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Table of Contents
Player FAQ
Warning: This is a basic, simplified view of modding. A lot of terminology is used loosely, and will not be helpful for developing a mod.
Modding is changing (modifiying) a game to work differently.
What does Fabric do?
Fabric is a mod loader. It takes the mods you've installed and wakes them up when the game is running. Other than that, Fabric doesn't do much that you'll see. Most of its job is behind-the-scenes.
Why does this mod need another one to work?
When developers write code, sometimes it does the same thing as someone else's code. Although it wastes time, this happens often. Just like everyone, developers like to use tools that others make instead of doing everything by themselves. Those tools come packaged as mods, too. Without them, things are a whole lot harder for developers1).
Why do mods only work for some versions?
Whenever Minecraft updates, code changes. Mods are written to work with a certain set of code - a certain version of Minecraft. Sometimes, the changes are small enough that mods will work anyway. Most of the time, however, developers have to update their code. It can be a lot of work, making sure code works for many different versions, so developers usually choose a few versions and stick to those.