Voice commands for Villager Recruits
Mid-fight, the last thing you want is to stop moving, open a command screen, and scroll through buttons while a zombie chews on your shield. Voice commands for Villager Recruits fixes that by letting you bark orders out loud and keep your eyes on the battle. It is an add-on for the Recruits mod, and it turns your microphone into a second command interface.
How the Voice System Works
The core loop is simple. Hold the push-to-talk key, which is V by default and fully rebindable in Controls, say a group name followed by an order, then release the key. Something like "infantry hold my position", "cavalry follow me", "ranged fire at will", or "all aggressive" goes straight to your troops. The action bar shows what the mod heard and whether the order actually executed, so a misheard phrase is obvious immediately rather than twenty seconds later when your archers are still standing around.
Speech recognition runs locally through Vosk. There is no internet connection, no account, and no API key involved. The English speech model ships inside the jar and installs itself on first launch, and recognition is limited to the command phrases, which keeps accuracy high even with a compact model. That is also why the file weighs around 67 MB.
Groups, Orders, and Formations
Every default group works out of the box: Infantry, Ranged, Cavalry, and Ranged Cavalry. Any group you create or rename is picked up automatically, and saying "all" or "everyone" commands every recruit you own.
Almost every button on the Recruits command screen has a spoken equivalent:
- Movement: follow me, hold position, hold my position, back to position, wander, move, forward, backward, face this way
- Formations: line, square, triangle, circle, hollow circle, hollow square, wedge, march, plus break, tight, loose, lock, and unlock formation
- Stance: passive, neutral, aggressive, raid
- Combat: attack, protect this, clear targets, strategic fire, fire at will, hold fire, shields up, shields down
- Mounts: mount up, dismount, back to mount
- Logistics: upkeep here, clear upkeep, rest here, stop resting
Your chosen formation is remembered and applies to the next movement orders, exactly like the command screen. If you like keeping mods current without hunting down files, the foxygame.net launcher is worth a look, since its catalog includes Voice commands for Villager Recruits and handles updates and version matching for you.
Requirements and Version Support
This add-on targets Minecraft 1.20.1 on Forge 47 or newer, alongside Recruits 1.15 or higher, and you need a working microphone. If you run several audio devices, you can select a specific one in config/recruitsvoice-client.toml. Install it on both the client and the server, because orders are executed server-side and a client-only setup will not work in multiplayer.
How to Install
Step by Step
- Confirm you are on Minecraft 1.20.1 with Forge 47+ and Recruits 1.15+ already installed
- Download Voice commands for Villager Recruits and drop the jar into your mods folder on the client and the server
- Launch the game once so the speech model installs automatically
- Check Controls and set your push-to-talk key if V conflicts with something
- Test a simple phrase like "all follow me" and watch the action bar for confirmation
For a smoother path, the foxygame.net launcher can install Voice commands for Villager Recruits in a single click, keeping the add-on matched to your Minecraft version and updating it automatically when new builds appear.
Things to Keep in Mind
Voice commands are English only for now, and custom group names need to be real English words to be recognized reliably. Background noise can still trip up recognition, so a decent mic helps. Once it clicks, though, the difference is huge: you issue formation changes and stance swaps by talking while your character keeps moving, and your recruits respond like they were actually listening.