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Difference between revisions of "Blade of Darkness"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
 
(40 intermediate revisions by 17 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 +
{{Disambig|the original game|the 2021 re-release|[[Blade of Darkness (2021)]]}}
 
{{Infobox game
 
{{Infobox game
−
|cover        = Blade - The Edge of Darkness cover.jpg
+
|cover        = Blade of Darkness cover.jpg
 
|developers  =  
 
|developers  =  
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Rebel Act Studios}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Rebel Act Studios}}
−
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Fire Falcom|2021 rerelease}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Fire Falcom|2021-present}}
−
{{Infobox game/row/developer|General Arcade|2021 rerelease}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/developer|General Arcade|2021-present}}
 
|publishers  =  
 
|publishers  =  
−
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Codemasters}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Codemasters|2001-2015}}
−
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|SNEG|2021 rerelease}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|SNEG|2021-present}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Sold Out Software|Retail re-release}}
 
|engines      =  
 
|engines      =  
 
{{Infobox game/row/engine|Blade}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/engine|Blade}}
Line 15: Line 17:
 
{{Infobox game/row/reception|Metacritic|blade-of-darkness|75}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/reception|Metacritic|blade-of-darkness|75}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/reception|IGDB|severance-blade-of-darkness-39b9fd63-b987-42d4-849c-7ea35fd69682|}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/reception|IGDB|severance-blade-of-darkness-39b9fd63-b987-42d4-849c-7ea35fd69682|}}
 +
|taxonomy    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/microtransactions | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/modes            | Singleplayer, Multiplayer }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/pacing            | Real-time }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/perspectives      | Third-person }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/controls          | Direct control }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/genres            | Action, Hack and slash }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/sports            | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/vehicles          | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/art styles        | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/themes            | Fantasy }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series            | Blade of Darkness }}
 
|steam appid  = 1710170
 
|steam appid  = 1710170
 
|gogcom id    = 1207659184
 
|gogcom id    = 1207659184
 
|hltb        = 11742
 
|hltb        = 11742
 
|strategywiki =  
 
|strategywiki =  
−
|mobygames    = blade-of-darkness
+
|mobygames    = 3371
 
|wikipedia    = Severance: Blade of Darkness
 
|wikipedia    = Severance: Blade of Darkness
 
|winehq      = 4347
 
|winehq      = 4347
 
|license      = commercial
 
|license      = commercial
 +
}}
 +
 +
{{Introduction
 +
|introduction      =
 +
 +
|release history  =
 +
 +
|current state    =
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 34: Line 57:
 
==Availability==
 
==Availability==
 
{{Availability|
 
{{Availability|
−
{{Availability/row| Retail | | unknown | | | Windows }}
+
{{Availability/row| Retail | | Disc | {{DRM|SecuROM}} - European release | | Windows }}
−
{{Availability/row| GOG.com | blade_of_darkness | DRM-free |Includes Legacy Version| | Windows | }}
+
{{Availability/row| Retail | | DRM-free |  American and Spanish releases | | Windows }}
−
{{Availability/row| Steam | 1710170 | Steam |Includes Legacy Version | | Windows }}
+
{{Availability/row| GOG.com | blade_of_darkness | DRM-free | Included as an extra with the [[Blade of Darkness (2021)|2021 remaster]]. | | Windows }}
 +
{{Availability/row| Steam | 1710170 | Steam | Included as an extra with the [[Blade of Darkness (2021)|2021 remaster]]. | | Windows }}
 
}}
 
}}
  
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}}
 
}}
  
−
===Improve D3d and Glide(3DFX) compatibility (2001 version) ===
+
===Improve D3d and Glide (3DFX) compatibility ===
−
{{Fixbox|description=The game usually runs quite well on modern systems in (D3D) but it has problems such as crashes randoms and problems with the letters of the game, but with Dgvoodoo2 all these problems can be fixed and also give it compatibility with glide (not use nglide since the game crashes if you use nglide it is better to use dgvoodo2 for glide as well).|fix=
+
{{Fixbox|description=The game has known issues on modern systems, such as random crashes and problems with the font, but with [[DgVoodoo 2]] most problems can be fixed and compatibility with Glide can be restored. (Using nGlide instead is less stable and might cause the game to crash)|fix=
 
# Install the game.
 
# Install the game.
−
# Download [http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/dgVoodoo2/ dgVoodoo2]. After unpacking it, copy ''dgVoodooCpl.exe'' and ''dgVoodoo.conf'' to the {{p|game}}\Bin folder.
+
# Install DgVoodoo 2.
−
# Copy the four files from ''dgVoodoo2\MS\x86'' (D3D8.dll, D3D9.dll, D3DImm.dll and DDraw.dll) to the Bin folder as well. Override if prompted.
+
# Optionally use the [[Windows Compatibility Mode|Windows Vista Compatibility Mode]].
−
# Copy the four files from ''dgVoodoo2\3DFX\x86'' (Glide.dll, Glide2x.dll, Glide3x.dll ) to the Bin folder as well. Override if prompted.
 
−
# Execute dgVoodooCpl.exe in the Bin folder. This opens the dgVoodoo menu. Here, you can set your custom settings for the game. Click on the symbol on the top right (<code>.\</code>) to set this location as running instance.
 
−
# Now you can launch the game from the Blade.exe (under Bin). If it has problems, run it in Compatibility Mode for Windows Vista (no Service Pack).
 
−
# In the launch menu, select Setup. Under Video, select ''D3d'' or 3DFXVoodoo 1-2. Click Configure. Here, you can set a resolution.
 
−
# Now you can play the game.
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
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|ultrawidescreen wsgf award = limited
 
|ultrawidescreen wsgf award = limited
 
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    = limited
 
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    = limited
−
|widescreen resolution      = true
+
|widescreen resolution      = hackable
−
|widescreen resolution notes= 2021 rerelease support widescreen resolutions.For 2001 version is{{term|Stretched}}. See the [https://www.wsgf.org/dr/severance-blade-darkness/en WSGF report] for a solution.
+
|widescreen resolution notes= {{term|Stretched}}. See the [https://www.wsgf.org/dr/severance-blade-darkness/en WSGF report] for a solution.
 
|multimonitor              = hackable
 
|multimonitor              = hackable
 
|multimonitor notes        = See the [https://www.wsgf.org/dr/severance-blade-darkness/en WSGF report] for a solution.
 
|multimonitor notes        = See the [https://www.wsgf.org/dr/severance-blade-darkness/en WSGF report] for a solution.
 
|ultrawidescreen            = hackable
 
|ultrawidescreen            = hackable
 
|ultrawidescreen notes      = See the [https://www.wsgf.org/dr/severance-blade-darkness/en WSGF report] for a solution.
 
|ultrawidescreen notes      = See the [https://www.wsgf.org/dr/severance-blade-darkness/en WSGF report] for a solution.
−
|4k ultra hd                = true
+
|4k ultra hd                = false
−
|4k ultra hd notes          = 2021 rerelease support 4k resolutions .For 2001 version is 2048x1536 is the highest supported resolution
+
|4k ultra hd notes          = 2048x1536 is the highest supported resolution
 
|fov                        = true
 
|fov                        = true
−
|fov notes                  = Camera can be zoomed in/out in 3 presets
+
|fov notes                  = Camera can be zoomed in/out in 3 presets.
 
|windowed                  = true
 
|windowed                  = true
−
|windowed notes            = Available only for some renderers
+
|windowed notes            = Available only for some renderers.
 
|borderless windowed        = false
 
|borderless windowed        = false
 
|borderless windowed notes  =  
 
|borderless windowed notes  =  
 
|anisotropic                = false
 
|anisotropic                = false
 
|anisotropic notes          =  
 
|anisotropic notes          =  
−
|antialiasing              = true
+
|antialiasing              = false
−
|antialiasing notes        = 2021 rerelease support antialiasing
+
|antialiasing notes        =  
 
|vsync                      = true
 
|vsync                      = true
−
|vsync notes                = 2021 rerelease support vsync option. In 2001 version vsync Enable by default in D3D Mode
+
|vsync notes                = Enabled by default in D3D Mode.
 
|60 fps                    = true
 
|60 fps                    = true
−
|60 fps notes              = 2021 rerelease support custom framelimit
+
|60 fps notes              =  
 
|120 fps                    = limited
 
|120 fps                    = limited
 
|120 fps notes              = See [[#Mouse_behaves_erratically_or_Camera.2Fview_moves_choppily_and_unpredictably_and_Cutscenes_get_out_of_sync.|Mouse behaves erratically or Camera/view moves choppily and unpredictably and Cutscenes get out of sync.]]
 
|120 fps notes              = See [[#Mouse_behaves_erratically_or_Camera.2Fview_moves_choppily_and_unpredictably_and_Cutscenes_get_out_of_sync.|Mouse behaves erratically or Camera/view moves choppily and unpredictably and Cutscenes get out of sync.]]
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|surround sound notes    = Up to 7.0 with [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/68-creative-alchemy/ Creative ALchemy].
 
|surround sound notes    = Up to 7.0 with [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/68-creative-alchemy/ Creative ALchemy].
 
|subtitles                = always on
 
|subtitles                = always on
−
|subtitles notes          = Can not be disabled
+
|subtitles notes          =  
 
|closed captions          = false
 
|closed captions          = false
 
|closed captions notes    =  
 
|closed captions notes    =  
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|mute on focus lost notes =  
 
|mute on focus lost notes =  
 
|eax support              = true
 
|eax support              = true
−
|eax support notes        = A3D 1.0<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19990828164536/http://www.aureal.com/cgi-bin/pub/display.pl?template=press_aur_detail.htm&serial=1026 Hot New Gremlin Games to Support Aureal A3D - Aureal.com (retrieved)]</ref> and EAX 2<ref>[http://www.actiontrip.com/previews/severance-the-blade-of-darkness.phtml Severance: The Blade of Darkness Preview - ActionTrip.com]</ref>
+
|eax support notes        = A3D 1.0<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990828164536/http://www.aureal.com/cgi-bin/pub/display.pl?template=press_aur_detail.htm&serial=1026|title=Hot New Gremlin Games to Support Aureal A3D - Aureal.com (retrieved)|date=May 2023}}</ref> and EAX 2<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://www.actiontrip.com/previews/severance-the-blade-of-darkness.phtml|title=Severance: The Blade of Darkness Preview - ActionTrip.com|date=May 2023}}</ref>
 
}}
 
}}
  
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  |notes    =  
 
  |notes    =  
 
  |fan      =  
 
  |fan      =  
 +
|ref      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Hungarian
 +
|interface = hackable
 +
|audio    = false
 +
|subtitles = hackable
 +
|notes    = [https://magyaritasok.hu/download/3324/blade-of-darkness Fan translation at Magyarítások Portál]
 +
|fan      = true
 
  |ref      =  
 
  |ref      =  
 
}}
 
}}
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  |ref      =  
 
  |ref      =  
 
}}
 
}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
==Network==
 +
{{Network/Multiplayer
 +
|local play          = unknown
 +
|local play players  =
 +
|local play modes    =
 +
|local play notes    =
 +
|lan play            = unknown
 +
|lan play players    =
 +
|lan play modes      =
 +
|lan play notes      =
 +
|online play          = unknown
 +
|online play players  =
 +
|online play modes    =
 +
|online play notes    =
 +
|asynchronous        = unknown
 +
|asynchronous notes  =
 +
}}{{Network/Connections
 +
|matchmaking        = unknown
 +
|matchmaking notes  =
 +
|p2p                = unknown
 +
|p2p notes          =
 +
|dedicated          = unknown
 +
|dedicated notes    =
 +
|self-hosting      = unknown
 +
|self-hosting notes =
 +
|direct ip          = unknown
 +
|direct ip notes    =
 +
}}{{Network/Ports
 +
|tcp  =
 +
|udp  =
 +
|upnp =
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
==Issues fixed ==
 
==Issues fixed ==
−
====2001 Version====
 
  
 
{{ii}} Note that this game uses very problematic rendering methods.  
 
{{ii}} Note that this game uses very problematic rendering methods.  
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{{ii}} This generally happens using rOpenGL for video output.
 
{{ii}} This generally happens using rOpenGL for video output.
 
{{ii}}The mouse-camera control granularity is linked somehow to the framerate. Higher framerates lead to smoother and slower mouse-camera control. Lower framerates lead to choppy control that is "quantized", too fast and jumpy. I've encountered such problems on both old and new hardware. Besides framerate, part of the problem seems to be related to the audio renderer, of all things.  
 
{{ii}}The mouse-camera control granularity is linked somehow to the framerate. Higher framerates lead to smoother and slower mouse-camera control. Lower framerates lead to choppy control that is "quantized", too fast and jumpy. I've encountered such problems on both old and new hardware. Besides framerate, part of the problem seems to be related to the audio renderer, of all things.  
−
{{ii}} At high fps some cutscenes don't play properly, which can be a problem if they are the ones you can't skip.
+
{{ii}} At high FPS some cutscenes may not play properly, which can be a problem if they are ones that cannot be skipped.
  
 
{{Fixbox|description=Use D3D or Glide (3DFX)and set refresh rate on 60hz.See [[#Improve D3d and Glide(3DFX) compatibility|Improve D3d and Glide(3DFX) compatibility]].|ref={{cn|date=August 2021}}|fix=
 
{{Fixbox|description=Use D3D or Glide (3DFX)and set refresh rate on 60hz.See [[#Improve D3d and Glide(3DFX) compatibility|Improve D3d and Glide(3DFX) compatibility]].|ref={{cn|date=August 2021}}|fix=
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psexec -a 0 Blade.exe
 
psexec -a 0 Blade.exe
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 
===Saving Game Causes CTD (Crash to Desktop)===
 
===Saving Game Causes CTD (Crash to Desktop)===
−
{{ii}}Just as you select "yes" to save a game the screenshot is taken for the load/save menu and the game CTD's. Loading the game again loads an old game that was saved in that slot previously, not the game you tried to save.
+
{{ii}} Upon selecting "yes" to save a game the screenshot is taken for the load/save menu and the game can crash. Loading the game again loads an old game that was saved in that slot previously, not the new save.
  
 
{{Fixbox|description=When saving wait about 10 seconds before hitting the final "yes" to confirm. (allow the reverberating menu selection sound to stop playing completely). Alternatively use [https://www.moddb.com/games/severance-blade-of-darkness/downloads/blade-of-darkness-quicksave Quicksave mod]}}
 
{{Fixbox|description=When saving wait about 10 seconds before hitting the final "yes" to confirm. (allow the reverberating menu selection sound to stop playing completely). Alternatively use [https://www.moddb.com/games/severance-blade-of-darkness/downloads/blade-of-darkness-quicksave Quicksave mod]}}
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{{Fixbox|description=Use [[#Improve D3d and Glide(3DFX) compatibility|Dgvoodoo2]].|ref={{cn|date=August 2021}}|fix=
 
{{Fixbox|description=Use [[#Improve D3d and Glide(3DFX) compatibility|Dgvoodoo2]].|ref={{cn|date=August 2021}}|fix=
−
 
 
}}
 
}}
−
 
−
===Broken textures and visual artifacts===
 
−
If textures appear black, stretched or otherwise broken, and you get visual artifacts like strange colors around light sources, then your Renderer has problems.
 
  
 
==VR support==
 
==VR support==
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===API===
 
===API===
 
{{API
 
{{API
−
|direct3d versions      = 8,11
+
|direct3d versions      = 7
−
|direct3d notes        = DirectX 11 2021 rerelease
+
|direct3d notes        = Although it claims to require DirectX 8.0 to be installed, it actually uses Direct3D 7 for rendering.
 
|directdraw versions    =  
 
|directdraw versions    =  
 
|directdraw notes      =  
 
|directdraw notes      =  
 
|opengl versions        = true
 
|opengl versions        = true
 
|opengl notes          =  
 
|opengl notes          =  
−
|glide versions        =  
+
|glide versions        = true
−
|glide notes            =  
+
|glide notes            = Added with patch 1.001
 
|software mode          =  
 
|software mode          =  
 
|software mode notes    =  
 
|software mode notes    =  
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|shader model notes    =  
 
|shader model notes    =  
 
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
−
|windows 64-bit exe    = true
+
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
−
|windows exe notes      = 64bits in 2021 rerelease
+
|windows arm app        = false
−
|macos 32-bit app       =  
+
|windows exe notes      =  
−
|macos 64-bit app       =  
+
|macos intel 32-bit app =  
 +
|macos intel 64-bit app =  
 
|macos app notes        =  
 
|macos app notes        =  
 
|linux 32-bit executable=  
 
|linux 32-bit executable=  
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}}
 
}}
  
−
==System requirements (2001 Version)==
+
===Mods===
 +
====[https://www.moddb.com/mods/gorentity-mod-2015 Gorenity]====
 +
Gorenity mod improves the gore system, among other things.
 +
 
 +
==System requirements==
 
{{System requirements
 
{{System requirements
 
|OSfamily = Windows
 
|OSfamily = Windows
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|recHD    =  
 
|recHD    =  
 
|recVRAM  = 32 MB
 
|recVRAM  = 32 MB
−
|recDX    = 8.0
+
|recDX    =  
 
|notes    =
 
|notes    =
  
−
}}
+
== Troubleshooting ==
−
 
 
−
==System requirements (2021 Rerelease)==
 
−
{{System requirements
 
−
|OSfamily = Windows
 
−
 
 
−
|minOS    = Windows 7, 8.1, 10
 
−
|minCPU  = Dual Core 2Ghz Processor
 
−
|minRAM  = 4 GB RAM
 
−
|minHD    = 3 GB
 
−
|minDX    = 11
 
−
 
 
−
|recOS    = Windows 7, 8.1, 10
 
−
|recCPU  = Intel Core i5 / AMD Ryzen 5 Processor
 
−
|recRAM  =
 
−
|recHD    =
 
−
|recDX    = 11
 
−
|notes    =
 
−
== Troubleshooting (2001 Version) ==
 
 
=== Performance issues ===
 
=== Performance issues ===
 
If you are experiencing low frame rates, then we suggest that you change the resolution in the setup to 640x480x16, texture detail should then be set to LOW and the then the mip-mapping can be turned off. If you are still experiencing low frame rates, shadows and gore can be turned off from the in-game options menu. Turning the sound device to Miles fast 2D positional audio in setup and the sound quality to low in-game will also improve frame rate by about 10%.<br>If you encounter any problems, please ensure that you have the latest drivers installed for your card. These should be obtained from the card or chipset manufacturer.<br>If you increase the settings of your display options and experience decreased performance and have the latest drivers, we recommend setting your Display options back to their defaults.
 
If you are experiencing low frame rates, then we suggest that you change the resolution in the setup to 640x480x16, texture detail should then be set to LOW and the then the mip-mapping can be turned off. If you are still experiencing low frame rates, shadows and gore can be turned off from the in-game options menu. Turning the sound device to Miles fast 2D positional audio in setup and the sound quality to low in-game will also improve frame rate by about 10%.<br>If you encounter any problems, please ensure that you have the latest drivers installed for your card. These should be obtained from the card or chipset manufacturer.<br>If you increase the settings of your display options and experience decreased performance and have the latest drivers, we recommend setting your Display options back to their defaults.
Line 487: Line 531:
 
If you are experiencing problems then it is recommended that the ViperII-win9x-95103 drivers be used. Resolutions above 1152x864 should not be used.
 
If you are experiencing problems then it is recommended that the ViperII-win9x-95103 drivers be used. Resolutions above 1152x864 should not be used.
 
=== Please note ===
 
=== Please note ===
−
- Windows 2000's control panel uninstaller should not be used as this will leave game save files on the hard disk.
+
Windows 2000's control panel uninstaller should not be used as this will leave game save files on the hard disk.
 
=== Swap file ===
 
=== Swap file ===
 
We recommend that the user has at least 250mb free hard disk space after installation. Severance should perform fine with less than 250mb free, in order to gain maximum performance from this product a larger swap file will be beneficial. Close down any applications before running.
 
We recommend that the user has at least 250mb free hard disk space after installation. Severance should perform fine with less than 250mb free, in order to gain maximum performance from this product a larger swap file will be beneficial. Close down any applications before running.

Latest revision as of 02:26, 5 February 2024

This page is for the original game. For the 2021 re-release, see Blade of Darkness (2021).

Blade of Darkness
Blade of Darkness cover
Developers
Rebel Act Studios
2021-present Fire Falcom
2021-present General Arcade
Publishers
2001-2015 Codemasters
2021-present SNEG
Retail re-release Sold Out Software
Engines
Blade
Release dates
Windows February 21, 2001
Reception
Metacritic 75
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, Hack and slash
Themes Fantasy
Series Blade of Darkness
Icon overlay.png
Blade of Darkness on HowLongToBeat
Blade of Darkness on IGDB
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Blade of Darkness on MobyGames
Blade of Darkness on Wikipedia
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Blade of Darkness
Blade of Darkness 2001
Blade of Darkness (2021) 2021

Blade of Darkness is a singleplayer and multiplayer third-person action and hack and slash game in the Blade of Darkness series.

Key points

Released as Blade: The Edge of Darkness in Spain, Severance: Blade of Darkness in Europe and as Blade of Darkness in North America.

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
 SecuROM DRM - European release
Windows
Retail
DRM-free
 American and Spanish releases
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
 Included as an extra with the 2021 remaster.
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
 Included as an extra with the 2021 remaster.
Windows

Essential improvements

Patches

1.001 is the only patch. It is highly recommended. Already included in the GOG version.

Skip intro videos

Instructions[1]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Data
  2. Rename, move or delete the following folder:
video

Improve D3d and Glide (3DFX) compatibility

The game has known issues on modern systems, such as random crashes and problems with the font, but with DgVoodoo 2 most problems can be fixed and compatibility with Glide can be restored. (Using nGlide instead is less stable and might cause the game to crash)
  1. Install the game.
  2. Install DgVoodoo 2.
  3. Optionally use the Windows Vista Compatibility Mode.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\Config[Note 1]
Steam Play (Linux) <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/1710170/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\Save[Note 1]
Steam Play (Linux) <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/1710170/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
 
 Stretched. See the WSGF report for a solution.
Multi-monitor
 
 See the WSGF report for a solution.
Ultra-widescreen
 
 See the WSGF report for a solution.
4K Ultra HD
 
 2048x1536 is the highest supported resolution
Field of view (FOV)
Camera can be zoomed in/out in 3 presets.
Windowed
Available only for some renderers.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Enabled by default in D3D Mode.
60 FPS
120+ FPS
See Mouse behaves erratically or Camera/view moves choppily and unpredictably and Cutscenes get out of sync.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Up to 3 possible binds per action
Mouse acceleration
No mouse acceleration present
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Controller types

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Music and sound effects
Surround sound
Up to 7.0 with Creative ALchemy.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support
A3D 1.0[2] and EAX 2[3]

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
German
Hungarian
Fan translation at Magyarítások Portál
Italian
Russian
Spanish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Notes
Local play
LAN play
Online play
Asynchronous multiplayer

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Issues fixed

Note that this game uses very problematic rendering methods.
To bypass most common issues it is highly advised to use dgVoodoo 2.
Instructions
  1. Install dgVoodoo (for Direct3D).
  2. Choose D3d in the game's configuration setup.
  3. Optionally choose Miles Fast 2D Positional Audio if other audio options cause issues.

Cursor is missing/Black text

Generally caused by using Direct3D for output with modern graphics hardware.
Use dgVoodoo 2.
Alternatively use rOpenGL or 3dfx for video output.

Crash on launch

This is usually caused by video codec issues such as installed third party codec packs and the error for this is often MEM_RESIZE_FAILED.
Prevent the intro from playing. See Skip Intro Movies.
Alternatively convert the .mpg videos in the "video" directory and subdirectories to raw .avi while retaining the name to retain playback capability.[citation needed]

Crash after introduction video

The game doesn't properly handle failure states for when DirectPlay is not installed. Not having DirectPlay also significantly slows down the opening of the initial game launcher as well.
Install DirectPlay[citation needed]

Blank screen when using rOpenGL for video output

Alt-Tab out of the application then go back to it[citation needed]

Mouse behaves erratically or Camera/view moves choppily and unpredictably and Cutscenes get out of sync.

This generally happens using rOpenGL for video output.
The mouse-camera control granularity is linked somehow to the framerate. Higher framerates lead to smoother and slower mouse-camera control. Lower framerates lead to choppy control that is "quantized", too fast and jumpy. I've encountered such problems on both old and new hardware. Besides framerate, part of the problem seems to be related to the audio renderer, of all things.
At high FPS some cutscenes may not play properly, which can be a problem if they are ones that cannot be skipped.
Use D3D or Glide (3DFX)and set refresh rate on 60hz.See Improve D3d and Glide(3DFX) compatibility.[citation needed]

Game runs too fast

This typically happens in videos modes other than 3dfx and is due to the game not handling multiple processors properly.
Lock the game to a single processor[citation needed]

A popular way to automate this process is to create a .bat file, go to the game app's directory (using the cd command), then use either

StartAffinity Blade.exe 0

or

psexec -a 0 Blade.exe

Saving Game Causes CTD (Crash to Desktop)

Upon selecting "yes" to save a game the screenshot is taken for the load/save menu and the game can crash. Loading the game again loads an old game that was saved in that slot previously, not the new save.
When saving wait about 10 seconds before hitting the final "yes" to confirm. (allow the reverberating menu selection sound to stop playing completely). Alternatively use Quicksave mod

Fog is too dense using rOpenGL

Use modified OpenGL raster.

Game doesn't lauch on modern systems

Run in compatibility mode for Windows Vista (no Service Pack)

Game crashes during level loading screens (3DFX)

This typically happens with 3dfx video renderer and user Nglide wrapper.
Use Dgvoodoo2.[citation needed]

VR support

3D modes State Notes
vorpX
Z3D
User created profile, requires DGVoodoo2 v 2.6, see profile introdution.
Note: Profile may not work with the latest wrapper, in case of issues please report to the vorpx forum.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 7 Although it claims to require DirectX 8.0 to be installed, it actually uses Direct3D 7 for rendering.
OpenGL
Glide
Added with patch 1.001
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio Miles Sound System 6.0i[4]

Mods

Gorenity

Gorenity mod improves the gore system, among other things.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 95 OSR2 98, ME, 2000
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium II 400 MHz Intel Pentium III 500 MHz
System memory (RAM) 64 MB 128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 750 MB
Video card (GPU) 8 MB of VRAM
DirectX 8.0 compatible 		32 MB of VRAM

Troubleshooting

Performance issues

If you are experiencing low frame rates, then we suggest that you change the resolution in the setup to 640x480x16, texture detail should then be set to LOW and the then the mip-mapping can be turned off. If you are still experiencing low frame rates, shadows and gore can be turned off from the in-game options menu. Turning the sound device to Miles fast 2D positional audio in setup and the sound quality to low in-game will also improve frame rate by about 10%.
If you encounter any problems, please ensure that you have the latest drivers installed for your card. These should be obtained from the card or chipset manufacturer.
If you increase the settings of your display options and experience decreased performance and have the latest drivers, we recommend setting your Display options back to their defaults.

Supported 3D chipsets

3dfx Voodoo 2, Voodoo Banshee, Voodoo3, Voodoo4, Voodoo5
3D labs Permedia 3
ATI Rage 128, Radeon
Matrox G200, G400
Intel i740
Nvidia Riva TNT, Riva TNT2, GeForce 256, GeForce 2
S3 Savage3D, Savage 4, Savage2000

Card issues

3DFX Voodoo Banshee and Voodoo 3

The 3DFX Banshee and VooDoo 3 have problems displaying partical effects. This is noticeable in game when water effects are on screen.

All Matrox cards

If you are experiencing problems with the game e.g. random crashes or textural errors then it is advisable to use the 5.52 drivers from the matrox site.

S3 Savage 2000

If you are experiencing problems then it is recommended that the ViperII-win9x-95103 drivers be used. Resolutions above 1152x864 should not be used.

Please note

Windows 2000's control panel uninstaller should not be used as this will leave game save files on the hard disk.

Swap file

We recommend that the user has at least 250mb free hard disk space after installation. Severance should perform fine with less than 250mb free, in order to gain maximum performance from this product a larger swap file will be beneficial. Close down any applications before running.

Direct X

If you try to run the game without DirectX8 installed, Severance may not run correctly.


Notes

  1. ↑ 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. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:

References

  1. ↑ Verified by User:Drat on 2019-09-05
  2. ↑ Hot New Gremlin Games to Support Aureal A3D - Aureal.com (retrieved) - last accessed on May 2023
  3. ↑ Severance: The Blade of Darkness Preview - ActionTrip.com - last accessed on May 2023
  4. ↑ Verified by User:Nessy on 2020-06-19
    Version number found in Mss32.dll in the game installation folder.