Your thoughts on the Technic Platform?

[Saice]

My only issue with the whole its ok to chase off bad devlopers is there is not many good ones right now. And getting into the modding scene is a lot of work.

To be honest MC could use a site like Nexus and a really good back end modding API. I think if things got centrialized and plugging in and out mods becuase easyer the whole community would only get better.

In my little Shoop dream world it would be nice to have some offical dev tools too for the modders... But not going to hold me breath seeing as we are still waiting on an offical mod API.

 

[Alex Cubed]

I think it's a great idea. Build your own pack and play exactly what you want. Then share the pack you built with your friends and have no mod conflicts since everyone will be on the same track. That's just my opinion. Hopefully with this system we'll see less of the same modpacks and more custom ones with perhaps less known mods, helping the good ones work their way up to.

EDIT: Dat Pluspack. So many mods crammed together. Aside from that it almost makes me want to make my own pack so I can have everything exactly how I like it. I use Direwolf's pack minus Thaumcraft(and Thaumbees) but it would be nice to not have to disable the mods every single update.

 

[Mooseman9]

My only issue with the whole its ok to chase off bad devlopers is there is not many good ones right now. And getting into the modding scene is a lot of work.

To be honest MC could use a site like Nexus and a really good back end modding API. I think if things got centrialized and plugging in and out mods becuase easyer the whole community would only get better.

In my little Shoop dream world it would be nice to have some offical dev tools too for the modders... But not going to hold me breath seeing as we are still waiting on an offical mod API.

You sir, have things correct.[DOUBLEPOST=1362286999][/DOUBLEPOST]

I think it's a great idea. Build your own pack and play exactly what you want. Then share the pack you built with your friends and have no mod conflicts since everyone will be on the same track. That's just my opinion. Hopefully with this system we'll see less of the same modpacks and more custom ones with perhaps less known mods, helping the good ones work their way up to.

I've already discovered a great mod through them. Applied Energistics.

 

[khorozm]

Ultimately I hope Mojang will release official mod support
Solving ID issues, built in API, and less conflict when version changes
Even integrated config settings, sync between server and client, auto mod update....

Minecraft is the first game that they update that much after release, not bad to be a game to have official mod support

EDIT: ModPACK is not the solution, we need a Minecraft that when connected to a server, will fetch the mods needed automatically

 

[Abdiel]

EDIT: ModPACK is not the solution, we need a Minecraft that when connected to a server, will fetch the mods needed automatically

Which is pretty much what the Platform does. The workflow of a client is:

Start the Technic launcher.
Enter the code given by the server admin.
(The modpack is automatically and downloaded and installed. You don't need to do anything.)
Start Minecraft.
Connect to the server.

Other than integrating the second step into Minecraft itself (which I agree is what Mojang should get around to doing), it doesn't get simpler than this.

 

[Molten]

I may not be popular for saying this but you have to be pretty thick or in denial to not realise the bulk of objections (not all) comes down to any system that bypasses adfly pennies. Sorry, adfly respect.

Which is odd, because the average user of most modpacks around today like FTB downloads a pack and then adds a few extra mods. Then spends endless time afterwards updateing said mods, daily in some cases manually by visiting adfly links, which they wouldn't be doing if the mod wasn't in the pack in the first place.
Maybe if packs notified you of new releases but didn't update their would be less drama.

There will always be objections and drama with any system that bypasses adfly.
Not saying people don't have the right to earn with adfly, just getting a bit tired that no one ever says it. Instead other vauge reasons have to be sought.
Guess what... it's possible to have huge respect for certain authors and their work and still use certain modpacks. The only people who have the right to say different are those that have never downloaded their favourite artists music or a movie / TVshow /sofware etc without paying or similar. The "respect" drama imo has always been a sideshow and smokescreen.
If a pack was ever developed where you select your mods and it promps you ONCE to download by way of a generated link page all the mods needed from the origional source I doubt there would be objections about adding mods to a pack from anyone. Repsect will have been paid and all would be happy.

I wont be useing Tekkit related products myself for personal reasons. But it has nothing t do with permissions, respect, or pennies. But they do tend to give people decent products.
Apart from the fact they eat babies obviously, most of them are pretty decent guys too. (most).

Continue the dramas.

 

[khorozm]

Which is pretty much what the Platform does. The workflow of a client is:

Start the Technic launcher.
Enter the code given by the server admin.
(The modpack is automatically and downloaded and installed. You don't need to do anything.)
Start Minecraft.
Connect to the server.

Other than integrating the second step into Minecraft itself (which I agree is what Mojang should get around to doing), it doesn't get simpler than this.

I would more like to see the server can choose mods via a GUI, and when a client joins, mods (that the client doens't have) will be automatically downloaded.
Config like difficulties will be also downloaded

But anyways, Technic Platform already made me very happy

 

[Dafuq?]

I'm playing mostly ssp, so I prefer to build my own custom packs using multimc, but this looks like a great step forward for server owners. Apparently the system ftb is using for private packs has already shown it's limits, as they quickly got overwhelmed by the number of requests, and had to stop taking applications, at least temporarily.

Concerning the permission issue: I really can't wrap my head around that, I've never seen anything like this in any other gaming community, and I have to say, it just makes me sad.

I'd rather have modpack makers concentrate on building and updating the packs, than spending hours asking 50+ mod authors for permissions or having to consult with lawyers before distributing their packs. Especially as we are talking about a game, where the game developer itself doesn’t even care about piracy, which at least would be a real legal issue.

And to those who argue that it's all about respect, I can only say one thing: Desperately claiming respect is not exactly the best way to get it, in my experience.

 

[Entropy]

Hey dudes, I can shed some light on various Plus pack related activities (Warning, goon bias incoming). First: Covert Jaguar tried and failed miserably to have the pack DMCA'd. He actually commited a legit crime by doing so, but whatever. Point is, Covert failed horrifically. Second: We do not use a recoded version of railcraft, a wonderful goon was kind enough to provide the Plus guys with RCTweaks, which cuts out the DRM (weird right? DRM in a mod?) currently present in Railcraft, FML, Thaumcraft 3, and Forestry. Third: If you haven't used Plus Pack or one of its off shoots, do it now. They are incredible sets of mods, and far more fun than any other pack out there. Finally: (This is my Technic loving side) Platform is loving amazing in every possible way, and it quite literally blows FTB's convoluted process out of the water when it comes to Private (or public) packs. Take it as it will gents, stay classy.
Edit: Platform already has its own Terrafirmacraft pack out, and it's great.

 

[Dafuq?]

Edit: Platform already has its own Terrafirmacraft pack out, and it's great.

I just tried that and got my ass handed to me by a bunch of zombies in the first night. This is gonna be FUN (DF style).

I must say that I really like the platform concept, installing the packs is as easy as it always should have been, and there are literally hundreds to choose from.

the DRM (weird right? DRM in a mod?) currently present in Railcraft, FML, Thaumcraft 3, and Forestry.

Seriously? FML as in Forge Mod Loader? I mean, the other three are no big surprise but if there really is any form of DRM in FML, that makes me wanna throw up.

 

[Dasein808]

Hey dudes, I can shed some light on various Plus pack related activities (Warning, goon bias incoming). First: Covert Jaguar tried and failed miserably to have the pack DMCA'd. He actually commited a legit crime by doing so, but whatever. Point is, Covert failed horrifically. Second: We do not use a recoded version of railcraft, a wonderful goon was kind enough to provide the Plus guys with RCTweaks, which cuts out the DRM (weird right? DRM in a mod?) currently present in Railcraft, FML, Thaumcraft 3, and Forestry. Third: If you haven't used Plus Pack or one of its off shoots, do it now. They are incredible sets of mods, and far more fun than any other pack out there. Finally: (This is my Technic loving side) Platform is loving amazing in every possible way, and it quite literally blows FTB's convoluted process out of the water when it comes to Private (or public) packs. Take it as it will gents, stay classy.
Edit: Platform already has its own Terrafirmacraft pack out, and it's great.

EDIT: Edited out the pointless and disrespectful post.

 

[Soulsbane96]

Seriously? FML as in Forge Mod Loader? I mean, the other three are no big surprise but if there really is any form of DRM in FML, that makes me wanna throw up.

Whats DRM stand for? Never heard that acronym before.

As to the Platform, I've personally never used it but I have used Technic (and found it amazing, I love it), and think it'll be a great step, even if we're nowhere close yet, to a Nexus-like site for minecraft mods. If mod authors and users stop squabbling and bickering over 'respect' (is it respectful to the end user who has no idea of your issue with a modpack to blow up their shit for trying to use mods? Not trying to start a flame war, just my personal opinion) and extremely shaky permissions.

 

[Guswut]

Whats DRM stand for? Never heard that acronym before.

Digital Rights Management.

 

[Entropy]

Seriously? FML as in Forge Mod Loader? I mean, the other three are no big surprise but if there really is any form of DRM in FML, that makes me wanna throw up.

Yep, Forge Mod Loader, hilarious right? It's weird.

Hey bro, you're trash.

Hey bro, let's rub butts sometime!

 

[KirinDave]

The thing is, nearly every mod gives permission to run private server modpacks. Technic's Platform is just a rational extension of that. If some champion modpack emerges that everyone wants (the way tekkit itself was) then they will naturally need to change their policy as they transition. But with the possible exception of RP2 (which has this really weird status where we have examples of private modpacks being told to desist even though Eloraam once said it was fair game to private modpack), there are vanishingly few mods that do not have permission for private packs. So this fretting about "illegal mod packs" is entirely moot. And for those of us who run servers, it is a pain in our rears to keep versions up-to-date and distributed across platforms and sync configs.

What will eventually happen if mod developers persist on collecting these absurdly small sums from Adf.ly and Mediafire as if its an "income" is that modpacks will start integrating URLs and invoke local browsers to automate downloads. It's just a pain to do that, but once it's done there is no legal standing for anyone to deny inclusion of any modpack. Right now the only legal standing is to avoid "redistribution", but inclusion in a modpack and configuration alteration is not redistribution if the pack doesn't keep the binary. So let's all hope for that world to emerge soon.

In any case, Feed the Beast is a public modpack with public redistribution rights. But other modpacks may emerge with enough popularity and demand to negotiate for those rights. Trying to choke out the opportunity for those to emerge will only make the ecosystem worse. FTB is special because they're mostly good people; but lots of other groups of good people exist and they should have a shot too.

You can talk all about how if most mod authors had half the sense of a horse they'd open source their mods for maximum value. That message is often lost because people have funny misconceptions about what is actually valuable in a software project. Ultimately, it's their legal right to make bad decisions and all we can do is politely point out, "You are making a bad decision and deliberately reducing the value of your mod both to yourself and the community." Belaboring that point excessively just makes you an ass.

 

[GreenWolf13]

Guess I'll pop in here and throw in my 2 cents. For those of you who don't know, I'm a mod author, and I'm making the WIP mod MageCraft. Now here's why I, as a mod author, think platform is amazing.

First, you aren't limited to just distributing modpacks. You can distribute individual mods as well, and I'm planning to use this to provide an alternative "One click install" for MageCraft, so that all you have to do to install it is copy paste the code into your launcher and it'll install for you. If you can't see why this is a great thing for end users, I suggest you go try installing Forge and a Forge mod, and then updating them manually each time they update.

Second, platform has already helped get my mod out to the community, and it's not even finished. The Magician's Cookbook pack on the Technic Platform includes MageCraft, and it has over 1000 downloads. That's more than twice as many downloads as I've gotten through my dropbox link. So more than 2/3 of the users of my mod are from modpacks. Considering that I want people to enjoy my mod (that's kind of the entire point of modding, isn't it?), the platform is probably one of the best things that's happened for my mod.

 

[Entropy]

You can talk all about how if most mod authors had half the sense of a horse they'd open source their mods for maximum value. That message is often lost because people have funny misconceptions about what is actually valuable in a software project. Ultimately, it's their legal right to make bad decisions and all we can do is politely point out, "You are making a bad decision and deliberately reducing the value of your mod both to yourself and the community." Belaboring that point excessively just makes you an ass.

Well said. However, when those modmakers' bad decisions affect me, don't get upset when I go against their wishes. I did it for Forestry, I did it for Gregtech, I did it for Railcraft, and I'll do it again.

 

[KirinDave]

Well said. However, when those modmakers' bad decisions affect me, don't get upset when I go against their wishes. I did it for Forestry, I did it for Gregtech, I did it for Railcraft, and I'll do it again.

All of those modpacks grant private modpack distribution and um, which one doesn't grant public modpacks? Railcraft? I think Forestry and GT do now.

 

[Hydra]

Its now getting more illegal than it already is, now that users can make their own modpacks, without permissions.

The whole point of making mods is having users that use them. If a modmaker objects to users using his mod, good riddance.

 

[Entropy]

All of those modpacks grant private modpack distribution and um, which one doesn't grant public modpacks? Railcraft? I think Forestry and GT do now.

No, this isn't about private modpacks, this was about mod authors' "decisions". All of these fine sirs have impeded or are currently impeding the end user. In that case, include Azanor and RichardG to the mix.