McForgeKids

Minecraft mod for kids to tinker with.

Initial Setup

1. Install: IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition
   • https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/?section=windows
   • Scroll down to find the link for the free community edition.
2. Run IntelliJ IDEA.
3. Clone this project from GitHub.
   • From the welcome screen, select "Get From VCS".
   • Git URL: https://github.com/portablestew/McForgeKids.git
   • Local directory: any location you like. Recommended: [user]\Documents\github\McForgeKids
4. Find the Gradle icon along the edge of the IntelliJ window. It looks like a small elephant. Open it.
   • Wait for Gradle to finish generating the project. The project status is on the bottom right of the IntelliJ window.
5. In the now-populated Gradle menu, expand: McForgeKids -> Tasks -> forgegradle runs
   • Double-click genIntellijRuns to run it. Wait for it to complete.
6. From the same Gradle menu, run runClient. This will build and launch the game!
7. Play the modded Minecraft.
   • Look at the "Mods" menu and find McForgeKids.
   • Create a world and try out modded items.
8. Exit the Minecraft client.
9. Close the Gradle menu. To launch Minecraft next time, press Shift+F9.
10. Install optional plugins. From the top left menu, select File -> Settings -> Plugins and search the marketplace.
    • Minecraft Development -- IDE enhancements specific to Minecraft/Forge development.
    • Amazon Q -- Generative AI that assists with writing code.
11. Open the "Project" menu, which looks like a folder. Familiarize yourself with the files.
    • Especially look at McForgeKids -> src -> main
      • java -- The code files. This is where modded objects are registered, and their behaviors defined.
      • resources -- Data files, including textures, the map of entity ids to names, and others.

Spawn Storm Arrows

These are special arrows that spawn a "storm" of projectiles where they land.

• hailstorm_arrow: spawns snowballs
• firestorm_arrow: spawns small fireballs

Additional spawn storm arrows are straightforward to add:

1. Create a new "storm" entity. *This is a class extending BaseSpawnStormEntity.
   • Copy HailstormEntity as an example.
   • Change the new Snowball to a different kind of entity.
     • To find projectile entities from vanilla Minecraft, browse the Projectile class tree.
   • Register it in EntityRegistry.
2. Create a new arrow entity, which spawns the storm on impact.
   • This is a class extending BaseSpawnStormArrow.
   • Copy HailstormArrowProjectile as an example.
   • Register it in EntityRegistry.
3. Add a new texture file for the arrow.
   • Place it in resources/assets/mcforgekids/textures.
   • Copy an existing png file there as an example.
4. Add a renderer for the arrow entity.
   • Register another SimpleArrowRenderer in RendererRegistry.
   • Use the path to the new texture file.
5. Create a new arrow item, which spawns the arrow entity when called for.
   • Copy HailstormArrowItem as an example.
   • Register it in ItemRegistry, including adding it to the creative tab.
   • Allow it to be fired from a bow: resources/data/minecraft/tags/items/arrows.json
   • Give it a readable name: resources/assets/mcforgekids/lang/en_us.json
6. Launch the game and test it out!