Luke’s (Hopefully) comprehensive modpack making guide.

[lukeb28]

Hello everyone! This thread is for all the hotshots who want to make their own modpack! There are many guides out there but I have found few that give you the needed files and folders to make this as easy as filling in the blanks. I will go over how to do these things yourself but if you have trouble with a particular thing, I will try and make that portion downloadable for your ease.
Lets get started now!

Some quick terminology:

Modpack: A modpack is a collection of 5 or more mods that is in a format easy to install. Why make a modpack? Modding your own client can be difficult and very troublesome for some people and this can be a great problem for modded servers. Modpacks allow for users to very easily install the same mods and configs the server has.

Forge Mod Loader: Forge Mod Loader (Commonly referred to as FML or just Forge) is the software that actually makes modding minecraft possible. Without it mods would be very difficult to install and to make.

Technic.net: It is the main webpage for technic but in this guide it is referred to the actual modpack page allowing you to make and distribute modpacks.

Archive: Archiving is compressing or zipping files and folders into smaller formats. Archiving is absolutely needed to make a modpack. Technic.net simply will not recognize anything else.

Table of contents





How to host your modpack

Before giving up

Mac Guide

LiteLoader and Voxel mods

Optifine and preinstalled servers

Common errors and fixes plus FAQ


Software you need!

WinRar Archiver. This works very well and I have not had a single issue with this for the past 5 months.
http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm
I trust this site but if you are uncomfortable with it then you may use any archiving program you wish. Just be aware that some steps will be different and I will not be able to help you with a program I do not know myself.

Windows OS. Yes it is slightly different for a Mac, no I do not know in what ways and how to compensate. I don’t own a Mac. If a Mac/Linux user know where things would be different, please say so and I will add those alterations to this post as I want this to be a universal guide.

If at any point somthing is changed due to user input, they will be mentioned by a
"-(username)"
and I hope you thank them for that step!

[lukeb28]

First things first!
The folders!
This is the most important step as it is the structure of your modpack and is needed no matter how your modpack is operated.

Created a folder on your desktop called the name of your modpack. For an example we’ll can call this one I’m making “Lukes Modpack”



In that folder, we want to make 4 more called:
- mods
- coremods
- config
- bin



Now the next thing we need is the jar files. Hop on over to the Forge modloader site Here and download the latest version of forge for the version of minecraft you are using. For instance, if I am making a pack for 1.2.5 I would go to Forge 3.3.7 Minecraft 1.2.5 and download the latest universal version.

 

NOTE: If you are running 1.6.4 or later, the following steps are not needed, you only have to rename the jar to modpack.jar

Once you download this, go into your downloads folder and place the file into your bin folder we created earlier. Now we are going to make one more folder in the bin folder. This folder is only temporary and we will delete it afterwards so it does not matter what you call it.
Right click on the file and then click “Extract Files...”


Next set your destination folder to the folder you just created and hit “ok”


Now go into the folder. You will have a massive amount of files. Press “Ctrl + a” to highlight them all. Right click on the highlighted area and press “Add to Archive” setting the destination folder to the “bin” folder.

Now set the compression to “.zip” and name it “modpack.jar” then press “Ok”.

If you get the java symbol after this then you have done it right. If is shows up as an archived folder then follow these steps:

Windows: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows-vista/show-or-hide-file-name-extensions

Mac: We can just add extension after the file name, and the OS changes the file type after seeking confirmation. After that if the icon changes for you! -(Ysharma)

Linux: http://askubuntu.com/questions/17561/how-to-hide-file-extensions

Now go back into your bin folder and delete the “.zip” at the end of the name. If is asks you if you are sure, say OK. It should now be named modpack.jar with the java symbol.

You may now delete the other temporary folder that we made earlier.

Now we want to test the modpack.jar. Download a pre-existing pack that is the same version and replace the modpack.jar it has with your own. Launch the pack and if it works, your good to go!

Next: The mods! (Images to come)

This can be a very long process so bear with me. The first thing we want to do is download a version of technic that supports the version of the pack we are making. If it was 1.2.5: you would download tekkit classic. 1.4.7: tekkit lite, Voltz, BigDig. 1.5.1: Tekkit (The newest version).

Launch the pack and exit out as soon as the main page loads. Now go into your .technic folder (If you don’t know where this is then please google it, thats too easy to need to explain here) and into the pack you just downloaded. If we’re making a 1.4.7 pack and grabbed tekkit lite then we would go into the sub folder marked tekkit lite and delete all the files in the mods, coremods, and config folders. You now have a blank modpack! From here we are going to add our mods into the mod folder there.

Lets say we want Buildcraft and Thermal Expantion in the pack. We just go to the modpack website and download the mods. Paste both of these into your mods folder and launch the pack. If it asks you to update, say no.

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Edited March 15, 2015 by lukeb28

[lukeb28]

Fixing ID errors!

If you crash, it was probably due to an ID conflict.
To help fix this, we are going to get an NEI Item ID Block dump! I got this from http://forums.technicpack.net/threads/how-to-create-and-use-a-block-id-dump.10289/and I thank Yuriy very much for this little guide!!! If you did crash, remove the last mod you put in and launch the game (Without crashing hopefully) and follow this guide. Since we only just added two mods, we are going to remove one and launch with the other. It does not matter which.

[Guide Stealing]
To create the block ID dump, launch Technic and go into a world.
Go into your inventory and into the options for NEI (bottom left corner).
http://i.imgur.com/u6jGb.jpg
Then go to "Block/Item ID Settings".
http://i.imgur.com/sU0zg.png
Then create the actual block ID dump by clicking "Dump ID Map Now"
http://i.imgur.com/fzIsE.png
Once you complete this process, you will have a text document in your "%appdata%/Roaming/.techniclauncher/" Technic or Tekkit directory named "IDMap dump [date at time].txt"
[/Guide Stealing]

Special Note: BlockID max with forge is 4095. The ItemID max is in the 21000s. Mods will not come with different values so you have to make sure that when your editing ID's, you don't go over 4095 for placable blocks, and 21000 for an item.

Now we are going to open the text file and be presented with a list of taken and untaken IDs. Minimise that for now and open the FML error report found in the tekkit lite folder near the bottom. Scroll down to the bottom and look for a section of code thats out of place. They normally show up as wider areas of text. Look for the part of that that says something like: “block ID xxxxx is already taken by Buildcraft.” Go into the config of the offending mod and change that ID to somthing available. You can tell what's available with the ID dump we just did.

Continue to add your mods launching the pack every time and fixing ID issues as they come. Remember what configs you had to change to prevent having to add every single one.

THIS WILL TAKE A LONG TIME!!!! PLEASE DO NOT WHINE ABOUT IT BEING SO LONG!!
This is the longest way but eliminates the problem of not knowing what crashed your game. It is also a very good way to learn how to fix problems as they come.

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[lukeb28]

Hosting your modpack
Once you are satisfied with your pack, copy all of the files in the mods folder and paste them into your custompack/mods/ folder and the same with your core mods. Now copy all the configs you needed to change and put them and only them into your config folder. You do not need to add unchanged configs as the player’s client will generate them itself. Now select your mods, coremods, config, and bin folder and right click to select “add to archive” and save the file as a .zip and the name of your pack.



For large packs (60+) make sure to set the “Compression method” to “Best” or the mods may become corrupted.

Story on this:
When I was making a pack with 95 mods, I did not do this and spent 7 hours trying to figure out what had gone wrong. In a last ditch effort before I threw my computer out the window I did this and it worked the first try.

 

 

Now upload this to a web host! Dropbox seems to be the best go-to host

 

UPDATE! Dropbox is now a bit harder to use!

 

Upload your pack to a folder then right click on the file and select "Share link...".

.

On the top left there should be a button marked "Download". Right click it and copy the link address. The URL you have is a direct download but is too long for the Technic software to handle so head over to goo.gl to shorten the URL. That is now usable by the Technic platform!

 

Alternatively, mymindstorm has another solution that I have not been able to use. 

Now test the pack and if it works, YOUR DONE!!! Congratulations! You can now call yourself and official modpack maker and join our exclusive club! Enjoy your pack and have a great moded day!

Note about dropbox: For most modpack makers this will not be a problem but there are those few packs that get a lot of downloads, dropbox will lock out your account if it finds to much traffic with your account. In this case you will have to find an alternative host. Dropbox is fantastic for those small packs you share with your friends, but for the big ones your going to need something better!

Other webhosts:

 

www.copy.com

 

I was able to get a direct download to a file after sharing the file like normal and getting a URL like this:

https://copy.com/ryu0zTQTXApw

I tacked on the actual file name like so

https://copy.com/ryu0zTQTXApw/LoTRCircles64x_Fancy.zip

and it allowed me to download the file directly without having to interact on a web page.

 

 

Just wanted to add, I recommend using Ubuntu One as a host. Its slightly slower, but it has NO bandwidth limit. As long as the content doesn't violate their terms of use, you can potentially hit over a TB monthly usage and they won't bat an eyelid.
-(SXScarecrow)

I'm currently testing Google drive. If it works I'll post how to use it. Nope!

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Edited March 15, 2015 by lukeb28

[lukeb28]

Before giving up...
Ask yourself the following:
How many times did you try? What archiver did you use? Did you disable hiding of file extensions? Did you name it modpack.jar without any caps/other formating? Did you set the compression method to best? Did you set it the compression format to .zip or did you set it to .rar?
If you answered "no" or "I don't know" to ANY of those then you need to take it to the top and try again before posting your problem.

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[lukeb28]

Mac instalation guide

This video guide was made by Masterzack32!

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[lukeb28]

LiteLoader and Voxel mods

There seems to have been a new issue with LiteLoader which SXScarecrow has solved!
 

 

Try putting the version.json inside the modpack.jar. According to CanVox, the launcher attempts to extract the version.json from inside the modpack.jar. If it fails, then it overwrites the version.json.

 

 

To install Liteloader:
It's pretty much the same as the Forge installation method. Download the relevant version from here, and add the files from the downloaded zip into the modpack.jar. All done!

 

 

 

There's a new feature that makes Liteloader even easier to install outlined by PBlock96

 

 

 

Simply put the liteloader jar into the version folder in the mods folder. E.G. the pathway to the jarfile would be ~/modpack/mods/1.7.2/liteloader-1.7.2.jar.

 

Known Bugs with Liteloader/Voxel Mods

 

• Before you start looking into any bugs with Liteloader, be aware that Liteloader doesn't run until it detects a mod that requires it, and all of the mods that use Liteloader are guaranteed not to interfere with it in any way. Any issue you have, its with the Forge mods, and the solution lies with them.
• A common crash with liteloader is exemplified by this crash report:
  Code:
  java.util.NoSuchElementException
  at java.util.LinkedList.getLast(Unknown Source)
  at com.mumfrey.liteloader.core.HookProfiler.b(HookProfiler.java:183)
  at lq.d(Entity.java:983)
  at bad.j_(SourceFile:33)
  at azr.a(EffectRenderer.java:76)
  at net.minecraft.client.Minecraft.l(Minecraft.java:1905)
  at net.minecraft.client.Minecraft.J(Minecraft.java:848)
  at net.minecraft.client.Minecraft.run(Minecraft.java:773)
  at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
  It seems very generic, but what it means is a Forge Mod is corrupting the profiler stack that Liteloader requires to run, thus Liteloader crashes. The only way to fix it is to remove the offending mod. A common culprit is Dynamic Lights.
• Another crash you may get, when disconnecting from a server or quitting a singleplayer world looks like this:
  Code:
  
  java.lang.NullPointerException
  at electricexpansion.common.misc.DistributionNetworks.onWorldSave(DistributionNetworks.java:77)
  at electricexpansion.common.ElectricExpansion.onWorldUnload(ElectricExpansion.java:398)
  at net.minecraftforge.event.ASMEventHandler_229_ElectricExpansion_onWorldUnload_Unload.invoke(.dynamic)
  at net.minecraftforge.event.ASMEventHandler.invoke(ASMEventHandler.java:35)
  at net.minecraftforge.event.EventBus.post(EventBus.java:103)
  at net.minecraft.client.Minecraft.a(Minecraft.java:2040)
  at net.minecraft.client.Minecraft.a(Minecraft.java:2025)
  at auf.a(SourceFile:47)
  at com.thevoxelbox.voxelmenu.ingame.GuiIngameMenu.a(GuiIngameMenu.java:54)
  at aul.a(SourceFile:72)
  at aul.d(SourceFile:127)
  at aul.m(SourceFile:111)
  at net.minecraft.client.Minecraft.l(Minecraft.java:1513)
  at net.minecraft.client.Minecraft.J(Minecraft.java:848)
  at net.minecraft.client.Minecraft.run(Minecraft.java:773)
  at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
  This is relatively simple to solve. VoxelMenu won't update screen events properly because it recieves invalid data from another mod, in this case Electric Expansion. All this means is Electric Expansion needs to be updated to the latest version. The same is true for pretty much any mod. Look out for the first two lines in a crash like this, it will tell you which Forge mod needs updating.

 

Voxel Mods and Liteloader are actually really useful and have virtually no bugs. If you add these, remember any issues that arise come from Forge Mods only!
-(SXScarecrow)

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Edited March 15, 2015 by lukeb28

[Ysharma]

Working on the mac tutorial.

[lukeb28]

Optifine!

Optifine is very easy to add to your pack. Simply download it here and extract the zip. Now open your modpack.jar with winrar and drag the extracted files into the jar. Close out and save the changes. Congrats! Your done!

Adding pre-installed servers!
Making your server pre-installed is a major plus for anyone who wants to use your pack on your server!

To do so, go into any old pack and clear all the servers you have saved. Now enter your server ip and name it the name of your server. Exit out and go into the modpack folder and look for the server.dat. Copy that and add it to your modpack with the other four folders (bin, config, coremods, mods) as a separate file. You should now have bin, mods, coremods, config, and server.dat. Now when you add it to archive, highlight the server.dat file as well at the other folders. Now when a user downloads the pack, the server will come pre-installed!

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[miniboxer]

Use 7zip instead of winrar. It is actually (not technically) free and has a simpler interface, making it more noob friendly.

[poryy]

I love it!

[lukeb28]

Downloads
For the lazy, SXScarecrow was kind enough to provide premade modpack.jar's for 1.4.7-1.6.4
 

 

I'm far too nice. Download links for relevant versions of the modpack.jar below.

 

1.4.7

 

1.5.2

 

1.6.2

 

1.6.4

[plokami666]

Good job with the guide mate.

About winrar, it's not free. You are required to pay for it, despite being able to continue using it post expiration.

[lukeb28]

Common Errors and fixes

 

• If when you try to add the pack to the Platform, it asks you for an install directory, simply set it to be somewhere other than /appdata/Roaming/.technic. Just stick it in Documents or something.

 

• If the pack takes ages to load and it just goes whitescreen, go to the FML logs located in the .technic/YOURPACK directory and go to the bottom line. If it all appears FINE or FINEST yet still doesn't load, check the last mod that FML was trying to load. Remove that mod from the mods folder and try again. Usually this happens when there are other errors present, and once you have fixed these, you can generally add that mod back in once you have finished debugging.

• If you get the error 'java.lang.IllegalArgumentException', it means that you have two block/item ID's that are same. In order to fix this, read the specific lines. In this example, you can see that portalgun and logistics pipes are conflicting.
  Code:
  java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Slot 1100 is already occupied by portalgun.common.block.BlockPortalMod@5bcce43f when adding logisticspipes.blocks.LogisticsSignBlock@689d132e
  To fix this, go into the config folder in the .technic/YOURPACK directory, and have a look at both config files. Because ID's are generally sequential, change the block ID's of the mod that has the less blocks in it. This can be a pain if you have mods that have large amounts of blocks in them, but its the best way to fix this error.

• If you get an 'IndexOutOfBoundsException' error, remember that block ID's can only go up to a maximum of 4096. Any number after this will cause this crash. Because of the way our minds work, the most commonly used ID's are at the ends of the spectrum, so the 1000's and the 4000's are used a lot, in particular 4095 is a block ID that is claimed by many mods. To fix, look at what mod has caused it by scrolling down (NEI can be useful here, it has an index for each block ID) and simply change the troublesome ID. This error does not occur naturally, and so if you know you have changed a block ID, go back and have a look. Is it above 4096? This can occur for items too, but its rare because the maximum number of item ID's is 32000!

• Any other error you might occur is generally fixed by reinstalling the specific mod, or by taking the pack apart until you find the core of the problem. Errors can be hidden by other errors, so building a pack slowly and methodically may take a while, but its the best option.

• When FML loads up, if it crashes immediately and tells you it has a fatal error and cannot load, now is the time to rebuild your pack. This error is generally caused by a corrupt or mismatching mod/coremod. Back to the drawing board!

-(SXScarecrow)
 

• You made a modpack, tested it, and it worked flawlessly. But when you upload it to your file hosting site and link it to the pack, it loads as vanilla. There are two possibility's. First, and most likely, you did not link the pack correctly to technic.net. Copy the link and paste it into your internet browser. If it shows you a link to your modpack that you have to press it was linked wrong. If it starts the download right away then it is linked right. In that case, it is the other possibility. Your modpack.jar was improperly made. Remake it or copy the modpack.jar from the pack you tested the mods with.

FAQ

Q: My modpack loads vannilla! What did I do wrong?

A: There are a few things that could have happened:

 

• Most likely you did not link your pack from your host to the platform right. Make sure that if you go to the link in your Internet browser it downloads your pack without having to press any butons on screen or otherwise.
• You compressed the folder that bin, mods, coremods, and config was in insted of copressing them themselfs.
• Your modpack.jar was made or named incorrectialy. Re-make it or just take a copy from someone elses pack replacing the old one.

 

Q: My pack worked great untill I overhauled it with new mods/minecraft version. When I update, it compleatly breaks! What happened?

A: When updating a pack by updating or adding and removing mods, the platform does somthing funny. It doesnt delete the old mods, it only adds new things. Due to this, when making a major update (Like 1.4.7 -> 1.5.2) the old, incompatable mods are still there thus crashing the client. It is a very easy fix, reset the pack from the login. There is no way to fix this from a pack standpoint. The client has to do it themselfs.


Q: On a mac, my game is upside down! Whats wrong?

A: That's not a modpack issue. From what I have been able to gleam, it seems it's a common error with the mac itself and has no relation to your pack or any others.


Q: I don't like the hosts you sugested, whats another I can use?

A: Why are you asking me when you don't like what I sugest? Go google it yourself, I sugest what I do because they are what I find to work well.


Q: Ma pack NO wOrk! WAT IS THIS DARK MAJIC?
(I have actually been asked that)

A: The dark wizard of Gandalf has decided to infest you computer with evil ducks. Please contact the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and have him cast a spell that will call down bolts of lightning to strike your computer, removing the ducks.


Q: THIS SH*T DON'T WORK FOR ME

A: http://forums.technicpack.net/threads/this-sh-t-dont-work-for-me.45966/
That's a great read if your having that issue

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[thevortex]

ya winrar will nag you after about 40days but functionality is only slightly limited after that. small nag screen, then go about your day ;)

[Markarthian]

Good job on the guide Luke! I'm sure this will be of use for a lot of people. :)

[Sev]

I never have been able to install 7zip correctly for some reason.

[Lethosos]

Make a note that Dropbox has a bandwidth limit and can shut down your account for that reason alone. It's better to seek out more reliable hosting.

[The Tall J.S.]

YYAAAY! Thanks a lot! This really helped!

[lukeb28]

Make a note that Dropbox has a bandwidth limit and can shut down your account for that reason alone. It's better to seek out more reliable hosting.

If your pack will be getting more than 1000 downloads a week then this would be a problem, however if you make a pack good enough to warrant such success, then you would probibly know about the limit. Never the less I will add that to the guide as it is important. Thanks for reminding me!

YYAAAY! Thanks a lot! This really helped!

I am overjoyed that my guide actually helped someone! I was expecting little to no responses and of those to be of "MA mod pack dont work". Your kind words are greatly appreciated!

[Ysharma]

One thing that is wrong, you posted a link on how to show file extensions on a mac. We can just add extension after the file name, and the OS changes the file type after seeking confirmation. After that if the icon changes good for you!

[lukeb28]

One thing that is wrong, you posted a link on how to show file extensions on a mac. We can just add extension after the file name, and the OS changes the file type after seeking confirmation. After that if the icon changes good for you!

Is that the only different thing? Or are there other steps that are different?

[Ysharma]

Theres lots that different. I don't have time to take pics right now, but my text is done. Itll be up soon.

[lukeb28]

Send it as a PM and I'll add it to the main posts. I'll give full credit.

[lukeb28]

Added a how to add optifine to your pack section.