Requesting Guidance from FTB Vets

[teamcx]

Hello to those reading,

I am making the switch from Technic to FTB, I am a server administrator looking to put FTB on my server. However, I am unsure which pack to use! There are just so many and it is overwhelmingly confusing!

I know I want to run 1.6.4+ so my options boil down to:
Monster (Completely out of the question, this pack is far to heavy and redundant)
FTBLite2
Tech World 2
Direwolf20

Input as to which pack is best for someone coming from Technic would be very welcoming an appreciated! Thanks!

 

[buggirlexpres]

Direwolf20 is probably the pack for you, as most people get into FTB through Dire. Plus, if you need guidance, his videos are there to help.
It's not insanely packed like monster, and not as focused as Tech World, so Direwolf20 is what I'd recommend starting with.
Also, welcome to FTB!


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[netmc]

I will second this. Go with the Direwolf20 pack. I am setting up a server to play with my nephew and introduce him to mods, and this is the pack that we will be playing.

 

[Succubism]

BloodNBones. What could possibly go monitor tossingly wrong?


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[trajing]

Don't get why you're tossing Monster out as redundancy is fun, it gives you more options for a specific thing. Unless performance is an issue, I'd use that.
But because you want a unified gameplay, Magic Farm 2. It's a tech and magic pack that is more heavily focused on early game by using Iguana Tweaks for TiC and Hunger Overhaul. It also has Mariculture which Technic doesn't use, so that'll be a new experience for you.
So will Thaumcraft and Blood Magic, for that matter.
Does MF2 have BM? It's been forever since I played it, because now I have a custom pack. I still need some more testing though. (@Padfoote hint hint)

 

[YX33A]

TPPI is a great choice if you enjoy the old idea of "everything and the kitchen sink" mod packs, but want them to be balanced in some way. Monster isn't so much balanced poorly as the mods in it are mostly untouched(though Thaumcraft 4 taint is basically disabled, much to my chagrin). Horizons is nice if you want to quite literally widen your modding Horizons(hence the name I do believe, the FTB Team has a sense of humor that I can't deny, unlike Mojang).

But I suppose one should explain what you WANT in broad strokes. Many of us may suggest private packs that are better then the "Official" packs.

I for one always suggest Agrarian Skies if you want to change up your notions of what Minecraft can do and how you can do it.

Don't get why you're tossing Monster out as redundancy is fun, it gives you more options for a specific thing. Unless performance is an issue, I'd use that.
But because you want a unified gameplay, Magic Farm 2. It's a tech and magic pack that is more heavily focused on early game by using Iguana Tweaks for TiC and Hunger Overhaul. It also has Mariculture which Technic doesn't use, so that'll be a new experience for you.
So will Thaumcraft and Blood Magic, for that matter.
Does MF2 have BM? It's been forever since I played it, because now I have a custom pack. I still need some more testing though. (Padfoote hint hint)

This: The whole "Redundancy isn't bad" idea is genius, just how the "Redundancy is bad" idea is Cancer.

 

[Ieldra]

I do not second the recommendation of DW20. While it is a lighter pack than Monster, it lacks some mods that add critical functionality. For instance, it has IC2 but no efficient or direct way to convert between RF and EU because it lacks all the relevant mods. I had frequent moments of "Monster has this but DW20 hasn't? Drat, why haven't I started with Monster?" As a player, if I was looking for a server now, I would look for servers that run Monster or something comparable.

 

[Succubism]

Yogscast Complete Pack \o\

 

[RealSketch]

From someone who has a history of Technic, I would suggest Tech World 2.
Bear in mind though that 1.7.2 is right around the corner, and you may want to just wait for that.

 

[Mevansuto]

From someone who has a history of Technic, I would suggest Tech World 2.
Bear in mind though that 1.7.2 is right around the corner, and you may want to just wait for that.

Those packs might still be a while as most of the big RF mods aren't out yet.


I'd recommend TPPI as it has most of those mods you would have loved in Tekkit - pretty much no Balkon's, Dimensional Doors and Galacticraft - and many new ones. It's an all of the things pack, but they've rebalanced the pack in a unique and interesting way - unlike Monster. This is a cod pack BTW. The code is "MegaSharkPunch".

If you want a lot of mods with little bloat, go for the Yogscast Complete Pack on ATLauncher. It's what I'd call a "fun-first" pack. Which really suits my Nintedo-based mantra.

If you're looking for a little up-to-date magic, may I recommend my own pack, Thaumic Sanguimancy? It's not officially released yet, but I'm pleased to give the code to anyone. It's "Taint".

If you are in the mood for waiting, however, @AlCapella and I have been working on a modpack for a while now. It's aim is to unify the mods recipes via Minetweaker. We've made it so there's only one power system and all machines use TE-Style crafting, although many - if not most - TE Components have been replaced with other mod items. It encourages you to use all sorts of mods you might have ignored. This is a hard pack however (8 iron for a furnace, anyone?) and it does force you to use certain mods, especially in the early game. As a result it may not be everybody's cup of tea.

Lastly, if you're in the mood for something different, try one of the themed packs on the launcher. Namely, Agrarian Skies, Blood 'n' Bones and Magic Farm 2. They each bring something unique to the table that hasn't been seen in any other pack before.

 

[Pyure]

Don't get why you're tossing Monster out as redundancy is fun, it gives you more options for a specific thing. Unless performance is an issue, I'd use that.

Bearing in mind that's like saying "blondes are attractive"; its a subjective thing, and many vets feel the exact opposite.

Personally, I only like an abundance of options if they have been extremely well-balanced in the pack. And since that's so hard to do, I tend to drift towards smaller packs.

To the OP: DW20 isn't much better balanced out, but at least its smaller size means it a bit more fine-tuned by accident if nothing else. If I were going to open a public server, I'd probably look the hardest in this direction (notwithstanding that I never use the pack myself). The pack is extremely popular and has most of the "standard must-have" mods.

I'd really love to recommend Horizons but can't for performance reasons; too many people constantly report lag/fps/etc issues, and some of the mods are prone to serious problems if not babysat properly (ReC's turbines for instance if you don't explicitly clean up the steam)

 

[SatanicSanta]

I'm not sure what Technic has these days; I haven't used it since Tekkit 1.2.5. But, I am going to recommend Horizons.

 

[Azzanine]

TPPI is a great choice if you enjoy the old idea of "everything and the kitchen sink" mod packs, but want them to be balanced in some way. Monster isn't so much balanced poorly as the mods in it are mostly untouched(though Thaumcraft 4 taint is basically disabled, much to my chagrin). Horizons is nice if you want to quite literally widen your modding Horizons(hence the name I do believe, the FTB Team has a sense of humor that I can't deny, unlike Mojang).

But I suppose one should explain what you WANT in broad strokes. Many of us may suggest private packs that are better then the "Official" packs.

I for one always suggest Agrarian Skies if you want to change up your notions of what Minecraft can do and how you can do it.

This: The whole "Redundancy isn't bad" idea is genius, just how the "Redundancy is bad" idea is Cancer.

Funny enough, IRL Cancer is a problem of redundant rogue cells going haywire! ^_^ IRL cancer is redundancy, the incremental growth of useless cells and the substitution of ones useful for life function make the body less and less healthy until death takes them. Treatment usually involves removing the useless cells that block healthy cells/ organs functions and steal bodily resource.

What you should say is if you are having fun with a part of a mod makes it not redundant. Because redundancy is actually the "cancer". If FTB added every dirt to diamond style mod to the game bugs and all till the list was 500+ long you'd ask them to remove a 100 or so.

Also for every mod added to a server the more headaches you will get when it comes to administration. Also take in to account OP's hardware; For every mod you add, you need a little more computing power.
Then there's administration, if you plan on providing an environment where the users creations are protected leaving in known mods/ items that bypass protection mods/plugins it will only make the server a chore. If you have a pool of tonnes of mods there are more things you will need to look out for.
Admins live small well done mod packs, of course admins need to consider the wants of the player base so if they want to remain popular they need to strike a balance with lots of mods with an acceptable level of redundancy.

 

[LunaticMiner]

I got into this because my friend and I were really into a copycat of the Agrarian Skies pack someone made for the Technic Launcher. I started studying up on FTB to get an advantage, and saw that there were some awesome modpacks. I downloaded it at the first chance I got.

 

[AlCapella]

I like a few packs that are out there...

On ATLauncher, along with what others mentioned there's also the "shneekeycraft" pack. There's also hard skyblock map variants like ag skies in the AT launcher. Check it.

On technic launcher, there's a pack called "Life in the woods" which comes in two varieties (Hunger overhaul, and no hunger overhaul). You might enjoy that. There's also "terrafirmacraft" on the same launcher. It's pretty hard, but would be a total immersion/conversion

FTB:
Monster - it's good. warts and all notwithstanding.
Tech World,
FTBLite 2 (you might need to add a few other mods to it)
Surg's skyblocks (private pack) - it's the original skyblock with mods,
happydiggers amp (private pack)

Then there's the packs @Mevansuto mentioned. I am a co-conspirator, so my views might be biased. Both packs are fantastic . You may have to wait a little before "The Vogon Challenge" gets released. The "taint" thaumpack is for 1.7.2, but they're ironing out some issues with it still.

Both these packs are worth their wait in gold [pun intended]

go wild.

 

[Mevansuto]

I like a few packs that are out there...

On ATLauncher, along with what others mentioned there's also the "shneekeycraft" pack. There's also hard skyblock map variants like ag skies in the AT launcher. Check it.

On technic launcher, there's a pack called "Life in the woods" which comes in two varieties (Hunger overhaul, and no hunger overhaul). You might enjoy that. There's also "terrafirmacraft" on the same launcher. It's pretty hard, but would be a total immersion/conversion

FTB:
Monster - it's good. warts and all notwithstanding.
Tech World,
FTBLite 2 (you might need to add a few other mods to it)
Surg's skyblocks (private pack) - it's the original skyblock with mods,
happydiggers amp (private pack)

Then there's the packs @Mevansuto mentioned. I am a co-conspirator, so my views might be biased. Both packs are fantastic . You may have to wait a little before "The Vogon Challenge" gets released. The "taint" thaumpack is for 1.7.2, but they're ironing out some issues with it still.
Both these packs are worth their wait in gold [pun intended]

go wild.

Did we settle on "The Vogon Challenge"? Challenge might be a bit off-putting.

 

[AlCapella]

Did we settle on "The Vogon Challenge"? Challenge might be a bit off-putting.

We didn't. That's why I put quotes on it (as a tongue in cheek reference). Apologies if that caused confusion. Official line on this matter is: "The name is still up for grabs"... okay?

 

[Mevansuto]

We didn't. That's why I put quotes on it (as a tongue in cheek reference). Apologies if that caused confusion. Official line on this matter is: "The name is still up for grabs"... okay?

Hows about "The Vogon Elimination" as it sounds more threatening.

 

[AlCapella]

Hows about "The Vogon Elimination" as it sounds more threatening.

I like it! Definitely much better than "challenge". Any further discussion should be in our own PM. We don't want "no offtopic, guys" reminders directed at us

 

[Mevansuto]

I like it! Definitely much better than "challenge". Any further discussion should be in our own PM. We don't want "no offtopic, guys" reminders directed at us

Wait. People don't like it when threads here get derailed? Then why does it happen so often?