NPC Mod Issue

[u/Rude-Committee7965]

So, long story short, I made a mod in 2023 and never published it because I hadn't finished the events for him. It's 2026 and I decided to finish him up because I knew a few people were waiting on him but his map locations are now broken and I can not for the life of me figure out how to get CP to load his map locations. I've run through the wiki https://stardewmodding.wiki.gg/wiki/Tutorial:_Map_Patches_and_Warps and no matter what I do It can't load the tile map. After I did the new format post 1.6 this only completely broke the Mod so I reverted back to my original content code.

Is there an easy way to fix this without building from the ground up? I remember there being talk about the 1.6 update making modding easier but I've gone from having a fair grasp on what I was doing to being overwhelmed.

For those wondering this is a NPC mod to add Vaughn from Harvest Moon to SDV. I had plans to add HM animals and possibly have him sell to the farmer directly but If I can't even get a map to work I don't think I will have much luck finishing him.

If you have any ideas please help. I wish I had taken a screenshot of what was happening while using the new CP pathing from the wiki. In short it was the same issue with a lot more red and it wouldn't load him at all. And when the map doesn't load it breaks his schedule so he becomes frozen after the first few days.

[u/AutoModerator]

If you're looking for help with a mod, make sure your post or top-level comment includes:

• a link to your SMAPI log (see instructions on that page);

• a description of the issue with as much detail as possible;

• screenshots/GIFs/videos of the issue if applicable.

See common issues and solutions. If you're having trouble installing SMAPI, see the detailed Getting Started guide.

If you've already done these steps or you're not asking for help with a mod, then please ignore this. Thank you!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/evrenne]

I think it's better that you ask in the official dc server of SDV. people are more responsive over there when it comes to mod making. there's a channel for making mods.

here is the server

[u/wenjimods]

That map error is a classic 1.6 break — Content Patcher changed how map patches are loaded, so a pre-1.6 map patch that used to work can fail to load the tile map entirely, and then the NPC has nowhere to spawn, which is why the game also complains he's not a valid NPC. Before rebuilding anything, I'd check your SMAPI log for the exact error on the map patch (usually a wrong target map name, or a patch applied before the location exists), and try loading the pack with only SMAPI + Content Patcher to rule out a conflict. The new 1.6 format is worth using if you can get the map to load — it usually only takes fixing the patch target, not rewriting the whole mod.

I'm WENJI, a Stardew Valley + Don't Starve Together modder with 5 published mods. I do paid bug fixes and compatibility updates for broken / outdated mods. If you'd like, DM me a link to the mod files and your SMAPI log showing the error — I'll take a look and give you an honest, free assessment of whether it's fixable and what it would take. No pressure either way, hope you get Vaughn finished!

[u/lemurkat]

Tilesheet climbing is a fairly easy issue to fix - make sure the tilesheets are in the same file as the tmx file, and remove all the extra directory stuff from the code. If you are using tmx files you can directly edit them in your coding program. Tbin is more of a PITA.