Item Plugin

[carmine wadi]

good

[stone lake]

wait isnt that a mod

so whats the difference between a mod and a plugin exactly

[torn roost]

Idk xD , i figured since its playable through the classic launcher without needing a 3rd party one? i guess? someone might have a better way to describe the difference

[stone lake]

idk either 🤷‍♂️

lets agree to call it a plugin

[hushed lintel]

Plugins are launched by the server only, while mods are launched by both the server AND the client. Generally, items are added via mods because this allows for much more freedom and is usually simpler. Making plugins that add objects is pretty crazy, can't wait to see how far this project goes !

[stone lake]

Thanks for the explanation. What makes it easier/more free for Items to be added by making a mod (using both server AND client) vs just a plugin (server only)?

Is it just easier to render objects and their affects when both the server and the client know what the mod does rather than the client having to try and figure out what the plugin is doing?

or is it something else

[hushed lintel]

That’s a great question! You’re actually spot on.

The main difference is who 'knows' about the new content:

• Mods (Client + Server): Since the mod is installed on your PC, your game (the client) has the actual 3D models and textures in its files. It's like adding a new page to a book, the game knows exactly what the new item is, how it looks, and how it sounds.

• Plugins (Server only): Your game is vanilla so it only knows what "Microslop " put in the game. To add a new item, the server has to perform a magic trick : it takes an existing item like a Carrot and tells your game: "Hey, render this as a Laser Gun instead"

With a plugin, you are constantly fighting the game’s limitations to trick the client into seeing something new. With a mod, you don't have to trick, you just add the code for the item directly.

That's why a plugin like this one is pretty amazing, even though there are more and more of them on Java servers now

[stone lake]

I see. So plugins cant actually make new items, they can only modify/override existing items, like say, a carrot

[hushed lintel]

Exactly, but you can get a normal carrot and a "moded" carot in the same time. The server uses something called NBT Tags (metadata). Think of it like a sticky note attached to the item:

• Normal carrot: No sticky note :the server lets you eat it normally.
• 'Laser' carrot: Has a hidden tag that says Type: SuperWeapon.
  So the plugin checks for that tag. If it’s there, it triggers the custom effect (like shooting a fireball).

Since 1.14 (if I remember), we got a specific tag called CustomModelData. If you have a Resource Pack installed, the plugin tells your game: 'If a carrot has ID #501, show a 3D Gun model. For any other carrot, show the vegetable.'
So, the 'fake' item and the 'real' item coexist because the server is constantly checking those hidden ID tags

[stone lake]

so even if you use a carot as the orbital strike cannon, you can still use normal carrots because they dont have the NBT for the cannon?

[hushed lintel]

Exactly

[stone lake]

also what exactly are resource packs? are they just textures for the mods?

[hushed lintel]

This is data packs with textures, 3D models, sounds ... You can force players to use your specific resource pack so they got the models and textures you want to apply

[stone lake]

I see

so without resource packs, the orbital strike cannon will work normally, but it wont make any sounds and will look like a normal carrot

whereas mods dont require resource packs

[hushed lintel]

Yes that's the idea haha

[stone lake]

another question

if I wanted to make something that allowed for infinite nesting of shulkers

Plugins cant do that right?

It would have to be a mod?

[hushed lintel]

Yes a plugin can do that

I think*

[stone lake]

it can?

But how does it modify the shulker

shulkers dont allow for nesting

or do you just replace the shulker with a new "fake" shulker that acts the exact same but allows for infinite nesting

using nbt

[hushed lintel]

This is just theoretical, I don't know enough about shulkers to answer that question. It's possible (and even highly probable) that the prohibition on nesting shulkers is also coded on the client side. So you'd have to use a trick to do it with a plugin. The risk in this case, if you use NBT and infinite nesting, is that you'll crash the server with “objects” that are too heavy

A reference-on-reference system would be needed that does not load the entire parent shulker but only its direct children

[stone lake]

i see

thanks for all your help man

[torn roost]

https://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Shulker
This? but you want it to be like a russian nested doll type of creature? so that it adds more of itself?

[stone lake]

idk what that means but basically

u have a shulker box

and you can put another one inside with more items

and another in that

recursive shulkers

[torn roost]

hmm let me think how I would go about it, like a [Skulkers - A] , you kill it, [B] , then [C] ? but it be an illusion, because there be only like a pool of them to make it feel infinite right?

[stone lake]

no

the boxes

not the mobs

the storage

A box within a box within a box

[fallen onyx]

Hey @torn roost, do you plan to upload the plugin to the pumpkin market

[torn roost]

I have to update it to the new plugin system, I believe you guys are doing them via WASM now right?