Mo Creatures Easy Vs Not Easy Horse Breeding

Minecraft is an incredible game that lets you build just about just about anything from a blocky landscape. It's grown by leaps and bounds since it was first launched, but for some that's simply not enough. Dip your toe into the amazing world of Minecraft modding with these 10 mods that are easy enough for anyone to install. If I can do it, you can do it.

The Minecraft modding community is as active as it is sprawling and fractured, but their amazing creations do everything from minor tweaks to complete overhauls. The downside is that the frequent updates to Minecraft—and the new game launcher—have slowed the development of many popular mods. To make matters worse, modding requires adding new software and (in many cases) making changes to critical game files—which is not for the faint of heart. That's why this list focuses on the best mods that can be easily implemented in Minecraft, using the new launcher too.

If you're new to modding, take a look at our primer on the subject. If you're pressed for time, go out and read the Minecraft Wiki article about how to mod the game(Opens in a new window). Be sure to download WinRAR or 7-Zip, too. Also, read up on ModLoader and Forge—two mods that make modding much, much easier.

Forge in particular is necessary for most of the mods on this list. Installing the latest version is a snap, and once installed it's sometimes as easy as dropping a .zip file into the mods folder in AppData/Roaming/.minecraft to add a new mod to the game.

Unfortunately, many of the mods will only work with older versions of Minecraft. But fear not: the new game launcher is incredibly valuable in this regard. With the launcher you can create different profiles and link them to separate Minecraft .jar game files. It not only gives you access to multiple versions of the game (from 1.5.1 to the latest 1.6.2) but also as many modified versions of the game as you'll need.

Explaining the steps to create and register .jar files with the new launcher would take more space than necessary, but this excellent video primer on YouTube does a great job(Opens in a new window). The steps you see here are the same you'll need for loading different versions of Forge or Minecraft and keeping them separate in the Launcher.

I'll admit that it seems rather complicated, but two days ago I, too, was too afraid to mod Minecraft at all. Since then, I've created dozens of game profiles, and have no compunctions about modifying critical game files. The game is pretty forgiving, and, once you learn the basics, you'll be modding with the best of them. And now: on with the mods!

Mods 1-5

1. Archimedes Ship Mod(Opens in a new window)
Requires: Forge, Minecraft 1.6.2
What it does: Lets you turn anything you build into a boat.
Just one problem: Turns anything into a boat, sometimes things you didn't want to be a boat.

This one is easily my favorite mod. There are lots of mods that add vehicles to Minecraft, but most of them are distinct entities you either craft on a table or just make appear. Instead, this mod lets you turn anything within 16x16x16 blocks into the vessel of your dreams, using the special Ship Marker block.

Once you click the Ship Marker, the mod recognizes your boat as a distinct unit that you control with the AWSD keys. Though the mod is smart enough to not include most natural materials as part of your boat, it will include anything your boat touches as part of the boat. I accidentally parked my boat a little too close to the wharf and suddenly found myself trying to sail half my home.

While this is a funny little quirk of the game it can have serious consequences: if part of your "boat" is clipping through another object (like a tree), you can't dismount. The developer includes a list of very useful commands to let you destroy your boat or dismount it.

A recent update to this mod allows you to build airships as well. Definitely check this one out!

2. Instant Lake(Opens in a new window)
Requires: 1.5.2, Forge
What it does: Lets you instantly fill any space with a lake of water or lava.
Just one problem: Size restrictions mean you can't flood just any space.

If your map is full of Creeper holes or maybe you just want some decorative lakes, Instant Lake is the perfect mode for you. When active, this mod creates two special blocks; one for lava and one for water. Placing either one in a hole or cavern will fill the cavity with the substance of your choice. As the name implies: instant lake.

The mod also includes a magic bucket that will lower the level of the lake by set intervals, so you can easily clean it up or get the water/lava level just where you want it to be.

The only trick is that it's an instant lake not instant ocean. If the space you're trying to fill is too big (about 100 blocks or so) then the mod simply ignores it. It's a useful failsafe that keeps you from accidentally flooding your world, but also forces you to do a little more terraforming for larger projects.

3. Rei's Minimap(Opens in a new window)
Requires: ModLoader, Minecraft 1.6.2
What it does: Adds a minimap, along with a host of powerful filters and tools.
Just one problem: You'll never want to play without it.

One of the cardinal rules of Minecraft is that nothing is free. If you want to find your way around the game, you need to craft and then fill-in a map yourself. Rei's minimap adds what most players of other games take for granted: a small top-down map in the corner of your screen.

But this mod does more than just show you where you're going. It can also create waypoints visible from everywhere on the map so you'll never lose sight of your spawn point. It can also display your death points, penetrate the snow layer, show every mob on the map in real-time, and much more. It's incredibly powerful.

At first, I thought Rei's map would make the game too easy. For instance, you can find a cavern simply by looking for bats—which are green on the map's entity radar. But in practice I found that it really just does away with some of the game's more tedious aspects.

A special note to large redstone scale builders: toggle the chunk grid on to make sure every piece of your creation is close enough to you to function.

4. Magic Yarn(Opens in a new window)
Requires: Forge, Minecraft 1.6.2
What it does: Adds a magical ball of yarn to help you found your way back home.
Just one problem: Smart path finding, but doesn't handle changes in elevation so well.

If Rei's minimap sounds like too much of a cheat, but you hate getting lost, then try out Magic Yarn. This mod adds a craftable, magical ball of yarn that leaves a trail back to whatever waypoint you set.

To use it, just right click. Then wander far and wide. Once you need to get back, right click again to see the path home. Need to reset? Just right click and hold and the trail will disappear. Be sure to right-click periodically to set additional waypoints. The only drawback of this mod is that it doesn't handle changes in elevation particularly well. If you jump down more than one block at a time, the trail cuts off.

5. ChocoCraft(Opens in a new window)
Requires: Forge, Minecraft 1.5.2
What it does: Adds giant, rideable, breedable birds.
Just one problem: More fun than horses, but the people who don't care about Final Fantasy probably won't care about this mod.

I'm not a big fan of the Final Fantasy series, but ever since I read Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind(Opens in a new window) I've wanted a horse-sized bird to ride around on. ChocoCraft makes your huge avian dreams come true, with several different breeds of giant Chocobo for riding and breeding.

Along with the well-designed birds, the mod also includes everything you need to raise your Chocobos: various green plants, craftable food items, a riding saddle, and saddle bags.

The process of catching, taming, breeding, and raising these birds adds a surprising amount of depth to the game. You could, quite easily, spend months building up your Chocobo farm—in addition to everything else that Minecraft has to offer.

Minecraft 1.6 may have added horses and horse armor, but I'll take giant riding birds any day of the week.

Mods 6-10

6. Mo' Creatures(Opens in a new window)
Requires: Forge, GUI Apo, Custom Mob Spawner, and Minecraft 1.5.2
What it does: Adds dozens of new animals to Minecraft.
Just one problem: All those new mobs can really slow your game down.

When the developers at Mojang decided it was time to add horses to the game, they looked to the creator of Mo' Creatures, which has not only has horses but also dragon flies, snakes, manta rays, birds, turtles, elephants, bears, and werewolves; there are even (wait for it) dragons.

Once installed, Mo' Creatures fills your blocky world with a menagerie of animals which not only make it feel more alive but also adds extensive depth to the existing game. You can, for instance, journey to the Wyvern dimension and try to bag yourself a pet dragon.

The downside of all this activity is that it can slow your game way, way down. Weigh the fun and lively atmosphere of Mo' Creatures against your FPS before downloading.

7. Biosphere(Opens in a new window)
Requires: Modloader, Minecraft 1.6.2
What it does: Forget biomes; this changes you map into a series of glass-topped spheres connected by bridges.
Just one problem: A bit buggy, and lacks the majestic feel of Minecraft.

We've all wanted to live in glass-topped spheres connected by wooden bridges hanging in an endless void; thanks to the Biosphere mod we finally can. Biosphere does away with the contiguous world of Minecraft, and replaces it with distinct spheres and small moons. Each sphere is a different biome, ready for habitation.

The mod is a lot of fun, and if you've become bored with traditional Minecraft play than this will definitely get you back in the game. The most fun is trying to build out of the spheres—perhaps trying to reach a resource-rich moon. Be sure you watch out for the Nether spheres!

The only catch is that you lose the amazing landscapes of Minecraft—particularly mountains. The game also has a noticeably difficult time loading new terrain. While in Creative mode, I cruised through a still-rendering sphere and forced the game to create an enormous cavern.

8. Booze(Opens in a new window)
Requires: Forge, Minecraft 1.6.2
What it does: Adds distilling and alcohol ingredients for an accurate simulation of fermentation.
Just one problem: Fermentation takes days and adds little to the game.

This mod is more of a simulation than anything else. It includes the various plants and devices necessary for crafting everything from wine to whisky, as well as the unpleasant side-effects of over-indulging.

Included are hops, yeast, wine, barrels, and various other tools of distillation to let you make the devil's brew right in Minecraft. Don't bother jumping in with Creative Mode, however. Even if you have access to all the necessary materials, the distillation process is designed to mimic the real-life process. For example, making wine takes seven in-game days, or about three and a half hours.

The attention to detail really is remarkable, and it's probably a great way to gain a better appreciation for how booze is made. That attention to detail extends to what happens when you drink too much. Doing so sets off the Nausea status, which distorts your screen with, well, nauseating affect. The developer also says that sleeping it off will induce a hangover-like state with reduced lighting.

In the end it seems like a lot of effort for not a lot of payoff, but the same could be said about Minecraft as a whole.

9. Dynamic Elevators(Opens in a new window)
Requires: Forge, Minecraft 1.5.2, additional libraries from the developer.
What it does: Adds mechanical elevators to move you between floors!
Just one problem: The system of defining a "floor" is a bit wonky.

The brave and the bold can make effective elevators out of pistons, while the rest of us will just make do with columns of water to move quickly between floors. Neither of these solutions is as elegant Dynamic Elevators, which add moving platforms that are smart enough to stop at floors (most of the time).

Like the Archimedes Ship mod, I like this one because everything in it is craftable. You make your elevator by arranging special blocks in whatever configuration you wish. You can call the elevator with a special button, or right click on the elevator pad to access the available floors.

Though it may seem simple, the mod is surprisingly robust. It automatically detects where floors are and has deep settings so it will work pretty much however you want. Note that while it can function without call buttons or supports, it does better with both.

10. Minecraft Comes Alive(Opens in a new window)
Requires: Forge, Minecraft 1.5.2
What it does: Turns villagers into unique individuals with whom you can trade, chat, and even marry.
Just one problem: Requires that you find a village in single player mode.

When Minecraft added NPC villagers to the game, I was a bit underwhelmed. Not only were villages hard to find, but they provided little that engaged me. This mod hopes to make Minecraft's denizens a little more personable, to the point where you might want to settle down and marry one.

Unfortunately, this mod still assumes you can find one of the game's rare villages. Once you do (or build your own in Creative Mode), you'll find it populated with different men and women with different appearances, jobs, likes, and dislikes. You also have new options to chat, joke, trade, and even assign the villager a home.

Eventually, you can charm a villager enough to marry him or her and start a family.

I've always said that Minecraft lacked something to keep you coming back once you've tamed the wilderness. Raising a family and protecting your villagers with Minecraft Comes Alive might just do the trick.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-10-best-minecraft-mods-anyone-can-use

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