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Difference between revisions of "Prototype"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
(→‎Update-rate limit: Hex patch to remove update-rate limit & allow game to display higher-than-60FPS without frame-doubling, also seemed to help improve mouse input.)
(→‎Essential improvements: Link to mod which includes the patches added earlier, and move HD texture mod above)
Line 46: Line 46:
 
{{Availability/row| Games for Windows Marketplace | GFWL | GFWL | <ref>{{Refurl|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225093746/http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US/gamesyoumissed/|title=Games You've Missed - Games for Windows|date=19 August 2022}}</ref> | | Windows | unavailable }}
 
{{Availability/row| Games for Windows Marketplace | GFWL | GFWL | <ref>{{Refurl|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225093746/http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US/gamesyoumissed/|title=Games You've Missed - Games for Windows|date=19 August 2022}}</ref> | | Windows | unavailable }}
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
==Essential improvements==
 +
===[https://www.nexusmods.com/prototype/mods/52 FPSFix Patch]===
 +
{{ii}} Fix that includes patches for several of the issues mentioned in this article:
 +
:*No longer crashes on systems with many cores/threads.
 +
:*Fixes crashes after loading save due to billboard advertisement server no longer being active.
 +
:*Fixes FPS issues caused by game trying to poll every DirectInput/HID device.
 +
:*Can reduce frame-doubling & fix mouse-input issues at framerates higher than 60FPS by removing tickrate limit.
 +
:*Optionally allows increased shadow map resolution.
 +
 +
===[https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/1964-hi-res-textures-for-prototype Hi-Res Textures]===
 +
{{++}} Replaces most textures with higher resolution ones (map, protagonist, etc), using Texmod to replace textures.
  
 
==Game data==
 
==Game data==

Revision as of 13:58, 9 December 2023

Not to be confused with The Prototype.

Prototype
Prototype cover
Developers
Radical Entertainment
Publishers
Activision
Russia 1C-SoftClub
Engines
Titanium
Release dates
Windows June 9, 2009
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Series Prototype
Prototype guide on StrategyWiki
Prototype on MobyGames
Prototype on Wikipedia
Prototype
Prototype 2009
Prototype 2 2012

General information

Prototype Wiki
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
SecuROM 7 DRM.
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Not available in Germany.
Windows
Humble Store (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Amazon.com (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
[1]
Windows

Essential improvements

FPSFix Patch

Fix that includes patches for several of the issues mentioned in this article:
  • No longer crashes on systems with many cores/threads.
  • Fixes crashes after loading save due to billboard advertisement server no longer being active.
  • Fixes FPS issues caused by game trying to poll every DirectInput/HID device.
  • Can reduce frame-doubling & fix mouse-input issues at framerates higher than 60FPS by removing tickrate limit.
  • Optionally allows increased shadow map resolution.

Hi-Res Textures

Replaces most textures with higher resolution ones (map, protagonist, etc), using Texmod to replace textures.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows
Steam Play (Linux) <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/10150/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Prototype\
Steam Play (Linux) <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/10150/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
OneDrive
Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud

Video

Video settings.
Video settings.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor
See Widescreen resolution.
Ultra-widescreen
See Widescreen resolution.
4K Ultra HD
See Widescreen resolution.
Field of view (FOV)
See Widescreen resolution.
Windowed
See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See Windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Up to 4x. (4AA Ingame Only Avalaible for max 2GB Vram GPU's)
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS
120+ FPS
See Run the game at screen refresh rate. Frame rate is capped at 500 FPS; However, all games using the Titanium engine are internally locked at 60 FPS and will duplicate previous frames to achieve higher frame rates. Only the mouse cursor updates above that. Mouse controls won't work properly above 30 FPS, a hex-edit patch may be able to help remove this limit.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Widescreen resolution

Some resolutions may not be supported. This fix makes the game run at your desktop resolution.
Replace prototypeenginef.dll[2]
  1. Backup prototypeenginef.dll in the installation folder.
  2. Download Prototype.all.Resolutions.and.higher.FOV.7z.
  3. Extract the desired prototypeenginef.dll to the installation folder and replace the original file.
Enable windowed mode temporarily to set desired resolution[3]
  1. In Steam, add windowed to the launch options.
  2. When its running, change the desired resolution in the options part of the main menu.
  3. Exit the game.
  4. In Steam, remove the windowed from the launch options.
  5. Start the game and enjoy your desired resolution.
Force resolution with dgVoodoo 2

Windowed

Force windowed mode[citation needed]
  1. Download and run DxWnd.
  2. Click on Edit, then Add.
  3. Set the name and executable path.
  4. Set the window position and size.
  5. Set Desktop for borderless fullscreen windowed.
  6. Click OK, then File and Save.
Use windowed command line argument

Input

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Music, SFX and dialogue.
Surround sound
7.0 support[4]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
German
Fan translation, download.
Italian
Brazilian Portuguese
Fan translation, download.
Russian
Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Spanish

VR support

Devices State Notes
3RD Space Gaming Vest

Issues fixed

No shadows with AMD/ATI graphics cards

This game has a similar bug as with the sequel, where shadows are not rendered properly on AMD/ATI Radeon cards.[5] This can provide sub-optimal graphical fidelity for many AMD/ATI users.
Fix shadows not rendering on AMD/ATI graphics cards[6]
  1. Download this archive and open it.
  2. If you need to have the option to change resolution in-game, go to Game resolution folder. If you need to run the game windowed borderless, go to Desktop resolution.
  3. Choose the resolution of shadow map resolution (2048x2048 for cards with 512MB of VRAM, 12888x12888 for cards with 2GB of VRAM).
  4. Replace the prototypeenginef.dll with the one you chose in the game folder.
Also includes DInput FPS Fix

Low volume

In-game audio is very quiet except for cutscenes.[7][8]
The game uses native 5.1 and does not downmix to stereo or quadraphonic. In a Stereo setup you won't have the Center and Surround Speakers so the volume will be very low, except for cutscenes (they are in Stereo).
Use an alternative sound driver like Razer Surround. It will simulate a Surround effect while using the Full Speaker Configuration.
Use Equalizer APO with preamp and loudness compensation module.
(Linux) Use PulseEffects or EasyEffects with Auto Gain plugin.
Use PulseEffects for Linux system with PulseAudio as default audio server. EasyEffects for systems with PipeWire audio server.

Black screen on Prototype start up

Override refresh rate[citation needed]
  1. From the Start menu, Click on Run then type “dxdiag”
  2. Click on the “More Help” Tab then click the “Override Refresh Rate” Button.
  3. Set the refresh rate override value to 60.

Update-rate limit

The update tickrate of the game is capped to ~66FPS, causing frame-doubling when being displayed at a higher framerate than that, along with camera stutter when moving mouse.
Patch game to remove tickrate limit[9]
Patching out the limit should remove frame-doubling effects, and reduce mouse-input camera stutter.
Before editing, make a backup of the prototypeenginef.dll file in case the modifications go wrong.
  1. Open https://hexed.it/
  2. Click open file.
  3. Go to <path-to-game>.
  4. Open prototypeenginef.dll.
  5. In the Go To box on the right sidebar enter the offset 0x884414 and press enter.
  6. Click on the highlighted 98 number, and change the values from 98 3A to 00 00.
  7. Click Save As and download the file.
  8. Replace the original prototypeenginef.dll with the downloaded file.
  9. Launch the game.
It's not currently known whether this might cause issues later in the game, may possibly reduce performance in some cases.

Low frame rate

This is caused by the engine incorrectly tracking & polling all DirectInput devices on the system.[10]
Patch game to only make use of mouse & keyboard DirectInput devices[11]
Gamepad will still be supported through XInput.
Before editing, make a backup of the prototypeenginef.dll file in case the modifications go wrong.
  1. Open https://hexed.it/
  2. Click open file.
  3. Go to <path-to-game>.
  4. Open prototypeenginef.dll.
  5. In the Go To box on the right sidebar enter the offset 0x623B10 and press enter.
  6. Click on the number 11, and change the values following it as follows:
    Original:
    11 A8 01 74 0A 80 7F 24 12 0F 84 B1 00 00 00 A8
    02 74
    Patched:
    11 80 7F 24 12 74 16 80 7F 24 13 74 10 E9 AE 00
    00 00
    (note that the last two 00 00 patches change the 02 74 values on the next line)
  7. Click Save As and download the file.
  8. Replace the original prototypeenginef.dll with the downloaded file.
  9. Launch the game.
Disable unused HID devices[citation needed]
  1. Open the Start screen/Start menu, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
  2. Select "Human Interface Devices".
  3. Disable all listings named "HID-compliant consumer control device", you should not need to disable ANYTHING else.
It is advised to re-enable the devices after the game has closed.
Temporarily unplug HID devices from USB before game launch[citation needed]
  1. Unplug device(s) that identify as an "HID-compliant user control device" in the Device Manager.
  2. Launch the game executable.
  3. Reconnect the unplugged device(s).
Devices must be unplugged before launching the game. Not all HID devices cause the issue. Experience will vary.
Use a Powershell script[12]
The script will disable all HID-compliant devices, run the game, and then enable all HID devices again in the background after a 3 second delay.
  1. Download the premade PowerShell script.
  2. Make sure to have Steam running to avoid the script from re-enabling the HID-compliant devices too early.
  3. Run the script as administrator to start the game through Steam and apply the fix automatically.

Notes

If you want to make your own script just put the following into a PowerShell script and run it as admin:
#Requires -RunAsAdministrator

$gamePath = start steam://rungameid/10150

$hidDevices = Get-PnpDevice -FriendlyName 'HID-compliant consumer control device' -status OK

Disable-PnpDevice -Confirm:$false -InstanceId $hidDevices.InstanceId

Start-Sleep -s 3

$gamePath | Invoke-Expression

Start-Sleep -s 3

Enable-PnpDevice -Confirm:$false -InstanceId $hidDevices.InstanceId

Sound stuttering, crackling

Having non-default sound quality settings can cause sound problems in this and some other games.
Set sound quality to 24 bit, 48000 Hz[citation needed]

See Sound problems (cracking, delays, missing music/effects, etc.)

Missing textures

Disable all Anti-aliasing[citation needed]
  • Disable Anti-aliasing (AA) in Prototype's video options
  • Disable forced AA from the Nvidia control panel or ATI's Catalyst Control Panel.

Crashing after loading saved game

The game fails to contact a server to load in billboard advertisement textures, causing a crash shortly after loading a save.
Patch game to disable networking[13]
Before editing, make a backup of the prototypeenginef.dll file in case the modifications go wrong.
  1. Open https://hexed.it/
  2. Click open file.
  3. Go to <path-to-game>.
  4. Open prototypeenginef.dll.
  5. In the Go To box on the right sidebar enter the offset 0x88168E and press enter.
  6. Click on the highlighted 0F number, and change the values from 0F 84 to 90 E9
  7. Click Save As and download the file.
  8. Replace the original prototypeenginef.dll with the downloaded file.
  9. Launch the game.
Start a new game first[citation needed]
  1. Start a new game in another save slot.
  2. Exit to main menu and load your save.

Crash after starting or loading a game

The game may crash on a CPU with more than 8 threads.
Create Steam shortcut with limited core affinity[14]
  1. Create a new shortcut
  2. Set the shortcut target to cmd /C start "steam" /affinity 0xff "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe"
See the related Steam guide to limit process affinity
Force the game to only spawn 4 async threads
Before editing, make a backup of the prototypeenginef.dll file in case the modifications go wrong.
  1. Open https://hexed.it/
  2. Click open file.
  3. Go to <path-to-game>.
  4. Open prototypeenginef.dll.
  5. In the Go To box on the right sidebar enter the offset 0xB7F020 and press enter.
  6. Click on the number 7F, and change the 4 values 7F 07 B8 01 to instead be 90 90 B8 04
  7. Click Save As and download the file.
  8. Replace the original prototypeenginef.dll with the downloaded file.
  9. Launch the game.
Depending on hyperthreading settings some systems may still have issues with 4 async threads, limiting to 2 threads with 90 90 B8 02 instead may help with those.
Increase the amount of memory available to the stack allocator
Before editing, make a backup of the prototypeenginef.dll file in case the modifications go wrong.
  1. Open https://hexed.it/
  2. Click open file.
  3. Go to <path-to-game>.
  4. Open prototypeenginef.dll.
  5. In the Go To box on the right sidebar enter the offset 0x641CC0 and press enter.
  6. Click on the selected number 58 in the editor panel and type in the number 64.
  7. Click export and download the file.
  8. Replace the original prototypeenginef.dll with the downloaded file.
  9. Launch the game.
Turn off hyperthreading and all physical processing cores above 8 or turn off all but four logical cores.[citation needed]

Enter your computer's BIOS and turn off the hyperthreading CPU feature and all physical processing cores above 8 or turn off all but four logical cores. The specific procedure depends on your motherboard, thus you have to consult the manual of your motherboard if you're unsure how to do this.

Resolution stuck at 1280x800 on 2GB+ VRAM GPUs

See Widescreen resolution[15]

Run the game at screen refresh rate

Fullscreen mode defaults to 100 Hz, even if the screen refresh rate is set higher than that.
Doing this can help achieve a more stable fps while playing
Set screen refresh rate[citation needed]
  1. Install Special K by following the Special K Unofficial Guide.
  2. Start the game once and close it immediately to allow the configuration file of Special K to be created.
  3. Open <path-to-game>\d3d9.ini or %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\prototypef.exe\SpecialK.ini depending on the installation method you used.
  4. Change RefreshRate=-1 to RefreshRate=0 under [Render.FrameRate].

For Nvidia users

You don't need Special K for this to work
Set screen refresh rate on Nvidia Control Panel
  1. Go to "Manage 3D settings" and then "Program Settings"
  2. Click "Add" and search for "prototypef.exe" (if it doesn't appear click "Browse" to search manually)
  3. On "Vertical Sync" change it to "Fast"
  4. Click "Apply" and you're done.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c
Shader Model support 3
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Interface Scaleform
Cutscenes Bink Video

Hi-Res Textures

Replaces most textures with higher resolution ones (map, protagonist, etc).
Uses Texmod to apply all of the new textures.
The pack includes a custom Texmod that's able to make the game run if you have a CPU with more than 4 cores.
Install
  1. Download Here
  2. Instructions on file

System requirements

Windows
Minimum
Operating system (OS) XP, Vista, 7
Processor (CPU) AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz
System memory (RAM) 2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 8 GB
Video card (GPU) ATI Radeon X1800
Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT
256 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
A 64-bit operating system is required.


Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:

References

  1. Games You've Missed - Games for Windows - last accessed on 19 August 2022
  2. Prototype | WSGF
  3. From CrazyIvan's comment - last accessed on May 2023
  4. Verified by User:Aaronth07 on 2020-03-13
    Tested with SpecialK
  5. Screenshot showing difference between Nvidia and ATI - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
  6. Guzz's post in overclockers.ru on fixing the issue with shadows on AMD GPUs - last accessed on 2021-09-07
  7. Prototrype Volume Fix? :: Prototype General Discussions - last accessed on 2016-3-9
  8. Really Quiet Sound Issue - Prototype Message Board for PC - GameFAQs - last accessed on 2016-3-9
  9. Verified by User:Infogram1 on 2023-12-09
    Tested with prototypeenginef.dll v1.0.0.1, patching out the limit made camera movement noticeably more clearer, and mouse input stutter seemed reduced.
  10. F.E.A.R. - FPS / Logitech fix - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
  11. Verified by User:Infogram1 on 2023-12-09
    Found & tested with prototypeenginef.dll v1.0.0.1, mouse/keyboard/gamepad all still work in first mission while FPS improved greatly.
  12. Remove FPS limit - HID device toggle script - Steam - last accessed on 2023-01-21
  13. Verified by User:Infogram1 on 2023-12-09
    Found & tested with prototypeenginef.dll v1.0.0.1, previously game would crash a few seconds after loading, now loads in fine.
  14. KieSeyHow's comment - last accessed on 2020-05-10
  15. Verified by User:Blackbird on 2017-06-17
    Tested with GTX 980 (4 GB VRAM) and the game can't use higher res without the patch.