The DCL (Dynamic Class Loader) for Far Cry makes it possible to add any number of mods/addons to a map. Before, you had to choose mod before you started the game and of course could only use one at a time. The only requirement for DCL is that the developer make the addon compatible with DCL and that the player has DCL installed.

For the addon maker, DCL means that instead of editing ClassRegistry.lua, he add the entity to a DCL file in MyAddons. DCL then adds everything that's in that folder. The one placing the entity, the mapper, decides what to add to his map of his palette of entities in MyAddons. Then he just tells what's required for his map and the player makes sure he has the same stuff installed.

DCL makes it possible to work in a new way for the modmaker. He can release a small piece of addon, such as a car, and not a whole new game every time. It is up to the mapper to add whatever he wants on his map. In a way it separates the mapmaker from the modder. A modder can specialize in a type of entity, such as cars, and release them one at a time. Another one might specialize in handguns. The mapper just downloads what he needs and creates a map with that stuff. The community can expand by not just working in small groups but the whole community together. The end product, the map used by the player, can contain any number of addons.

How DCL workWhen starting a map the game engine looks at a table of entities that should be included (EntityClassRegistry). This is inside the ClassRegistry.lua file and there can only be one at each startup. What DCL does is that it creates this table dynamically at every startup. It looks for all DCL files in the folder MyAddons and adds whatever entities references it finds there. A DCL file is just a list of entities, their location and optionally, type.