FYI, if you enjoy SSP and Modded Minecraft, Direwolf20’s latest Modpack is now up (since yesterday). Though I created this post to talk about how… empty it feels compared to the previous 1.7.10 version.
Mainly, I feel it has 3/4 of the mods it normally does. This likely has to do with mod authors either abandoning their projects, or not able to work on it due to RL issues. Such as the author of Thaumcraft(which has been one of the staples of the Direwolf20 pack for awhile now). This guy is working on his own game, and is one of the reasons why Dire decided to give us the pack now instead of making us wait 2-3 more months.
(Thaumcraft is coming, by the way. By next year)
I do appreciate that, though I personally feel the wait would had been worth it. Let me go over the other things I feel are missing. Now these missing items may or may never be brought back. So I’m just going to go with the pack as it currently stands.
First off, Extra Utilities(now named ExtraUtil2). This mod I feel has probably the second most annoying changes to it. Mainly because…
Magnum Torch is gone. No more being able to disable mobs from spawning.
Thankfully the Deep Dark portal is still there (and so is its Quarry)…but without the Magnum Torch, it will be very difficult to survive.
However, this is an also an Alpha version. So maybe the torch was having issues, and it might be added in a future version? Let’s hope!! 😀
Though my main concern went to Tinkers’ Construct, which I believe the mod went through a complete overhaul. It still has similar features, but…;
-Weapons/Tools can no longer be powered with RF.
-You have to make the Tinker Tables/Smeltry yourself (can no longer find them from random villages).
-The Smelting book(teaches you to build it) and book on how to build the tables, are missing. So we’re forced to use JEI (NEI’s spiritual successor) to get the recipes. This is BULLSHIT!! Not to mention it’s punishing to players who never tried out the mod before.
–Asking where the books/world gen went, I get directed to a generic answer in an FAQ (of “If they got removed, it was for a reason that I’m not going to tell you”).
It feels the main author went the way of Blizzard with WoW. As in.. “FUN NOT ALLOWED” (when it came to removing RF). Hell, there’s even proof in the FAQ, how he felt it was “too easy” to be able to infinitely repair your tool with RF. I’m sorry, but the last time I looked, this was A FUCKING SINGLE PLAYER GAME!! WHO’S GOING TO FUCKING CARE ABOUT ‘TOO EASY’?!?!
Oreberries (and XP Berries) are both gone. More proof of “NO FUN ALLOWED”. Lastly, something that actually does make sense is he no longer will have his own version of ores specific to the mod (he lists there are already mods that do this, and he’s right). Though you’ll still find Cobalt and other ores in the Nether.
JEI alone, I don’t like too much. NEI had more features (plus I’m quite familiar with it). No Magnet Mode. No day/night set. No rainfall disable. I liked Magnet Mode the most, because it was the OP(yet fun) way to Botanica’s ‘Ring of Magnetization‘. However, I will get into Botanica and get this ring, as this pretty much makes it have a point to acquire. In a way, that’s a good thing. It’s a much more legit way.
There is also a similar ring (called the Ring of Magnetizing from Actually Additions, a new mod in 1.10.2). Doesn’t use magic and girly flowers. 😛
Morth (one of my favorite mods that was only seen in 1.7.10) is gone. It was awesome, because when you kill a mob, you’ll absorb its form. So you can be a pig, a spider, a creeper (sadly it doesn’t make you able to walk around mobs and not be attacked). Whatever. It was insanely helpful when combined with EnderZoo(another mod seen only in 1.7.10), because as an Endermini, you could use it to plot routes for underground piping for machines.
You could also fly if you killed a Bat or something, or in the Nether, you could kill a Blaze and absorb its fireproof ability (and flight) to get through the Nether.
Not having the mod is upsetting, but I can live without it. Plus, there are flying alternatives in the pack.
OpenBlocks is gone, so no Elevator block(which could be built early game). RFTools has a form of one, though, that I want to check out once I get there. Hopefully it’s easy to set up. The grave is also gone, but thankfully there’s a replacement one (called ‘GraveStone Mod’) that works just like it (even gives a list of once you respawn, of what you lost).
ComputerCraft is gone, but there’s a… whew, even more complicated as hell replacement (called ‘Open Computers’). Instead of needing to learn Lua and program to get anywhere (or find the script already wrote down somewhere), it goes above and beyond that.
BuildCraft is gone, though I personally haven’t really need to use it for years. It was mainly used for its beauty-killing quarry (and liquid manipulation), which Extra Utilities can take up the slack.
CarpentersBlocks is gone(was only seen in 1.7.10). It was cool, but I can live without it.
ProjectRed is gone, though I haven’t had a need to use this since EnderIO.
ThermalExpansion is gone. Thankfully EnderIO is still around as a replacement.
Mystcraft and The Twilight Forest are both gone. Shouldn’t be surprised these two semi-stable mods (especially Mystcraft) didn’t make it to 1.10.2. Though RFTools can be used as an alternative means for teleportation to a specific spot.
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Now we’ll go over the bright side of this, of what mods have returned and are better than ever;
AE2 has returned (next gen item storage FTW)! There’s also a worthy alternative version called ‘Refined Storage’ (which is rumored to be like AE1(aka, AE2 without channel management)).
Blood Magic has returned. The mod has been completely overhauled (mentioned in the Forgecraft series).
Botanica has returned (as I mentioned before). So yay.. more girlyness with flowers and magic (and rainbows and unicorns)! … Blech.
Chisel 2 has returned.
Draconic Evolution, a manly man mod only seen in FTB Infinity (and other packs), is finally in this pack! Can’t wait to try out its endgame potential.
EnderIO has returned, as a alternative to the aging IC2 for automated ingot producing and base power (which is shockingly still around).
EnderChest and EnderPouch both have returned. Rejoice for remote storage that works between dimensions (for an automated sorting system)!
Journeymap has returned, and works as it did in 1.7.10.
Forestry has returned.
IronChests are back. Extra storage!
Railcraft has returned.. and holy hell the track options are awesome. Electric rails?! Damn son!
A replacement to the barrels is here, called ‘Storage Drawers’. Upgrades work similar.
And that’s pretty much it for the pack. Even though it feels empty, there are still replacements to play with (when you eventually get mid to late game).