Essential mods/Mods you can go without

[PeggleFrank]

I've been setting up some builds, and I was doing some buildcraft work when I thought, does anyone has any mods that they don't ever use in their modpack?
I use them all, except for RP2 (Never came across a situation where I need to do complicated redstone work).

 

[slay_mithos]

RedPower also has some quite nice pipes, called "tube", that are way more intelligent than BC pipes.
Making a sorting system with RP is really quite simple as a result.

As for the redstone, it doesn't need to be complicated.
Just having red alloy wires instead of redstone makes it way easier to wire things, and basic stuff like and/or gates can fit in one block.

Apart from that, it also adds some really nice "micro blocs", that are really great as building materials. You can make quite nice looking things without it needing to be 10+ blocks big too.

Seriously, give it a try, you will understand why we were all lost when it took months to update^^

 

[Mero]

I don't use IC. I only use Tanks from Railcraft and I only use Barrels from Factorization. I haven't used CC yet, but that is more of the fact that the last computer language I learned was when I taught myself Basic from typing in programs in the back of magazines back in the 80's, I will maybe use it someday. I won't use Portal Gun or Gravity Gun. Twilight forest is iffy for me. I have been in there but I don't care that it isn't in the DW pack, which I am using until ultimate comes out and I can make my own mod pack with only mods I actually want. I doubt if I will use Extra Bees.


Redpower is more than just redstone stuff. There is a complete storage sorting system. Blocks like the Deployer and Blockbreaker can automate lots of things. The only thing it really doesn't do is double your ores.

 

[slay_mithos]

I don't use IC. I only use Tanks from Railcraft and I only use Barrels from Factorization. I haven't used CC yet, but that is more of the fact that the last computer language I learned was when I taught myself Basic from typing in programs in the back of magazines back in the 80's, I will maybe use it someday. I won't use Portal Gun or Gravity Gun. Twilight forest is iffy for me. I have been in there but I don't care that it isn't in the DW pack, which I am using until ultimate comes out and I can make my own mod pack with only mods I actually want. I doubt if I will use Extra Bees.


Redpower is more than just redstone stuff. There is a complete storage sorting system. Blocks like the Deployer and Blockbreaker can automate lots of things. The only thing it really doesn't do is double your ores.

Well, you can use it to make one of the fastest quarry there is too, with the frames.
As for CC, the language is actually really easy to use, and doesn't require much syntax (no ";", no "{" or "}" ). If you could learn Basic, you should be able to learn lua without too much troubles.
Just use an external text editor that has syntax coloring for lua, like Scite.

 

[Ember Quill]

I love RP2 for so many reasons. Microblocks, basalt/marble (I tend to use lots of both in my buildings), redstone wiring on or even inside walls, gates, frames, tubes, etc. So many useful things. And unless you added Logistics Pipes to the pack, RedPower 2 has the best item management/sorting with its tubes and machines. It does so much more than just redstone stuff.

Honestly, I think the only mods in the DW20 pack that I don't really use are Factorization (except for the barrels which I suppose I could live without) and MFFS.

 

[Zivel]

Industrial Craft is the one I dont use much, pretty much set it up to charge my jet pack and grind and compress my coal stacks and thats it, it just too liner for me. I have been doing Thermal expansion, forestry and factorisation and I could not do without buildcraft. I like redpower pipes but really only use them when I have to, my pipe of choice is BC, the gates are just to useful, although to be honest I have more golems in my base running around then much else >.<

 

[nukularpower]

I don't use IC. I only use Tanks from Railcraft and I only use Barrels from Factorization. I haven't used CC yet, but that is more of the fact that the last computer language I learned was when I taught myself Basic from typing in programs in the back of magazines back in the 80's, I will maybe use it someday. I won't use Portal Gun or Gravity Gun. Twilight forest is iffy for me. I have been in there but I don't care that it isn't in the DW pack, which I am using until ultimate comes out and I can make my own mod pack with only mods I actually want. I doubt if I will use Extra Bees.

Redpower is more than just redstone stuff. There is a complete storage sorting system. Blocks like the Deployer and Blockbreaker can automate lots of things. The only thing it really doesn't do is double your ores.

Hey, I learned Basic from those old magazines too (Compute! Gazette, I miss you!) and I don't touch IC2 either! You should be my friend. I do like the Rock Crusher from RC over any similar alternative though, just because it seems the most balanced.

I wouldn't care if IC2 and Buildcraft both disappeared, really. Too into moving stuff with golems, rails, and conveyors, and I'm tired of watching DW20 rush drills and gravisuits. Though I guess everything uses BC power anymore...

I used to love Redpower 2, and especially doing aesthetic builds with microblocks, but the 7 month update lag made me too scared to build anything with it now, because it's likely to happen again (at least, so it seems to me, as I haven't seen any indication of Eloraam reengaging with the community since the update was released.) Now I just stick to vanilla redstone most of the time (which isn't as hard as people make out) and build with Immibis's microblock alternative

 

[Saice]

I love Mindcrack... but of all the mods in it I really do not see myself ever using traincraft.

But I used just about everything else.

 

[Mero]

Well, you can use it to make one of the fastest quarry there is too, with the frames.
As for CC, the language is actually really easy to use, and doesn't require much syntax (no ";", no "{" or "}" ). If you could learn Basic, you should be able to learn lua without too much troubles.
Just use an external text editor that has syntax coloring for lua, like Scite.

Yeah, I know I can learn it. It is just scheduling issues that cause the problem. I am lucky to get an hour or two a day of free time. Working 7 days a week like I have been for the past year and almost a month into the second year in a row(we did it 4 years before and the recession is the only reason it stopped), I get very little time to relax. Spending that very little free time learning a computer language that is 99% useless to me isn't exactly something I find relaxing.

 

[KriiEiter]

I love Mindcrack... but of all the mods in it I really do not see myself ever using traincraft.

But I used just about everything else.

Agreed completely. It doesn't serve a purpose to me when we have both Steve's Carts and Railcraft already.

That and the ores just waste space, and they're everywhere.

 

[Saice]

Agreed completely. It doesn't serve a purpose to me when we have both Steve's Carts and Railcraft already.

That and the ores just waste space, and they're everywhere.

They do have a purpose. If you want real looking trains that what is does.

But thats not what I need so yeah.

As a side update the Petroleum Generator mod and you can turn them ores into oil.

 

[SAI Peregrinus]

Mods I use:

Spoiler

Treecapitator, it's OP during the first hour of the game compared to Vanilla, after that it just reduces tedium. Adding grind is not the same as balance.
NEI, truly essential.
Rei's Minimap, truly essential.
Ender Storage, essential for any sort of proper cross-dimensional item transfer, or even intra-facility. I use these to get items up and down stairs. Really!
dimensional anchors or another chunk loader (chickenChunks, Railcraft) are a necessity.
industrialcraft 2 is where most of my machines come from.
InGameInfoXML, client side, so while I could live without it I don't have to.
Inventory Tweaks has spoiled me, and it's client side.
Modular Force Field System + RP2 + WRCBE = Mega Turtles. If you want to clear a large area down to bedrock, these are the way to go.
Advanced Solar Panels; I like building things. I don't like feeding machines. All the IC2/Buildcraft (with Forestry) power I need in one package? Yes please, let me get on to making cool stuff.
GraviSuite, because scaffolding is tiresome and bobbing up and down with a jetpack gets annoying.
Monster Spawn Highlighter is client side, and awesome.
obsidiplates only emit a pulse if stepped on by a player. Secure, automatic doors are not a must-have, but they're very close.
RedPower2 is probably my favorite content mod.
Schematica is client side and something I'd hate to go without.
ThermalExpansion kickstarts my early game. an Igneous extruder is generally the first machine I make after a furnace and crafting table. The item transfer system is also amazingly handy, since I can largely avoid BC pipes. The machine interface (configurable I/O sides, configurable redstone control) is awesome, and I hope more mods add something like it.
TubeStuff makes buildcraft work nicely with RP2. Necessary if using Buildcraft at all.
Wireless Redstone -Chicken Bones Edition: Very, very nice for machine control.

And the mods I don't need, or outright dislike.

Spoiler

AdditionalPipes, quite handy for the times I have to use crappy buildcraft pipes.
advanced repulsion systems, haven't tried yet.
Advanced machines, these are slower after 10 or so overclocker upgrades, so only for mid game, still, quite handy then.
Advanced Power Management is useless to me, though the adjustable emitter might be nice in Creative mode.
buildcraft, I hate BC pipes, and wish I could dump it, but there's too much extra useful stuff in the mod.
ComputerCraft is amazing, but I could live without it thanks to RP2.
ee3 isn't complete yet, so can't really judge.
extrabees, seem nice, but my bees are morons. Yes, Ms. Meadows queen, you're in a plains biome, in an apiary surrounded by various flowers, it's sunny out, and you can't find any flowers. :/
ExtrabiomesXL, pretty. Could live without, but wouldn't want to.
Factorization barrels seem cool, but I've not used them much. TubeStuff Black Hole chests + RP2 sorting works more for me, though more expensive materials.
forestry is a cool mod, and I use bits of it, but sadly uses Buildcraft. Happily it allows electrical engines, which remove much of the pain.
GregTech. I currently have this disabled, if I can figure out how to stop it from changing any other mod's recipes I'll enable it. It adds a cool endgame, but the massive grind added in no way balances anything. It just means I spend longer setting up and less time building, and where's the fun in that?
IC2NuclearControl, I don't like nuke plants.
iron chests are great, but TubeStuff's Black Hole chest is better if enabled.
LogisticsPipes make Buildcraft pipes useable.
MineFactoryReloaded Safari nets alone make starting animal farms much, much better. Not necessary, but very nice to have.
miscperipherals Bunches of useful stuff I've not used.
mystcraft is pretty, and lets me add things to the worldgen without regenerating the entire world, just make a new age!
Nether Ores isn't very useful. Still, it gives something to do in the Nether.
OmniTools are handy to save space, but not really necessary.
Portal Gun is great fun, and good for long distance travel, but I can live without.
SoulShards is handy, and makes creation of xp/item farms easy, but not as necessary as RP2.
StevesCarts. I've not really touched this much, yet.
Thaumcraft3. I've not really touched this much, yet.
Traincraft, I'll probably never use this. If I want to play Open TTD, I'll play Open TTD.
Transformers. Haven't touched it.
twilightforest is pretty.
xycraft has pretty blocks for building.

In general, if it makes the survival game more like creative I'll probably use it, if it makes the game less like creative and more grindy I'll avoid it. I mostly play creative though, and vanilla survival takes too long to do anything big.

 

[Honza8D]

well i cant say i dont use it, but I like ExtraBiomesXL less every day. It makes finding certain biome too hard and I could certainly live without all these different trees and logs too.

 

[whythisname]

I love the MindCrack pack, but I have these mods disabled:

ComputerCraft, looks OP as hell, to me. I also prefer to do stuff mechanically instead of creating a magic box that does all the work.
EnderStorage, again OP as hell. I already dislike the concept of vanilla Ender Chests, let alone this one.
Factorization, I think Barrels are OP and they are about the only good thing about this mod.
IC2NuclearControl, might add it in the future, if I ever bother to mess around with Nuclear stuff.
miscperipherals, see ComputerCraft.
MFFS, I don't hate Force Fields, I just don't like the way this mod implements them.
AdvancedSolarPanels, most OP mod in the game when it comes to power generation.
Obsidiplates, not a huge dislike, but I don't like them enough to put them in my game either. Also, they look terrible, just like Obsidian...
Thaumcraft, general dislike to magic stuff, if it ever sparks my interest I might mess around with it though.
Twilightforest, same as Thaumcraft.

There are more mods that I consider OP, but generally they also have parts that I like enough to include them in my game. I might be a bit picky, but personally I don't see the point of playing survival with mods if they're just going to give you cheats wrapped up in a fancy paper. For me that little more effort I now need to put into automating stuff and getting my tools is what makes survival with mods still feel like survival to me.

 

[CoderJ]

Currently using DW20 pack on my server and the only mod I could say is not used all that much is Factorization. IC2 sees less use than it used to on older mod packs, but many of us keep it around for the turtle charging stations and armor (kids seem to love making nuke plants and compressing coal into diamonds... so there's that).

Can't wait until ExtraBees gets added into DW20 pack... need more bees

 

[Lambert2191]

Can't live without:
Redpower 2- both for the wires, the logic gates, the machines... Redpower is probably one of my favourite mods
Rei's- Essential, nuff said
NEI- Essential, nuff said
Iron Chest- I can't imagine going back to just vanilla chests...
Optifine- I have a laptop and OF helps drastically

Can live without:
Gregtech- If it's installed and active, I won't play. Hate this mod.
MFFS- Never found a use for it as I won't play on a griefing server
Computercraft- Would like to learn LUA but I suck at programming
Obsidiplates- when your internet is laggy as hell, pressure plates under doors are incredibly annoying.
Advanced Machines- Regular Machines + Overclockers is far far far far faster... Adv machines are completely and utterly useless to me.

 

[noskk]

Can't live without:
IC2: Jetpack, quantum boots and legging
GT: The most essential IC2 add-on
TE: Aqueous accumulator sure helps with the water supply. Igneous Extruder for endless supply of cobblestone to be recycled. Lastly, the awesome redstone energy cell.
Forestry: The tree farm, biogas engine
Railcraft: Steam Boiler
BC: So I can install those 2 mods above, transport pipes and quarry (I finally give up manual mining bauxite and redstone )
Valve Pipe: Automatic wooden pipe and valve pipe
Logistic Pipe: Better automation
Iron Chest/Optifine/NEI/Rei Minimap/Ender storage: Isn't it obvious
Redpower: Only install this mainly for the ruby ore generation (chrome), pneumatic system and frame
Gravi Suit: I like the expensive item

Can live without:
Mystcraft: Not really needed
Portal gun: Same as above
EE3: Same as above
CC: Not a fan of coding
Xycraft: Will look into when it's fully released

 

[slay_mithos]

They do have a purpose. If you want real looking trains that what is does.

But thats not what I need so yeah.

As a side update the Petroleum Generator mod and you can turn them ores into oil.

Well, trains are great for moving a great quantity of items in one trip, and you can use the loaders and unloaders on them.
Seeing as you want to move your base, you could want to try not just the boring "ender chest" way^^

What I have no plan on using ? (might change depending to the mood)
obsidian pressure plates.
Not sure about Portal Gun, as it costs really far too much for my liking, but apart from these two, I have plans for every mod in the Mindcrack pack, and I even added Mystcraft to it, just because I like the portals it makes, but not planning on overusing it for now.

 

[Lambert2191]

the gravity gun is extremely useful, but doubt ill ever bother with the more expensive portal gun or supercharged grav gun

 

[Celestialphoenix]

Depends on the mod/playstyle

An all out must is an HD patch, as vanilla textures are somewhat ugly.

(usually optifine, or MCpatcher when optifine is incompatible)​

Playing Forge mods; redpower (tubes/microbocks/lighting), the others can chop and change as needed as they replicate each others functionality enough to get the job done.