Materia 1

Please let me know on GitHub or Discord if you notice a bug or any other issue!

Current latest version: 1.3.7 - 10 Aug 2026 (Recommended)
Change Log/Patch Notes are at the bottom Requires Forge 50.1.0+

(it might work with earlier versions on 1.18.2, 1.19.2, or 1.20.1, but those have not been tested)

  Documentation on GitHub   Contributors welcome!     a.k.a. This is Why The Stone Age Took So Long IRL   Materia is a comprehensive rework of Minecraft progression that pushes the game toward real-world-inspired technology and production chains. Instead of jumping quickly to a vanilla crafting table and furnace-driven metalwork, you start with stone-age scavenging and fabrication (rocks, knapping, hewing, lashings), then build up stations that unlock increasingly capable crafting and processing.  

This mod adds:

- flint knapping - some realistic chemistry - heating and working metal on an anvil - string/wool/linen rework - 8 new colors - music instruments (that can sync up between players) - cannons and other fun explosives - redstone logic blocks (adders, T-flops, logic gates, etc) - beer and wine - throwable spears pre 1.21 (I got mine working like a week before Mojang announced theirs)

- more storage options
- and a LOT more!

A core theme is that crafting is station- and tool-driven: early recipes run through a primitive crafting table, and later manufacturing relies on kilns (with upgrades like chimneys/bellows and higher-temperature variants), anvils (stone → bronze → iron tiers with more tool slots/inputs), and handling constraints like hot metals that must be manipulated with tongs. This creates a more granular loop where materials must be processed, heated, shaped, and assembled through multiple steps rather than condensed into a single vanilla recipe.

 

Alongside the main tech ladder, the mod adds a lot of “civilization” systems that interlock with progression: ceramics and liquids (crucibles, water pots, amphorae and fermentation), textiles and storage (sewn sacks/baskets, wool-to-string workflows), expanded dye chemistry/colors, and a broad set of mechanical content (from early survival tools to things like logic blocks, power components, and even cannons/explosives). The documentation in `documentation/` is organized by content type (blocks/items/recipes/mechanics) with heavy cross-linking, and describes the intended “eras” (stone/bronze/iron/steel) and the stations/mechanics that gate each.  

Dependencies

• None

Suggested Integrations

• JEI

Inspired by

• Primitive Technology: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA
• Stefan Milo: https://www.youtube.com/stefanmilo
• This text-based game/simulation thing I made up with Cursor: https://github.com/AndroidDoctorr/tech-tree

Upcoming mods

• Populi - NPC behavior augmentation
• Untitled realistic Earth map generation mod
  • Uses ArcGIS data
  • Biome- and region-specific vegetation spawning
  • Materia integration

Possible future mods

• Materia 2/Machina? - Chemistry, machines and tech
• Spiritus? - Magic and sorcery

Changelog

1.3.7 - fixed clay roof tile recipe collision

1.3.6 - Expanded Forge compatibility to 52.1.0

1.3.5 - Fixed stone hammer mining (malachite, limestone, calcite)

1.3.4 - Fixed bed frame and bronze plate recipes, increased rock spawn rate

1.3.3 - Improved feature placement logic, fixed some tree leaf block issues

1.3.2 - Improved mob drop compatibility

1.3.1 - Fixed a major lag issue

1.3.0 - ORNATIO UPDATE - A bunch of decorative items

• Curtains
• Shutters
• Awnings
• Columns with bases and capitals
• Brackets
• Cornices
• Balustrades
• Statues
• Rugs
• Wrought iron fences, gates, and doors
• Finials
• Planters and Urns
• Copper, thatch, tile, and shingle roof blocks
• Bricks and tiles in various stone types

1.2.0 - FLORA UPDATE - New flowers, trees, and crops

• New trees (baobab, maple, cypress, cedar, fig, eucalyptus, palm)
• New crops (cotton, rice, tea, taro)
• New flowers (lotus, hibiscus, purple coneflower, white lily, bluebonnet, fuchsia, marigold)
• New decorative plants (yucca, plantain, esparto, agave, reeds)
• New colors (teal, burgundy, tan)
• New mechanic (tile/thatch laying)
• Sloped roof blocks (thatch and tile)
• Minor texture/color adjustments

1.1.1 - Minor update - fixed some compatibility issues, smoothed out crafting flow a bit

1.1.0 - BIG UPDATE: Mod cross-compatibility improvements, JEI improvements, recipe adjustments and balancing, advancements, and smelting progression gating fixes

1.0.7 - Fixed some JEI recipe helpers, added data pack options for vanilla overrides, fixed thatch stairs not connecting correctly when upside-down, fixed cannonball pile drops

1.0.6 - Some bug fixes and missing display names

1.0.5 - Fixed some issues related to server/client UI disagreement, fixed cannon barrel rendering, fixed infinite vine exploit

1.04 - Fixed a crash in 1.20 (deferred registry issue). Added cheese, sausage, and animal gut/cord for bowstrings.

1.03 - Fixed block drops in 1.21, fixed taupe string, fixed marble and obsidian harvesting, added recipes for wood buttons and pressure plates 

1.02 - Fixed gravel drops, taupe wool clumps, and bone knife JEI helper. Fixed primitive crafting not working in 1.20 and 1.21. Added thatch slabs.

1.01 - Fixed Rocks not being generated in 1.20 and 1.21