Content packs, multiplayer sync, licence and mod icon

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -17,12 +17,35 @@ way to 1.0.0; see [docs/ROADMAP.md](docs/ROADMAP.md).
 - Wrecks stay for 30 seconds instead of 25 and keep burning until they disappear: flames, a fire
   glow and rising embers that die down over the last five seconds. Sunk wrecks do not burn.
 - Screenshots of night glow in `docs/images/phase-6`, shown in the README.
+- Content packs: zips or folders in `<game dir>/mcheli/packs` that add vehicles and weapons, with
+  their models, textures and sounds and a `pack.properties` manifest. Packs are data only; one
+  holding anything else is refused. A pack can replace an original vehicle by using its name.
+- Servers send their packs to players when they join: each player downloads only the packs they
+  do not have yet and keeps them in `mcheli/cache`, so the next visit is instant. While connected,
+  players use exactly the server's packs. The original 1.0.3 content is never sent.
+- Server settings under `[packs]` in `mcheli-server.toml`: an allow list, and size limits per pack
+  (8 MB) and for all packs together (64 MB). Client setting `packs.cacheSize` (256 MB) caps the
+  download cache, deleting the packs used longest ago first.
+- Problems with a pack (a bad manifest, a refused file, a broken definition or line, an unknown
+  weapon) are written to the log and shown to operators in the chat on joining and after
+  `/mcheli reload`. A broken pack never stops the game from starting.
+- `/mcheli packs` lists the packs in use with their vehicle and weapon counts.
+- An example pack with our own helicopter, the Rework Scout (two paint schemes), in
+  `examples/rework-example-pack`, and a pack author guide, `docs/content/packs.md`.
+- A mod icon, shown in the mods list and the README.
 
 ### Changed
 
 - Vehicles no longer flash red when hit.
 - Hits no longer jolt a vehicle that someone is flying or driving, and explosions no longer push
   it. An empty vehicle still rocks a little from a nearby blast (a quarter of the old push).
+- `/mcheli reload` now reloads the content packs too, with the server's settings, and sends every
+  player the new pack list. Before, a dedicated server and its players each reread their own files.
+- The network protocol changed: players need the same version as the server.
+- The rework's own code is now under the MCHeli Rework Licence (`LICENSE`, also inside the jar)
+  instead of plain All Rights Reserved: free to play, to include in free modpacks, to read, build
+  and contribute to; redistributing the source or modified builds and selling the mod still need
+  permission. EMB4's original content is not affected.
 
 ## [1.1.0-beta.1] - 2026-10-29
 

LICENSE

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+MCHeli Rework Licence, version 1.0
+
+Copyright (c) 2026 JayMar921 (JnH Projects). All rights reserved, except as granted below.
+
+MCHeli Rework ("the Mod") is a rework of MCHeli 1.0.3 by EMB4 for newer versions of Minecraft.
+The original MCHeli and its content (models, textures, sounds, definitions and documentation)
+belong to EMB4, are not covered by this licence and are not included in this repository or in
+the Mod's releases.
+
+1. What you may do
+
+   a. Use. You may download the official releases of the Mod and use them, for free, in single
+      player, on servers (including public and paid servers) and in videos and streams.
+
+   b. Modpacks. You may include an unmodified official release in a modpack, on CurseForge,
+      Modrinth or elsewhere, as long as the modpack is free to download and credits the Mod.
+
+   c. Read and build. You may read the source code, build it, and run your own builds for
+      personal use, testing and development.
+
+   d. Contribute. You may fork this repository to propose changes through pull requests. By
+      sending a contribution you agree that it may be distributed under this licence, and under
+      any later version of it, as part of the Mod.
+
+   e. Learn. You may study how the Mod works and write your own code based on what you learned,
+      as long as you do not copy the Mod's source code into it.
+
+2. What you may not do without written permission
+
+   a. Redistribute the source code, or builds made from it, modified or not, except as allowed
+      in 1(b) and 1(d).
+
+   b. Publish the Mod, or a fork of it, as your own project or under another name.
+
+   c. Sell the Mod or charge for access to it, including putting it behind a paywall.
+
+   d. Remove or change the copyright notices or the credits to EMB4 and Fureniku.
+
+3. Content made for the Mod
+
+   Content packs, models, textures and sounds you make for the Mod are yours. This licence does
+   not apply to them. The example pack in examples/rework-example-pack is public domain (CC0 1.0,
+   see its own LICENSE file).
+
+4. No warranty
+
+   The Mod is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind. The authors are not liable for any
+   damage or loss arising from its use, including lost worlds or corrupted saves. Keep backups.
+
+5. Ending the licence
+
+   If you break these terms, your rights under this licence end automatically. They come back
+   if you fix the breach within 30 days of being told about it.
+
+6. Later versions
+
+   The copyright holder may publish new versions of this licence. Each release of the Mod is
+   covered by the version included with it.
+
+Questions and permission requests: open an issue at
+https://github.com/JnH-Projects/MCHeli-Rework-Forge/issues

README.md

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # MCHeli Rework
 
+<img src="docs/images/mcheli-rework-icon.png" alt="MCHeli Rework icon" width="160">
+
 Helicopters, planes, tanks and ground vehicles for **Minecraft 26.3** on **Forge 66.1**.
 
 MCHeli Rework is a ground-up port of MCHeli 1.0.3, a mod that stopped at Minecraft 1.7.10. Every
@@ -112,7 +114,13 @@ original files: only the new Java code and the rework's own translations. Player
 original zip from the CurseForge page themselves, and the mod converts it on their machine.
 
 This repository holds no original files either; the unit tests import the developer's own copy
-of the zip. The project metadata declares All Rights Reserved for the rework's own code.
+of the zip.
+
+The rework's own code is under the [MCHeli Rework Licence](LICENSE): play it anywhere, include
+official releases in free modpacks, read and build the source, and send pull requests.
+Redistributing the source, modified builds or forks, and selling the mod need written
+permission. Content packs you make are yours. Because the engine is a rework of EMB4's All Rights
+Reserved original, the code is source available rather than open source.
 
 ## Requirements
 
@@ -223,7 +231,8 @@ bottom right shows hit points, the weapon, ammunition, reload, heat, lock and fl
 | `/mcheli` | everyone | Where the vehicles were loaded from, and how many of each kind |
 | `/mcheli list [helicopter\|plane\|tank\|vehicle]` | everyone | The loaded vehicles by name |
 | `/mcheli give <players> <vehicle> [count]` | operators | Hands out vehicles, for example `/mcheli give @s ah-64` |
-| `/mcheli reload` | operators | Reads the vehicle and weapon files again without a restart |
+| `/mcheli packs` | everyone | The content packs in use, and any problems with them |
+| `/mcheli reload` | operators | Reads the vehicle and weapon files and the content packs again without a restart, and sends players the new packs |
 
 Each world has `serverconfig/mcheli-server.toml` (created on first start, edits apply while the
 server runs):
@@ -235,12 +244,24 @@ server runs):
 | `vehicles.damageFactor` | `1.0` | Multiplies the damage vehicles take; `0.5` makes them twice as tough |
 | `vehicles.disabled` | `[]` | Vehicles that cannot be placed, by name, such as `["ah-64", "f-35b"]` |
 | `weapons.infiniteAmmo` | `false` | Vehicle weapons never run out of ammunition |
+| `packs.allowList` | `[]` | Content packs the server loads, by id; empty loads all of them |
+| `packs.maxPackSize` | `8` | Largest content pack the server loads and sends to players, in MB |
+| `packs.maxTotalSize` | `64` | Most the server loads and sends in all, in MB |
 
 Each player also has `config/mcheli-client.toml`, which only changes what that player sees:
 
 | Setting | Default | Meaning |
 |---------|---------|---------|
 | `effects.nightGlow` | `true` | Tracers, rocket motors, flares and explosions glow: faintly by day, brightly at night, in caves and under water |
+| `packs.cacheSize` | `256` | How much the content packs downloaded from servers may take up in `mcheli/cache`, in MB |
+
+## Content packs
+
+Content packs add vehicles and weapons: drop a pack (a zip or a folder) into
+`<game dir>/mcheli/packs`. On a server only the server needs it; players download the server's
+packs automatically when they join. [examples/rework-example-pack](examples/rework-example-pack)
+adds a small helicopter, the Rework Scout. To make your own, see
+[docs/content/packs.md](docs/content/packs.md).
 
 ## Documentation
 
@@ -249,7 +270,7 @@ Each player also has `config/mcheli-client.toml`, which only changes what that p
 * [Architecture](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md): how the mod is put together
 * [Development](docs/DEVELOPMENT.md): building, running, testing and releasing
 * [In-game test plan](docs/TESTING.md)
-* Content authoring: [modeling in Blockbench or Blender](docs/content/modeling.md), [vehicles](docs/content/aircraft.md), [weapons](docs/content/weapons.md), [HUD scripts](docs/content/hud.md)
+* Content authoring: [content packs](docs/content/packs.md), [modeling in Blockbench or Blender](docs/content/modeling.md), [vehicles](docs/content/aircraft.md), [weapons](docs/content/weapons.md), [HUD scripts](docs/content/hud.md)
 * [Contributing](CONTRIBUTING.md): rules for pull requests and bug reports
 
 ## Building from source

common/build.gradle

@@ -45,4 +45,7 @@ tasks.named('test', Test) {
     // and are skipped where the zip is absent, such as on CI.
     systemProperty 'mcheli.legacyZip', legacyZip
     systemProperty 'mcheli.testContent', layout.buildDirectory.dir('legacy-content').get().asFile.absolutePath
+    // Our own example content pack, which needs nothing from the original.
+    systemProperty 'mcheli.examplePack', rootProject.file('examples/rework-example-pack').absolutePath
+    inputs.dir(rootProject.file('examples/rework-example-pack')).withPropertyName('examplePack')
 }