Discover the Intriguing World of Aermail

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Rebranding of the Development Team
3. Major Rewrite/Remaster of the Original Aether Mod
4. History of the Project
5. Texture Overhaul
6. Terrain Generation
7. Dungeon Structures
8. Rebalanced Chest Loot and Bosses
9. Overhauled Advancements
10. Cosmetic Rewards
11. State of Aether II
12. Community Contributions and Translations
13. New Aether Wiki
14. Book of Lore Forum
15. How to Contribute to the Aether Project
16. Conclusion

Introduction

Hello everyone, it's Oz from the Aether Team here, and I'm excited to share some updates on the Aether project. In this article, I'll be covering the recent developments, major changes, and future plans for the Aether mod. From a rebranding of our development team to a complete rewrite of the original mod, there's a lot to cover. So let's dive in and explore the thrilling world of the Aether.

Rebranding of the Development Team

The first point I want to address is the recent rebranding of our development team. As You may have noticed, we've dropped the Gilded Games name and branding from our social media pages and replaced it with The Aether Team. Rest assured, We Are the same team that has always worked on the mod. This change reflects our focus on the Aether Project and how we present ourselves moving forward.

Major Rewrite/Remaster of the Original Aether Mod

One of the most exciting updates is the major rewrite/remaster of the original Aether mod for modern Minecraft versions. This represents the first official update for the Aether mod since 2012. While there have been ports for versions 1.7.10 to 1.12.2, they were mainly maintained for preservation. With this rewrite, we aim to enhance and modernize the original Aether mod with quality of life improvements, technical advancements, and design rebalances.

History of the Project

To understand how this project came about, let's Delve into its history. You may remember Aether Legacy, the modern ports of the original mod handled by the Modding Legacy team. In 2019, we adopted Aether Legacy from them and started patching the codebase. However, the code for version 1.12.2 proved incompatible with later versions due to significant refactors with Forge and the vanilla game. This obstacle made it challenging to port the Aether Legacy code to subsequent versions.

Fortunately, in 2020, the developer behind the Aether Continuation add-on began rewriting Aether blocks and items for version 1.14.4. Seeing this as an opportunity, we invited them into our development team with the intent to complete the rewrite of the original mod. From 2020 to 2021, we focused on patching and improving the 1.7.10 and 1.12.2 releases until we were satisfied with their state. In December 2021, we expanded our development team and fully prioritized this new rewrite, updating it to new Minecraft versions as they released.

Texture Overhaul

One of the noticeable changes in this rewrite is the texture overhaul. We've spent a significant amount of time redoing every texture, either from scratch or Based on the new vanilla equivalent. This ensures that everything matches the updated look and feel of the vanilla game following the art overhaul in version 1.14. Moreover, we offer the original textures from the beta 1.7 and 1.2.5 releases through pre-packaged resource packs. This allows players to retain the original look of the mod or play with programmer art if they prefer.

Terrain Generation

Another area of focus in this rewrite is the terrain generation. We've worked hard to replicate the unique overhangs, broken terrain clusters, and sweeping open spaces of the original Aether terrain. Our goal was to make exploring the Aether's terrain challenging yet thrilling, with various traversal upgrades available in the mod's content. We've also introduced Blue Aerclouds, which make Elytra flight in the Aether dimension incredibly freeing and exciting.

Dungeon Structures

Dungeon structures have received significant Attention in this rewrite. In previous Aether Legacy releases, finding Bronze Dungeons was often a challenge due to their limited generation inside islands. In our rewrite, we've focused on ensuring islands have a wider variety of thickness and mass to allow dungeons to generate more regularly. Furthermore, we've made sure that dungeon entrances are exposed and visible, making it easier to locate Bronze dungeons during early gameplay.

Floating dungeons, such as the Silver Dungeon, have also undergone changes. Previously, they were only found high in the air, completely separated from land. Now, you can find Silver and Gold Dungeons embedded in the terrain as well. This adds a new level of excitement and interaction with our terrain generation. We've even made sure that the entrance doorways are always exposed to air, eliminating the need to dig through dirt to enter them.

Rebalanced Chest Loot and Bosses

Once you enter the dungeons, you'll Notice extensive rebalancing of chest loot. Looting dungeons should now feel more rewarding and varied while still maintaining the original mod's progression. Our aim with these changes is to make individual dungeon runs more satisfying, with exciting loot that adds variety to the gameplay experience.

But loot isn't the only thing that has been tweaked in dungeons. We've also reworked and overhauled the Aether mod's bosses, bringing them up to modern standards and rebalancing them around the recent changes to Minecraft's Core combat. These changes should speed up some fights compared to version 1.12.2 while also making them more thrilling and challenging. The Sun Spirit boss, in particular, has undergone extensive balance changes based on feedback we've gathered over the years. We're eager to hear what everyone thinks of these changes once they have the opportunity to try the mod.

Overhauled Advancements

Another area that has received an overhaul is advancements. In the original Aether mod, we had custom achievements that marked limited progression points in the mod's content, resembling the achievements of the vanilla game at that time. However, we fell behind when Minecraft further developed its advancement system. In this rewrite, we've entirely redone the Aether dimension's advancements to better reflect the mod's progression and goals. These advancements serve as both a natural tutorial and an achievement system, providing guidance and goals throughout the game's progression while pushing players towards major steps in the mod's content. We've even included Hidden advancements for players who want to experiment with more advanced mechanics in the mod.

Cosmetic Rewards

We appreciate the support we receive from the community, and as a way to Show our gratitude, we're introducing cosmetic rewards in Aether 1. These visual customizations are available to individuals who have made significant contributions to the project, either through major development contributions or financial backing. At launch, we'll be offering Moa skins as cosmetic rewards, which can be freely switched between for your Current Moa. We expect to have two skin packs available, one for supporters who have contributed $5 or more and a Second pack for supporters who have contributed more than $10. The latter pack will be yours to keep forever, even if you stop actively supporting the project. We'll also be releasing periodic skin packs exclusive to active supporters on our Patreon. These Moa skins will be fully multiplayer compatible, allowing you to showcase them to your friends on multiplayer servers. Your financial contributions play a significant role in keeping the project running, and while we don't want to encourage anyone who doesn't have the spare money to give it to us, we hope these cosmetic rewards feel like a suitable thank-you to those who have decided to support us financially.

State of Aether II

As for Aether II, it has mostly been put on hold while we worked on fixing up the previous Aether 1 releases and creating this rewrite. While we made some minor improvements to the 1.12.2 Highlands codebase, there were numerous large-Scale issues that our current team is not well-equipped to address due to the messy nature of the 1.12 Aether II codebase. This means that 1.12 is, unfortunately, a difficult situation to recover from, and the changes we made were not enough to warrant a public release. Instead, we decided to shelve work on Aether II until after the Aether rewrite is complete. Once we resume development of Aether II, we'll primarily use the experience and technology we developed in recreating the original mod. While there will still be some time before we have something new and playable for Aether II, we appreciate your patience and support for the project.

Community Contributions and Translations

We believe in the power of community, and that's why we're excited to announce community-contributed translations. We want the Aether mod to be accessible to as many people as possible, and supporting multiple languages is crucial. During the beta phase, we'll be opening a community-driven translation service. This will allow users with knowledge of multiple languages to translate the mod, while others can verify and improve the accuracy of translations. Your contributions will play a vital role in expanding the mod's reach and making it more inclusive.

New Aether Wiki

To provide accurate and up-to-date information about the Aether mod, we've switched to using wiki.gg and have built a brand new wiki page. Currently, we're working on formatting and porting over legacy information to ensure the wiki is a useful resource for the full launch of the Aether rewrite following the beta phase. Whether you're a new or returning player, the wiki will serve as a valuable tool for learning about the mod's mechanics, systems, and world building.

Book of Lore Forum

We've also introduced a new Book of Lore forum on our Discord server. This forum will cover in-depth discussions about specific world building concepts, short stories, and character showcases. It's a place where you can dive deeper into the lore of the mod and get teasers and information about the upcoming Aether comic book. We encourage you to check out the Book of Lore forum if you're interested in delving into the rich lore of the Aether.

How to Contribute to the Aether Project

We greatly appreciate all the support we've received from the community, and there are several ways you can contribute to the Aether Project. The easiest way is to keep playing and spreading the word about the mod. Share it on social media, Create fan art, make videos—anything that helps us reach more players is incredibly valuable.

If you're looking to make a more targeted contribution, we accept financial contributions through our Patreon. Even small regular pledges go a long way in supporting the project and ensuring its continued development. Additionally, we accept community code contributions through pull requests on our GitHub. If you have Java modding experience and want to help out, check our issue tracker for open and unassigned tasks. As we resume development of Aether II, we'll have a larger pool of open issues and tasks available. This will be an excellent opportunity for aspiring developers to get involved in the project.

Conclusion

Thank you all for your continued support and positive feedback. We're thrilled to be nearing the public beta release of the Aether rewrite. Although there are still a few bugs and design quirks to iron out before the wide release, we're confident that the beta will be functional and stable. We're eagerly looking forward to your feedback and bug reports as we work towards completing and fully releasing the Aether mod.

Make sure to stay updated by joining our Discord server and subscribing to our Channel for more Aether videos. We'll keep you in the loop about the latest developments and the future of Aether II. Your patience and kind words have meant the world to us, and we hope that this Aether rewrite fills the gap in your gaming experience and sets the tone for our exciting future work.

Cheers, everyone! See you soon in the Aether!