Joel's Z Pack

About this pack:

This is a 1.8.9 modpack that seeks to provide a realistic and immersive environment, plenty of building options, enhanced survival mechanics, and a reasonable amount of tech to keep things interesting. This pack has been well thought out, and is the basis for future expansion as 1.8.9 mod development progresses.

To achieve a rich and appealing environment, mods that add stunning terrain, lush foliage, more plants & trees, and ambient sounds are included:

• Biomes O' Plenty (by Glitchfiend)
• Realistic Terrain Generation (by WhichOnesPink) - Don't forget to select 'World Type:Realistic' in 'More World Options' when creating a new world.
• Better Foliage (by octarine_noise)
• Sound Filters (by Tmtravlr)
• Dynamic Surroundings (by OreCruncher) 
• FastLeafDecay (by Olafskii)
• FlatBedrock Xplosion's Edition (by big_Xplosion)

The environment is further enhanced by including mods that add animals & mobs to the game:

• Mo' Creatures (by Dr. Zhark)
• Reptile Mod (by crackedEgg)
• Exotic Birds (by Pavoreality)
• Just a Few Fish (by Tmtravlr)
• Baby Mobs (by Furgl)
• Chameleon Creepers (by Velocity666)
• [more to come]

Survival realism is an important theme in this pack. The survival experience is made realistic by including mods that add thirst and force the player to eat a variety of foods:

• Essential Nourishment (by Hellkittyy) and Essential Nourishment Drinks (by Hellkittyy)
• The Spice of Life (by squeek502)

Since a variety of food is essential, the following mods are included to give the player plenty of food options:

• Pam's HarvestCraft (by MatrexsVigil) and Pam's Simple Recipes (by MatrexsVigil)
• ForageCraft (by theishiopian)

The above mods were chosen for their functionality, as well as the potential decorations that their various plants offer for builders. Builders will have a great time with this pack using all of the added blocks and building materials from the following mods:

• Bibliocraft (by Nuchaz)
• MrCrayfish's Furniture Mod (by Mr_Crayfish)
• MalisisDoors (by Ordinastie)
• MalisisBlocks (by Ordinastie)
• DecoCraft2 (by RazzleberryFox)
• Building Bricks (by Hea3veN)
• Flat Colored Blocks (by AlgorithmX2)
• ArchitectureCraft (by gcewing)
• Adobe Blocks 2 (by The_Fireplace)
• Fence Overhaul (by The_WeatherPony)
• Additional Banners - Expand your options. (by darkh4x)
• Storage Drawers (by jaquadro)
• MoarSigns (by Gory_Moon)
• MultiBeds (by ShetiPhian)
• Sodacan Utilities (by TheDoctorSoda)
• Scarab's Missing Furniture Mod (by scarabcoder)
• Platforms (by ShetiPhian)
• Tinkers Construct (by mDiyo) -This mod was selected because it adds additional building blocks, as well as tools and weapons.
• [Several mods that add additional ores and blocks have also been included]

Transportation is important, so the following mods were included for your transportating enjoyment:

• Archimedes' Ships Plus - Flying houses? Flying houses. (by darkevilmac)
• Minecraft Flight Simulator (by don_bruce)
• Rope Bridge Mod (by czechmate777)
• SG Craft (by gcewing)

No mod pack is truly complete without at least a few tech mods. This pack is no different, yet tech is not the primary focus of this pack. Tech mods are kept from dominating the pack, and low-tech mods are preferred to complicated or magic mods. However, this doesn't mean a few high-tech mods won't sneak their way in to the pack.
Note: The following is not a complete list of Tech Mods, and may change as pack development continues:

• Steam Engines Mod (by MeisterSkywalker)
• Immersive Engineering (by BluSunrize)
• Hydraulicraft (by K4Unl)
• PneumaticCraft (by MineMaarten)
• PneumaticCompressing (by hedgehogpie12)
• Power Advantage (by Cyanobacterium)
• Electric Advantage (by Cyanobacterium)
• Steam Advantage (by Cyanobacterium)
• Router Reborn (by TomEVoll)
• Botania Unofficial (by williewillus)
• Contraptions (by VanhalMinecraft)
• Deep Resonance (by McJty)
• Modular Powersuits (by MachineMuse)

 The pack is rounded out by several other mods that make tasks like mining, crafting and exploring easier and more fun:

• Iron Backpacks (by gr8pefish)
• Caterpillar (by codegreen)
• Grapple Hooks (by Kloonder)
• ThrowableTorch (by tool_user)
• Practicalities (by jotato)
• Uncrafting Grinder (by Lothrazar)
• Just Enough Items (JEI) (by mezz) and  JEIAddons (by mezz)
• Waila (by ProfMobius)
• Wawla - What Are We Looking At (by darkh4x)
• Sleeping Bag (by shadowfactsmc)
• JourneyMap (by techbrew)
• Multi-Hotbar (by rolandoislas)
• [more]

This is not an all-inclusive list of mods, and is subject to change as 1.8.9 mods become available in the future.
Future plans for the pack include mods that will add more dimensions to the pack, as these become available, or as the list of 3rd party mods is expanded. 
ENJOY!