Taking Control of Your World: The Simple Ore Generation Mod Explained
What is Simple Ore Generation?
If you remember the glory days of the Big Dig modpack or ever wished for a modern take on the classic Nether Ores, Simple Ore Generation is the answer. This mod completely overhauls how ores spawn across your Minecraft dimensions, giving you total freedom to tweak every vein, cluster, and drop. Instead of being stuck with vanilla’s scattered deposits, you get massive, satisfying ore veins reminiscent of tech-heavy packs, all while keeping the challenge alive with optional mob aggression in the Nether and the End.
Key Features and Ore Overhaul
At its core, Simple Ore Generation does three things exceptionally well. First, it disables all vanilla ore generation in the Overworld and replaces it with a custom system you control. Second, it introduces rich ore spawns in the Nether and the End, complete with configurable risks. Third, it integrates seamlessly with dozens of popular tech and magic mods, ensuring their resources spawn exactly how you want them.
Here’s what you can expect right out of the box:
- Big Dig-style veins: Ores generate in larger, more concentrated clusters, perfect for modpacks that demand high resource throughput.
- Dimensional variety: Nether ores spawn at any height, while End ores bring rare materials to the outer islands. Mining in these dimensions might anger Zombie Pigmen or Endermen, adding a layer of danger.
- Complete vanilla override: Coal, iron, gold, diamond, emerald, redstone, and lapis all obey your custom rules, with the option to restrict emeralds to Extreme Hills biomes.
- Modded ore support: From Thermal Foundation and Immersive Engineering to Thaumcraft and ProjectE, the mod generates compatible ores that work with their respective processing chains.
Configuration and Customization
Everything runs through a single file: OreGen.json, located in your config/simpleoregen folder. This JSON file is generated fresh on each game launch, and while it’s designed to be self-correcting, you should always back up your changes. If an error is detected, the file regenerates to prevent crashes, but that means your tweaks could be lost. A good habit is to keep a copy of your perfected settings before experimenting.
Inside the config, you can adjust:
- Vein size and count: Set minimum and maximum vein sizes, plus the number of veins per chunk, for each ore individually.
- Y-level ranges: Control exactly which heights an ore appears at, even making some ores exclusive to certain biomes.
- Dimensional toggles: Turn off all Nether or End ores with a single option, or disable specific ores entirely.
- Aggro behavior: Choose whether mining in the Nether provokes Pigmen or if Endermen attack you while you harvest End ores.
Managing mods can sometimes be a hassle, but if you're using the foxygame.net launcher, you can install Simple Ore Generation with a single click right from its built-in mod menu, making the whole process incredibly smooth and leaving you more time to fine-tune your ore generation instead of wrestling with file folders.
Supported Mods and Compatibility
One of the biggest strengths of Simple Ore Generation is its broad mod compatibility. The mod automatically detects when supported mods are installed and generates the appropriate ores, blocking the original spawns to prevent duplicates. This means you get a unified ore experience without worrying about conflicts. Currently supported mods include:
- Applied Energistics 2
- Thermal Foundation (requires manual disabling of its own ore generation)
- Immersive Engineering
- Mekanism
- IndustrialCraft 2
- Tinker’s Construct
- Thaumcraft (limited support with custom aspects)
- ProjectE (EMC values assigned to all ores and ingots)
- Forestry, Embers, Futurepack, Ice and Fire, Tech Reborn, and more.
Keep in mind that some integrations, like Thermal Foundation, require extra steps: you’ll need to edit the common.cfg and remove or rename world generation JSON files from the cofh/world folder. Always check the changelog for the exact procedure when updating.
Installation and Setup
Getting started is straightforward. For Minecraft 1.12.2, you need Forge version 14.23.2.2637 or newer. Simply drop the mod file into your mods folder and launch the game. On first run, the default OreGen.json will be created, and you can begin customizing immediately. If you’re updating from an older version, delete the old config file to avoid a NullPointerException, then let the mod generate a fresh one.
Older versions (1.11.2 and below) are no longer supported, so it’s best to stick with the latest release. Modpack authors are free to include the mod in any pack, as it is fully open source and permissively licensed.
Conclusion
Simple Ore Generation revives the thrill of mining huge, rewarding ore veins while putting every parameter at your fingertips. Whether you’re building a massive tech factory, exploring dangerous Nether mines, or crafting a balanced magic progression, this mod adapts to your vision. With its robust configuration, wide mod support, and active development, it’s an essential tool for any player who wants to reshape the underground world. Dive in, tweak your OreGen.json, and watch your mines fill with riches.