Frequently Asked Questions
Where did you learn how to java/mod?
I learned Java at the very same time I learnt to mod. Previously I did not know a single bit of Java Programming, but I had experience with JavaScript and a little bit of Sourcemod/AMX Mod X scripting. Thankfully I managed to adapt for Java and I’m still learning new things about Java since Feb 2011.
When I learned to mod, modding was still very fairly new to Minecraft (Beta 1.2_02). There were very few tutorials and mods weren’t as advanced as they are now (aka no such thing as ThaumCraft, BTW, BuildCraft, etc). Many of the mods were base edits into the Item or Block class and almost every mod conflicted with each other. Risugami’s ModLoader itself wasn’t very old and Forge didn’t exist.
Since I was just starting out in both modding and Java, I had looked through some open source mods (Risu’s ModLoader compatible) to figure out how they worked. There was one modding tutorial I read but I remember that not helping much. I also seeked help from #mcp-modding and #risucraft on irc.esper.net.
It took me over 2 weeks of constant playing around with Notepad++ (I use IDEA now, which I would highly recommend, previously I used Eclipse when MCP started providing their workspaces) and recompiling and testing the client in MCP for me to finally release the very first version of PortalGun. That sure took a while!
How long have you been modding? / When did you start modding?
I started modding Minecraft when it was in Beta 1.2_02. Around late February 2011 if I recall correctly. You do the math.
What inspired you to start modding?
One day, after playing Minecraft with mods for a few weeks, I thought to myself, “I should make a mod!”. No, seriously. That’s it.
What were the first few mods you ever played with?
I didn’t play with many mods, there weren’t many to begin with. I really liked the idea of other entities interacting with the player, so I got the Minecolony and Builders mods installed. That was pretty much it. A friend of mine explored a lot more with different mods and he showed me screens.
What’s your favourite mod?
I don’t really play with mods much so I can’t really say. I’ve been asked this many times but I’ve never really got a definitive answer.
Well, what’s your favourite mod you’ve made?
This is also another hard one to answer… I’m definitely most proud of Morph, but in terms of how fun it was to make, Hats and Trail Mix are pretty much at a tie, I guess. Hats because of how it was during ModJam and how everyone was getting along and making jokes during the dev of the mod, and Trail Mix because of how silly it just, as well as the people in TeamSpeak was while I was making the mod. Ahhh, fun times. (Yes, my favourite mod is not Portal Gun, believe it or not)
Can you make a mod for me?
No. I don’t have the time for that. I find it difficult to balance real life and maintaining/adding content to my current mods even, and plus I’m still getting ideas for new mods!
I’ll pay you! Please??
The answer is still no. However if you really would like to aid my financial burden, feel free to leave me a donation or become a patron 🙂
Can you teach me/make tutorials on how to mod?
No. Normally when people ask me for modding help, if they explain what they’re trying to do, if I know how it can be done, I would point them in the general direction they should be looking, or I will drop them a hint. That’s how I would do things. It is mostly through self exploration and the curiosity plus the perseverance of a person that will only grant them the satisfaction of when they successfully complete something. A perfect example for this would be the Antichamber game. I highly recommend it to you if you have not played this. It gives players a perfect environment of learning through experience and through testing by throwing out all the rules you would normally be comfortable with and putting you out of your comfort zone.
On making modding tutorials, I’m not very keen on making tutorials, for one, my accent is hard for people to understand at times (proven by Youtube’s Automatic Closed Captioning). If I do make one, it’s probably due to many requests on how I’ve done something which you may have seen in my mods, and it’ll probably be neglected eventually (Eg, 3D item models).
What do you have to say to people who’d like to start modding?
Make sure you don’t take the same route I did… Learn java first! There’s many good java tutorials you can get by looking online. I won’t quote any here (because up to now, I still have not read a single java tutorial). Next up, would either be to look at open source mod as an example as I have, or look up some UPDATED modding tutorials. Emphasis on the word updated. You can take a look at my Github repository for some of my open source mods (of which covers a wide span of how things are done)
Another bit would be a good personal character. Make sure you’re ready to persevere and handle the frustration of not having things go your way. Try to figure out some things your way rather than bug others about something really simple. The source is ALL there for you to figure out. Even experienced modders actually refer to Minecraft’s code from time to time to figure stuff out. Also, please, please, be open to criticism about what you’re working on. Sometimes the people talking really know what they’re talking about! (Heh!)
I am a modder who would like to make a mod! Would you like to join me in a collaboration/team?
Sorry, but I really don’t have the time for that. As mentioned, I find it difficult to balance real life and maintaining/adding content to my current mods.
I can’t mod but you can! Let me give you ideas and you could make a mod from my ideas?
Yeahhhhh no. Like seriously, no. Period.