Create

Create is a mod about machines that are visible. Instead of abstract blocks into which you insert something and after a while the result pops out, the player builds cogwheels, belts, pistons, and cranes — and the whole thing works before their eyes. When it gets going, it's the most beautiful technical mod there is in Minecraft.

The player starts simply: they craft a copper cogwheel, spin it with water or wind, and use belts to transport items where they need them. Gradually they get to automatic farms, mining contraptions, and trains that run along rails between bases.

What's important for a server is that there can be many machines and they are demanding. Moving blocks, belts with items, and large contraptions put more load on the server than an ordinary build. On a larger server, it pays off to set limits or warn players that giant factories should be one rather than ten.

Create belongs on both sides — on the server and with the players, in the same version. It exists for Forge/NeoForge and also for Fabric (as a separate version of the mod); always choose according to which loader the server has.

One thing players love and few know about: Ponder. When a player hovers over an item from Create in their inventory and holds the help key, an animation plays showing how the thing works. It's the best help a mod can have — and players often discover it only after weeks of playing.

1. Create belongs on the server and with the players — the same mod version for everyone.
2. Find out which loader the server uses (Forge, NeoForge or Fabric) — a different version of Create exists for each.
3. Download Create from modrinth.com/mod/create in the version for your game version and loader.
4. Upload the .jar to the mods folder on the server; players do the same on their side (on Windows %appdata%\.minecraft\mods).
5. Also recommend Just Enough Items (JEI) or EMI to players — without them, Create recipes are hard to look up.
6. Stop and start the server, check the console that the mod loaded without errors.
7. Join and try the basics: copper gear, shaft and water wheel. The easiest way is to spin machines with water.
8. Try Ponder: hover over a Create item in your inventory and hold the help key. An animation will appear.
9. Build a small line (for example a crusher and a belt) and verify that items really pass through.
10. Set up the server so players' giant factories don't get out of hand: consider limits on the number of machines or an agreement in the rules.
11. Monitor server load when players build large contraptions — with Create, this is the most common cause of slowdowns.
12. Tell players which mod version they should have; with Create, a version mismatch is noticeable immediately (blocks won't render).

Create is demanding on the server: moving blocks and belts with items put more load on the machine than a normal build. Set reasonable limits for players or warn them.
It belongs on both sides in the same version. If only the server has it, players won’t see anything; if only the player has it, they won’t connect.
Ponder is the best help: an animation shows how a thing works. Tell players the key, save yourself hours of questions.
Players need Just Enough Items (JEI) or EMI to find recipes. Create has a lot of items, and without a search tool they’ll get lost among them.
Watch the load during large builds. When the server starts stuttering, look first at players with factories — most often that’s it.
When updating the game, update Create and the loader too. A version mismatch, where one is new and the other isn’t, won’t start the server.