Overview#
Better Than Wolves (BTW) is a total conversion mod for Minecraft, originally created by FlowerChild. It is designed to challenge the player by replacing many of the 'easy' mechanics of vanilla Minecraft with complex, rewarding systems. The mod focuses on mechanical power, realistic progression, and a series of 'Hardcore' modules that increase the difficulty and depth of survival. Unlike many mods that add 'magic blocks' that do everything in one interface, BTW requires the player to build physical infrastructure—axles, gearboxes, and water wheels—to automate tasks.
The Philosophy of BTW
The mod was born from the idea that Minecraft's development was moving away from its survival roots. FlowerChild's philosophy emphasizes that 'Challenge is Reward.' By making basic tasks like obtaining food, light, and iron significantly harder, the eventual automation of these tasks through engineering becomes a major achievement.
Hardcore Mechanics#
The core of Better Than Wolves is its 'Hardcore' modules. These are fundamental changes to the Minecraft engine that cannot be disabled and define the gameplay loop.
| Mechanic | Description |
|---|---|
| Hardcore Hunger | Replaces the hunger bar with a 'Fat' system. Players must manage their weight; being too thin leads to weakness, while being too fat slows you down. Starvation is a slow process that affects your ability to work. |
| Hardcore Darkness | In total darkness (light level 0), the screen goes pitch black. Staying in the dark for too long triggers 'Gloom,' which eventually leads to the player being attacked by unseen horrors. |
| Hardcore Spawning | Players do not spawn in a single location. Upon death, you are respawned at a random location within a large radius (thousands of blocks) from the original spawn, making death a significant setback. |
| Hardcore Buckets | Buckets can no longer pick up or place water/lava source blocks. They are used only for transporting small amounts of liquid or for specific recipes in machines. |
| Hardcore Buoyancy | Items have different densities. Wood floats, while stone and metal sink. This allows for complex water-based item sorting systems. |
| Hardcore Movement | Movement speed is dictated by the block you are walking on. Grass and dirt are slower than paved stone or gravel paths. |
| Hardcore Info | The F3 debug screen is disabled or heavily restricted. Players must use compasses, maps, and sextants to navigate. |
Ages of Progression#
Progression in BTW is divided into distinct 'Ages,' each unlocked by a specific technological breakthrough.
- The Age of Wood: The player starts with nothing. You cannot punch wood; you must find stones to create primitive tools. The goal is to create a Hand Crank and a Mill Stone.
- The Age of Mechanical Power: Utilizing Water Wheels and Wind Mills to power the Saw, which allows for the creation of Siding, Moulding, and Corners.
- The Age of Fire: The creation of the Cauldron (unfired) and eventually the Kiln. This allows for the processing of Hemp into fabric and the creation of Potash and Glue.
- The Age of Steel: Using a Crucible and Bellows to reach high temperatures, the player can smelt Soulforged Steel, the strongest material in the mod.
- The Age of Souls: Utilizing the power of the Nether and Soul Sand to create advanced logic blocks like the Buddy Block and the Detector Block.
Mechanical Power Systems#
Mechanical power is the lifeblood of a BTW base. Power is generated by a source and transmitted via Axles and Gearboxes.
Power Sources
- Hand Crank: Provides temporary power when held down by the player. Used for early-game Mill Stone processing.
- Water Wheel: Must be placed in flowing water. Provides constant, low-intensity power.
- Wind Mill: Must be placed in a large, open area at high altitude. Provides power based on weather; it can become 'Overpowered' during storms, which will break connected Gearboxes unless a Redstone Clutch is used.
Transmission
- Axle: Transmits power in a straight line up to 3 blocks. Must be supported by a block.
- Gearbox: Changes the direction of mechanical power. It can be toggled via Redstone to act as a switch.
- Redstone Clutch: A gearbox that stops transmitting power when receiving a Redstone signal, essential for protecting machines from storms.
Processing Machines#
Machines are multi-block structures or functional blocks that require mechanical power to operate.
| Machine | Input | Output | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Stone | Hemp, Wheat, Bone | Hemp Fiber, Flour, Bone Meal | Basic grinding and resource refinement. |
| Saw | Wood Logs, Wool | Siding/Moulding, Fabric | Advanced wood processing and aesthetic blocks. |
| Hopper | Various Items | Filtered Items | Can be fitted with 'Filters' (Ladders, Grates, Soul Sand) to sort items or collect souls. |
| Cauldron | Meat, Bark, Gold | Tallow, Tannin, Gold Nuggets | Cooking and chemical processing. Requires a fire underneath. |
| Crucible | Iron, Soul Dust | Soulforged Steel | High-tier metallurgy. Requires 'Stoked Fire' (Bellows + Hibachi). |
| Turntable | Clay, Unfired Pottery | Pottery, Bricks | Used for shaping clay and creating timing circuits. |
| Pulley | Rope, Platforms | Vertical Movement | Creates functional elevators and drawbridges. |
Mobs and Creatures#
Better Than Wolves significantly alters vanilla mob behavior and adds new interactions.
Passive Mobs
- Cows: Do not give milk via buckets. They must be milked into a bucket placed on the ground, and they produce 'Loose Milk.' They drop Scoured Hide when killed, which must be tanned.
- Sheep: Do not regrow wool automatically. They must eat grass (which they do less frequently) and can be fed 'Feed' to speed up the process.
- Chickens: Lay eggs only when fed. In certain conditions, they may produce 'Chicken Feed' instead of eggs.
- Wolves: The namesake of the mod. They can be fed Dung (produced by other animals) to become 'Aggressive' or used in the creation of specialized items.
Hostile Mobs
- Squids: In BTW, squids are mysterious and dangerous. They drop Ink Sacs, which are vital for early-game crafting, but they can drag players underwater in the dark.
- Spider Embryos: Spiders may occasionally leave embryos that hatch into multiple smaller spiders.
- Ghasts: Drop Ghast Tears and Acid, both of which are required for high-tier alchemy and explosives.
- Wither Skeletons: Drop Nitrate and Ribs, essential for the creation of blasting oil.
Items and Materials#
The mod introduces a vast array of new materials required for its complex recipes.
- Hemp: Grown from Hemp Seeds (found by hoeing grass). It is the primary source of Fiber and Rope.
- Tanned Leather: Created by processing Scoured Hide in a Cauldron with Tannin (from Birch Bark).
- Soulforged Steel: The pinnacle of BTW technology. It is used to create tools that never break (they can be repaired) and advanced machinery.
- Concentrated Hellfire: Created by processing Netherrack in a Hopper with a Soul Sand filter. Used as a high-energy fuel.
- Potash: Created by burning wood in a Kiln. Used as fertilizer and in soap production.
- Dung: Produced by animals (Cows, Pigs, Sheep) over time. It is a vital component in 'Tanning' and 'Explosives.'
Blocks and Construction#
BTW provides unparalleled aesthetic control through its sub-block system.
Siding, Moulding, and Corners
By placing a block of wood or stone against a running Saw, players can create Siding (half-thickness), Moulding (quarter-thickness), and Corners (eighth-thickness). These can be placed in any orientation, allowing for detailed furniture, trim, and structural designs.
Functional Blocks
- Buddy Block: A 'Block Update Detector' (BUD) in a single block. It emits a redstone pulse whenever an adjacent block changes state.
- Detector Block: Uses an 'eye' to detect entities, growing crops, or changes in the environment.
- Platform: A block that can be moved by a Pulley. Multiple platforms can be linked to create large elevators.
- Hibachi: A block that provides a constant flame when powered by Redstone. When used with Bellows, it creates 'Stoked Fire' for the Crucible.
Farming and Food#
Farming is no longer a 'set and forget' activity. Crops require hydrated soil and light, but they grow much slower than in vanilla.
- Planters: A block that allows crops to grow without the need for a nearby water source block, provided the planter itself is 'watered' or placed correctly.
- Blood Wood: A special tree that grows only in the Nether. Its wood is fireproof and essential for late-game construction.
- The Fat System: Food items provide different levels of 'Fat.' High-fat foods like Steak or Donuts (made from Flour, Sugar, and Tallow) allow the player to go longer without eating, but overeating causes the 'Plump' status effect, reducing movement speed.
The End and Beyond#
The 'End' in Better Than Wolves is not the end of the game, but a gateway to the final tier of technology.
- The Ender Dragon: Killing the dragon yields Soul Sand and the Dragon Egg, which is used as a powerful energy source in advanced machines.
- Beacons: Beacons in BTW are made of Soulforged Steel and provide a permanent 'Spawn Point' in the world, finally overcoming the Hardcore Spawning mechanic.
- The Void: Advanced players can use the Vacuum Hopper to collect items from across dimensions and automate the most difficult resource gathering in the game.
