Poll: Should mods download other mods?

[immibis]

Let's say you download mod X, because you want the stuff in mod X.
You do not download mod Y, because you don't want the stuff in mod Y.

When you run the game, mod X downloads and installs mod Y.
Nothing suggests that you are getting mod Y, until you get in-game and notice you have mod Y.
Is this acceptable?


For the purpose of this question, any jar file counts as a mod. If tricks are employed to make something that normally would be a jar file not a jar file, it still counts as a mod. Zip files containing classes also count as mods as they're just jars with a different extension.
For example, the Scala runtime library counts as a mod which does not affect the game in any way.

 

[Celestialphoenix]

Yes if it doesn't unnecessarily alter gameplay.

It'll be kinda neat if you could drop in a mod and it'll auto download and install all the prerequisite mods/APIs as needed.
(like dropping in GregTech and it'll install the right versions of forge/ic2, NEI would sort out chickencore, Smartmoving uses several APIs ect)

 

[Mero]

If you mean something like if you instal forestry and it dl's and installs BC, then no.

 

[SonOfABirch]

I'm guessing that this is sort of aimed at Project Red's download automatically downloading Forge Multipart?

 

[immibis]

I'm guessing that this is sort of aimed at Project Red's download automatically downloading Forge Multipart?

And Extra Utilities. And Tinker's Construct. Edit: this is wrong.

 

[Yusunoha]

I'd say no. it's not that much of a problem if it's well known mods, but with the lesser known mods downloading other lesser known mods it could end up being a mod that installs malicious software on your computer.
and it's not fair to say well known mods can download other mods because you know they won't download any malicious software, but saying no to the lesser known mods.

I wouldn't mind if a mod gives an informative message when loading up minecraft or a world to say another mod needs to be installed alongside with it, and gives a link to that mod

 

[Omicron]

I'm not a fan of auto-downloads.

I would accept an exception though under the following circumstances:

- the mod triggering the download clearly states that it will do so in its installation instructions / download section
- the things downloaded are libraries and APIs only, as in: they are not active mods loaded by Minecraft. The moment something auto-downloaded shows up in the "mods" overview ingame, that's when you're stepping over the line.

There's something to be said for easing installation, but the user should at least be aware of what he's getting. Also, the user should always, always have the choice to opt out of something he doesn't want in his game.


EDIT: removed derp

 

[SonOfABirch]

if it's essential for that mod to work... then sure.
But Forge is essential for all of our mods to work, and that doesn't come automatically downloaded with any other mods... idk... Maybe "Requires X to work" would be better

 

[Pokefenn]

Mmmh...
Well i think its ok if its a external libary which is requires for the mod to work (scala lib, CodeChickenLib)
The second you do anything game-play altering I dont like that, its kinda.... yeah

 

[mushroom taco]

If it's their mod/they have permission to package their mod with it, and if it just "core" mod, yes.

 

[Celestialphoenix]

Actually here's a fair one- should a mod auto-download and update itself to a later version?

(obviously not across different versions of MC)​

If you mean something like if you instal forestry and it dl's and installs BC, then no.

Is buildcraft needed for forestry to run? (would minecraft crash if you didn't have BC?)

 

[Succubism]

I've actually had this question posed to me before. My answer was and still is no, unless conditions are met.

Let me explain a feature of ATLauncher for those who don't know. If you don't have permission for mod x and you plan to distrubute that mod as part of your homemade modpack, you are obligated to ensure that the launcher gives you a manditory adfly download of mod x so that you can distrubute that mod while still supporting the creator.

If Mod Y posed a manditory adfly download for Mod X, unless Y has permission to distribute X, then it's perfectly acceptable.

But to download it without supporting the creator without permission, absolutely not.

As for whether it downloads it whether you want it or not, then again. Under conditions.

Understand that the user would be perfectly aware that Mod Y derives and relies on Mod X. If they want the mod then they should understand that Mod Y comes for it so they must download it. For them to complain that they are being forced to download Mod X for the sake of Mod Y.

Besides, of mod Y relies on a such a game-changing primary mod, and yet they enjoy it anyway, the primary mod mustn't be that bad in the first place.

 

[xbony2]

If the mod doesn't force gameplay (like BTW or terrafirrmacraft) then it seems fine.

 

[FyberOptic]

I didn't realize this even occurred until my latest game, where I'd installed a limited set of mods, and then somehow I still ended up with Forge Multipart.

Personally I don't like mods being installed that I didn't explicitly ask for. There could be a bug, or a conflict with another mod, and this makes it impossible to just remove something I don't necessarily want in order to solve the issue.

The problem however is two-fold, in this case. Forge Multipart isn't part of Forge, and will never be from the way I understand it. At the same time, you can't just make your mod simply "compatible" with it, you have to write your mod to specifically work with it, which then means your mod can't work without it. I've been asked countless times to make Redstone Paste and even Hopper Ducts "compatible" but I've been very reluctant to do so. One of the major points of my current mods is to be simple, feel somewhat vanilla, and not have a mod dependency. I've contemplated making two separate versions, one which supports it and one that doesn't, but this is obviously a lot of work to not only develop but also maintain. Redstone Paste in particular would take practically an entire rewrite, especially because it's already designed to handle multiple objects of specific types within a block space.

So there really isn't a good answer. No, I don't want mods to automatically download. But at the same time, I realize that mod authors don't want people to have to get a mod dependency, and mod authors can't reasonably maintain two separate versions, so having it download automatically is kind of a reasonable solution for the average player.

 

[Alex Cubed]

I'm going to put never because the question seems like it's automatic and hidden from the user. While yes some mods require other mods to run because of dependencies and having the dependencies installed behind the scenes is great, it opens up the door for misuse. As it stands now if a mod is required Forge tells the user before Minecraft is able to load, that's fine. If a modder wants to suggest a mod to the user, they can through game chat when the world loads.

It's like Java and the Ask Toolbar, it's fine that they offer me the toolbar, but if they were to install it automatically it would be a breach of trust. Same with mods. Any auto-downloading mod is an attack on the user and should be banned from FTB and modding communities.

 

[immibis]

If Mod Y posed a manditory adfly download for Mod X, unless Y has permission to distribute X, then it's perfectly acceptable.
But to download it without supporting the creator without permission, absolutely not.
As for whether it downloads it whether you want it or not, then again. Under conditions.

The question is about mods downloading other mods without asking or even telling the user - not about mods bypassing other mods' adf.ly links.

 

[Skyqula]

Are there actually mods doing this? Because the only mods I noticed doing this was project red (wich states it does so on the download page) and one of the chickbones mods seem to download some libraries. If your reffering to these cases, then yeah, I am fine with that. (I rather have a mod auto download a library then having to go trough more loops to download it manually, everytime it or the mod updates. Crashing nightmare right there)

But if it adds gameplay changing mods and doesnt state so, then I would not be fine with it. Id like to stay in controll over my ingame content. Wich is also why I think most mod configs are severely lacking...

 

[SonOfABirch]

Are there actually mods doing this? Because the only mods I noticed doing this was project red (wich states it does so on the download page) and one of the chickbones mods seem to download some libraries. If your reffering to these cases, then yeah, I am fine with that. (I rather have a mod auto download a library then having to go trough more loops to download it manually, everytime it or the mod updates. Crashing nightmare right there)

But if it adds gameplay changing mods and doesnt state so, then I would not be fine with it. Id like to stay in controll over my ingame content. Wich is also why I think most mod configs are severely lacking...

read up, Immibis states that TiCo and ExtraUtil is also doing this.

I suspect in part this thread has been made because the mod that is being automatically downloaded is in direct competition with one of the thread creators own mods, and the two are not at all compatible with one another..

 

[PhilHibbs]

I would say that it is absolutely unacceptable. If FMP is a prerequisite for a mod, then some kind of error message would be nice, but anyone installing mods themselves should get that info from the mod download page.

 

[Skyqula]

read up, Immibis states that TiCo and ExtraUtil is also doing this.

I suspect in part this thread has been made because the mod that is being automatically downloaded is in direct competition with one of the thread creators own mods, and the two are not at all compatible with one another..

Except TiC is not doing this, dunno about extra utils though...

Edit: Nope ExtraUtilities does not do this either...