Better Compatibility Checker in All the Mons

Same as in the All the Mods 10 8.1 guide

Better Compatibility Checker is a small utility mod that changes how the multiplayer server list decides whether a server is compatible with your game. The default Forge check is not always accurate, and it can mark a server as incompatible even when it isn't. That confuses players who just want to join.^[1]

Instead, the mod compares the modpack project ID and the modpack version ID that the modpack author sets in a config file. If they match, you see a tick. If they don't, you see an X.^[1]

Who it is for

This one is mainly for modpack authors and server owners. Players mostly benefit from it without doing anything: when you add a server, the server list shows a tick if you and the server are running the same version, and an X if the server or client version is incompatible.^[1]

Configuration

The author opens bcc-common.toml in the config folder, sets the modpack name and the modpack version, and saves. The version has to be updated every time the modpack is updated. Otherwise the check compares stale data.^[1]

In this pack

The pack ships Better Compatibility Checker 21.1.8, using the NeoForge build of the mod. It was already included by pack version 2.25 or earlier.^[2]

Unverified The sources don't show any items, recipes or quests for this mod, and they don't show where it fits in the pack's progression or on the ATM Star path. It also isn't confirmed which modpack name and version values this pack sets in its config.

Better Compatibility Checker is a utility that changes the default server compatibility check so it compares modpack versions instead. So your first step with it is simply knowing what it tells you when you add a server.^[1]

What you will see in the server list

The mod compares the modpack project ID and the modpack version set in a config file by the pack author. If they match, you get a tick. If they do not, you get an X.^[1]

When the versions differ, the tooltip tells you that you are not running the same version of the modpack as the server. It also lists the server's version and your own (client) version. When they match, the tooltip shows those same version lines without the warning.^[3]

What the pack sets

The settings live in config/bcc-common.toml, and they are already filled in for this pack:^[4]

• general.modpackName is set to the name of this pack.^[4]
• general.modpackVersion is set to 1.3.0.^[4]
• general.modpackProjectID is set to 1356598 (the mod default is 0). The config file marks this option as deprecated and due to be removed.^[4]
• general.useMetadata is false. When enabled, it uses the metadata.json to determine the modpack version, and the config comment says to only enable it if you know what you are doing.^[4]

If the mod is not installed on the server but is on your client, it checks whether the needed data is set first. If it is not, it falls back to the default Forge check.^[1]

The project page notes that the version has to be updated whenever the modpack is updated. The modpack author sets these values in the config file.^[1]

Better Compatibility Checker has no machines, multiblocks, power, fluids or item handling. It does one job: it changes the default server compatibility check so that it compares modpack versions. The sources here describe nothing beyond that.^[1]

How the check works

The default Forge compatibility checker is not always accurate, and it can make a server show up as not compatible when you add it. This mod avoids that by comparing the modpack project ID and the modpack version ID that the pack author set in a config file. You see a tick if they match and an X if they do not.^[1]

The tooltip shows the server's version and your own client version, labelled Server and Client (You). If the versions differ, it also tells you that you are not running the same version of the modpack as the server.^[3]

What the pack sets

The settings live in config/bcc-common.toml. In this pack the name is set through general.modpackName to All the Mons, and the version through general.modpackVersion to 1.3.0. The version is what gets compared between client and server.^[4]

general.modpackProjectID is set to 1,356,598 here. The mod default is 0, so the pack changed it. The config file itself notes that this option is deprecated and will be removed soon.^[4]

general.useMetadata is false in this pack. When enabled, it uses the metadata.json to determine the modpack version. The config warns you to enable it only if you know what you are doing, so leave it off.^[4]

If the server does not have the mod

If the mod is on your client but not on the server, it first checks whether the data it needs is set. If that data is not set, it falls back to the default Forge implementation.^[1]

This mod has very little to configure. Everything lives in config/bcc-common.toml, and the pack has already filled it in, so you don't need to touch it to play. It's still worth knowing what each option does, especially if you run a server for friends.^[1][4]

The mod compares the modpack project ID and the modpack version set in that file. It shows a tick if they match and an X if they don't. This replaces the default Forge server compatibility check, which isn't always accurate.^[1]

How this pack sets the options

• general.modpackProjectID is set to 1,356,598. The mod default is 0, so this is a value the pack changed. The file notes that this option is deprecated and will be removed soon.^[4]
• general.modpackName is set to the pack's own name. It's just the name of the modpack.^[4]
• general.modpackVersion is set to "1.3.0". This is the version the compatibility check compares between client and server.^[4]
• general.useMetadata is set to false. When enabled, it uses the metadata.json to determine the modpack version instead.^[4]

If the mod isn't installed on the server but is on the client, it checks whether the needed data is set. If it isn't, it falls back to the default Forge check.^[1]

All the Mons 1.3.0 ships Better Compatibility Checker 21.1.8, as the NeoForge build. The mod has been in the pack since All the Mons 0.3.0-beta or earlier. The mod's own changelog is the only history available here. Its newest listed entry is 21.1.7, and it has no separate entry for 21.1.8.^[5][6]

The version line your pack uses

These are the changes behind the current versioning scheme, listed from newest to oldest.^[5]

• 21.1.7: fixed the modpack name and version not being logged after the metajson is loaded.^[5]
• 21.1.6: added more logging. The mod now logs the modpack name and version after setup, and adds them to the crash report.^[5]
• 21.1.3: bumped the NeoForge version.^[5]
• 21.1.2: added an alias fix so the mod works in production, thanks to pietro-lopes.^[5]
• 21.1.1: dropped multiloader support.^[5]
• 21.1.0: updated to 1.21.1.^[5]
• 21.0.0: ported to 1.21, with a new versioning scheme. Forge support was dropped.^[5]

Older milestones

Before the new versioning scheme arrived, the mod went through a few bigger steps.^[5]

• 5.1.0: reworked the NeoForge version to use the same method as Fabric. drawForgePingInfo no longer exists.^[5]
• 5.0.0: ported to 1.20.4.^[5]
• 4.0.5: ported for NeoForge.^[5]
• 4.0.0: moved over to MultiLoader, so the Fabric and Forge versions should be released at the same time.^[5]
• 3.0.0: ported to 1.20.^[5]