Starter Packs, Example Files, and Server-Only Content

Duck Shot can support a very large content library. That does not mean your public starter pack should include every file you ever make.

Duck Shot now enforces that split through one shared release pipeline. For the current packaging contract, selected public roster, and full server/master distribution, use Public and Server Release Distributions.

The healthiest way to use Duck Shot is to split your content into three lanes:

1. Public starter pack

This is the content that should be simple, readable, and safe for a brand new server owner.

Good public starter-pack candidates include:

• one pistol
• one SMG
• one rifle
• one shotgun
• one sniper or DMR
• one revolver
• one throwable utility item
• one explosive utility item
• one melee tool
• one magic item
• one planted device
• one mounted or support-style example

That gives people enough examples to learn the system without dumping an entire server-specific armory into the default install.

2. Public example library

This is the place for more advanced reference files. These examples are useful because they teach feature combinations that newer creators might not think to try on their own.

This lane is the right place for:

• alternate recoil styles
• advanced scope and thermal setups
• flashlight variants
• cluster payloads
• support callers
• grapples and traversal tools
• layered particles and sound stages
• condition-heavy special items
• magic devices and hybrid tools

These files are still great public documentation material even if they are not part of the default starter pack.

3. Server-only or project-specific content

Some files belong only to your own project. Keep them separate when they are:

• built around a private lore setting
• balanced for one specific game mode
• tied to one economy, progression, or rank system
• using names or item families that do not make sense outside your server
• intentionally over-tuned for a custom map or event

Those files can still teach you things internally, but they should not define how public Duck Shot documentation explains the plugin.

A good public release pattern

Use this split when planning a cleaner release:

• starter pack: the small set of items most new servers can test immediately
• example library: deeper files that teach special systems
• private content: your own server packs, event packs, and bespoke weapons

That structure gives new users a clean starting point while still showing how far Duck Shot can go.

How to turn a big example file into a public starter item

When you adapt a large example file into a public starter item:

1. remove server-specific names
2. remove progression hooks that only make sense on one project
3. keep the main feature you want to teach
4. trim side systems until the file is easy to read
5. keep comments and naming readable

If one file is teaching five different systems at once, split that teaching job across the wiki instead of forcing one starter file to do everything.

What belongs in the wiki

The public Duck Shot wiki should use example files to explain:

• how the YAML is structured
• what a knob changes
• what tradeoff one setting has versus another
• how multiple support files work together
• when a file is a good starting point for a new item family

The public wiki should not promise that every example shown is included in the final default install.

Recommended public starter lineup

If you want a clean first public release, this is a strong baseline:

• sidearm
• SMG
• rifle
• shotgun
• sniper or DMR
• revolver
• flashbang or smoke
• frag or planted charge
• breach or melee tool
• one magic relic
• one support caller
• one mounted example

That lineup teaches the main Duck Shot surfaces without overwhelming the person who is just trying to get their first content pack working.

Where to go next

• For starter file shape, go to first Weapon Walkthrough
• For file layout, keep weapon File Structure open
• For public item families, use weapon Archetype Recipes
• For feature-heavy examples, branch into the specialty pages under Combat Systems