converted mod loading to a manifest structure. mods now go in ./Mods/<MODNAME>/ - in there you need a 'manifest.json' and your dll. See trainermod for example.

StardewModdingAPI/Manifest.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
+using System.Text;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
+
+namespace StardewModdingAPI
+{
+    public class Manifest
+    {
+        /// <summary>
+        /// The name of your mod.
+        /// </summary>
+        public virtual string Name { get; set; }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// The name of the mod's authour.
+        /// </summary>
+        public virtual string Authour { get; set; }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// The version of the mod.
+        /// </summary>
+        public virtual string Version { get; set; }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// A description of the mod.
+        /// </summary>
+        public virtual string Description { get; set; }
+
+        public string EntryDll { get; set; }
+    }
+}

StardewModdingAPI/Mod.cs

@@ -9,24 +9,9 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI
     public class Mod
     {
         /// <summary>
-        /// The name of your mod.
+        /// The mod's manifest
         /// </summary>
-        public virtual string Name { get; protected set; }
+        public Manifest Manifest { get; internal set; }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// The name of the mod's authour.
-        /// </summary>
-        public virtual string Authour { get; protected set; }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// The version of the mod.
-        /// </summary>
-        public virtual string Version { get; protected set; }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// A description of the mod.
-        /// </summary>
-        public virtual string Description { get; protected set; }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Where the mod is located on the disk.

StardewModdingAPI/Program.cs

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ using System.Linq;
 using System.Reflection;
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Windows.Forms;
+using Newtonsoft.Json;
 
 namespace StardewModdingAPI
 {
@@ -131,7 +132,7 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI
                             StardewModdingAPI.Log.Success("Loading Injector DLL...");
                             TypeInfo tar = mod.DefinedTypes.First(x => x.BaseType == typeof(Mod));
                             Mod m = (Mod)mod.CreateInstance(tar.ToString());
-                            Console.WriteLine("LOADED: {0} by {1} - Version {2} | Description: {3} (@:{4})", m.Name, m.Authour, m.Version, m.Description, s);
+                            Console.WriteLine("LOADED: {0} by {1} - Version {2} | Description: {3} (@:{4})", m.Manifest.Name, m.Manifest.Authour, m.Manifest.Version, m.Manifest.Description, s);
                             m.PathOnDisk = Path.GetDirectoryName(s);
                             m.Entry(false);
                             StardewInjectorLoaded = true;
@@ -312,22 +313,53 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI
             int loadedMods = 0;
             foreach (string ModPath in _modPaths)
             {
-                foreach (String s in Directory.GetFiles(ModPath, "*.dll"))
+                foreach (String d in Directory.GetDirectories(ModPath))
+                {
+                    foreach (String s in Directory.GetFiles(d, "manifest.json"))
                     {
                         if (s.Contains("StardewInjector"))
                             continue;
-                    StardewModdingAPI.Log.Success("Found DLL: " + s);
+                        StardewModdingAPI.Log.Success("Found Manifest: " + s);
+                        Manifest manifest = new Manifest();
                         try
                         {
-                        Assembly mod = Assembly.UnsafeLoadFrom(s); //to combat internet-downloaded DLLs
+                            string t = File.ReadAllText(s);
+                            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(t))
+                            {
+                                StardewModdingAPI.Log.Error("Failed to read mod manifest '{0}'. Manifest is empty!", s);
+                                continue;
+                            }
+                            manifest = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Manifest>(t);
+                            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(manifest.EntryDll))
+                            {
+                                StardewModdingAPI.Log.Error("Failed to read mod manifest '{0}'. EntryDll is empty!", s);
+                                continue;
+                            }
+                        }
+                        catch (Exception ex)
+                        {
+                            StardewModdingAPI.Log.Error("Failed to read mod manifest '{0}'. Exception details:\n" + ex, s);
+                            continue;
+                        }
+                        try
+                        {
+                            string targDll = Path.Combine(Path.GetDirectoryName(s), manifest.EntryDll);
+                            if (!File.Exists(targDll))
+                            {
+                                StardewModdingAPI.Log.Error("Failed to load mod '{0}'. File {1} does not exist!", s, targDll);
+                                continue;
+                            }
 
-                        if (mod.DefinedTypes.Count(x => x.BaseType == typeof(Mod)) > 0)
+                            Assembly mod = Assembly.UnsafeLoadFrom(targDll);
+
+                            if (mod.DefinedTypes.Count(x => x.BaseType == typeof (Mod)) > 0)
                             {
                                 StardewModdingAPI.Log.Verbose("Loading Mod DLL...");
-                            TypeInfo tar = mod.DefinedTypes.First(x => x.BaseType == typeof(Mod));
+                                TypeInfo tar = mod.DefinedTypes.First(x => x.BaseType == typeof (Mod));
-                            Mod m = (Mod)mod.CreateInstance(tar.ToString());
+                                Mod m = (Mod) mod.CreateInstance(tar.ToString());
                                 m.PathOnDisk = Path.GetDirectoryName(s);
-                            Console.WriteLine("LOADED MOD: {0} by {1} - Version {2} | Description: {3} (@{4})", m.Name, m.Authour, m.Version, m.Description, m.PathOnDisk);
+                                m.Manifest = manifest;
+                                StardewModdingAPI.Log.Success("LOADED MOD: {0} by {1} - Version {2} | Description: {3} (@ {4})", m.Manifest.Name, m.Manifest.Authour, m.Manifest.Version, m.Manifest.Description, targDll);
                                 loadedMods += 1;
                                 m.Entry();
                             }
@@ -339,6 +371,8 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI
                         catch (Exception ex)
                         {
                             StardewModdingAPI.Log.Error("Failed to load mod '{0}'. Exception details:\n" + ex, s);
+                            continue;
+                        }
                     }
                 }
             }
@@ -400,7 +434,6 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI
             }
         }
 
-
         static void Events_LocationsChanged(List<GameLocation> newLocations)
         {
 #if DEBUG

StardewModdingAPI/StardewModdingAPI.csproj

@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@
     <Compile Include="Inheritance\SGameLocation.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Inheritance\SObject.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Log.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Manifest.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Mod.cs" />
     <Compile Include="ModItem.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Program.cs" />

TrainerMod/TrainerMod.cs

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ namespace TrainerMod
 {
     public class TrainerMod : Mod
     {
+        /*
         public override string Name
         {
             get { return "Trainer Mod"; }
@@ -35,6 +36,7 @@ namespace TrainerMod
         {
             get { return "Registers several commands to use. Most commands are trainer-like in that they offer forms of cheating."; }
         }
+        */
 
         public static int frozenTime;
         public static bool infHealth, infStamina, infMoney, freezeTime;

TrainerMod/TrainerMod.csproj

@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@
     </ProjectReference>
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
+    <None Include="manifest.json" />
     <None Include="packages.config" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />

TrainerMod/manifest.json

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "Name": "Trainer Mod",
+  "Authour": "Zoryn",
+  "Version": "1.0",
+  "Description": "Registers several commands to use. Most commands are trainer-like in that they offer forms of cheating.",
+  "EntryDll":  "TrainerMod.dll"
+}