This is mostly an option appealing to people with in between bad quality and good quality computers, but it could apply to others. Under the usual Fast/Fancy settings, there should be an "Advanced" setting, with a check box of all the things Fancy adds. This way, you could have 3-D items, but not clouds. This is also useful for builders, who have to turn to fast because they build up high.
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Pointing out fallacies to undermine an argument is also a fallacy...
What mods are incompatible with optifine? I've yet to come across one and I play with seventy mods. And its not a complex process. If you mess it up I really don't think you should be allowed near a computer seeing as it is mostly just navigating some directories and then copy/pasting some files.
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Humanity is the creation of Logic and Emotion, Calculation and Imagination, Cold Analysis and Blind Faith. This is why I believe it is a strange Human that would prize one while shunning the other. For a calculator can do math just as well as you, but a calculator can not use math to make the world a better place.
Well, I don't think you should have to download a mod just to fix one problem, even if it is a good mod. Besides, did you see the part about people who suck at modding?
I don't think there are any mods that are incompatible with optifine, unless they modify every inch of the base class files.