Minecraft Mod & Modpack Reviews

Such a horrible mod. I won't talk about the microtranactions because i feel Alro did a good job talking about it in there review, so i will talk about all the other things that make Essential bad.

Installer

The Essential.jar you download is not what ends up being ran by your modloader. Instead, Essential runs a installer and can install whatever it wants! This content persists after the Essential.jar is removed

[17:24:30] [main/INFO]: Updating stage1 to version 13 from jar:file:/home/smeagle/.local/share/PrismLauncher/instances/1.19.2/minecraft/.fabric/processedMods/essential-loader-1.3.2-ee8364190873c568.jar!/gg/essential/loader/stage0/stage1.jar
[17:24:30] [main/INFO]: Updating Essential Loader (stage2) version 1.7.4 (fd9925651d7d2a7c4382209f86cf67c6) from jar:file:/home/smeagle/.local/share/PrismLauncher/instances/1.19.2/minecraft/mods/Essential_1-3-10-9_fabric_26-1-2.jar!/essential-loader-stage2-fabric-1.7.4.jar
[17:24:30] [main/INFO]: Starting Essential Loader (stage2) version 1.7.4 (fd9925651d7d2a7c4382209f86cf67c6) [stable]
[17:24:30] [main/INFO]: Downloading 52718KB of updates...

By Other Mods

Due to the installer essential has, it is possible (and encouraged) for other mods to just install essential with no warning.

Privacy Policy

Essential collects your data!

Information collected includes:

• Geolocation information
• Usage Information
• Behavioral Information
• Metadata (from screenshots or files)
• Third-Party Information (that they buy from other company to 'supplement' what they already collect)

This mod was created for one reason, and that was to be a feature-complete port of 1.7.10 NTM and that's what they set out to do. Originally forked off the buggy mess that is Alcater's NTM:EE, they managed to optimize the main features, as well as get the content correct for once. A huge problem that appears in the forking scene is that developers will usually add their own fluff, some good, some bad. This dev team, on the other hand, made sure to keep in line of bobcat's vision.
There was a lot of original suspicion of it when it was first being talked about, due to most forks/ports being absolute failures. When I first heard of it, I had the same thoughts. However when I did spend some time with it, and even talked to the developers about it, I grew a lot more confident of what they were accomplishing.
Now to answer some questions:

What makes this different from Alcater's NTM:EE?
Contrary to popular belief, Alcater added a lot of useless and half-baked features in his port. Good examples of this was the cross-contamination mechanics (when carrying a radioactive item, it would spread radiation to all of your other items, causing a lot of performance loss), contaminating drop (added a mechanic where dropping radioactive items would destroy it and spread radiation, being more of an annoyance if anything), nuclear cats (????) for some reason, etc. Not only that, but the framework it was built off of was extremely poorly optimized which caused all sorts of lag and tps issues. What NTM:CE has in comparison is a lot more comprehensive progression, with an entirely new weapon system, all sorts of new machines for each tech stage, extremely fast nuclear explosion optimization, and more.

1.7 VS 1.12.2
I feel like I need to mention about this at least once since it has been extremely prevalent ever since Golem left development of the reloaded port. Basically ever since the original porters left, and people like Alcater took up the scene, there has been consistent conflicts over content and differences between the versions. When I saw the success of NTM:CE, I had a very naive assumption that would finally end the conflict, since it is basically 1:1 with the original. However, there seems to be a lot of angry sentiment coming from both the NTM:EE community and the NTM 1.7 community. On the NTM:EE side, they are frustrated about the removal of alcater's changes. On the 1.7 side, they seem to believe its outdated. I'm not even fully sure where this 1.7 sentiment comes from, as when comparing the two there is very little difference in content. There are two reasons why I think why this poor NTM sentiment still continues:

1. Some of the NTM developers for years have always tried to claim that doing ports past 1.7 was impossible, and any attempt would be either out of date, or include ridiculous features. NTM:CE contradicts this and rather than shifting their perspective, they are still in full belief it is impossible.

2. Since these fans usually spent a lot of time in 1.7, they end up getting attached to that version and struggle to consider doing anything outside of it. Normally I wouldn't care as that's their opinion, but these are often the same people that share blaring misconceptions about NTM:CE and often times try to poison the well regarding any information of that version.

NTM:CE Space?
One of the few good forks that came out of the 1.7 sphere was NTM:Space, and often times people have asked about space being in NTM:CE. Luckily, with there being less restrictions on 1.12.2, there is the ability to make your own addons. One of the devs behind NTM:CE has been working on making NTM:Space its own functioning addon, with some success. From what I heard its still in development, however playable in survival.

Conclusion
Mr. Norwood and his team have done an immensely well job porting NTM over to 1.12.2, and I wish them success with their other ports like with MCHeli:CE. I started playing NTM on the reloaded port back in 2022 when Golem was still running it, and when he left, I always hoped that there would be a faithful continuation, which is finally what we have now.

Overview

No one can question why this mod is at almost 60 million total downloads across both Forge and Fabric, It was one of the first major high quality content mods that made it big. Adding a new biomes, mobs, bosses and items all that fit perfectly within the mods theme. When used along side the mod Obscure tooltips the items look simply incredible with unique designs and descriptions.

It doesn't try to change parts of the game that already exist nor does it and content that pushes outside of what the mod claims do.

I can't think of anything to criticise about this one, other than the fact I wish there was more of it! More customisation through the configs maybe?

While it has its bugs like all mods do there are usually quickly recognised and fixed.

There are only a small number of mods that I can confidently say match the overall quality provided by Aquamirae, While development on the mod has slowed recently new version and content for the mod are in the works and I personally am really looking forward to seeing what in store!

(This review will be used for both the Forge and Fabric Versions of the Mod)

Reviewer's PC Specs:
Windows 11
AMD Ryzen™ 9 7900 @ 3.70GHz - RAM: 32 GB
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT - VRAM: 16 GB

To me, the best representation of Sevtech is that Endermen begin spawning after you already have to have built a smeltery in the game's progression, and have been tweaked to drop ender dust, rather than ender pearls. Ender dust can be put into a smeltery to melt into molten enter, which can then be cast into an ender pearl.
Why?
For what purpose?
It would have been easier for the developer not to change the enderman's drop.
It would have been easier for the player to not have to do these extra steps.
It would not change progression if endermen dropped ender pearls.
Why would anyone have done this?
What thoughts must have been going through the mind of Sevtech's creator to have ended up wasting the player's time like this for actually no reason?

Too few modpacks have a clear and singular vision the way that Sevtech does - It's beautiful, I love to see it, I hope more modpacks aspire to this level, and I hope that the singular vision they have is better.

One thing that stands out, with Sevtech, is just how little it cares about your time. Darkosto really looked at the thing in vanilla where you put your stuff in the Furnace and go read a book or something while your computer's running and said "that's amazing, I want that!"
Because progression is largely in a straight line, rather than giving you several things to do at once, I often found myself in the position of, say, needing Buffalo teeth to make the next piece of tech, and waiting around for my buffalo to breed, then grow up, then breed again, until I could afford to lose a few, or starting up a coke oven and needing two stacks of steel or three arc furnace electrodes to do the next thing in the list, so just having to wait for it to slowly process stacks of coal.
The Geolosys ore clusters are an interesting feature, but because they replace vanilla ores, rather than supplementing them, this was a minecraft where you don't really go mining, which I can't say is really what I come to MINEcraft for.
Now, these things were not what made me give up the pack, that was forcing me to interact with Pneumaticraft, even I have limits, but make no mistake - there was good stuff on the way there.

The amount of work put into this pack is mind-blowing, so much stuff that no other pack would dare to tweak is configured, even mods that have practically zero actual documentation, which I don't understand how Sev themself managed to configure, but looking in this pack's configs for examples is pretty much the only way that other modpacks make use of these mods.
Sevtech is supremely annoying in its insistence that you deal with mods like Pneumaticraft, Abyssalcraft, and Primalcore, it redesigns huge swaths of the game into something unified and interesting, with all kinds of reworked recipes, and yet still suffers from that kitchen-sink pack thing where non-vanilla resources are worthless. Primalcore fills the nether and end with plant fibers and clay variants, and they're not good for anything whatsoever.

Idk where to fit into the review that Primaltech is really cool and I love using it.

In spite of everything, Sevtech is a really impressive showcase of what modded MC can be and do, and I love to feel like I'm experiencing a creative person's unfiltered vision, even if that vision is practically the opposite of what my own would be.

This mod has Microtransactions!

Even if that wasn't explicitly against Minecraft's terms of service - (Which it is) - I still hate the idea. The fact that this mod has been able to get as popular as it has without triggering any form of retribution will encourage others to follow in its footsteps.
A huge part of what makes the Modded Minecraft community so special is the capacity for anyone to assemble a modpack just how they imagine, these massive experiences of mods from hundreds of creators unified under the creative vision of a single individual, or small group, and then becoming accessible to everyone. A paywall of any sort blocks that opportunity on both sides, creatives cannot create, players cannot play, and even if the paid elements here are just cosmetics, a mod with over 100 million downloads breaking ToS will invite more.

The mod works well or whatever, but you can use E4MC for a similar experience, without all the cringe, or set up Zerotier One, which is a little more difficult, but will also work for other games.

It appears that the next vanilla update will be adding a similar system, and I hope it kills this mod. Do not give them your money. Donate it to any other modder, or to charity, or buy Sea of Stars, that game's great.

Overview

Now this is going to be more or less the same points as my review for Xaeros Minimap, and for good reason, They might as well be one single mod. You rarely find yourself installing one without the other. Over the last few years Xaeros World map and Minimap have taken over Journey map as the go to Map mod for modpacks and even for players that just want to make their own Vanilla plus experience, Who can question why? It looks good, its customisable, its has every feature you could possibly ask for from a map mod and its about as easy to uses as you could possibly want it to be. Hit M, Your map is open, Job done....

We are at a point in time where its that well used its beginning to get compatibility addons, I know there's a mod that let's you automatically add waypoint upon discover ling waystone. And I'm sure we'll be seeing more in the future.

I think all I could ask from this more is more customisability, maybe in the form of themes, make the map look black and white, that old yellowed coffee stained sort of look?

The standard for what a good map mod should be, Clean, Efficient and Easy to use.

Well done Xaeros

Reviewer's PC Specs:
Windows 11
AMD Ryzen™ 9 7900 @ 3.70GHz - RAM: 32 GB
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT - VRAM: 16 GB

Overview

I bet you've used it before? Over the last few years Xaeros Minimap and World map have taken over Journey map as the go to Map mod for modpacks, Who can question why? It looks good, its customisable, its has every feature you could possibly ask for from a map mod and its about as easy to uses as you could possibly want it to be.

We are at a point in time where its that well used its beginning to get compatibility addons, I know there's a mod that let's you automatically add waypoint upon discover ling waystone. And I'm sure we'll be seeing more in the future.

I think all I could ask from this more is more customisability, custom borders maybe? Maybe an old style theme?

The standard for what a good map mod should be, Clean, Efficient and Easy to use.

Well done Xaeros

Reviewer's PC Specs:
Windows 11
AMD Ryzen™ 9 7900 @ 3.70GHz - RAM: 32 GB
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT - VRAM: 16 GB

A ding when your game is finished loading. This mod has been a godsend since its creation when I was trying to run giant modpacks on a decade-old PC with integrated graphics and 0 awareness of what RAM was. 10/10, I will never uninstall it no matter how many times I rebuild my computer.

Cute litte windchimes that are an aesthetic joy AND have the bonus of keeping annoying phantoms away. No performance issues or significant effect on the game that I can recall, the model and animations of the chimes are simple but well-made and it's just nice for a cozy environment to sit on the porch of your house, pet your wolf and listen to the chimes as you watch your crop fields or your friends mess around or a giant-cursed-create-based-murder-farm. Whatever the situation, chimes are a nice cherry on top.

A mod that adds bridges to your world, it helps with the 'lived in but maybe abandoned' vibe that minecraft can exude sometimes. I haven't encountered any issues performance-wise when it comes to generating these structures, and they often generate in a 'correct' way (each end mostly lining up with the shores, appearing at a logical part of the river, etc). The bridges themselves are neat, a good variation in styles and materials, and sometimes appear broken down as if lost to time.