Any good mods to try out?

I'd try out Tekkit if I were you, it opens up so many opportunities and it feels like a whole different game. You can build factories, oil rigs, automatic mines and anything you can even think of! It also includes Rei's Minimap, it shows you where you're going and it stops you from getting lost. It shows you mobs and animals around you and there's way points you can set on the map.

 

Probably the best mod to have is the Not Enough Items mod. This mod allows you all the items to be accessible in your inventory. It is very useful when playing with complicated mods in which crafting an item could take hours. I suggest if you do use this mod, not to overuse and take the fun out of the game. Instead only use it when you need to.

 

Try the portal gun mod, it's insanely fun for fast travel and even messing with mobs, teleporting them endlessly and such.

 

I had a whole whale of a time with with the millenaire mod. It adds a ton of npc's to the game and makes the game feel much more "alive" too. Basically this mod adds lots of villages with ancient populations and they could trade, build structures, craft amulets and accessories, and grow crops etc. You can even interact with the villagers unlike the boring old minecraft villagers that are just plain old annoying. What's even better is that there are a huge variety of races, from Malay to Noman to Japanese, you name it! You can even get rewarded, such as a house of your own specially built for you if you help them out! A must for people who feel that the minecraft world is too silent and deserted, and would like the world to be filled with civilisation and look less bleak.

 

Something that adds onto the base game without changing too many mechanics are my favorite mods. With this specification, Rei's Minimap mod adds the needed minimap to the base game. I can't begin to explain how helpful having death markers or point markers are to enjoying Minecraft as a game more. It takes a lot of the tedium out of the game and adds a layer of convenience to it.