MCPatcher HD 1.9, — Guide
Connected Textures (CTM)
Connected Textures (CTM) is one of the most prominent features, allowing blocks to change their appearance based on their neighbors. This eliminates the repetitive 'grid' look of certain blocks, most notably glass, bookshelves, and sandstone.
Connection Methods
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| ctm | The standard 47-tile method that connects blocks in all directions. |
| horizontal | Connects blocks only on the left and right (ideal for bookshelves). |
| vertical | Connects blocks only above and below (ideal for pillars). |
| top | Applies a specific texture only to the top surface of a block cluster. |
| random | Randomly selects from a pool of textures to add variety to a surface. |
| repeat | Tiles a large texture over a grid of blocks (e.g., a 2x2 or 4x4 pattern). |
Configuration Properties
Blocks are configured using .properties files within the assets/minecraft/mcpatcher/ctm/ directory. Key parameters include:
- matchBlocks: The IDs of the blocks this rule applies to.
- method: The tiling algorithm used.
- tiles: The specific texture indices to use from the source image.
- connect: Defines if the block connects to its own ID, its material, or specific tiles.
Better Skies
Better Skies replaces the default sun, moon, and star rendering with high-resolution, multi-layered skyboxes. This allows for realistic clouds, nebulae, and planetary bodies.
Skybox Mechanics
- Layering: Multiple sky textures can be layered on top of each other with different blend modes (add, subtract, multiply).
- Fading: Textures can fade in and out at specific times of the day or night.
- Rotation: Custom rotation speeds can be set for different layers, allowing clouds to move independently of the stars.
- Biome Fog: Sky textures can be tied to biome-specific fog colors for seamless environmental transitions.
Custom Colors
Custom Colors provides a way to override the hard-coded color palettes used for various environmental effects. This is essential for 'themed' resource packs (e.g., apocalyptic, autumn, or alien worlds).
Customizable Elements
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Biome Palettes | Custom colormaps for grass, foliage, and water across all biomes. |
| Lighting | Custom lightmaps for torches, sunlight, and moonlight (e.g., making torchlight more orange). |
| Particle Colors | Changes the color of particles like drip water, redstone dust, and potion swirls. |
| GUI Text | Customizes the color of text in menus and the HUD. |
| Sky & Fog | Overrides the default horizon and zenith colors for the sky. |
These settings are managed via color.properties and various .png colormaps located in the mcpatcher/colormap/ folder.
Mechanics and Technical Features
MCPatcher HD operates as a standalone executable that patches the game's JAR file. It includes several technical optimizations and compatibility features:
- HD Font Support: Enables the use of non-square fonts and high-resolution character maps, ensuring text remains legible at any scale.
- Extended Animation: Allows for custom animations on any block or item texture, with control over frame rate and interpolation.
- Better Glass: Provides support for semi-transparent glass textures, allowing for 'stained glass' effects before they were officially added to the base game.
- Mipmapping: Improves the visual quality of distant textures by reducing aliasing and shimmering.
- Mod Compatibility: The patcher includes an 'Add' button to merge other mods (like ModLoader) into the patched JAR, resolving common file conflicts automatically during the patching process.