Casey LissApr 10, 2024

The hurdles I'm jumping through to get Declan to be able to play on a Minecraft server that I'm hosting, using his Switch, are truly asinine.

This is user-hostile from top to bottom, inside and out.

And all this started because he put HOURS into building something locally on his switch that just ✨disappeared ✨.

Show threadCasey LissApr 10, 2024
1) He needs a Nintendo Switch Online account to do so
2) *I* have a Nintendo Switch Online account, and am trying to convert to a family plan, but Nintendo's website refuses to let me.
3) He **also** needs an Xbox account, despite us never having owned an Xbox
4) The Switch edition of Minecraft doesn't allow you to enter arbitrary IPs, so at the very least I need to add a DNS record to pihole and at the most I may need an entire faux server that masquerades as a real one
Show threadJohn Siracusa
@caseyliss You’d better hope he doesn’t start asking you to install mods.
Apr 10, 2024 at 11:30pmIvory for iOS
Show threadSte GrainerApr 10, 2024
@siracusa @caseyliss We’ve been telling the kid that our computers can’t handle mods for almost a decade. At this point he’s mostly given up … >.>
Show threadRyan WilliamsonApr 11, 2024
@siracusa @caseyliss My 7-year-old who plays on Switch is starting to ask about mods and I’m so terrified to undertake this adventure Casey is just starting.
Show threadcharlesesmithApr 11, 2024
@siracusa @caseyliss Challenge: discern the difference between the legit mod sites and the ones that just install malware.
Show threadChancerubbageApr 11, 2024

@charlesesmith @siracusa @caseyliss

I would honestly quite surprised if any Mods were available on the Switch or any console version of Minecraft. PC versions are another matter entirely.

Being able to install mods really really really drive a lot of gameplay, however, it is an aspect of gamer culture Apple would really need to learn to embrace if they ever wanted to attract gamers, and it’s so anathema to Appkes culture. Perhaps safe vetted mods.

Show threadAva Apr 11, 2024

@siracusa @caseyliss You can’t mod the Switch version (Bedrock Edition, which is also on other consoles, mobile, and Windows 10/11) — though you can buy add-ons from the Marketplace.

The Java Edition (Windows, Linux, macOS) can be modded by getting mods from several sites (like @modrinth) and/or using 3rd party launchers (like @PrismLauncher).

Show threadziplyneApr 11, 2024
@siracusa @caseyliss Bedrock edition (all the versions except Java (which is only available on desktop)) can’t be modded except for the official add-ons from the in-game store. Java edition mods have become surprisingly user-friendly (compared to Forge at least) using Fabric (fabricmc.net) as the loader and Modrinth (modrinth.com) as the place to download mods from.
Show threadKevin MillerApr 11, 2024
@siracusa @caseyliss Java Minecraft is the way. Doesn’t help your situation but the ecosystem is much much better. You can run a container + Tailscale and you are golden.