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BetterRandomStart | Monster Train 2 Mod

BetterRandomStart is a Quality of Life (QoL) extension for Monster Train 2, developed using the BepInEx framework and C#. It introduces a smart selection system that allows players to pursue 100% completion while maintaining the variety of randomized gameplay.

Thunderstore Nexus Mods

🔍 The Problem

Monster Train 2 features a Logbook system that tracks victories across 264 unique clan combinations. While the base game includes a "Random Start" feature, it often selects combinations the player has already mastered.

For completionists, this creates a friction point: they must either manually search through menus to find missing combinations (breaking the "random" flow) or waste time restarting runs until a new pairing appears.

💡 The Solution

This mod introduces a custom functional UI button into the clan selection screen. When triggered, the mod:

  1. Scans Player Progress: Automatically checks the player's save file to identify which clan combinations are not completed.
  2. Smart Randomization: Filters the pool of 264 pairings to isolate only those without a victory flag.
  3. UI Automation: Programmatically selects a valid pairing from the remaining pool, directly updating the game state and streamlining the user experience.

💻 Tech Stack & Engineering Tools

  • Language: C#
  • Target Framework: .NET Standard 2.1
  • Modding Framework: BepInEx (Plugin architecture for Unity games)
  • Runtime Patching: Harmony (Used for method hooking and code injection)
  • Reverse Engineering: dnSpy (Used to analyze the game's assembly and UI hierarchy)

🛠 Engineering Highlights

  • Method Hooking: Patched RunSetupScreen.Start via Harmony Postfix to trigger custom UI initialization and data parsing.
  • Runtime UI Injection: Programmatically constructed a new UI hierarchy (GameObject, RectTransform, UnityEngine.UI.Button) and injected it into the active Unity Canvas.
  • Reflection & Accessing Internals: Utilized BindingFlags.NonPublic to invoke private game methods such as RefreshCharacters and RefreshClanCovenantUI, enabling seamless state updates without an official API.
  • Edge-Case Handling: Implemented logic to respect game rules, such as verifying Clan Level (level 5+) before selecting alternative champion variants.

📦 Dependencies

This mod requires BepInEx to run properly. BepInEx is a plugin framework and mod loader for Unity games like Monster Train 2.

Before using this mod, make sure to:

  • Download and install BepInEx for Monster Train 2:
    1. Go to the BepInEx releases page.
    2. Download the recommended version for your game (usually the x64 version).
    3. Extract the contents of the archive into your Monster Train 2 game folder (the folder where the game executable resides).
    4. Run the game once to complete the BepInEx installation, then close it.

Without BepInEx installed, this mod will not work.

🎮 Using the Mod

To use this mod in your game:

  • Download the compiled .dll file of this mod.
  • Place the .dll file into the BepInEx/plugins folder inside your Monster Train 2 installation directory.
  • Launch the game and enjoy the mod.

🏗 Development and Build (For Developers Only)

The steps below are only necessary for developers who want to build and modify the mod. If you're not a programmer, you do not need to follow these — just use the provided .dll file.

Automatically Copy DLL to Game Plugins Folder After Build

The project .csproj file contains a <PostBuildEvent> that copies the compiled DLL to the game’s plugins directory.

You must update the destination path in this line to match your local Monster Train 2 installation folder.

Locate the following snippet in the .csproj file:

<PropertyGroup>
  copy /Y "C:\Users\Szymon\source\repos\MT2_BETTER_RANDOM\MT2_BETTER_RANDOM\bin\Debug\netstandard2.1\MT2_BETTER_RANDOM.dll" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Monster Train 2\BepInEx\plugins\"
</PropertyGroup>

Replace

"C:\Users\Szymon\source\repos\MT2_BETTER_RANDOM\MT2_BETTER_RANDOM\bin\Debug\netstandard2.1\MT2_BETTER_RANDOM.dll"

with the path to the DLL file produced by your build (the output of your project).

Replace

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Monster Train 2\BepInEx\plugins\"

with the path to your game's plugins folder.

Update Project Dependencies

To successfully compile the project, you also need to update project dependencies in your local development environment:

  • Make sure the project references the correct path to BepInEx and UnityEngine DLLs.
  • These are typically located in your installed Monster Train 2 game folder under BepInEx/core and MonoBleedingEdge/lib/mono/unityjit.

Update your project references accordingly in Visual Studio (or your preferred IDE), or directly in the .csproj file if needed.

Without correcting these paths, the project may fail to build due to missing or unresolved references.

Replace

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Monster Train 2\BepInEx\plugins\"

with the path to the BepInEx\plugins folder inside your Monster Train 2 game directory on your machine.