Started by
Mr.C@3030
on
Topic category: General discussion
Here is where mod software (both for Java and Bedrock Edition) is reviewed. These reviews are intended to be honest (albeit sometimes error-prone) and specifically meant for beginners looking for better mod software. Anybody is welcomed to post a review.
Edited by Mr.C@3030 on Thu, 05/16/2024 - 05:18
Ironically, the software which I would particularly like to discuss is Mcreator (along with its website).
I am a beginner add-on maker, using Visual Studio Code and Blockbench. A friend of mine recommended Mcreator, and having always wanted to make Java Edition mods, I decided to give it a try. I can see why many people use it, and it is indeed full of many opportunities and makes mods easy. But, the "Best Minecraft Mod Maker Ever" disappointed me heavily. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 3.
On Friday night, when I downloaded the exe. file and installed the program, everything seemed well. When I ran the program, I got a rather small start-up screen with a couple of options. Creating a new project, I got presented with a couple of options of Minecraft mod formats. I selected the "Neoforge" option, and I pressed the button to create the workspace. After a couple of minutes, the program gave me a notification telling me that the gradle project failed to load.
On Saturday morning, I decided to create a data pack, which was created successfully. But, the program was a bit obscure with what I was specifically not allowed to do (I specifically encountered confusion in the "dimensions" addition).
After leaving the data pack, I tried again with the Neoforge project, and I got no errors. But, the loading screen started to list several unfamiliar websites from which the program downloaded code from. Naturally, not a very comforting thing for a program to do. Additionally, I gave it an hour and a half, and the thing still had not created the workspace. Getting annoyed, I tried to kill the program, but the program wouldn't shut itself down. It still kept going.
I immediately tried to kill it via Window's task manager, but task manager took two minutes to load. Finally I managed to get task manager to shut down Mcreator, but I noticed that both my OS, my browser, and my security agent were incredibly laggy. I decided to uninstall Mcreator, and after a brief wait, I managed to get it uninstalled and I also shredded the exe. file. It was still laggy afterwards for forty minutes, though it soon came back to normal. Being fair-minded, I decided to try again with the zip file. But, that turned out to be an even greater irritation.
Same thing happened when I tried to create a Neoforge project, and same computer system lags. I did unsuccessfully tried to remove the previous two projects and I did tamper in the files around a bit. However, the uninstaller refused to see Mcreator as an application. This forced me to manually run my antivirus's file shredder against the program, which took roughly an hour to wipe every file.
Of course, I am not happy that the program did not work smoothly and that it almost wrecked my computer. But, there a few other features I am not pleased with.
The design of the program is terrible. There are not many options in the start-up menu; you cannot shut the start-up menu down. When I was in the data-pack workspace, it was not user-friendly and it was extremely unclear on how to use it or on how to make mods. Plus, it is rather annoying that you cannot cancel it creating a workspace.
I am displeased with its online activities; its habit of downloading code from unknown websites is an invasion of privacy and also a potential security risk. In fact, given how the Mcreator behaved towards me when I tried it, in many countries (like South Africa for instance) it can be qualified legally as a virus.
Continuing on with its design, it also seems that the mod software is overcomplicated. Does it really need +8000 files to be able to make a mod? Why cannot it just be something simple like a Blockbench plugin?
I wish to also express.my disgust about the documentation Mcreator provides. It is nothing like the clear, simple information on add-ons which the Microsoft coperation provides under "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/mincraft/creator". There are no simple examples, no detailed explanations, and absolutely no information concerning Java syntax. How can anyone learn to write mods from them?
Lastly, it is rather vexing that this website has no "feedback" page. How am I supposed to let the creators of Mcreator know that the program nearly destroyed my OS if they do not allow for feedback? How are they going to know about any security threats caused by program bugs?
I think that the Mcreator could be simplified to a program which structures the mod and writes the needed files, but largely leaves the user to write the mod. Certainly, if that were to happen, it would be vital that the website gives adequate documentation concerning the writing of Java mods.
This is my perspective and thoughts concerning Mcreator. I would love to discuss this and to hear any replies.
My computer is only a two-core CPU, which is certainly not the recommended quad CPU. There are indeed a couple of tutorials, YouTube videos, and forum discussions which may help with documentation.
I apologies for my rashness in my review. Mcreator is definitely better than what I first thought. Only, just make sure to download it on a beefy laptop or a desktop computer :)
Thank you for response, Goldorion. I appreciate all the information and corrections you have provided in your comment.
You're welcome :D