
Pig Pen Cipher
Adds the pigpen cipher to Minecraft
Screenshots

About this Mod
This mod adds the Pig Pen Cipher to Minecraft as a new font. This can be used for books, fonts, chat messages, tooltips, and virtually any other text in the game.
Overview
The Pig Pen Cipher is a simple substitution cipher used to encode messages which use the English alphabet.

User Guide
Using the Cipher
The Pigpen Cipher is sometimes referred to as a tic-tac-toe cipher. This is because the key used to encode/decode characters looks like a tic-tac-toe board.
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To write a character using the Pigpen Cipher you simply replace the character with the lines that surround the character. For example if you want to write the letter A you would draw a backwards L shape and an E would be drawn as a square. If the symbol contains a dot you would use the version on the right, so a square with a dot inside of it is an N. The eight lower characters follow the same rules, T would be an arrow pointing right and W would be an arrow pointing down with a dot in it.
While the cipher may seem complicated at first it will become a lot easier to understand with some practice.
Commands
If this mod is installed on a Forge server you will be able to use some custom commands to help you use this mod. These commands can also be used in single player if the mod is installed.
- /pigpen say - Posts a message in chat using the cipher. All players can use this command. The plaintext version is logged in the server console.
- /pigpen hand - Renames the held item with cipher. Limited to lvl 2 ops.
- /pigpen book (encode|decode) - Rewrites a held book to use cipher. Can also turn encoded books into plaintext books. Limited to lvl 2 ops.
- /pigpen tile (encode|decode) <pos> - Rewrites a tile entity such as a sign to use cipher. Limited to lvl 2 ops.
Code
If you're developing a mod or have access to code/scripting tools you can apply the cipher to an ITextComponent by modifying the style of the component.
// MCP names not yet available
// func_240703_c_ = setStyle
// func_240719_a_ = setFontId
IFormattableTextComponent text = new StringTextComponent("Hello World");
text.func_240703_c_(text.getStyle().func_240719_a_(new ResourceLocation("pigpen", "pigpen")));
Vanilla Commands & NBT
Any vanilla command which allows you to specify a text component can use cipher by defining the font ID in the text properties. For example it can be used in the give command, or in the title command.
/give @p stone{display:{Name:"[{\"text\":\"Hello\",\"italic\":false,\"color\":\"gold\",\"font\":\"pigpen:pigpen\"}]"}} 1
/title @a title {"text":"Hello","font":"pigpen:pigpen"}
Available Versions
How to Install Pig Pen Cipher on Your Server
Order Server
Order a Minecraft Java server with at least 3 GB RAM (4 GB recommended).
Set fabric Loader
In the panel under "Egg", select the fabric loader and matching Minecraft version (26.2).
Install Mod
Open the mod browser in the dashboard and search for "Pig Pen Cipher". Click "Install" – done! Alternatively, upload the .jar via SFTP to the /mods folder.
Compatibility
Mod Loaders
Minecraft Versions
26.2, 26.1.2, 26.1.1 (+21 more)
Server-side
✓ RequiredRecommended RAM
4 GB(min. 3 GB)Frequently Asked Questions
Pig Pen Cipher server crashes on startup – what to do?
Most common cause: wrong fabric version or insufficient RAM. Check the server log (latest.log) for "OutOfMemoryError" or "Mixin" errors. With Mado Hosting: ensure at least 3 GB RAM is allocated and the loader matches the mod version (26.2). You can switch loaders with one click in the panel.
Is Pig Pen Cipher compatible with fabric and forge and neoforge and quilt?
Pig Pen Cipher officially supports fabric, forge, neoforge, quilt for Minecraft 26.2, 26.1.2, 26.1.1. Note: Forge and Fabric mods are NOT cross-compatible – pick one loader and stick with it. The Mado dashboard automatically detects incompatible loader combinations.
Server lagging with Pig Pen Cipher – how to optimize performance?
Recommended RAM: 4 GB (per 8 players). Use /spark profiler to check if Pig Pen Cipher consumes the most tick time. Common fixes: reduce server view-distance to 8-10, install "performant" or "starlight" as supplementary mods on Forge. With Mado Hosting, your server runs on NVMe SSDs with dedicated CPU cores for minimal latency.
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