HB's Weekly Mod Digest Series Week 6

1. What am I working on? Better Rewards for Adventurers Pre Release

2. Minecraft Game Mechanics: Minecraft Combat Mechanics

3. Shout-out a lesser known mod: Warsenal New Weapons Mod

As always, I am always interested in collaborating with members of the community:

artists, modelers, writers, Modpack makers, other modders, content creators – server owners that would like to see a certain type of mod. I have plenty of ideas that I am sure we can find a shared vision.

1. What I'm Working on: Mod Pre-release HB's Better Rewards for Adventurers

Mod is not stable enough for public release, but you can download and play with it on my discord

HB's Better Rewards for Adventurers does exactly what the mod's title implies – it adds items in your game that are fitting rewards for the relentless Adventurer. It introduces several unique items and corresponding mechanics so that you can get excited about looting again. This mod and its art – created by @Cebularz (discord) are made in a Vanilla style to fit in with lightweight Vanilla Style modpacks. The mechanics – however, are deep and fit in among heavy and highly integrated modpacks. While the unique drops of this mod are integrated into vanilla structures and mobs by default, I recommend modpack authors remove many of those configs and integrate the items where they think they belong in a specifically designed pack. Especially because some rewards can be quite powerful.

2. Minecraft Mechanic Discussion: Combat in Minecraft

Minecraft combat is famously simple. It's perfect for its 16 bit textures, blocky entity models, and simple -but diverse, enemy designs. Is it fun? I think so. I think it's appropriate for the Vanilla style game – it's easy to learn and progression based on item material is simple to understand to players of any age. The different enemy types all fight in different styles – and even though it's pretty easy to "cheat" any of your battles or become unkillable with some mid to late game Diamond Armor, it suits a game where death is quite punishing and not much fun at all. In other words, Minecraft just isn't a fighting game, and I am content with the focus of the game being elsewhere.

Changes to Vanilla Fighting System – Combat Updates, Mace, Spear, Trident – The combat update was famously poorly received across Minecraft and I have to agree – I just can't stand the cooldown bar on attacks. However, I have grown to mind it less and with my new Mod above the item "Warrior Ritual Tablet" reduces the attack cooldown with all weapons. The weapon cooldown allows for a progression system where some weapons may be "too slow" in the early game, but will be viable later in the game with more tablets obtained. I think the mace and spear are nice additions but I do acknowledge the power creep taking place in Minecraft combat and hope it stops here.

Better Combat – The premier fighting update system in Modded Minecraft. Better Combat adds several mechanics to use to make vanilla weapons feel different and a handful of new smooth weapon animations to fight with. AsianHalfSquat has a video showcase here. I will go against the grain here and say that I don't like how Better Combat feels. I see what the mod is trying to do and how – I would probably have the same idea to improve Minecraft combat, but the sweeping strokes of the sword or the pointy poke of the trident don't feel satisfying to me. I think the sword swinging way in front of my body is weird and I don't naturally have the instinct for the weapon ranges here.

Epic Fight – My favorite feature from this mod is that you must press R to switch to combat mode. This is great because minecraft is not inherently a combat focused game, but if you are intentional about fighting, you can be. I still don't feel like the rolls and animated swings really "fit" Minecraft – nor do I feel like the enemies you fight in Minecraft lend themselves to the kind of enemies that benefit from fighting with a roll, but many players enjoy this system.

Park Cool Mod – Cool movement techniques – jumping, running, sliding, hanging, crawling etc. I think its a cool mod, and its especially cool to base a particular map around it and a fun puzzle to use the new mechanics this mod adds to solve new jumps, but I don't think it fits into vanilla. I do really love the hanging though, I think that's useful and I would use it in game.

l_ender's Cataclysm Bosses – Amazing structures, amazing boss designs, amazing attacks and animations and creative theme integration – each boss feels unique. The bosses yield cool custom crafted rewards as well, each with unique abilities. However, is this kind of combat fun in Minecraft, is it fitting? I think we are getting to the point where some of the bosses in Enders Cataclysm and (especially) in Qliphoth Awakening are get a bit over the top for Minecrafts limited combat system, but I think Cataclysm does a pretty good job of keeping it Vanilla.

• Netherite Monstrosity – I especially like the Monstrosity for its simplicity and good use of the Nether theme (shoots Lava, fire).
• Ender Golem – I appreciate the simplicity, but not much different from the nether boss
• Leviathan – boss fight does not fit Minecraft very well, but I do credit the creativity.
• Ancient remnant – I love the desert themed mini bosses, they are creative and threatening. Its a fun temple. The remnant itself starts to go a little past Minecraft's natural feeling boss fights, but once again, great creativity

I think Boss fights in Minecraft can be their best when both the boss and the player integrate the environment into their fight. The sandbox nature of Minecraft lends itself better to do this than most other games

3. Mod Showcase Warsenal (Fabric 1.20.1) Weapons Mod

This week we have a tiny combat mod which I thought was creative and wanted to spotlight. Warsenal (Fabric Only 1.20.1) adds a few new weapons to Minecraft that fit the look and feel of Vanilla Minecraft. The art and textures are well made and the Weapon Designs are creative and feel unique. See demo at the end of the video above.

Some thoughts on the weapons:

• Auric Katar – Does more damage with successive hits. Cool and Strong.
• Flair – Melee weapon which shoots a Flail projectile which can attack at range and break shields.
• Ignition Cutlass – Sword that gains attack power as the player moves