“weren't you going on about “minecraft is boring” like 5-7 months ago”
– Nameless Rumia

Minecraft is a sandbox game by Mojang Studios that began in 2009,¹⁾ started sales in 2010,²⁾ fully released in 2011,³⁾ then it was acquired by Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014.⁴⁾⁵⁾ Over time, the game would be split into the 'Java Edition'⁶⁾ and the C++ 'Bedrock Edition'.⁷⁾⁸⁾

This article will mostly focus on the Java Edition since it's usually the one everyone uses, especially around my age group, and it will mostly have notes for myself and beginners who manage to stumble across this article, so don't expect any expert tips or anything.

In the past, Minecraft was a simple game with a lot of potential, thus becoming this online phenomenon where you kept seeing it on bulletin boards⁹⁾¹⁰⁾ or YouTube videos, then came their immense modding scene. This premature hype eventually ended after Microsoft's acquisition in September 2014, with development stagnating as they juggled the 'Bedrock Engine',¹¹⁾ and newer updates broke compatibility with older mods.

Most of the late 2010s saw Minecraft being 'uncool' and their sanitized image wasn't doing any favors,¹²⁾ but it eventually saw a 'breakthrough' in 2019 after popular streamers revisited the game for its 10th anniversary, then casual multiplayer gaming and content¹³⁾ was in demand during the pandemic. Microsoft would then urge legacy Mojang accounts to migrate from October 21, 2020¹⁴⁾ to September 19, 2023.¹⁵⁾

The default Minecraft launcher is limited, and most newcomers won't know about the plethora of open-source alternatives that isn't the bloated CurseForge launcher, so I've gathered some examples below. If you're pirating with a cracked launcher¹⁶⁾ and intend to play multiplayer, be mindful that the server owner will have to make an exception,¹⁷⁾ then the players would have to get SkinsRestorer or OfflineSkins.

• MultiMC
  The classic, but complicated, launcher. CurseForge and FTB modpacks might require extra steps.¹⁸⁾
  • PrismLauncher
    The active MultiMC fork. Most of the former PolyMC developers moved here after 2022.¹⁹⁾
  • FjordLauncher 🏴‍☠️
    The 'DRM-free' fork of Prism Launcher, inspired by PollyMC. Fully supports FTB modpacks.
• ATLauncher
  A simple portable launcher. Supports FTB modpacks. Very easy to add mods!
• Modrinth App
  Modrinth's launcher. Simple, but very limited. Has advertisements, claims 25% of their ad revenue.²⁰⁾
• FTB App
  Feed The Beast's launcher. Mostly bloated.

You will need a Java Development Kit (JDK), preferably an open-source fork, to run Minecraft. While some launchers can install one for you, other launchers assume that you already know about these things, which could add further confusion to an already intimidating process. Below are the main four distribution options that people choose from, obviously not including the subscription-only OTN.

A mod loader is a self-explanatory API that has 'standardized' mod development by having developers on the same page, reducing compatibility issues, and allow players to play Minecraft with mods. This won't be very important unless you're thinking about creating a new modpack from scratch, you wish to add compatible mods to an existing modpack, or you're looking into how to develop a mod and want to know the options.

• Risugami's ModLoader - The incredibly ancient loader for Java Edition Beta to 1.6.2.
• Forge - The bulky loader that emerged during 1.1, after most of the original team left.²²⁾ This would become popular with the early 2010s boom, but times have changed since then.
  • NeoForge - A fork of Forge that split around 1.20.1 since Forge's developers had enough.²³⁾²⁴⁾ This was successful, so most modern modpacks recently switched to NeoForge instead.
• Fabric - The lightweight loader that emerged during 1.13 since Forge took *forever* to release their loader. It became a serious contender after 1.17 and the subsequent boom.
  • Quilt - A fork of Fabric that split around 1.18.2. Yeah, I'm not getting paid to unpack this drama.
  • Legacy Fabric - A fork of Fabric for older Minecraft versions, namely 1.3–1.14. Very niche.

A modpack is a third-party collection of mods and settings for Minecraft, which are typically categorized into genres (e.g. adventure, magic, quest, skyblock, tech, etc.) or size (e.g. kitchen sink, light, etc.) unless you intend to make one yourself. Be warned that everyone has different preferences, so you won't find a 'definitive' recommendation, and version numbers will be a debate that you have to ask yourself.²⁵⁾

When it comes to a multiplayer server, it will help to understand the difference between 'server-side' mod and 'client-side' mod, preferably before you start the server up. You can customize an existing modpack, but you would have to export the modpack, understand the export methods,²⁶⁾ and confirm that the modpack's settings didn't get lost (e.g. missing title screen,²⁷⁾ etc.) by testing and playing on the re-imported instance.

A data pack is a third-party collection of data that can be added during world creation, without the need for a mod loader, though some might require a mod and vice versa. These have to be manually added into the world's folder every single time, likely why some data packs become mods, but the process can be alleviated slightly with mods like Resourcify.

The goal of 'beating the game' is optional, but required for players who want an elytra or shulker boxes and return to the main world through the exit portal, even if you circumvent the End gateway using an 1000-block bridge (about 16 stacks) or some redstone build. Most people won't need this guide, or so I believe, so these are just notes that I've jotted down for myself and anyone who might find this guide useful.

1. Figure out the basic mechanics. This would be where you learn how to craft, smelt, and so forth.
   • If you can 'speedrun' a Nether portal with a lava pool or a magma ravine, skip to step 5.
2. Obtain a diamond pickaxe. Requires iron pickaxe or better. Most players discover diamonds by caving around deepslate level, 'strip mining',²⁸⁾ looting, or trade as a last resort.
3. Mine obsidian. Requires water and lava source blocks, can force with a bucket.
   • If absolutely necessary, water and lava are 'renewable' if you have cauldrons and dripstones.
4. Create and light a Nether portal. Use flint and steel, set things on fire, etc.
5. Gather blaze rods and ender pearls from The Nether. Find blazes (in a fortress), and either: find endermen (in a Warped Forest), barter,²⁹⁾ or trade as a last resort.
   • Remember: 1 blaze rod = 2 blaze powder. 1 blaze power + 1 ender pearl = 1 eye of ender.
   • You need a minimum of 12 eyes of ender, implying 6 blaze rods and 12 ender pearls, but take into account that the eyes may shatter and end portals are not always pre-filled.
6. Craft eyes of ender and use them to locate the stronghold. This is the 'intended' method. It is possible to 'triangulate' the location with two eyes,³⁰⁾ but I'm trying to avoid external tools.
   • If you can read the debug screen (F3), dig where the chunk coordinates say '4 ~ 4'.
7. Locate the 'portal room' and finish the End portal frame. It is possible for the 'portal room' to be corrupted during world generation, forcing you to find another stronghold.
8. Destroy the 10 End Crystals, then defeat the Ender Dragon to beat the game.
   • It is possible to skip the End Crystal requirement, using exploding beds and respawn anchors, but this isn't MCSR Ranked and I'm not trying to explain 'zero cycle' or 'one cycle'.
   • After that, the credit sequence will take 25+ minutes, unless you speed up or skip it (Esc).

Emojiful is a mod that allows you to add custom emojis with data packs, but the 'official' method involves joining a Discord server and using a bot that may not even work since AutoMod is enabled and there's a message limit. This guide is meant to show you the 'manual' method of creating said data pack, shown below. All instances of username and categoryname should be replaced with your own.

username-categoryname-emojiful-datapack.zip
├──data
│  └──emojiful
│     └──recipes
│        ├──sniff.json
│        └──wires.json
└──pack.mcmeta

In the tree diagram, the recipes folder should contain your emojis. The emojis should be in lowercase, and you will have to manually set the name: and url: for each individual recipe (.json) file.³¹⁾ Below is an example of a standard emoji (wires.json) and an animated emoji (sniff.json). This is the most important part, so you better get this right and set aside a few hours of your time if you're doing it by hand.

{
  "category": "categoryname",
  "name": "wires",
  "url": "https://cdn.discordapp.com/emojis/1114649643050078208.png",
  "type": "emojiful:emoji_recipe"
}

{
  "category": "categoryname",
  "name": "sniff",
  "url": "https://cdn.discordapp.com/emojis/1037145593828614244.gif",
  "type": "emojiful:emoji_recipe"
}

Lastly, we have said data pack's pack.mcmeta file, which simply has the pack format set to 6 and the description reading Emojiful emojis!. This file is provided in the following dropdown, if necessary. From there, you should be able to attach the data pack onto the server or world, and it should work for every player after you reset or restart everything for good measure.

Toggle dropdown.

• Chat Heads - Client-side. Shows the head of the player's skin in chat messages.
• Continents - Server-side. A data pack that adds larger oceans.
• Disable Menu Music - Resource pack. Self-explanatory.
• Distant Horizons - Client and/or server. Expands the view radius, so you aren't stuck on 10.³⁴⁾
• Effect Timer Plus - Client-side. This adds an effect timer to the HUD.
• Geophilic - Server-side. A data pack that subtly improves the vanilla biomes.
• Lighty - Client-side. Simply allows you to see the light level, removing the guesswork.
• Lootr - Client and server. Multiplayer-oriented mod with instanced loot. The barrels can be buggy.
• Map Link - Client-side. If you're using Xaero's World Map and/or Minimap, this mod allows you to synchronize marker/player positions from a web map. Remember to add an entry in settings.
• OrthoCamera - Client-side, Fabric only. Adds an orthographic view. Combine with Distant Horizons.
• Seamless Loading Screen - Client-side. Replaces loading screen with a screenshot.

• Minecraft and RuneScape were both Java games, so their overlap really should not be a huge surprise.
• Historically, the price of Minecraft used to be €5 in Indev/Infdev, then €10 in Alpha, then €15 in Beta,³⁵⁾ then €20 on release, then $27 around May 2016³⁶⁾ which has since become $30. The game rarely goes on sale, though it is relatively 'cheap' if you're employed and remember that inflation exists.
• I did not own Minecraft growing up. My computer was kinda old and modding looked complex at the time, so I never felt a 'need' to have it (despite how most internet communities in the early 2010s just seemed to advertise the hell out of their server), then it became 'uncool' once I had income, so I wouldn't have a reason to buy Minecraft until November 2020. Terraria is better. :V
• During his early marketing attempts, Notch visited 4chan's “Video Games” (/v/) board using the tripcode of !!pvnhARpwdMO around October 20, 2010,³⁷⁾³⁸⁾ thus the “Woo, /v/!” splash from 2010 to 2021.
  • On November 9, 2011, Notch reacted to Deadmau5's Q&A thread on 4chan³⁹⁾ and he was invited to hold his own.⁴⁰⁾ Never happened, but he was presumably busy with Minecon 2011.
  • On October 3, 2016, Notch joked about buying 4chan for a GET,⁴¹⁾⁴²⁾ but rescinded the offer⁴³⁾ after he had a revelation on why the concept of 'free speech' is idealist: the contradictions.⁴⁴⁾
• The demo mode in Java Edition uses the seed, -343522682 (North Carolina).
• It used to be possible to block with a sword until the Java 1.9 update finally added shields in early 2016, then the Java 1.11 update added the totem of undying in late 2016.
• The exact split from JRE 8 to JRE 17 for Minecraft is debatable. The official website claimed 1.18,⁴⁵⁾ but the MultiMC wiki says 1.17⁴⁶⁾ and a benchmarking page says 1.16.5.⁴⁷⁾
• The term 'SMP' means 'survival multiplayer', which is probably the most common Minecraft server type, and it can be further categorized into game modes like: vanilla, semi-vanilla, modded, peaceful, anarchy, economy, factions, skyblock, roleplay, etc. Why is there an acronym? What are we doing?
• If you are looking at mods that overhaul or redesign village structures, be wary of mods that use barrels as support beams. It's a common design trend, but it's also a quick way to get a lot of fishermen.

Toggle day/night cycle chart.

• List of Minecraft seeds - Some nostalgic screenshots too.

• Minecraft - The official website for Minecraft.
• Minecraft Wiki - The independent wiki for Minecraft, under the Weird Gloop network.⁴⁸⁾⁴⁹⁾
• Minecraft Timeline - A visual of how the game has changed over the years.
• Seed Map (Chunk Base) or Cubiomes Viewer - The main tool for finding seeds and features.
  • Seed Map (MCSeedMap) - An older version, but it's good for screenshots.
  • Minecraft Datapack Map - Similar tool, but intended for looking at seeds with data packs.
• Modrinth - The newer resource for modded Minecraft content.
• CurseForge (Legacy) - The older resource for modded Minecraft content.
  • CurseForge Search - Alternative search engine for CurseForge.
  • Old Curseforge Please! - Userscript that redirects you to the 'legacy.curseforge.com' pages.
• Modpack Index - Find and compare modpacks on CurseForge and Feed The Beast.

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