Red Faction

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 18, 2001
Mac OS (Classic)	November 28, 2001
macOS (OS X)	January 4, 2002
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	Stylized
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 Volition 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.

Following its initial release for the PlayStation 2 in May 2001, Red Faction was released for Windows on September 17, 2001, followed by Mac OS in November 2001 and OS X in January 2002. An updated Windows version of the game was released digitally via Steam on August 5, 2009, and later GOG.com on February 10, 2014.

The PC version of 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 the check. An OS X installer is included with patch v1.20 for Mac OS.
Retail		Steam key provided as part of the Red Faction Complete Collection.
GOG.com
Humble Store
Steam		Includes functional English retail installer files in <path-to-game>\RF_1 and <path-to-game>\RF_2.
GamersGate (unavailable)
(unavailable)
Green Man Gaming (unavailable)
Discord (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

Digital

Digital distributions are pre-patched to v1.21.

The German GOG.com distribution has several notable differences and issues not present in other distributions:

• <path-to-game> contains levelspf.vpp, a file from the now-discontinued community-made Pure Faction patch that contains six community-made multiplayer maps. The base game has no mechanism of loading the file's contents while it is located directly under <path-to-game>, rendering the maps unused.
• Rather than utilizing the built-in method of localizing files used for retail versions, it has completely replaced the English versions of core game files with German versions of the same files. This causes compatibility issues when trying to use some custom maps/mods.
• <path-to-game>\tables.vpp has been modified in order to translate in-game text, resulting in multiplayer being incompatible with all other versions of the game. To fix this, use the Dash Faction setup program to automatically patch <path-to-game>\tables.vpp, or manually replace it with the original file. The German translation pack can then be used 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

Official patches

The latest official patch for retail versions is v1.20:

• Windows: English, German, French
• Mac OS/OS X

Digital versions are pre-patched to v1.21.

Dash Faction

Open-source community-made patch/launcher for Red Faction (Windows) that fixes numerous bugs, crashes, and security vulnerabilities, improves performance and compatibility with modern systems, enhances video and graphical quality, autosaves the game after each level transition, and offers many other usability upgrades over the base game.

Directly compatible only with English v1.20 game installations. Other versions of the game must first be patched.

Use the -game command line argument with <dash-faction-folder>\DashFactionLauncher.exe to launch directly into the game instead of the launcher window.

Install with the setup program

Download the setup program from GitHub or FactionFiles. Run the setup program and follow the instructions. Notes Optionally applies all official patches and/or necessary file replacements to any game installation that is not directly supported. Optionally replaces the base game launcher executable with a symbolic link to the Dash Faction launcher. Allows Dash Faction to be easily run with the Steam version of Red Faction.

Set up the .zip release

Make sure the game is properly patched: Retail version: apply the v1.20 patch. For non-English retail installations, <path-to-game>\RF.exe must also be replaced with the English v1.20 file. Digital version: replace <path-to-game>\RF.exe with the English v1.20 file. For German GOG.com installations, <path-to-game>\tables.vpp must also be replaced with the original file from the English version. The German translation pack can then be used to restore the German localization. Download the Dash Faction .zip release from GitHub or FactionFiles. Extract the .zip file to any location and run <dash-faction-folder>\DashFactionLauncher.exe. Open the options menu and make sure the game executable path correctly points to <path-to-game>\RF.exe before running the game. Notes The setup program is required to enable the rf://IP:PORT protocol handler. Steam users can use the %command% command line argument with <dash-faction-folder>\DashFactionLauncher.exe in the launch options for Red Faction to force Steam to launch the game with Dash Faction.

Game data

In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Volition\Red Faction <path-to-game>\players.cfg
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/

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\savegame\
Mac OS (Classic)	<path-to-game>/savegame/
macOS (OS X)	<path-to-game>/savegame/
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/20530/pfx/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Discord
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

Launcher video settings.

In-game video settings.

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Use Dash Faction.
Multi-monitor			Use Dash Faction.
Ultra-widescreen			Use Dash Faction.
4K Ultra HD			Use Dash Faction. Additionally, Dash Faction has an option to use a bigger 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

Run the game with Dash Faction. Open the in-game console. Use the fov <value> command to change FOV. Use fpgun_fov_scale <value> to change first-person weapon FOV. Note By default, Dash Faction automatically scales horizontal FOV for other aspect ratios based on the standard of 90° at 4:3. Use r_togglewidefov to toggle the scaling. Use fov with no value specified to print your current horizontal FOV. Use fov 0 to use the default horizontal FOV for your aspect ratio.

Input

In-game control settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity		Only editable via slider. Use Dash Faction to set to numeric values via the ms <value> console command.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support

Controller types

Audio

Launcher audio settings.

In-game audio settings.

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		Use Dash Faction. May also require 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 in-game music will be Content ID claimed 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.
Persian				Fan translation of in-game signage: 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 effectively render multiplayer unusable and may impact compatibility with custom maps/mods.
Russian				Unofficial translation, available via bootleg distributions.
Spanish				Fan translation: download.

Network

Launcher network settings.

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 <path-to-game>\dedicated_server.txt. 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 via the setup program 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: Use Dash Faction.

Issues fixed

Game fails to/immediately crashes upon launch

Many causes for this issue exist across all versions of the game.

Use Dash Faction

"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.

Use Dash Faction

"Unable to initialize DirectX 8.0" error

Use Dash Faction

Game freezes when using Alt+Tab ↹

Red Faction is officially known to have issues with Alt+Tab ↹ behavior.

Use Dash Faction

Game window unresponsive, always on top

A bug that occurs if you click on another window after launching the game but before the game screen appears.

Use Dash Faction[citation needed]

Game crashes when picking up items or entering cheat codes

Encountered when running v1.21 at higher resolutions than the supported max of 1280x1024.

Use Dash Faction

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.

Use Dash Faction

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	8	Dash Faction uses Direct3D 9 via d3d8to9.
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

Command line arguments

To use command line arguments with Dash Faction, run <dash-faction-folder>\DashFactionLauncher.exe with the argument.

See the Red Faction Wiki for a full list of command line arguments supported by the base game and Dash Faction.

Console commands

The console is accessible at any time in-game by pressing ~.

See the Red Faction Wiki for a full list of console commands supported by the base game and Dash Faction.

Custom maps/modifications

Many custom maps and mods require Dash Faction in order to function correctly.

For more maps and mods, visit FactionFiles, a community file hosting site for the Red Faction series.

Singleplayer 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 PlayStation 2 Red Faction demo. Contains levels cut from the final release of the game.

Nano-Theft

Short custom campaign that attempts to bridge the gap between the plot events of Red Faction and Red Faction II.

Toxic Agenda

Custom mission featuring the infiltration and destruction of an Ultor chemical plant.

Multiplayer map packs

PS2 Map Ports

Map pack containing authentic ports of all multiplayer maps from the PlayStation 2 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" community events.

Total conversion mods

Red Faction Classic

Mod that aims to make the game look and play as close to the original PlayStation 2 version as possible, with enhancements.

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.

Enhancement mods

AI Upscale Texture Pack

4x AI upscaled pack for base game textures.

Goober's RF Retexturing Project Pack 01

Project to recreate textures from scratch, resulting in higher quality assets than the AI Upscale Texture Pack. Currently 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 44 kHz versions of most music tracks played throughout the game.

HD Music Mod Update

Addon for the HD Music Mod that contains high quality 44 kHz of the rest of the music tracks in the game.

Goober's Revised Pickups

High poly versions of most pickups including health, armor, and ammo.

System requirements

Windows

Mac OS (Classic)

macOS (OS X)

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	95, 98, ME
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)	900 MB
Video card (GPU)	8 MB of VRAM DirectX 8.0 compatible	32 MB of VRAM
Sound (audio device)	DirectX compatible	EAX compatible
Other	4x CD-ROM drive

Mac OS
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	8.6
Processor (CPU)	PowerPC G3 300 MHz PowerPC G4 300 MHz	PowerPC G3 400 MHz PowerPC G4 400 MHz
System memory (RAM)	128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	1.2 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATI Rage Pro/128 series ATI Radeon series Nvidia series 6 MB of VRAM OpenGL 1.2.1 compatible	ATI Rage Pro/128 series ATI Radeon series Nvidia series 16 MB of VRAM
Other	8x CD-ROM/DVD drive