# LAN Party Modpack — "Create & Delight" (MC 1.20.1, Forge)

Target: **Minecraft 1.20.1, Forge**. This version/loader combo has the widest, most stable support across every mod below — don't mix in NeoForge/Fabric builds.

## Core

| Mod | Why it's in |
|---|---|
| [Create](https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/create) | The automation/contraptions backbone. Gives the roadmap something to *build* toward (farms, kitchens, conveyor lines) before the food payoff. |
| [Flywheel](https://modrinth.com/mod/flywheel) | Required rendering engine dependency for Create (Forge build). |
| [Just Enough Items (JEI)](https://modrinth.com/mod/jei) | Not food itself, but mandatory — with this many food-adding mods stacked, nobody will find recipes without it. |

## Cooking base

| Mod | Adds |
|---|---|
| [Farmer's Delight](https://modrinth.com/mod/farmers-delight) | The core cooking/farming mod everything else builds on: cutting board, cooking pot, skillet, stews, pies, feasts. |

## Farmer's Delight addons (the "roadmap fuel")

| Mod | Adds |
|---|---|
| [Nether's Delight](https://modrinth.com/mod/nethers-delight) | Nether-themed cooking: Hoglin loin/ham/hide, nether salad, stuffed Hoglin, nether skewers. |
| [End's Delight](https://modrinth.com/mod/ends-delight) | End-dimension culinary content (shulker/chorus-themed dishes). Item list is thin on public docs — verify in-game with JEI before committing recipes to the IRL roadmap. |
| [Delightful](https://modrinth.com/mod/delightful) | Big grab-bag of immersive new foods independent of any dimension: marshmallows/s'mores, cheeseburgers, nut butter & jelly sandwiches, goat/venison, berry pies, matcha. |
| [Delightful Creators](https://modrinth.com/mod/delightful-creators) | Bridges Create ↔ Farmer's Delight: soups/stews as Create fluids, sequenced-assembly "incomplete foods," cookie/pie recipes usable in Create contraptions. |
| [FarmersCreate](https://modrinth.com/mod/farmerscreate) | Lets Create's Mixer/Deployer automate Farmer's Delight cooking-pot and cutting-board recipes (auto-cook the feast, don't stand there clicking). |

## Performance utility

| Mod | Side | Why it's in |
|---|---|---|
| [Distant Horizons](https://modrinth.com/mod/distanthorizons) | Client only | Renders a simplified level-of-detail view of terrain beyond the server's `view-distance`, so players see far-off scenery without the server having to actually load/send those chunks. Does the same job you were picturing from "Bobby" — Bobby itself is **Fabric-only** (no Forge build exists), so Distant Horizons is the Forge equivalent. Caches the LOD data locally per-world, same idea as Bobby's chunk cache. |
| [Chunky](https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/chunky-pregenerator-forge) | Server only | Pre-generates a fixed radius of chunks around a chosen center (e.g. spawn/build area) **once, before the party**, via console/RCON commands (`/chunky radius`, `/chunky start`) — eliminates on-the-fly world-gen lag while people explore. **Not** a per-player dynamic follower on Forge — that variant ("Chunky Pregenerator") is Fabric-only, same restriction as Bobby. See `HOSTING.md` for the exact commands. |

**Important:** install Distant Horizons in the client instance's `mods/` folder only — do **not** put it in the server's `mods/` folder. It tags itself as client-side in its mod metadata, so Forge won't reject the mismatched mod list between client and server. Keep the server's `server.properties` `view-distance` modest (6–8, see `HOSTING.md` sizing section) and let Distant Horizons fill in the rest visually on each client. Chunky, conversely, only needs to go in the **server's** `mods/` folder — it has no client-side purpose here.

## Optional / stretch (only if the group wants more scope)

| Mod | Adds | Caveat |
|---|---|---|
| [Aether's Delight](https://modrinth.com/mod/the-aethers-delight) | Aether-themed dishes (Holystone/Zanite knives, berry bowls, buffed meals) | Requires installing **The Aether** too — a full extra dimension mod. Only add if someone really wants to make the trip. |

## Why this shape

- Create gives you *progression* (you have to build the farm/kitchen contraption before you "unlock" a dish) — good quest-line material.
- Farmer's Delight + addons give you the actual *food variety* across three dimensions (Overworld/Nether/End) plus a flavor-pack (Delightful) that isn't dimension-gated, so you can pace the 3-day roadmap: early-game Overworld dishes → mid-game Nether run → late-game End dish as the "final boss" meal.