1.12 Is still kind of the benchmark right now. 1.14 has some interesting stuff, but we're not quite there yet.
Create is one of the most interesting 1.14 mods I've seen so far, I must say.
I think that might actually reinforce my view here (namely that it's circumstances, not personnel). Is there anything new and exciting in 1.12 anymore? Anything worthy of inspiring the next great modpack?
1.13 brought on a bit of a Minecraft comeback for a reason. The whole feel of the core game is different. I don't want to go back. When I get some time to start making mods, I'm not wasting my time on 1.12, either. I could see going back and doing infinity on a nostalgia trip. Maybe a 1.12 pack in a few years for the same reason. But imo, 1.12 is a dying standard.
I
can't believe I'm saying this, either. I've been on record as saying I didn't care what Microsoft did to it because I believe in the community. Hardcore fans that write mods for free because they're passionate. Fans are also freer to take risks and widespread availability means more creative minds at work. I still believe in all of this, but I am going on record right now in saying that I was completely wrong about the core game.
The mods amplify the vanilla game, but the vanilla game sets the tone. The core game now is so much better than 1.10. Great mods like Create are only possible because of some of the new structural changes. Specifically the ability to have things moving around smoothly.
The game looks better, feels better, runs better. It handles dropped items better. The water mechanics alone are worth keeping. You can pipe anything in any direction like they're item pipes. or people chutes, if you prefer. Get a conduit and place it in the middle of a warm ocean coral patch, suddenly you've got a gorgeous underwater plot that might as well be low-level creative flight.
I really want to see more of it. More mods with more smooth animations. I want to see people take the bee navigation code and make drones that, say, plant and harvest for you or something.
In short, I think it's slow because we're in transition again. This is 1.7 to 1.8 all over again. I want to see 1.16.x the next great plateau.