Im planning on making an application which will allow you to use multiple versions of Minecraft without manually swapping files (Only one instance at a time).

Basicaly it would allow you to have shortcuts on your desktop which when clicked would "Restore" a copy of Minecraft(Each time you use a version of minecraft it would make a backup).

In my plans it would be able to restore saves, mods (Mods folder) and any custom directories you want. It would be able to automatically detect when Minecraft.jar is different and if its a new jar or one it already knows about.

What im wondering is:
1) How do people currently deal with using multiple versions of MC (I.E 1.7.3 for single player mods and 1.8.1 for Crazy Fools).
2) Is there any applications out there that you know of which do the same job.
3) If MC Versions is a good idea.

For your first question i think what people do is that they rename different .jar files, especially when it comes to playing on the pre-releases, google "how to run different versions of minecraft at the same time"(or something along those lines).

As for 2, I have no Idea.

As for 3 I think it's a very neat idea, it will have interesting final product.

1) I have multiple folders with titles like "1.7.3 Vanilla", "1.8.1 MiniMap LightLevel", etc. When I want to use a certain version, I just rename that folder to bin and run MC.

2) Dunno.

3) If it works, sure. It would be even sweeter if you could create a client mod that handled it all, perhaps at the login screen.

Why use an application when you can just use good old .bat?

They do the renaming and/or copying for me.

Well honestly, I haven't even bothered to try any of the prereleases of 1.9. I did try 1.8 prerelease a couple of times, that's when the .bats helped me. I'm just not interested in meddling with unfinished and buggy things. : )

I'm just not interested in meddling with unfinished and buggy things. : )

TheMZL

Then why are you playing Minecraft at all?

I'm just not interested in meddling with unfinished and buggy things. : )

TheMZL

Then why are you playing Minecraft at all?

beagrie

Correction. Why are you gaming?

Why use an application when you can just use good old .bat?

TheMZL

Because you have to modify it.

3) If it works, sure. It would be even sweeter if you could create a client mod that handled it all, perhaps at the login screen.

beagrie

What do you mean IF it works. Were talking about me here!

I don't know java so i can't make anything integrated. Even if i could do java you couldn't integrate it because its the minecraft.jar which changes so you would loose your client mod changes every time you updated minecraft. An external app is the only way that it could work.

Note: It would only "Work" on Windows. Id port it to Linux if there was enough demand. Can't make anything for Mac's as i don't own one.

Even if i could do java you couldn't integrate it because its the minecraft.jar which changes

Stucuk

Ahkay. I thought the client was it's own thing, but I haven't really played with it much.

Ahkay. I thought the client was it's own thing, but I haven't really played with it much.

beagrie

The launcher (minecraft.exe) is a separate thing that changes. Although it looks like an executable file, its really just a jar file in disguise. You can mod it just the same way you can mod bin/minecraft.jar, though I've never seen anyone do it.

That would, at best, allow you to select your minecraft version from the login screen. Selecting it from the main menu and being able to swap in the same way you swap texture packs is a slightly more complicated thing, because by that point the current bin/minecraft.jar is already loaded into memory and running in front of you.

Anyway, it's neither here nor there really.


I look forward to seeing what you come up with Stu!

Though it requires manual swapping and has a basic, command-line style GUI, MCNostalgia can revert versions.

Maybe you'd be interested in collaborating/making an add-on?

http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/106402-/

Though it requires manual swapping and has a basic, command-line style GUI, MCNostalgia can revert versions.

Maybe you'd be interested in collaborating/making an add-on?

http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/106402-/

Shrapnel

Its a completely different thing imo. It just allows people to downgrade there minecraft.jar to an older version which they don't already have. Effectively it is a way to distribute older versions without them getting sued by Notch for distributing Minecraft.

MC Versions concept is to effectively backup your .minecraft folder for each version of minecraft you have used. Allowing you to restore a backup of a different version.

Its far easier for me to write an application from scratch than to contribute to someone elses work. Especially since they are unlikely to use Delphi (My main language).