Compatibility of Mods: Introduce API version

[ssilk]

Coming from this thread: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27560 Don't require factorio_version to be changed when not needed

I suggest to introduce an API version for Factorio. That would make things much simpler.

Example:
Between Factorio version 0.12.11 and 0.12.12 the API had made a major change.
Between 0.12.35 and 0.13.3 there are only some new functions. (?)

What follows from that (and many other examples) is, that the compatibility of mods is not so much depending on the Factorio version. It's contra-productive to use that for fast checks of compatibility. It would make things for modders also much more clear.

[steinio]

maybe it should be called

Code: Select all

min_factorio_version = "0.13.0" 

or

Code: Select all

min_factorio_version = "0.12.12" 

[ssilk]

Hmmm. No. I think it is something like

Code: Select all

min_api_version: 1.0

where the minor version number changes only, if new functions or very slight api-changes are made, while the major version number changes with big changes of the API. So

Code: Select all

min_api_version: 1

should be a valid value...

The factorio-version has in this sense (nearly) nothing to do with the compatibility of a mod, because a mod is (in general) not developed against ONE Factorio version but against ONE API.

[In this sense there could be also a max_api_version. And url_to_newer_version_if_above_max_api_version... ]