Vanilla Backport in FTB Skies 2

Vanilla Backport brings modern Minecraft features to older versions, and it tries to stay as accurate to vanilla as it can. If you're stuck on one version but don't want to miss newer updates, this mod is made for you.^[1]

This pack ships Vanilla Backport 1.1.7.10 for NeoForge 1.21.1.^[2]

What it focuses on

The mod mainly adds content features: blocks, entities, and even world generation. Technical features have low priority. The developer's own example is data components on 1.16, which they say is not happening.^[1]

Things worth knowing

• The mod aims to make almost anything toggleable. If you don't want a backported feature, there's most likely a config value to disable it.^[1]
• Resource packs or data packs written for a modern version may not work as intended. JSON structures change over time, and this mod adds newer features rather than making things retro-compatible, so you may need to tweak those packs yourself.^[1]
• It's developed by a solo developer, who says release timing is unpredictable. Public playtest versions with new features are posted on the developer's Discord server.^[1]

Where it fits in the pack

Unverified The sources don't say which specific features this mod adds in this pack, or where it fits in the pack's progression. Nothing confirms a role in the ATM Star path or any quests, so treat it as a background content mod until you see otherwise in your own world.

Vanilla Backport brings content from newer Minecraft versions, such as blocks, entities and even world generation, to older ones, while trying to stay as close to vanilla as possible. So there's no special starter machine to build here. You play normally and the extra content turns up as you go.^[1]

The mod aims to make almost anything toggleable, so if a feature gets in your way, there's most likely a config value that disables it. I haven't confirmed which config keys this pack exposes, so check the config files in your instance before relying on a specific option.^[1]

Early goals worth chasing

The mod ships its own advancements, and they make a handy checklist for your first sessions. These are the ones I can confirm from the mod's text:^[3]

• Place a Dried Ghast block into water.^[3]
• Tame one of each Wolf variant.^[3]
• Remove Wolf Armor from a Wolf using Shears, or fully repair damaged Wolf Armor using Armadillo Scutes.^[3]
• Place a Creaking Heart with the correct alignment between two Pale Oak Log blocks.^[3]
• Have a Sulfur Cube absorb a TNT block.^[3]

The mod also touches the Bundle, which can hold a mixed stack of items, and adds a Lava Chicken music disc by Hyper Potions.^[3]

Unverified I couldn't confirm any in-pack crafting recipes or quests for this mod, so there's no verified order of first items to craft and no recipe to show. Check the in-game recipe viewer for the mod's items instead. This site does hold FTB Skies 2's own recipes, read from the pack itself: look the item up in the item browser.

Vanilla Backport is a content mod, so there are no machines, multiblocks, power networks, fluid piping or item automation to learn here. The project describes itself as backporting modern Minecraft features such as blocks, entities and world generation, and it aims to make almost anything toggleable in the config. This section covers how those features behave in this pack, based on the pack's config values and the mod's own descriptions.^[1]

Creaking hearts and resin

Creakings spawn from creaking hearts, and [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#The Garden Awakens.creaking]] is on in this pack. By default a heart will not produce Creakings during the day, because [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#The Garden Awakens.do_creaking_hearts_work_on_day]] is false.^[4]

Resin can be obtained from creaking hearts, and it can also appear in woodland mansion chests. The mod has an advancement for placing a Creaking Heart with the correct alignment between two Pale Oak Log blocks.^[3][4]

Sulfur caves and Sulfur Cubes

Sulfur Cave biomes can generate in this pack, with Sulfur Springs on top of them, and Sulfur Cubes spawn in the caves. Sulfur Cubes with damaging archetypes can deal damage, and ones with exploding archetypes can explode. Potent Sulfur Blocks can generate Geysers.^[4]

The mod also has an advancement for having a Sulfur Cube absorb a TNT block. Wanderer traders can sell contents from this part of the mod, and the bounce music disc can generate in abandoned mineshafts.^[3][4]

Ghasts

Dried ghasts are obtainable through nether fossils and piglin bartering. There is an advancement for placing a Dried Ghast block into water. Ghasts can also drop the tears music disc.^[3][4]

The pack leaves the ridden happy ghast speed at the default of 1. Leashes drop their connections when you boost with a firework rocket, because [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chase the Skies.leash_drop_connections]] is true.^[4]

Bundles

The updated bundle controls and UI, the modern bundle graphics and the dyeable bundle recipe are all enabled in this pack. Bundles can appear in village chests. In the mod's description, an empty bundle can hold a mixed stack of items.^[3][4]

Wolves and other mobs

• Wolf Armor can be removed from a Wolf using Shears, and damaged Wolf Armor can be fully repaired using Armadillo Scutes. Both have advancements.^[3]
• There is also an advancement for taming one of each Wolf variant, and wolf sound variants are enabled in this pack.^[3][4]
• Pig, cow and chicken variants can generate, and camels can spawn outside of villages.^[4]
• Chicken jockeys can drop the lava chicken music disc.^[4]

World generation and trades

The following all generate in the overworld in this pack: bushes, firefly bushes, cactus flowers, dry grass, fallen trees, leaf litter and wildflowers. Lodestones can appear in ruined portal chests. Wandering traders can offer features from the Spring to Life and Garden Awakens parts of the mod.^[4]

Client-side visuals

Falling leaves particles are enabled, with [[config:config/vanillabackport-client.toml#Spring to Life.falling_leaves_frequency]] set to 0.01 on a scale of 0.0 to 1.0. The colored sheep wool undercoat is on, and the legacy spawn egg textures are off. These are per-player visual settings and don't change gameplay.^[5]

Unverified The sources don't explain the exact behavior of individual Sulfur Cube archetypes, how Geysers work in detail, or how to ride and control a happy ghast. Treat those details as unconfirmed for this pack.

Vanilla Backport aims to make almost anything toggleable, so there is most likely a config value to disable a feature you don't want. The mod uses a common file and a client file, and I'll go through the options you're most likely to want to touch, with the values this pack sets.^[1][4][5]

World generation and mobs

• [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#The Garden Awakens.pale_garden]] is set to false in this pack, so the pale garden does not generate in the overworld.^[4]
• [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#The Garden Awakens.do_creaking_hearts_work_on_day]] is false, so Creaking Hearts don't produce Creakings during the day. [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#The Garden Awakens.creaking]] is true and [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#The Garden Awakens.resin]] is true, so creakings can still spawn from hearts and resin can still be obtained from them.^[4]
• The Chaos Cubed content is on: [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chaos Cubed.has_sulfur_caves]], [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chaos Cubed.has_sulfur_springs]] and [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chaos Cubed.has_sulfur_cubes]] are all true. Sulfur Cubes can both damage ([[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chaos Cubed.do_sulfur_cubes_damage]]) and explode ([[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chaos Cubed.do_sulfur_cubes_explode]]).^[4]
• The Spring to Life world features are all enabled, including [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Spring to Life.bushes]], [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Spring to Life.fallen_trees]], [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Spring to Life.leaf_litter]], [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Spring to Life.wildflowers]] and [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Spring to Life.farm_animal_variants]]. [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Spring to Life.camel_spawns]] is true too, so camels can spawn outside of villages.^[4]

Loot, trades and drops

• [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Spring to Life.spring_trades]] and [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#The Garden Awakens.pale_trades]] are both true, so wandering traders can offer features from those drops.^[4]
• [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chaos Cubed.do_merchant_trade_chaos_cubed_contents]] is true, so Wanderer traders can sell Chaos Cubed contents.^[4]
• Chest loot toggles are all on: [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Bundles of Bravery.bundle_loot]] puts bundles in village chests, [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Spring to Life.lodestone_loot]] puts lodestones in ruined portal chests, and [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#The Garden Awakens.resin_loot]] puts resin in woodland mansion chests.^[4]
• The music discs are enabled. [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chase the Skies.tears_music_disc]] lets ghasts drop the tears disc, [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Hot as Lava.lava_chicken_music_disc]] lets chicken jockeys drop the lava chicken disc, and [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chaos Cubed.has_bounce_music_disc]] lets the bounce disc generate in abandoned mineshafts.^[4]

Ghasts and bundles

[[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chase the Skies.happy_ghast_speed_modifier]] is set to 1, which the config describes as the default speed for ridden happy ghasts. Dried ghasts are obtainable through nether fossils and piglin bartering because [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Chase the Skies.dried_ghasts]] is true.^[4]

The updated bundle features are all switched on: [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Bundles of Bravery.has_updated_bundles]] for the new controls and UI, [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Bundles of Bravery.has_modern_bundle_graphics]] for the modern rendering, and [[config:config/vanillabackport-common.toml#Bundles of Bravery.has_dyeable_bundle_recipe]] so bundles can be dyed.^[4]

Client visuals

The client file only holds cosmetic options. [[config:config/vanillabackport-client.toml#Spring to Life.falling_leaves]] is true, but [[config:config/vanillabackport-client.toml#Spring to Life.falling_leaves_frequency]] is set to 0.01 on a range of 0.0 to 1.0, so the leaf particles are very sparse. [[config:config/vanillabackport-client.toml#Spring to Life.use_sheep_wool_undercoat]] is true and [[config:config/vanillabackport-client.toml#Spring to Life.use_legacy_spawn_eggs]] is false, so you get the colored sheep undercoat and the newer spawn egg textures.^[5]

FTB Skies 2 1.22.0 ships Vanilla Backport 1.1.7.10. The mod was already in the pack in FTB Skies 2 1.5.1 or earlier. The notes below come from the mod's own changelogs, newest first.^[2]

1.1.7.10 (the version in this pack)

• Caverns & Chasms compat was removed.^[6]
• A config was added to toggle bundle rendering and dyed recipes.^[6]
• The Sulfur Cube mob cap was reworked.^[6]

1.1.7.6 (Patch 6)

• Sulfur Cubes can no longer be pushed into boats.^[7]
• Sulfur Cubes with a block inside are now immune to damage from Magma Blocks, and from other Sulfur Cubes that contain a Magma Block.^[7]
• Fixes: Sulfur Springs generating in inconvenient places, Tuff blocks not applying to the Sulfur Cube Archetypes, Sulfur Cubes touching cacti spamming the hurting sound, and Sulfur Cubes despawning even when named or bucketed.^[7]
• Entities pushed upward by geysers now take fall damage proportional to how long they were hovering when they land.^[7]

1.1.7: the Chaos Cubed update

This was the big content release. It added a Chaos Cubed bundled tab, the Sulfur Caves biome, Sulfur Springs, the Sulfur Cube, a Bucket of Sulfur Cube and the Sulfur Cube Archetypes. It also added Cinnabar and Sulfur block sets (plain, polished, bricks and chiseled), Potent Sulfur, the Sulfur Spike, and configs related to Chaos Cubed.^[8]

• A new "Uh Oh" Husbandry advancement is awarded for having a Sulfur Cube absorb a TNT block.^[8]
• Wandering Traders may now sell Sulfur Spikes, and their inverted loot rarity was fixed.^[8]
• Technical additions: new attributes (bounciness, air drag modifier and friction modifier), new Surface Rules, a trapezoid IntProvider and new Feature Types. The Knockback Resistance attribute now supports a minimum value of -2.0.^[8]
• Fixes: leashes failing to connect with Sable/Create Aeronautics contraptions, and Happy Ghasts spinning uncontrollably when leashed.^[8]
• Translations: French, Russian and Korean were updated, and Italian was added.^[8]

Earlier releases

• 1.1.5.4.2: bundled tabs now show in the correct order in the creative menu, and leaf litter was fixed so it can no longer be bone mealed and places correctly.^[9]
• 1.1.5.1: fixed a cactus flower generation issue on startup.^[10]
• 1.1.4.3: added the lava chicken music disc (dropped from chicken jockeys) and the dennis painting. Happy Ghasts got a lot of attention: players now dismount them underwater, they are immune to fall damage, ghastlings can follow them, and their rider position, movement and floating near the floor or structures were reworked.^[11]
• 1.1.4.3 also tweaked collisions to not break with lithium/radium, and leash rendering to not break with pehkui.^[11]