i kind-of want to make a minecraft modpack. here are some of my goals (some in opposition to each other, for which i will have to determine a suitable synthesis):

  * i want an emphasis on cross-mod interaction and creating one cohesive tech tree rather than many little silos. like, say, GT: NH, or FTB Interactions.
    * but i would like to avoid "building around the quest book" contrivances and would like to keep your path through the tech tree feeling natural and freeform. i don't want e.g. recipes with details that make no logical sense except as a hodgepodge of progression gate items included purely for the reason that they act as a lock.
  * i would like to invoke classic tech packs like Technic SSP, just a little bit. not with strict adherence to certain inclusions, but certain staple mods or analogues to them would be great
  * i would like to deemphasize any involuntary combat in the course of normal gameplay, perhaps even more than vanilla does. minecraft combat is awful. GT:NH comes across like it believes it can get away with the worst mob balancing ever conceived purely because GregTech is seen as "hardcore". this is a failure. i am interested in detailed and longwinded process diagrams, not shallow distractions by annoying hitsponges.

some specific things i'd like:
  * GregTech, for its nature as a deeper IC2-like, its interesting gamey oregen, and as a tech tree baseline for all my ridiculous subcomponent microcrafting needs.
  * Equivalent Exchange, to cement the pack's design as fundamentally not that serious. sure, all base resources can be fungible, why not. GT turns ores into mainly just a process of discovery anyway. be careful, though, to not invalidate too many processes.
  * OpenComputers, as well as Computronics. i think having a computer mod is a cute side-game, and OC fits much better than CC amongst tech mods because it has more to play with wrt recipes, power requirements, ...
  * Applied Energistics 2, the key to facilitating my chaotic approach to storage and inventory management without making me go crazy
    * but get rid of the godawful meteors and uncraftable alien patterns
    * it's difficult to justify putting it as early in the tech tree as i'd like it to be. AE and Equivalent Exchange both share a theme in reducing material object to energy; maybe i could justify it as "MV electronics attached to Literal Magic"? Annihilation/formation as a sister concept to transmutation seems like it could be interesting.

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i'm playing through FTB: Interactions right now to give me some insight. here's a list of things that bug me:

  * one of the first impressions you get from the pack is the fact that you start in a skyblock world, for the reason that playtesters would die repeatedly while attempting the onboarding quests in the overworld (by the quest book's admission). this is not a good thing to admit about your game design. why did you trick me into playing a skyblock pack before i get to play the actual game?
  * the alchemic condenser //requires// dyed terracotta. not regular terracotta. not a specific color of terracotta. any dyed terracotta. [[https://github.com/FTBTeam/FTB-Interactions/issues/85|this is intended]], and it's because you're supposed to harvest the dyed terracotta that decorates your skyblock platforms. this reason isn't acceptable. why are you asking me to make something i can't produce all the ingredients for yet? why are you asking me to scavenge decorative blocks? what is the justification for this machine not working with regular terracotta? it's a small thing, but it's awful. game design jail.

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here are the mod choices which most strongly constrain the minecraft version i use:

^ (mod)               ^ 1.7      ^ 1.12     ^ 1.20            ^
| gregtech            | 5, 6, 6U | CE, CEu  | CEu Modern      |
| equivalent exchange | ProjectE | ProjectE | ProjectE, EE"4" |
| opencomputers       | yes      | yes      |                 |