[POLL] How fragmented should mods be?

[Mr1k3]

Here's some background as to why I'm asking this question:

I have several mods developed, yet unreleased, because I cant quite figure out how much content a mod should have, and how that content should be combined with roughly similar mods.

For example, I've released a mod called "better drifters" which is a mod that tries to upscale the difficulty of drifters, but I've also been working on a mod that currently adds a new wolf-like enemy that can spawn like drifters to spice up the combat loop. My real question is should these mods be combined under a different name or should I simply keep them separate? They fit a pretty similar theme and I think could work pretty well together, but It would alienate people who, for example, wanted a slightly more difficult vanilla-type feel without a bunch of new enemies that may or may not fit with the vanilla style or appeal.

Another example could be my "QOL Tweaks" series of mods, where each mod modifies a small aspect of the game, and could theoretically all be combined into a single easy-to-install mod, but that would destroy a large chunk of personalisation for modpacks.

My philosophy thus far has been to keep mods that are fairly similar together, and mods that change completely different aspects of the game compared to each other and would not both fit into an overall "theme", separate.

I find that when making modpacks for any game I'd rather have as many options as possible so I can much more easily create a pack that can fit the idea I had for it, and even when not making packs and just doing some light modding, I find it really annoying when a mod adds tons of stuff when you just wanted one thing from it, for example; in earlier versions of minecraft you'd have to download the entirety of openblocks just for the elevator block, but it still adds tons of other stuff you might not care for.

Or simply, would you rather have to download 10 mods individually that each change a small thing, or just download one mod that adds all the content from those 10 mods but also added some other junk from another 5 mods you didn't really want?

Edited October 28, 2021 by Mr1k3

[DArkHekRoMaNT]

I like the division of mods by subject and the Quark method (config for everything). But I also find it important to split the mod into vanilla extensions / new content, if applicable.

I think many players may opt out of mod with additional content (new mobs), because they adhere to the principle of minimally expanding the game through mods (or they just don't like these mobs).

Generally speaking, splited mod has its pros and cons:
+ It is easier for players to find the right mods
+ Each mod individually is more stable
- Many mods are harder to maintain
- Mods are easier to lose / forget, etc.

On the other hand, utilitarian (kitchen sink) mods also have their pros and cons:
+ No need to look for a bunch of mods, great recognition
+ You can make a configuration for fine tuning (but keep in mind that most players will not use this)
+ Easier to maintain
- One part of the mod can break the whole mod when updating the game
- It can alienate players due to unnecessary / unwanted content (new mobs), but the same Quark partially solves this with controversial parts such as pipes turned off by default

There are also thematically mods, they are devoid of some of the shortcomings of utilitarian mods and they use a config much more often, because removing 1 in 10 things is more attractive than cutting the mod to remove 9 out of 10 (elevators from OpenBlocks).

 

TL;DR: Hard to find the perfect option - to split mod or not? But specifically on the account of improving drifters + new mobs - I would split it 

[Spear and Fang]

Both approaches have their pros and cons for sure.  If you're like me and (1) don't have a ton of free time and (2) are only modding for personal enjoyment, I think that larger mods are the way to go (even if the content is unrelated).  I'm mostly interested in being creative and learning new things, and a lot of my stuff would never be released/properly maintained/tested if it were a bunch of smaller mods.  I've created way too many things over the years that never got released at all, so creating actual deliverables is a pretty high on the priority list.

You will never please 100% of the people 100% of the time, and I'm ok with that.

TL;DR: It's just a hobby, so I'm the priority.

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Spear and Fang

[Omega Haxors]

The trend seems to be that each mod adds one feature. I think it's for the best. The worst thing about minecraft modding was how every mod would add the same features and any modpack would have 30 different macerators. It was insufferable. On the flip side you had power tripping pack devs who bothered to put in the effort to remove duplicate functionality but then would spend the rest of their energy railroading you into their style of play. Equally insufferable.

At least mods here you can choose which things you want to add.

For example, I created World of Darkness to balance out Immersive Phototrophy, but kept them separate downloads. The player can choose to download one or both.

Edited October 29, 2021 by Omega Haxors

[DArkHekRoMaNT]

43 minutes ago, Omega Haxors said:

any modpack would have 30 different macerators.

I think with the increase in the number of mods, we will also come to something similar. Initially, mc has only one macerator by IndustrialCraft 

Edited October 29, 2021 by DArkHekRoMaNT

[l33tmaan]

Expanded Foods is simply too big for me to be capable of maintaining more than one version at a time. Hell, I can barely maintain one version! 
I wouldn't make separate packs for bottles, or drying meat, or boiling stuff, because that's extremely tedious and makes it harder to get BIG NUMBER on the ModDB. Which, in the end, is truly the only thing that matters

[PhotriusPyrelus]

<.<  It is possible to have one download with many mods on the mod screen so you can select what parts you want to enable?  That's how I most-like it to be done.

[jakecool19]

In my experience, I would definitely tend to having less, bigger mods, over several fragmented ones. With the few mods I have now, I am contemplating either merging or abandoning a couple of them, especially after 1.15. With many mods as others have stated, maintenance becomes a real chore and burden, and then you have to start worrying about not just compatibility with mods made by other people but also between your own mods. Although, this is coming from the perspective of someone who makes code mods which change game mechanics which make them much more prone to bugs and breaking, vs your content mods which have relatively much less upkeep, since they just use vanilla mechanics. So really, it is a question of, do you feel like the predicted maintenance would be ok or too much for you?

[l33tmaan]

Yeah, there's an issue inherent to this discussion: It's easier and more convenient for modders to create and maintain as few mods as possible, but it's more convenient for the player to be able to control their modded experience as much as possible. What a dilemma. 

[Spear and Fang]

26 minutes ago, l33tmaan said:

Yeah, there's an issue inherent to this discussion: It's easier and more convenient for modders to create and maintain as few mods as possible, but it's more convenient for the player to be able to control their modded experience as much as possible. What a dilemma. 

Totally.  But if players want more and better modded content and want it faster, then the answer is clear.  There's nothing stopping anyone from customizing most mods after the fact, even if customization isn't inherently built in.

[Omega Haxors]

On 10/30/2021 at 3:27 AM, PhotriusPyrelus said:

<.<  It is possible to have one download with many mods on the mod screen so you can select what parts you want to enable?  That's how I most-like it to be done.

It *might* be possible by packing multiple mods within the same zip file. Even if it wasn't you could so a subdirectory where you put all the mods into a folder/zip file then have the user manually put in the mods that they want to use. Would be the easiest way to distribute modpacks too.

Edited November 1, 2021 by Omega Haxors