Setup & Deployment Guide

Detailed Installation Instructions

Follow this step-by-step walkthrough to install, upgrade, and verify Map Enhancer 2.0 in Railroader 0.6.0+ Experimental.

1. System Requirements & Compatibility

Game Version

Railroader 0.6.0+ Experimental

Tested and verified on Railroader 0.6.1 Experimental.

Architecture

Native C# 9.0 (.NET Framework 4.7.2)

Loads via Railroader's built-in mod loader with bundled Harmony runtime.

No third-party mod manager is required. Railroader 0.6 includes a native mod loader that automatically discovers and loads valid mod folders located in your Documents\Railroader\Mods folder.

2. Step-by-Step Installation Walkthrough

Step 01Official Package

Download the Latest Release Archive

Obtain the latest official ZIP archive from our downloads page or GitHub Releases. The archive is named following the format reaper-mapenhancer-2.x.x.zip.

Go to Downloads Page (v2.0.14)

Step 02Target Folder

Locate Your Railroader Mods Directory

Navigate to your Railroader user directory. If the Mods folder does not exist, you can create it.

Windows (Standard User Mods Directory)

%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Railroader\Mods\reaper-map-enhancer

Windows (ModDev Development Directory)

%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Railroader\ModDev\reaper-map-enhancer

Steam Deck / Linux (Proton Compatdata)

~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/1683150/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Railroader/Mods/reaper-map-enhancer

Step 03Critical Step

Extract Archive into 'reaper-map-enhancer'

Extract the contents of reaper-mapenhancer-2.0.14.zip directly into a folder named reaper-map-enhancer inside your Mods directory.

Avoid Double Nesting Subfolders

Railroader only scans one folder deep for Info.json. Make sure you do NOT have nested folders like:

❌ Documents\Railroader\Mods\reaper-map-enhancer\reaper-map-enhancer\Info.json

The correct folder structure must be flat:

✅ Documents\Railroader\Mods\reaper-map-enhancer\Info.json

Step 04Clean Upgrade

Upgrading & Removing Legacy Vanguard Scaffolds

If you previously had an older version installed or had the legacy vanguard-map-enhancer folder:

Delete previous vanguard-map-enhancer: Having both folders causes duplicate assembly loading conflicts in Unity and will trigger crashes.
Your custom settings are safe: Existing settings.json files are automatically preserved and recognized by Map Enhancer 2.0 without overwriting user keybindings or custom colors.

Step 05Verification

Launch Railroader & Confirm Active Mod

Start Railroader. Once you reach the main menu or enter a world save:

In-Game Mod Manager

Open Esc > Mods. Confirm Map Enhancer appears with status Enabled.

Map Window Toolbar

Open the map (default key Z). The 'ME' overlay dropdown will appear in the top-right toolbar.

Expected Files in Mod Directory

11 Required Files

Verify that your Documents\Railroader\Mods\reaper-map-enhancer directory contains these exact items:

Info.jsonMod manifest and dependency metadata

MapEnhancer.dllCompiled C# 9.0 mod assembly

0Harmony.dllBundled Harmony v2.3 runtime

LICENSEProprietary EULA and terms

THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.mdMIT and third-party notices

MapEnhancer2.0.pngOfficial branding asset

arrow.pngSwitch point indicator

flare.pngMap light flare texture

level-crossing.pngRoad crossing marker

station.pngPassenger station icon

traincar.pngTrain consist indicator

Optional: Verify Package SHA256 Hash

To guarantee archive integrity before extracting, open PowerShell in the download folder and execute:

PowerShell Hash Command

Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\reaper-mapenhancer-2.0.14.zip

Experiencing an issue during setup?

Check our diagnostics guide for common log messages and fixes.

Troubleshooting Guide