Update + pre-existing games with mods installed

[nmid]

With the new update coming out, is there a way to stop steam from auto-updating the game?

I have an existing map with a lot of mod dependencies.
Assuredly moving to .13 will break all the mods, which will in turn break my current save game.
Yikes!

[againey]

In your Steam games list, right click on Factorio and select Properties. Then select the BETAS tab. You should be able to select 0.12.35 specifically from the dropdown labeled "Select the beta you would like to opt into", and I think it will stay on exactly that version. Though I'm not sure what will happen once 0.13.x is judged to be stable. Maybe an update will be forced to latest stable version even if you have a specific version listed here? Don't really know.

[Klonan]

Whe 0.13 releases it won't be to the general steam population, users will have to specifically opt-in to the 0.13.x experimental phase in the betas tab, and by the time 0.13 is stable enough to be pushed to all users, all the mods will (probably) be updated for 0.13.

As for save compatibility,
Loading any save from a previous version with mods will work fine, and most mods if they don't to any specific scripting will be compatible with 0.13 right off the bat.

But as always, we accept no responsibility for corruption or save game losses when you opt-in to the experimental update, it is experimental and unstable, and you should treat it as such

[nmid]

Sounds great.
Being used to Rimworld, Banished and loads of other games where updates invariably invalidate old mods, I'm pleasantly surprised to read that "most mods if they don't to any specific scripting will be compatible with 0.13 right off the bat."
I just need to check which of my favorite mods do some sort of hocus pocus under the hood, lol.
I also have to figure out how to downgrade my version if I do opt in to the beta...

[searker]

Sounds great.
Being used to Rimworld, Banished and loads of other games where updates invariably invalidate old mods, I'm pleasantly surprised to read that "most mods if they don't to any specific scripting will be compatible with 0.13 right off the bat."
I just need to check which of my favorite mods do some sort of hocus pocus under the hood, lol.
I also have to figure out how to downgrade my version if I do opt in to the beta...

As long as 0.13 on Steam is only available on the Beta-Branch, you can "downgrade" back to 0.12 simply by opting out of the Beta again. Since im using the download-version, idk if there are older versions available in the Beta-Branch, aswell. If so, you could also choose another "Beta"-Version to revert back to 0.12

For the saves, i would recommend to backup them before you are switching to 0.13 for the first time - you are guaranteed to have a working save if the one in the games save-folder should get corrupted.