The Birth of Steve

The Birth of Steve is a NeoForge adventure mod about recovering a history that Minecraft forgot. Discover a Fracture Shrine, repair the mysterious Yesterglass Lens, and follow an Archive Survey Map toward a ruin whose remembered form still exists beneath the present. The handcrafted adventure eventually opens Echoes of the Past — a replayable, multi-floor dungeon dimension reconstructed from a deterministic seed. # Features | Feature | Description | | --- | --- | | Handcrafted Adventure | Recover a forgotten history through shrines, puzzles, ruins, and bosses | | Echoes of the Past | Unlock a replayable procedural multi-floor dungeon dimension | | Procedural Dungeons | Connected 3D Archives containing 14–20 rooms by default | | Deterministic Runs | Rooms, secrets, bosses, loot, modifiers, and routes derive from a run seed | | 20 Room Designs | Reusable rooms spanning 16 gameplay categories | | Dynamic Encounters | Enemy strength scales with dungeon depth and active players | | Enemy Mutations | Enemies can gain deterministic combat mutations | | Isaac-Inspired Pickups | Healing, Soul Potions, Memory Coins, Archive Keys, Ash Bombs, and Soul Charges | | Destructible Caches | Break Archive loot caches to claim rewards | | Multiplayer Systems | Independent encounters, checkpoints, shared revives, and configurable loot | | Persistent Runs | Dungeon progress and loot claims survive server restarts | | Server-Side Logic | Generation, encounters, loot, returns, and cleanup are handled server-side | # Recover a Forgotten History Your first expedition begins in the **Overworld**. 1. **Discover a Fracture Shrine** — Find one of three shrine variants scattered at world-seeded locations around spawn. 2. **Restore the Yesterglass Lens** — Recover the Cracked Yesterglass Lens and gather the materials required to repair it. 3. **Locate the Meridian Archive** — Follow the Archive Survey Map toward a structure that should have been forgotten. 4. **Reconstruct the Archive** — Align the Hall, answer the Choir, rebuild the Parallax Atrium, and cross the Broken Meridian. 5. **Defeat the Last Curator** — Survive the Archive's guardian and recover its Core. 6. **Open the Curator Gateway** — Carry the Core while holding the repaired Lens to transform the Gateway and descend into **Echoes of the Past**. Progress is tracked through **advancements, persistent world state, and clear top-left objectives**. Puzzle interactions use **glyphs, stages, failure pulses, and completion sweeps** instead of filling the action bar with text. # Echoes of the Past Once the Curator Gateway opens, the handcrafted adventure transforms into a **replayable procedural dungeon**. Every run generates a connected 3D Archive containing **14–20 rooms by default**. Routes can branch. Paths can loop. Walls can hide secrets. Stairways can carry the dungeon across multiple vertical floors. # Dungeon Generation * **20 reusable room designs** spanning 16 gameplay categories * Fully enclosed rooms with complete ceilings * Direct enclosed passages between chambers * Two-way stair systems with safe landings and headroom * Branching and looping dungeon routes * Hidden chambers concealed behind cracked walls * Multi-floor procedural generation * Deterministic generation from a run seed # Archive Room Types * **Combat Rooms** * **Treasure Vaults** * **Trap Rooms** * **Puzzle Chambers** * **Secret Rooms** * **Lesser Warden Arenas** * **Boss Chambers** The Archive uses an ancient Minecraft-inspired block palette: **Weathered Masonry • Mossed Stone • Chronicle Tile • Yesterglass • Bronze Trim • Cantor Blocks** Every run contains **one to three random lesser bosses**. The final entrance remains sealed until your party completes **Reconstruct the Cantor Seal**. Only then can you challenge the **Hour Cantor** and unlock the final reward chamber. # Fights That Rewrite Themselves The Archive doesn't simply spawn stronger enemies. **It rewrites them.** Waves can combine original Archive creatures with **Husks, Skeletons, Strays, Cave Spiders, Silverfish, Vindicators, Evokers, and Ravagers**. Enemy strength dynamically scales according to dungeon depth and the number of active players inside the room. # Deterministic Mutations | Mutation | Behaviour | | --- | --- | | **Echo Bolt Casters** | Attack from range using Archive projectiles | | **Parallax Hunters** | Blink across the battlefield to pressure players | | **Shockwave Guardians** | Control space using powerful area attacks | | **Protective Wardens** | Strengthen and protect nearby enemies | | **Bounded Splitters** | Divide into additional threats under specific conditions | Attacks use **readable telegraphs, particles, and distinct sound cues** so dangerous encounters remain understandable instead of becoming visual chaos. # Isaac-Inspired Pickups Defeated enemies can release temporary dungeon resources inspired by roguelike reward loops: * ❤️ Healing resources * 💙 Soul Potions * 🪙 Memory Coins * 🔑 Archive Keys * 💣 Ash Bombs * ✨ Soul Charges These systems use useful Minecraft items and mechanics, keeping the dungeon integrated with Minecraft rather than turning it into a separate game. # Break the Seal. Claim the Memory. Every generated Archive loot cache is **physically destructible**. Right-clicking a cache only examines its seal. **To claim what the Archive remembers, you have to break it.** | Cache | Behaviour | | --- | --- | | **Ordinary** | Standard Archive rewards | | **Locked** | Requires additional access | | **Trapped** | Punishes careless players | | **Cursed** | Greater risk for unusual rewards | | **Hidden** | Found through exploration and secrets | | **Boss** | High-value encounter rewards | Weighted loot pools combine unique Archive materials with familiar Minecraft rewards such as **diamonds, emeralds, gold, iron, food, arrows, experience bottles, enchanted books**, and other useful dungeon items. # Multiplayer Loot **Shared Loot** — the cache disappears after the first valid claim. **Individual Loot** — the cache remains until every party member has claimed that specific cache. Claims are **persisted across reloads**, preventing reward duplication through server or run restarts. # Built for Solo & Multiplayer * **Independent encounters** — party members can explore separate branches simultaneously. * **Personal checkpoints** — every player maintains their own branch checkpoint. * **Shared revive pool** — one death doesn't immediately destroy the entire run. * **Safe room sealing** — doors wait until every player's collision box has cleared them. * **Configurable loot** — choose shared or individual rewards. * **Persistent runs** — progress survives server restarts. Generation, rooms, enemies, encounters, loot claims, player returns, and dungeon cleanup are all handled **server-side**. # Configuration Server operators can customize the Archive through: `config/tbos-common.toml` Configuration includes: * Dungeon generation * Room counts * Difficulty scaling * Loot mode * Enemy weights * Generation budget * Debugging options # Requirements | Requirement | Version | | --- | --- | | **Minecraft Java Edition** | **26.1.2** | | **NeoForge** | **26.1.2.83+** | | **Multiplayer** | Client + Server | > **Multiplayer servers require the mod to be installed on both the client and server.** # Installation 1. Install **NeoForge 26.1.2.83 or newer** for Minecraft **26.1.2**. 2. Place `tbos-0.1.0-alpha.1.jar` inside your instance's `mods` folder. 3. Launch Minecraft and create or open a world. 4. For multiplayer, install the mod on both the server and every connecting client. # ModJam 2026 **The Birth of Steve** was built for the CurseForge Minecraft ModJam 2026 theme: > **Echoes of the Past** Players don't simply explore ancient ruins — **they reconstruct the rooms, mechanisms, creatures, and choices that once occupied the same space.** The past isn't gone. **It's waiting to be rebuilt.** # Why Choose The Birth of Steve? 1. **Handcrafted Adventure** — Follow a complete progression path from the Overworld into the forgotten Archive. 2. **Replayable Dungeon Runs** — Echoes of the Past reconstructs multi-floor Archives from deterministic seeds. 3. **Meaningful Exploration** — Branches, loops, secrets, stairways, and hidden chambers reward exploration. 4. **Dynamic Combat** — Enemy scaling and mutations keep encounters changing as you descend. 5. **Roguelike Rewards** — Pickups and destructible caches create a repeatable reward loop. 6. **Boss Progression** — Face lesser bosses, reconstruct the Cantor Seal, and challenge the Hour Cantor. 7. **Solo & Multiplayer** — Independent encounters, checkpoints, shared revives, and configurable loot support both. 8. **Persistent Runs** — World state, dungeon progress, and loot claims survive reloads. 9. **Minecraft-First Design** — Dungeon mechanics are built around Minecraft items, combat, blocks, and exploration. 10. **Echoes of the Past** — The ModJam theme is integrated directly into the story, world design, generation, and progression. # Credits & License Created by **NightBeam Studio**. **The Birth of Steve** and its original assets are **All Rights Reserved**. Minecraft and related trademarks belong to **Mojang Studios**. NeoForge belongs to its respective contributors. No third-party game assets are bundled. # Community & Support * Discord: https://discord.gg/TJc3CxR4jK * GitHub: https://github.com/MeherBenSalem * Website: https://nightbeam.dev * Store: https://nightbeam.dev/store * CurseForge: https://www.curseforge.com/members/nightbeamstudio/projects * Modrinth: https://modrinth.com/organization/nightbeam