Cyber Engine Tweaks vs MelonLoader

Cyber Engine Tweaks is a free framework for scripting mods for Cyberpunk 2077 with Lua and access to internal game scripting features. It includes a Dear ImGui interface for mods, a console and a TweakDB editor, along with developer options such as diagnostics, assertions, a debug menu and logging game options. Included patches can be enabled or disabled through settings or configuration files, though changes require restarting the game. Examples include removing pedestrians and traffic, disabling temporal antialiasing, suppressing intro movies and skipping the start menu. RED4ext is a prerequisite. The project distributes current releases through GitHub Releases and provides wiki documentation for installation, usage and modding. Windows is supported; Linux instructions cover use through Proton, including Steam and non-Steam/Wine setups. Release notes for Patch 2.31 list support for game version 2.31. The repository includes an MIT license permitting use, modification and distribution subject to its conditions, and provides the software without warranty.

MelonLoader is a free mod loader for Unity games using Mono or Il2Cpp. It injects mods and supports plugins, load-order control, and dependency handling. Mods and plugins are placed in separate folders in the game installation directory, and game logs are written to a MelonLoader/Logs folder. The project provides an installer guide and manual installation instructions for a release archive. For Il2Cpp games, the listed requirement is the.NET 6.0 Desktop Runtime; the repository says it is installed automatically on Windows. Windows startup loading uses a proxy DLL, a method the project identifies as Windows-only. Linux instructions cover WINE, Steam Proton, and native use, while Android and Oculus Quest support is marked as work in progress. Debug mode is intended for work on the loader, plugins, and mods. Configuration also includes a Mono debug server, and the Il2Cpp Assembly Generator can be set to run without contacting its remote API. MelonLoader is licensed under Apache License, Version 2.0 and listed at free.