Hello.
Today, I’ll be focusing on texture packs. I get pinged and quoted a fair amount asking about how to make texture packs, so I decided it was worth taking the resources I already had created, modifying them slightly, and posting them here.
What is a texture pack?
A texture pack is a set of visual modifications to the files of a game, producing a different feel clientside [aka only on your screen]. You've probably seen a texture pack before, especially if you play Minecraft, which not only has texture packs but a reliable system to input them. Gimkit texture packs exist, but there aren't many of them. The two main examples I can think of are Kyro's Gimori Pack and my Pen Texture Pack. I'll use the Pen Texture Pack as an example in pictures.How do I install a texture pack?
Installing a texture pack requires a few things:
- a device that can use and manipulate files well [not a phone]
- a device without school restrictions [often prevents downloads or using inspect]
- texture pack
If you can do all that, read on.
Step 1: Download
Start by downloading the texture pack. There should be a download icon that appears when you hover or right-click.
Step 2: Unzip Pack
Once you have downloaded the texture pack, you need to unzip it to access the files within. Find its icon in your Downloads folder.
Once you have found it, right click and press Extract.
A prompt will appear asking where you want the files to go. Downloads should be fine, so just hit extract. A folder will appear containing all the files of the texture pack.
Step 3: Activate Pack
Note: The pictures in this section were taken in Microsoft Edge. The interface will vary depending on the browser.
Navigate to Gimkit. Press Ctrl+Shift+I or right-click and press Inspect.
In the menu that pops up, navigate to the Network tab.
Make sure that the network log is being recorded by pressing this icon if it is white:
Click any button on the screen. Notice how files will appear below.
Choose one of the files [doesn’t matter which one] and right click it. Click Override content in the menu.
A message will pop up at the top of the panel asking you to select a folder to store the files in.
Press Select folder, go to Downloads, and click on the unzipped texture pack folder, then go to the folder inside of it with the texture pack name [if it exists], and select that as the override folder.
Another popup will appear at the top of the screen requesting access to the texture pack folder. Allow access. Reload the page and the Texture pack should take effect.
If you have overridden files with the Devtools/Inspect panel before, find the location that the files are sent to. Copy all the files in the texture pack [but not the extra folder with the name into the location and it will be active.
Updating a Texture Pack
Texture packs are likely to be updated when new official content is released. There is no automatic update system, so you must follow a manual process. Here's the procedure I have tested.Step 1: Unzip New Version
Updating starts with unzipping the new version of the texture pack.
Right-click the zipped folder, click extract, and extract the files. Now you will have two folders of files.
Step 2: Copying Files
The source folder for the overridden files is the older folder. You can’t just delete the old folder and make the new one take effect. You must copy the files from the new folder to the old folder.
There are two ways to do this. The first is to find every single file and folder that has been added or modified and copy it in. The second, recommended way is detailed below.
Start by entering the newer version of the pack. Inside of it will be another folder with the same name.
There will be three folders that have the actual files. [One if the pack didn’t edit the font.] Select them and copy them to the clipboard.
Step 3: Pasting Files
Navigate back out and enter the older version of the texture pack. Go into the second folder so you see the older versions of the three folders above. Paste the folders you copied into this folder. After a short while, a message like this will appear:
Select ‘Replace the files in the destination’, and the texture pack will be updated.
How do I make a texture pack?
Oh, I get this one a lot. It takes a lot of work, but I have resources for this too.Step 1: Prepare to Gather Files for Pack
If you have overridden files with the Devtools/Inspect panel before [or installed the a texture pack], find the location that the files are sent to and skip to the next step.
Note: The pictures in this section were taken in Microsoft Edge. The interface will vary depending on the browser.
Navigate to Gimkit. Press Ctrl+Shift+I or right-click and press Inspect.
In the menu that pops up, navigate to the Network tab.
Make sure that the network log is being recorded by pressing this icon if it is white:
Click any button on the screen. Notice how files will appear below.
Choose one of the files [doesn’t matter which one] and right click it. Click Override content in the menu.
A message will pop up at the top of the panel asking you to select a folder to store the files in.
Press Select folder, go to Downloads, and create a new folder to hold your texture pack.
Step 2: Gather Files
You can now override any file and it will be sent into the override folder, inside other nested folders. The files you’ll need to override will look like this:
By selecting “Fetch/XHR” at the top, you will see less code files and font files, which will make it easier to find what you want.
Hovering over a file will show the whole file name, potentially cluing you in more to what it is. For example, this is the file for a snowy igloo prop:
Override the file, which will make it show up in your folder.
Step 3: Remake the Texture
Next, you will edit the file in your favorite editing program. There are a few guidelines to follow:
- Do not change the size [pixels].
- Gims, gadgets, trails, and projectile impacts have a spritesheet. All parts of a gim should stay in the same section of the sheet that they started in, and they can’t be too large or they will be cut off.
Other than that, any change is fair game. You can simply restyle the Gimkit art, as in the Pen Texture Pack, or you can completely change the visual style and the base art. You could even put in images of the object in real life!
Step 4: Packing
The final step of making a texture pack is to prepare it for the world. It is highly impractical to send all the images in a texture pack, especially as they need to be in specific folders. The solution is to send them as a zipped (compressed) folder.
Find your folder with all the files (including the www.gimkit.com folder). Make a copy of it now so you have a backup. Remove any unneeded files from the copy, including accidental downloads and unfinished files. Lastly, right click the folder and select “Compress to ZIP File”. Name the file [the name of your pack]. It is now smaller, easier to upload, and easier to share!
Absolutely no clue of the difficulty, but it can be really tedious to make a texture pack. If you have difficulty suggestions, comment.
Where can I find texture packs?
There’s no one place that texture packs are shared for Gimkit. I know that people on the Gimkit Discord are more likely to have texture packs. I do not advise turning the forums into a texture pack marketplace, so I won’t be sharing mine here.
That should answer most common questions. If you have any more, comment and I’ll try to answer them. Thank you for reading, or at least skimming.
