Recommended Progression Through Modded Minecraft

[MigukNamja]

As follows is an example recommended progression through modded MC that aims to set expectations and meet those expectations:

1. [OPTIONAL] Play vanilla MC. If you didn't dislike it, go to step 2.

2. Play a general-purpose, commonly-used pack that has good supporting videos, ex. DW20. If you like it, go to step 3.

3. Visit the Third Party Pack area and do some research yourself, using YouTube to quickly scan Let's Plays for those packs. == or == Make a forum post where you describe what you like about the pack in step 2 (ex. DW20), and ask for advice on what pack to play next.

4. After a few hours/days, try one or two of those candidate packs

5. After deciding upon a pack, make sure to visit the forum support thread and/or separate website to give feedback and solicit advice.

6. Make your own pack.

7. Publish pack on FTB.

8. Learn to code and make mods.

9. Publish a popular mod and get invited to Forgecraft.

 

[MigukNamja]

The above is are my 2 cents based upon my experience and incorporating feedback of others. It's not gospel. Please provide your thoughts and opinions.

 

[Golrith]

At all points, ensure you are having fun. That's the most important part.

 

[Pyure]

#) ??????
#+1) Profit!

Also, for me, its more "if you don't hate vanilla mc, go on". I never really super-enjoyed MC until I found out people were actually adding engines and power grids and stuff. Wow!

 

[jordsta95]

I would also say don't always play a well covered pack. As long as the pack doesn't change recipes, any pack would be good.
I don't know about anyone else, but the first pack I played was tekkit, and the first FTB pack was Ultimate. And for both of them I had to watch the odd "mod spotlight" but mainly read through wikis, which is what I still do. E.g Blood Magic.

And having "LEARNED" a mod through reading wikis, and being able to get to a point to say "I know <mod>, I can help with almost any issue" it feels great. Whereas if you say "I know Extra Utilities, I can help you" isn't as impressive for 2 reasons: 1 - DireWolf20 has done videos on it, in depth. 2 - it's simple.
Whereas if someone said "I know Blood Magic spells" it is impressive for the opposite 2 reasons: 1 - DW20 hasn't done a video on it, 2 - It CAN be complex

 

[McJty]

I personally end up having most fun with custom packs where I pick the mods I want myself. And actually putting together the modpack is in itself a fun job

Edit: one exception. I *really* liked UHS (Ultra Hardcore Survival) for 1.6.4 a lot and this is one of my few plays where I actually managed to get through the game to the very 'end' (literally). I did almost everything there was to do except for a few minor things in that modpack including a wither farm, killing the (HEE) ender dragon and so on

 

[Hambeau]

I would also say don't always play a well covered pack. As long as the pack doesn't change recipes, any pack would be good.
I don't know about anyone else, but the first pack I played was tekkit, and the first FTB pack was Ultimate. And for both of them I had to watch the odd "mod spotlight" but mainly read through wikis, which is what I still do. E.g Blood Magic.

And having "LEARNED" a mod through reading wikis, and being able to get to a point to say "I know <mod>, I can help with almost any issue" it feels great. Whereas if you say "I know Extra Utilities, I can help you" isn't as impressive for 2 reasons: 1 - DireWolf20 has done videos on it, in depth. 2 - it's simple.
Whereas if someone said "I know Blood Magic spells" it is impressive for the opposite 2 reasons: 1 - DW20 hasn't done a video on it, 2 - It CAN be complex

Ask and ye shall receive:

 

[jordsta95]

He didn't do SPELLS in them, did he? And more have been added since then?

 

[Celestialphoenix]

Vanilla MC is pretty much optional
- introduce a friend to the right mod, and you'll sell a copy of the game.

 

[Pyure]

Vanilla MC is pretty much optional
- introduce a friend to the right mod, and you'll sell a copy of the game.

+1 for concise and quotable.

 

[MigukNamja]

Updated step 1 from "like it" to "didn't dislike it"

 

[Pyure]

I would also say don't always play a well covered pack. As long as the pack doesn't change recipes, any pack would be good.

jordsta95, I've reread this like 50 times and I'm still feeling stupid. It looks like it should be obvious what you're saying but I can't figure it out. Is this two totally separate ideas, and why is a pack that changes recipes a bad thing? (So far, the best packs I've seen by a large margin have utilized minetweaker and such to make mods work together harmoniously)

 

[jordsta95]

jordsta95, I've reread this like 50 times and I'm still feeling stupid. It looks like it should be obvious what you're saying but I can't figure it out. Is this two totally separate ideas, and why is a pack that changes recipes a bad thing? (So far, the best packs I've seen by a large margin have utilized minetweaker and such to make mods work together harmoniously)

Don't get me wrong. I love minetweaker. But for a NEW player of mods, the "vanilla" recipes for the mods should be left, so that they can use tutorials, wiki's etc. To their advantage. Especially if it is a pack that doesn't have NEI add-ons, and people changed recipes such as smeltery recipes

 

[Loufmier]

a generalized guide to sandbox games:
do shit.

a more focused guide to sandbox games:
go THAT way and do shit.

 

[Pyure]

Don't get me wrong. I love minetweaker. But for a NEW player of mods, the "vanilla" recipes for the mods should be left, so that they can use tutorials, wiki's etc. To their advantage. Especially if it is a pack that doesn't have NEI add-ons, and people changed recipes such as smeltery recipes

Excellent argument, I'm convinced. Makes sense to me

 

[MigukNamja]

Step 1 is now optional. Added step 6 : Make your own pack !

 

[Pyure]

Step 1 is now optional. Added step 6 : Make your own pack !

 

[jordsta95]

Step 1 is now optional. Added step 6 : Make your own pack !

*whistles* how many times does step 6 need to be repeated? *whistles*

 

[Celestialphoenix]

The "best" for newer players would probably be a well designed HQM pack; you have a full ingame tutorial to point them in the right direction.

Unless its me.

I'll throw you off a pier and say 'swim or drown'​

(there's a lot of fun in figuring things out with your own intuition; wiki's and LPs are a last resort.)

 

[jordsta95]

Speaking of that. It is a shame HQM doesn't do quests in a different format like "QuestLine1.json" and "rewardTier1.json" that way there could be a "tutorial" mod pack, and it could be interchangable to hell.
People could just remove the "quests" (tutorial quest lines) that they don't want/need (whether it be they know the mod or they don't have it in the pack they are playing).
And the QuestLine.json would contain all information about that is in that quest line (so item in preview, title, descriptions, etc.)
Whereas the rewardTier.json would have all rewards that are in that tier when the quest book is saved...


@Vswe @Scott Wears
Why is this not a thing?
It would make for HQM to be more "modular" and make it so multiple people can work on the quest book at the same time:
e.g. I work on doing quest lines 1-4, person 2 does quest lines 5-7, person 3 does the rewards. And then at the end we just merge the files we all worked on...

Also, I dunno if json files would work. But it was just the first thing that came to mind, as a lot of mods use json files for editable information.