What exactly is FTB BETA A?

[felinoel]

Hey I just started using FTB on my server and I used the first choice on the launcher FTB BETA A...
What FTB pack is this exactly? What should I look for to upgrade it to?

I noticed it fell to the very bottom of the launcher and that worried me because there was no FTB BETA B to update to or something like that...

 

[Whovian]

FTB Beta A's the old big tech one, Direwolf20 and MindCrack are more up to date. Direwolf20 and MindCrack are effectively the same thing (other than a few mods, for instance, DW20 and MC have Thaumcraft but DW20 doesn't have the Twilight Forest, MC has harder GregTech options, plus Xycraft and no plugins for NEI yet.) The FTB Technic and Ultimate packs should be coming out soon, and those shouldn't be Beta, though all software, in a sense, is in a beta test.

 

[felinoel]

FTB Beta A's the old big tech one, Direwolf20 and MindCrack are more up to date. Direwolf20 and MindCrack are effectively the same thing (other than a few mods, for instance, DW20 and MC have Thaumcraft but DW20 doesn't have the Twilight Forest, MC has harder GregTech options, plus Xycraft and no plugins for NEI yet.) The FTB Technic and Ultimate packs should be coming out soon, and those shouldn't be Beta, though all software, in a sense, is in a beta test.

So... if I upgraded the server to either Direwolf or MindCrack now that there is an updated version of those, there would be no issues?

 

[Zica]

The minecraft version is also at 1.4.2, so you won't be getting any of the newer stuff such as fireworks. The closest thing to the beta pack would most likely be DW20. And just like whovian said, if you can wait a few days, the ultimate pack will be coming out which has the most amount of mods.

 

[Whovian]

So... if I upgraded the server to either Direwolf or MindCrack now that there is an updated version of those, there would be no issues?

Probably ID mismatches, so you'd, unfortunately, have to start a new world. Dunno if the configs for the MindCrack and Direwolf20 were designed with FTB Beta A's configs in mind.

 

[felinoel]

The minecraft version is also at 1.4.2, so you won't be getting any of the newer stuff such as fireworks. The closest thing to the beta pack would most likely be DW20. And just like whovian said, if you can wait a few days, the ultimate pack will be coming out which has the most amount of mods.

My server is already made, I want to update it.

Probably ID mismatches, so you'd, unfortunately, have to start a new world. Dunno if the configs for the MindCrack and Direwolf20 were designed with FTB Beta A's configs in mind.

Right... so this old tech pack you mentioned, will there ever be an update to it that I can upgrade to then? One that won't require a brand new world be made?

You'll be upgrading, in a few days, to either Tech or Ultimate.

the beta pack was a test pack of 1.4.2 mods that will not be maintained.

Mods that will not be maintained..? How do you mean?
Will my world be fine if I upgrade to Tech or Ultimate?

 

[Zica]

My server is already made, I want to update it.


Right... so this old tech pack you mentioned, will there ever be an update to it that I can upgrade to then? One that won't require a brand new world be made?

Chances are, the beta pack won't be updated, mainly because it is a beta pack and only for testing. One thing you could do, is save the world file of your current server, and place it into your new server which might be using the ultimate pack, or whatever you choose. that way, you can keep all of your builds, and your inventories. There is a downside to this, however. In your ultimate pack server, you will have to travel to newly generated areas to get ores such as nikolite and tungsten, since the beta pack doesn't have redpower.

 

[Whovian]

Chances are, the beta pack won't be updated, mainly because it is a beta pack and only for testing. One thing you could do, is save the world file of your current server, and place it into your new server which might be using the ultimate pack, or whatever you choose. that way, you can keep all of your builds, and your inventories. There is a downside to this, however. In your ultimate pack server, you will have to travel to newly generated areas to get ores such as nikolite and tungsten, since the beta pack doesn't have redpower.

But there are still the ID mismatches. Which wonk everything up.

 

[Zica]

But there are still the ID mismatches. Which wonk everything up.

Not if you let the ultimate pack generate the config files. You're just transferring the world folder only. Not the mods or configs, or whatever.

 

[felinoel]

Chances are, the beta pack won't be updated, mainly because it is a beta pack and only for testing. One thing you could do, is save the world file of your current server, and place it into your new server which might be using the ultimate pack, or whatever you choose. that way, you can keep all of your builds, and your inventories. There is a downside to this, however. In your ultimate pack server, you will have to travel to newly generated areas to get ores such as nikolite and tungsten, since the beta pack doesn't have redpower.

If it uses condensers or whatever it is that Thaumcraft uses that makes items from other items, then it should be fine enough.

But there are still the ID mismatches. Which wonk everything up.

That would only affect placed blocks and blocks in inventories, right?

 

[Whovian]

The thing is, the saves record IDs, not blocks. So, if you use the config files to switch Copper Ore's ID with, say, Iridium Ore, all Copper Ore turns into Iridium Ore and all Iridium Ore gets turned into Copper Ore. By this point, you have random blocks turning into random other blocks and some more blocks getting deleted.

Did I mention that, once, Redrock's old ID corresponded to Land Marks? That was pretty world-breaking. Tons of lag.

 

[SilvasRuin]

If it uses condensers or whatever it is that Thaumcraft uses that makes items from other items, then it should be fine enough.

Condensers are from Equivalent Exchange 2, not Thaumcraft, and I don't believe Equivalent Exchange 2 ever had a version that worked for Minecraft 1.4.2. So... I have no idea what you're on about.

 

[felinoel]

Not if you let the ultimate pack generate the config files. You're just transferring the world folder only. Not the mods or configs, or whatever.

So you are saying it should be fine then, at least the world should?

The thing is, the saves record IDs, not blocks. So, if you use the config files to switch Copper Ore's ID with, say, Iridium Ore, all Copper Ore turns into Iridium Ore and all Iridium Ore gets turned into Copper Ore. By this point, you have random blocks turning into random other blocks and some more blocks getting deleted.

Did I mention that, once, Redrock's old ID corresponded to Land Marks? That was pretty world-breaking. Tons of lag.

But either you or someone else said that the FTB BETA A modpack was basically a Tech/Ultimate modpack, shouldn't there be not too much change?

Condensers are from Equivalent Exchange 2, not Thaumcraft, and I don't believe Equivalent Exchange 2 ever had a version that worked for Minecraft 1.4.2. So... I have no idea what you're on about.

Condensers or whatever it is that Thaumcraft uses that makes items from other items are two different items.
I did not say condensers were from Thaumcraft. I said condensers and then I mentioned a different item, one that I forgot the name of so I described it.

 

[Whovian]

But either you or someone else said that the FTB BETA A modpack was basically a Tech/Ultimate modpack, shouldn't there be not too much change?

Hmm, depends on how the people at FTB resolve ID conflicts. It's at least worth a shot, hopefully it'll almost work.

 

[felinoel]

The OLD tech pack was 1.2.5 for the monument, you can't go backwards, you can never go that way.

The only way forward is to the new material.

Someone said it might be getting updated..?

But you knew that, you went and picked the beta, didn't you?

I did not know that, I only picked the first thing on the list on the launcher. This is my first time using FTB.

Honestly it sounds like you went and installed something completely unknown without doing any research.

I sure did, I wanted a modpack that worked with Millenaire, after trying several different ones someone suggested FTB and I tried it not thinking it would work and when it did I was so happy that I didn't care to look for more info.

You'll have to apologize to your players pick an up to date pack that WILL be upgraded and continued forward, purge the world and make a new one with it, though perhaps you can keep the seed, for old times sake.

Or I could try to update to the Direwolf thing or MindCrack and hope.

Honestly, there's no shame in such things, happens all the time, and will continue to happen until the beta pack is completely faded out. Myself I put quite a few hours into the beta world, I'm attached to the work I did. On the other hand, it's practice, and I now understand the mods and how they work together much better.

It's a good thing you've asked so early and there is so little to lose, it'll make things easier.

I would rather be sure it is my only move before taking it.

 

[SilvasRuin]

Condensers or whatever it is that Thaumcraft uses that makes items from other items are two different items.
I did not say condensers were from Thaumcraft. I said condensers and then I mentioned a different item, one that I forgot the name of so I described it.

But there is no such thing in Thaumcraft 3, and 1.4.2 didn't have any version of Thaumcraft. So I still have no idea what you're talking about.

Unless... do you perhaps mean the Forge Lexicon from the Omnitools mod? That only changes between things that are considered to be the same in the Forge dictionaries, so that still wouldn't do what you're talking about.

 

[felinoel]

Hmm, depends on how the people at FTB resolve ID conflicts. It's at least worth a shot, hopefully it'll almost work.

Almost is good enough.

But there is no such thing in Thaumcraft 3, and 1.4.2 didn't have any version of Thaumcraft. So I still have no idea what you're talking about.

Unless... do you perhaps mean the Forge Lexicon from the Omnitools mod? That only changes between things that are considered to be the same in the Forge dictionaries, so that still wouldn't do what you're talking about.

Pretty sure the updated modpacks don't use 1.4.2
This was talking about how going from a 1.4.2 world without RedPower to an updated one with RedPower would mean that there would be no generated RedPower ores and I was saying that those two items could craft them for people without.

 

[SilvasRuin]

I realized what you meant (though wasn't sure) when I typed the latter half of that post, about the Lexicon. That's what I was addressing with that bit. There's nothing that will convert something to Nikolite in the mod packs, for example.

 

[felinoel]

I realized what you meant (though wasn't sure) when I typed the latter half of that post, about the Lexicon. That's what I was addressing with that bit. There's nothing that will convert something to Nikolite in the mod packs, for example.

Lexicon... is that the weird circle thing that converts items into other items? hmm

Well as long as it has the condenser then it should be fine enough, I can always spawn in one ore per person of what they need and have them condense the rest.

 

[SilvasRuin]

The Lexicon looks kind of like the Enchanting Table. It converts IC2 Copper Ore to Thermal Expansion Copper Ore, so on and so forth.

If you're NOW referring to the EE2 Condenser, then you're out of luck. EE3 won't have the Condenser. Nor the Collector.