As of today, public beta versions for Quark in Minecraft 1.20.1 are now available on the Violet Moon discord server.
!!!!!! PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE POST BEFORE DOWNLOADING !!!!!!
I MEAN IT, YOU WILL ENCOUNTER PROBLEMS IF YOU GO IN BLIND
Zeta
AutoRegLib is no longer required to load Quark, and will no longer receive any updates. Instead, a new library - Zeta - has been created for this purpose.
In order to be heavily configurable and have so much content, Quark employs a custom "mini modloader" inside itself, which is responsible for loading and configuring all of the mod's features individually. This is what we call the module system, and it's at the heart of how Quark's entire code structure is designed.
Zeta is, in essence, a more generic version of Quark's module system. Quark itself no longer contains the module system, instead passing all of that work over to Zeta. In gameplay, you won't notice any difference, but behind the scenes the entire structure is different.
The reason this had to be done has to do with the original module system implementation. Quark has been around since 2016 - two years before Fabric's release - and because of this, the module system was entirely built over the Minecraft Forge API.
This by itself isn't an issue, as the system, even up to 1.19, was extremely robust, and served us well. The problem comes with the desire to bring Quark to Fabric. When the entire mod is being ran by a system that is itself heavily tied to Forge, porting it requires remaking the system. Zeta is that remake - it is a ground-up reimplementation of Quark's module system and utilities around it, designed with platform independence in mind.
While this release is still only available for Forge, the rewrite of the module system in Zeta is the first step in allowing for a Fabric release in the future. Very little work has been done on this front yet though, as we were focusing on getting something playable out for 1.20.1. Keep your eyes peeled for updates in the next few months.
If you're interested in a more in-depth technical overview of the Zeta project, you can find it on this post.
What's New?
Besides from the changes of "the entire backend" and the 1.20.1 port, several gameplay-level changes have happened.
New Features
Crafter Backport
- A backport of the Crafter block from Minecraft 1.21, made by Emi
- Emi made the code for this for fun before it was available in a snapshot, and we asked to use it here so it wouldn't go to waste
- Since it was created before the Snapshot, there's some minor differences in behavior
- A few config options are available to use Emi's original implementation - this varies significantly from the Mojang one, so they are off by default
- Thank you Emi!
Runic Etching
- A new version of Quark's Color Runes feature
- Instead of finding Runes, you now find a Runic Smithing Template
- Combine the template with a color of your choosing in the Smithing Table with an enchanted item to change its color
- Combine the template with Blaze Powder for the rainbow rune effect
- Apply the template with no additional items for the blank rune effect
Removals
- Pink Blossom Trees, as they constitute content overlap with Cherry trees.
- Echorang, as we felt it wasn't worth to add an additional smithing template for just one niche item.
- The Bundle module, as you can just enable it with the experimental datapack now.
- Bamboo Backport (duh).
- Color Runes (replaced by Runic Etching)
- Several other minor things that were added to vanilla since 1.19.2.
Renames
- Charcoal Block -> Block of Charcoal
- Blossom Wood -> Trumpet Wood (from Trumpet trees)
- Ancient Wood -> Ashen Wood
- Ancient Fruit -> Enchanted Fruit
- Toretoise -> Oretoise
Vanilla-Matching Changes
- Flamarang is now made using the Netherite Smithing Template.
- Vertical Slabs for Bamboo, Bamboo Mosaic, and Cherry Planks.
- Hanging Signs for Ashen, Trumpet, and Azalea Wood.
- All the Quark wood variant blocks for Cherry Wood with excellent textures by Sully as always.
- Hanging Signs can hang from Posts much like Lanterns already could.
- Pitcher Plants can now be placed in Flower Pots.
- Several blocks have had their sound effects changed to match new vanilla ones
- Some blocks that previously had "Polished" in their name no longer do, to match the vanilla names
Quark Feature Changes
Gameplay
- Ashen Saplings are now acquired from the Sniffer.
- You can switch back to the old method in the config if you please.
- Pathfinder Maps can now find Cherry Groves and Mangrove Swamps.
- Moved Badlands to the lower tier now to keep the pools balanced.
- Fixed Flower Forest emerald price being wrong too, I somehow let that slip before.
- Glass Item Frames will now align to all types of signs, from both the front and back.
- Chutes can now drop items through Hollow Logs.
- Dispensers can now shoot Torch Arrows.
- Right clicking an armor stand with an empty hand while wearing a backpack with items in it will place the backpack in the armor stand
- If the armor stand is destroyed, all items will fall off
- Mason villagers will now trade for Quark stones and their polished variants
- Fishermen villagers will now buy Crab Legs
- Wooden Posts will now connect visually to other adjacent posts
- Raw Metal Bricks now have Wall variants
Visuals
- Quark's Tuff block variants are now using the Minecraft 1.21 Tuff Block textures
- One of the textures was purposely left behind for internal consistency with Quark features
- Redesigned the look of the reacharound placing crosshair, it now also blends the same way as the main crosshair
- The Matrix Enchanting GUI has been slightly touched up, and will now show the current Enchanting Power
Performance/Technical
- Large underground features such as Permafrost and Corundum have had their sizes changed for performance reasons.
- Feeding Trough logic should now be significantly more performant, but you may notice animals take a bit longer to notice them.
- The Quark Config menu can now keep track of how many changes you made and let you know how much you have to.
- A new ID remapping system has been added to allow "backport" features to convert to the "real" ones. This is currently implemented for the Bamboo Backport blocks, but is not infallible and may lose blockstate data.
- A lot of other assorted bugfixes from 1.19.
Creative Mode Integration
- All Quark items will slot themselves between relevant vanilla items in creative tabs rather than just being slotted at the end.
- If the variants are enabled: Calcite, Dripstone, and Tuff will also be added to Building.
Personal Note
I'll make this quick. These last few months have been awful. My life has been in turmoil ever since this project was announced, and isn't seeming to get any better. This isn't exactly the place to get into details about it, though.
Anyway, because of this, my involvement in everything you see above has been minimal. My position in the Zeta development has been mostly an advisory and overseer one. My contribution to the Quark porting was insignificant, and in the grand scheme of things, was mainly a designing role.
I mean this as I want to make it incredibly clear that what we're celebrating today is the team's work - not mine. It's easy to attach a big name to a project like this, and say "thank you Vazkii for your hard work!!", but I think today, and for the next while, I do not deserve this spotlight.
In my functional absense, an incredibly skilled group of modders from both Violet Moon and outside have stepped up, and volunteered their time and effort to keeping Quark alive and moving forward. Their work is reflected here today, and for that, from the bottom of my heart, I am incredibly grateful.
The Zeta project, and Quark for 1.20.1 would not be here without the incredible work of quat1024, IThundxr, Siuolplex, wiresegal, and MehVahdJukaar. Once again, thank you.
Regarding Crashes with Other Mods (READ ME)
Regarding mod compatibility - every single Quark code file has been moved. This means that any mods that provide code-level compatibility with Quark will need to be updated. We recommend you update all mods in your instance, and run it once before installing Quark.
Besides that, all currently known issues are very minor, and will not affect gameplay in any significant manner.
FAQ
Why is this not on CurseForge/Modrinth?
While we are confident that what we have now is stable and will be perfectly playable, you have to remember that this is a complete structural remake. Because of this, we're taking extra caution to ensure we don't get hit by Murphy's Law here.
Additionally, as per the personal note above, my ability to interject on critical errors at a moment's notice is stunted. The last thing I want is to release something we thought is stable and working fine only for some incredibly weird gamebreaking bug to show up when I'm unable to fix it.
Files should be available on the standard platforms after about a week or two should nothing explode.
Can I use this in a public modpack?
Yes, you can. However, I will make a personal request that you do not do so if you develop a pack designed for the general audience, rather than a limited group. You're obviously free to ignore this, but you accept the responsibility if anything breaks.
Can I update a Quark 1.19.2 world to this?
In theory, yes. Bamboo Backport blocks should mostly convert to the new ones, but everything else that was removed will naturally disappear.
Please do bear in mind that this is never explicitly supported, even if it should work. We can't really help you with any issues that arise from updating the mod cross-version. Make sure you backup your world before updating.
Fabric When?
We have no date nor estimate as of now. Quark itself is now mostly laying on the Zeta system, so it's not very tied to Forge. The sticking point now is creating the Fabric implementation of Zeta.
I have zero experience with Fabric, and right now, zero desire to do technical gruntwork. This part of development is left entirely to the rest of the team - their availability being also split with everything else going on in their lives. Keep an eye out throughout the next few months.
I'm a modder - can I use Zeta?
Yes! Well, kinda. As it stands, it's essentially a Minimum Viable Product designed only to deliver Quark.
In the future, full documentation will be available so that you too can make a Quark-style modular mod with full configurability and support for both Fabric and Forge.
I found a bug! What now?
Please report any issues you find to the Quark Issues Tracker. Before doing so, make sure every other mod in your instance is updated to the latest version, as it may be a compatibility issue with the new code.
Where to Download?
The Quark Public Beta can be downloaded from the Violet Moon Discord Server, in the #public_beta_files channel.
MAKE BACKUPS!!!!!!
While we are confident in this release, there may be sneaky bugs that weren't caught. Back your saves up often.
Files are available for Zeta, Quark, and Quark Oddities. These files are built for Minecraft Forge 47.1.3. Newer versions should be fine, and so should NeoForge, but your safety is not guaranteed.
Screenshots
And that's it!
I know the post might've been a bit long. Thank you for your time and patience. We hope you enjoy the update, and that all the work from the team is worth it!