ModLoader for Minecraft

Modloader is a utility that allows mods to work on Minecraft, and with each other.

It has become dated, as it is more complex to use than its main rival, and is not compatible with more modern versions of Minecraft or recent mods. However, the nostalgic pleasure of using this facility is an attraction for some players.

Minecraft is an infinite building sandbox game, where you can either play to survive or create massively complex building structures – even whole planets if you wish. Developed by Swedish gaming company Mojang, Minecraft was recently bought-out by Microsoft. It has been downloaded millions of times and has spawned hundreds of copycat games.

However, even though the game is vast, it can become bland, with official updates taking quite a while to be released. This is where modifications – knows as mods – come into their own.

The game has spawned a large and coding-literate community, who communicate via forums with crucial game advice and hints. The Minecraft community has created thousands of mods, which they post online to be eagerly downloaded by fellow enthusiasts. These mods serve to expand and enhance the game. They can add anything from simple hammers to amazing new planetscapes. The most popular mods include such names as Twilight Forest, which adds an entirely new dimension with new bosses and creatures, and Railcraft, which develops the game's existing rail and minecart system.

To use mods, you download them from a trusted source – such as the Minecraft Forums – and then install them into your Minecraft directory. This is not a straightforward matter, though, which is where Modloader comes in.

Mods do not work on their own – they need to be adapted to work with the Minecraft game engine.

Firstly, you must install Modloader into your Minecraft.jar file, which is where most of the game's source code is located.

Then – and this is a vital, but easily overlooked step – you must delete the meta-inf file in the jar file. This, in effect, unlocks the game. It allows it to be modified, but also means everything you do from now on is at your own risk – the Minecraft developers are not responsible. This is not as scary as it sounds, and is the only way to open up the game and use the many mods that are out there.

Once Modloader is installed, it has no effect on the base game, until you start to install mods. With Modloader, you install the mods into the jar file (which requires a zip file opener). Caution is needed here, as you could alter the main code of the game. Once everything is correctly installed, you open up the game and Modloader does the rest. It works in the background, adapting the programming code in the mods so that they work with Minecraft and the player can add new physical items, such as creatures and blocks.

While Modloader works well enough, it is not as effective as Minecraft Forge, which does the same job but is much simpler to install and use. While Modloader can still be downloaded, it is not available for newer versions of Minecraft. Some older mods still require it, and it reaches back into Minecraft version history much further than Minecraft Forge.

Don't worry - if your mods won't work without it, you can still get a version bundled up with Minecraft Forge.

Pros

• Some older mods will only run with Modloader

Cons

• Has been discontinued
• Can be complex to use
• Minecraft Forge is a better alternative