It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
high rated
Hi, I've made an EXPERIMENTAL patch to play Outcast in HI-RES, now You can play in 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x720, 1280x768. Also I have fixed the problem with the last jump at the Cyana Lighthouse, now You can reach that last platform without problems.
A WORD OF WARNING THOUGH, YOU MUST APPROACH THIS PATCH WITH AN OPEN MIND, THE GAME ISN'T SUPPOSED TO WORK AT THESE RESOLUTIONS, NOT AT ALL XD, AND THE PATCH HAS PROBLEMS
What do I mean with that?, well, that It's very complex to do a thing like this, in my opinion of course, extremely complex, so if You are looking for the perfect patch, You will feel dissapointed.
That doesn't mean that the patch isn't worked enough, far from it. It has taken me a lot, a lot lot XD, of hours and effort to make this possible, I've fixed a lot, and I mean a lot of things, and many of them have been a real challenge, but, even so, problems still exist and if You are looking for defects You will find them easily.
That is why I said with open mind, like an experiment... opps It crashed, well.. no worries, let's try again, that kind of thinking, BECAUSE IT CRASHES, I thought I fixed all the crashes but no... something is wrong somewhere, something little, something silent.. and with time it may produce a crash.... so... why have I uploaded the patch?.. Well, for two reasons, first because I think I can't go on with this any longer, I'm really tired of this XD, and second because I think there may be people who want to see outcast in these resolutions, I think It is very curious to see and although there are problems, maybe, It worth a look for someone, like an experiment.
I just wanted You to know that there are problems, but if You don't mind, please try the patch, just for curiosity
There is a clasic problem that came from the old 640x480 patch, and it's the loading screen when You travel... well, now It appears.... like a mosaic XD. The reason not to fix this is because to do that I should do an "ugly" thing in the patch, and I rather not, if I can avoid it, after all, it is a loading screen
Ok, now the good things
- The Cyana lighthouse problem is fixed now
- This patch should (XD) work better in 640x480 than the old 640x480 V4 patch. The reason for this is because I've fixed some problems that, although rare, existed in the V4 version, also as I said this patch has the Cyana lighthouse problem fixed.
As with the V4 patch there is two versions, one with the visor, and one without the visor. What I mean by visor is the green rectangle that appears in the screen while playing, just the rectangle, the onboard computer, the voice, the icons when You get objects, ammunition, all is the same, I have just made a version without the rectangle so the screen is more "clean"
You can see what I mean here:
___ VISOR: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y175/zenger/PANEL_N.jpg
NO VISOR: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y175/zenger/PANEL_OUT.jpg
Perfomance
----------
In my PC, a Pentium D 2.8GHz:
800X600 WITHOUT DOF 25-30 FPS
800X600 WITH DOF 20-25 FPS
1024X768 WITHOUT DOF 15-20 FPS
1024X768 WITH DOF 12-15 FPS
1280X768 WITHOUT DOF 15-20 FPS
1280X768 WITH DOF 12-15 FPS
I'm curious to see the perfomance in better processors.
-------
-----------------
LINKS TO DOWNLOAD
-----------------
Sometimes the link is unavailable for short periods of time. Sorry about that, I don't know why. Maybe that happens when the file has been downloaded a certain number of times. It it says temporarily unavailable please try again later:
NEW VERSION V3
(this patch allows to play up to 1280x1024)
-------------------------
OUTCAST HI-RES PATCH V3:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H6CIR27L
------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
-
-
OLD VERSION V2:
------------------------
KERNEL V2: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TDLUGODF
DATA V1: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RG1OUTNB
Regards
Post edited September 07, 2010 by _Zenger_
Great job!
I haven't played for a particularly long time, but so far I haven't noticed any graphical glitches or crashes.
this patch has the Cyana lighthouse problem fixed.

You managed to move the platform itself? O.o
Performance
----------
My processor is an Intel QX9650 3GHz, overclocked to 3.6GHz:
800x600 WITHOUT DOF 70-75+ FPS
800x600 WITH DOF 62-75+ FPS
1024x768 WITHOUT DOF 50-75+ FPS
1024x768 WITH DOF 45-75+ FPS
1280x768 WITHOUT DOF 32-55 FPS
1280x768 WITH DOF 29-60 FPS
I use a 16:10 widescreen monitor, and at 1280x768 the image is distorted due to the 16:9.6 (5:3) aspect ratio. Is it possible for a 1280x800 or 960x600 mode to be added?
Thanks for the fantastic work, _Zenger_ !
Post edited August 09, 2010 by DreadMoth
high rated
Hi DreadMoth, thank you very much for posting the perfomance :D. I'm glad to see that with a better processor the game has those FPS
You managed to move the platform itself? O.o

Yes, and I had to raise the stone column or piece of terrain that is below the platform too. After raising the platform it looked like if it was floating in the air and it looked kind of weird XD
I use a 16:10 widescreen monitor, and at 1280x768 the image is distorted due to the 16:9.6 (5:3) aspect ratio. Is it possible for a 1280x800 or 960x600 mode to be added?

Sorry to hear that, maybe It was a bad choice for 16:10 monitors that resolution I've chosen, I don't know.
About what you say of other resolutions, well, It should be possible, I haven't tried and I don't know if new problems would arise, I can't be sure until I try.
The problem with this game is that for each resolution you have to adjust all things again, transform many things and reajust the patch itself, It is a lot work I'm afraid. Right now, I don't know what to tell you, right now I hate Outcast XD, I'm really tired of it XD, so my mind is not very clear, and the only thought of adding another resolution... also, if the resolution is greater that 1280x768 (like 1280x800) I'll need to reajust all, and I mean all of it, the entire patch, all over again... and the thought of that make me shiver XD
Regards
Post edited August 09, 2010 by _Zenger_
thx Zenger. Do you think that this patch could reach with more work the same quality point as the 640x480 ?
Also and important. Do you really think that the Cyanna Light problem is a bug. I thougth that could be possible to reach the platform by other ways, not sure.
Does this now also work with the original (patched) CD/DVD version of the game?
If not could you please take out the version check so that everyone else can enjoy Outcast in higher resolution as well?
Or could someone possibly be kind and upload the gog version of loader.exe and any other required files, presuming of course its allowed?
Thanks! :)
thx Zenger. Do you think that this patch could reach with more work the same quality point as the 640x480 ?

Well I honestly don't know, I really thought the patch would never reach this point so.. I don't know. At this resolutions there are problems that I may not be able to find or fix, maybe other people would, I don't know.
The problem is that I don't think that I'm going to keep working on this, I know I said this before, I even said that I wasn't going to do this an well... here It is, but I have some projects that have been stopped for too long, and honestly I'm really tired of this and I want to do other things
Also and important. Do you really think that the Cyanna Light problem is a bug. I thougth that could be possible to reach the platform by other ways, not sure.

As far as I know It's a well known bug, at least that is what I've read in various places, as well as the possible tricks to avoid the problem, like enter the console of the game and activate the benny hill mode XD, or using programs to slow down the game, or a great trick that posted Sweetz in this forum about jumping and then crouching and then the game makes something strange and you appear in the platform, but all those are tricks to avoid the bug
regards

If not could you please take out the version check so that everyone else can enjoy Outcast in higher resolution as well?

The version check is necesary, It exists because if the patch don't find what it is expected, the patch won't work at all, and It will only make the game crash if it goes on and change things in the programs, so It stops and do nothing because it has no sense to go on and corrupt the game files
Regards
Post edited August 10, 2010 by _Zenger_
Zenger. Is it possible that nobody had discovered some way to access the cyanna light platform ? For example, imagine if we can ride over some Animal that flies. Is a thing that i always thought.
avatar
arfgh: Zenger. Is it possible that nobody had discovered some way to access the cyanna light platform ? For example, imagine if we can ride over some Animal that flies. Is a thing that i always thought.

I really don't think so, after more than ten years.... also, If I remember correctly, this problem wasn't present when the game was released, I don't remeber having this problem back then. It's a problem produced by the speed of actual computers.
Out of curiosity, I've read a walkthrough dated in 1999 and It just says jump to get to the light, nothing more. Also, I read a post one day of an user that had this problem, and tired of trying, he installed Outcast in an old computer that he had, He took the savegame there and could jump to the light, so, I think is quite safe to say that is a bug that has appeared because of the speed of actual computers
Regards
ok Zenger
- This patch should (XD) work better in 640x480 than the old 640x480 V4 patch. The reason for this is because I've fixed some problems that, although rare, existed in the V4 version, also as I said this patch has the Cyana lighthouse problem fixed.
Do this means that the old patch V4 need some modification ? Because if teh high res patch is not so good as must, will be fine if you update the old V4... dont you think ?
thx in advance
I tried the patch but I still have borders around the edge. But the menu's aren't so it's very hard to read things.
Wow this sounds so cool!
I bought the game back in 1999, it was huge at that time.
I really hope that someday these patches will be compatible with the original version on cd/dvd.
But I guess for now screenshots will work...
I'm still hoping for a cd/dvd version :P
You're keeping an old game alive thanks to your patches. Thats every game developers dream. An undying game.
Cheers Zenger!
Do this means that the old patch V4 need some modification ? Because if teh high res patch is not so good as must, will be fine if you update the old V4... dont you think ?
thx in advance

No, because that's precisely what this new patch is all about.
This game is prepared to work to a maximun resolution of 512x384, any resolution higher than that creates a determinated number of problems. But these problems are all the same and are all present in all resolutions, even in 640x480.
What happens is that 640x480 is relatively close to the maximun resolution of the game (512x384) and by pure luck, some of these problems only happen very rarely or with an intensity that doesn't affect the gameplay. If we go to a higher resolution these problems are more severe and make the game crash or create graphic problems, but the problems are the same that the ones with 640x480, so precisely modify the V4 patch to solve the remaining (very rare) problems that 640x480 has is create this same patch.
What all this mean?, well, that this patch deals with that problems and this patch is really an evolution of the old V4 patch, and is indeed better. The crash problem I'm talking about could happen in higher resolutions than 640x480, resolutions that this patch allow to play not like the old V4 patch.
I said that "this patch should be better in 640x480", and I used the word "should" because It exists the possibilty that after changing so many delicate things and making many drastic changes, it may exist the possibility that something went wrong during the way and that a new problem is created, but I don't think so, but I can't be 100% sure, time will tell, so that is why I used the word "should"
So making what you say, modifying the V4 patch to fix the remaining rare problems in 640x480 will have precisely this patch as a result
Regards
I tried the patch but I still have borders around the edge. But the menu's aren't so it's very hard to read things.

What resolution are you using?
After applying the patch with the desired resolution you must run the game normaly (LOADER) and select the resolution. Now instead of 512x384 will appear the resolution you have chosen or a text like 4:3 16:9 16:10...
I'm telling You this because maybe You are running the game some other way, like running directly the oc3.exe (or oc1.exe) via a shortcut, and that way the resolution won't change.
regards
Post edited August 11, 2010 by _Zenger_
THERE IS A NEW VERSION OF THE KERNEL TO DOWNLOAD
VERY IMPORTANT: EVERYTIME YOU WANT TO APPLY A NEW KERNEL VERSION OF THE PATCH, IF YOU HAVE APPLIED AN OLD VERSION OF THE KERNEL, YOU MUST FIRST REMOVE THE OLD VERSION.THIS IS DONE BY RUNNING THE OLD VERSION IN THE GAME DIRECTORY AND THEN CLICKING ON REMOVE PATCH. THEN COPY THE NEW FILES OF THE KERNEL TO THE GAME DIRECTORY, OVERWRITE THE OLD ONES AND APPLY THE PATCH AGAIN
I have fixed another crash problem. Sadly, this is not the one I was looking for :/, this is like neverending story
Regards
Post edited August 11, 2010 by _Zenger_
Thanks for the response. I was being an idiot it turned out. I just had to go to options and turn the resolution up. D'oh! For some reason I thought this may have changed an ini or something somewhere like some other patches do. And with those kind of patches, often changing the resolution screws it up.
Anyway, great patch. Is the weird tearing down the left and right of the screen normal? I get it at any resolution with or without your patch.
Also, regarding performance. I am using the high res version of your mod and it is running completely smoothly the whole time. I have an intel E6600 and a Radeon 4850 and 2gigs of Ram, running Vista 32bit.
low rated
avatar
_Zenger_: The version check is necesary, It exists because if the patch don't find what it is expected, the patch won't work at all, and It will only make the game crash if it goes on and change things in the programs, so It stops and do nothing because it has no sense to go on and corrupt the game files
Regards

So i take it you have no intention of making the patch compatible with the original game so those who of us who actually paid the original developers for their work back in the day can't enjoy it along with the gog users?
If so thats a bit pathetic to be honest which is a shame as i hate to say it because it is actually good what you've done but to then ignore pretty much everyone else just because they don't have the slightly altered gog version even after you've been asked nicely multiple times on the forum is hardly fair is it?. :/