F.E.A.R.

F.E.A.R.

Developers
	Monolith Productions
Extraction Point	TimeGate Studios
Publishers
2005-2008	Sierra Entertainment
2009-present	Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Engines
	Lithtech Jupiter EX
Release dates
Windows	October 18, 2005
Reception
Metacritic	88
IGDB	81
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	FPS
Themes	Horror, Contemporary
Series	F.E.A.R.

F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R.	2005
F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate	2007
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin	2009
F.E.A.R. 3	2011
F.E.A.R. Online	2014

Warnings

GameSpy online services have been shut down (see Network for solutions).

Key points

FREE Multiplayer that is still active via a seperate patched F.E.A.R. Combat client.

Great 32:9, 21:9, 4k support, provided you use the HUD fix (below)

DirectInput FPS fix should be installed, particularly for players with Logitech hardware, to prevent FPS drops.

Additional weapons, instant action levels, and a bonus mission are only in the console versions. Also, content added in F.E.A.R. Files, an Xbox 360 port of expansion packs, is not present on PC.

General information

Official manual

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Steam Community Discussions (Extraction Point)

Steam Community Discussions (Perseus Mandate)

F.E.A.R. Combat Community

Mod page

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SecuROM 7.00.00.0128 DRM, 5 CDs or 1 DVD.
		Ultimate Shooter Edition. The only version available in Germany.
GOG.com		Platinum Edition. Multiplayer executable creates dormant SecuROM files.
Green Man Gaming
Steam		Complete Pack.
GamersGate (unavailable)		SecuROM PA DRM
Steam (unavailable)		Standalone release. SDK needs fixes in registry.

The GOG install removes SecuROM, GameSpy, and Punkbuster. GOG is 15.6GB [136 files], Steam is 16.5GB [161 files].

Not available for sale on GOG and Steam in Germany.

Free demo versions are available from GameFront: singleplayer, multiplayer, Extraction Point.

Version differences

The Ultimate Shooter Edition includes the base game and both expansion packs.

The Platinum Edition includes the base game, both expansion packs, making-of footage, a live action "declassified" Alma interview, and a F.E.A.R. Machinima episode created by Rooster Teeth.

The retail only Platinum Edition Director's Cut also includes a Dark Horse F.E.A.R. comic book.

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Extraction Point	Demo (standalone) (German website, but demo is in English)
Perseus Mandate	Standalone, works without original game.

Essential improvements

Patches

Official patch

The latest version for the base game is 1.08. The expansion packs never received official patches.

Multiplayer patch

The F.E.A.R. multiplayer master server was shut down on December 19, 2012. The community has developed an unofficial patch for the game and is offering new F.E.A.R. Combat CD keys for free. The latest version of the community-supported F.E.A.R. Combat client and new CD keys can be obtained from the F.E.A.R. Combat Community website.

4 GB patch

4 GB Aware Patch
Fixes several issues and improves game performance. Steam users needs to unpack the executables using Steamless before applying the LAA flag. Download and run either of these tools: 4GB Patch or Large Address Aware Tool Apply the patch to FEAR.exe, FEARXP.exe, and FEARXP2.exe in the games installed directory.

High FPS patch

The game struggles to go above 60fps by default. Use this patch to fix it.

Apply High FPS Patch
Cannot be used with ReShade at the same time. (dinput8.dll conflict). Download the DirectInput FPS Fix Unzip to FEAR's installation folder, allowing any overwrites.

HUD scaling patch

The HUD does not scale at all, it is difficult to see on 1080p, 32:9, 21:9, 4k.

Install HUD scaling fix
Download the appropriate archive based on your resolution from here. 32:9 and 21:9 users should use the 4K option. Unzip using the password pcgw Move the contents of the zip file into the game's directory (Where FEAR.exe is). - Allow any overwrites.

Sound quality patch

Substantially increases the quality of audio in the game. Restoring surround-sound, reverb, echo, and other effects.

Install ALchemy

Download and unzip this file Install EAX4Unified_redist_4001.exe Install Creative_alchemy_1.45.03.exe Copy CreativeALchemy14503RestrictionRemover-MST.exe to C:\Program Files\Creative\ALchemy Run CreativeALchemy14503RestrictionRemover-MST.exe as Administrator, Click "Patch" Restart PC or Audio service Run Creative ALchemy Click F.E.A.R on the left, then click the ">>" to move it over to the right. (Feel free to send ANY games it detects to the right!) Run F.E.A.R., and go to Options > Sound Enable all 3 bottom options Notes CreativeALchemy14503RestrictionRemover-MST.exe may be flagged as false positive marking it as a virus by anti-virus software.

Skip intro videos

Skip intro videos via the native config tool
Navigate to the game's folder, open the Config.exe Move to the Options tab and tick the Disable Movies box.

Optional improvements

F.E.A.R: AI Upscaled Textures Mod

Too unstable on the Retail version (frequent crashes and geometry disappears when hitting a checkpoint).

AI upscaled texture pack that has been processed to aim for stability and upgrading textures that practically improve visual quality.

The installer no longer features a basic install option, but rather includes a separate Lite version of the files to use to overwrite over a full installation for stability.

Supports Extraction Point expansion.

Does not support Perseus Mandate expansion.

Completely replaces some textures with new ones.

Persistent decals

Makes blood, bullet holes etc. permanent.

Use Rivarez Mod
Download and extract Rivarez mod. Take everything from the folder "Without weapons changes" and copy it to the game folder (where the FEAR.exe is). Confirm override. Notes Only works in the base game and Extraction Point, not for Perseus Mandate.

Dynamic flashlight

Flashlight will cast dynamic shadows

Download the mod here. Extract the .Arch00 file for the version of flashlight that you want to FEAR's installation folder. Open Default.archcfg in a text editor in FEAR's installation folder. Add the line LC_FlashlightMod.Arch00 or LC_FlashlightMod_WIDE.Arch00 to the end of the list, corrisonding to which mod you installed. Notes Only works with the base F.E.A.R. game, Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate expansions are not supported. LC_FlashlightMod_WIDE.Arch00 casts shadows from your own weapons, which can be a hindrance.

Game data

In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%PUBLIC%\Documents\Monolith Productions\FEAR\settings.cfg %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP\settings.cfg %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP2\settings.cfg
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/21090/pfx/

Key bindings are stored in %PUBLIC%\Documents\Monolith Productions\FEAR\Profiles\Profile000.gdb (Original game) %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP\Profiles\Profile000.gdb (Expansion Point) %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP2\Profiles\Profile000.gdb (Perseus Mandate)

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%PUBLIC%\Documents\Monolith Productions\FEAR\Save\Profile000\SinglePlayer %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP\Save\Profile000\SinglePlayer %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP2\Save\Profile000\SinglePlayer
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/21090/pfx/

F.E.A.R. has 10 save slots, plus 1 quicksave slot and 1 autosave slot. Additional save slots can be made by creating a new player profile. There is no ability to replay completed levels other than loading a manual save.

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

In-game general video settings.

In-game advanced video settings (for CPU).

In-game advanced video settings (for GPU, 1/2).

In-game advanced video settings (for GPU, 2/2).

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Requires Patch 1.08 and HUD Scaling patch.
Multi-monitor			Requires Patch 1.08 and HUD Scaling patch.
Ultra-widescreen			Requires Patch 1.08 and HUD Scaling patch.
4K Ultra HD			Requires HUD Scaling patch.
Field of view (FOV)		See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed		See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See Borderless fullscreen windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		Up to 16 samples.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		Up to 4x FSAA. Soft shadows are not rendered when enabled. See Anti-aliasing (AA) for an alternative. Users with an Nvidia graphics card can force high quality SGSSAA with the 0x004010C1 AA flag in the Nvidia Profile Inspector.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		Breaks at very high framerates. High fps also breaks the jump in the Extraction point expansion.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Widescreen resolution

Widescreen fix is required for the expansions only (Steam and GOG versions).

Set custom resolution for Extraction Point

Go to <path-to-game>\FEARXP. Right-click on the FEARXP.exe application and click on Properties. Click the Compatibility tab and tick the Disable fullscreen optimizations box and hit Apply. Run the game once from Steam and then quit once you reach the main menu. This will generate the settings.cfg file. Go to %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP Open settings.cfg with a text editor. Change the "ScreenWidth" "640" and "ScreenHeight" "480" lines to match your resolution. Save your changes and set the file to read-only.

Set custom resolution for Perseus Mandate

Go to <path-to-game>\FEARXP2. Right-click on the FEARXP2.exe application and click on Properties. Click the Compatibility tab and tick the Disable fullscreen optimizations box and hit Apply. Run the game once from Steam and then quit once you reach the main menu. This will generate the settings.cfg file. Go to %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP2. Open settings.cfg with a text editor. Change the "ScreenWidth" "640" and "ScreenHeight" "480" lines to match your resolution. Save your changes and set the file to read-only.

4K Ultra HD

In-game FSAA setting must be set to Off before enabling 4K resolution, otherwise you will be stuck in a black screen. If this happens, reset resolution via settings.cfg. If you need AA at 4K, see Anti-aliasing (AA).

F.E.A.R maintains 1:1 HUD scaling at all resolutions (i.e. there is no HUD scaling). This has the benefit of keeping HUD elements sharp, but they also may become very small on high-density monitors, such as 4K monitors sized below 30". Use this fix corresponding to your chosen resolution to increase the HUD size.

Field of view (FOV)

This game uses vertical FOV. See FOV Calculator for help.

Set custom FOV
Go to the game's directory: Base game: \FEAR Extraction Point: \FEARXP Perseus Mandate: \FEARXP2 Create a file named autoexec.cfg with a text editor. If using a widescreen resolution add this line: "FovYWidescreen" "XX.00" where XX is the vertical FOV value. If using a non-widescreen resolution use "FovY" "XX.00"

Windowed

FSAA is unavailable in windowed mode. See Anti-aliasing (AA) for an alternative.

Set windowed mode[citation needed]
Go to the game's directory: Base game: \FEAR Extraction Point: \FEARXP Perseus Mandate: \FEARXP2 Create a file named autoexec.cfg with a text editor. Add "Windowed" "1" on a new line.

Borderless fullscreen windowed

FSAA is unavailable in windowed mode. See Anti-aliasing (AA) for an alternative.

If this method doesn't work or causes issues, you can try Borderless fullscreen mode.

Set borderless fullscreen windowed mode[citation needed]

Ensure the game's resolution matches your desktop resolution: Launch the game. Go to the game's Options > Display > Resolution and change it accordingly. If it's unsupported, check out Widescreen resolution. Close the game. Go to the game's directory: Base game: \FEAR Extraction Point: \FEARXP Perseus Mandate: \FEARXP2 Create a file named autoexec.cfg with a text editor. Add "Windowed" "2" on a new line.

Anti-aliasing (AA)

The Soft Shadows option will have no effect if the FSAA option is enabled.

MSAA solution (Nvidia only)

Open the game and disable the FSAA option. Download and run Nvidia Profile Inspector. Search and open the game profile. Set Antialiasing Compatibility to 0x004000C1. Set Antialiasing Mode to Override any application setting. Set Antialiasing Setting to 8x Multisampling or your desired level of MSAA/CSAA. Apply changes. Do the same for the Extraction Point expansion. Notes May have a very negative performance impact even on modern systems. Alternatively, SMAA is available through an injector.

Input

In-game key map settings.

In-game mouse settings.

In-game joystick axis map settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration		A slider for mouse smoothing.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion		Available as a separate axis action option.

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers

PlayStation controllers

Generic/other controllers

Audio

In-game audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Effects, speech, music
Surround sound		Up to 7.0 output. May require DirectSound 3D restoration software.
Subtitles		Subtitles are too small at high resolutions; see Small subtitles.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		Pauses on loss of focus.
EAX support		EAX 2, EAX 4.0. EAX sound examples with HRTF mod and ALchemy Some localised version has missing radio voice when using HW mixing (required for EAX, Surround sound), see issue fixed.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French				Retail only.
German				Retail only. For digital version download from DeutschPatch or CompiWare. Includes Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate.
Italian				Retail only. For digital version download from See here for the Steam version translation.
Hungarian				Retail only, which is called Gold Edition and includes Extraction Point. Language files available here.
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation, download. Fan translation for Extraction Point, download.
Russian				Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Spanish				Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Polish				Local retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Traditional Chinese				Extraction Point(2006) also has Traditional Chinese. Perseus Mandate(2007) don't have.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Notes
LAN play		Versus
Online play		Versus, Co-op Master server is offline; use FEAR Combat Community version (mirror [2] lastremain.de). For co-op install Coop Warfare mod, co-op server with all SP levels - fearcombat-coop-server.

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting		Dedicated server software available for Windows and Linux.
Direct IP		You need to create a shortcut to the game, write the command +join ip:port in the parameters. Then launch the shortcut.

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP	27888
UDP	27888

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision		Disable game crosshair by turning the transparency all the way down and then enable 3DVision 3D crosshair (Ctrl+F12). Any depth adjustments must be done via KB shortcuts, as the Nvidia pyramid's scroll wheel will not work.
vorpX		G3D, DirectVR Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Devices
3RD Space Gaming Vest
Novint Falcon

Issues unresolved

Long save times

When playing the game, exiting and launching it again without logging out of Windows, saving can take very long. To work around that, log out and back into your Windows profile (or restart your computer) before re-launching the game.

Issues fixed

TweakGuides has created a comprehensive guide for fixing issues in this game. It can be found here.

Slow loading level and aero disabling

Fix slow load level and spontaneous shutdown aero interface

Fix 1: Install game and addons only on Windows XP, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. Fix 2: Go to the game's directory: Base game: \FEAR Extraction Point: \FEARXP Perseus Mandate: \FEARXP2 Use the 4GB Patch on FEAR.exe, FEARXP.exe, and FEARXP2.exe (or alternatively the Large Address Aware tool on them). This does not work with the Steam version, as it prevents the game from launching. Notes Occurs only on Windows Vista and Windows 7, because of the special graphic stack WDDM. Using Windows 8.1 or 10 significantly reduces the launch time of the level, perhaps this is due to improvements in the WDDM graphics stack. The patch noticeably increases the launch speed of the level on 64-bit systems. This patch is not compatible with the original game from Steam.

Screen shaking, broken physics

This is most likely related to issues with high frame rate

Limit the Framerate to 60FPS[citation needed]
See Frame rate capping.

Turn off FSAA[citation needed]

Control key settings are not assigned

Keyboard settings reset to unassigned when you restart the game
Run the game as Administrator

Flickering textures on modern systems

Use dgVoodoo2 wrapping
Download this: Latest stable version for regular usage. Unpack on folder with game from MS/x86 folder, only d3d9.dll

(nVidia only) Enhancing the in-game AA to SGSSAA may solve this issue as well. (further testing is required)

Broken shadow rendering on Nvidia graphics

Fix shadow corruption
Download this: registry tweak. Run ON_DisableVidMemVBs.reg before you start playing F.E.A.R. to fix shadow corruption. Run OFF_DisableVidMemVBs.reg after playing F.E.A.R. to disable the tweak. This is needed because this tweak has an extremely negative performance effect for other games. If you don't care about performance in other games, you can leave it on constantly.

Soft Shadows doesn't work combined with FSAA

Use alternative AA solution
See Anti-aliasing (AA). This is due to the features of the engine and the artificial limitation of the simultaneous use of anti-aliasing with soft shadows, since they can cause graphic artifacts on the shadows.

Black screen on ATI/AMD video cards

Black screen on ATI/AMD video cards[citation needed]
If 'Soft Shadows' and 'Pixel Doubling' are enabled this will result in black screen, on some ATI/AMD videocards. Disable said graphical options to fix the problem.

Can't hear any dialogue

Enable/install Windows Media Player[citation needed]
Windows XP or N/KN versions: install Windows Media Player. Relaunch the game. If problems persist, ensure Windows Media Player is enabled: Vista and later: open the Start screen/Start menu, type OptionalFeatures.exe and press ↵ Enter. Windows XP: press ⊞ Win+R, type appwiz.cpl and press ↵ Enter, choose Add/Remove Windows Components.

Missing radio voices when using Audio HW mixing

You will need to install an unofficial fix to fix this problem
Download Fix : Russian version, # French - German - Spanish - Italian version. Extract files in your Base game: \FEAR Notes English version of the game do not have this problem Only some localised (dubbed) version of the game has this bug.

No Torch Glitch

No Torch Glitch[citation needed]
At the beginning of Interval 03 - Escalation - Infiltration, the player must wait until they have control of the character before changing maps with the maphole command otherwise the torch will not be carried through for the rest of the game.

Can't hear any gunshots

Install Creative Alchemy[citation needed]
Install Alchemy. If using a non-Creative sound card, use Alchemy Restriction Remover as well.

Black textures in certain areas

1. Go to the game's directory:
   • Base game: \FEAR
   • Extraction Point: \FEARXP
   • Perseus Mandate: \FEARXP2
2. Use the 4GB Patch on FEAR.exe, FEARXP.exe, and FEARXP2.exe (or alternatively the Large Address Aware tool on them). This fix does not work with the Steam version, as it prevents the game from launching.

Disable Soft Shadows
Go into the game's Options > Performance > Advanced video card options > Graphics and disable Soft Shadows. Soft Shadows are a taxing feature even today on some lower-end machines. Changes the look of the game.

Compatibility mode[citation needed]
Set Windows XP SP3 compatibility mode on the executable.

Additionally, you can also install a more recent set of libraries used by the game.

Update libraries[citation needed]
Install RuntimePack.

Crashes

Game won't start/maps not loading
When hosting a LAN game as a Listen server the game may hang at the map loading screen with the progress bar stuck at 0%. This can be resolved by hosting the game as a dedicated server and then joining with the FEAR Combat client.

Startup Crash on Windows 10[citation needed]
Set game's compatibility mode to Windows XP (Service Pack 2). If it doesn't help try "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings" also. RMB on FEAR.exe => Properties => Compatibility => Disable fullscreen optimizations

"Disconnected from server" when playing singleplayer

Fix 1: Go to the game's directory: Base game: \FEAR Extraction Point: \FEARXP Perseus Mandate: \FEARXP2 Use the 4GB Patch (or alternatively the Large Address Aware tool) on FEAR.exe, FEARXP.exe, and FEARXP2.exe This fix does not work with the Steam version, as it prevents the game from launching. Fix 2: When the game crashes with this message while trying to load a level, set texture detail to medium (not maximum) and try again.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	8, 9
Shader Model support	1.1, 2

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	Havok
Audio	EAX Unified
Cutscenes	Bink Video
Multiplayer	GameSpy
Anti-cheat	PunkBuster	[citation needed]

Official SDK

The Steam version includes the SDK with the game. Make sure you read instructions

• F.E.A.R. Public Tools (Requires original game patched with version 1.08)
• F.E.A.R. Public Tools v2 (Standalone version, for those who do not own the game)

DevMode

DevMode gives the ability to use the debug keys and to load any map, including a few demo levels.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	2000	XP(64 bit)
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 4 1.7 GHz AMD Athlon XP 1600+	Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz AMD Athlon 64 3000+
System memory (RAM)	512 MB	1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	17 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 4 Ti 4200 ATI Radeon 8500 64 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible Shader model 1.1 support	Nvidia GeForce 6600 ATI Radeon 9800 256 MB of VRAM Shader model 2.0 support
Sound (audio device)	16-bit DirectX compatible	Sound Blaster X-Fi series