Tutorials/Upgrading to Mekanism v8

A brief guide to
Upgrading from Mekanism 5.6 to 6.0

Mekanism 6.0 offers some great new stuff and amazing optimizations, making it a bigger, better mod for your server modpack! But with all those amazing changes come a few issues that make the conversion from 5.6 to 6.0 a little bit of a chore. But it isn't too bad! Follow these instructions and you will be Mek6'n it in no time. Notice that I wrote "brief." This is not a comprehensive administrator's guide. It assumes that you are already familiar with typical modded-Minecraft tasks like fixing ID conflicts, backing up up worlds, and keeping multiple Minecraft profiles. Upgrading to Mek6 is not complicated, but there is a bit of a learning curve to modded Minecraft. If you're already feeling uncomfortable, find a know-it-all buddy to help you out or try dropping by the Mekanism IRC. (#mekanism on esper.net)

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Still here? Great! A little bit of work and a lot of really cool things are just ahead...

Will all my stuff be saved?
Well... most things will be saved... but... because of some internal changes in Mekanism, you will lose items. There is currently no way around this. But don't panic! You will later replace these with some creative-mode magick after your new Mek6 world is back online.

Here is a quick list of the items that will NOT migrate to version 6

• transmitters:
  • logistical transporter
  • mechanical pipe
  • pressurized pipe
  • universal cable
• machines:
  • Electrolytic Separator
• ores:
  • All clumps of: copper, gold, iron, lead, obsidian, osmium, silver, tin
  • All dirty dusts of: copper, gold, iron, lead, obsidian, osmium, silver, tin
  • All dusts of Mekanism*: copper, diamond, gold, iron, lead, obsidian, osmium, silver, steel, tin
  • All ingots of Mekanism*: bronze, copper, glowstone, obsidian, osmium, steel, tin

*NOTE: This only applies to the Mekanism version of these items. All other mods' versions of these items will remain. If you have questions about which version you're looking at, my advice is to either 1) use WAILA or 2) use NEI to match IDs with the mod's configuration file. If at all possible, use option 1.

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Let's do this!

• (1) An ounce of caution:
  • Back up your world. Storage is cheap, your data is invaluable. Just do it, you will be glad you did.
  • Backup your Mekansim.cfg file. Make a copy and name it something like "Mekanism-PREVIOUS.cfg" or something obvious.

• (2) In-Game Preparation:
  • Remove any Electrolytic Separators. Replace the block with something cheap and easy to spot, like magenta wool. If you live in a magenta wool base, use lime green.
  • Expose hidden pipes and cables. Use other blocks to mark the routes of extra twisty transmitters. Or don't mark anything, and use this as an opportunity to clean up that rat's nest in the basement.
  • Take stock of your inventory of "stuff you will lose" (consult the list above).These items will NOT convert, no matter how you prepare. But don't panic! You will creative-mode them back to yourself after the migration.

• (3) Mekanism update:
  • Download the latest version of the Mekanism mods. Do not download the MDK -- that is for mod developers.
  • Place the new Mek mods in your mods folder
  • Disable the previous versions of the Mekansim mods by changing the .jar file to a .jarX file.
  • Start Minecraft so that a new config file is generated, then quit. DO NOT ENTER YOUR SERVER WORLD.

• (4) Resolve Item ID conflicts:
  • Going line by line through the Block { and Item { sections of your OLD mekanism.cfg, make sure that all the blocks and items in the NEW Mek match what you had in the OLD Mekanism. If the IDs do not match, change the NEW to match the OLD.
  • Looking through the NEW mekanism.cfg, make sure that the IDs for the new items and blocks are not duplicated.
    • Here are the new blocks:
      • BasicBlock2
      • CardboardBox
    • Here are the new items:
      • ArmoredJetpack
      • Balloon
      • BrineBucket
      • Crystal
      • FreeRunners
      • GasMask
      • MultipartTransmitter
      • Salt
      • Sawdust
      • ScubaTank
      • Shard

• (5) Client-side test world
  • Using your updated configuration, start up a new creative-mode test world LOCALLY. Don't start up your server world just yet.
  • After it loads, search through your Forge Log files for the keywords "SEVERE" and "conflict". Some "severe" errors are OK. Resolve any ID conflicts.
  • If there were errors, fix and restart the world until everything loads clean.

* Missing cables? If everything seems to load OK but you have no Mek cables, check the "transmitter" item for a conflict.

Once you have successfully loaded a new test world, confirm that the new content is in-game. If not, check which version of Mekanism you are using.

• (6) Server-side world
  • Now that the client-side testing is done, start up your server.
  • Check for "SEVERE" or "conflict" errors in the Forge Log.
  • Repair & restart as necessary.
  • If everything checks out, then join the server!

• (7) Post-update
  • Using your list of items you knew you'd lose, replace your lost dusts, ingots, etc.
  • Replace all Universal Cables and other transmitters in the exposed channels
  • Replace all Electrolytic Separators

* NOTE: If you see any magenta & black boxes, these are Electrolytic Separators that did not convert. DO NOT BREAK THEM! Doing so will crash your server. The easiest method to remove these blocks is to break it with a ComputerCraft turtle or other blockbreaker. Otherwise, you will need to revert back to Mek 5, break the block, then re-load Mek6.

Have fun!

• Make yourself a new jetpack and some freerunners, then fly out to the desert and set up an awesome Salination Plant.
• Don't forget to Drop Aidan a note and let him know how much fun you're having with the new Mekanism!