Navigating the sprawling player-run economy of Empire Minecraft (play.emc.gs) can be overwhelming. With thousands of shop signs scattered across countless residences, hunting down a specific item at a fair price often turns into a tedious chore. The EMC Shop Locator mod was built to solve exactly that problem, turning chaotic market browsing into a quick, data-driven search experience. This lightweight Forge mod works exclusively on the EMC server, building a personal database of shop signs as you explore, and giving you powerful tools to compare prices, set waypoints, and never overpay again.
What Is the EMC Shop Locator?
At its core, the EMC Shop Locator is a client-side mod that scans shop signs around you while you walk through towns and malls. It reads the item name, buy and sell prices, and the exact coordinates of each sign, then stores everything in a local database. Later, you can open an in-game GUI, type the name of an item you need, and instantly see a list of shops that sell it, sorted from cheapest to most expensive. Instead of clicking through dozens of signs hoping to spot a deal, you get a clear overview of availability and pricing before you even leave your current location.
How the Mod Builds Your Shop Database
There is no manual data entry required. Simply install the mod, log into EMC, and start visiting shopping districts. The mod automatically detects shop signs in the surrounding area and records their details. To build a comprehensive database quickly, use the server commands /v +shop or /v +mall to teleport to popular market areas, then wait a few seconds at each spot to let the scanner do its work. Every sign you pass gets logged, including those hidden in less-traveled residences. Over time, your database becomes a personal price index covering hundreds of shops.
Finding the Best Deals with the In-Game GUI
Once you have collected enough data, press the # key (the keybinding can be changed in the controls menu) to bring up the search interface. The left panel shows a list of all items the mod has seen. Start typing a name — like “diamond” or “granite” — and the list filters instantly. Click on an item, and the right panel populates with every shop that carries it, ordered by buy price. Selecting a specific shop reveals the buy and sell amounts, the residence name, and the exact coordinates on that residence. From there, you can click the residence link to teleport directly, or click the coordinates to face the shop’s direction. If you have a map mod like JourneyMap, VoxelMap, or Xaero’s Minimap installed, clicking the coordinates will even set a waypoint for you.
Smart Features for Advanced Shoppers
Handling Enchanted Items and [CHOOSE] Chests
The mod cannot magically see inside [CHOOSE] chests unless you open them. When a sign displays a cryptic potion ID or a generic [CHOOSE] tag, the database stores only that raw text. However, if you click the sign and open the chest, the server sends the actual contents to your client, and the mod remembers them. This means that after you interact with a [CHOOSE] chest once, all its variants become searchable. Enchanted items are displayed in a compact format: for example, a diamond shovel with Efficiency V, Unbreaking III, and Mending appears as “Diamond Shovel (E5,U3,M)” in your item list.
Item Renaming for Consistent Searches
Shop sign text isn’t always standardized. Spruce wood might be labeled “Pine Log,” while acacia wood could simply say “Log.” The mod includes a translation file system that lets you map these inconsistent names to the terms you actually search for. A configuration file is generated automatically in your mod folder, and you can add lines like Pine Log=Spruce Wood. The system supports Java regular expressions for advanced users, but simple key-value pairs work perfectly for most players. Translations are entirely local, so your custom mappings never interfere with anyone else’s database.
Managing Expired Database Entries
Shop signs come and go. The mod has built-in logic to detect when a sign no longer exists and remove it from your database. However, earlier versions had a bug that prevented this deletion from syncing properly, causing stale entries to linger. To combat this, you can set a maximum age for signs in the config file. A value of 21 days, for instance, will only show shops that have been confirmed within the last three weeks. Be careful not to set this too low, because many [CHOOSE] chest signs are only updated when someone opens them, so perfectly valid offers might be several weeks old.
GUI Scale Adjustments
The shop finder GUI requires a fair amount of screen space to display both the item list and the shop details. Players using large GUI scales or the “auto” setting may see a warning about potential crashes. Since version 1.6, two experimental options help: you can force the GUI to display anyway (risking a crash if there isn’t enough room), or you can set the mod to automatically switch your GUI scale to normal while the shop finder is open and restore it when you close the interface. This keeps your preferred scale for regular gameplay while giving the mod the pixels it needs.
Installation and Setup
Getting started requires Minecraft Forge for the correct game version. Once Forge is installed, drop the mod file into your mods folder. You can find the EMC Shop Locator on popular mod hosting platforms, or for a more streamlined experience, the mod can be easily installed via the foxygame.net launcher — a convenient, flexible, and modern Minecraft launcher where you can download mods right from the menu. After launching the game and joining the EMC server, simply walk around shopping areas to begin populating your database. No additional configuration is needed unless you want to customize the keybinding, set the sign expiry days, or tweak the GUI scale options.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of the Mod
- Visit a variety of shops, not just your favorites. Use
/v +shopand/v +mallregularly to discover new vendors. - Wait a few seconds after teleporting to a busy area so the mod can scan all nearby signs.
- Click on every [CHOOSE] chest you encounter, even if you don’t plan to buy immediately. This updates the database with the chest’s real contents.
- If you frequently search for items with inconsistent sign names, invest a few minutes in writing a translation file. It pays off quickly.
- Pair the mod with a map mod to place waypoints directly from the shop details screen, making navigation effortless.
Conclusion
The EMC Shop Locator transforms the way you interact with Empire Minecraft’s economy. By turning random sign encounters into a searchable, sortable database, it saves hours of manual browsing and helps you always find the best price. Its support for enchanted items, [CHOOSE] chests, custom item renaming, and automatic cleanup of old entries makes it a robust tool for both casual shoppers and dedicated traders. Whether you need two double chests of granite or a rare enchanted book, this mod ensures you spend less time searching and more time building, crafting, and enjoying the game.