Beginner's Guide to the TOG FTB/MindCrack Server
 

Interested in trying out the "Feed the Beast" (FTB) "MindCrack" server, but not sure where to start? Hopefully this will help you out.

NOTE: This server is currently not active due to our needs to change server host.

What is it?
FTB is a set of mods that adds a whole lot more to Minecraft. There are extra biomes (land types) to explore, and all sorts of new machines and tools to play with. Jetpacks, Electric Furnaces, Automatic farming tools, Lazers, Bee Keeping, Labyrinths with bosses to fight, Teleporting books and more! We are using the "MindCrack" mod pack for Feed the Beast.

We are using MindCrack version 8.2.

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Where is it?
The FTB/MindCrack server is located on the old "Sanctuary" port - tog.swoit.as:25565

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Installing:
You will need to install the FTB "client" (which is the launcher). You download it from here: http://feed-the-beast.com - Click on the "download" tab or scroll down the page to find the download section. You can download either the .exe or the .jar version, either should work.


Download the FTB client to your desktop (or a folder somewhere on your computer), then run it. This creates its own launcher to run Minecraft from, so it does not affect the main Minecraft installation you have. You do not run Minecraft as normal to log in to the server for FTB - you just need to run this launcher and it does the rest.

There are a list of available mod packs in the side. You need to make sure you have selected the "MindCrack" one.


Make sure you have the correct version selected. We are using version 8.2. This version is the most recent version, so make sure the "recommended" version is selected in the pulldown menu.


Add your profile in the spot down the bottom, (your Minecraft username and password), then click the "Launch" button. It will now download and install the mod pack for you.

From then on, to play with FTB, click the launch button it will load Minecraft for you with the FTB/MindCrack mods installed. This will take longer to load each time than vanilla Minecraft does, as it needs to load the mods, and you will see a "FML" window pop up as it loads, which is Forge Mod Loader, and is part of the mod, so don't worry about it :)


Some options you might find useful:
There are 2 options you might find particularly useful. Click on the "options" button and you'll see the place where you can select the amount of RAM Mindcrack will use (if you're running a 64bit system), you can choose to turn off the console or reopen the launcher when minecraft closes. That last option means that if your game crashes (or you want to restart), the launcher will pop back up again - making it quicker to reload. Which is quite handy

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psad466c96.png

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Removed Mods:
We have disabled a couple of mods from the MindCrack mod pack, so their recipes and items won't be available on the server. These mods are:

Xycraft
Soul Shards
Portal Guns (the longfall boots are still available, but nothing else)

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Additional Mods:
We are also running a couple of additional mods, which you will also need to download before you join the server. These are not part of the MindCrack mod pack, so you will have to download and install them yourself - but don't worry - it's really easy to do!

The mods you need to install are "Additional Pipes", "Mystcraft" and "Mo Creatures" (Mo Creatures has 3 files to install). More information on these 3 mods can be found by clicking those linked names and reading their webpages.

Download these files:
Additional Pipes - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0hc1l4bn4dvjlni/Mu1fqxJdDD/AdditionalPipes-2.1.3u36b2-1.4.6.jar
Mystcraft - Mystcraft 0.10.1
Mo Creatures - DrZhark's Mo'Creatures Mod v4.5.1.zip
GUI Api - http://bit.ly/W9j6i9
Custom Mob Spawner - CustomMobSpawner 1.11.zip

(please note you don't need to download Forge with Mo'Creatures, as Forge is included in MindCrack already)

The zip files will then need to be placed/saved into different folders within your "MindCrack" folder. Don't unzip them - leave them as is.

The "GuiApi" file needs to go into the "instmods" folder in your MindCrack folder.

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...pscd54f6a3.png

The other mod files need to go in the "mods" folder.

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps69878123.png


Not working?
Some people have had problems with where the mods are installed to. If the above locations don't work for you, try placing "guiapi" in "coremods" and the others into either "instmods" or "mods"


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Server Rules/Guidelines:
Because this server is a little different to our regular servers, there are some rules specifically for this server. They include rules to do with running quarries, nuclear power and so on.

The basic info for the server, including the server rules is found here:
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/476446-ftb-mindcrack-world-opening-5pm-aedst-sat.html#post3756761

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Starting out on the Server:
You'll start off at "spawn" Hopefully *inside* Spawn's "Town Hall" (though you might spawn on the roof), which is the stone brick building, and has a nice visible beacon on top of it.

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x.../ftb_spawn.png

Inside you'll find community food gardens and animal pens, as well as an enchanting table and some other communal stuff. There are 3 portals to the other worlds here as well.

Outside you'll notice a few new biomes. HUGE tall forests, Autumn trees, Glacial mountains and so on. The area surrounding Spawn is set out in a grid of City blocks inside a wall. Each lot can be claimed by players to build their homes on. You are free to build outside of the walled city as well.

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More than just the one world!
There are 5 additional worlds on our FTB server!!!! These additional worlds work the same way as the "nether" - in that they are worlds accessed via the main world. You'll find the portals to these at Spawn.

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...-31_123604.png

If you've played Minecraft before, you'll be well aware of the "Nether", which is the lava filled underworld of Minecraft. Filled with "Zombie Pigmen", "ghasts", "Blazes" and other mean beasties. You access the Nether through the black (Obsidian) portal.

The Myst Worlds are accessed via the blue crystal portals. We have 3 different Myst Worlds. The Wasteland, Jorune and The Caverns. They are explained in more depth here - http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/477973-ftb-mindcrack-introducing-3-new-worlds.html

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...-31_124832.png


The Twilight Forest is accessed via the purple pond-like portal in the ground. This takes you to a world that is forever twilight, with a fantasy feel.

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ftb_castle.png

There are castles, mazes, labyrinths and other things to explore, as well as Rams, Deer and other animals, and a some new mobs to battle.

These additional worlds can also be accessed by creating a link book, and using that. More information on that is found here: http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/473675-ftb-myst-portal-system.html

------ Remember to use your minimap! As the teleporting can be a little dodgy at times (suffocation is never nice), rather than making linkbooks to everywhere, it is a good idea to set a waypoint for the spawns in the Myst and Twilight Forest, so that you don't get lost if you go off wandering!

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Going Mechanised
Probably the biggest allure of this mod pack is all the goodies you can make. Automatic mining machines, jetpacks, nuclear reactors, solar power plants.... there's a lot of stuff to make.

You're pretty much going to have to do some reading to find out what everything does and how to make it. It's quite involved, but don't let that scare you! Start off small and move your way up as you go. Most machines require resources like tin, copper and rubber as ingredients, so you'll want to start mining and collecting to get yourself some resources. Some of the other players will have machinery that you can use while you craft the components to build your own machines.

Because FTB is a mod pack - a collection of different mods - information is spread out over a few sites, and not all sites will have the correct information for the versions of the mod we're using. So read up on the websites, but double check the in-game crafting recipes to make sure you're trying to make the right thing.

Feed The Beast Wiki
Technic Pack Wiki
Forestry for Minecraft Wiki : Main / Forestry for Minecraft : browse
Dr. Zhark Mobs Wiki

To use the in-game crafting guide - When you are in your inventory or crafting screen, you'll see a bunch of objects on the side (press "o" if you don't see it). If you click on one of those, it will bring up the crafting recipe for it (if it is something you can craft).

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x..._menucraft.png

There is a search box down the bottom where you can type in the thing you are looking for. Much quicker than scrolling through everything! If you're not sure how to make one of the ingredients in the recipe, click on the picture of it, and it will tell you how to craft that component. Sometimes it doesn't tell you how to make everything, or the wiki guide won't explain something well, but if you ask in game, someone is sure to be able to help you out.

If you have all the ingredients for a recipe you need in your inventory, there will be a "?" button beside the picture of the crafted item - clicking that will bring up the crafting recipe in a lighter version that shows you where to put all the ingredients. So you simply put the ingredients in the slots shown. If you hold the shift key and press the ? button, it will even fill out the spaces for you - easy peasy!

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...menucraft2.png

When dabbling with these machines, please keep in mind that the server is quite overloaded with everyone's machinery already, so if you can switch everything off while you're not on the server, that would help reduce lag for everyone else.

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Important Threads:
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/474194-ftb-quarry-ettiquite.html
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/473993-ftb-server-mindful-what-you-leave-running.html
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/473221-ftb-omg-i-need-machine-do-thingy-here.html
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/474046-ftb-mystcraft.html
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/473675-ftb-myst-portal-system.html
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/479006-community-use-animal-farm.html
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/478524-thaumcraft-3-guide-resources-spoilers.html
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/482073-ftb-matter-fabricator-spawn.html
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/481296-togwarts-open.html
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/481082-youve-got-mail.html
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/478390-minecrack-mocreatures-zoo.html

Ender Chest colour code reserved list
Wireless Redstone frequency reserved list
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/483059-mindcrack-traders-lounge.html
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Map of Spawn City:
http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/474189-ftb-map-spawn-city-surrounds.html

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Tips & Hints
The rest of this thread has some gameplay tips to help you out. Some of the main ones are collated into this post here http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/feed-beast/474321-beginners-guide-tog-ftb-mindcrack-server.html#post3745627

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Have fun!
Explore this new world and have fun!

Don't be afraid to ask about something you're not sure about.... we were all new to this at some point, and we're all happy to help if you don't know how something works. Just ask.

Thanks Obsi!!! What a great post!!

I've also found the specific mod wiki pages helpful, particularly the industrial craft wiki and to a lesser extent the build craft one. They often times have more info than the FTB wiki alone.

But I emplore anyone new to FTB to ask questions while online. We are all more than happy to pass on our wisdom.....by which I mean help you avoid the same (often fatal) mistakes!

Tips & Tricks
 

Tips & Tricks
Post with any tips and I'll add them to this post to keep them all together

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• Double check the recipes in the game, rather than relying on the wiki ones (I've gathered all the ingredients to make something, then found the recipe on the wiki I was using was wrong!)

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• Many of the machines need the wrench to remove/move them. You need the darker orange wrench (or use an electric wrench). If the item needs the wrench, right clicking on the item with the wrench will make it "pop" into a block you can pick up. If the item doesn't need a wrench then nothing will happen (or you'll access the item), so those should be ok to use a pick on. The standard wrench has a chance of breaking the item, so it's best to make an electric wrench, which won't break the items when set to "lossless" mode (to do that you need to rebind your mode key [as it is M by default which brings up minimap]. Hold down the rebound mode switch key, then right click the air with the electric wrench to put it in "lossless" mode)

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Machines that are white with different windows on them (that look a bit like washing machines), that run on or provide power via cables, need the orange wrench to remove it.

Machines that are powered via engines (or conductive pipes connected to an engine) should be removed with a pick (I think iron or better is required). If it takes a long time to remove, stop immediately, and use a higher level pick. These machines are usually (but not always) more colorful and with other forms.

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• Grinding the ore blocks with a macerator will yield 2 ore dusts, which can then be smelted in a furnace to make 2 ingots (compared to 1 ingot per ore block if you put the ore block in the furnace). This way you're doubling what you get from the ore.

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• Sometimes items will disappear or go invisible. Logging out and back in again usually fixes this. Signposts commonly go blank, sometimes logging in/out still doesn't fix that.

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• Be careful with what you're holding when accessing machines! Particularly if holding a mining lazer or a wrench. (The wrench can be particularly dangerous with transformers and batboxes which have a specific output side. The wrench will shift this side and if you're unlucky you'll by mistake connect a high voltage side to a low voltage cable and blow a lot of stuff up).

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• When you find your first diamonds, make a diamond drill, they are don't wear out (but need to be recharged)

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• Hover your mouse over an item in the menu and press "U" which will bring up many recipes that can be done with that item.

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• Gold pipes make items traveling through piping go faster. You don't need to use a redstone torch to power them (that was changed a few versions ago)

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• Crystal chests apparently contribute to lag - If you want to see contents of chests - you're better off using barrels (which hold 64 stacks of a single item type)

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How to make a teleporting linkbook

Have a book in your inventory. When you are at the spot you'd like your linkbook to take you back to. Place the book in the crafting spot in your inventory, and you'll see it will turn green. Take the green book out of the crafting spot and it is now linked to that point of the world.

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x.../ftb_book2.png

This book can be used as is in a portal or on a book stand, but if you want to have it in your inventory to use while you're walking around, you need to take it to spawn, use the linkbook table which looks like this:

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x..._booktable.png

Place the book in the spot, and you can name it so you can remember where it goes to. You need to click the buttons for "intra linking" and "following" (the buttons aren't marked but they have a popup when you mouse-over them)

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x.../ftb_book3.png

You can now use the book anywhere to take you back to that spot you created it (made it green).

Just right click with it in your hand, and it will open the book.
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...-29_155826.png
Click the black part on the right side of the book and you'll be teleported to the spot that book linked to.

So it's a good idea to make a book to your house and/or to spawn and carry it with you wherever you go.


You can also keep the books in a portal or on a book stand - if you want a permanent way to teleport somewhere.

A portal is created by making the frame from the myst crystals (it can be any size, rectangle or square), and place a book "receptacle" on it.

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x.../ftb_myst2.png

To make the receptacle, craft the crystals like this:
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x.../ftb_myst4.png

Then click the receptacle with the book to place the book in the slot and activate the portal. You can click the book to take the book back out of the portal to deactivate the portal.

A stand is made like this.
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x.../ftb_myst5.png

To use the stand, place the stand then place the book on the stand - then just right click on the book to use it.
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x.../ftb_myst3.png

These machines usually look kind of like various washing machines or household appliances. They are white with different windows on them. They also always run on or provide power via cables. So if your stuff is connected via a cable, use the orange wrench to remove it.

Most all other machines are powered via engines (or conductive pipes connected to an engine) and these should be removed with a pick (I think iron or better is required). If it takes a long time to remove, stop immediately, and use a higher level pick. These machines are usually (but not always) more colorful and with other forms.

As Obsi said, if unsure try with the orange wrench first, although make sure you want to remove the machine before you do as it will immediately pop off if it's the correct wrench ;)

Also be careful with what you're holding when accessing machines, I've accidentally removed my fair share of machines just because I didn't think about that I was holding a wrench when trying to access a machine. This can be paritcularly dangerous when you happen to affect transformers and batboxes which have a specific output side. The wrench will shift this side and if you're unlucky you'll by misstake connect a high voltage side to a low voltage cable and blow a lot of stuff up.

Great tips!

I did that - wanted to recharge my electric wrench in my solar generator..... didn't think and clicked it with the wrench... so then I had to place the solar generator again and wait for it to charge up again! d'oh!

Yeah, charging the wrench is freaking dangerous!
I disassembled an MFE with full charge when I was about to recharge my wrench. That was pretty irritating.

and of course it was night too lol!

If you work up to a mining laser, don't try to right click on ANYTHING with it in your hand. Most of the time it will be fine, but occasionally the laser decides you meant to fire it.

*cough* I second this. Can be a mess to clean up if you have it set on explosive..and you just wanted in your main chest....just saying.

/me is howling with laughter at gutter mind and laser set on explosive... :D