Starting Forge Development...

[Airwolf89]

Well, not exactly a thread where I cry for help to a specific problem, but I have started Minecraft modding yesterday (I develop Java since a few years) and I have to say my respect for all minecraft modders has grown a mighty bit =)

 

I have done a few tutorials, after I finally found a forge source version which hasn't run into any error messages right from the start, and I realised the code isn't that hard.

What really bugs me is the fact the even the simplest bits of code seem to change in every tiny minor release and I have to do the same things different (because things don't work the way like I see them in the tutorials) and that the referenced Minecraft code is all obfuscated. If you look for something on google you have to hope that your problem is adressed in the right version on any forums.

 

How do you manage to keep track of all those changes and find out what you have to use in this jungle of ever changing, obfuscated code? In those two days in which I started learning this, the idea of making my own MC mods and even keep them up to date for the varying releases has become rather unpleasent. It seems to me that I would have to re-develop my mods for every single release there is. I knew there are some problems in the code which keep the modders from releasing their mods for the current versions, but I didn't expect something like this. =)

 

Maybe you have a few tips for me on how to start and face those problems, if not, I think the MC mod development is something I'd rather not try for myself =)

 

Thanks in advance =)

[brandon3055]

It sounds like you are doing something wrong. I have only been modding for a little while (since 1.7.2) but i have found it really easy even with my very limited java knowledge (i am learning java at the same time i am learning to mod) Most of the minecraft src files should be de-obfuscated for you if you have setup your workspace properly. When you say you have to re-develop for every release do you mean every release of minecraft? or forge? If you just started yesterday i dont see how there could have been a lot of updates to ether... 

[Ernio]

The most disturbing thing in this thread is:

"after I finally found a forge source version which hasn't run into any error messages right from the start"

 

I really hope, that by this you mean you found this link www.minecraftforge.net/forum/index.php?action=files and downloaded source.

Follow this tutorial (if you haven't found it yet) http://www.minecraftforge.net/forum/index.php?topic=14048.0

 

If you setup your workspace properly then:

"even the simplest bits of code seem to change in every tiny minor release"

Sadly yes. I've been with MC since alpha, modding from Beta 1.6+ and it's kinda pain in the ass.

When created, Minecraft had not just few, but a lot of badly written classes and it's being replaced by better ones since (mostly), well, the "big update" (1.7). After 1.7 most of updating to new version isn't really that hard. Sometimes there might be some bigger changes (like now with 1.8 ) but from my exp i know that rewriting/fixing what's alredy done can't take more than 5% of your total work over mod (well, this depends).

 

"referenced Minecraft code is all obfuscated"

Again - if you setup your workspace properly there should be file in Referenced Libraries (eclipse): forgeSrc-version.jar

Most of important (usable) code IS deobf, and what is not is probably stuff that is just not used in modding (internal methods and game engines).

 

"If you look for something on google you have to hope that your problem is adressed in the right version on any forums"

Forge Forums (here) is probably your best shot Always up to date with very nice ppl.

 

"How do you manage... (...)"

Now I really think you set your workspace not quite well. If not, then I really can't refere to your situation, everything is clear and easy for me. MC/Forge updates don't change THAT much.

 

Hope it helped. If you have any questions (best tutorials, etc.) please ask.

 

 

[Airwolf89]

Hey there,

 

thanks for the feedback.

 

Well, yes, I downloaded the source files from the page you linked here. I have followed the basic tutorial in the wiki of this page.

I started with the recommended build of 1.7.2. When executing gradle I had the problem that he couldn't fetch some data from Maven and completely failed. I tried some things I found in some forums and finally I tried an older release of 1.7.2 and it worked. I followed the tutorial linked in the wiki here and realised that it is for 1.6.2 and that most things will not work in 1.7.2. After that I tried to install an older version of the forge source, but that also failed due to some failed hash checks (but I saw that this seems to be a known bug due to some changes on mojangs side or so)

So, I got back to 1.7.2 and tried the other series from the guy which was about 1.7. But even in that tutorial I saw that things are different and things didn't work, so I assume they have changed...

 

Regarding the deobfuscated code. I had hoped that I have done something wrong. But the release I used (forge-1.7.2-10.12.0.987), I executed gradle and everything was fine. Everything was build, I got no error messages, I can start MC from Eclipse and so on. I wouldn't know what to do different. Maybe this version doesn't work properly... =)

 

My Java environment should not be the problem, everything is fresh installed from the ground up, path and java home variables set, so there should be no problem here.

 

Tomorrow I will start again with a new environment of forge with the recommended 1.7.2 source (or another version you recommend) and post the problems I encounter.

I really hope that it is not that bad as I learned it until now.

 

Thanks =)

[TheGreyGhost]

What really bugs me is the fact the even the simplest bits of code seem to change in every tiny minor release and I have to do the same things different (because things don't work the way like I see them in the tutorials) and that the referenced Minecraft code is all obfuscated. If you look for something on google you have to hope that your problem is adressed in the right version on any forums.

 

How do you manage to keep track of all those changes and find out what you have to use in this jungle of ever changing, obfuscated code? In those two days in which I started learning this, the idea of making my own MC mods and even keep them up to date for the varying releases has become rather unpleasent. It seems to me that I would have to re-develop my mods for every single release there is. I knew there are some problems in the code which keep the modders from releasing their mods for the current versions, but I didn't expect something like this. =)

Unfortunately I think you've got a pretty accurate idea of what it's like.

At every major release, and many minor releases, a whole lot of changes occur which often break large parts of your code which then needs significant rewrites.  It's not a trivial exercise to update them, and it takes a long time (~ 4 months) before the deobfuscation is reasonably complete and a new version of Forge is available).  Then you've got a few weeks of fun to get your mod to recompile, change your methods (and sometimes entire algorithms), test, and re-release.  The landscape is littered with good mods whose authors just got burned out by the grind.

 

You can insulate yourself a reasonable amount by relying on the Forge methods as much as you can (Events for example) because these tend to be more stable. 

Personally, I try to encapsulate my code as much as possible and reduce its interaction with vanilla (and Forge) objects as much as possible.  This has a few benefits-

1) Changes to Vanilla or Forge tend to break only small parts of the code and it's much easier to code an adapter if necessary

2) It's much easier to write test code to perform automated testing of your classes, i.e. to discover what has been broken by the update and to test your fixes.

 

The lack of documentation (and the large amounts of misleading or outdated information) are initially a problem but after a few months you'll get used to it and won't really need it much anymore.

 

You should start with 1.7.10 I think.

 

-TGG