You have a choice to make. If you had to pick just one mod...

[Skirty_007]

This is a really tough question, as so many of the mods we use go so well together (also, once one starts adding mods it gets easy to add more and more and more!). I think Forestry. I'm in the "I love bees" camp, so I think that's what I'd choose. Only thing would be I wouldn't have any pipes, because of no Buildcraft... hmm. Maybe Redpower 2 (when it's out). It's one of the mods I used most extensively when I played that other modpack and the 1.2.5 FTB (not the challenge map obviously). Aside from the amazing technological items (enabling tree farms, various other farms etc), microblocks make building more interesting, marble and basalt are blocks I like to build with, so yep, that's the one I'd go for.

TLDR version: Redpower 2 when it's out.

 

[Zach Haviland]

Thaumcraft 3. No contest. Its easy to get started with but you don't run out of things to do for a long time.

 

[King Lemming]

Pretty sure everyone knows which one I'd pick...

Railcraft.

Didn't see that coming, eh? Seriously though, RC is the only mod out there providing some level of power generation, ore processing, automation (including mining), item transport, player transport, new toys, and chunk loading in a single package. It's also incredibly well-balanced and fits into Minecraft crazy well.

You could argue that there are other mods that do any of those features "better," and with the single exception of all of the minecart stuff, you might be right - although none of them do it as stylishly or in a single coherent package.

CovertJaguar for pres.

 

[Carlos Alba]

Redpower, no doubt there. It can be very useful with a lot of other mods, it might be late in the updates (nevertheless, I NEVER had any bug-related problem with RP), and I might be useless with its computers (ok, with Forth). But frankly, it has everything. Including a (slow) transport in the shape of a "frameship"!

 

[Narcisism]

Pretty sure everyone knows which one I'd pick...

Railcraft.

Didn't see that coming, eh? Seriously though, RC is the only mod out there providing some level of power generation, ore processing, automation (including mining), item transport, player transport, new toys, and chunk loading in a single package. It's also incredibly well-balanced and fits into Minecraft crazy well.

You could argue that there are other mods that do any of those features "better," and with the single exception of all of the minecart stuff, you might be right - although none of them do it as stylishly or in a single coherent package.

CovertJaguar for pres.

RailCraft was actually my first thought, too, but then I realized that most of the stuff that you could do with railcraft would need BuildCraft in some way (pipes to get the steam out of the boiler, or the items into / out of the un/loaders), and that RailCraft on its own has no automated mining. And I HATE mining. Thus, Steve's Carts. Does everything you might need, provides progression for a LONG time, and over all works out really well for automation. Still a bit hard to work with without pipes, though.

 

[King Lemming]

RailCraft was actually my first thought, too, but then I realized that most of the stuff that you could do with railcraft would need BuildCraft in some way (pipes to get the steam out of the boiler, or the items into / out of the un/loaders), and that RailCraft on its own has no automated mining. And I HATE mining. Thus, Steve's Carts. Does everything you might need, provides progression for a LONG time, and over all works out really well for automation. Still a bit hard to work with without pipes, though.

Strictly speaking, the engines can operate right off of the boiler, and since the RC machines that you want to interact with are multi-block (and interact with cart loaders/unloaders), you can just line up your multi-blocks.

Also, the tunnel bore is infact automated mining.

 

[Narcisism]

Oh crap I forgot about that guy xD

 

[Meara]

hmm...
Redpower, Hands down.
Was actually the mod that got me in to modded minecraft in the first place.
Simple yet Versatile.

 

[Tylor]

I like tools, so Thaumcraft with Industrialcraft colse second.[DOUBLEPOST=1355529129][/DOUBLEPOST]

Strictly speaking, the engines can operate right off of the boiler, and since the RC machines that you want to interact with are multi-block (and interact with cart loaders/unloaders), you can just line up your multi-blocks.

But what are you gonna use that energy for without other mods?

 

[NosePicker5555]

I think it would have to be either BTW or Terrafirmacraft, since those are two very complete mods that do work so well standalone. IC2 and BC and the other mods in FTB and T****T I always feel work best with other mods. (Quickly goes off and downloads both these mods to play). Oh but if I have BTW can I also have optifine or MCpatcher as I love HD textures and as Flower Child and *insert Forge developer when I remember the name here* don't get along, no forge support for BTW.

I liked how you blanked out T****T.

 

[Ember Quill]

RedPower, definitely. While there are plenty of other mods that do some things better, RP2 has a bit of everything. Frame-powered quarries, item transportation/sorting, ore processing, crafting, etc. I'd miss the ability to double my ores with IndustrialCraft or Thermal Expansion, but both IC2 and TE have fewer features than RedPower does.

 

[Excalibur42]

I have never even looked into Thaumcraft, but it's hard to choose between Redpower and IndustrialCraft2.... I'd go with IC2 cause it's a classic, my favourite mod and has been for a long time, played the original IC back when the only public discussion of it was Albaka's awesome thread were he pretended to be a cheesy salesman...classic.

 

[Dravarden]

well, I have a server with my friend of only thaumcraft, but just because redpower is not out yet, and if respower gets released, and thaumcraft not updated with more stuff... well...

 

[Cloud]

Optifine.

 

[DanteGalileo]

Thaumcraft 2. Not even close even if I do have high hopes for Thaumcraft 3. Just not as fun for me yet, for whatever reason.

 

[Zerren]

Singular mod..? Its a tossup between Railcraft or Terrafirmacraft. TFC reasoning was stated somewhere else in this thread, its a whole game changer and mods don't really mesh all too well with it...and Railcraft is just ballerstatus

 

[DanteGalileo]

I've only been playing Minecraft for about 2.5 months and, though I have heard a lot of good things about Railcraft, I haven't made more than a couple coke ovens... I really wish there were more Let's Plays that used only Railcraft or only IC2 or only... Well you get the point. Every Railcraft video I find is a guy with 4 of each track type set up pointing out which are the fastest and which are the slowest or Let's Plays with so many other mods installed that Railcraft (for example) gets lost.

 

[Tylor]

I have a full-cycle UU factory that use strictly Railcraft for item transport.

My experience is that RC is probably least laggy option for logistics, but a bit too expensive. Especially for feeding machines from below (furnaces, generators) - I had to use advanced unloaders - that's five steel and string for something that can be done with one stone pipe.

 

[DanteGalileo]

In that video... By "scaffolds" you mean Ladders, yeah?

 

[Cloud]

In that video... By "scaffolds" you mean Ladders, yeah?

Scaffolds is an ic2 item which is cheap and acts as a efficient fuel and .... a scaffolding material which you can climb.