Minecraft Forums

Overview

"Better Than Adventure" (BTA) is an extensive mod for Minecraft beta 1.7.3, bringing out regular updates attempting to create a more "finalized" version of beta Minecraft while also maintaining the look and feel of the game pre-adventure update. BTA works very different from other mods as it acts as more of a “fork” of Minecraft, than an addition to it. As of beta 1.7.6, As such, existing mods for beta 1.7.3 are not compatible with BTA. However, we are working hard to allow the community to make and publish their own mods for BTA specifically.

Beta 1.7.6 Overview Video

Introduction

Minecraft has changed a lot since its initial beta period in 2011. The game has grown substantially, and new features, mechanics and systems continue to be added even to this day. While this is all well and good, there are still players out there who don't enjoy the direction the game took post-release, or simply have nostalgia for beta minecraft and wish to return to a time without hunger, experience or enchantments with a few bells and whistles on.

Better Than Adventure is designed to appeal to these players who enjoy the simpler gameplay of the old beta versions of Minecraft, yet also want to try something new and exciting. Think of it as an "alternate universe" version of minecraft that attempts to maintain the look-and-feel of beta 1.7.3, while also keeping things fresh with new features and additions such as new blocks, biomes and quality of life improvements. Despite what the name implies, this mod isn't necessarily trying to offer something inherently better than modern Minecraft, just something different. Think of it as a long-lost branch of Minecraft, what could have been if Notch and Jeb took the game in a slightly different direction.

While BTA is designed mostly to appeal to older players who grew up with beta, the aim of the mod in general is simply to offer an alterate take on the game. So if you're just looking for something new to enjoy, try this mod out too. You may like it!

Check back for more updates!

Features and Changes

Technical Changes

New Features and Gameplay Changes

Changelogs available on our Tumblr.

Download

Latest (1.7.6.2_01)

Download: MultiMC Instance (Recommended!)

Download: Betacraft

Download: Server jar

Older:

Installation

Installation: MultiMC (Recommended!)

• Download MultiMC and load it up
• Simply drag and drop the MultiMC instance zip file into your MultiMC and it should appear on your instances screen. Alternatively, click "add instance" and "import from zip" then locate the file and click "OK"
• Load your newly created instance and play!

Installation: Betacraft

• Download the Betacraft launcher.
• Create a new instance, call it whatever you like, and click OK.
• Click "versions" and choose b1.7.3 and run. As soon as the game loads, exit out.
• In your directory, navigate to %appdata%/Roaming/.betacraft/versions and copy/paste the b1.7.3.jar file and rename it to 'BTA'
• right click on the newly created BTA jar and open with winrar or any other zip opening tool.
• Open the downloaded "add_to_jar" zip and highlight everything in the folder and drag it into the BTA jar you just opened. Delete METAINF!
• Finally, take the 'BTA.info' file from the downloaded zip and paste it into the "jsons" folder.
• Reload Betacraft launcher and click play!

How to run the server jar

• Simply run it like you would an exe. Warning, it will use the server.jar's host directory as a local directory meaning all the files it creates will be placed in whatever folder your jar is in! So try to put it in its own folder somewhere!

Questions

For any other assistance feel free to leave a comment below.

Please submit bug reports or suggestions to our Github issues page.

Alternatively join our Discord server for more frequent updates on the project, as well as access to exclusive snapshots and development builds.

Notes

Special thanks to Jonkadelic for being a very helpful co-developer.

Special thanks to the members of our Discord server for their help bug-testing releases, providing textures and suggestions.

7/31/2018 - Updated "Old Caves" to 1.13; this only includes caves for now due to issues with JBE when trying to change the chance of mineshafts.
11/17/2017 - TMCW Underground has been updated to TMCWv4, which includes more variation and new types of caves; more specific changes to mineshafts and dungeons were not included.

11/27/2016 - While I'm no longer maintaining these mods in general I updated "old caves" (1.6.4 cave generation) to 1.11 because I had modified the class to demonstrate that caves had not been changed since 1.7 (some are claiming that they restored pre-1.7 cave generation or otherwise increased it).

Also, see the end of this post for updated installation instructions, Mojang has sneakily added stuff the the json file which makes the launcher redownload the jar even if you rename it, as if they are on a war against mods.

These are a few simple mods that I made for 1.7.x after seeing a request to remove void fog, which can be done with mods (Optifine) for earlier versions but I haven't seen one for 1.7.2 yet. I also uploaded several mods for cave generation; removing caves, using the generation in 1.6.4 and earlier, or doubling the 1.6.4 generation, and similar mods for ravines (these are also compatible with the server, which uses the same class). They are just simple edits done using JBE on the class files; I can easily update them as new versions come out as long as the code remains similar (without help from MCP). All of the mods here are compatible with each other and can thus be mixed together, except for "TheMasterCaver's World Underground" and the cave/ravine mods as it uses a custom combined cave/ravine generator class.



Cave generation mods:

These mods can also be used on the server (jar version), which uses the same class files.

For 1.13 - only includes caves for now; caves also no longer generate the same as 1.6.4 due to changes in how the RNG is used and a lack of map viewers make it harder to confirm that they changed but it appears to work:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d4x7h5ioronvekt/OldCaves_1.13.zip?dl=0

For 1.12.2 - includes an "old mineshafts" mod which increases mineshaft frequency to 1.6.4 levels (2.5 times more common):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5fre5zvu9ztdofs/OldCaves_1.12.2.zip?dl=0

Older versions:
Here is a comparison of three worlds all generated using the same seed (-123775873255737467), centered around spawn:
Also, here is a large-scale (4000x4000 worlds using the same seed) comparison of cave generation up to 1.6.4/old caves (left) and after (right):





TheMasterCaver's World Underground:

TMCWv4 Underground: https://www.dropbox.com/s/f533wy11uy4khhx/TMCWv4_Underground_1.7.10.zip?dl=0

This download also includes the no void fog and no-derp stronghold mods, which are separate so they can be installed optionally, as well as a version which removes the exclusion of various caves from near the origin, and a standalone Java app which shows you the locations of various caves as well as mineshafts and strongholds.

Original version:
TMCWv4 Underground includes many new variations of caves and cave systems, as well as more variation in the sizes of caves and ravines:






Old Anvil Mechanics mod:

For 1.8: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wxduwnsubmrj1hx/OldAnvilRepairMod_1.8.zip

This mod restores the anvil mechanics from prior to 1.8, where renaming kept repair costs from rising and repair costs increased with durability and depended on the enchantments, resulting in a relatively high but fixed repair cost or sacrificing repairability for "maxed out" items (this still has a penalty in 1.8 by reducing the number of repairs if you combine books/items but since all items are affected by a limited repair lifetime it is less important). It also makes using enchanted books practical again, especially through combining multiple low-level books (e.g. Sharpness I) to get higher level enchantments.

Here is an example of repairing and renaming a diamond pickaxe with Efficiency V and Unbreaking III:
Note that due to changes in leveling up you will spend more XP to repair items; the pickaxe in the example above costs 1032 XP prior to 1.8 but 1758 XP in 1.8, an increase of 726 XP or 70.3%; I still consider this to be pretty low in comparison to what you can get though using it, at least when caving (I average around four times as much XP from mining mostly ores); more significant is that you can't always repair highly enchanted items with new ones; for example, an Efficiency V, Fortune III, Unbreaking III diamond pickaxe can only be repaired with one diamond for 37 levels (1406 XP pre-1.8, 2368 XP in 1.8; equivalent to 5624 and 9472 XP for a full repair, an increase of 68.4% and too expensive for me to afford using one for all mining, as I once did, but there is little reason to do that).

Also, renaming costs 7 levels again, which may be a bit much for non-tool/armor items considering you want to have 30 levels to enchant, although that is less important with the older anvil mechanics, where you'll also be regularly spending many more levels when repairing (for comparison, in 1.8 the prior work penalty is 0, 1, 3, 7, 15, and 31 for the six repairs you can do and it costs two more levels to repair with a new item; this means a cost of 2, 3, 5, 9, 17, and 33 levels - the example I gave is as expensive as the last repair possible; this increase also means it is impractical to extend lifetime by simply removing the anvil cost limit, as the next repair would cost 65 levels, then 129, and so on).

Basically, you get the convenience of being able to simply repair items as needed without having to run back and enchant new ones but with higher long-term XP costs (which as noted shouldn't be an issue).




Ravine generation mods:

For 1.8.3:
Double Ravines: https://www.dropbox.com/s/x50kfbtm9qg7ood/DoubleRavines_1.8.3.zip
Quadruple Ravines: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xtyu7aw0icwq24o/QuadrupleRavines_1.8.3.zip

Older versions: Here is a look at double and quadruple ravine generation, with caves removed for clarity (same seed as other examples, so you can compare it to No Caves); the latter is a bit extreme but I threw it in for fun, still less underground stuff than pre-1.7 cave generation:



Abandoned Mineshaft Generation mods:

For 1.8:
Better Mineshafts: https://www.dropbox.com/s/y50yyt5dx44rxjs/BetterMineshafts_1.8.zip
No Mineshafts: https://www.dropbox.com/s/814dmuhsozn1epe/NoMineshafts_1.8.zip (only included for backwards compatibility, I've stopped updating it for 1.8+ unless requested as Customized can disable them)

For 1.7.10:
No Mineshafts: https://www.dropbox.com/s/15scvl8xtw76641/NoMineshafts_1.7.10.zip
Better Mineshafts: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ytue8a9od2dozbj/BetterMineshafts_1.7.10.zip

As its name suggests, No Mineshafts disables abandoned mineshafts from generating, with other structures generating as they normally do, so if you don't like mineshafts you can remove them without removing other structures (in 1.8 you'll be able to do this with the customized world settings so this mod wouldn't be needed anymore for new worlds).

Better Mineshafts changes the way the game places mineshafts; instead of using a random chance of generating in any chunk (0.4% chance per chunk, one per 250 chunks) they generate to a 14 chunk grid at local coordinates 0,0 and 7,7 with the chance multiplied by 98 to get the chance back up to the normal frequency (14^2 = 196; 2/196 = 1/98). This results in a more uniform spacing between mineshafts and more importantly ensures they (almost) never overlap, as opposed to the frequent multiple-mineshaft complexes that are seen in vanilla. Here is a look at an area approximately 1200 blocks on a side showing the separate mineshafts: Also, a reduction in frequency within 80 chunks of the origin was removed, which leaves them more common than vanilla within that area; the overall reduction in 1.7 from a 1% chance to a 0.4% chance per chunk combined with this makes them often very rare close to the origin, while IMO the pre-1.7 frequency is too high away from it, especially with the overlapping of many mineshafts. This is the same methodology that I've used in my other underground generation mods. Note also that you can still change the chance in Superflat worlds but the maximum chance is about 0.0102 or 1/98.





Large Ender Chest mod:

For 1.8: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2n6l45mo12wsv6h/LargeEnderChest_1.8.zip
For 1.7.10: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ocnwza1ba6zoojd/LargeEnderChest_1.7.10.zip

This mod is basically a "poor man's" substitute for a backpack mod, allowing Ender chests to hold 54 stacks of items (large chest size) instead of 27, while having the advantages of an Ender chest (i.e. contents not lost on death, transport items without carrying it; a Silk Touch pickaxe is still required to mine it though so it isn't quite as OP as a backpack).

No Derp Strongholds mod:

For 1.8: https://www.dropbox.com/s/656sxi2tvh4axzj/NoDerpStrongholds_1.8.zip
For 1.7.10: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2y01sr0q98kbhuj/NoDerpStrongholds_1.7.10.zip

Ever been annoyed by a stronghold that is cut apart by caves? Well, this mod eliminates that by making them always overwrite blocks; the default behavior is to only overwrite non-air blocks when the walls generate, resulting in no walls where they intersect caves. This is even more true for Superflat worlds with floating strongholds, which will result in a bunch of random disjointed pieces floating around. In addition, I removed code that checks for the presence of liquid where a piece will go, which otherwise prevents it from being generated, resulting in strongholds under oceans often missing pieces, particularly when the portal room is disconnected from the rest iof the stronghold (portal rooms already don't have this check, so strongholds added to the "Water World" Superflat preset will only contain a portal room, but with this mod will fully generate). Note that misalignment can still result in cut-off sections, including portal rooms (often just a wall separates them) and corridors end without being closed off, but everything that can be generated will generate intact.

Here is an example of a stronghold in Superflat, showing that it completely generated:



Render Distance-Mob Spawning Fix mod:

For 1.8: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cszlckarcz9ybqb/RenderDistanceMobSpawningFix_1.8.zip
For 1.7.10: https://www.dropbox.com/s/kbzhnfjxwau9sxq/RenderDistanceMobSpawningFix_1.7.10.zip

This mod fixes the issues introduced in 1.7.4 when render distance started to directly control how many chunks are loaded when previously the internal server always loaded chunks to a "view distance" of 10; they presumably did this to allow larger render distances to work (as in 1.6.4 "Far" is effectively only 10 chunks due to this), but without considering the impact of a bug that has plagued multiplayer servers for years. In this case, the minimum view distance is limited to 10 chunks, but can go higher, which is what they should have done.


No Void Fog mod:

This mod will no longer be updated since void fog has been removed from the game, but you can find versions for 1.7.x here: Comparison of without and with No Void Fog; void particles are also disabled:



How to install:

Installation instructions for the official launcher can be found here; note that I advise using WinRar or another archive instead of simply unzipping the jar with Windows's built-in zip utility because certain versions (e.g. 1.6.4) may have a class called "aux.class", which is an invalid Windows filename and corrupts the jar.

In addition, Mojang added some new stuff the the json files for all versions, which must be deleted to prevent the launcher from redownloading the jar; you want to delete the stuff after "downloads" near the end, as shown in this bug report on the issue; when launching the game you should see "Couldn't connect to server (responded with 403) but have local file, assuming it's good" in the launcher log when it tries to download the Minecraft jar.