Predi's Deadlock Mod Compiler 🛠️

A lightweight, fully automated PowerShell build tool for Deadlock modders.

If you are tired of manually running csdk compiling your files, tracking changed files, and packing VPKs by hand, this script automates the entire workflow.

⭐ Key Features

• Interactive CLI Menu: Select which mod to build directly from a simple list. You can also start or restart Deadlock without leaving the menu.
• Smart Incremental Builds: Uses MD5 caching to remember which files you've already compiled. If you only change one .css file, it will only compile that single file, saving a massive amount of time.
• Force Rebuild: Add -Force (or -f) to do a full clean rebuild of a single mod when the cache gets out of sync.
• Batch Processing: Automatically splits compilation tasks into batches of 25. This prevents Windows character limit crashes when building massive UI or model replacements.
• Auto-Routing: Automatically detects your Steam installation, Deadlock directory, and addons folder.
• Safe Vtex Compilation: Automatically strips unsupported algorithm parameters from .vtex files on-the-fly to prevent compiler crashes.

⚙️ Prerequisites

You need Reduced CSDK 12 to compile Source 2 files.

• Download it here: CSDK 12
• Extract it to C:\Reduced_CSDK_12. (If you want to keep it somewhere else, run the script once. It will fail but generate a tools/data/config.json file where you can set your custom path).

📦 Folder Structure

Put the tools folder near your mods like this:

🛠️ How to Use

1. Run tools/build_mod.bat.
2. The script will scan your workspace and list all available mod folders. The menu also offers:
   • [0] Settings — configure paths and behaviour (see below).
   • [S] Start Deadlock / [R] Restart Deadlock — launch or relaunch the game.
3. Type the number of the mod you want to build and press Enter.
4. Choose your build destination (skipped if set in config):
   • [1] Local: Saves the compiled .vpk inside tools/builds/.
   • [2] Addons: Directly packs and sends the .vpk to your game's game/citadel/addons/ folder.
5. The script will hash your files, compile the changes, and pack the .vpk!

Force rebuild

Incremental builds rely on a cache. If something gets out of sync (e.g. a failed build, renamed files, or stale compiled artifacts), type the mod number followed by -Force (or the short form -f) at the menu prompt:

Enter the number of the mod to compile: 6 -Force

This wipes that mod's temporary build folders and recompiles every file from scratch. The flag also works as a launch parameter (build_mod.ps1 -Force).

🔧 Configuration

The easiest way to configure the tool is the Settings menu ([0] from the main menu):

• [1] Build destination — cycles between Ask, Builds, and Addons.
• [2] Execution mode — toggles between BuildOnly and BuildAndRestart (close Deadlock, build, relaunch).
• [3] Steam path — manually override the Steam location if auto-detection fails.
• [4] CSDK path — manually override the Reduced CSDK location.
• [5] Wipe CSDK citadel_addons folders — fully clears both content\citadel_addons and game\citadel_addons in the CSDK and resets the build cache. Use this for a clean slate across all mods (the -Force flag only cleans a single mod). You'll be asked to confirm before anything is deleted.

These settings are stored in data/config.json, created inside the tools folder on first launch:

{
  "BuildDestination": "Ask",
  "ExecutionMode": "BuildOnly",
  "SteamPath": "",
  "CsdkPath": "C:\\Reduced_CSDK_12"
}

• BuildDestination: Change to "Builds" or "Addons" to skip the destination prompt.
• ExecutionMode: Change to "BuildAndRestart" to automatically close Deadlock, build the mod, and launch Deadlock again.
• SteamPath / CsdkPath: Manually override paths if auto-detection fails.