🌄 Public Beta – Version 1.7.0 (First Release on CurseForge!)

Welcome to the very first release of espens-shaderpacks on CurseForge!
Whether you’re a long-time user or totally new, I’m thrilled you’re here. This project has been community-driven from the start, and now it’s even easier to discover, update, and share feedback—all in one place.

Join the community on Discord – espens-shaderpacks

What’s New in This Beta

Much Better Distant Horizons Support

• Major internal overhaul for how Distant Horizons is handled.
• Lots of fiddly under-the-hood fixes—should be much smoother, more reliable, and just work better.

Held Items Can Now Cast Light

• Torches, glowstone—if you hold it, it lights up the world.
• Makes caving, building, and exploring that much more immersive.

Pixelated Effects – Because Why Not?

• It’s trending, it’s fun, and now it’s here.
• Optional! Flip it on in settings for those classic retro vibes.

Motion Blur

• New for 1.7.0—motion blur is in!
• Looks slick, especially in motion.

Underwater Fog Overhaul

• Way faster and much simpler under the hood.
• Improved clarity and vibe—should look awesome in oceans, rivers, and caves.

Cleaner Water Reflections

• New setting for those who want super clear water reflections.
• Looks great, especially with the new SSR modes.

Major Volumetric Mist Improvements

• Totally reworked—now, bit cheaper bit better.
• Tuned to be much better for gameplay: more visibility, better lighting, and more options coming soon.

Fog Density System Reworked

• The fog density math has been rewritten: simpler, just as good, and much easier to maintain.
• The way fog works has also been tweaked to stay visually solid even at massive distances.
• Should be more consistent and reliable, no matter how big your world is.

Square Highlights – Beta Feature

• For that authentic Minecraft look.
• Still experimental, but available under beta settings.

Volumetric Self-Shadowing

• Adds extra depth and realism to mist and fog.
• Makes everything feel just a bit more dramatic.

Extended Shadows (Fake Shadow Drawing)

• New option for shadow lovers: draw fake shadows even beyond the shadowmap.
• In Distant Horizons, you can now choose between real or fake shadows—trade off sharper close-up shadows for better LoD coverage.

Skybox Support & Better Nametags

• Skybox rendering is now an option!
• Nametag fixes are even more robust (again).

And So Many Fixes…

• Honestly, I can never keep track of all the changes—there’s just a ton of little improvements and code cleanups under the hood, as usual.
• If you find something that works better, it was definitely intentional, for sure.

Whether you’re just joining us or have been following for a while, thank you for checking out the beta!
Enjoy testing, and keep the feedback coming—1.7.0 is shaping up to be something special, and it’s all thanks to you.

– Espen