# 🔧 Custom Ore Gen

**Custom Ore Gen** completely overhauls Minecraft's ore generation by replacing vanilla distribution with a **latitude-based system** driven by the world's Z coordinate, and adds a complete intermediate equipment tier between iron and diamond: **Diamond Shards**.

After months of reworking, **version 4.0** is a full rewrite — rebuilt from the ground up for **NeoForge 1.21.1**, dropping KubeJS entirely in favor of fully data-driven biome modifiers, and introducing a brand-new world of latitude exploration.

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## 🎯 Overview

A mod that:

*   Replaces **all** vanilla overworld ore generation with a **latitude system** (north = cold, south = hot, middle = temperate)
*   Adds a new intermediate equipment tier: **Diamond Shards**
*   Encourages **north/south exploration** to gather specific resources
*   Locks the **Deep Dark** to cold northern latitudes as a legendary feature
*   The temperate band is **16,000 blocks wide** (Z = −8000 to +8000), so most spawns already land in a balanced area
*   Ships custom **ultra-wide terrain** through its **Lithosphere** companion mod
*   Automatically integrates with **Biomes O' Plenty**, **Create** and **Mekanism**

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## 🌍 Latitude-Based Ore Generation

The world is split into three latitude bands running along the **Z axis**. Travel north or south to change which ores you can find — *your Z coordinate, not your biome, decides the ores* (Emeralds being the biome-tagged exception).

| Zone | Direction | Ores |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ❄️ **Cold** | North (Z < -8000) | Lapis, Deepslate Diamond |
| 🔥 **Hot** | South (Z > 8000) | Pure Gold, Redstone, Copper |
| 🌳 **Temperate** | Middle (-8000 → 8000) | Iron, Concentrated Coal |
| ⛰️ **Mountain biomes** | Anywhere (by biome tag) | High Emerald |
| ✨ **Rare biomes** | Anywhere (by biome tag) | Lower Emerald |
| 🔷 **All zones** | Everywhere | Deepslate Shard Diamond, Shard Diamond Block |

> ⚠️ **Note**: _Deepslate Shard Diamond Ore_ is the **only progression ore that spawns in ALL zones**, ensuring accessible early-game progression wherever you start. The temperate band is huge (16,000 blocks), so you almost always start in a balanced ore zone.

🧭 Use the **Ore Biome Finder** item or the **`/ores`** command to see exactly which ores are available at your current Z coordinate — the output is **color-coded per zone** (cold = aqua, hot = gold, temperate = green, shard ores = light purple).

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## 💎 Diamond Shard Tier — New Progression

A complete set of tools and armor that bridges the gap between iron and diamond.

### ⚙️ **Available Equipment**

| Type | Components | Durability |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Tools** (Pickaxe, Axe, Shovel) | Diamond Shards | 450 |
| **Paxel** (3-in-1 tool) | Diamond Shards | 800 |
| **Full Armor Set** | Diamond Shards + 2 Diamonds | 17 protection, Toughness 1.0 |

> ✅ **The Paxel** combines the functions of **pickaxe, axe, and shovel** into a single tool — affecting every block mineable by those tags.

> 🛠️ All stats above are the **defaults** — every durability, speed and damage value, plus the cold/hot zone thresholds and ore drops, is configurable in `custom-ore-gen-common.toml`.

### 🧪 **Shard → Diamond Conversion**

9 Diamond Shards → 1 Diamond (3×3 crafting grid).

### 🛡️ **Armor Recipes**

*   **Helmet**: 5 Diamond Shards
*   **Chestplate**: 8 Diamond Shards + 1 Diamond
*   **Leggings**: 7 Diamond Shards + 1 Diamond
*   **Boots**: 4 Diamond Shards

> ⚙️ **Repair** any Diamond Shard equipment with Diamond Shards on an anvil.

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## 🔍 Ore Biome Finder

A handy tool to instantly know which ores are available at your current latitude.

🎮 **Alternatives**:

*   Craft the **Ore Biome Finder** item (check JEI for the recipe).
*   Use the **`/ores`** (or `/ore`) command — it shows your X/Z position, the zone determined by Z, the cold/hot thresholds, and a **color-coded** list of findable ores.

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## 📦 Installation & Dependencies

### ⚠️ **Mandatory Requirements**

*   **Minecraft**: 1.21.1
*   **NeoForge**: 21.1.x
*   **Lithosphere**: 1.7+ _(required — provides the custom ultra-wide terrain the mod is balanced for)_

### 🌐 **Optional but Recommended**

*   **Biomes O' Plenty** — ore generation automatically extends to all its biomes.
*   **Create** — ore-processing compat (crushing/milling shard diamond ore, mixing shards → diamond).
*   **Mekanism** — enriching compat for shard diamonds.

> 🚫 The mod does **not** use KubeJS anymore. Vanilla ores are fully removed via NeoForge **biome modifiers** — no scripts, nothing to run.

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## 🎮 Gameplay & Progression

1.  **Initial Stage**
    Start in the temperate band and mine **Deepslate Shard Diamond Ore** (available everywhere) to obtain **Diamond Shards**.

2.  **First Equipment**
    Craft Diamond Shard tools (or the versatile Paxel) for better efficiency than iron.

3.  **Targeted Exploration**
    Travel north or south along the Z axis to reach different ore zones:
    *   **North (Cold)**: Lapis and Deepslate Diamonds
    *   **South (Hot)**: Pure Gold, Redstone, Copper
    *   **Mountain biomes**: High Emeralds
    *   **Rare biomes**: Lower Emeralds

4.  **Final Progression**
    Combine 9 Diamond Shards to create a regular Diamond and access vanilla diamond equipment.

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## 📊 Equipment Statistics Comparison

| Material | Protection | Chestplate Durability |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Iron | 15 | 240 |
| **Diamond Shard** | **17** | **300** |
| Diamond | 20 | 528 |

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## 🌟 Key Features

*   🗺️ **Latitude Exploration**: the Z coordinate — not the biome — decides your ores
*   🌌 **Legendary Deep Dark**: locked to cold northern latitudes only (via a safe mixin)
*   🚀 **Custom Ultra-Wide Terrain**: ships with Lithosphere for a fresher, wider world
*   ⚔️ **Balanced Progression**: Diamond Shard tier bridges the iron–diamond gap
*   🚫 **No Vanilla Ores**: fully removed via data-driven biome modifiers (no scripts)
*   🌍 **Modpack Friendly**: automatic integration with any biome mod through the Z system
*   🎨 **Dedicated Creative Tab**: all mod items in the "Custom Ore Gen" tab
*   🛠️ **Versatile Tools**: the Paxel saves inventory space
*   📊 **In-game Info**: Finder item + `/ores` command with color-coded zones
*   ⚙️ **Fully Configurable**: zone thresholds, tool stats, armor values and ore drops

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## 🆕 What's New in 4.0

Version 4.0 is a ground-up rebuild. Highlights:

*   **Full NeoForge 1.21.1 port** — left Forge 1.20.1 and KubeJS behind; everything is now data-driven biome modifiers.
*   **Latitude ore system** — ores are now distributed by **Z coordinate** instead of biome categories, so it works with *any* biome mod out of the box.
*   **Ultra-wide custom terrain** — bundled through the **Lithosphere** companion mod.
*   **Legendary Deep Dark** — the Deep Dark now only generates in cold northern latitudes, making it a true endgame destination.
*   **Create & Mekanism compat** — recipes for crushing, milling, mixing and enriching shard diamonds.
*   **Color-coded `/ores` & Ore Finder** — clear, readable output that explains the Z mechanic.
*   **Polished ore behaviour** — all 4 vanilla diamond features are properly removed, and copper now uses the correct deepslate texture underground.

> 💡 Existing worlds from older versions are **not** compatible — create a **new world** after installing 4.0.

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## 📝 Important Notes

*   ⚠️ **Create a NEW world** after installing. Chunks generated before installation keep their old ore distribution.
*   The cold/hot zone thresholds default to **Z = ±8000** but are fully adjustable in the config.
*   Emeralds remain **biome-based** (mountain and rare-biome tags), not latitude-based.
*   All Diamond Shard equipment can be repaired with Diamond Shards.

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### 🎯 **Why Choose Custom Ore Gen?**

Because it brings **logic to exploration** (travel the world to find specific ores), **smoother progression** (a real iron-to-diamond bridge), and **seamless integration** with many modded biomes — all without tedious configuration.

> **Happy mining!** 🌍⛏️✨