ViaLater, the multiplayer backport system

Still playing on your favorite older client version to join a newer multiplayer server? That's OK, you'll update later.

When you join a newer multiplayer server, they can use ViaBackwards to allow older clients. But the brand-new mobs and blocks get downgraded into your version's generic vanilla stand-ins. ViaLater will shoehorn these newer features into your Minecraft, using popular mods like ETF and EMF to swap those placeholders for backported models, textures, and sounds.

What's in the box

• Nautilus & Zombie Nautilus [EMF] — Custom 3D models for adult and baby variants with decently close swimming animations. Saddles coming soon.
• Happy Ghasts & Ghastlings [ETF + ESF] — Vanilla textures and audio. Harnesses coming soon.
• Copper Chests [ETF] — Textures for every oxidation stage (base, exposed, weathered, oxidized) on both single and double chests, while in the chunk area.
• Sulfur Cubes [ETF + ESF] — Full textures and vanilla squishy sound effects (not 1:1 model, just textures on slimes).
• Sulfur Caves blocks [CTM / Continuity] — In the Sulfur Caves biome, naturally-generating terrain blocks are dynamically reskinned.

Quick setup

1. Client requirements (your game)

You need custom model, texture, and/or connected texture support enabled:

• Entity Texture Features (ETF) — required for custom entity textures.
• Entity Model Features (EMF) — required for custom 3D mob models.
• (Optional) Entity Sound Features (ESF) — for custom mob audio effects.
• (Optional) Continuity — required for biome-dependent block reskinning (CTM). (Note: Block reskinning has only been tested in Continuity so far, should work on most CTM-compatible mods like Fusion, Optifine, etc.).

(Note: Most entity features rely on ETF and EMF properties and are not fully OptiFine compatible, so results will be unexpected if using OptiFine.)

2. Install the pack

You're here in Curseforge, you should be able to tackle that. But if you don't use Curseforge:

1. Download the latest release .zip from the Releases page.
2. Drop the .zip into your .minecraft/resourcepacks/ folder.
3. Enable ViaLater in your in-game Resource Packs menu.

3. Server requirements

The server you connect to must be running:

• ViaBackwards 5.11.1-SNAPSHOT (or newer)
• ViaVersion (latest compatible build)

Version compatibility

• Tested & working: 1.21.5
• Roadmap goal: Expanding compatibility down to 1.20.1

How it works

ViaBackwards translates newer mobs into older equivalents so your client doesn't crash, but it also sends translation tags (vb.entity.*) and manually-scaled mob data over the network.

ViaLater reads those hidden tags through ETF/EMF/CEM rules and swaps in the proper models and textures on the fly. You see the actual new mob instead of a placeholder.

Credits & attribution

• Mojang Studios — Base models, textures, and sound effects.
• Traben — Creator of Entity Texture Features (ETF) & Entity Model Features (EMF).
• Ewan Howell — CEM Template Loader for Blockbench.
• ViaVersion & ViaBackwards Teams — The protocol translation tools that make cross-version play possible.
• Bangetto — Development and support with ViaBackwards-Plus.

License

• Configs & logic: Licensed under GNU LGPLv3.
• Assets: Mojang base assets belong to Mojang Studios. See Credits.txt for full attribution.