DAI 1.9.9 Changelog

Mod-Embedded DAI Content

• Added full support for loading DAI datapack content directly from other mod JARs.
• Expanded mod-JAR discovery beyond normal runtime datapack loading into DAI's early-startup systems.
• Mod-distributed DAI content can now participate in:
  • MAIN experiences
  • Addons
  • Title-screen definitions
  • World generation
  • Generated registry content
  • Client-local DAI definitions
  • Runtime customization systems
• MAIN experiences bundled inside mods are recognized as mod-owned content and are no longer unnecessarily copied into world datapack folders.
• Added cached mod-JAR discovery to avoid repeatedly reopening installed mod archives during startup.

Automatic Datapack Updating

• Added automatic synchronization between DAI's global /datapacks library and individual world saves.
• DAI can now detect when a world contains an outdated version of a datapack that also exists in the global datapack library.
• Older world-local versions are automatically replaced by the matching global version.
• Existing enabled/selected state is preserved when a stale datapack is replaced.
• The replacement is installed before stale cleanup so a failed deletion cannot leave the world without the pack.
• Locked files are handled safely and logged rather than causing startup failure.
• Old copies can be cleaned up again on a later launch if Windows temporarily prevents deletion.

Example:

World:
AutoCraft MineShaft v0.5.2

Global /datapacks:
AutoCraft MineShaft v0.5.3

Result:
AutoCraft MineShaft v0.5.3

Stable Pack Identity

• Added support for explicit datapack identity metadata.

{
  "dai": {
    "pack_id": "my_pack"
  }
}

• Compatibility aliases such as identity and companion_id can also be recognized.
• Existing DAI packs do not need to be rewritten immediately.
• Packs without explicit identity metadata can fall back to their DAI data namespace.
• Existing projects such as AutoCraft MineShaft can therefore participate in automatic version replacement without requiring immediate metadata changes.

Pack Version Detection

• Added explicit DAI pack-version support.

{
  "dai": {
    "pack_id": "my_pack",
    "version": "1.2.0"
  }
}

DAI determines the newest matching version using:

1. Explicit dai.version / pack-version metadata
2. Version numbers found in filenames such as _v1.2.0
3. File modification time as a final fallback

• When multiple global copies of the same logical datapack exist, DAI selects the newest matching version rather than installing all of them.

Distribution Improvements

DAI projects can now be distributed in multiple forms without requiring Java gameplay code:

Standalone Datapack
        ↓
Global DAI Datapack Library

DAI Addon Datapack
        ↓
Automatically installed into worlds

DAI MAIN Experience
        ↓
Full game / world experience

NeoForge Mod JAR
        ↓
data/<namespace>/...
        ↓
DAI discovers the embedded experience automatically

This allows creators and modpack developers to package complete DAI-powered games, addons, systems, and content directly inside conventional Minecraft mods while continuing to author their gameplay primarily through JSON, datapacks, and resources.

Compatibility

• Existing DAI datapacks remain supported.
• Explicit pack_id and version metadata are optional.
• Existing namespace-based packs continue to work through fallback identity detection.
• Existing standalone ADDON and MAIN experience behavior is preserved.
• Global datapacks can now act as the authoritative updated copy for matching world-local DAI packs.