rules, or the Master Server Hosting Rules to know what is and is not allowed on each platform.
If you are confused, please contact the Staff responsible for the platforms you need support with.



Mod Submission Rules

1. Message board rules apply to all submissions, particularly concerning bigoted or inappropriate content.
   • Example: If your file contains pornographic content, it will be rejected.
   
   
2. File names must conform to Filename Conventions.
   • Example: A file named “myzone.pk3” will not pass, but a file named “SL_myzone_v1.pk3” may pass.
   
   
3. Your submission must have a good chunk of content that you created yourself. There are two exceptions. The only exceptions are if you’re submitting something on behalf of someone else with their consent, or you are porting an old addon and following the guidelines set in Rule 15 (see below).
   • Example: Repacks of others’ content with nothing new added will not pass.
   
   
4. No plagiarism! If you do not have permission to use someone else’s work in your mod, and it was not marked as Open Assets, it will be rejected.
   
   
5. Credit and Link any Open Assets! If your mod uses anything marked as Open Assets, you must credit its author and provide a link to it in your mod's description. Even if your own mod is not marked as Open Assets, it's important to support the original work by crediting it as this makes it easier for others to discover the used addons.
   • If your addon is a direct continuation or edit of another Open Asset addon, it must also be marked as Open Assets. Failure to do so will either result in rejection or have your addon forcefully marked as Open Assets.
   
   
6. Please keep unorganized Kart characters in a single place. We prefer that each creator keeps only one pack, but if you have enough characters, you may create additional entries for the sake of organization based on theme or mechanics (series, original characters, Lua, collaborative works, etc).
   • Example: A user creates 5 characters with no common theme, so they submit them as a single pack and update as they add more.
   • Example: Another user creates a collection of Pizza Tower characters, several of their original characters, and some characters that utilize Lua to provide interesting new driving mechanics. These could be separated into three different packs, uploaded as separate Addons & More entries.
   
   
7. When making a kart character with Kartmaker, you should check if there aren't any name templates left behind.
   • This applies to anything found in the skin text lump (S_SKIN) that has "EXMP" in it. You can change it to something else that represents anything related or closely resembles your character's name, it's up to your criteria, but it must be four letters total.
   
   
8. Custom colors cannot be released solo.
   A pack of at least 3 is acceptable. Only one custom colors mod per author is allowed.
   • Example: A single color would not make a suitable release, but custom characters can have custom colors and/or include these colors as additional downloads.
   
   
9. Your submission must work at a basic level.
   Mods that immediately soft-lock or crash will not be accepted. Kart characters have some additional requirements: all icons (Mini-map, Rank, Wanted) must feature clearly visible color changing. Your character does not need full voice lines or SFX, but they must have a gloat sound, which is used for certain power-ups.
   • Example: If your addon generates errors or warnings in the console, that’s fine, but it must still work as intended. We are not your beta testers, so we don’t dig for the little details.
   
   
10. When posting map submissions you must specify the map's gametypes.
    If you post a map pack you should mention the gametypes included in it.
    • If it's a Singleplayer or Race/Circuit map then it should be beatable.
    • If it's a Capture the Flag map then it should have flags from both teams included in it.
    • If the Map supports any Ringslinger-enabled gametype, then there must be a reasonable amount of normal rings available at minimum.
    • If your Map is designed for a custom gametype, then you must specify the gametype and ensure it follows the requirements outlined by the original gametype addon post.
    
    
11. When posting 3D Models for characters, you must provide the line of text for the model.dta.
    This will make it easier for all users to quickly apply your models to their personal models configuration, so please be sure to include it!
    
    
12. Keep personal disputes out of your addons.
    • Example: Your addon may not break other addons on purpose or contain rude messages about other community members.
    • Posts uploaded with the intent to offend the original author will be immediately rejected.
    
    
13. If your mod is a custom build exe, has net-game support, and is incompatible in any way with vanilla SRB2 netplay then it must include a custom MODID to avoid conflicting with vanilla SRB2 net-games on the Master Server.
    
    
14. Do not pack individual PK3s in a .zip file.
    PK3s are already compressed, so putting them in .zip archives does not compress them any further.
    If you wish to insert multiple files into a zip file for organization purposes, that would be acceptable.
    • Example1: Inserting a singular .pk3 file into a zip folder would be disallowed.
    • Example 2: Inserting multiple .pk3 files into a zip folder would be allowed.
    • Example 3: Inserting any number of uncompressed files (like WADs or Lua files) into a zip folder would be acceptable.
    
    
15. Do not submit recreations of others' unreleased work without permission. This includes recreating sprites, other graphics, maps, scripts, music, sound, etc seen in publicly showcased Gifs, videos, design documents, or other media. It's fine to make things with similar ideas, but if you only make that thing because you saw someone else making it first, then we can't accept it. Taking inspiration from other sources is fine, but hijacking ideas you know other people are already working hard on is extremely demotivating for people and discourages community members from sharing their WIPs, and we don't want that kind of environment.
    
    
16. Do not directly upload content that does not belong to you. Using content from other people in your submissions is fine, as long as that content was previously released as Open Assets or you've got the author's explicit permission, and your submissions contain content you made yourself. Submitting something you do not have permission to or is just a re-upload or compilation of someone else's work will lead to instant rejection.
    
    
17. You cannot upload music or sound effect packs solely comprised of music or sound effects you did not make, regardless of whether they're Open Assets or not. Porting or extracting music and sounds from other sources to replace vanilla sounds and music will not be accepted here.
    
    
18. When posting content under the Software category, you must provide the source code for it.
    
    
19. Your addon's overview page should accurately inform the user of what the addon adds/does to the game using text and/or gifs. There must be no misinformation in your description.
    • You may omit features you deem as spoilers.
    • A Gif by itself is ok if it's enough to get the point of the addon across to the user.
    • If you wish to release a misleading addon as a joke, you should make it clear that the addon is intended to be as such. How clear you need to be is subjective. You're allowed to use sarcasm, but remember that it's at the judges' discretion.
    
    
20. If your addon could potentially cause seizures or eye-strain to those playing it, you will be required to include an appropriate disclaimer on your addon page.

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Rules specific to making Ports of addons:
When we say "ports", we are refering to any and all addons made to work in another verson of the game, fix bugs, or allow them to load alongside other addons that would otherwise not be compatible.

Porting addons or content made for previous versions of SRB2 will be allowed so long as they follow these standards:

1. If you decide to port an Open Asset addon, you must still follow all the porting rules listed here.
   • If an Open Asset addon from an older version is brought to a newer version but has been drastically changed, it would be considered as its own addon rather than a port.
     • Don't use this as an excuse to port Open Asset addons without following these guidelines, if we deem that the addon hasn't changed in function at all then we'll assume it's supposed to be a port and then check if the addon follows these rules.
   • To port an Open Asset addon, you essentially have to limit yourself to only maintaining the addon rather than adding onto it. That is what it means to port.
     • Both ports and updates made for older Open Asset addons can co-exist on the MB.
   • Of course, the port must also maintain the Open Asset prefix. You cannot stop people from editing your port if the original addon was open for everyone to modify!
   
   
2. The addon must stay faithfully accurate to the original release.
   • Maintain the original textures, level sectors, sprites, functions, etc. Everything should look the same as before.
     • 3D models that have been degraded due to multiple instances of editing will be rejected. MD2s and MD3s are lossy datatypes which degrade each time they're edited directly. Try to keep this in mind and do your best to maintain the original look of the models.
   • With maps specifically, common objects like rings, enemies, signposts, and similar mapthings included with SRB2 does not need to have the old sprites! You can port the old objects if you personally wish to, but it isn't required! Just focus on keeping the map sectors, textures, and custom mapthings faithful!
   • What matters is that the functions and result of the addon is a similar experience to the original. If you have to make drastic changes to the internal data to preserve the experience of the addon, then do so.
     Ex: Re-doing map sectors that don't properly convert, scripting new Lua to re-create removed features, etc.
     • You are allowed to optimize any Lua code within your port. Players aren't going to see the lines of code you made, they'll see whatever is happening on the screen. So long as the experience is faithful, the code being different doesn't matter.
   • You cannot add new features or content to the port, such addons are considered "updates" and are not treated as ports.
   • If the addon you are porting is missing any bit of data that are critical to SRB2's function (The game will crash, freeze up, outputs constant console errors, etc.) then you may use already-existing assets in order to prevent these types of malfunctions.
   
   
3. Ensure your addon follows the extra Filename Convention rules specific to addon ports.
   
   
4. You must include an internal text file inside the addon with credits to all people responsible for creating and porting the addon.
   • The names of those who ported the addon must be specifically listed as porters.
   • The names of those who originally made the addon must be included and listed as the original developers.
   • You must provide a link to where you found the original addon in the text file.
     • If the link is dangerous, untrustworthy, or simply dead, you will be required to state where you got the mod from and why you are unable to provide a link.
     • If the original addon is found off-site (not on the SRB2 MB) then you will be required to post the original addon file alongside your updated port. You can include it as an attachment to the discussion tab after a submission.
   
   
5. The porter must include an internal text file into the addon that lists all the changes made to the addon.
   • Everything you change must be listed. This includes palette conversions, Lua scripting, texture imports, and literally anything else you did to update the addon.
   • Make sure every change is organized into sections related to the edited content.
     • All Lua changes should be in its own sections separate from Map or texture changes.
     • If it's difficult for the judges to understand the change-log, your addon may be rejected.
   
   
6. All ports must go in the Ports subsection of Addons & More.
   • It doesn't matter what kind of addon it is, if it's a port then it has to be in that specfic category.
   • Updates to old addons that add features or new content outside of the realm of rule 2 are not considered ports.
   
   
7. If a port is already available in Addons & More, duplicate ports will be rejected if it is still actively maintained.
   • One exception is when the Original Developer makes an official port. If this happens and you previously submitted a port of the same content, then your addon may be de-listed or locked at the discretion of the Judging team.
   • Another exception is when a port is no longer being actively maintained. if this happens, you can submit your own updated version of the port. Just make sure to specify which addon thread you intend to succeed so that the Judges know.
     • This applies to any addon not being actively maintained, not just addons from previous major versions! If there's an old character who was released for SRB2 2.2.1 that doesn't work then you may port that character to work with the latest version!
   
   
8. If you made bugfixes for any particular addon, you are allowed to post it in the addon's discussion threads so that the original developer can potentially add your changes to the addon.
   • You can also privately send it to them through conversations (this forum's direct message system).
   
   
9. You will always be allowed to host your ports via Netgames, the SRB2 Discord, or in regular forum posts so long as they are still faithful.
   • You cannot make threads for the sole purpose of distributing unofficial ports, but you may share them in other threads if it's appropriate and relevant to do so.
   • If you frequently share your ports in situations when not appropriate or relevant to the discussion, a moderator may take action.

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We reserve the right to make exceptions to any of these rules where we find it justified to do so.



When posting your submission, make sure you do the following:

1. Upload your mod files using the top Attach Files button. If your file is too big to fit, use a split .RAR or .7z file. You may have mirrors on other hosts, but the entire submission needs to be uploaded to the message board.
   
   
2. Upload screenshots to go along with your submission using the bottom Attach Files button. Nobody's going to be interested in your modification without being able to see it first. Remember that movie mode (F9 to enable/disable) can record animated GIFs of game-play when your modification can't be shown off by a still screenshot.
   • If you want to include full-sized images in the body of the post outside of the screenshots section, right click the uploaded picture in the attachment manager to get its URL, and then use that URL in IMG tags as normal.
   • Do not use external hosts such as Discord or Imgur for screenshots used in the release post. Using sites like Imgur for minor banner images or promotional images is fine.
   • When uploading images for use in-line inside of the post (ex: promotional images or an intro/cover image), keep in mind that if the file-size is too large transparency may break, and that you can avoid the "click to see full size" banner by keeping the width of the image under 640 pixels.
   • Please ensure that you use the the bottom Attach Files button to upload screenshots, otherwise they will appear as part of your mod's game files, which can confuse people.

Finally, please be patient. The community judges are people too and it may take over a week for your submission to be looked at. If it has been over a week with no response, please contact us using this sub-forum.