MenaceInc
05-25-2010, 12:47 PM
The Unofficial Steam Forums F.E.A.R. FAQ
by MenaceInc
Template by AlexMax
Technical Questions
My fps goes really low after a few minutes, what's going on?
What's happening is the Jupiter EX engine that F.E.A.R. and its expansions are built on is overpolling the USB bus. This most often happens when you are using Logitech/Saitek equipment and it has been a known bug for years but unfortunately still hasn't been fixed in the game.
A workaround to ensure you keep your smooth fps is to disable all "HID-compliant devices" in the Device Manager on your computer.
I can't select my resolution in the menu/my resolution isn't available.
This one is a relatively easy fix. Just start up the game and set all your performance settings to how you want them in the game then quit. You'll need to edit the settings.cfg on your system. You can find it at either
XPC:/Documents and Settings/All Users/Documents/Monolith Productions/FEAR << Original F.E.A.R
C:/Documents and Settings/All Users/Documents/TimeGate Studios/FEARXP << Extraction Point
C:/Documents and Settings/All Users/Documents/TimeGate Studios/FEARXP2 << Perseus Mandate
Vista/7C:/Users/Public/Documents/Monolith Productions/FEAR << Original F.E.A.R
C:/Users/Public/Documents/TimeGate Studios/FEARXP << Extraction Point
C:/Users/Public/Documents/TimeGate Studios/FEARXP2 << Perseus Mandate
The bits that you are interested in changing are
"ScreenWidth" "xxxx"
"ScreenHeight" "xxx"
Just change those to your resolution, load up the game and BAM, done.
The game isn't in my native language, how do I fix this?
Unfortunately, there appears to be a severe issue in regards to languages in F.E.A.R. and everyone seems to have the English version of the game. While I understand that this can be frustrating, there doesn't appear to be a fix for this at the moment.
I can't select or enable any of the EAX/hardware options in the sound, what gives?
The reason that this is happening is because DirectSound support was dropped in Vista onwards due to the massive restructure of the sound architecture in the OS.
If you have a Creative based soundcard, you can use Creative ALchemy to fix this.
What you'll need:
-The latest installation package from the Creative website - Download here (http://ccfiles.creative.com/manualdn/Applications/AVP/11202/0xC049DCFD/ALMY_PCVTAPP_LB_1_41_02.exe)
-The latest or preferred drivers for your sound card
-Some sort file extraction/compression program, such as 7zip (http://www.7-zip.org/) or Winrar (http://www.rarlab.com/)
What you need to do:
1. Using the file extraction program, extract the files from both the drivers and the latest ALchemy installation package.
2. Within your new driver folder, there should be a folder called 'Alchemy'. Take note of where it's located and delete it.
3. Within the new ALchemy folder, there should be another 'Alchemy' folder, similar to the one you just deleted. Copy and paste it in the same directory of the 'Alchemy' folder you just deleted.
4. Uninstall you sound drivers, preferably with a driver cleaning program that deletes left over folder, files and registry entries.
5. Depending on what card and drivers you're using, there should be a 'Setup.exe' that should start the driver installation. For me, I actually had dig down a few folders (Audio>Setup) to find the right file.
6. Install your drivers like usual and should find that you now have the latest ALchemy 1.41.
Is it possible to install the SDK?
Yep, it just needs one little tweak. You need to open regedit and navigate to either of these keys depending on if your running a 32bit or 64bit OS.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Monolith Productions\FEAR\1.00.0000
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Monolith Productions\FEAR\1.00.0000
Then change the Patch key to 8. After that you can install the F.E.A.R. SDK as normal using fear_publictools_108.exe. You can find that file in the extras folder in your F.E.A.R. folder
Online Play
How do I play online?
Unfortunately no CD keys were given out with the Steam release of F.E.A.R. which means that it's not possible to play it 'as-is'. You'll need to obtain a CD key for F.E.A.R. Combat, you can get it here (http://projectorigin.warnerbros.com/fearcombat/main?act=register1). When you've got your CD key, you need to start the game, click Multiplayer, then Client Settings and finally CD Key. Put your CD key in here including the dashes. You should then be able to join a server and play away.
Do people still play online?
Is this game worth buying for multiplayer?
Yes and maybe.
While it doesn't have as many players as CSS or MW2, there is still a number of servers running for F.E.A.R. and a sizable amount of players. There were 274 servers online with 434 players at the time of writing this. What it does offer is very fast paced action that is very old-skool in nature. As well as this, the players who are playing will have played the multiplayer for years and will be very skilled so you will have a tough time at the start but if you're playing with friends then it can be a blast.
The F.E.A.R. Community
External Links:
http://www.fearfans.com/forum/: Probally the best resource and fansite on the internet for F.E.A.R..
Credits
I would like to thank these users for their information and contribution to this FAQ.
Fatt-Slice for the HID-compliant device workaround.
x0rsw1tch for helping get the multiplayer working.
Oni Gryphon and x0rsw1tch for suggesting Creative ALchemy for sound issue.
tunaphish6 for the guide to updating ALchemy.
by MenaceInc
Template by AlexMax
Technical Questions
My fps goes really low after a few minutes, what's going on?
What's happening is the Jupiter EX engine that F.E.A.R. and its expansions are built on is overpolling the USB bus. This most often happens when you are using Logitech/Saitek equipment and it has been a known bug for years but unfortunately still hasn't been fixed in the game.
A workaround to ensure you keep your smooth fps is to disable all "HID-compliant devices" in the Device Manager on your computer.
I can't select my resolution in the menu/my resolution isn't available.
This one is a relatively easy fix. Just start up the game and set all your performance settings to how you want them in the game then quit. You'll need to edit the settings.cfg on your system. You can find it at either
XPC:/Documents and Settings/All Users/Documents/Monolith Productions/FEAR << Original F.E.A.R
C:/Documents and Settings/All Users/Documents/TimeGate Studios/FEARXP << Extraction Point
C:/Documents and Settings/All Users/Documents/TimeGate Studios/FEARXP2 << Perseus Mandate
Vista/7C:/Users/Public/Documents/Monolith Productions/FEAR << Original F.E.A.R
C:/Users/Public/Documents/TimeGate Studios/FEARXP << Extraction Point
C:/Users/Public/Documents/TimeGate Studios/FEARXP2 << Perseus Mandate
The bits that you are interested in changing are
"ScreenWidth" "xxxx"
"ScreenHeight" "xxx"
Just change those to your resolution, load up the game and BAM, done.
The game isn't in my native language, how do I fix this?
Unfortunately, there appears to be a severe issue in regards to languages in F.E.A.R. and everyone seems to have the English version of the game. While I understand that this can be frustrating, there doesn't appear to be a fix for this at the moment.
I can't select or enable any of the EAX/hardware options in the sound, what gives?
The reason that this is happening is because DirectSound support was dropped in Vista onwards due to the massive restructure of the sound architecture in the OS.
If you have a Creative based soundcard, you can use Creative ALchemy to fix this.
What you'll need:
-The latest installation package from the Creative website - Download here (http://ccfiles.creative.com/manualdn/Applications/AVP/11202/0xC049DCFD/ALMY_PCVTAPP_LB_1_41_02.exe)
-The latest or preferred drivers for your sound card
-Some sort file extraction/compression program, such as 7zip (http://www.7-zip.org/) or Winrar (http://www.rarlab.com/)
What you need to do:
1. Using the file extraction program, extract the files from both the drivers and the latest ALchemy installation package.
2. Within your new driver folder, there should be a folder called 'Alchemy'. Take note of where it's located and delete it.
3. Within the new ALchemy folder, there should be another 'Alchemy' folder, similar to the one you just deleted. Copy and paste it in the same directory of the 'Alchemy' folder you just deleted.
4. Uninstall you sound drivers, preferably with a driver cleaning program that deletes left over folder, files and registry entries.
5. Depending on what card and drivers you're using, there should be a 'Setup.exe' that should start the driver installation. For me, I actually had dig down a few folders (Audio>Setup) to find the right file.
6. Install your drivers like usual and should find that you now have the latest ALchemy 1.41.
Is it possible to install the SDK?
Yep, it just needs one little tweak. You need to open regedit and navigate to either of these keys depending on if your running a 32bit or 64bit OS.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Monolith Productions\FEAR\1.00.0000
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Monolith Productions\FEAR\1.00.0000
Then change the Patch key to 8. After that you can install the F.E.A.R. SDK as normal using fear_publictools_108.exe. You can find that file in the extras folder in your F.E.A.R. folder
Online Play
How do I play online?
Unfortunately no CD keys were given out with the Steam release of F.E.A.R. which means that it's not possible to play it 'as-is'. You'll need to obtain a CD key for F.E.A.R. Combat, you can get it here (http://projectorigin.warnerbros.com/fearcombat/main?act=register1). When you've got your CD key, you need to start the game, click Multiplayer, then Client Settings and finally CD Key. Put your CD key in here including the dashes. You should then be able to join a server and play away.
Do people still play online?
Is this game worth buying for multiplayer?
Yes and maybe.
While it doesn't have as many players as CSS or MW2, there is still a number of servers running for F.E.A.R. and a sizable amount of players. There were 274 servers online with 434 players at the time of writing this. What it does offer is very fast paced action that is very old-skool in nature. As well as this, the players who are playing will have played the multiplayer for years and will be very skilled so you will have a tough time at the start but if you're playing with friends then it can be a blast.
The F.E.A.R. Community
External Links:
http://www.fearfans.com/forum/: Probally the best resource and fansite on the internet for F.E.A.R..
Credits
I would like to thank these users for their information and contribution to this FAQ.
Fatt-Slice for the HID-compliant device workaround.
x0rsw1tch for helping get the multiplayer working.
Oni Gryphon and x0rsw1tch for suggesting Creative ALchemy for sound issue.
tunaphish6 for the guide to updating ALchemy.