Microsoft craft

Mod Name:Microsoft craft
Mod Author: Bill Gates
Mod Forum Page: Microsoft craft
Mod Type: Adventure
Highest MC Version:Everythin after 1.8


So Microsoft craft what is there to say about and.....wait a minute....this isn't a mod I'll have to check this info with The boss.....no ok this isn't actually a mod review this is a piece of news that seem to have been deemed big enough to go outside the realms of a mod review.


Ok so down to the serious side of things, as I'm sure you will by this time already likely know (in that case why am i writing this...should I change this post to be abot cats?) Mojag has been bought over by microsoft for a wopping 2.5 billion dollars (I want 2.5 billion dollars).


So what does this deal mean? Well currently microsofts intentions are unclear however here is the information we do currently know


-Notch is gone(no now who will keep herobrine removed)






- all other founding members of mojang are also gone

-microsoft intends to further develop for ALL consoles (so don't worry sony users you aren't being left out...they might stick a few viruses on your versions though lol kidding)


"We don't view this acquisition as a signal of [Microsoft's] intent to double down on Xbox but consider it an attempt to better address mobile on a cross-platform basis"

Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund


-most of the other mojang team intend to keep working on minecraft until told otherwise


so why has this information caused so much uproar within the community? Modders are quitting, streamers and youtubers are in fear and everyone else doesn't seem too happy...but why? Let's look at the reasons why the points aren't the cause


1&2- notch has expressed he no longer wished to work on a big project such as minecraft and wants time to work on his own small projects...a quote from a blog post he made about it is



As soon as this deal is finalized, I will leave Mojang and go back to doing Ludum Dares and small web experiments. If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I’ll probably abandon it immediately.


to view the rest of his farewell letter click HERE






So it seems as if this was a way for notch to attept to start over, after all as a programmer myself I can sympathise with him after all working on the same project for a long time can get boring.






As for point 3 I can't see why this would cause any reason for uproar after all this means windows phone will almost certainly be getting minecraft soon and other versions will be getting and update.










So from looking at these points none of them seem to be cause for upset...so what is causing it?


I have a small list of things that seem to be causing issues for people with this deal.






-general dislike of microsoft(This seems familiar *cough cough oculus bought by facebook and mojang*cough cough*)


-fear that microsfot will take away the ability to make money from videos/streaming as seems to be the case with other microsoft games


-worried that modding will become limited to a few people and mods will become charged DLC


-worried in case the updates add in paid DLC


-worried that microsoft will ruin minecraft






So there's the facts, I'm going to say that I wam going to wait and see more of what microsoft plans before making udgement on this deal.


So feel free to leave a comment of what you think in the comments(and please keep it civil)

Magical Crops

Mod Name:Magical Crops
Mod Author: Mark719
Mod Forum Page: Magical Crops
Mod Type: Agriculture
Highest MC Version:1.6.4


Be careful what you spend your money on, diamonds don't grow on trees...or do they?

Today we will be looking at the interesting little mod that is magical crops.
Magical crops is a mod which adds well...magical crops. But what is so special about these crops?

The crops added by this mod are able to grow resources. Yes that's right you are able to grow things such as iron,coal,redstone, even diamonds if you wanted. But How?

Well within the magical crops mod there are several tiers with each one allowing for more advanced essences to be made. Initially you'll start with essence ore and mine it to get basic essence, howeever these can be upgraded to the top tier of extreme essences,which do cost alot of essence but are used for crop seeds such as diamonds.

So maybe you're saying "how can I get high levels, i can only find a bit of essence and I want resources NOW", well the mod has covered that for you so when you break a fully grown crop, for example coal crop there is a chance that the crops will drop a weak essence which you can make into other seeds.

Well I knew this was going to be a slightly shorter review because the majority of the games mechanics are the same, ie make an infusion stone,upgrade it,make essences,combine them to make seeds, plant the seeds....profit
Since it was a shorter mod review I won't do the overall scores for it, but will say it is a fun little mod and the tiers keep it balanced along with configurable options for quantities dropped and recieved.

So have fun with it.

Ars Magica 2

Mod Name: Ars Magica 2
Mod Author: Mithion
Mod Type:Magic
Mod Forum page: Ars magica 2
Highest MC version: 1.6.4

abra cadabra, fiddle te de make a mod of magic for me...hey look it worked and it made this pretty nifty mod.
If there's one thing I would say about Ars magica is it's different. But why would I say it's different?

Well Let's look at the mod and then maybe you'll see why I would say different.

So as with most mods let's start with what is ars magica.

Well ars magica is a magic mod (i hope my clues were subtle enough) that allows you to create a vast amount of spells of all DIFFERENT sorts.
For example one spell could be a digging projectile fireball of light.
The only real limit within ars magica 2 is what your mind can think of for what you need and/or want in the game.


So it has spell creation what else is added within ars magica 2?

well ars magica 2 adds in a variety of bosses 7 in total, each using different attack styles and each being of the various elements, for example water.
Each boss has its own summoning ritual that needs to be done under certain circumstances for the boss to be summoned.
Each boss should drop an ars magica experience orb which can be either blue/green/red, which can then be used to gain a magic level...

so now that we're on the topic of it let's discuss ars magicas magic levels.

Magic levels will increase the more you use spells. The more powerful the spell is then the more experience you will get for using it on a valid target.
The higher magic level you are then the more mana you will get meaning you can cast more powerful spells more often.

So what else is there left to say about this magical mod? if you haven't figured it out by now I said it was a different mod given the fact that every single person can have a different experience with ars magica and the spells they use and the types of spells.

Balance
4/5 quite a balanced mod given that more powerful spells require higher levels and are unlocked later in the game.

enjoyability
5/5
a very fun mod to play with given the random and wacky spells you can make

ease of use
4/5
quite easy to learn to use due to the fact that once you start you are given a guide which unlocks more as you find them. Also helps to guide you through the base startup with the mod.
                                                                    *Hint hint*

overall
4.5/5
a very fun mod and personally one of my favourites mithion could very well be the next dumbledore...*spoilers alert* assuming he doesn't get killed by voldemort.

NEI

Mod name:NEI(Not Enough Items)
Mod Author:Chicken Bones
Mod Info Page:NEI
Highest MC Version: 1.7


So NEI, if you play modded minecraft and you haven't heard of this mod then shame on you and I suggest for you to go get it cause you really don't know what you're missing.
For those of you who do know of it already then let us take a moment to revel in the amazingness of this mod and how it has improved our modded minecraft lives...with this funny picture

Ok now enough basking in the hugging of creepers time to look at the mod.

So in case you weren't basking and saying "huh what is he on about there's too many items(lol another mod similar actually unintended) in minecraft".

Well dear reader NEI was made with the idea of making it easier to find recipes and items within the game.

Think of vanilla minecraft, and you wanted to find a recipe then what would you do? you'd go to the wiki right?

Well with NEI you simply type in the name of the item, or look through its header class tag and find the item and its recipe from there. Done and dusted within moments.

The fun thing also about NEI is if you are playing creatively thee are some handy buttons in the the right of the interface which allows certain things to happen (for example set the time or toggle rainfall all at the press of a button and no typing the command)

So what else is there to say about NEI? It's a simple mod that if it wasn't updated I think most modded players would have trouble knowing what to do with the massive numbers of mods and items. 

The Direwolf20 pack on feed the beast in my client has about 80 pags of items so you can see how NEI helps.

So thanks for tuning in on this short mod review, And honestly I could summarise it but I think my words earlier speak louder than...well words down here would (lol)

for its out of 5 mark it gets a 10 for being so ingenious.

So keep an eye on the blog for more reviews, and potentially some additions to what's going on in addition to simply mods but more to come later.

Ichun

Mod name: various
Mod Author: Ichun


Ok so you're probably looking at this and thinking to yourself, "that's alot less information on a mod than usual" and you would be right to think so. However there is reason for this, as for this post I'm not reviewing a single mod, i'm reviewing multiple mods.

So firstly let me explain my reasoning for this, Ichuns mods are brilliant and uniquely brilliant in their own ways, but they don't add much by ways of gameply mechanics which would mean it would be a very short post for a single mod so i'm going to go over a few examples of his work.


Portal Gun & Gravity gun:

The cake may be a lie but these mods certainly aren't. The portal gun and gravity gun mods are based from the popular game franchise Portal and portal 2 and any other variation on that series of games.

The portal gun mod adds, well as i'm sure you can guess, it adds a portal gun to the game allowing you to open portals from 1 location to another allowing for you to zip quickly from location to location.

As for the gravity gun, well a wild guess might be that it adds a gravity gun, and that would be a correct guess (sorry no prizes, instead you can enjoy this video(should totally have this play on the front page))

Now then for those who didn't rage quit and vowed revenge against me for that prize let's continue. The gravity gun allows you to pick up entities,certain items or even other players and move them about (creeper bowling is such good fun)
These mods also add other portal related items to the game such as a companion cube and a leap of faith pad which can send you flying into a dive, the perfect companion to the long fall boots which prevent you from taking fall damage.

So now we've had a quick look at portal gun and gravity gun mods let's have a look at another of Ichuns funky mods

highest MC version(at writing time):1.6(currently known to be updating)

Hats & Morph:

So another set of mods grouped together so are these 2 mods based from a game that are so similar?
The answer is no they aren't, however they are under a category of working together that I felt it would be better to put them together.

So hats mod first. Hats is a basic mod but still interesting mod that adds.....well hats. The hats can be found on other mobs within the world and can be retrieved by killing the mob. Once you have a hat you can then wear it and look fabulous as you could perhaps have a hat of your favourite youtuber on your head that won't cost you like £50 at some convention somewhere(good guy Ichun, makes youtuber hats,doesn't charge for them).
The fun for these hats is when you see a pigman with an awesome hat you want but know you're far away from your portal outta there.
It is now also possible to trade hats with other players making it easier to get a hat from your good friend (or ya know someone who doesn't wanna be gravity gunned into a lava pit).

Morph now.
Morph is a mod that allows you to become any mob or player within the game, and what will it cost? THEIR LIVES...but worth it to go around pretending to be them.
So yes you do have to kill the entity you want to become but then you are able to become them and recieve their powers, so for example being a bat you can fit into 1 block gaps and fly (configurable), meanwhile being a blaze will give you fire resistance,flight but also you will be damaged by water.

Morph is good fun as a mod, especially when you "accidentally" kill your friend thinking they're a real mob.

It should also be noted that both these mods have won modjams in their respective entry years

highest MC version(at writing time):1.6(currently known to be updating)

It fell from the sky:
I was tempted to start this at the top of the post then finish it here but I decided against it.

It fell from the sky was Ichuns recent submission for the modding contest modjam.
The mod was intended to be something wacky that has no purpose other than to make people laugh (what I gathered from it anyway).
It fell from the sky adds 1 key thing, something GIANT falling from the sky as a meteorite.

Due to the fact that Ichun seems to want to allow people to find for themselves I won't post here any spoilers about it, bit for those who do I would suggest clicking the link above to find out.

It fell from the sky won many prizes at the most recent modjam due to the system being changed.

1st Place – Most Inventive
1st Place – Most Aesthetically Pleasing
3rd Place – Overall Excellence
4th Place – Most Balanced Progression

highest MC version(at writing time):1.7


Due to the fact of there being many mods this time I won't do an overall evaluation, however I will say that Ichuns mods are great fun to play with and always unique and inventive So i would encourage you all to try them out,
To Ichun keep it up your mods have certainly secured a place within the minecraft modding community

Computercraft

Mod name: computercraft
Mod Author: Dan200
Mod forum page: Computercraft
Highest MC version: 1.7
Mod type: tech

Computercraft, is a highly acclaimed mod within minecraft modding scene, but what exactly is the reason for its name?
Well computercraft is one of those mods that schools love. Now you're probably saying "wait what? why would schools love this?"
The answer to that is quite simple, schools look for new and interesting ways to encourage their pupils to learn. Minecraft has shown much possiblities for learning even with vanilla meaning schools can stick a class for this and have some teaching. The reason computercraft comes into this is to do with the advancing age of computers we live in.
Remember back when computers were typing a word doccument or something similar, back in the arlier days (i'm sounding like an old man, back in my day). However now the idea has changed to a more practical approach and school teachers are looking for ways to teach this while pretending to know what they're doing themselves. Computercraft is a perfect way for this to happen as it means they are able to help with early and basic programming (which for some reason is in some schools, I'm in university and only just started learning programming).

Ok so I think i've waffled enough about how schools love computercraft and what gives it its name, but now let's look at the mod itself.

Computercraft is one of those mods that doesn't stick with the basic ore doubling,power generation type mod structure. Instead it takes tech mods down a whole new path.Computers that can help to do many thigns within a compact space using variables using the programming language LUA. Through this complex systems can be made through a basic computer program. As said above this is why it's popular as it helps people take their first steps into computer programming.

Turtles are another fun things added to computercraft

No not that type of turtle but a computer turtle.
Turtles are interesting items in that they don't do 1 specific thing, they can instead be programmed to do a wide range of things.
For example a turtle could be programmed to mine down then once its inventory is fulll to empty it into an ender chest then keep mining. This is just a very basic idea of what turtles are capable of.
With the 1.7 version of comptuercraft it is also easier to use turtles for a wide variety of purposes as with it turtles can have their items swapped rather than being stuck with a single item allowing them to deal with any situation.

So what else is there really to say about computercraft? I've mentioned about their base computers, their turtles and why it has found its way to be one of the top mods within the minecraft modding scene. But maybe you're asking yourself "what if I have no interest in programming a turtle surely this mod is pointless for me then".
Well to answer that in an initial look you would be right to think that, but there are built in programs which have already been made which can be used without you needing to program it. For example by default turtles come with a tunnel command which will dig a 2x2 (need to double check numbers) tunnel as far as you tell it to.
Also within the world there are compter programs hidden within chests which can be used for various uses. Or an alternative is to try and find someone who does understand lua and have them make you stuff (admit it we've all done it at some point for at least 1 mod), or just giving it a go, you'll be surprised what you can do through a quick google search, i'll even get you started
turtles base commands
programming can be fun and rewarding or even just make something crazy for fun, it's such wide possibilities.


rating

easy to learn
3/5
(this is factoring in non programmers) it can be hard to understand for someone who just jumps in but once you understand the concepts which can be easily self taught through google it's rather simple

how fun is it
4/5
 with all the wacky and crazy contraptions you can make what isn't fun about it?

balance
5/5
as this mod doesn't add anything that can substantially alter the gameplay mechanics it is is to keep balanced. As for turtles they cost the turtle,the tool for it and the effort to program so keeping balance

overall
4/5
a very fun mod with lots to do even if you aren't a programmmer. As with helping people to code is also bonus points in my book so dan keep it up

to put it in a way the mod would understad
print("awesome mod")
sleep(5)
print("keep up the work dan")

Blood magic

Mod name:Blood magic
Mod Author: WayofTime
Forum page: Blood Magic
Highest MC version: 1.7.2
Mod type: magic

Blood magic is a mod that has actually been about for a while now but more recently has been noticed more by the community and has been added to big official mod packs such as the feed the beast packs.

So what exactly is blood magic?
Well blood magic is as i'm sure you've managed to guess is using magic, the blood part of the name is named due to the fact that blood is how you fuel your magical powers, be it your own blood or a mobs.

So what exactly does it add to the game? well as with most magic mods (i personally love magic mods) blood magic adds alot of nifty and cool items (i've been watching too much direwolf20). For example the bound pickaxe, it is an item that will dig 11 blocks using its special right click dig function. This will use blood from the users blood network but more on that later. Other interesting items include a large variety of sigils which each have their own powers and abilities which are granted through their use. These include sigil of the green grove (increased plant growth),sigil of the phantom bridge(creates phantom blocks in place of air for the player to walk over), sigil of dome (creates a protective dome which will push liquids away from you in a dome shape) and so many more that to name them all would need their own section.

So this is just a small glimpe into what blood magic is, so now back to a point I made earlier, and let's discuss the blood network.
The blood network is the way in which bloodmagic keeps a track of how much blood each player has collected. Each player will have their own network meaning your blood count will be different from another players on the server.
Some items when used will bnd themselves to the players network meaning that it will always drain from your own network even if another player is using the item. An example of this is the bound pickaxes special dig.

So now we've discussed the blood network and some of the items which blood magic adds surely that's the mod discussion done right? wrong, while this is only a small piece on blood magic it could quite easily cover several topics to get through the entire mod, but for this post there is one final piece i wanted to mention as it is very important to the mod. That dear readers is the sacraficial altar.

The altar is a way through which you can make many things happen such as recharging your blood through mob kills (later tiers), making special items for sigils, making blood orbs and so many more things. The altar it should be noted has 5 tiers each one allowing for more advanced mechanics to be used. For example at about tier 3 (I think) you can then begin to use mobs blood to get more blood into your network.
The way in which the altar is upgraded in tiers is by placing certain blocks in a certain way around the altar block. These can range from runes to beacons.
 For more information I would highly reccomend a look on the forum page as it describes it better than i could.

So now i've shown you but a small fraction of what blood magic has to offer let's give the final review

rating

easy to learn
3/5
blood magic has an itneresting learning curve and as such a few trips to the forum will likely be expected through your playing of the mod

how fun is it
5/5
blood magic is so much fun to play with given the many technique ad items it adds. If there's something that can be done it's likely blood magic has an item for it.

balance
4/5
given how much works goes into the items the mod is actually quite balanced, it isn't too easy and requires work to get the blood essence into your network to be able to use the items.

overall score
4.5/5
An absolutely lovely mod (in my opinion) very little wrong with it, WayofTime keep up the good work. Your new and interesting methods are defenitely competitive with many mods that have been released for a long time and will likely be quite unique in that field.