Getting Started (Modpack Creators)
Embers Text API lets you display animated, styled text overlays anywhere on a player's screen — no Java coding required. Everything is controlled through in-game commands and a simple markup language.
What Does It Look Like?
When you send a message with ETA, players see on-screen text that can:
- Cycle through rainbow colors — each character a different hue, animating over time
- Glow with a neon halo — soft luminous rings around letters
- Shake or vibrate — great for danger warnings or boss encounters
- Reveal character by character — typewriter-style animation with optional sound effects
- Wave up and down — smooth flowing motion
- Fade in and out — smooth alpha transitions at message start and end
- Appear anywhere on screen — center, top, bottom, corners, custom pixel offsets
- Show item icons or entity models inline with the text
Messages can play one after another (queues), or multiple messages can appear simultaneously at different screen positions.
Installation
Install ETA like any other mod — drop the JAR for your loader and Minecraft version into your mods/ folder.
| Minecraft | Loader | Where to Download |
|---|---|---|
| 1.20.1 | Forge | Modrinth · CurseForge |
| 1.20.1 | Fabric | Modrinth · CurseForge |
| 1.21.1 | NeoForge | Modrinth · CurseForge |
| 1.21.1 | Fabric | Modrinth · CurseForge |
ETA works out of the box with no configuration required. A config file is generated on first launch if you want to customize behavior — see Configuration.
Your First Commands
All commands use the /eta alias (or the full /emberstextapi). You need operator level 2 to use them.
See what ETA can do
/eta test 26
This runs test #26 — a rainbow effect demo. Try other numbers (1–33) to see different effects. Test IDs 26–33 are the visual effects showcase.
Send your first message
/eta send @p 100 Hello, world!
This sends "Hello, world!" to the nearest player for 100 ticks (5 seconds). It appears at the top-center of the screen.
Send a styled message
/eta send @p 200 <rainbow>Welcome to the server!</rainbow>
Same command, but wrapped in <rainbow> markup — the text now cycles through colors.
Send to everyone
/eta send @a 160 <neon><bold>Server restart in 2 minutes!</bold></neon>
@a targets all players. The text gets bold + neon glow.
What's Next?
| I want to... | Go to... |
|---|---|
| Learn all the commands | Commands |
| Style text with effects and colors | Markup Guide |
| See all 19 effects | Effects Reference |
| Position messages on screen | Layout and Positioning |
| Create cutscenes and quest sequences | Message Queues |
| Configure permissions, limits, and disabled effects | Configuration |
| See complete examples | Basic Examples |