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Getting started

asanetargoss edited this page Nov 30, 2019 · 12 revisions

Getting Started

This is a guide that will help you get started with Hardcore Alchemy before you are running the game. Read this if you are not familiar with MultiMC or are having issues launching the pack.

If you only have 4GB RAM, or have concerns about performance or launching the pack, see a later section.

Installation/Upgrade Guide

  1. Install Java 8 if you don't have it already. (The vanilla Minecraft launcher uses a separate Java version that won't work with this guide).
  2. Install MultiMC if you don't have it already.
  3. Launch MultiMC. If you are using Windows 10 and have a dedicated GPU, you should right click the application icon, mouse over "Run with graphics processor," and select the best option (generally Nvidia or AMD) to make sure you are getting the best performance (this is because Windows 10 does not recognize MultiMC as game software)
  4. Download the latest version of the modpack zip folder
  5. Import the modpack zip file into MultiMC. This is done by clicking "Add Instance" in the upper left corner of the MultiMC window and selecting the import option. A new instance icon will appear labeled with "Hardcore Alchemy" plus the version number
  6. If you are upgrading, open the minecraft/ folder in your new instance, and copy your saves/ folder from the minecraft/ folder of your old instance. You will probably also want to copy over options.txt to keep your keybindings, and the screenshots/ and backups/ folders according to your personal preference.
  7. Launch the pack, by double-clicking on the modpack instance icon. You're off!
  8. Check out the in-game guide by crafting two pieces of dirt together. The guide is also available here on the wiki.

Having issues?

In general

  • Make sure you have a version of Java 8 that MultiMC can use.
    • First, make sure it's installed as described in the installation guide.
    • If MultiMC does not detect Java, you will need to tell MultiMC where it is located. Ask a search engine "java installation location [your operating system]", and then open MultiMC. Click on the Settings button, go to the Java tab, and where it says "Java path," select the location of your java.exe or Mac/Linux equivalent.
  • Make sure you are running MultiMC with your dedicated GPU if you have one, as described in the installation instructions. This not only improves framerate but can reduce RAM usage.
  • If using a laptop, make sure the laptop is plugged in, and is using high performance energy settings.
  • If you found an issue not covered here, please report it on the issue tracker.

Can I run this modpack?

Hardcore Alchemy is automatically configured to allocate 2.3GB RAM, which is the recommended amount. Computers with 6GB RAM or more should definitely be able to allocate that. Some computers with 4GB RAM may also be able to run the pack. See a later section for troubleshooting 4GB RAM systems.

In-game framerate will vary greatly by computer and graphics settings. Most laptops with dedicated GPUs should run Hardcore Alchemy acceptably.

Load time has been measured at 1 minute on a modern gaming laptop, and 5 minutes on a low-end gaming laptop from 2009.

Only 4 GB RAM, not launching

Some computers with 4GB RAM can still launch Hardcore Alchemy if they have a sufficiently old or lightweight operating system, and/or a dedicated GPU with enough VRAM. This pack has run on a Windows 7 computer with 4GB RAM and 512MB VRAM.

If the pack freezes at the loading screen, right click on the instance, click "Edit Instance," click "Settings," and reduce the maximum memory allocation to approximately 1.8GB. If the pack no longer freezes during loading, you have enough memory to run the pack.

Please note that the pack may crash during loading at the lowest memory setting of 1.8GB. If this happens, all is well and you can simply relaunch the pack. Once you are at the menu screen, the pack should be stable.

Weaker/older computer with bad framerate

Depending on your computer, you may not have the best framerate at first, but there are ways to improve it.

  • Change your graphics settings in the Minecraft options menu. Settings to try:
    • Decrease your render distance to 5
    • Change fancy graphics to fast
    • Disable clouds
  • If using a laptop, lowering your FPS down to 40 or 30 may also improve framerate overall, as it will reduce overheating.

Good computer but bad framerate

If you have a relatively good computer, for example a gaming laptop, but still run into performance issues, there are still ways to improve framerate.

  • If framerate in F3 mode seems reasonably high, but framerate in practice looks lower, it could be an issue with animated graphics and mipmapping. There are two ways to work around that problem:
    • Set mipmapping to 0 in the graphics section of the in-game Minecraft settings. Please note that if you do this, Minecraft will freeze for a minute or two to update the graphics. Your mipmap setting will stay next time you launch the game.
    • If you have lowered your FPS as part of your normal modpack setup process, increasing it back up to 90+ may provide a smoother experience.