WelcomeScreen

WelcomeScreen is a server-enforced, full-screen onboarding screen for Minecraft Forge 1.12.2.

I built it because I wanted new players joining a server to mandatorily see the server’s main information on first login — and optionally see it again on every login, so players always know where to find the rules, starter tips, commands, and important links.

This isn’t a “mod info” button tucked away in a menu. It’s intentionally in your face: full-screen, impossible to miss, and players can’t just hit ESC to dodge it. Server admins control everything through configs, including text, countdown gating, and an optional multi-page info menu.

What it does

On player login, WelcomeScreen shows a full-screen GUI with:

Title + subtitle
Scrollable body text (supports long guides)
ACCEPT / REFUSE buttons
A clearly visible countdown before ACCEPT is enabled (optional)

Server-authoritative enforcement

If the player refuses, they are kicked with a configurable message.
If the player accepts, their UUID is stored and the screen can be skipped next time
(or shown every time — your choice).

Optional Info Menu (3rd button)

An optional third button on the main page opens an Info Menu with:

Categories (headers, not clickable)
Subpages (clickable buttons)
Subpages can either:
- show information pages, or
- open a URL (Discord, wiki, rules page, etc.) via Minecraft’s link confirmation prompt

No plugins required

Works on servers without needing plugins (pure Forge mod).

How it works (server behavior)

On player login, the server decides whether to show the screen:

First-login only mode (default)

Players see the screen until they accept once.

Every-login mode (optional)

Players see the screen every time they join. This is useful for servers that want to remind players that they can browse server info on login.

Delay countdown is enforced server-side

The countdown (delay before accepting) is enforced server-side, so clients can’t bypass it by hacking the GUI.

Installation

Install Minecraft Forge 1.12.2
Put the mod .jar in your /mods folder (server + clients)
Start the game/server once to generate:
- config/welcomescreen.cfg
- config/welcomescreen_pages.json (if enabled)

Configuration

`config/welcomescreen.cfg`

Key options you’ll likely care about:

Behavior

enabled
Master toggle.
showEveryLogin
- false = show until accepted once
- true = show on every login
pauseGame
Pauses the game while the GUI is open (client-side behavior).

Countdown / gating

enableAcceptDelay
Enables the initial forced wait.
acceptDelaySeconds
How long before ACCEPT becomes clickable.
allowRefuseDuringDelay
If false, REFUSE is also locked during the countdown.
bigCountdownTextFormat
The prominent text shown while locked. Must include %d.
Example: You can close this screen in %d seconds.

Text

title, subtitle, bodyLines
acceptButtonText, refuseButtonText
centerBodyText
If you have long paragraphs, false (left-aligned) is usually best.

Info Menu button

enableInfoButton
Enables the optional 3rd button.
infoButtonText
Label for that button.
infoMenuTitle
Title shown on the menu and subpages.

Kick messages

refusalKickMessage
earlyAcceptKickMessage

`config/welcomescreen_pages.json` (Info Menu)

This file controls the categories and pages shown when players click the optional 3rd button.

Structure

categories[]
- title (category header, not clickable)
- pages[]
  - buttonText (what shows in the menu)
  - title (shown at the top of the subpage)
  - bodyLines (content lines)

Optional URL pages

Pages may also include:

openUrlInBrowser: true
url: "https://..."

When clicked, Minecraft shows a confirmation prompt and then opens the link.

Notes / Design goals

Impossible to miss: full-screen on login, ESC blocked.
Server-controlled: admins configure the content; the server sends it to clients.
Repeatable onboarding: show once or every login, depending on your server style.
Practical info delivery: rules, starter steps, commands, links — right when players join.

WelcomScreen