The "ReadMe" file comes from the early days of the Internet when a readme.txt file would be included with packaged files. It contained a description of the package and often included other information, such as credits and setup instructions.

Create the ReadMe text file:

• 1. Open Notepad++.

  2. Click File > New in the menu.

  3. Click File > Save As... in the menu.

  4. Go to the Release folder.

  5. Set the File name to the name of the addon. NOTE: Do not name the file, readme.txt; it will conflict with other addons that use this name. For example: Rochelle_JillBusiness.txt

  6. Click Save button. It is a good idea to include such a file within the addon's vpk file, because that is the only file that most people will keep.

  7. Copy the file from the Release folder to the Source folder, so when you package the source files, the package will contain the credits for the next person to use.

• • name of the addon

  • release date of the addon

  • author of the addon

  • email and website of the author (or some other ways to contact the author)

  • version of the addon (usually a number)

  • short description of the addon (what it changes in the game)

  • detailed description (low-level info about what has changed)

  • instructions on how to use the addon

  • (optional) hardware and software used to make the addon

  • credits section listing all contributors and what each person did