SEUS PTGI Modding Support Discussion (Patreon)

Hello! So, as I've talked about in previous posts, I've been looking at modding support for SEUS PTGI. One of the problems has to do with modifying the block.properties file inside the shaderpack.

The block.properties file needs to be setup a certain way for any blocks added by mods to function properly with SEUS PTGI, and without any tools, it's ridiculously time-consuming. I mean, just look at this excerpt from the current block.properties file in SEUS PTGI. This is only with vanilla blocks support!

So, I'm thinking about what to do about this problem. The least I can do is update SEUS PTGI's license to permit modification and distribution of the block.properties file. Then, at least people would be able to share the burden a bit. But, you couldn't, for example, get a block.properties file for one mod, and another that supports a different mod, and easily combine the two. And I've heard that people like to use more than one mod at a time...

If I were just to write a tool for myself, I'd put together a simple .exe with some config text files (like a list of all mod blocks that are shaped like stairs, for example), and it would just run and populate the block.properties file for me. So, the only work I'd have to do is essentially make a list of each mod block, per shape type (stairs, slabs, doors, etc.)

Firstly, I can't possibly provide a block.properties file that would support any version of any mod, it would just be an impractical amount of work. Secondly, I don't feel that distributing an .exe is the best idea. Sure, people are responsible for what they download and execute, and if you trust me, you might feel okay with it if you got it from a reliable source (my website). But, since it's a pre-compiled binary, you can't be sure what it'll do when you run it, and I don't like that. Plus, it feels like a huge opportunity for people to distribute shady modified versions of it.

I'm afraid I just don't know enough about safer alternatives, and I was hoping that some of you may be able to provide some advice. Basically, I want a safe way to provide people with a tool that is capable of reading files and generating a new file that has as much end user convenience as possible (something as convenient as, get your .txt files with lists of mod blocks, and then run the tool).

What are your thoughts?