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Discuss features, changes, and ideas related to Spring to Life, the first game drop of 2025! For feedback about Minecraft in general, explore other categories.

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The Data-Driven Variant system should apply to more mobs!

With 1.21.5, we're getting some incredible new variants, but more interesting I think is the ability to add our own variants; while new pig & cow variants have been added, this new system has been retroactively applied to cats & frogs. This is an incredible change! However, it's really inconsistent with which mobs it's been applied to. There are many mobs in the game that already have variants that would be easy to expand with this data-driven system, allowing players to add their own through datapacks.

The obvious ones:

  • Rabbits
  • Foxes
  • Parrots
  • Axolotl
  • VILLAGERS (Based on biome, not profession)
  • Llamas

Less obvious, still doable:

  • Squids
  • Pandas

More difficult, but potentially game-changing:

  • Tropical Fish*
  • Horses*
  • Spiders**
  • Zombies**
  • Skeletons**
  • Guardians**
  • Piglins**
  • "Illagers"**
  • Slimes**

* Might be difficult to implement due to the multiple randomized layers going on, but would still be doable.
** Variations of these already exist, albeit with slight differences in mechanics; however, using any amount of datapack trickery, pretty much all of these mechanics can already be duplicated onto other mobs / onto the base mob.

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    Registered User commented
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    Definitely it is a feature that should be added for all mobs, just for datapacking would make a shift for all the creators. Imagine creating dark creepers or frosty zombies with a variant that only spawns in dark/cold biomes. It would be amazing and necessary!!! Why not adding them all if there are already some variants?

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    Registered User commented
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    Oh most definitely, especially for parrots! To hear that there were originally 16 designed and we only got 5 made many wish we had more, but the current only way to add more variations required mods and the rather janky method that Optifine made way back. A shift to the more robust data system would be greatly welcomed!