So you're getting some BS about: "Something looks wrong with the downloaded files. Please contact the author of this mod" in a weird new game launcher?



Unsure of what the actual problem is despite that EXTREMELY helpful description?

So was I, lets try to remedy this issue!

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WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?
(Skip to the next line segment if you just want the fix, this part is me trying [and probably failing] to explain what seems to be happening and what we're gonna do about it)
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Right now you may be wondering: "Why is the launcher doing this to me?!?!?

The best answer I can cobble together: It's confused.

After going over this crap for more time than a reasonable human would, it seems that the launcher identifies some files of certain mods as missing some important segment or another (never-mind if those mods were working just fine in the previous launcher with no other difference). Maybe its an overzealous new system meant to protect against game-breaking mods, maybe its a bug, maybe its a joke, but regardless the launcher just refuses to enable certain mods that appear to be missing some criteria (I'd love to tell you what criteria exactly but its a mystery known only to people that are not you or me). Its a problem that I have only found mention of after the new launcher, so unless someone more informed than me (A very likely scenario to be honest) brings up a better idea, that's what I'm going with.

Luckily the exact reason for why the launcher does this is irrelevant, what we know is that it wants all our mods going through it to pass an inspection, and we know that some of our mods aren't passing that inspection.

With this in mind, lets fake our way through that inspection.

How do we do this?

Why through the digital equivalent of hiding cocaine in a flour truck of course!

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"Please Shut Up and Get to The Fix Already"

(I'm not NOT claiming this is 100% effective but hey it is something that might help, if you know better by all means please post your fix, I couldn't find anything else here and figured it was better than nothing)
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Just to clarify before we start: problematic mod = the mod getting "Something looks wrong with the downloaded files. Please contact the author of this mod" - Errors, AKA problematic mod = the mod we're trying to fix.


1. We're going to be making a local install of the problematic mod in your Stellaris mod folder, first lets find your problematic mod in the steam workshops content folder. If you haven't done this before/often, workshop mod files can be found in the convoluted nest of folders contained within the: steamapps/workshop/content/WhicheverOfThoseDamnNumbersIsForStellarisMods folder.





you've hopefully noticed that in the content folder all the subsequent workshop folders for both game folders and those games respective mods are only identified by numbers. If there's a pattern I'm ignorant of it. (mines 281990 but I don't know if that's yours as well)

2. To find your Stellaris folder without losing your sanity, unsubscribe and resubscribe to a stellaris workshop mod (any one will do, we just want it to re-download the files), since that new mod will have just been added in the folder we're looking for, that correct folder SHOULD be the most recently modified folder in the content folder.

3. Once your in the steam workshop folder for stellaris mods, you then have to find the problematic mods, if you have a large number of mods then try the re-downloading strategy again to locate specific mod folderss.

4. Now we copy the file(s) in that steam mod folder to the paradox mod folder in your /Paradox_Interactive/Stellaris folder (in /Documents by default).


After this, the launcher should recognize the formerly problematic mod as a 'local mod', if a local mod version of your problematic mod doesn't show up, you may have to manually add it by using the 'create mod' section in the 'mod tool', enter the exact name of the mod in the local folder after the mod/ part of the tool, fill in the name and current game version, that's all you need to do there don't believe the menu's lies)

If you now have a local mod like THIS, then you did it right and your done.
V



Congratulations, you have now turned a steam mod into a local mod!
Hopefully the frigging launcher will now stay out of your way.
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EPILOGUE
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And that's all I got, I just spent a good two hours going through forums and my game files trying to find a fix to a problem that only seems to be resulting from the new and "improved" launcher. hopefully this saved you a similar journey. If this did not help solve your problem, then best of luck figuring it out on your own cause I got nothing else :(


Hey Paradox: "WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING!!!"
I mean seriously, the old launcher was clunky sure, but it got the job done and more importantly didn't arbitrarily decide which mods were appropriate. I get you want something more 'slick' and with more options, but come on could ya please make it play nice before rolling it out? Please?Pretty please?

INTERESTING THING OF NOTE
Interestingly I noticed the the launcher automatically created local versions for 2 of my mods that had been flagged "Something looks wrong", though 3 others did not get this courtesy, don't know why the launcher is so damn picky. Maybe the launcher is meant to automatically make local copies of mods with problems but it's just not there yet? WHO KNOWS?!?! I CERTAINLY DON'T!!

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You're still here? Whats wrong with you? Hell whats wrong with me?
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Hi there, if your reading this then I hope this guide wasn't a complete waste of time, I haven't slept in 2 days for unrelated reasons and was a bit annoyed at having to go on a journey of discovery to fix this issue so thats why some things here are probably a bit odd, think I'm gonna go sleep now.