Red Faction
Developers | |
---|---|
Volition | |
Mac OS (Classic) | Graphsim Entertainment |
macOS (OS X) | Graphsim Entertainment |
Publishers | |
2001-2013 | THQ |
2013-2020 | THQ Nordic |
2020-present | Deep Silver |
Mac OS, OS X | Graphsim Entertainment |
Engines | |
Geo-Mod | |
Release dates | |
Windows | September 18, 2001[1] |
Mac OS (Classic) | November 28, 2001[2] |
macOS (OS X) | January 4, 2002[3] |
Reception | |
Metacritic | 78 |
Taxonomy | |
Monetization | One-time game purchase |
Microtransactions | None |
Modes | Singleplayer, Multiplayer |
Pacing | Real-time |
Perspectives | First-person |
Controls | Direct control |
Genres | FPS |
Vehicles | Automobile, Flight, Naval/watercraft |
Art styles | Stylized |
Themes | Sci-fi, Space |
Series | Red Faction |
Red Faction | |
---|---|
Red Faction | 2001 |
Red Faction II | 2003 |
Red Faction: Guerrilla | 2009 |
Red Faction: Armageddon | 2011 |
Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered | 2018 |
Warnings
- The Mac OS X version of this game does not work on Mac OS X Lion (version 10.7) or later due to the removal of support for PowerPC apps.
Red Faction is a singleplayer and multiplayer FPS game in the Red Faction series developed by Volition and originally published by THQ. The game features a proprietary CSG-based destruction engine, Geo-Mod, which allows for real-time demolition of in-game levels via explosive projectiles and remote detonation.
Following its initial release for the PlayStation 2 in May 2001, Red Faction was released for Windows on September 18, 2001,[1] followed by Mac OS on November 28, 2001[2] and OS X on January 4, 2002.[3] An updated Windows version of the game was released digitally via Steam on August 5, 2009,[4] and later GOG.com on February 10, 2014.[5]
The PC version of Red Faction suffers from severe bugs and compatibility issues in both singleplayer and multiplayer, especially on modern systems. The Dash Faction community patch is highly recommended for the Windows version of the game, as it fixes a majority of the issues and introduces several quality-of-life features and enhancements.
General information
- Red Faction Wiki - community wiki for the Red Faction series
- GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
- GOG.com Support Page
- Steam Community Discussions
Availability
Source | DRM | Notes | Keys | OS |
---|---|---|---|---|
Retail | 2 CDs, disc 2 is used for the check. An OS X installer is included with patch v1.20 for Mac OS.[3] | |||
Retail | Steam key provided as part of the Red Faction Complete Collection. | |||
GOG.com | ||||
Humble Store | ||||
Steam | Includes functional English retail installer files in <path-to-game>\RF_1 and <path-to-game>\RF_2 .[6] |
|||
GamersGate (unavailable) | ||||
(unavailable) | ||||
Green Man Gaming (unavailable) | ||||
Discord (unavailable) |
Version differences
Retail
- All retail distributions are unpatched.
- Retail copies from GameStop contain an exclusive multiplayer map: DM18: Zig
- Retail copies from Electronics Boutique (EB Games) contain an exclusive multiplayer map: DM11: Watch Your Step
Digital
- Digital distributions are pre-patched to v1.21.
- The German GOG.com distribution has several notable differences and issues not present in other distributions:
<path-to-game>
containslevelspf.vpp
, a file from the now-discontinued community-made Pure Faction patch that contains six community-made multiplayer maps.[7] The base game has no mechanism of loading the file's contents while it is located directly under<path-to-game>
, rendering the maps unused.- Rather than utilizing the built-in method of localizing files used for retail versions, it has completely replaced the English versions of core game files with German versions of the same files. This causes compatibility issues when trying to use some custom maps/mods.
<path-to-game>\tables.vpp
has been modified in order to translate in-game text, which results in multiplayer being effectively unusable. To fix this, use the Dash Faction setup program to automatically patch<path-to-game>\tables.vpp
, or manually replace it with the original file. The German translation pack can then be used to restore the German localization.
Demos
- Three demos were released for the game:
- Red Faction International Demo (singleplayer only)
- Red Faction Multiplayer Test (multiplayer only)
- Red Faction Worldwide Demo (singleplayer and multiplayer)
- All demos suffer from the same functional issues as the base game, however no patches are available to resolve them.
- See the Red Faction Wiki for more information.
Essential improvements
Official patches
- The latest official patch for retail versions is v1.20:
- Windows: English, German, French
- Mac OS/OS X
- Digital versions are pre-patched to v1.21.
Dash Faction
- Open-source community patch/launcher for Red Faction (Windows) that fixes various bugs and security vulnerabilities, improves performance and compatibility with modern systems, enhances video and graphical quality, autosaves the game after each level transition, and offers many other usability upgrades over the base game.[8]
- Directly compatible only with English v1.20 game installations. Other versions of the game must first be patched.
- Use the
-game
command line argument with<dash-faction-folder>\DashFactionLauncher.exe
to launch directly into the game instead of the launcher window.[9]
Install with the setup program[8] |
---|
Notes
|
Set up the .zip release[10]
|
---|
Notes
|
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Volition\Red Faction <path-to-game>\players.cfg[Note 1] |
Mac OS (Classic) | <path-to-game>/players.cfg |
macOS (OS X) | <path-to-game>/players_osx.cfg |
Steam Play (Linux) | <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/20530/pfx/[Note 2] |
Save game data location
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | <path-to-game>\savegame\[Note 1] |
Mac OS (Classic) | <path-to-game>/savegame/ |
macOS (OS X) | <path-to-game>/savegame/ |
Steam Play (Linux) | <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/20530/pfx/[Note 2] |
Save game cloud syncing
System | Native | Notes |
---|---|---|
Discord | ||
GOG Galaxy | ||
Steam Cloud |
Video
Graphics feature | State | WSGF | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Widescreen resolution | Use Dash Faction. | ||
Multi-monitor | Use Dash Faction. | ||
Ultra-widescreen | Use Dash Faction. | ||
4K Ultra HD | Use Dash Faction. Additionally, Dash Faction has an option to use a bigger HUD for high resolutions. | ||
Field of view (FOV) | Default FOV is 90°. See Field of view (FOV). | ||
Windowed | Use Dash Faction. | ||
Borderless fullscreen windowed | Use Dash Faction. | ||
Anisotropic filtering (AF) | Use Dash Faction. | ||
Anti-aliasing (AA) | Use Dash Faction for up to 8x MSAA. Nvidia users can enhance to SGSSAA. | ||
Vertical sync (Vsync) | |||
60 FPS | |||
120+ FPS | Capped at 120 FPS. Exceeding 60 FPS introduces crippling bugs. Use Dash Faction to allow for frame rates above 60 without issues, and for a configurable frame rate cap of up to 240 FPS. | ||
High dynamic range display (HDR) | See the glossary page for potential alternatives. |
Field of view (FOV)
Custom FOV with Dash Faction[11] |
---|
Note
|
Input
Keyboard and mouse | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Remapping | ||
Mouse acceleration | ||
Mouse sensitivity | Only editable via slider. Use Dash Faction to set to numeric values via the ms <value> console command. |
|
Mouse input in menus | ||
Mouse Y-axis inversion | ||
Controller | ||
Controller support |
Controller types |
---|
Audio
Audio feature | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Separate volume controls | Music, radio messages, and sound effects each have independent volume sliders. Use Dash Faction to control level ambient sound volume separate from other sound effects. | |
Surround sound | Use Dash Faction. May also require DirectSound3D restoration software. | |
Subtitles | Always displayed for radio messages, but never for PA announcements or face-to-face dialog. Radio message subtitles display properly on high resolutions only with Dash Faction. | |
Closed captions | ||
Mute on focus lost | ||
EAX support | EAX 2.0. | |
Royalty free audio | Most in-game music will be Content ID claimed by CD Baby CO. |
Localizations
Language | UI | Audio | Sub | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
English | ||||
French | Retail only; a pack is available to convert English installations into French: download. | |||
Persian | Fan translation of in-game signage: download. | |||
German | Retail and GOG.com only; a pack is available to convert English installations into German: download. The GOG.com distribution suffers from several issues that effectively render multiplayer unusable and may impact compatibility with custom maps/mods. |
|||
Russian | Unofficial translation, available via bootleg distributions. | |||
Spanish | Fan translation: download. |
Network
Multiplayer types
Type | Native | Players | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
LAN play | 32 | |||
Online play | 32 | The official multiplayer master server has been shut down; use eRFGT2. Dash Faction automatically replaces the original master server with eRFGT2 if detected in the options. |
Connection types
Type | Native | Notes |
---|---|---|
Matchmaking | ||
Peer-to-peer | ||
Dedicated | ||
Self-hosting | See <path-to-game>\dedicated_server.txt . Using Dash Faction is strongly recommended due to crippling bugs and critical security vulnerabilities present in servers using the base game. |
|
Direct IP | Use Add Server button in server browser. Install Dash Faction via the setup program to allow usage of the rf://IP:PORT protocol handler. |
Ports
Protocol | Port(s) and/or port range(s) |
---|---|
UDP | Servers listen on 7755 by default (can be configured via the -port <value> command line switch) and use 18444 (outbound only) to register with the multiplayer master server. Clients communicate on 7755 by default, but clients using Dash Faction use a randomly selected high port instead (with an option in the Dash Faction options panel to force a specific port). |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status can be hacked for this game: Use Dash Faction.
Issues fixed
Game fails to/immediately crashes upon launch
- Many causes for this issue exist across all versions of the game.
Use Dash Faction[12] |
---|
"At least 8 MB of available video memory is required" error
- Encountered when launching the retail version on systems with more than 2 GiB of available video memory.[13]
Use Dash Faction[13] |
---|
"Unable to initialize DirectX 8.0" error
Use Dash Faction[14] |
---|
Game freezes when using Alt+Tab ↹
- Red Faction is officially known to have issues with Alt+Tab ↹ behavior.[15]
Use Dash Faction[16] |
---|
Game window unresponsive, always on top
- A bug that occurs if you click on another window after launching the game but before the game screen appears.
Use Dash Faction[citation needed] |
---|
Game crashes when picking up items or entering cheat codes
Use Dash Faction[17] |
---|
Submarine explodes when dropped from crane
- Occurs in level L5S3 (Sub Bay) at frame rates above 60, causing the submarine on the crane to explode upon deployment.[18]
Use Dash Faction[18] |
---|
Other information
API
Technical specs | Supported | Notes |
---|---|---|
Direct3D | 8 | Dash Faction uses Direct3D 9 via d3d8to9. |
OpenGL | 1.2.1 | Mac OS and OS X only. |
Executable | PPC | 16-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Windows | |||||
macOS (OS X) | |||||
Mac OS (Classic) |
Middleware
Middleware | Notes | |
---|---|---|
Cutscenes | Bink Video | 1.0x |
Command line arguments
- To use command line arguments with Dash Faction, run
<dash-faction-folder>\DashFactionLauncher.exe
with the argument. - See the Red Faction Wiki for a full list of command line arguments supported by the base game and Dash Faction.
Console commands
- The console is accessible at any time in-game by pressing ~.
- See the Red Faction Wiki for a full list of console commands supported by the base game and Dash Faction.
Custom maps/modifications
- Many custom maps and mods require Dash Faction in order to function correctly.
- Maps and mods can be found on FactionFiles.
- For guides on installing maps and mods, see the following Red Faction Wiki pages:
Singleplayer campaigns
Kava: a Red Faction Prequel
- Full-length expansion campaign. Prequel to the main game storyline.
Red Faction N-Gage Remake
- Recreation of the entire Red Faction (N-Gage) campaign.
Bearskinner
- Custom campaign inspired by a German fairy tale.
Red Faction Fighter
- Prequel mini campaign to the main game storyline.
PS2 Demo
- Port of the mini campaign in the PlayStation 2 Red Faction demo. Contains levels cut from the final release of the game.
Nano-Theft
- Short custom campaign that attempts to bridge the gap between the plot events of Red Faction and Red Faction II.
Toxic Agenda
- Custom mission featuring the infiltration and destruction of an Ultor chemical plant.
Multiplayer map packs
PS2 Map Ports
- Map pack containing authentic ports of all multiplayer maps from the PlayStation 2 version of Red Faction.
N-Gage Map Ports
- Map pack containing faithful recreations of all multiplayer maps from the N-Gage version of Red Faction.
Red Faction Unite Map Packs
- All editions of the "Red Faction Unite" community level design project.
RF Game Night Map Packs
- Multiplayer map packs for biweekly "Red Faction Game Night" community events.
Total conversion mods
Red Faction Classic
- Mod that aims to make the game look and play as close to the original PlayStation 2 version as possible, with enhancements.
All Geo
- Mod that removes limitations on where Geo-Mod can be used, allowing for full destruction of all levels.
Iron Sun Mod: Complete Edition
- Arcade realism-focused multiplayer mod inspired by Counter-Strike.
Snow'd Out 2: Out Cold Edition
- Wintery snowball fight multiplayer mod.
AQuest Speedrun Edition
- Epic fantasy/RPG-style single player mod.
Enhancement mods
AI Upscale Texture Pack
- 4x AI upscaled pack for base game textures.
Goober's RF Retexturing Project Pack 01
- Project to recreate textures from scratch, resulting in higher quality assets than the AI Upscale Texture Pack. Currently only contains some wall decals.
60 FPS Cinematics
- 60 FPS versions of in-game cinematics (e.g. the campaign intro video).
HD Music Mod
- High quality 44 kHz versions of most music tracks played throughout the game.
HD Music Mod Update
- Addon for the HD Music Mod that contains high quality 44 kHz of the rest of the music tracks in the game.
Goober's Revised Pickups
- High poly versions of most pickups including health, armor, and ammo.
System requirements
Windows | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum[19] | Recommended | |
Operating system (OS) | 95, 98, ME | |
Processor (CPU) | Intel Pentium II 400 MHz AMD K6-2 400 MHz |
Intel Pentium III 500 MHz AMD K6-2 500 MHz |
System memory (RAM) | 64 MB | 128 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 900 MB | |
Video card (GPU) | 8 MB of VRAM DirectX 8.0 compatible | 32 MB of VRAM |
Sound (audio device) | DirectX compatible | EAX compatible |
Other | 4x CD-ROM drive Microsoft compatible mouse and keyboard |
Mac OS | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum[20] | Recommended | |
Operating system (OS) | 8.6 | |
Processor (CPU) | PowerPC G3 300 MHz PowerPC G4 300 MHz |
PowerPC G3 400 MHz PowerPC G4 400 MHz |
System memory (RAM) | 128 MB | |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 1.2 GB | |
Video card (GPU) | ATI Rage Pro/128 series ATI Radeon series Nvidia series 6 MB of VRAM OpenGL 1.2.1 compatible | ATI Rage Pro/128 series ATI Radeon series Nvidia series 16 MB of VRAM |
Other | 8x CD-ROM/DVD drive |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below
%PROGRAMFILES%
,%PROGRAMDATA%
, or%WINDIR%
might be redirected to%LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore
on Windows Vista and later (more details). - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in
~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/20530/
. - Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (20530) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Red Faction on track - GameSpot - last accessed on 2023-05-20
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Inside Mac Games News: Red Faction Shipping Today (retrieved) - last accessed on 2023-03-20
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Inside Mac Games News: Red Faction 1.2 Released (retrieved) - last accessed on 2023-03-20
- ↑ Welcome to Steam (retrieved) - last accessed on 2023-03-19
- ↑ Release: Red Faction - GOG.com (retrieved) - last accessed on 2023-03-19
- ↑ Verified by User:Mystyle on 2023-04-01
- ↑ Verified by User:Mystyle on 2023-04-01
- Included maps are: Use and Abuse v2.1, Pipe Dream, Waste Recycling Plant, Village, Fortress, and Malachi.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Dash Faction Installation Guide - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2023-04-02
- ↑ Red Faction Command Line Parameters - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2023-05-03
- ↑ Verified by User:Mystyle on 2023-05-26
- ↑ Red Faction Console Commands - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2023-03-21
- ↑ Nothing happens when I try to launch the game, or it launches but immediately crashes - Red Faction FAQ - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2023-03-21
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Error "At least 8 MB of available video memory is required" - Red Faction FAQ - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2022-12-30
- ↑ Error "Unable to initialize DirectX 8.0" - Red Faction FAQ - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2023-03-21
- ↑ Verified by User:Mystyle on 2023-05-29
<path-to-game>\README.TXT
states: "You may experience problems if you use Alt-Tab to exit Red Faction. For immediate program exit, press Shift-Esc."
- ↑ Verified by User:Mystyle on 2023-03-30
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Game crashes when I pick up items - Red Faction FAQ - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2022-12-31
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Submarine explodes after Geothermal Plant - Red Faction FAQ - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2022-12-31
- ↑ Red Faction PC Manual - last accessed on 2023-05-30
- ↑ rf-features (retrieved) - last accessed on 2023-05-20