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Minecraft is extremely basic when it comes to graphics. It is a blocky game with pixelated textures. In the world of ultra-realistic graphics and soaring graphical demands from games, this sandbox title is still played by millions and looks like something from 20 years ago. However, since it is a sandbox by nature, the community has come up with all kinds of modifications that can be done to it.
Here are some methods to make Minecraft look stunning and almost realistic.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions
A few ways to visually overhaul Minecraft
1) Use shaders
Shader packs are one of the best ways to drastically change the look of the game. They are essentially graphical modifications that change light and animation engines.
Though shaders are demanding, they can run on most devices. It adds glow to the lighting and also adds wave animation to blocks like water, grass, leaves, vines, etc.
2) Use custom texture packs
When players look at vanilla textures on blocks and mobs, they will easily be able to see individual pixels. This makes the game look extremely pixelated, even though it looks sharp enough. This is where custom textures or resource packs come into play. These have custom texture information that can replace vanilla textures.
Hence, players can completely change the look of the game by simply installing texture packs. Some of them can even add new visual features to blocks and mobs.
3) Use graphical mods
Of course, one of the biggest advantages of the sandbox game is that various mods can be installed. Mods can change more core features of the game to make the world look and feel much better than before.
There are a few graphical mods to change even more visuals. For example, a mod called NoCubes can smoothen out the blocks to make the game's world more realistic.
4) Set graphics to high
Those who are new to the game and do not want to indulge in mods, shaders, and texture packs can simply head into the video settings and change the overall graphics settings.
Though the changes will not be as dramatic as installing third-party modifications, it could be enough for some to notice and appreciate. Graphics settings can be set to 'fancy' for maximum visual improvement.
5) Increase render distance
Players can increase the render distance to see far-off places and overall see more of the world in front of them. Though this does not change any graphical settings, it does make the world look expansive, which can also encourage players to explore more. However, be careful not to increase this setting too much, which can contribute to lag.
6) Use performance mods
For most graphical improvements, a basic performance mod like OptiFine or Sodium is essential. These not only offer support for shaders but also add several kinds of graphical settings that can be tweaked to improve the game's visuals. OptiFine offers features like removing fog, removing or adding individual world features like raindrops, lava particles, etc.
7) Use custom clients
Apart from the game's official launcher, players can use several kinds of custom clients that not only allow them to run Java Edition but also add a brand new splash screen, menu screen, GUI, and even HUD features.
Clients also offer support for shaders, mods, and texture packs, making them a one-stop shop for everything players need to improve the game's visuals.
