I have the original PC versions of RE 1, 2 and 3. However, recently I tried playing RE 1 on PC and the old fixes I used to use to get it working normally now simply don't work. I *really* don't feel like going through all the trouble I'm sure we all went through getting old PC games running on modern OS's *again*, so I just want to buy the GoG version.

Before I do I just wanted to check;

1) Is it vanilla? (I want the original and unaltered PC version.)
I don't mind under-the-hood changes, but I don't want changed / updated UI or anything like that.

2) Does it have the exclusive PC content? (Extra unlockable guns.)
I just want to be sure this is a fixed PC port and not a console port + emulator as I've never seen the PC extra guns.

3) Is it good to go out of the box? (Will I need to install / modify anything after installing the game.)
The speed issues is what drove me to this point, is that (and any other issues) addressed and ready to go immediately?

1. Yes. With the skippable doors/ladders/elevators and w/o the need for an Ink Ribbon for the first playthrough only.
2. If by "exclusive" you mean the unlockables: Ingram/Minimi and the Rocket Launcher, yes; if not please elaborate.
And, btw, RE has always been a console port, so If you mean some emulated PS1 version, then no, it's the port.
3. You can play it "out of the box", sure, but you wouldn't want to. Yes, the speed issues are real, but the overall experience is not good at all, the DX wrapper GOG provides is pretty basic and it doesn't fixes much - it's just there to make sure the game is going to run, but not so much how! I'd never touch the stock version w/o the Classic Rebirth and the other necessary fixes. But that's me.

1) Awesome, I've always wanted to see how fast I can beat the game with skippable doors.

2) Kewl, I've never used them and intentionally never googled them so I don't even know what they look like.

*As for it being a PS1 port, that *might* explain a lot. I assume it'd be a port of the NTSC version as it'd run faster. I live in England (don't cry for me) so every RE I've ever played has been at 50mhz, however even after limiting the frame rate to 30 things still seem to run a little faster than normal. I'm just not sure if that's an error of sorts or if that's how fast 60mhz actually is (again, assuming the PC version runs at the same speed as the NTSC PS version).

3) As long as the game runs as it did when it was new without any issues, that's all I want. I don't want an altered version in any way, including improvements (I'm a dirty purist).

However, that's all double-Dutch to me, I don't know what a DX wrapper or classic rebirth is, so I don't know if it's needed or not. What exactly is it?

Classic Rebirth is a collection of fixes bundled in a single .dll file that makes the game run as smooth and as stable as possible. It is not a mod and it doesn't alter anything. The speed issues are resolved; it adds a proper windowed mode, which doesn't lock you into it, and it provides the proper resolutions; it doesn't have the GOG's weird delay when you go to the LOAD screen. It renders the 3D elements properly w/o the PS1 wobbly texture mapping.

You can read it better on the CR's website: https://classicrebirth.com/index.php/downloads/resident-evil-classic-rebirth/

In my opinion, this version is not a straight ps1 port, it has its differences, if you can remember, the original pc version has a cutscene completely uncensored, and has more gore than the ps1 version. As for the point number 3 you asked about, it is a very well made release because you dont need anymore patches to make it work as the original pc version needed to run, a real work of love, but in my opinion our fellow who answered first doesnt have realistic expectations, I dont know what he was expecting but what I can tell you about this versions is that they are very well made, you don't need extra steps to get your dose of survival horror without worry about if it will run or not or having perfomance issues. the other thing he mentioned about clasic rebirth are community patches to get other kind of experience, better experience??? if you are like me that i am happy with the same classic experience, then it is a perfect version with out any comunity patch. If you want a different experience, because you played these games a lot then you can try them but take in consideration that you will have to patch them, do some several steps, and the patches are not perfect, they have bugs too so take it into consideration...

If "this version is not a straight ps1 port" then why the GOG USA version has the censored B&W intro with the newspaper shot instead of the rotting face + maggots; and also the Kenneth's falling head edited out from the tea-room cutscene? That's contradiction.

Th truth is that the censorship back then was a country based thing, not system-wise. The PC version was basically a PC port of the original Japanese ps1 release, hence the lack of censorship, in-color fmv, auto-aim, 3 ribbons per pick etc.

I've just checked my installation and it is with the fully colorized intro with the rotten corpse and the kenneth scene you are talking about and i'm in NA region, USA, and this is what the original pc version was in that time, so it is not a straight port of the ps1, the only version I think has the BW and the other cutscene censored was the german version, but this american version i have installed is the same that was available on pc back in the 90's or 00's, I know because I bought it and still have it... Also, my pc physical version has the ESRB rating logo on the package so...

I've played the German PC version back when it was released in the 90's. It was completely uncensored and I've only heard rumors that the Playstation version was edited and in B/W because all of my friends were gaming (on their dads') PCs.

I did some digging, tinkering and playing and I only really have 1 more question;

What frame rate is the PC version *originally* meant to have?

I've read that it's meant to be 30 during gameplay, so I installed my original PC version (by doing nothing more than using compatibility mode 95) then using Nvidia Inspector I set a frame rate limit of 30 and it seems *almost* right.

I'm not sure if it's running a *tiny* bit fast though. My benchmark is when Barry shoots the zombie at the start, even on the NTSC PS1 version he finishes saying "Let me take care of this" before he starts shooting. On my vanilla PC version with a 30 FPS limit set he starts shooting before he finishes talking "Let me take care of-*BANG*" (and I can see other videos of the same thing happening, but only on the PC version).

This has confused me because I always assumed that PC versions would default to NTSC speeds as I assumed PC monitors (even old ones) didn't have to deal with region codes and so would ofc choose the fastest option, I never thought it would have a superoir speed of its own.

TLDR; Is the vanilla PC version faster than every console version regardless of region codes and is 30 FPS the original frame rate for the PC version?

Some funny context.

I don't know how good these times are but my goal was to see how good I could do without any guides or help at all.

(These are all PAL times remember.)

I haven't played RE 1 in about a decade, so I decided to throw my old PS 1 version in with the goal of beating it in less than 2 hours. My first try in a decade and I beat it in 1:54:?? I was happy with that, but still hungry (and itchy), so I threw in my Directors Cut. I fell in love with it again, I forgot that it's actually far more difficult than the original (and I would say far better). I played it through and despite getting lost and jumped scared by hunters time and time again, I landed on (not kidding) 1:54:??

I decided to try again with the goal of beating it in less than 1:45:00 (despite this version giving you the run around more). I played through about 2 or 3 more times and the best one that I landed on was 1:47:28. I could *probably* shave off 60 seconds, maybe a little more, but I don't believe that I could beat it in under 1:45:00.

Then I decide to try the original again because I'm certain I can do much faster than 1:54:00, but I remember I've got a PC version that I've never actually played, and that you can skip loading screens and that it has guns I've never actually seen.

After I get it working (compat' 95 / 30 fps) I set myself the ludicrous goal of beating it in less than 1:30:00.

First run 1:19:?? - best ending.

Wait-what? The only time saver I did was skip the magnum... I made lots of mistakes (being used to directors cut item layout) and I saved Chris and Barry because I thought that would unlock one of the new guns (it didn't).

New goal: Less than 1:00:00.

That's absolutely insane to me, it's so insane that I came here to get details on how the game should run because I can't convince myself that this is normal. I want to make sure that I've got the game running at the right "official" speed before I really go all out on it because if I'm running the game faster than it should be running then my time would mean nothing (to me at the very least).

Now I'm going to go have another practise run to see how effectively I can get through the game, time doesn't really matter, I'm just not sure if I really *need* to use the chest 5 times haha.

Just went through, made a fair few (minor) mistakes and kept pressing the wrong buttons, didn't expect to do that well.

1:03:10

Lunacy haha.

The game was capped at 30 fps. On modern PC's due to some incompatibility, the original game can't have that stable frame rate. You have to dig some more for the technicalities.
The Classic Rebirth fixes all the speed issues: "30 fps in most 3D sections while 60 fps in the rest"