BetterSigns

BetterSigns

Bring your Valheim settlement to life. BetterSigns adds rich text formatting, glowing signs, animated rainbow text, background tints, and five craftable sign sizes — all typed directly into the sign's text field, no commands required.

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Features

• Colored text — any hex code or named preset
• Board glow — sign mesh emits colored light, tunable per-sign
• Background tint — paint the sign board any color
• Rainbow animation — per-character animated hue cycling
• 5 sign sizes — Small, Standard, Large, Huge, Colossal, all craftable at the Hammer
• Named color presets — type gold instead of #FFD700
• Server-side config — admins cap glow intensity and toggle features; no client mod required for basic signs

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Sign Sizes

All sizes are craftable under the Furniture tab of the Hammer.

| Sign | Scale | Max Text | Cost | |------|-------|----------|------| | Small Sign | 0.5× | 40 chars | Wood ×1 | | Sign (vanilla) | 1× | 50 chars | Wood ×2 | | Large Sign | 2× | 120 chars | Wood ×4 + Fine Wood ×1 | | Huge Sign | 3× | 200 chars | Wood ×6 + Fine Wood ×2 | | Colossal Sign | 5× | 300 chars | Wood ×10 + Fine Wood ×4 |

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Tag Reference

Type these directly into the sign's text field. Tags can be freely combined.

Text & Style

<color=#FFD700>golden text</color>
<color=gold>golden text</color>        ← named preset
<b>bold</b>
<i>italic</i>

Board Glow

<glow=#FF6600>text</glow>              ← default intensity (0.3×)
<glow=#FF6600,1.0>text</glow>          ← full server intensity
<glow=#FF6600,2.5>text</glow>          ← 2.5× server intensity (very bright)
<glow=fire,0.5>text</glow>             ← named preset + custom multiplier

The number after the comma multiplies the server's MaxGlowIntensity. Omitting it uses 0.3 (subtle ambient). Go above 1.0 for dramatic effect.

Background Tint

<bg=#1A0A00>text</bg>                  ← dark wood tint
<bg=dark>text</bg>                     ← named preset

Rainbow

<rainbow>WELCOME</rainbow>
<color=gold><rainbow>SHOP</rainbow></color>

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Examples

Tavern entrance:

<bg=#1a0500><glow=fire,0.5><b>THE BURNED MEAD</b></glow>
<color=gold>Ale · Food · Lodging</color>
<rainbow>Open every night</rainbow>

Storage label (small sign):

<color=silver><b>IRON</b></color>

Grand hall banner (colossal sign):

<bg=#110022><rainbow><b>GRAND BAZAAR</b></rainbow>
<color=gold>Weapons · Armor · Supplies</color>
<glow=#FF6600,0.6>Open Dawn to Dusk</glow>

Danger warning:

<bg=#200000><glow=#FF0000,1.5><b>KEEP OUT</b></glow>
<color=danger>Trespassers will be fed to the drakes.</color>

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Named Color Presets

A config file (BetterSigns.colors.cfg) is generated on first run with 40+ ready-to-use presets. Use any preset name wherever you'd normally type a hex code.

Built-in presets include:

| Name | Color | | Name | Color | |------|---------|-|---------|---------| | red | #FF0000 | | gold | #FFD700 | | fire | #FF4400 | | ice | #88CCFF | | poison | #44FF44 | | blood | #880000 | | meadows | #7CFC00 | | plains | #C8A850 | | ashlands | #CC4400 | | mistlands | #7788AA | | danger | #FF3300 | | safe | #00CC44 |

Add your own by editing the file — changes take effect on next load.

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Installation

Via r2modman / Thunderstore Mod Manager (recommended)

1. Search for BetterSigns and click Install.
2. Launch Valheim through the mod manager.

Manual

1. Install BepInExPack for Valheim.
2. Drop BetterSigns.dll into Valheim/BepInEx/plugins/.
3. Launch Valheim. Config files are generated automatically on first run.

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Configuration

BepInEx/config/com.yourname.bettersigns.cfg

[Text]
# Override font size for all signs. 0 = leave TMP default.
DefaultFontSize  = 0
# Default text color (hex or named preset). Empty = TMP default.
DefaultTextColor =

[Glow]
# Server-wide intensity ceiling. 0 disables glow entirely.
MaxGlowIntensity         = 1.5
# Sine-wave pulsing glow effect.
GlowPulsate              = false
GlowPulsateSpeed         = 1.0
GlowPulsateMinMultiplier = 0.1

[Rainbow]
EnableRainbow     = true
RainbowSpeed      = 1.0
RainbowSaturation = 1.0
RainbowBrightness = 1.0

BepInEx/config/BetterSigns.colors.cfg

# Add your own named colors here — use them in any tag.
# Format:  name = #RRGGBB  or  name = #RRGGBBAA
campfire = #FF6622
royalblue = #4169E1

All settings reload without a server restart.

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Compatibility

| Dependency | Version | |------------|---------| | BepInExPack for Valheim | 5.4.x | | Valheim | Current (Unity 2020.3) | | Harmony | 2.x (bundled with BepInEx) |

• Works in multiplayer — signs sync normally via ZDO.
• Clients do not need the mod installed to see placed signs (effects render on their machine if they have the mod; otherwise the raw text is shown).
• Server admins can disable glow or rainbow entirely via config.

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Changelog

1.1.0

• Added five craftable sign sizes (Small, Large, Huge, Colossal)
• Added per-sign glow intensity: <glow=#color,multiplier>
• Added background tint tag: <bg=#color>content</bg>
• Named color preset system (BetterSigns.colors.cfg)
• Fixed rainbow animation not starting on load
• Fixed </bg> appearing literally on signs

1.0.0

• Initial release: <color>, <glow>, <rainbow> support

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MIT License — free to use, credit appreciated.