Summoner : Modloader for Scrolls

What is it?

Summoner : Modloader for Scrolls allows loading game modifications into Scrolls. Those mods can greatly extent the game's functionality and enhance replay value.

To install Summoner, download either of the two installers suitable for your platform. Before running the file, make sure to close down Scrolls. Summoner won't be able to install if Scrolls is still running. It is also recommended to switch the game to windowed mode before installing Summoner on Windows. This will allow the game for auto-restarting, making it even faster to install mods. Running in fullscreen on Windows requires starting the game manually after it has closed down after patching.

Download the latest version (v0.9.3, 22 October 2013) Summoner not updated for the new launcher.

What's currently available?

The moment you've installed Summoner, a wide array of mods becomes available to you. All of those mods can be installed without hassle in a matter of minutes, all without leaving the game itself. The only mod repository included with Summoner is the Scrollsguide hosted repository. You can browse the list of mods available in the repository here. Keep in mind that installing a lot of mods, especially the ones that edit the user interface, can significantly slow down the game. Make sure you only enable the mods you like the best and uninstall/remove the others.

Introduction to Summoner by theyseemescrollin:



But... cheaters?

The current Scrolls architecture requires players to be connected to official Scrolls servers ran by Mojang at all times. Those servers are then used for matchmaking, chatting, trading, and playing the game. All the game logic, the AI, trials, store, and deck saving is done on those servers. This means that modifications to the client loaded by Summoner can in no way cheat the game or gain an unfair advantage over other players. As long as every single one of the essential features of the game are run on Mojang's servers, playing Scrolls with Summoner installed is absolutely guaranteed to be cheat-free.

How safe is it?

You might be concerned about your account, and with good reason. By making everything open-source, as well as requiring the mods to be open-source, and checking the code of new mods before adding them to the Scrollsguide mod repository, we hope to take away any doubt of malicious people stealing your credentials. Of course, this applies to patches submitted for mods to our repository as well.

Since people can run their own mod repository, we cannot guarantee the integrity of the mods hosted on repositories other than Scrollsguide's own. The Summoner forum thread with detailed information for devs on how to create mods even includes a brief code sample to show you how easy it is to obtain user credentials with a mod, so you should be very careful when adding third-party repositories, especially closed-source ones. In a sense, it is exactly the same with Scrolls mods as it is with Minecraft mods. Some people will try to do bad things. Furthermore, we hope our reputation as a Scrolls community for over two years helps overcoming the fear of losing your credentials to any mod hosted in our repository. We have systems in place that will alert us if any code or file on the server changes so we can immediately take it down, if our repository were to be hacked.

What's next?

Of course, as developers can now get their hands on the modding API, we expect to have a wider range of mods available soon after launch. Mods are auto-updated on your client as new patches are submitted, you will not have to take any manual action after installing a mod. Now a mod update requires an auto-restart of the game, so whenever you see the game taking longer than normal starting up, wait a little bit longer and know a new patch has been submitted. When you're running the game in fullscreen on Windows, the autostart will not be able to execute and you will have to manually start the game after it has closed down. :)

Will this not harm my Scrolls install in any way? No, since the Summoner modloader runs in a semi-separated environment, even when Summoner completely crashes, glitches or bugs out, there is no way your game will stop working. The mods that have crashed will be auto-disabled, and the game will be still completely functional (without the mod, of course). Even if the repositories that are used for updating and downloading mods go offline or start misbehaving, your game will still be completely fine and reverted to the original installation.

Developers?

The modding API allows for almost unlimited modifying of the game (to the point of cheating, of course!). The documentation for the API is not completely finished, but by looking at the mods already created you should be able to get something up and running pretty quickly. Since we require every mod to be open-source, you will find a list of the mods and their code on the Scrollsguide repository page. The source for the modloader itself can be found on Drakulix's Github, and the software for hosting your own repository can be found on kbasten's Github. A tutorial for writing your own mods can be found in the Summoner forum topic. When a mod is ready for inclusion in a repository, make sure to visit the mod repo submit page on the Scrollsguide hosted mod repo.

Bugs?

This piece of software is not developed or supported by the developers of Scrolls, Mojang. It is a fan-made addition to the game. Although it is a fully functional product, we cannot guarantee it is entirely free of bugs yet. In case you find any bug or problem with Summoner, please make sure it's Summoner-related first before sending bug reports to the Mojang team. Bugs in Summoner, or any of its mods, can be browsed and submitted on the Summoner Bug Reports forum topic.