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Incline Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth in 2022

cretin

Magister
Douchebag!
Joined
Apr 20, 2019
Messages
1,347
Hello frens,

Getting this updated for modern systems was not difficult but it was a little unclear because surprisingly no one has compiled everything in one place. So without further ado, here's what you need to do:

1. acquire GOG version - has some fixes no one else did apparently
2. get DCoTE patch 1.7 and install appropriate fixes https://www.moddb.com/games/call-of...he-earth/downloads/dcote-unofficial-patch-v17
3. Get and install Sharp Corners of the earth and its update https://www.moddb.com/mods/sharp-corners-of-the-earth - this is AI upscaled og textures, so no worries about modder nonsense.
4. Game is now fully fixed and looking much better, however you may notice ingame it looks quite "odd" and very in your face. Thats because the game is forcing 4:3 perspective for whatever reason. To fix we need widescreen fix which is here https://thirteenag.github.io/wfp#callofcthulhu
5. To get the game to be able to run as a window so it doesnt crash when you alt-tab, in the engine folder create a file called wndmode.ini.
 

Wunderbar

Arcane
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Messages
8,809
Iirc the game still has one unresolved bug - bungled timer during the escape sequence in the final chapter, that causes you to die despite being on time. It's not a modern pc kind of issue, i was having problems even on WinXP back in the day.

GOG version has some fixes no one else did apparently
originally the video patch (fixes lighting shaders on Win7 and newer) was made by some guy on Nvidia forums. It was implemented into a GOG version later.
 

Semiurge

Cipher
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
6,074
Location
Asp Hole
irc the game still has one unresolved bug - bungled timer during the escape sequence in the final chapter, that causes you to die despite being on time. It's not a modern pc kind of issue, i was having problems even on WinXP back in the day.

So, is it impossible to finish this on PC then? I played this up to the part where you encounter the polyps, but quit when more important things (Mass Effect) appeared on my agenda.
 

Wunderbar

Arcane
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Messages
8,809
Semiurge back then you could make it work by restarting the sequence, sometimes you may get past the kill zone.

Nowadays you can use DCoTE patch. Unfortunately it's more of a band-aid solution rather than a proper fix, DCoTE patch simply doubles the amount of time needed to pass the dangerous spot.
 

Darth Roxor

Royal Dongsmith
Staff Member
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,878,404
Location
Djibouti
Yeah, it was very hard to survive that getaway with the bug, but it was possible. You just had to do everything with the utmost perfectest timing to win.
 

Drop Duck

Learned
Joined
Dec 22, 2020
Messages
687
Iirc the game still has one unresolved bug - bungled timer during the escape sequence in the final chapter, that causes you to die despite being on time. It's not a modern pc kind of issue, i was having problems even on WinXP back in the day.
I read that Bethesda did a lousy job porting it to PC and that they somehow managed to tie many timers to the screen resolution, making the game unbeatable unless you were playing on the console specific one. So if anyone is having strange issues I recommend trying to lower the resolution and see if that fixes it.
 

cretin

Magister
Douchebag!
Joined
Apr 20, 2019
Messages
1,347
I'll do a full review on this when I'm done I think.

However, so far, I'm up to the ship and it's turning into a slog. This is a very mediocre game that was obviously retooled to salvage a very different game stuck in development hell.
 

Wunderbar

Arcane
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Messages
8,809
I admit it's a major mess, but I cannot help myself. Even the latter action-packed segments still occasionally show moments of brilliance (like that part in the refinery where you run away from Shoggoth).

 

zwanzig_zwoelf

Graverobber Foundation
Developer
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Messages
3,084
Location
デゼニランド
IIRC the movement speed bug is not present in the GOG version, at least based on my observations -- I ran it in different resolutions while replaying it a few years ago and didn't notice this issue.

That said, the GOG version has one flaw -- the subtle glow effect is gone, which isn't critical, but makes light sources look worse and makes the visuals less 'dreamy'. This is caused by the video patch, but it's a small price to pay compared to not being able to finish the boat section due to missing lights.
 

Tacgnol

Shitlord
Patron
Joined
Oct 12, 2010
Messages
1,871,734
Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Grab the Codex by the pussy RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
It's sad that DCotE is still the best Lovecraft game. There's so much unrealized potential in the IP.
The original Alone in the Dark (before the series got silly with pirates and cowboys) had a lot of Lovecraft references and nods.

The writers really understood the mythos.
 

cretin

Magister
Douchebag!
Joined
Apr 20, 2019
Messages
1,347
I might as well just share my thoughts before I forget them.

The game feels underdeveloped. Innsmouth isn't as creepy as it could be (or any of the environments, really) due to a lack of what I would call atmospherics. Actually it reminded me very much of early 3D shooters in this regard, except those relied on soundtracks to provide ambience and character, and DCoTE can't do that because the soundtrack is very weak.

It is quite clear to me that this started as something more akin to an adventure game, lots of ponderous sections and investigating environments. That it devolves into an FPS is actually not a problem, rather the problem is as an FPS it's just not very good. We have a decent selection of period accurate firearms that are all well modelled, animated and sound good, but shooting isn't satisfying due to clunky aiming and inconsistent mechanics (why can I use the sights properly on a pistol and rifle, but not on a shotgun or smg? Why can I aim properly but with the sole exception of when I'm leaning, wtf?). The bigger problem here is the vast majority of the game you shoot fishmen. They're just not very interesting enemies, and the AI routines are primitive. Eventually the game throws some different enemy types at you but its still like 99% fishmen armed with firearms. The encounter design is beyond bland, bordering on banal.

Another major problem with the game is it's not scary. Not even a little bit. Again, this is probably due to a lack of atmospherics, and that the fishmen you spend most of the game encountering aren't particularly threatening. There's plenty of interesting locales in the game but there's just nothing going on to make the player unnerved or even cautious -- oh no, i might run into more geriatric fishmen! Incidentally, I was playing a bit of "Total Chaos" the other day, and that free game was significantly more unnerving than any of the hours I've put into DCoTE.
 

Darth Roxor

Royal Dongsmith
Staff Member
Joined
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Messages
1,878,404
Location
Djibouti
The game feels underdeveloped.

Because it is. It was stuck in development hell, went through a few iterations and was finally kicked out half-baked, and most of the original ambitious plans either never made it into the game or were heavily trimmed.
 

Roguey

Codex Staff
Staff Member
Sawyerite
Joined
May 29, 2010
Messages
35,653
Game is now fully fixed and looking much better, however you may notice ingame it looks quite "odd" and very in your face. Thats because the game is forcing 4:3 perspective for whatever reason
Playing a game in an aspect ratio other than what was originally intended is :decline: :M
 

Lexx

Cipher
Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Messages
324
Might not be scary today, but I still remember well how I clenched my ass cheeks while playing back in the days. What's funny is that I didn't even knew about the bug in the hotel scene, so back then I thought I was supposed to do a perfect escape. It kinda added to the tense feeling for me (escaped by a mere second). Later when I found out about the bug, I was like, fucking hell.

Generally I think the game is just too long. Every time you think it's over, it just keeps going with something new. Can't remember much of it today, but when thinking back, it was like they threw the story of 3 different games into one.

But yes, it's probably the best Lovecraftian game still. Kinda sad.
 

Darth Roxor

Royal Dongsmith
Staff Member
Joined
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1,878,404
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Djibouti
it's not the hotel escape that's bugged but the escape from the nazi underwater base when rocks start falling and everyone dies
 

SumDrunkGuy

Guest
I always wanted to play this. It was one of the reasons why I bought a gaming PC. And I played it and it ran at about 5 fps the entire time. Goodbye PC gaming! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!
 

Semiurge

Cipher
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
6,074
Location
Asp Hole
IIRC the movement speed bug is not present in the GOG version, at least based on my observations -- I ran it in different resolutions while replaying it a few years ago and didn't notice this issue.

That said, the GOG version has one flaw -- the subtle glow effect is gone, which isn't critical, but makes light sources look worse and makes the visuals less 'dreamy'. This is caused by the video patch, but it's a small price to pay compared to not being able to finish the boat section due to missing lights.

It was bloom, probably.

I might as well just share my thoughts before I forget them.

The game feels underdeveloped. Innsmouth isn't as creepy as it could be (or any of the environments, really) due to a lack of what I would call atmospherics. Actually it reminded me very much of early 3D shooters in this regard, except those relied on soundtracks to provide ambience and character, and DCoTE can't do that because the soundtrack is very weak.

It is quite clear to me that this started as something more akin to an adventure game, lots of ponderous sections and investigating environments. That it devolves into an FPS is actually not a problem, rather the problem is as an FPS it's just not very good. We have a decent selection of period accurate firearms that are all well modelled, animated and sound good, but shooting isn't satisfying due to clunky aiming and inconsistent mechanics (why can I use the sights properly on a pistol and rifle, but not on a shotgun or smg? Why can I aim properly but with the sole exception of when I'm leaning, wtf?). The bigger problem here is the vast majority of the game you shoot fishmen. They're just not very interesting enemies, and the AI routines are primitive. Eventually the game throws some different enemy types at you but its still like 99% fishmen armed with firearms. The encounter design is beyond bland, bordering on banal.

Another major problem with the game is it's not scary. Not even a little bit. Again, this is probably due to a lack of atmospherics, and that the fishmen you spend most of the game encountering aren't particularly threatening. There's plenty of interesting locales in the game but there's just nothing going on to make the player unnerved or even cautious -- oh no, i might run into more geriatric fishmen! Incidentally, I was playing a bit of "Total Chaos" the other day, and that free game was significantly more unnerving than any of the hours I've put into DCoTE.

I might be jaded but no other game has ever chilled me to the marrow, as this one. Not the combat situations or even the close escapes, but the exploration, the details revealed by it and immersion. The game makes it easy to slip into your character's shoes, especially if you already enjoy fiction set in the same period (1916?).

I always wanted to play this. It was one of the reasons why I bought a gaming PC. And I played it and it ran at about 5 fps the entire time. Goodbye PC gaming! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

The fuck.... the gaming system I played it with was from 2006 like the game, and I don't remember performance issues.
 

Wunderbar

Arcane
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Messages
8,809
I always wanted to play this. It was one of the reasons why I bought a gaming PC. And I played it and it ran at about 5 fps the entire time. Goodbye PC gaming! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

The fuck.... the gaming system I played it with was from 2006 like the game, and I don't remember performance issues.
the game had like Pentium 3 800 mhz as a requirement, which by the 2006 standards was nothing.

Perhaps Drunkman got scammed when buying his "gaming pc". Or his gaming pc was from the 90s.
 

SumDrunkGuy

Guest
I always wanted to play this. It was one of the reasons why I bought a gaming PC. And I played it and it ran at about 5 fps the entire time. Goodbye PC gaming! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

The fuck.... the gaming system I played it with was from 2006 like the game, and I don't remember performance issues.
the game had like Pentium 3 800 mhz as a requirement, which by the 2006 standards was nothing.

Perhaps Drunkman got scammed when buying his "gaming pc". Or his gaming pc was from the 90s.
It ran Alan Wake fine. No I think the problem was optimization. PC games have none and therefore PC gaming is worthless and only for fat retards who have nothing better to do than fix their games for the developers. Pathetic cuckoldry.
 

Semiurge

Cipher
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
6,074
Location
Asp Hole
I always wanted to play this. It was one of the reasons why I bought a gaming PC. And I played it and it ran at about 5 fps the entire time. Goodbye PC gaming! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

The fuck.... the gaming system I played it with was from 2006 like the game, and I don't remember performance issues.
the game had like Pentium 3 800 mhz as a requirement, which by the 2006 standards was nothing.

Perhaps Drunkman got scammed when buying his "gaming pc". Or his gaming pc was from the 90s.
It ran Alan Wake fine. No I think the problem was optimization. PC games have none and therefore PC gaming is worthless and only for fat retards who have nothing better to do than fix their games for the developers. Pathetic cuckoldry.

Out of curiosity, what hardware did it have? Mine had an Intel E6600 and a 7900 GTX, 2GB of RAM I think.
 

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