Minecraft Modpack Making 101: Beginnings

How to develop your vision - or not - and where to start!

So you’d like to make a Minecraft modpack of your own, but you don’t know where to start? This is a really common place to be - and there is unfortunately a dearth of good beginner tutorials, so I’m writing this to help bridge that gap a little.

In this first entry, we’ll discuss the very earliest steps. Here’s an outline:

• Deciding on a theme or vibe.
• Deciding on a version and modloader.
• What skills you’ll need, and why.
• Where to ask for help.
• What programs you’ll want to have.

Let’s begin.

Deciding on a Theme

There are two broad categories of modpacks:

Kitchen sink modpacks are just what they sound like - everything but the kitchen sink. These usually do not have a strong idea of progression, and the mods may not be thematically related. This is a totally valid option, and you can still give it a general vibe depending on what you add or exclude. An example of this would be All The Mods.

Themed or progression modpacks are more curated, with a specific vision or goal in mind. They often feature guided quests, and the mods in these modpacks will be more thematically coherent. An example of this would be something like Blightfall.

Your modpack doesn’t have to fit neatly into one of these categories. My own modpack, Cottage Witch, is a little of both. It tries to be thematically consistent along witchy/cottagecore lines, but it has certain mods which aren’t (such as Create). It does have quests, but doesn’t enforce a specific line of progression.

Choosing a theme is sometimes the hardest part. My recommendation is to pick one or two mods which will be your “hero” or “flagship” mods, and build around those. Once you have your flagship mods picked out, write down keywords which describe their vibes. Are they high fantasy? Realistic? Survival? Horror? Feel free to add in other keywords which you want to describe your modpack. Cozy? Vanilla-friendly? Grindy?

Think about what you want to emphasize, be it exploration, base-building, automation, animal collecting, etc. This list of keywords will help you pick out mods which suit your theme/vibe and contribute to the fun of your modpack.

Forge? Fabric? Which Minecraft version?

Next up you’ll need to decide on the basis for your modpack: the Minecraft version and the modloader. Both of these options can kind of be decided for you if there’s a particular mod or mods that you intend to use, but what if you don’t have something to make that decision for you?

The versions of Minecraft which have the widest breadth of mods are 1.12.2 and 1.7.10 - but by choosing one of these versions, you are potentially denying yourself a ton of new content both in the base game, and in newer mods. Additionally, there is a lot of quality-of-life which simply does not exist that far back, especially in terms of actual modpack making. I have been making modpacks since 1.7.10, and I remember having to go through and manually assign numerical block and item IDs because I wanted more mods than vanilla was capable of accommodating.

My preference is to develop on the most recent "stable" version, as that is what most mod authors are providing support for. It can be very frustrating to be using a previous version, and find that a frustrating bug is only fixed in the latest version of the mod. For that reason, most of this guide will focus on the current "stable" version, which is 1.20.1. However, much of the information will be easily applied to any version 1.18 and up.

Skills for Modpack Making

Making a modpack is more than just throwing together a bunch of mods and calling it a day. Ideally you want to make sure that they all play nicely together, and integrate as well as possible. You may even want to add your own features and gameplay systems to complement the mods in question! Here are some examples of what you need to know (or learn!) during the process.

Before I get into the list, remember that no one starts off knowing all this stuff! Some of these will likely need to be learned, and that’s okay! That’s why this section will also include places to ask for help. Now, onto the list:

• Editing datapacks is a major part of modpack magic. These files are generally .json format, and are used to define things like world generation, item tags, and recipes. These can be generated using websites like this one, or grabbed straight from the mod’s .jar file (which we’ll cover later)
• Writing scripts is another major part. You can use mods like CraftTweaker or KubeJS to disable unwanted items or even add new ones. This guide will mostly cover KubeJS, as it’s a little more of a robust system. Additionally, it uses JavaScript (compared to CT’s Zenscript), which makes it easier to validate using third-party programs/websites.
• Mastery of in-game commands and resources. You’ll gain familiarity with the debug menu and its associated functions. You’ll learn how to use /locate, /give and /summon commands, as well as modded commands which do things like view or edit NBT data.
• Graphic design or editing. This is a bit of a side-skill, but one which will elevate your modpack above the hoi polloi. Even if all you do is edit a Canva template (which is, surprise, what I do), good graphics for your modpack will give it an extra layer of polish.
• Optional: Quest concocting and writing. Although your modpack doesn’t NEED quests, it certainly makes for a more coherent and fun experience for the player. Later we’ll cover how to come up with ideas for quests, and tips for writing and formatting them.

And that’s it! Hopefully that doesn’t seem too daunting. Remember that all of these skills are easily learnable, and you’ll have plenty of help on your journey.

Where to Ask for Help

If you’re struggling with an aspect of modpack making, there are a number of places that you can go and ask for help!

• Minecraft Pack Development: A discord server for pack makers. This is a great place to ask if you’re looking for certain mods, or if you want opinions on a feature you’re considering. They’re also helpful if you have an idea but you’re not sure how to execute it. Consider this the “general assistance” chat.
• Modded MC: Another discord server, which has channels for both pack makers and general players to ask for help. It also has channels for mod developers and server admins, in case you need help in either of those cases. Be aware that it’s a large server, so it may take a bit of persistence to get your issue seen.
• Latvian.dev: This discord server is specifically for KubeJS help. Make sure you read the rules and also do a bit of your own research before asking for help. The help channel is specifically made to be searchable, so look up some keywords related to your issue and see if it’s been answered before.
• /r/FeedtheBeast: A subreddit dedicated to all things modded Minecraft. The “modded mc” discord is theirs. The subreddit can be a better place to ask things if you don’t mind waiting for an answer. It’s also easier to search than their discord.
• Github: Sometimes the answer you’re looking for will be in a specific mod’s Github page, either in the Wiki or in the Issues tabs. Github is a really good site to become familiar with for all things mod and modpack related. If you’re curious about how to configure a mod in a certain way, or if it’s capable of X, or if Y is a bug - check in that specific mod’s documentation.
• Individual mod’s Discords: Much like their githubs, sometimes the best place to ask for help is in a mod’s discord. Many mods will have their own Discord even if they don’t have a github page.

Programs ETC

• VSCode - This program will allow you to build a “workspace” where you have easy access to all the files in your modpack at once, without having to mess around in other programs. It also provides context-based highlighting, and a feature called “linting,” which is like spellcheck for programming. It will help you make sure you didn’t forget a semicolon or add an extra bracket. Easily the most important program on this list. Also, don’t confuse it for “Visual Studio,” which is a much bigger and more complex program by the same people.
• Github Desktop - This is the second most important program. It’s crucial to back up your projects regularly, and Github Desktop is the easiest and most feature-ful way to do so. While Git itself can be VERY daunting (I personally am terrified), Github Desktop allows you to do everything you’ll need to do within a comfortable GUI-based program.
• 7zip - This lightweight program will allow you to view the insides of mod .jar files, which can be helpful in editing datapacks and viewing mod behavior without having to test rigorously ingame.
• NBT Explorer - This is a more uncommon tool, but it can be very helpful! It allows you to view .nbt files outside of the game - so you can do things like view your playerdata, or change structure files from datapacks!
• Curseforge Launcher - Okay, I’m gonna be real with you for a moment. CurseForge sucks. Their website sucks, their launcher sucks. But unfortunately it’s the biggest place to find mods at the moment (although Modrinth is coming up quickly), and the most beginner-friendly place to build modpacks. So that’s what this guide uses.

The next section in this guide will help you set up your workspace with these programs, so you can get started adding mods!