I have an idea!

[Nuclear_Creeper0]

So it seems to me that mod developers such as @McJty spend more time porting mods than adding content.
What about a complete redo of forge.
You probably know how Java works, you write a source code file and you can upload it to any device with the JRE installed.
What about something similar for modding? You write a source code file that you can then upload to any version, using some forge algorithm to make the file of the mod in that version with that source code file.

 

[APEX_gaming]

That... could be interesting. The, I'm not entirely sure why it takes the time it does for mods to update. I heard there are a few parameters that change version to version because piracy, but that's it

 

[lenscas]

What you want is an API on top on forge that tries to never change how it gets used. This in theory should be possible.
There are a few problems though

• Each version of minecraft has been obfuscated, meaning that none of the methods/variables are called the same in each version.
• This API will be limited. The more it lets you mess with the insides of minecraft, the bigger the chance an minecraft update will force the API to break.
• No matter how small, the API always has a chance to break. Things change, especially now that mojang is changing everything into JSON files.
• It is yet another thing that we need to wait on before modders can update their mods. The bigger this API is, the harder this gets and even simple mods that just add a few blocks end up waiting for someone to port {insert_hard_to_port_feature_here_that_only_a_few_mods_use}
• If the API dies, your mod dies as you will need to both completely redo it and (re)learn forge to port it. That is a big risk.

There are probably some things I overlook, or maybe some things I think too hard about. Also, there was an attempt once to make an API like that, which if it took off also would've been ported to other voxel games. Allowing you to write mods that work in multiple games. It never took off for as far as I know though.

 

[Hambeau]

Not to mention that there is already a team managing forge, and ever since 1.8 they've been pretty quick with new versions, sometimes in just a few hours before the alpha is ready for testing... Thank you, @LexManos and crew!

Also, their job isn't the easiest, as @lenscas points out. They have to try to keep things mostly the same on the Mod side while conforming to any changes lobbed at them from the Mojang side.

I've read that since 1.12 may be the next "plateau" for modding and 1.13 is supposed to break a lot of things by changing a lot of internal systems, the Forge team may be attempting the first major Forge rewrite since 1.4 or 1.5 (correct me if I have this version wrong, please).

 

[McJty]

So it seems to me that mod developers such as @McJty spend more time porting mods than adding content.
What about a complete redo of forge.
You probably know how Java works, you write a source code file and you can upload it to any device with the JRE installed.
What about something similar for modding? You write a source code file that you can then upload to any version, using some forge algorithm to make the file of the mod in that version with that source code file.

Actually it is not that bad. I do wish I didn't have to port so much but I still have plenty of time left for new mods and new content in mods

 

[Inaeo]

So it seems to me that mod developers such as @McJty spend more time porting mods than adding content.
What about a complete redo of forge.
You probably know how Java works, you write a source code file and you can upload it to any device with the JRE installed.
What about something similar for modding? You write a source code file that you can then upload to any version, using some forge algorithm to make the file of the mod in that version with that source code file.

Maybe I'm missing something, but isn't that what Forge has been doing all along? Granted, it's not one master file that transcends all Minecraft versions, but you simply choose the version of Forge you need to match your Minecraft version and mods.

The reason mods need to be rewritten and ported from time to time is based on changes to the base code (including rendering changes, which most APIs won't handle). The more versions of Minecraft you attempt to cover with the same Forge/API, the larger that core mod will need to be. This creates unnecessary bloat when compared to the existing system, which manifests itself with longer loading times and hungrier CPU/RAM usage for an already hungry game.

It's not a bad idea as an idea, but the best chance of getting something like this would be the long fabled Mojang Modding API, which could be updated along with the base code to help reduce the bumps along the way.