Minecraft Mods: How To Mod Your Game Without Messing It Up?

What You Need to Know First

Minecraft mods mostly are released by Mojang. They are produced by the 3-d party authors, which means you can install the mods at your own risk only.

Remember! Before installing a mod of your choice, back up the current progress. A mod, especially downloaded from an unreliable source, can cripple or completely ruin your copy of the game.

Neither mod releases, not Mojang bear any responsibility for what may possibly happen.

Patching Tools

To add your the mod you're so passionate about to the Minecraft, you'll need to:

• Obtain archiving software - WinRAR, WinZip, Simple Unrar, Extract Now will do fine;

• Carefully read a mod instruction;

• Manually install the mod (see below);

• Submit bug reports, if any detected.

The whole thing may seem to be complicated, that's why modders came up with a less painful solution. You can download MCPatcher (HD), that will allow you to manage mods and HD textures much easier.

Modloader, Liteloader, and Forge perform the same function as MCPatcher. Some of the mods actually require either Modloader or Forge to be installed, before you can add them to your game. Ignoring that demand may cause constant crashes.

Threats and Dangers

Everything in Minecraft - blocks, buildings, artifacts, even green creepers - have their own IDs. Mods overwrite those IDs, which alters the contents of the original game. Therefore, Mojang bears no responsibility for whatever you may lose.

Some of the mods may be stuffed with malware: trojans, crypto-miners or keyloggers. As a result, your private data - from your Minecraft account to the credit card transaction history - can be compromised.

To avoid that calamity:

• Never download mods from the shady places;

• Always read the comments about the mod you'd like to try;

• Do not run any .exe files, that could be inside a mod;

• Never allow the mod to implement any changes in the Minecraft Launcher;

• Scan the mod with your anti-virus.

These safety measures are enough to keep your game and personal data secure.

If you try to install two or more mods that partly similar things, this may cause a conflict between/among them. It can be resolved through the "Properties" file, which allows you to change some of the conflicting IDs.

Remember! If you decide to update your copy, downloading an official path released by Mojang, the modified version will be no longer available.

Where to Download Mods?

Only the websites with a stable fan community can be trusted, for you can always find there some useful feedback and information.

Check these places:

• Minecraft Mods
• Planet Minecraft
• Minecraft Forum

Always read commentaries, before downloading a mod.

Backups

If the thought of losing your honestly gained progress scares you, follow this instruction:

• Go to [.minecraft/saves] and preserve the worlds you have;
• Back up .jar file too, if you wish to save previously installed mods;
• To keep your stats safe, go to [.minecraft/stats] and back it up.

Never place any items from a custom mod in treasure chests, if you want to visit a world from an unmodified version of the game. After you delete a mod and try to access a chest, it may cause severe glitches and crashes.

In case you spot such a chest, stand on top of it and type in the following command: /setblock ~ ~-1 ~ air - it will annihilate the chest safely.

Mod Installation

1. Earlier than 1.6 version

Windows:

• Press Win and R buttons;

• Type in %appdata%\.minecraft command;

• Open bin to access minecraft.jar;

• Open minecraft.jar with an archiving software;

• Copy the class into that folder.

MacOS:

• Go to Applications > Utilities directory;

• Open Terminal;

• Type in this command:

cd ~
mkdir mctmp
cd mctmp
jar xf ~/Library/Application\ Support/minecraft/bin/minecraft.jar

• Leave Terminal and create a folder, called mctmp;

• Copy all the data into that folder;

• Return to Terminal and type in:

rm META-INF/MOJANG_C.*
jar uf ~/Library/Application\ Support/minecraft/bin/minecraft.jar ./
cd ..
rm -rf mctmp

Linux:

• Go to ~/.minecraft/bin/ and find minecraft.jar there;

• In your file browser press Ctrl and H and then go to .minecraft folder;

• Go to the bin folder;

• Unarchive the jar. file;

• Copy the class files into that folder and leave it.

You can also access the .minecraft folder by clicking on Texture Packs category in the game's menu.

2. Version 1.6 or older

• Download Forge;

• Find the newest build for your version of the game;

• Run Forge;

• In Mod System Installer check the Install Client box;

• Click the "Install" button;

• Go to Minecraft Launcher and choose the "Forge" profile.

In case you desire to delete a mode, choose one of the solutions:

a) Go to .minecraft/mods and delete the mod you don't want from it;
b) If it didn't help, recover the previous version of the game (with the worlds backed up beforehand);
c) Update your copy. Delete jar. and download Minecraft from the Launcher.

To recover Minecraft completely, delete the modified .minecraft folder and put the backed up folder into its place instead.