Minecraft Enhanced, Super Hi-Res Realistic HD Minecraft Texture Pack Mod (128 x 128, 256 x 256)
Minecraft Enhanced is a very high resolution Minecraft texture
pack, but it is more than that too, it is also a mod that functions
something like a complete reworking of the visual settings and
options associated with Minecraft. It's Minecraft, Jim, but not as we
know it.
You should be aware that although there are high res texture packs included with (or rather, attached to) this mod, the texture packs won't work without the installation of the mod, which requires Mod Loader and the Mod Options API. It's easiest to just start with a fresh install because installing Mod Loader and the Mod Options API after MC Patcher seems to cause issues. The mod adds cloud settings, star settings and season settings, to name but a few. Is it worth all the hassle? Yeah, it is.
The devil is in the details with this texture pack. I have to
admit that it took me several attempts to get the mod and texture
pack working and by the time the game finally loaded I was feeling
rather prejudiced about the whole thing. The appearance of glowstone
alone was enough to offend my sensibilities terribly. (My initial
notes read: 'Glowstone, as usual, hurts my eyes and to be frank,
makes the game look like it was designed at a 1970's fondue party.')
But then I looked skyward, and that was when the game changed for
me forever. Instead of blocky, clunky looking clouds, I saw a grey
haze that I'd not seen before. It was a cloud, and it was one of the
most beautiful clouds I'd ever seen. Texture wise, the pack takes on
an unassuming 'original style' flavor. Some nice work has gone into
the wood textures, and the grass and trees are well done too. If you
have a penchant for realism, you'll probably appreciate this texture
/ mod pack greatly.
Be warned though, this mod really is buggy. It did something that I've never seen Minecraft do before – well, at least not in a good long while, and that was freeze and black screen in the middle of a game. On that point, I'd recommend not changing mod settings whilst in game. Also, in spite of the fact that both 128x and 256x texture packs are provided for use with the mod, I could only get the 128x version to work. The 256x version crashed the game every time. There are some stunning sights to be seen, like the dark night sky speckled with colored stars, or the slow passing of clouds, but there are also glitches, like a very visible dark square around the moon as it rises.
All in all due to the bugs, glitches and complexity of the install, I'd recommend this as something for the experienced Minecrafter to play with. Once the bugs have been ironed out a bit, this promises to be an exceptional mod, especially with the seasonal capacity it is trying to include.