Introduction: 0:00
Instructions: 1:14
Incompatible mods and how to get some older mods to work: 2:32

Tutorial on Steamless /"Standalone/" DRM Free Source Mods (I say /"Standalone/" in quotes because it technically still requires
Source SDK Base 2013. Single player mode is quite functional, so not 110% standalone, but close.)

Now you can run (some) Source mods without Steam or without an online connection!

If anyone could figure out how to get incompatible mods that use custom code to work (without having to modify and recompile their DLLs) please let me know, I would be very grateful.

Original instructions: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id1744262490
(Some details in this Steam guide are incorrect, so keep that in mind)

RE2 Source v 1.03 Standalone: https://www.moddb.com/mods/resident-evil-2-source/downloads/resident-evil-2-source-v-103-standalone
(Note that EP1 and EP2 vpks [episodic and ep2 folders] are missing, as well as HL2 Voiceover vpks, so if you use this as a template and
EP1 and EP2 content [and HL2 voiceovers], you must download Source SDK Base 2013 Singleplayer)

Claustrophobia Source SDK 2013 Fix: https://www.moddb.com/mods/hl2-claustrophobia/downloads/claustrophobia-patch-source-sdk-2013
(To replace the DLLs and gameinfo.txt for simple HL2 mods before Source2013 that are not compatible)

(You'll probably want to use Resident Evil 2: Source's gameinfo.txt instead, as it's easier to read.)

Transcript:

Hey, if you're like me and like DRM-free gaming and Source mods, I have some information you might find interesting.

If you've always wanted to keep Source mods AND play forever, without Steam, here's a trick I learned from a Source SDK guide on Steam.

As of this writing, the hl2.exe in Source SDK 2013 is not patched with Steam DRM, although I don't see why it should be, it's free.
Although oddly older versions of Source SDK/SDK Base seem to be patched with DRM and require Steam to start,
I find.

Anyway, this trick involves copying Source SDK Base 2013 singleplayer files into a folder and putting all the compatible mods you want
in the same folder and then create a batch file to run the mentioned mods.

This works 110%. I completely uninstalled Steam and even Microsoft Visual Redistributables just to make sure it doesn't need them, and it
works fine, although it may need Microsoft .net Framework or something else I don't know about to work, I'm not 100% sure. As far as
I realize this should work with an operating system as old as Windows XP, although I have only tested it on Windows 7 64 bit.

Over 300 people have downloaded the standalone version of my mod so far and not a single complaint, so it should work for at least most people
People.

Okay, let's get started.

Step 1:

Download Source SDK 2013 Base Singleplayer if you haven't already.

Step 2:

Create these folders:

Source mods

Then create another folder in this folder called Base

You can put the Sourcemods folder anywhere you want. I put mine in the root of my C: drive like this:

Step 3:

Now go to the folder Source SDK Base 2013 Singleplayer and copy or move the entire contents of this folder to the folder Base
you just did.

Step 4:

Move all desired Source 2013 compatible source mods into the Base folder.

Step 5:

Create the batch file.

Create a new text document in the Base folder (the same folder where hl2.exe is located) and paste the following:

@echo from
start hl2.exe -game RE2

and save the file as RE2Source.bat

Since the example parameter “RE2” is the name of the mod folder, you obviously replace “modfoldername” with the name of the mod folder.
Repeat the process with other mods you want to run.

To run the mod, simply run the bat file.

You can create a shortcut to any bat file for easy access at any time and also drag the shortcut to the start menu.

If you did everything correctly, the contents of your folder should look something like this:

If you want to see an example of how it already works, you can download the standalone version of my mod Resident Evil 2: Source. Although
I messed up a bit with the bat file the first time since I was still learning how to create bat files, so make sure you make the correct changes.
Parameters in the bat file and save it as a .bat file.

Note: This doesn't seem to work with mods like Underhell and Get A Life as they use source code from 2007 or whatever and are incompatible
with Source SDK Base 2013 Singleplayer, unless someone wants to recompile their DLLs to work with Source 2013.

If you find an older Source mod that is not compatible with Source 2013 and the mod does not use custom code, simply copy
Claustrophobias updated DLLs and RE2 Sources gameinfo.txt and replace the DLLs and gameinfo.txt of the incompatible mod and
Edit the gameinfo.txt file as needed.

It contains code for Half-Life 2, Episode 1 and Episode 2, so it should cover all source mods that don't use custom code.

All right, take care and thanks for watching, ciao.

Please take the opportunity to connect with your friends and family and share this video with them if you find it useful.