RetroChat

RetroChat

RetroChat brings retro, 2010s Facebook-style instant direct messaging windows and a collapsible player sidebar to Minecraft with an authentic vanilla look and feel!

It intercepts vanilla private messages (/msg, /tell, /w) at the client packet level, giving you dedicated conversation windows, unread badges, sound notifications, and a rich retro ASCII emoji picker without requiring any server-side plugins or mods.

SUPPORTED VERSIONS & BRANCHES

Minecraft 26.3
Fabric: Supported
Forge: Supported
NeoForge: Supported
Branches: fabric-26.3 / forge-26.3 / neoforge-26.3

Minecraft 26.2
Fabric: Supported
Forge: Supported
NeoForge: Supported
Branches: fabric-26.2 / forge-26.2 / neoforge-26.2

Minecraft 26.1
Fabric: Supported
Forge: Supported
NeoForge: Supported
Branches: fabric-26.1 / forge-26.1 / neoforge-26.1

Minecraft 1.21.4
Fabric: Supported
Forge: Supported
NeoForge: Supported
Branches: fabric-1.21.4 / forge-1.21.4 / neoforge-1.21.4

Minecraft 1.21.3
Fabric: Supported
Forge: Supported
NeoForge: Supported
Branches: fabric-1.21.3 / forge-1.21.3 / neoforge-1.21.3

Minecraft 1.21.1
Fabric: Supported
Forge: Supported
NeoForge: Supported
Branches: fabric-1.21.1 / forge-1.21.1 / neoforge-1.21.1

Minecraft 1.20.1
Fabric: Supported
Forge: Supported
NeoForge: Not supported
Branches: fabric-1.20.1 / forge-1.20.1

FEATURES

Mod Master Switch:

• Full master toggle in settings (RetroChat Mod: ON / OFF).
• When disabled, direct messages (/msg, /tell, /w) completely bypass the mod and function exactly like vanilla Minecraft chat.

Fast Coordinates Sharing ([XYZ]):

• Located on the bottom bar next to the character counter.
• Automatically formats and inserts your current block coordinates [X, Y, Z] into the message input field.

In-Chat Message Search (Ctrl+F):

• Header search icon button or Ctrl+F shortcut opens an inline message search bar.
• Filters matching chat messages in real time with an empty results indicator.

Retro ASCII Emoji Picker ([:)]):

• Integrated directly to the right of the character counter at the bottom of every chat window.
• 56 Handcrafted Emoticons across 3 categories.

Classic:
:) :-) :D :-D ;-) :P xD XD <3 </3 B) 8) :3 :/ :( :'( :O *_* -_- >_< \o/

Kaomoji:
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
ಠ_ಠ
ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
(づ｡◕‿◕｡)づ
(>‿◠)✌
(ง'̀-'́)ง
(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿)
(•‿•)
(•_•)
(¬_¬)
(｡◕‿◕｡)
(⊙_⊙)
(•ω•)
(T_T)
ಥ_ಥ
(°ロ°)
(=^･^=)

Action / Fun:
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
┬─┬ノ(º_ºノ)
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
＼(＾O＾)／
(づ￣ ³￣)づ
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ
¯(°_o)/¯
(*^▽^*)
ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)
ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

• Beveled retro popup box with scroll support, click sound feedback, and instant insertion into text.

Dockable & Minimized Chat Windows:

• Distinct conversation window for each active player chat.
• Pin windows to keep them visible while playing.
• Minimize windows into compact tabs docked along the bottom bar.
• Live unread notification counter badges with subtle flashing on new messages.
• Middle-click on minimized tabs to quickly close them.
• Optional Compact Tabs mode in settings for minimal screen footprint.

Player Sidebar:

• Fast-access sidebar on the right side of the screen.
• Real-time search filter and online/offline status indicators.
• Collapses into a subtle side chevron tab when not in use.

Per-Server UI State Persistence:

• Automatically remembers your sidebar state (open vs collapsed) and window states (open vs minimized) per server and in singleplayer.
• Everything stays right where you left it across sessions.

Config Screen & Mod Menu Integration:

• Accessible in-game via ModMenu (Fabric) and the Mods Screen (Forge / NeoForge).
• Master mod toggle button and hide DMs in vanilla chat toggle.
• Customize GUI scaling (50% to 150%) and window dimensions with live preview.
• Player blocklist (case-insensitive blocking with instant suppression).
• Toggle sound alerts, player head avatars, message timestamps, and compact tabs.

Multi-Language Support:

• Built-in support for 6 languages: English, Turkish, German, Russian, Spanish, and French.
• Custom translations can easily be added or modified via JSON files in the config folder.

100% Client-Side:

• Works on any vanilla, Paper, Purpur, or Spigot multiplayer server.

CONTROLS

T (Vanilla Chat): Open chat and interact with RetroChat windows, emoji picker, and sidebar.
Ctrl + F: Toggle in-chat message search filter.
Middle Click: Close minimized chat tab.
Escape: Close emoji picker, search bar, unfocus chat, or close active overlay.
Enter: Send message in focused conversation window.
Custom Key: Dedicated overlay toggle key can be configured in Options -> Controls -> Key Binds.

MULTI-LANGUAGE SUPPORT

English: English
Turkish: Türkçe
German: Deutsch
Russian: Русский
Spanish: Español
French: Français

Custom translations can also be added or modified through JSON language files.

BUILDING FROM SOURCE

To compile the mod from source using the Gradle wrapper:

./gradlew build

Compiled JARs will be output to:

Playable Mods: build/libs/mods/
Sources: build/libs/sources/

AUTHOR & CONTACT

Developer: tikhi
Discord: .tikhi
GitHub: https://github.com/tikh1
Repository: https://github.com/tikh1/RetroChat

LICENSE

This project is licensed under the MIT License.