Heretic

Heretic

Developers
	Raven Software
Publishers
	id Software
Engines
	id Tech 1
Release dates
DOS	December 23, 1994
Mac OS (Classic)	1999
Windows (DOSBox)	August 3, 2007
Taxonomy
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Action, Shooter
Themes	Fantasy
Series	Heretic

Heretic
Heretic	1994
Hexen: Beyond Heretic	1995
Hexen II	1997
Heretic II	1998

Key points

The game's graphic engine's source code was released in 1999, making the game very mod-friendly

General information

Doom Wiki

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store		Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
Steam		Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders. Configured to run under DOSBox.

Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders is the retail release of the game, adding two extra episodes

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
H!ZONE	Although mostly just a shovelware map compilation pack (also containing maps for Hexen), it does contain some original commercial episodes for Heretic (9 single player and 3 multi). The levels include both new enemies (in truth they're just a resin of existing ones) and textures. They also converted some of these original levels, "the top 95", to Hexen, though minus the artwork and no longer in episode format (individual levels). This add-on is considered unofficial.

Note that H!ZONE is not compatible with source ports or modern computers due to it using a DOS program to overwrite the base game's data rather than loading as a WAD file; it overwrites episode 3. A fan made remake of the addon for zdoom and derivative is available at this thread.

Essential improvements

Patches

Patch 1.2 - Retail and shareware edition have different patches

Mouse-look hack

Disable mouse in settings then run this. Source for hack available here.

Source ports

Since the release of the engine's source code, various source ports have been released. See the link above for details and recommendations.

Roland SC-55 music packs

Soundtrack for Heretic recorded on an authentic SC-55 for use with a ZDoom based engine. Choose either OGG or FLAC; MP3 does not support proper looping.

Roland SC-D70 music packs

Soundtrack for Heretic recorded on an authentic Roland SC-D70 for use with a ZDoom based engine. Choose either OGG or FLAC; MP3 does not support proper looping.

Useful wads

The following wads are designed to fix some sort of game data bug or a feature short coming of the game. They do not add any levels/change play style and thus are generally compatible with most user addons.

Minor Sprite Fixing Project - Repairs bad sprite offsets and other graphical errors normally encountered when viewing the player and npc sprites. Vanilla (DOS) executable compatible!

Widescreen fix - Repairs sprite cutoffs that occur when using certain weapons. Ideal for source ports.

Content

A freely redistributable replacement of Heretic-like assets is available at Blasphemer, forming a completely free and open source game. Art assets from the original game such as the levels, sounds, textures, etc., remain under copyright. They can be purchased from Steam or copied from an original game disk.

Game data

In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
DOS
Windows	<path-to-game>\base\<path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)
Microsoft Store
Mac OS (Classic)
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2390/pfx/

Save game data location

System	Location
DOS
Windows	<path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)
Microsoft Store
Mac OS (Classic)
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2390/pfx/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud

Video settings

In-game video/audio settings.

Field of view (FOV)

Depending on your choice of engine, you can usually change the field of view with a console command, or even in the options. Try fov <1-179> or gr_fov <1-179>.

Audio settings

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
Local play		Use Doom Legacy.
LAN play		4	Co-op, Versus
Online play		4	Co-op, Versus

A source port is recommended for online play as it adds modern networking support and simplifies the process of finding games. Most major source ports (like Zandronum) also increase the max player limit (for Zandronum, the limit is 64)

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated		Requires source port.
Self-hosting
Direct IP		Possible in source ports.

VR support

Headsets	State	Notes
SteamVR		Use ViveDoom
Oculus VR (LibOVR)		Use ViveDoom
Windows Mixed Reality		This game might be playable with the Revive Compatibility Layer, or Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR.

Devices
Tracked motion controllers
Traditional controller
Keyboard/Mouse

Play area
Seated
Standing
Room-scale

Issues fixed

Lag/Low FPS (DOSBox)

Modify the heretic.conf file[citation needed]
Go to <path-to-game>\base\ Open heretic.conf with a text editor (ex. Notepad). Set the fulldouble variable to false. Save the changes made to the file. Launch the game.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D		A source port is required. See Source ports.
OpenGL		A source port is required. See Source ports.
Software renderer
Vulkan		See Source ports.
DOS video modes	VGA

Executable	PPC	16-bit	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows					A source port is required for 64-bit. See Source ports.
Mac OS (Classic)

System requirements

DOS

Windows

Mac OS (Classic)

DOS
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	6.2
Processor (CPU)	Intel 386	Intel 486 33 MHz
System memory (RAM)	4 MB	8 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	10 MB	30 MB
Video card (GPU)	VGA graphics card