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Packaging

You can write the most brilliant mod in the world, but if your zip archive contains a messy dump of Visual Studio build files or dumps everything into the wrong folder, players will abandon it after the first failed install.

A professional release archive is designed so that a player can drag and drop its contents directly into their game root directory without thinking.

The golden archive structure​

Organize your zip file to mirror the GTA V installation directory:

MyMod-v1.0.0.zip
│
├── README.txt              <-- Plain text instructions
├── LICENSE.txt             <-- Permitted use / attribution
└── scripts/
    ├── MyMod.dll           <-- The compiled mod assembly
    └── MyMod/
        ├── settings.ini    <-- Default configuration file
        └── profile.json    <-- Clean initial save data

When a player drags the contents of this zip into C:\Program Files\...\Grand Theft Auto V, Windows automatically places MyMod.dll into the existing scripts folder and creates the scripts/MyMod subfolder. No guesswork required.

What never belongs in a release archive​

Before you create your zip file, audit the folder and remove unwanted artifacts:

  • .pdb files: Program database debug files. They inflate archive size and are only needed for step-debugging.
  • obj/ and bin/ folders: Intermediate compiler caches.
  • .log files: Delete any MyMod.log or p0_diagnostic.log generated on your own computer.
  • Personal save files: Never include your own testing save with 500,000 reputation. Always provide a clean, blank default profile.
  • Third-party binaries: Never bundle ScriptHookV.dll or ScriptHookVDotNet3.dll inside your zip unless you have explicit redistribution rights. Point players to the official downloads instead.

The three essential sections of a README​

Keep your README.txt short, clear, and in plain text:

======================================================================
MyMod v1.0.0 by Lorcann
======================================================================

REQUIREMENTS:
- Grand Theft Auto V (latest legal Steam / Epic / Rockstar version)
- ScriptHookV by Alexander Blade
- ScriptHookVDotNet v3.6.0+

INSTALLATION:
1. Ensure ScriptHookV and ScriptHookVDotNet are working.
2. Drag the "scripts" folder from this archive into your main GTA V folder.
3. Launch story mode.

DEFAULT CONTROLS:
- F7: Toggle mission / spawn escort.
- NumPad 0: Dismiss active companions.

CHANGELOG:
- v1.0.0: Initial public release.

In the next lesson, we walk through the release checklist: verifying every detail on a clean installation before publishing.