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layout: ../../layouts/BlogLayout.astro
title: Life is changing
author: Martin Prokoph
date: 11th October 2024
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import ImageComparison from '../../components/ImageComparison.astro'
import { Image } from 'astro:assets' 

I started modding games back in 2018, when I was just 12 years old.  
In fact, Round Trees – one of my most popular resourcepacks to this day – had its first release back then.  

<center><img alt="Round Trees: Created June 23rd, 2018" src="/blog/life/round-trees-pmc.png" width="500"></img></center>  
<p class="text-center italic">Round Trees was uploaded more than six years ago on PlanetMinecraft</p>  

At some point, I grew tired of the many limitations that resourcepacks have, so naturally, I started to create actual Java mods.  
Fabric was still quite new at that point, but I already saw the many benefits it provides and had been playing with Fabric mods since 1.14 snapshots (and Rift in 1.13, certified legend if you remember it).  
That's why I decided to also base my mods on the – at that time – new platform, even though only few learning resources were available.  

While starting with smaller mods such as Vertical Slabs and Simply Strawberries (can you guess what those two added to the game?), almost every new mod I released got more complex than the one that came before.  
Delicious Dishes – a mod that adds... well... delicious dishes – was my first real entry into the modding scene.  
Made in just a couple days for Modfest 1.16, I'm still proud of it to this day.  

MidnightLib also deserves a mention.  
After becoming frustrated about the large file size of other config libraries, I had decided to take it on myself and write a tiny – but still feature-packed – config library, a task that I think I absolutely nailed.  
It is not only the basis for the vast majority of my mods, but also a lot of third-party ones, such as Effective, The Bumblezone, Bewitchment, as well as many others.  

<ImageComparison firstTitle="MidnightLib 0.2.4" secondTitle="MidnightLib 1.6.3" sliderColor='var(--action-color)' sliderShadowColor='var(--action-color)'> 
    <Image slot="first-image" width="1920" height="1080" alt="A config screen generated with MidnightLib 0.2.4"  src="/blog/life/midnightlib-0.2.4.png"/>
    <Image slot="second-image" width="1920" height="1080" alt="A config screen generated with MidnightLib 1.6.3" src="/blog/life/midnightlib-1.6.3.png"/>
</ImageComparison>
<p class="text-center italic">MidnightLib has come a long way</p>

Fast forward to today, I've created over 25 mods and resourcepacks, which have almost reached a total download amount of a staggering 100 Million!  
Even though maintaining such a massive amount of mods all by myself is a massive undertaking and comes with a lot of responsibility, I'm still motivated to keep working on these projects.  
That is – in large parts – thanks to you (yes, YOU) as part of my community.  
Thank you for continuing to support me with bug reports, feature suggestions, contributions, and – most importantly – kind words.  

During this time, I witnessed first hand as Fabric's popularity grew rapidly and OptiFine was finally succeeded by modern, open-source solutions.  
I've also gained a lot of experience in managing big projects and communities – skills that are infinitely valueable, especially now...  

<center><img alt="A nice view of the city of Leipzig" src="/blog/life/leipzig.jpg" width="800"></img></center>  
<p class="text-center italic">A nice view of the city of Leipzig</p>  

On October 1st, I finally moved from the rural village I grew up in, to the city of Leipzig, Germany.  
As if this isn't a big change in itself already, I also started studying Media Informatics (IT with a focus on multimedia) at HTWK Leipzig on October 7th – which also was my 19th birthday :)  
This will allow me to turn my passion into a job and at the same time, improve code quality as well as functionality.  

The first semester is going to be quite difficult, with lots of homework in addition to the chores I have to do now that I'm living on my own, as well as social events.  
Therefore, expect less activity from me for the next few months – but don't worry – I'll still continue to work on my mods and give support in the spare time I have, and I'll be fully back when things have calmed down.  

Thanks for reading!  
~ Motschen

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