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The Longest Journey

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The Longest Journey
The Longest Journey cover
Developers
Funcom
Engines
Stark[1][2]
ResidualVM
Release dates
Windows November 19, 1999
Reception
Metacritic 91
IGDB 90
Taxonomy
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Cinematic camera
Controls Point and select
Genres Adventure
Art styles Realistic, Pre-rendered graphics
Themes Europe, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Medieval
Series The Longest Journey
The Longest Journey on HowLongToBeat
The Longest Journey on IGDB
The Longest Journey guide on StrategyWiki
The Longest Journey on MobyGames
The Longest Journey on Wikipedia
The Longest Journey
The Longest Journey 1999
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey 2006
Dreamfall Chapters 2014

Key points

Performance is fairly poor on modern operating systems, with multiple issues with the way that the game window is rendered and movie compatibility.
Fixes listed on this article make the game playable, but the experience is relatively unfriendly.

General information

Official forums
Official forums support section
The Longest Journey Wiki
GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
DRM-free
Windows
GamersGate
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
1.42; includes manual, wallpapers, guide, soundtrack, avatars, and artwork
Windows
Green Man Gaming
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Humble Store
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
1.61
Windows
Demos are available from ResidualVM.

GOG.com and Steam

Both digital releases of the game have major compatibility issues and require tweaking to get around them

Retail

4 CD-ROMs, a 2 CD as well as a DVD re-release has been made.[3]

Essential improvements

Patches

Patch 1.61 adds an external configuration tool along with some bug fixes. This patch is for retail releases only.
Steam version already includes this patch.
Patch can be forced on other versions by using an archive utility to extract the files. Just to have audio, you must convert iss files to ogg (audio only) format using vorbis codec and rename format to ovs. That's working!

The only problem is the lack of character encoding other than the English version.

Peixoto's patch

Allows high resolution and super sampling anti aliasing
Fixes the white square over the quit game dialog
Only works with the DVD version

Game-specific utilities

ScummVM

You can run The Longest Journey with the ScummVM daily builds with most bugs fixed, including antialiasing problems; however, be wary of any remaining issues. As of 2019, this remains the only way to run the game on OS X, Linux, and other operating systems. Link here.

The Longest Journey HD mod

The Longest Journey HD mod is an AI upscale mod for TLJ. The mod includes neural network upscaled backgrounds and sprites, redrawn user interface and it works on all modern systems without any issues of the original game.
This mod uses ResidualVM framework to load new assets. The development of ResidualVM has been stopped, and the project's functionality is now a part of ScummVM[4]. ResidualVM remains a working solution, but if any bugs occur when running the mod (e.g. incorrect word wrapping in menus with "..." replacing parts of labels), try using one of the latest ScummVM daily builds instead.

The download link can be found here.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %APPDATA%\Funcom\TLJ
<path-to-game>\[Note 1]
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/6310/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %APPDATA%\Funcom\TLJ
<path-to-game>\Save[Note 1]
%APPDATA%\The Longest Journey\Save
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/6310/pfx/[Note 2]
Save game data location can be changed, see change save game data location.

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

Launcher options
Launcher options
In-game options
In-game options

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
Use ResidualVM for proper 16:9 support
dgvoodoo Can increase the resolution, but the aspect ratio will stay at 4:3.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Use ResidualVM for proper 16:9 support
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Can be forced in driver. See Graphic glitches/flickering with forced AA.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Force through dgVoodoo 2.
60 FPS
Run the game in ResidualVM to play at 60fps
120+ FPS
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Windowed

No native option to run in windowed.
Game only runs at resolution at 640x480 (whether fullscreen or windowed)
Game window cannot be moved or manipulated, and there are no fixes for this issue.
Fix: Edit Preferences.ini[citation needed]
  1. Open %APPDATA%\The Longest Journey\Preferences.ini (or Preferences.ini in your game install folder).
  2. Under the [DirectX] heading, type bool_StartFullscreen=0, and save your changes.[5]
Fix: Secondary Monitor[citation needed]
Will not work on every graphics card.
  • Sometimes connecting an external monitor will force the game into "windowed mode".
Set compatibility mode for 640 × 480[citation needed]
This is the simplest and most stable solution.
640x480 is not supported by many modern displays.
  1. Right click the game shortcut.
  2. Choose Properties.
  3. Go to the Compatibility tab.
  4. Choose "Run in 640 × 480 screen resolution".
  5. Click OK.

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Controller types

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Some subtitles mismatch audio.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
Polish
GOG & local retail version only.
Spanish
Retail only. Download: Text, videos and voices.

Issues fixed

Blank Game Exit Box

When exiting the game, the confirmation dialogue is blank. This appears to only affect Windows 10.
Use launch parameter[citation needed]

Use the -DisableMaxWindowedMode command line argument.

Use compatibility bits[citation needed]
  • You can add some compatibility bits to the game. An unofficial patch has been made for this which you can download from here.

Fonts

Default fonts can be very difficult to read.
Customize Fonts[citation needed]
Be sure to backup the gui.ini file!
Customize fonts and sizes.
Some text may not align properly in dialog boxes.
Doesn't work with ScummVM/ResidualVM.
  • Open %APPDATA%\The Longest Journey\gui.ini (or gui.ini in your game install folder).
  • Subtitles/Dialog Choices: change the font name and/or font size:
bigfont=Slurry
bigheight=19
  • Tooltips: change the font name and/or font size:
smallfont=Garamond
smallheight=11
  • Save the updated gui.ini

Movie and graphics problems

Issue with not being able to view the Bink-encoded movies.
Issue with not being able to display a game window (black screen).
The fixes work for most people, but others have persistent problems and cannot get the game to work properly
Versions prior to 1.61 do not have a separate Configure.exe utility.
(These versions have options presented when the game is launched instead.)
Run in Software Mode[citation needed]
This fix turns off the game's hardware graphics acceleration.[6]
Only affects the 3D models on screen, as backgrounds are rendered in 2D.
Slightly worse visual quality.
  1. Go to the installation folder.
  2. Run Configure.exe that you'll find in the above folder. Change one of the options (doesn't matter which) and click ok - this will create the config file. You can open Configure.exe again and switch the option back if you want.
  3. Open %APPDATA%\The Longest Journey\Preferences.ini (Or Preferences.ini in the game install folder.)
  4. Under the section that starts with [DirectX] add or change the following settings:
bool_IsDoubleBuffer=0
bool_UseHardware=0
Multiple displays[citation needed]
If it doesn't work, try to create multiple display (VGA, extend), as shown in this video. Also u can put those two monitors you have just created in cross position, so your mouse will not run "out of screen".
Fix: High Performance Power Plan[7]
This fix only applies to laptops.

Change the power settings to 'High Performance' in the Control Panel.

Crash to desktop

Game exits to desktop with an error message as soon as a cutscene (FMV) stops playing
Fix: Skip cutscenes[citation needed]

Press Escape before the cutscene finishes. Also, save at every new location. That way you can watch the cutscene, then reload your game after the crash and skip ahead.

Fix: Use low quality video[citation needed]
  1. Open %APPDATA%\The Longest Journey\preferences.ini (Or Preferences.ini in the game install folder.)
  2. Under the [Preferences] heading, change bool_HighResVideo=1 to bool_HighResVideo=0 and save.

For digital releases, go to in-game options and uncheck "High Quality Video".

Crash at Police Station

On some graphics cards, the game will crash upon entering the Police Station.
Fix: GOG.com Patch[citation needed]

Fixed with a special patch: <path-to-game>\station_fix\TLJ_PoliceStationFix.exe.

Notes

If necessary contact GOG.com support for a copy of the patch file.
If you find the patch is unable to be installed (for example, with the GOG.com version of the game), you may be able to fix the crash by changing some options on the game's launcher:
  1. Turn off 3D acceleration
  2. Turn off high quality models
  3. Set the game to 16 bit color.
  4. (You can then re-enable these after you get past that section of the game.)
  5. If all else fails you can try right-clicking the game icon, select Properties, select the Compatibility tab and check the box for "Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution".
Fix: Patch[citation needed]
Fixed with the 1.61 patch.
Fix: GOG.com version[8]
  1. Download PoliceStationCrashPatch.zip.
  2. Extract 01.Xarc from PoliceStationCrashPatch.zip and copy it to <path-to-game>\32\01, overwriting the existing file.

Graphic glitches/flickering with forced AA

Graphic anomalies can be seen when forcing Anti-aliasing through driver's Control Panel
Fix: Force single buffering[citation needed]
  1. Run Configure.exe found in the main game directory. In the launcher, go to Advanced Options.
  2. Check "Force Single Buffer".

An alternative solution can be found here

Alternative Anti-Aliasing/High Resolution Support

This solution isn't perfect, you may still see mouse trails (they clear each time a mouse button is pressed.)
Enables running the game at higher resolutions and with anti-aliasing on cards that aren't supported by the game directly.
Uses an emulated GPU.
Any GPU driver profile for Longest Journey should have anti aliasing disabled.
The game's "High Resolution April Model" option must be enabled.
Allows use of ReShade for additional post-processing.
Fix: Anti Aliasing/High Resolution[citation needed]
  1. Download and install dgVoodoo (Official Web Site)
  2. Copy the three DLLs from dgVoodoo\MS folder to your Longest Journey game folder.
  3. Run the dgVoodoo setup/configuration tool
  4. dgVoodoo: General Setup Page
    1. Add your Longest Journey game folder for "config folder/ running instance"
    2. Output API: "Best available one"
    3. Adapter to use/enable: select your GPU.
    4. Appearance: Full Screen, scaling mode "Stretched, keep aspect ratio"
    5. Full Screen Output: Default
    6. Miscellaneous: Both checked.
    7. Color adjustments: Defaults or change to taste.
  5. dgVoodoo: DirectX Page
    1. Videocard: Select "ATI Radeon 8500" with 256MB VRAM (emulated display)
    2. Texturing: Force bilinear filtering, all others unchecked
    3. Behavior: All unchecked
    4. Miscellaneous: All unchecked except "force vSync"
    5. Antialiasing (MSAA): Off (4x or 8x work but will leave mouse trails)
    6. Resolution: Must be a multiple of the game's native resolution (640x480).
  6. dgVoodoo: Click Apply
  7. Run the game with hardware acceleration on.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
DirectDraw
ExecutablePPC 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
Use ScummVM for 64-bit support.
macOS (OS X)
Use ScummVM.
Linux
Use ScummVM.

Change save game data location

Change Save Sub-Folder[citation needed]
You can use any number, just remember to create the numbered folder under the Save folder first.
  • Open %APPDATA%\The Longest Journey\Preferences.ini (or Preferences.ini in your game install folder).
  • Add the line SaveDir=02.
  • Save the updated Preferences.ini
Change Save Folder[citation needed]
Can be used to use Dropbox or OneDrive for cloud saving if the service can be mapped to a drive letter.
If using a cloud service mapped drive ensure allow off-line use is enabled.
  • Open %APPDATA%\The Longest Journey\Preferences.ini (or Preferences.ini in your game install folder).
  • Edit line SaveDir with the full path you wish to use for saves.
Example: SaveDir=D:\TLJ\Saves
  • Save the updated Preferences.ini

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 95
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium 166 MHz
System memory (RAM) 32 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 300 MB
Video card (GPU) 640x480 SVGA high colour (16bit) video card
2 MB of VRAM


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 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/6310/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (6310) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References