I’ve been wandering through different FTB (Feed the Beast) mod packs trying to find the perfect one for me. The only mod pack that I played for any length of time was FTB Infinity Evolved, a kitchen sink mod pack with a crazy amount of things to do. It just so happens that FTB also published a skyblocks pack back on April 1st, considered to be ‘hardcore’. Recipes are harder than normal, some are even changed around to involve more components. Some people like these challenges, they can add a lot to your game if you’ve played through regular versions.
I also decided to play around with texture packs, something I’ve never bothered with in the past. There’s some absolutely beautiful packs out there that can completely change what your game looks like. I’m currently using JSTR and love the way everything looks.
I flagged myself as an admin for the server and created 5 different islands for people to start on in case others join in. Then I removed admin (it’s op name and deop name for those commands) and went back to normal play, heading to one of the islands with a friend. Unlike other skyblock mods I’ve played that had me start on a single dirt, this one let me spawn on a 3×3 of dirt. I also got a neat chest filled with a few handy items including a water tile and a lava tile.
We spent some time doing nothing but growing trees, one of the most boring parts of skyblock mods, but once we had a good selection of wood (and sprouts) we were able to move on to better things like generating cobblestone and compressed things. Dirt is now readily available, and I’ve got a little farm set up with a pair of cows, chickens, pigs, and sheep. Of course there was a moment where the lava tile was placed too close to a tree that suddenly erupted into flames, and so did part of our base, and then another moment where a creeper spawned on top of a silkworm infested tree and exploded a good portion of the base when it fell off, but aside from those incidents things have been fairly quiet.
I’ve always preferred the creation side of this game which is a lot harder to get into when you’re first starting out in skyblock. Once things are situated and resources are not quite so rare, it gets a lot easier.
I’ve died once so far and lost a handful of items and tools. I was placing the fencing for the farm when I forgot to shift and ended up walking right off the ledge. Oops. On the plus side I wasn’t carrying anything that couldn’t be replaced. There’s an unwritten rule to stuff everything into a chest if you’re not immediately using it now. I’m not sure how long I’ll stick with this mod pack, but so far it’s fun, and since it’s new people are still exploring it quite a bit. There’s a good number of youtube videos on getting started, as well as a guide in game if you get stuck. Over all, I’m excited to see how far I can get.
As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.
