The Duke3D High Resolution Pack allows you to use much better looking textures than the original game (released back in 1996) had to offer in the first place. It also introduces 3D model replacements for the old enemies/weapons/items sprites. In combination with an OpenGL port like JFDuke3D or EDuke32, this gives Duke Nukem 3D a modernized, more appealing look and even motivates Duke veterans to play through the original episodes once again.
[Ingame model for Liztrooper (click for full size)] Since the High-Res Pack (or HRP) is only updated once or twice a year, I thought it would be nice to be able to receive new contents on a more regular basis. After visiting the official Duke3D forums over at the 3D Realms board, I decided to collect all new stuff that gets done by texture and modelling artists over there, pack it into one file and publish it. This way you can enjoy the updates sooner.
The Update Pack basically works like that: You use it as some kind of override, i.e. you just put it into your Duke3D directory (where your HRP zipfile is) and load it [Frozen Pigcop (click for full size)] with an additional parameter *AFTER* the HRP. Doing so leaves your original HRP intact. If there are identical files in both packs, only those in the last zipfile are used