Simpler Realism Resource Pack for Minecraft 1.8.7

Seeing the words “simpler” and “realism” together is kind of interesting, isn’t it? How could Minecraft be made to look more realistic by using simpler textures? Well to be fair, the Simpler Realism resource pack doesn’t use simpler textures – they are actually quite a bit more complex, with a resolution of 64x rather than Minecraft’s native 16x. This pack provides plenty of extra details in blocks and textures and some of these are done so well they seem to pop right off the screen, as if they’re actually real. Layers on textures allow for the illusion of depth which just can’t be created using simpler packs.

The Simpler Realism resource pack does many things right. All of the flowers look better, and that’s saying a lot since there are well over a dozen now thanks to the horse update which also added tons of new blooms. In general, textures look brighter and bolder, with clearer lines and less of a blurry effect than you normally see. That doesn’t mean everything looks better though. Sand and sandstone look especially bad on Simpler Realism; it’s hard to tell one block apart from the next thanks to the way they seem to seamlessly blend together. It can be pretty frustrating when digging up sand.

Also, some textures are just downright annoying. Wheat is a good example here. When it is fully grown, it looks very much like the third stage of growth, rather than bright yellow and obviously ready for harvest. Oddly enough the author made textures for carrots and potatoes more reflective of when the vegetables are actually ready to harvest, while at the same time making it more difficult to tell for wheat, which is a far more common crop. It’s still a pretty good pack overall though.