ponder category rows

A general-purpose mod that lets modpack makers build Ponder guides easily.

Put JSON files in a resource pack (or KubeJS assets) and you get Ponder scenes and category rows. The mod itself contains nothing specific to any modpack.

JSON scenes

• One file per scene
  • Put it at assets/<namespace>/ponder_scenes/<name>.json.
  • It lists the items the scene opens on, an optional base plate size, and a list of steps.
• What steps can do
  • Text bubbles and notes, item icons and click hints, placing and changing blocks.
  • Spawning and moving entities, armor-stand poses, particles.
  • Generic method calls (number, true/false, constant-name and $field arguments).
  • Create machine steps when Create is installed.
• Reload
  • F3+T rebuilds the scenes. No restart needed.
• Shared files (optional)
  • ponder_item_lists/: item lists shared by several scenes.
  • ponder_tags/: Ponder categories.

Category rows

• Row title and order
  • Put assets/<namespace>/ponder_row.json in a resource pack.
  • { "title": "Survival", "translate": "mypack.ponder_row.survival", "order": 10, "hidden": false }
  • Every field is optional. "translate" wins over "title" when the key exists.
  • Rows are sorted by "order" (default 1000), then by namespace. "hidden": true removes the row.

With PonderJS

• A PonderJS scene or tag with the same id as a JSON one (or listed in a JSON scene's "replaces") is skipped, so the JSON version wins.

Requirements

• Minecraft 1.20.1, Forge 47 or newer
• Ponder 1.0 or newer
• Client only
• Optional: Create 6.0 or newer (Create machine steps), PonderJS

Credits

Thanks to simibubi, Pepper and zelophed for Ponder, and to the Create team (Create's Ponder instructions are used for the Create steps).

Thanks to AlmostReliable for PonderJS, whose scene model inspired the step list.

This is an independent add-on and contains none of their code.

Good to know

The full JSON format is in docs/JSON_FORMAT.md of the source.

Ponder scenes have no block collision. Entities that fall by their own gravity can sink through the floor and vanish, so pin them with the entity step's pin option.