Test and support NeoForge across the advertised Minecraft 1.21.x range

[Exohayvan]

Summary

NeoForge metadata advertises [1.21,1.22), but only Minecraft 1.21 and 1.21.1 are currently documented as supported. The remaining 1.21.x versions need an explicit build and runtime compatibility program rather than being accepted without validation.

Evidence

• minecraft/neoforge-1.21.x/gradle.properties builds against Minecraft 1.21 and declares minecraft_version_range=[1.21,1.22).
• META-INF/neoforge.mods.toml publishes that broad range.
• wiki/Supported-Versions-Launchers.md lists later 1.21.x versions as Building rather than supported.
• The current automated matrix does not prove client, dedicated-server, recipes, machines, networking, persistence, and resources across every advertised version.

Impact

NeoForge accepts the mod on versions whose ABI and runtime behavior are not verified, leaving users to discover crashes or broken functionality after installation.

Reproduction / verification

• Define the complete intended 1.21.x version list from 1.21 through the latest supported 1.21 release.
• Build and launch client plus dedicated server for each version.
• Run deterministic unit/integration tests and representative live machine scenarios on each version.

Proposed direction

Create a versioned NeoForge compatibility matrix, add per-version build/runtime adaptations where needed, and wire the matrix into CI and live CurseForge testing. Keep metadata aligned with the versions that pass.

Acceptance criteria

• Every Minecraft version accepted by NeoForge metadata is explicitly listed and tested.
• Client and dedicated-server startup pass on each supported version.
• EMC loading, recipes, Dissolver, Condenser, Materializer, networking, persistence, and packaged resources are validated.
• Version-specific adapters are documented and covered by tests.
• The wiki and metadata reflect the proven compatibility matrix.

Audit provenance

Candidate #22 from the read-only repository audit performed on 2026-07-20. This is separate from existing issues #3, #4, #25, and #27 unless explicitly linked later.