Sparse Structures

Sparse Structures

A simple and configurable mod that makes all (even datapacks and modded) structures more spread out (or more common!), essentially making them rarer/easier to find. Useful in big modpacks with a lot of structures mods to encourage exploration

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fabricforgeneoforgeadventureutilityworldgen
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Screenshots

Comparison between two worlds.
In a modded environment, without my mod installed.
With my mod installed.
Going a bit overboard
A spread factor of 50

About this Mod

Sparse Structures

A simple and configurable mod that makes all (even datapacks and modded) structures more spread out (or more common!), essentially making them rarer/easier to find. Useful in big modpacks with a lot of structures mod to encourage exploration and make the experience more challenging or balanced.

Notice: this does not alter the generation of ores/geodes or other features of this kind, and alters very slightly the terrain and trees (not enough to be an issue to most players).

⁉️ Support

Questions about the mod? You can join my new Discord server at discord.gg/cTY4ME6Bkn!

🖼️ Examples

Comparison between two world on the same seed, the one on the left showing a witch hut and a mansion (without the mod), the one on the right showing the same terrain but without those structures

In a modded environment:

First screenshot of the comparison, showing many (maybe too many) structures at once in the ocean because of the quantity of structure mods installed.
Second screenshot of the comparison, showing lot less structures in the same world (seed), at the same coordinates.

Structure Mods in the picture : Tidal towns, Explorify, all Yung's mods, Just Another Structure Pack, MVS, Explorations, Towns and Towers, Dungeons and Taverns...

🤓 Features

  • Configurable : you can change the rarity of all individual structures, even from mods and datapacks.
  • MC-177381 fix : fixes the bug where /locate returns an incorrect distance between the player and the structure.
  • Dump Structure Sets : you can dump all structure sets to a file in the right format for the config using /dumpstructuresets.
  • No separation limit : in vanilla, the separation between structures is limited to 4096 chunks (65k blocks). This mod removes this limit, allowing structures to be even more spread out (if for any reason you need structures to be that rare).
  • Disabling structures : you can disable structures by setting their spread factor to 0.
  • Improved structure spread : by using a custom salt based on the structure ID, this mod avoids structure clustering. This is especially useful for mods that leave the salt to 0 or some other default value used across a lot of structures.

🛠️ Configuration

The config can be found in the config folder of your instance, and is named sparsestructures.json5. It contains the following options :

  • spreadFactor : the factor by which the separation and spacing of structures should be multiplied. The default value is 2, which means that structures will be twice as rare. If you want structures to be more common, you can set this value to 0.5 for example.
    You can disable structures with a factor of 0.
    • ⚠️ Warning : a very low value (like 0.01) makes the world generation process considerably slower.
  • idBasedSalt : a boolean that indicates whether the salt used to generate all structures should be based on the structure ID. This is meant to avoid structure clustering as some mods leave the salt to 0. The default value is true.
  • customSpreadFactors : a list of custom spread factors for specific structures. The default value makes the mansion twice as rare as an example (which has no effects with a global spreadFactor of 2). If you want to change the spread factor of a structure, you can add an entry to this list. Each entry is a JSON object with two fields : name (the name of the structure) and spreadFactor (the spread factor of the structure). Here's an example :
{
    "name": "minecraft:mansion",
    "spreadFactor": 2
}
// More detailed info can be found inside the config file

Tip: you can dump all structure sets to a file in the right format by using the custom command /dumpstructuresets

For now (v2.0), you have to restart the game for the config to be reloaded. This behavior may change in the future.

⚠️ If you're using the mod "Alex's Caves", please set the structures from this mod to a factor of 1, in order to avoid experiencing issues. See #47 for more info.

📜 Dependencies

Fabric API (if you're using Fabric, or use the Quilt equivalent)

⏱️ Future Updates

  • World-specific configs
  • Support for structure tags in the config
  • Ability to customize biome constraints for structures
  • Solve the issue with the /locate command and disabled structures (1.20.X only)
  • Mutual structure avoidance option
  • Open an issue on this project's repo if you have any suggestion!
  • Add a config (added in v2.0)
  • Ban specific structures from generating (added in v3.0)
  • Support for frequency-based structure generation (added in v3.0)

🐛 Known Issues

  • Trying to locate a structure that is disabled on versions 1.20.X will freeze the internal server (a restart solves the issue). This does not happen on versions 1.21.X.
  • Incompatible with Cyanide

©️ Credits

Icon made with Gimp using Twemoji and FiraCode
Multiloader Template by jaredlll08
Help with testing from kshrubb

Available Versions

Sparse Structures 3.1.4release
MC 26.2neoforge
July 11, 2026
Sparse Structures 3.1.4release
MC 26.2fabric
July 11, 2026
Sparse Structures 3.1.3release
MC 26.1.2fabric
July 7, 2026
Sparse Structures 3.1.2release
MC 26.1.2neoforge
May 10, 2026
Sparse Structures 3.1.2release
MC 26.1.2fabric
May 10, 2026

How to Install Sparse Structures on Your Server

1

Order Server

Order a Minecraft Java server with at least 4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended).

2

Set fabric Loader

In the panel under "Egg", select the fabric loader and matching Minecraft version (26.2).

3

Install Mod

Open the mod browser in the dashboard and search for "Sparse Structures". Click "Install" – done! Alternatively, upload the .jar via SFTP to the /mods folder.

Compatibility

Mod Loaders

fabricforgeneoforge

Minecraft Versions

26.2, 26.1.2, 1.21.11 (+19 more)

Server-side

Required

Recommended RAM

6 GB(min. 4 GB)

Frequently Asked Questions

Sparse Structures 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 4 GB RAM is allocated and the loader matches the mod version (26.2). You can switch loaders with one click in the panel.

Is Sparse Structures compatible with fabric and forge and neoforge?

Sparse Structures officially supports fabric, forge, neoforge for Minecraft 26.2, 26.1.2, 1.21.11. 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 Sparse Structures – how to optimize performance?

Recommended RAM: 6 GB (per 5 players). Use /spark profiler to check if Sparse Structures 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.

Rent Modded Server

Install Sparse Structures with just one click on your server.

Recommended RAM
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Minimum 4 GB | per 5 players
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Details

License
MIT License
Server-side
Required

Supported Versions

26.226.1.21.21.111.21.101.21.81.21.51.21.41.21.31.21.11.21+12 more