IceMC

what is this?

Fanta's been around for a while and it deserved a rest. So for the winter I spun up something new: a fresh world running Better MC. It's still Minecraft, just with way more stuff in it. Better caves and dungeons, new biomes, more mobs, boss fights, nicer animations, backpacks, waystones for getting around, graves so you don't lose everything when you die, and a bunch of small quality of life fixes.

Same crew, same vibe, new map. The plan is to play through the holidays together and do a few events (the big one is the Ender Dragon night).

• world: brand new, started November 2026
• difficulty: normal
• who can join: anyone with a real Java account. Just show up
• the End: locked until dragon night 🐉
• backups: every 6 hours, so if something breaks we can roll back

how to join (Prism Launcher)

You can't join with the normal Minecraft launcher. You need the same mods as the server. The easiest way is Prism Launcher, which is free and installs the whole modpack for you. Set aside about 15 minutes the first time.

1 install Prism

Go to prismlauncher.org/download and grab the version for your computer.

• Windows: download the Setup (.exe) installer and run it. Click next a few times.
• Mac: download the .zip, open it, and drag Prism Launcher into Applications. If macOS complains the first time, right-click the app and choose Open.
• Linux: the Flatpak from Flathub is the easiest (flatpak install flathub org.prismlauncher.PrismLauncher).

Only download Prism from prismlauncher.org. There are fake copies floating around.

2 sign in with your Microsoft account

1. Open Prism. If it asks about language and Java on first launch, just keep the defaults.
2. Click Accounts (top right) → Manage Accounts → Add Microsoft.
3. It shows you a code and a link. Open the link, type the code, and log in with the account that owns Minecraft.
4. When your name shows up in the list, close that window.

3 install the modpack

1. Click Add Instance (top left).
2. On the left side pick Modrinth.
3. Search for Better MC FABRIC BMC2 and click Better MC [FABRIC] - BMC2.
4. At the bottom, open the version dropdown and pick v40. This matters: the server runs v40, so a different version won't connect.
5. Click OK. Prism downloads around 330 mods, which takes a few minutes. Grab a snack.

4 give it enough memory (RAM)

This is the step people skip, and then the game freezes or crashes. Modpacks need more memory than vanilla.

1. Right-click the new Better MC instance → Edit.
2. Go to Settings → Java tab (on some versions it's under Settings → Memory).
3. Tick the Memory box and set:
   • Minimum memory: 2048 MiB
   • Maximum memory: 6144 MiB (that's 6 GB)
4. Close the window. It saves automatically.

Not sure how much RAM you have? Windows: Settings → System → About. Mac: Apple menu → About This Mac.

Java: Better MC on 1.20.1 needs Java 17. Newer Prism versions download the right Java automatically. If it complains, go to Settings → Java and click Auto-detect or Download, then pick Java 17.

5 launch and join

1. Double-click the instance. The first launch is slow (a couple of minutes), which is normal.
2. Click Multiplayer → Add Server.
3. Name: IceMC, Address: icemc.shadeos.com → Done.
4. Join. You'll spawn somewhere cold. That's on purpose. ❄

want to play with a controller? 🎮

Totally doable. There's a mod called Controlify that adds proper controller support (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro, Steam Deck, most others): on-screen keyboard, radial menus, rumble, the works. It's client-side only, so it's fine to add even though the server doesn't have it.

1. In Prism, right-click the Better MC instance → Edit → Mods.
2. Click Download mods (right side).
3. Make sure Modrinth is selected, search Controlify, click it, then Select mod for download. Prism picks the right version for 1.20.1 on its own.
4. Click Review and confirm → OK.
5. Plug in / pair your controller before launching. Controlify shows a setup screen the first time.

If a controller isn't detected: check it works in another game, try a wired cable, and on Windows close Steam (Steam Input sometimes grabs the controller first).

holiday events

Dates aren't locked in yet. They'll land around the holidays and get announced in Discord and in-game. Here's the plan so far:

rules (short list)

1. Don't grief or steal. Every block placed, broken and every chest opened is logged, so we can see who did it and undo it.
2. No hacked clients, x-ray, or dupes. Use the pack as-is. Client stuff like Controlify, shaders and minimaps is fine.
3. Be decent in chat. No slurs, no harassment, no spamming. Banter is fine, being mean isn't.
4. Ask before building right next to someone. Give people room.
5. PvP only when both sides agree. No killing people who are just trying to play.
6. Lag machines and giant mob farms: check with an admin first so the server doesn't melt.

Admins: AndreyShade & Qrange_Juice. If someone's causing problems, tell one of us instead of starting a war.

stuck? common fixes

"Incompatible mod set" / "mismatched mods" when joining

Your modpack version isn't v40. In Prism: right-click the instance → Edit → Version, or just delete it and reinstall picking v40. Extra client-only mods (Controlify, shaders) are fine. Extra content mods are not.

game freezes, crashes, or says "out of memory"

Redo step 4 and give it 6 GB. Close browsers and other games while playing.

"Failed to verify username" / "invalid session"

Your login expired. Prism → Accounts → Manage Accounts → select your account → Refresh (or remove and add it again).

it's laggy / low FPS

In game: Options → Video Settings → turn Render Distance down to 8 and turn off shaders. Better MC already includes Sodium for performance.

"Connection timed out"

Double-check the address is icemc.shadeos.com. If it's still down, the server might be restarting. Check Discord.

Still stuck? Ask in the Discord. Chat from the server is linked there, so someone will see it. Discord: ask an admin for the invite