External Network Requests

Mods can make external network requests using the standard browser fetch() API. There are no Content Security Policy restrictions blocking outbound requests from mod code, so you can retrieve data from any URL accessible from the player’s machine.

When to Use

External requests let your mod:

• Fetch dynamic configuration or content from a server you control
• Integrate with external APIs (leaderboards, community data, etc.)
• Load supplemental mod data without bundling it into the mod file

Basic Usage

fetch() works as normal. Requests are asynchronous, so use async/await or promise chaining:

async function loadRemoteData(url: string): Promise<MyData> {
  const response = await fetch(url);
  if (!response.ok) {
    throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
  }
  return response.json() as Promise<MyData>;
}

Integrating with Mod Hooks

Fetch data before registering hooks, or store it in module scope for later use:

let remoteConfig: MyConfig | undefined;

async function init(modAPI: ModAPI) {
  try {
    const response = await fetch('https://my-mod-server.example.com/config.json');
    if (response.ok) {
      remoteConfig = (await response.json()) as MyConfig;
    }
  } catch (e) {
    console.error('[MyMod] Failed to load remote config, using defaults:', e);
  }

  modAPI.hooks.onCalculateDamage((attacker, defender, damage, damageType, gameFlags) => {
    const multiplier = remoteConfig?.damageMultiplier ?? 1;
    return damage * multiplier;
  });
}

export { init };

Timing Considerations

The game does not wait for your network requests to complete. If your hook logic depends on fetched data, initialise sensible defaults before the await resolves, and update behaviour once the request finishes.

// Safe pattern: default immediately, update when data arrives
let bonusLootEnabled = false;

fetch('https://my-mod-server.example.com/event-status.json')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then((data: { bonusLoot: boolean }) => {
    bonusLootEnabled = data.bonusLoot;
  })
  .catch(() => {
    // Keep default (false)
  });

modAPI.hooks.onLootDrop((items, gameFlags) => {
  if (bonusLootEnabled) {
    console.log('[MyMod] Bonus loot active — player received', items.length, 'items');
  }
});

Error Handling

Always guard network calls. Player environments vary — firewalls, offline play, and transient failures are common. A mod that crashes because a fetch fails will break the player’s session.

async function safeFetch<T>(url: string, fallback: T): Promise<T> {
  try {
    const response = await fetch(url, { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(5000) });
    if (!response.ok) return fallback;
    return (await response.json()) as T;
  } catch {
    return fallback;
  }
}

Limitations

• Requests are subject to standard CORS rules enforced by the server you are contacting. You cannot bypass CORS restrictions on the server side.
• The game runs in Electron, so file:// URLs and local loopback addresses are accessible in addition to remote URLs.
• Avoid making requests inside hot code paths (e.g. onReduxAction) — fire them once during initialisation or on low-frequency events.