A modpack with a focus on niche mods, familiar categories, but new mods. For 1.21.1 NeoForge.

Author's Note: Many I'd never heard of, and others I just stumbled upon per categories, to see what fit, some interesting ideas for recipes, movement features and more besides just so other interesting blocks. I mean to me half the fun of trying a new tech mods isn't just getting ore doubling, it's what other machines they have in them or different power system ideas or whatever the case. So thought I'd share what ones I'd randomly browsed on Curseforge and for those wanting to try something different.

Warning: Don't use the Melting Machine from Simple Energy/FE Machines will crash the game. Testing other Simple Energy FE Machines to see what else breaks and may remove the mod (as Magma Cruicble, Melter and others may have similar recipes) or keep it but just be careful in what may be supported.

Warning: Whern testing aim assistance and arrow collect, I narrowed down Arrow collect on it's own crashes the game when using an bow, so I recommend removing it, add another mod Arrow Collector if you want but I'm going to add other mods as I want to stick to the low downloads/niche mod theme.

Notice: Due to Arrow Collect not working and the Melting Machine of Simple FE Machines crashing (the other machines seem to work), and testing the VortexTech smelter and it won't smelt the dust to nuggets (or even the Simple FE Machines smelter got picky due to it not loading correctly either but checked again for power sources and it worked well enough so not sure there) so I got Ore Hammer as an option for dusts besides using Fire and Flames (Fire and Flames is in the pack currently, Ore Hammer I'm just testing to cover dusts, that or I work out a OreDictionary compatibility mod) to melt ores instead. But many recipes seem to cross over (not all) with Magma Crucible, Melter or Fire and Flames. I'm thinking of removing it but leaving it for now. I was considering adding: Torch Throw, Stew Me, Better Tipped Arrows and Barrel Cannon (the other unused mods will be maybe for another modpack), but the RAM situation to increase is limiting, I can increase it but i want to use it as a goal/baseline.

Also with how breakable or not all can connect with them for the Energy Pipes from the Pipes mod and how particular VortexTech's are I am considering other mods for those if I can.

Notice: The images are just the spawn for the seed (this is not a challenge map or skyblock to make that clear) I first came across and wanted to show it off in images (alsos it's the seed I'm playing through for testing of the pack), spawning me on the top of that mountain [I build a spruce planks house on top for the fun of it] with a further down the mountain a Spruce Forest/Taiga, (no snow, no pozol).

If you want to try this seed you can here: 9217196361654062254

Also I found compared to other worlds/seeds I've done pretty well getting iron or other resources so to me going hmm the amount of iron for a pulverizer or other things could be difficult before geting ore doubling or other machines, but it wasn't as bad as I thought compared to others I'd tested and how much they required. Maybe just me feeling it a certain way then what it actually was like.

Storage mods like Awesome storage with items to remote access, Improved Storage for tiered storage options, while others such as Arda's Backpacks or Inventory Storage with single but storing lots or more slots to store storage blocks.

Arcane Prophecy for many spells and enhancements.

Agricutlural offer farming automation. or Better Than Copper with it's Block Breaker, Placer, Detection,, Mover, Ticker, Mode Changer, Detector Locker and more for other automation capabilities.

VortexTech offers a variety of machines and other ores/tools, Fire and Flames for resources and casting, Fast Pipes for item, fluid and energy pipe options, Simple FE Machines for offering core machines (not so ore recipes but more other types of grinding, smelting and others) Indus for more multiblock machines.

Tweaks to food such as Better Glistering Melons/blocks for Glistering Melons.

Other mods with particular blocks include Magma Crucible to melt stone type blocks in lava, Magnetizing for magnets for items or mobs (item or block form), Melter for melting and needing torches or lava in order to melt certain types of resources.

Symbiont for a more bio angle of tech. Azurum Miner for mining/quarry use cases with a few tiers, along with fluids and other crafting requirements.

More quality of life and utility mods such as Mob Catcher,Gadget Lab (portable crafting, water breather, coloured blocks, Copper Shears as an alternative, BBL Building wands,

Bamboo Upgrade for bamboo to leather crafting, Auto Wood Stripping a block that allows easy debarking of trees, Auto Crafters for easy crafting automation,, Arrow Collect to pick up your arrows.

Arda's Hammer for many 3x3 type mining, Arboreal Ascent for easier climbing of trees, Advanced Teleporters for easy teleporting needs.

ArsAda's Superflat Dimension as a dimension and more building opportunities.

Mod List:

-Advanced Teleporters

-Agricultural Enhancements

-Arboreal Ascent

-Arcane Prophecy (was going to include Eternal Exploration to work alongside it but removed it)

-Architectury API

-Arda's Backpack

-Arda's Hammer

-Arrow Collect

-ArsADA's Superflat Dimension

-Athena

-Auto Crafters

-Auto Woop Stripping

-Awesome Storage

-Azurum Miner

-Bamboo Upgrade

-BBL Building Wands

-BBL Core

-Better Glistering Melons

-Better Than Copper

-Cloth Config API

-Collective

-Copper Shears

-Fast Pipes

-Fire and Flames

-Gadget Lab

-GeckoLib

-Hide Experimental Warning

-Improved Storage

-Indus

-Inventory Storages

-Just Enough Items

-Kotlin For Forge

-Magma Crucible

-Magnetizing

-Melter

-Mob Capturing Tool (was going to use Bucketible but swapped it)

-Oak's Minimap

-Simple Energy Machines

-Symbiont

-Vapourwave

-VortexTech Classic (was going to include the successor/VortexTech Reenergized as well but went with the original instead as had enough tech mods and had to cut back on mods to fit pack's useability, may use for another pack)

Other mods removed list:

-Arda's Special Abilities (included then removed as had Arcane Prophecy instead for the magic/abiltiies type mod)

-Advanced Utilities (like Better Quality of Life, a cool mix of features but didn't fit, more so for testing what it was like)

-Bucketible (was to be the mob capture mod, just removed as wasn't sure it's scaling of mobs to buckets and things and just used Mob Catching Tool mod instead)

-Bacillus (more so was just to test what another continuation turned out like of Bacteria after the 1.16.1 continuation mod I used)

-Better Gold Equipment (looks cool, works well, just big file and didn't see much point when had other mods with other picks to use despite the cool Gold use cases)

-Better Quality of Life (more so testing, adds a fair amount to it and didn't seem fitting as may have overhauled too much and wasn't really looking for that)

-CPTSDXS Storage (like the idea, gave me EZ Storage and others type vibes, included before, got Awesome Storage and Inventory Storages alongside Improved Storage so want to cut down on mods)

-Eternal Exploration (while has fair content wanted to cut down on mods, but would but been good with Arcane Prophency)

-Handheld Storage

-Movement Assist (like the idea of the mod but wanted to probably use for testing/review like I did other player assist, other ways to play or cool idea mods)

-NVL Storage Blocks (wanted to cut down on storage mods as already had many included)

-Pipe Craft (was more to test out, thought was cool to see the Viaducts again, but only included Fast Pipes as I needed it more for item/fluid/power)

-Storage+ (already had enough storage mods, didn't really need the compressed blocks and already had a backpack mod)

-VortexTech Reenergized (wanted to have both VortexTech mods but kept it to the first one instead as thought it was enough, I do want to use it in another pack as I think it's tiered idea is interesting)

Removed mods may use for another pack, in updates/only used in testing:

-Handheld Crafting Table (swapped out for Gadget Lab as had more success using it and adds more features)

-Artust Duplicator (didn't see much need in it and big file)

-Better Equipment/Better Equipment Smithing (cool idea, didn't really fit)

-Technolith (already had enough mods for automation, tech and such, wasn't sure if wanted that much redstone focused and had to remove some, wasn't too sure on it)

Scraptek (was for testing, has ok content, not really needed)

-Harmonium (fair tin and other blocks but not needed, got enough other blocks from mods to build with)

-Polytone (didn't need due to the mod it was intended for or not fussed by it's features for the pack)

-F Tech (was just for testing, had it in Tanned Neo and thought might try it again but got enough other tech mods included)

-Satako (didn't need as didn't use the mods it is intended for)

-Cybervoid (was for testing, seems fair, didn't fit the pack, had to cut mods)

-Angel Utilities (thought was a fair idea, cut as needed to limit mods and didn't feel a need to use it)

-OriTech (great mod, got it in Tanned Fabric 4 and thought may reuse it then went hmm the theme of the pack, what else to go with for tech already included, might as well remove it)

-OwoLib (didn't need with whjatever mod it's needed for)

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Exploration of Alternatives