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 17, 2001 |
Mac OS (Classic) | November 28, 2001[1] |
macOS (OS X) | January 4, 2002[2] |
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 | Realistic |
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 developed by Voition and originally published by THQ. It is the premier game in the Red Faction series. Red Faction 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.
The game was released for Windows on September 17, 2001, followed by Mac OS in November 2001 and macOS X in January 2002. An updated Windows version of the game was released on Steam on August 5, 2009,[3] and later GOG.com on February 10, 2014.[4]
Red Faction suffers from severe bugs and compatibility issues in both singleplayer and multiplayer, especially on modern systems. The Dash Faction community modernization patch is highly recommended for the Windows version of the game, as it fixes a majority of the issues and introduces several improvements and enhancements.
General information
- Red Faction Wiki
- 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 check. OS X installer is also available with an upgrade patch.[5] | |||
Retail | Steam key provided as part of the Red Faction Complete Collection box set. | |||
GOG.com | ||||
Humble Store | ||||
Steam | Includes English retail CD installer files in the RF_1 and RF_2 folders of the game installation. |
|||
GamersGate (unavailable) | ||||
(unavailable) | ||||
Green Man Gaming (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
- The Red Faction Complete Collection retail release contains a redeemable Steam key instead of a full retail installation of the game.
Digital
- Digital distributions are pre-patched to v1.21.
- All English digital distributions are identical, aside from the Steam version having Steam DRM.
- The GOG.com-exclusive German version has several notable differences from all other digital and retail versions:
- It includes
levelspf.vpp
, which contains six community-made multiplayer maps originally distributed in the now-discontinued Pure Faction community patch.- The included maps are: Use and Abuse v2.1, Pipe Dream, Waste Recycling Plant, Village, Fortress, and Malachi.
- Instead of utilizing the built-in and supported method of localizing files, it completely replaces the English versions of core game files with German versions of the same files. This can cause compatibility issues when trying to use custom maps/mods.
- It contains a modified
tables.vpp
file, which makes the game's multiplayer component incompatible with all other versions of the game.
- It includes
Use the Dash Faction installer to automatically patch the tables.vpp file[6]
|
---|
Manually replace the tables.vpp file with the original[7]
|
---|
|
- You can then install the German translation pack 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
Patches
- The latest official patch for retail versions is v1.20:
- Windows: English, German and French.
- Mac OS/OS X.
- Digital versions are pre-patched to v1.21, which fixes the 8 MB video memory startup error and introduces an item pickup/cheat code crash.[8]
Dash Faction
- Open-source patch/launcher for Red Faction (Windows) that fixes numerous bugs and security vulnerabilities, improves performance and compatibility with modern systems, offers video and graphical quality enhancements, autosaves after each level transition, and many other enhancements/usability improvements over the base game.
- Use the
-game
command line argument forDashFactionLauncher.exe
to launch the game itself rather than the launcher.
Use the automated setup from GitHub or dashfaction.com[9][10] |
---|
|
Install it manually from GitHub or FactionFiles.com[11][12] |
---|
|
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 |
---|---|---|
GOG Galaxy | ||
Steam Cloud |
Video
Graphics feature | State | WSGF | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Widescreen resolution | Max supported resolution is 1280x1024. Use Dash Faction for high/widescreen resolutions. | ||
Multi-monitor | Use Dash Faction. | ||
Ultra-widescreen | Use Dash Faction. | ||
4K Ultra HD | Use Dash Faction. Additionally, since Dash Faction 1.5.0, an option is available to use a properly-scaled 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[13] |
---|
Note
|
Input
Keyboard and mouse | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Remapping | ||
Mouse acceleration | ||
Mouse sensitivity | Use Dash Faction to set via numeric values (in console via ms # command). Base game only allows editing mouse sensitivity via slider. |
|
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 | Up to 7.0 output with Dash Faction and 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 music in the game will be Content ID flagged 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. | |||
German | Retail and GOG.com only; a pack is available to convert English installations into German: download. Note that the German GOG.com distribution suffers from several issues that may impact compatibility with multiplayer and custom maps/mods. | |||
Russian | Unofficial translation, distributed via bootleg distributions (primarily within Russia). | |||
Spanish | Fan translation, download. | |||
Persian | Fan translation of in-game signage, 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 dedicated_server.txt in the installation folder. 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 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: Dash Faction installation is required.
Issues fixed
Game does not launch
- Many potential causes exist for this issue. Some were fixed by patch v1.21 (digital versions), while others remain.[8]
Install Dash Faction to fix all known causes[14] |
---|
"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.[15]
Install Dash Faction[14] |
---|
"Unable to initialize DirectX 8.0" error
Install Dash Faction[14] |
---|
Game freezes when Alt-Tabbing
- The game is officially known to have issues with Alt-Tab behavior.[16]
Install Dash Faction[14] |
---|
Game window unresponsive, always on top
- A bug that occurs if you click on another window after launching Red Faction but before the game screen appears.
Install Dash Faction[14] |
---|
Game crashes when picking up items or entering cheat codes
- Encountered in v1.21 (digital versions) when running the game in higher resolutions than 1280x1024.[17]
Install Dash Faction[14] |
---|
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]
Install Dash Faction[14] |
---|
General stuttering/glitching/crashing
Install Dash Faction[14] |
---|
Other information
API
Technical specs | Supported | Notes |
---|---|---|
Direct3D | 8 | Dash Faction uses Direct3D 9 via d3d8to9 as of version 1.6.0. |
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 |
Mods
- FactionFiles - a community file hosting site containing a huge collection of mods. A small selection of these mods are listed below.
- Please note that many mods will expect you to have the Dash Faction patch installed, and likely will not function correctly without it.
Single Player 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 Red Faction PS2 demo. Contains levels cut from the final release of the game.
Nano-Theft
- Short custom campaign that attempts to bridge the gap between the stories of Red Faction and Red Faction II.
Toxic Agenda
- Custom mission featuring the infiltration and destruction of an Ultor chemical plant.
Total Conversions
Red Faction Classic
- Mod that aims to make Red Faction PC play and look as close to the original PlayStation 2 version as possible (plus minor improvements).
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.
Enhancements
Goober's RF Retexturing Project Pack 01
- Project to recreate Red Faction textures from scratch, resulting in higher quality assets than the AI Upscale Textures. Currently in it's infancy so 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 44KHz versions of most music tracks played throughout the game.
HD Music Mod Update
- Addon for HD Music Mod that contains high quality 44KHz of the rest of the music tracks in the game. (Use this alongside the HD Music Mod)
Goober's Revised Pickups
- High poly versions of most pickups including health, armor, and ammo.
Map Packs
PS2 Map Ports
- Map pack containing authentic ports of all multiplayer maps from the PS2 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 (also included in the N-Gage Remake campaign).
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 events.
System requirements
Windows | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | Recommended | |
Operating system (OS) | 95 | 98SE, ME, 2000, XP |
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) | 1.02 GB | 1.2 GB |
Video card (GPU) | 8 MB of VRAM DirectX 8.0 compatible | 32 MB of VRAM |
Other | 4x CD-ROM drive |
Mac OS | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | Recommended | |
Operating system (OS) | 8.6 | 9.2.2 |
Processor (CPU) | PowerPC G3 300 MHz PowerPC G4 300 MHz |
PowerPC G3 400 MHz PowerPC G4 400 MHz |
System memory (RAM) | 64 MB | 128 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 1.02 | 1.2 GB |
Video card (GPU) | ATI Rage Pro/128 ATI Radeon 7000 series Nvidia GeForce2 series 6 MB of VRAM OpenGL 1.2.1 compatible | ATI Rage Pro/128 ATI Radeon 7000 series Nvidia GeForce2 series 16 MB of VRAM OpenGL 1.2.1 compatible |
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
- ↑ Inside Mac Games - Red Faction Shipping Today
- ↑ Inside Mac Games - Red Faction 1.2 Released
- ↑ Welcome to Steam (archived) - last accessed on 2023-03-19
- ↑ Release: Red Faction - GOG.com - last accessed on 2023-03-19
- ↑ Inside Mac Games Forum - Rosetta & Games - last accessed on 2017-07-04
- ↑ Verified by User:Mystyle on 2023-03-19
- ↑ Verified by User:Mystyle on 2023-03-19
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 RF.exe (Official version 1.21) by Volition - FactionFiles - last accessed on 2022-10-04
- ↑ Verified by User:Mrtnptrs on 2022-10-02
- ↑ Red Faction Wiki - Dash Faction Installation Guide - last accessed on 2022-10-03
- ↑ Usage - Dash Faction - GitHub - last accessed on 2023-01-09
- ↑ Verified by User:Mrtnptrs on 2022-10-02
- ↑ Dash Faction Changelog
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 Dash Faction - Github - last accessed on 2022-10-04
- ↑ Error "At least 8 MB of available video memory is required" - Red Faction FAQ - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2022-12-30
- ↑
README.TXT
: "You may experience problems if you use Alt-Tab to exit Red Faction. For immediate program exit, press Shift-Esc." - ↑ Game crashes when I pick up items - Red Faction FAQ - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2022-12-31
- ↑ Submarine explodes after Geothermal Plant - Red Faction FAQ - Red Faction Wiki - last accessed on 2022-12-31