Something Old, Something New: A Nostalgic Minecraft Modpack for Modern Versions
Remember the days of booting up Direwolf20's 1.5.2 modpack and losing entire weekends to Thermal Expansion machines and Thaumcraft research? For many veteran players, that era represents the golden age of modded Minecraft. The Something Old, Something New modpack was built for exactly those players, and for anyone who wants to share that experience with friends who drifted away from the game.
The story behind this pack is simple and relatable. A player's brother had not touched Minecraft in years, and when he returned, the sheer volume of new content felt overwhelming. Rather than forcing him to relearn everything from scratch, the creator rebuilt the familiar 1.5.2 experience on Minecraft 1.10.2, swapping discontinued mods for modern equivalents while keeping the configs heavily inspired by the FTB team's original customizations.
What Makes This Pack Special
Something Old, Something New is not a kitchen-sink pack stuffed with hundreds of random mods. Every inclusion serves a purpose, usually replacing something that no longer exists or no longer works on modern versions. The result is a curated experience that feels like coming home while still offering fresh content to explore.
The Great Mod Replacement Project
The heart of this pack lies in its thoughtful substitutions. Each replacement preserves the spirit of the original while embracing what modern modding offers:
- Wireless Redstone gives way to RFTools, offering more powerful and flexible automation
- Translocators are replaced by EnderIO, which handles item routing with style
- Thermal Expansion hands the tech torch to EnderIO's comprehensive machine suite
- Mystcraft's dimension crafting becomes RFTools Dimensions, with greater control over world generation
- ComputerCraft makes way for OpenComputers and its more advanced programming capabilities
- Bibliocraft is succeeded by Bagelsmore: The Return for decorative storage enthusiasts
- NEI transitions to JEI, the modern standard for recipe viewing
- Modular Power Suits transforms into Cyberware for cybernetic augmentation
- Thaumcraft passes the magic mantle to Blood Magic
Notably, the creator has yet to find a worthy replacement for Twilight Forest, leaving a gap that will be filled once a suitable exploration dimension mod emerges. Several mods from the original pack were simply left out, including DenPipes, Factorization, LogisticsPipes, Equivalent Exchange, Soul Shards, BuildCraft Charge Pads, and BuildCraft itself. Some of their functionality now lives within EnderIO, which speaks to how versatile that mod has become.
Fresh Additions to the Roster
Beyond replacements, Something Old, Something New introduces quality-of-life mods that did not exist in the 1.5.2 days. Shear Madness, Null Player Exception, Immersive Engineering, Chisel, Storage Drawers, Chisels and Bits, Quark, Morpheus, Tomb Many Graves, Akashic Tome, Morph-o-tool, and Tinkers tool leveling all make appearances. These additions smooth out rough edges and add depth without overwhelming newcomers.
For players who want the simplest possible setup, the foxygame.net launcher delivers Something Old, Something New through a one-click install process, pulling the correct pack version automatically so you can skip manual file management entirely.
Supported Versions and Installation
Something Old, Something New targets Minecraft 1.10.2 and runs through the Forge mod loader. This combination ensures compatibility with the mod versions the pack was designed around, so resist the urge to update individual mods unless you know what you are doing.
How to Install Something Old, Something New
Getting started is straightforward if you follow the proper steps:
- Install a launcher that supports modpack distribution, such as the CurseForge app or a similar tool
- Search for Something Old, Something New in the modpack browser
- Select the pack and choose a installation location with sufficient storage
- Allow the launcher to download Forge 1.10.2 and all required dependencies
- Allocate at least 4 GB of RAM in your launcher's Java arguments for smooth performance
- Launch the profile and wait for the initial load, which may take several minutes
If you prefer managing packs manually, you can download Something Old, Something New as a zip archive and import it into your launcher of choice. Just verify that your Java version matches what Forge 1.10.2 expects, since newer Java releases can cause launch failures.
Who Should Play This Pack
Something Old, Something New appeals to a specific audience. If you played modded Minecraft during the 1.5.2 era and want to recapture that feeling without dealing with ancient, unstable versions, this pack delivers. If you are trying to reintroduce a lapsed friend to the game, the familiar progression and configs lower the barrier considerably. Even newer players can enjoy it as a well-structured introduction to tech and magic mods that does not drown them in options.
The pack runs on Minecraft 1.10.2 with Forge, and while that version is older by today's standards, the experience remains polished and stable. Performance is generally solid on mid-range hardware, especially with the recommended RAM allocation.
Final Thoughts
Something Old, Something New succeeds at a difficult balancing act. It honors the past without being trapped by it, replacing outdated mods with modern equivalents that respect the original design philosophy. The configs carry the fingerprints of FTB's classic tuning, and the additional mods fill gaps that existed even back then. Whether you are chasing nostalgia or introducing a friend to modded Minecraft for the first time, this pack offers a warm, familiar welcome. Download Something Old, Something New for Minecraft, fire up Forge 1.10.2, and rediscover why you fell in love with modded Minecraft in the first place.