Mega UI

Project setup

The whole csproj, and the four things in it that are easy to get wrong.

The whole file

xml

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>netstandard2.1</TargetFramework>
    <AssemblyName>MyMod</AssemblyName>
    <RootNamespace>MyMod</RootNamespace>
    <LangVersion>latest</LangVersion>
    <ImplicitUsings>disable</ImplicitUsings>
    <Nullable>disable</Nullable>
    <CopyLocalLockFileAssemblies>false</CopyLocalLockFileAssemblies>
    <Version>1.0.0</Version>

    <GameDir>C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Megastore Simulator</GameDir>
    <Managed>$(GameDir)\Megastore Simulator_Data\Managed</Managed>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <Reference Include="MegaUI">
      <HintPath>$(GameDir)\BepInEx\plugins\rodopoulos\MegaUI.dll</HintPath>
      <Private>false</Private>
    </Reference>

    <Reference Include="BepInEx">
      <HintPath>$(GameDir)\BepInEx\core\BepInEx.dll</HintPath>
      <Private>false</Private>
    </Reference>
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

netstandard2.1, not net6.0 and not net35

The game runs on Mono, so a net6.0 assembly will not load. net35 is the classic target for Mono mods and it fails a modern SDK with MSB3644 — the .NET Framework 3.5 reference assemblies do not ship any more. netstandard2.1 avoids both: NuGet supplies the reference assemblies and Unity's Mono supports the profile natively.

Private=false on every reference

Without it MSBuild copies the referenced dll into your output. Ship that folder and the player ends up with two copies of Mega UI — or half the game's assemblies — in their plugins directory.

No UI assemblies

You do not reference UnityEngine.UI, UnityEngine.UIModule or Unity.TextMeshPro.

Use it as a check

If you find yourself adding a UI assembly to draw part of your screen, something is missing from the API. Say so rather than working around it — that is how the next widget gets picked.

The game folder

The paths above assume a default Steam install. On a non-Steam or moved install, point GameDir at wherever Megastore Simulator.exe lives — everything else is derived from it.

Getting IntelliSense

MegaUI.xml ships next to the dll in the release zip. Keep the two side by side and your editor explains every method and field while you type. If your autocomplete is bare, that file is missing from the folder HintPath points at.

Build and install

bash

dotnet build MyMod.csproj -c Release

Copy bin/Release/netstandard2.1/MyMod.dll into BepInEx/plugins/.

With the game closed

The game holds plugin dlls open while it runs, so copying over one fails with a lock error that reads like a permissions problem. Close the game first.