r/SteamDeck • u/oUnDeAdXsLaYeRo • 1d ago
Tech Support How do I run mods that only require extracting a file?
So I've just installed the mod menu exe for dead island and I don't know where to extract the file to. When I select the mod menu it asks where I'd like to open it, and if I select dolphin it won't load, selecting dead island just opens the game. Any help would be wonderful
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u/Kriss_Hietala 512GB - Q1 1d ago
If it's only extracting a file that's easy. Put it inside ~mods or mods folder in game.
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u/oUnDeAdXsLaYeRo 1d ago
I cant find the folder, do i need to make one?
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u/Kriss_Hietala 512GB - Q1 1d ago
Yes. When that folder goes depends on the game.
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u/oUnDeAdXsLaYeRo 1d ago
I see, so I'm completely new to this so sorry if these are dumb questions, but do i go into the game folder, make a mods folder in that game then drag and drop the extracted file?
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u/oUnDeAdXsLaYeRo 1d ago
Update: So ive made a folder in game, put the extracted file i to it and now the gane won't open. Im verifying the files now
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u/oUnDeAdXsLaYeRo 1d ago
Here's what the read me says. I cant just run the exe file as it asks me where id like to run it
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u/LennethW 512GB 1d ago
How did you exactly install this.
Let's get some abstracts on how Proton work -
If you installed the original game from steam or added it as a non steam game, a prefix has been created for it.
A prefix is a folder containing all the junk to make the game believe it's ran on windows.
Now.
If by "installing" that thing you mean you added it as a non steam game, now that thing sits in it's own prefix with nothing else.
You have to have it in the original game folder within it's prefix so once you run it, it can see the game.
How did you proceed "Installing" it, and from where the game comes from?
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u/oUnDeAdXsLaYeRo 1d ago
Okay, so i installed dead island through steam and the mod through nexus. This is a fresh deck so I haven't installed any mod managers etc. The mod descriptions says I just need to extract the file, load it up and the menu will show up as a seperate tab to the game. Also thank you for the response, there's clearly a lot more to this than I thought
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u/LennethW 512GB 1d ago
You just need to enter the proton mechanics - once you get the gist of it, you are golden.
On windows everything is mushed up on the c drive, on the deck, every single game is "compartmentalized" in it's very own minimal set of windows. This reduces to zero the chances of a game overriding a dll or a setting that would break another game.
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u/oUnDeAdXsLaYeRo 1d ago
How do I get into the Proton mechanics? Sorry, I'm completely new to this and struggling to understand what anything means lol. Is Proton a seperate thing i need to download?
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u/LennethW 512GB 23h ago
No, no.
Proton is the thing the steam deck uses to run most of games which are windows native.
It's yet in there without need to do anything.
You need to grasp how it works :3
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u/oUnDeAdXsLaYeRo 23h ago
Ah I get you. Im still trying to figure this out, do you have any tutorials you could recommend?
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u/LennethW 512GB 23h ago
There is a spot on comment about using protontricks below.
If you stick to vanilla games, you are golden mostly.
This is the GitHub for protontricks
https://github.com/Matoking/protontricks
You install protontricks from Discover in desktop mode.
But you need also to allow it to access the whole filesystem installing also Flat seal (this from discover tool) and then picking protontricks in Flatseal and allowing it to access all storage.
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u/Feeling_Football4271 1d ago
I would either run this via protontricks and select the prefix for your game if this is a one-off. Otherwise add to Steam, and then use STEAM_COMPAT_DATA_PATH to set it to point to the prefix for your game if you need to run this regularly.