Official FTB Pack Suggestions Thread

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Nuclear_Creeper0

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Mar 30, 2017
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Not sure why I'm just thinking about this now, but do Immersive Engineering Powered Lanterns need to be powered in order to prevent mob spawns, or do they do that regardless?

Many of the custom structures in Sprout use them for decorative fixtures, but none of them have power running to them. They look great, but are they preventing mob spawns inside those structures as well?
Based on the concept of preventing mob spawns. I would assume they need to be powered. Like the Obelisk from EnderIO that prevents spawns needs power.
Also wrong thread?
 

Inaeo

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Jul 29, 2019
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Based on the concept of preventing mob spawns. I would assume they need to be powered. Like the Obelisk from EnderIO that prevents spawns needs power.
Also wrong thread?

Totally wrong thread. Was supposed to be in AASQ, but I'm a derp.

That said, I always assumed they needed to be powered to work, but the problem is, it's a logical assumption, powered only by the fact that it's logical without other supporting arguments. This is just a sanity check, since out of nowhere today, I realized I've never seen mobs spawning in those Sprout structures that use them, even when they aren't powered.

I'll move this question over to the relevant thread. Carry on. Nothing to see here...
 

Cpt_gloval

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Oct 20, 2013
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You do realize that horizons 3 has the new mfr clone right, something forgoing. It has a mob duplicator that works more or less like the mfr spawner. There is a safari net looking thing to grab a mob, called something else but youll see it in Jei, and a mob crusher, I think it's called, to collect the mob juice.
 

Cpt_gloval

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Oct 20, 2013
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Thank you, unfortunately the main machine I play on cannot run horizons so I've loaded it and scrolled through Jei but couldn't play. Oh well.
 
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Twigai

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Hello FTB. I have a home server that I run multiple minecraft servers on, I was wondering if you would add a few simple lines to the setting.bat and StartServer.bat files to set the Windows TITLE bar so that it displays the mod name and mod version number (currently it defaults to C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe). I know this request isn't that important, but it would help me when updating all the FTB modpacks to the latest version without having to manually modify the StartServer.bat file every time. Thanks for listening and keep making great modpacks!

-Twigai
 
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lizard2547

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I'm new to the forums, but I'm a veteran FTB player, starting around the time Mindcrack was created, and never quite putting it down. More recently, I started hosting a server with my friends for the Direwolf20 1.12 pack, and after hours of gameplay, I have some feedback. I'm a tech person, but some of my friends use magic. One of the first things they noticed was that, apart from many new mods, there were few useful ones. Getting to a useful point in Astral Magic hasn't happened for them yet, and probably won't. What I noticed, later on, was that the recipes for some Advanced Generators parts require IC2 components. Those generators are all I have ever used IC2 for. Many hours later, everybody on the server agreed that IC2 should either have RF-EU converters built in, or should be removed entirely. There are some other issues that I found in older modpacks as well. Immersive Engineering machines take up insane amounts of power. The improved blast furnace takes 64 EU/tick, and, based on redstone furnace efficiency, the arc furnace is useless. The diesel generator is on par with the efficiency of the base combustion engine, but cannot be upgraded and has just over half the efficiency of the aforementioned Advanced Generators. The excavator uses more power than any quarry and has more limited use, and the fermenter/squeezer also use too much energy per process based on their forestry equivalents. Additionally, the resistivity of all Immersive Engineering wires is too high to use over long distances, which is the only time when HV wires are useful. I love the new DW20 and all mods listed above, but they could use some work.
 

grandrolf

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I'm new to the forums, but I'm a veteran FTB player, starting around the time Mindcrack was created, and never quite putting it down. More recently, I started hosting a server with my friends for the Direwolf20 1.12 pack, and after hours of gameplay, I have some feedback. I'm a tech person, but some of my friends use magic. One of the first things they noticed was that, apart from many new mods, there were few useful ones. Getting to a useful point in Astral Magic hasn't happened for them yet, and probably won't. What I noticed, later on, was that the recipes for some Advanced Generators parts require IC2 components. Those generators are all I have ever used IC2 for. Many hours later, everybody on the server agreed that IC2 should either have RF-EU converters built in, or should be removed entirely. There are some other issues that I found in older modpacks as well. Immersive Engineering machines take up insane amounts of power. The improved blast furnace takes 64 EU/tick, and, based on redstone furnace efficiency, the arc furnace is useless. The diesel generator is on par with the efficiency of the base combustion engine, but cannot be upgraded and has just over half the efficiency of the aforementioned Advanced Generators. The excavator uses more power than any quarry and has more limited use, and the fermenter/squeezer also use too much energy per process based on their forestry equivalents. Additionally, the resistivity of all Immersive Engineering wires is too high to use over long distances, which is the only time when HV wires are useful. I love the new DW20 and all mods listed above, but they could use some work.

You should consider making some row breaks when typing, makes it hard to read.

And some of the statements you make are really hard to follow:

One of the first things they noticed was that, apart from many new mods, there were few useful ones. Getting to a useful point in Astral Magic hasn't happened for them yet, and probably won't.
Well, that's kind of a result of your friends play style - most players don't stick to 1 or a few mods in a pack - mix and match for progress.

What I noticed, later on, was that the recipes for some Advanced Generators parts require IC2 components. Those generators are all I have ever used IC2 for.
Not really sure what you want to say with that.

Many hours later, everybody on the server agreed that IC2 should either have RF-EU converters built in, or should be removed entirely.
Again, something that reflect your play style.

There are some other issues that I found in older modpacks as well.
Such as?

The improved blast furnace takes 64 EU/tick, and, based on redstone furnace efficiency, the arc furnace is useless. The diesel generator is on par with the efficiency of the base combustion engine, but cannot be upgraded and has just over half the efficiency of the aforementioned Advanced Generators. The excavator uses more power than any quarry and has more limited use, and the fermenter/squeezer also use too much energy per process based on their forestry equivalents.
In this part there might be something, if you can specify this in a more orderly fashion - you could head over here and do a bug report: https://forum.feed-the-beast.com/forum/ftb-presents-direwolf20-1-12.272/

Additionally, the resistivity of all Immersive Engineering wires is too high to use over long distances, which is the only time when HV wires are useful.
Perhaps something to take up with the mod creator - or use something else in the pack for long distance.
 

grandrolf

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Hello FTB. I have a home server that I run multiple minecraft servers on, I was wondering if you would add a few simple lines to the setting.bat and StartServer.bat files to set the Windows TITLE bar so that it displays the mod name and mod version number (currently it defaults to C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe). I know this request isn't that important, but it would help me when updating all the FTB modpacks to the latest version without having to manually modify the StartServer.bat file every time. Thanks for listening and keep making great modpacks!

-Twigai

Sounds like a good idea - but if they don't do it, or if you want it solved faster - create a PowerShell script that checks the info in version.json and puts that information in the bat-file/s/. Then you don't have to do it manually.
 
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lizard2547

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Sorry for my previous jumbled comment. I'll try to clarify, and add an item or two that came up recently.

1. I like some of the less-played mods like Astral Sorcery, but my friends and I miss some of the more useful magic mods such as Ars Magica and Witchery. The current magical mods in the pack don't do a good job at adding magic to the direwolf20 pack.

2. Industrialcraft 2 feels outdated in this pack, and without a direct energy conversion between IC2 and Thermal Foundation power, this only gets worse. Some mods, like Advanced Generators, require IC2 components. I have had to re-invent electricity on this server and others just to make a few components before abandoning those machines. Since they changed the reactor fuel recipes, I find even less reason to have this mod with Advanced Generators, Thermal Foundation/Expansion/etc., Immersive engineering, and Extreme Reactors, which all include efficient, RF powered machines.

3. Most of the Immersive Engineering machines draw far too much power. For example, the Arc Furnace uses 256,000 RF to smelt one pulverized iron into one iron ingot, while Thermal Expansion redstone furnace, which is usually considered the benchmark electric furnace, uses only 1,400 RF. The arc furnace is a direct downgrade that should melt itself down after smelting two ingots. The config files confirm this, and the industrial squeezers and fermenters from Immersive Engineering also use too much power, along with the Excavator, which is by far the worst ore-miner in the pack. I like the aesthetics and realism of Immersive Engineering, but it needs to be changed for balance.

3.5. In addition to the previous machines, the IE diesel generator has an average efficiency, despite it's size and cost. It has roughly the same efficiency as the compression dynamo, but can't be modified. I love its look, but it isn't very useful despite its powerful output. The IE wires, with three voltages, are clearly meant for (to some extent) long-distance power, but their resistance is too high even with high voltage.

4. Some bees appear to be missing. When I saw that coal and oil (I was trying to do a fossil fuels challenge) could be made from bees, I tried to find out how to breed them, but realized that Infernal hives don't spawn in the game, and that many bee species weren't in JEI, although I could find some of them in crafting recipes for certain items like coal. I've always liked messing with bees, and would like to see them in a more useful form on this pack.

5. The Thermal Foundation materials for Tinker's construct aren't in this pack. It's not that big of a deal, but my friends and I like being able to make tools out of all sorts of weird metals.

5 flaws are very few. Overall, this pack was excellent and well optimized. I've made a few third-party packs, but I always admire the FTB packs, especially for how well optimized they are, which lets me run the server in the first place.

I know that the DW20 pack is based on the one in direwolf20's channel and that changing it might not work, but everyone on the server agreed that these would be useful changes. I made some of them in the server config files, and so far they only make the game better.
 

SevenMass

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Jan 2, 2013
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@lizard2547 I Don't think this is the right thread for this discussion but I'll reply anyway...

1: All mods balance only with themselves and vanilla. IE, TE, and IC2 all work absolutely fine within their own environment. Balance between mods is for pack-creators.

2: The pack-creator of note for DireWorlf20 packs is... you guessed it, DireWorlf20!

3: DireWorlf20 doesn't care one flying flip about balance. By his deliberate choice, all mod's config files are left in their defaults.

The purpose of D20 packs is to help introduce newbies to modded minecraft along with his lets-play series. The default settings for all mods is important for that. For this purpose, DireWorlf20 packs are excellent. For all other purposes, I would personally argue DireWorlf20 packs are highly flawed in most aspects.
Though you could still enjoy them if you also don't care about balance.
 

Hambeau

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Jul 24, 2013
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@lizard2547 I Don't think this is the right thread for this discussion but I'll reply anyway...

1: All mods balance only with themselves and vanilla. IE, TE, and IC2 all work absolutely fine within their own environment. Balance between mods is for pack-creators.

2: The pack-creator of note for DireWorlf20 packs is... you guessed it, DireWorlf20!

3: DireWorlf20 doesn't care one flying flip about balance. By his deliberate choice, all mod's config files are left in their defaults.

The purpose of D20 packs is to help introduce newbies to modded minecraft along with his lets-play series. The default settings for all mods is important for that. For this purpose, DireWorlf20 packs are excellent. For all other purposes, I would personally argue DireWorlf20 packs are highly flawed in most aspects.
Though you could still enjoy them if you also don't care about balance.

On this last point, Direwolf20 sees his packs as tutorials to familiarize people with mods as they were intended to be played. Non-Direwolf20 packs are usually modified to some extent. By that time players should become familiar with the idea that recipes can be changed or that something may depend on a mod that isn't in their new pack or ???

I've seen many posts since I've read these forums by confused players who don't realize how much customization occurs... Either they learned from a DW20 pack and recipes don't work the way they learned, or they learned from a different pack where ores are tripled just by looking cross-eyed as you mine them (D&D term: "Monty Haul" for too much give-away :D ) or any of a number of other differences.
 
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lizard2547

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On this last point, Direwolf20 sees his packs as tutorials to familiarize people with mods as they were intended to be played.

I've been using modpacks and creating them for years...kind of embarrassd that I didn't get the point of the DW20 packs until now. Anyway, glad this conversation is over.
 

Cptqrk

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Aug 24, 2013
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I'm wondering if the latest FTB pack can have chicken chunks loaded in as default instead of having to add it to the pack, at least until the FTB utilities chunk loading gets fixed :p
 

asb3pe

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Jul 29, 2019
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I'm wondering if the latest FTB pack can have chicken chunks loaded in as default instead of having to add it to the pack, at least until the FTB utilities chunk loading gets fixed :p

If FTB Utilities doesn't even work right in an FTB modpack... good grief. Who in their right mind would waste their time on the woefully incomplete v1.12 modpacks right now?

I still play v1.7.10 because I think that will be considered the high point of modded minecraft. It was the last version released before Notch sold out to those corporate suits-and-ties at Microsoft in September of 2014. Thus, it was the last untainted, pure version, and that's why it will forever be the BEST version - IMO obv. Microsoft does not add to a gaming experience, it only destroys it slowly but surely.
 

GamerwithnoGame

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Who in their right mind would waste their time on the woefully incomplete v1.12 modpacks right now?
*waves*

Me! :)

I'm having a bash on FTB Horizons III, and really starting to get into it at the moment. Sure, it and packs like it are not as filled out as ones from the 1.7 era, but of course they're not! I reckon if we ever get a plateau like we did with 1.7, you'd find a similar blossoming of mods and choices, but that just hasn't happened yet. I'm willing to give it time and start getting into it; there have been enough mods which are either 1.10+ exclusive or (like Botania) were not fully developed (having played with Botania in 1.6.4, you can really see how much it grew in 1.7+) before 1.10 that it makes it worth it for me; add to that the fact that some mods have changed and/or developed again for 1.11/1.12 in quite remarkable ways, and (bear in mind this is just based on my own experiences) I think 1.12 is worth a shot.

I really want to spend time just getting familiar with and digging into the 1.12 mods around now, as they are by default, before the expert/heavy quest stuff starts hitting us. Particularly some of the less well known stuff, which Horizons III is pretty good for!
 
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grandrolf

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If FTB Utilities doesn't even work right in an FTB modpack... good grief
It's a bug regardless of pack maker, what I've understood it's happening at random and mod maker is surely going to sort it out when identified properly.

Who in their right mind would waste their time on the woefully incomplete v1.12 modpacks right now?
A lot of people. If looking for a bug free game, perhaps moded Minecraft isn't the right game to play (or any moded game for that matter).
That doesn't make it less fun or meaning that people are "out of their minds"

it only destroys it slowly but surely.
Care to elaborate?

If I'm not misstaken, Mojang is still run as it's own company and proceeding according to their own plans regarding to features in the game and such.

Perhaps the PE wouldn't have been where it is today, getting those together cross plattform could be a MS-thing - don't really see that as a bad thing.
 

Nuclear_Creeper0

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Perhaps the PE wouldn't have been where it is today, getting those together cross plattform could be a MS-thing - don't really see that as a bad thing.
The PE thing is great. You meet a ton more people than you ever could on any Java server because so many people are connected together on the same platform.
Once they finish that modding API, I feel like most of the stuff will happen on the PE version.