Better Compatibility Checker in FTB Skies 2

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.

Good news: Better Compatibility Checker is a config-only mod, so there is nothing for you to craft first. It works in the background on the multiplayer server list, which makes this a very short getting started.^[1]

Unverified The sources here show no items, recipes or quests for this mod, so there is nothing to craft or unlock with it.

What it does for you

Normally the Forge server compatibility check can wrongly flag a modpack server as not compatible. This mod replaces that check with a comparison of the modpack version set in a config file by the modpack author. You get a tick if the versions match and an X if they do not.^[1]

When the versions differ, the tooltip tells you that you are not running the same version of the modpack as the server, and it shows the server version next to your own (the client) version. When they match, you see the same two version lines without the warning.^[3]

What to check first

1. Open config/bcc-common.toml in the config folder. This is the only place the mod is set up.^[1][4]
2. Look at general.modpackVersion. The pack sets it to 1.0.0. If you run a server, this is the version your players are compared against, and the mod's page says to update it whenever you update the modpack.^[1][4]
3. Check general.useMetadata. The pack has it set to true, and the config comment says it makes the mod use the metadata.json to determine the modpack version. The comment warns to only enable it if you know what you are doing, so leave it as the pack ships it unless you have a reason.^[4]
4. Ignore general.modpackProjectID. It is 0 here, which is the mod default, and the config comment says it is deprecated and will be removed soon.^[4]

Better Compatibility Checker has no machines, power or item handling for you to set up. It does one job: it changes how the multiplayer server list decides whether a server is compatible with your client. Instead of the default Forge check, which the mod's author says is not always accurate, it compares the modpack version set in a config file.^[1]

What you see in the server list

When the versions match, the server entry shows a tick. When they do not, it shows an X. The tooltips spell out both cases.^[1]

• Compatible: the tooltip lists the server's version and your client's version, one under the other.^[3]
• Incompatible: the tooltip tells you that you are not running the same version of the modpack as the server, and shows the server's version and yours so you can see which side is behind.^[3]

How the check is configured

Everything lives in one file, config/bcc-common.toml. The modpack author sets the name and version there, and the mod compares those values between client and server. The author has to update the version whenever the modpack is updated, or the check stops being meaningful.^[1][4]

• general.modpackName is the name of the modpack. The pack sets it to its own name and version string for Minecraft 1.21.1.^[4]
• general.modpackVersion is the version of the modpack. The pack sets it to 1.0.0.^[4]
• general.modpackProjectID is deprecated and will be removed soon, according to the config comment. The pack leaves it at 0, which is also the mod default.^[4]
• general.useMetadata makes the mod use the metadata.json file to determine the modpack version. The config comment warns you to only enable it if you know what you are doing. The pack has it set to true.^[4]

If the server does not have the mod

The mod first checks whether the data it needs is set. If it is not, for example because the server does not have the mod, it falls back to the default Forge compatibility check.^[1]

Better Compatibility Checker has very little to configure. Everything lives in one file, config/bcc-common.toml, and it exists so the server list can show a tick or an X by comparing modpack versions. Here is how this pack sets each option.^[1][4]

• general.modpackName is the name of the modpack. This pack sets it to its own name for the 1.21.1 version of the pack.^[4]
• general.modpackVersion is the version of the modpack, and this pack sets it to "1.0.0". The mod's page says the author is supposed to bump this whenever the modpack is updated.^[1][4]
• general.useMetadata is switched on in this pack. The option's own description says it makes the mod use metadata.json to determine the modpack version, and it warns you to only enable it if you know what you are doing.^[4]
• general.modpackProjectID is 0 in this pack, which is the same as the mod default. The option is marked as deprecated and due to be removed.^[4]

Unverified The sources do not list the mod defaults for the name, version and metadata options, so it is unverified whether this pack changed any of them. The only confirmed match with the mod default is the project ID of 0.

FTB Skies 2 1.22.0 ships Better Compatibility Checker 21.1.8, and the mod has been in the pack since FTB Skies 2 1.0.1 or earlier. The mod's own changelog is the only history I have, so here are the notable changes, newest first.^[5]

The changelog that comes with 21.1.8 lists 21.1.7 as its newest entry, so there is no separate written entry for 21.1.8.^[6]

Minecraft 1.21 releases

• 21.1.7: fixed the modpack name and version not being logged after loading the metajson.^[6]
• 21.1.6: more logging. The mod now logs the modpack name and version after setup and adds them to the crash report, which is handy when you are sending a crash log to someone.^[6]
• 21.1.3: bumped the NeoForge version.^[6]
• 21.1.2: added an alias so the mod works in production.^[6]
• 21.1.1: dropped multiloader support.^[6]
• 21.1.0: updated to 1.21.1.^[6]
• 21.0.0: ported to 1.21, introduced a new versioning scheme and dropped Forge support.^[6]

Older milestones

• 5.1.0: reworked the NeoForge version to use the same method as the Fabric one, and drawForgePingInfo no longer exists.^[6]
• 5.0.0: ported to 1.20.4.^[6]
• 4.0.6: fixed NeoForge crashing on the multiplayer screen.^[6]
• 4.0.5: ported for NeoForge.^[6]
• 4.0.0: moved over to MultiLoader, so the Fabric and Forge versions are released at the same time.^[6]
• 3.0.0: ported to 1.20.^[6]

Unverified No pack changelog entries for this mod could be confirmed, so it is unknown whether any FTB Skies 2 release notes mention it.