How to safely mod minecraft?
May 20, 2013 9:35 PM   Subscribe

My kid wants me to install a bunch of mods to minecraft, I'm confused about the process. Installing mods seems much different then say on Steam games where its integrated into the application. I'm uncomfortable just following sketchy links on message boards to download and install jars/executables, but thats the process as I've seen it described. Is there a more obvious way to do this?

Given a named mod like the "more animals mod" are you really supposed to go to a place like this and just trust the links? Is there some kind of registry where you know you are getting some non-malware code? Some examples that seem overly complicated: how to mod 1, example2. Thanks.
posted by H. Roark to Computers & Internet (7 answers total) 16 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: You're best off getting mod packs instead of individual mods if you don't follow minecraft closely.

Feed The Beast for example.
Technic has a bunch of different packs of mods you can install.

There are other popular ones which people will I'm sure come along with shortly. Some mods' owners don't like to be included with packs so you have to install them individually. Installing multiple mods that are not part of a pack isn't recommended because they can have compatibility problems (Better Than Wolves, for example, isn't compatible with pretty much any other mod).
posted by empath at 9:53 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]


None of what you describe/link to seems particularly sketchy or complicated to me, as someone who has installed mods on other games (though not Minecraft.) If it's any reassurance, Minecraft mods don't seem like a particularly good target for malware distributors, given the fairly high level of technical knowledge in the modding and Minecraft communities, and the fact that it's relatively small compared to the audience you'll get offering fake [porn | bank numbers | emoticon packages].
posted by kagredon at 10:09 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


The whole point of mods is that they are fan-made content. I don't play Minecraft, but other often heavily modded games with large modding communities. It's quite normal that people share links on forums. If your kid is reading these forums, he or she likely knows who the "big name" modders are. These people wouldn't risk their reputation by adding malware to their files.
posted by MinusCelsius at 10:14 PM on May 20, 2013


Minecraft mods don't seem like a particularly good target for malware distributors, given the fairly high level of technical knowledge in the modding and Minecraft communities, and the fact that it's relatively small compared to the audience you'll get offering fake [porn | bank numbers | emoticon packages].

There are a lot of sketchy adware redirectors that modders use to make money. You need to be careful which download links you click.
posted by empath at 10:21 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Yeah, it's not the mods that are sketchy as the download sites the modders use for distribution, which use revenue sharing from the accidental downloading of borderline abusive adware to generate income which is shared between the modders and the site.

My eldest is under strict instructions to let me handle downloading and installing any Minecraft mods, plus he has his own Windows login which doesn't have any administrator privileges so hopefully we won't end up with any nasties.

The whole setup is a pain though & I wish MoJang would get a grip of the modding community somehow & as right now its a mess.
posted by pharm at 1:49 AM on May 21, 2013 [3 favorites]


Wise words and action from Pharm.
posted by BenPens at 4:12 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Yes, there are a lot of scammy Minecraft sites and I know folks who've gotten malware from mods from bad sources. As marked "Best Answer" up above already, the best choice is to get mods via Feed the Beast or Technics. They both are legitimate outlets and have good mod installers that do the work. FTB Ultimate is chock-full of great stuff that will keep someone occupied for hundreds of hours.

If you really want or need to install a mod directly from the author, what seems safest to me is to find the author's thread on Minecraft Forum and use their link to install it. You could still get burned, but most of the big mods make their home there; it's not a sketchy forum.
posted by Nelson at 8:02 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


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