Screenshot 1 of 1. MinecraftHub-generated editorial cover for Sparse Structures, a voxel diorama around the lime MinecraftHub block
What Sparse Structures works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Fabric, NeoForge, Forge |
| Minecraft versions | 1.19, 1.19.4, 1.20.6, 1.21.11, 26.1.2, 26.2, 26.3 |
| Environment | Server |
Sparse Structures is a worldgen mod for Fabric, NeoForge and Forge that multiplies the spacing between structures. It applies to every structure, including datapack and modded ones, which makes a heavy modpack of structure mods rarer and more worth exploring. It is server-side only, so it does not load on the client.
Loaders and versions
- Fabric: Minecraft 1.19 to 26.3. The newest build needs no dependencies; some builds for 1.20.1 to 26.2 require Fabric API.
- NeoForge: Minecraft 1.20.4 to 26.3. The newest build needs no dependencies.
- Forge: Minecraft 1.20.1 to 1.21.11. The newest build needs no dependencies.
What it changes
- Per-structure rarity: each structure, from vanilla, mods or datapacks, can have its own spread factor.
- Disabling: a spread factor of 0 stops a structure from generating.
- No separation cap: vanilla limits separation to 4096 chunks (about 65k blocks), and this mod removes that limit.
- Less clustering: a salt based on the structure ID separates structures from mods that leave the salt at 0.
- A fix for MC-177381, where /locate reports a wrong distance to the structure.
- /dumpstructuresets writes every structure set to a file in the format the config expects.
Configuration
Settings live in sparsestructures.json5 in the instance's config folder. The spreadFactor option multiplies structure separation and spacing. The default of 2 makes structures twice as rare, and 0.5 makes them more common. Values near 0.01 slow world generation considerably.
The idBasedSalt option (on by default) controls the structure-ID salt. The customSpreadFactors list takes entries with a name and a spreadFactor, and the default entry makes the mansion twice as rare. Config changes need a restart to apply.
Installation and limits
Drop the mod's .jar into the mods folder of the server or instance, using the loader your pack runs. Terrain and trees shift very slightly, while ores, geodes and similar features are untouched.
Questions about Sparse Structures.
4 questions
Does Sparse Structures need to be installed on the client?
No. The mod is server-side only and the client is unsupported. Install it on the server or in the single-player instance that hosts the world, and players joining that server do not need to add it.
How do I make structures rarer or more common?
Edit spreadFactor in sparsestructures.json5. The default of 2 makes structures twice as rare, and a value such as 0.5 makes them more common. A factor of 0 disables a structure. Restart to apply the change.
Can I change the rarity of one structure only?
Yes. Add an entry to customSpreadFactors with the structure's name and its own spreadFactor. The /dumpstructuresets command writes all structure sets to a file in the right format, so you can copy the exact names.
Does Sparse Structures change ores or geodes?
No. It leaves ores, geodes and similar features alone. It alters terrain and trees only very slightly, which most players will not notice.
