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Difference between revisions of "Theme Hospital"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
m
m (Reverted edits by Macgovern (talk) to last revision by Plok)
Tag: Rollback
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Line 11: Line 11:
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|March 28, 1997}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|March 28, 1997}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|April 12, 2012|wrapper=DOSBox}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|April 12, 2012|wrapper=DOSBox}}
{{Infobox game/row/date|OS X|October 18, 2012|wrapper=DOSBox|ref=<ref>[https://www.gog.com/news/gogcom_goes_mac GOG.com goes Mac ● GOG.com]</ref>}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/date|OS X|October 18, 2012|wrapper=DOSBox|ref=<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/news/gogcom_goes_mac|title=GOG.com goes Mac ● GOG.com|date=9 June 2023}}</ref>}}
 
|taxonomy    =  
 
|taxonomy    =  
 
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase }}
 
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase }}
Line 30: Line 30:
 
|lutris      = theme-hospital
 
|lutris      = theme-hospital
 
|strategywiki = Theme Hospital
 
|strategywiki = Theme Hospital
|mobygames    = theme-hospital
+
|mobygames    = 674
 
|wikipedia    = Theme Hospital
 
|wikipedia    = Theme Hospital
 
|winehq      = 975
 
|winehq      = 975
Line 41: Line 41:
 
Peter Molyneux and James Leach came up with the idea of creating a Theme game based on a hospital, but Molyneux was not directly involved in development due to his work on Dungeon Keeper. Designers originally planned to include four distinct gameplay modes corresponding to historical time periods, but this was dropped due to time pressures on the team. Multiplayer support with up to four players was added in a patch. The game received a generally positive reception, with reviewers praising the graphics and humour in particular. Theme Hospital was a commercial success, selling over 4 million copies worldwide, and was ported to the PlayStation in 1998. A Sega Saturn version was in development, but cancelled.  
 
Peter Molyneux and James Leach came up with the idea of creating a Theme game based on a hospital, but Molyneux was not directly involved in development due to his work on Dungeon Keeper. Designers originally planned to include four distinct gameplay modes corresponding to historical time periods, but this was dropped due to time pressures on the team. Multiplayer support with up to four players was added in a patch. The game received a generally positive reception, with reviewers praising the graphics and humour in particular. Theme Hospital was a commercial success, selling over 4 million copies worldwide, and was ported to the PlayStation in 1998. A Sega Saturn version was in development, but cancelled.  
  
The game was re-released on GOG.com in 2012 and Origin in 2015, and the PlayStation version was released on the PlayStation Network in Europe in 2008, Japan in 2009, and North America in 2010. Revival attempts have been made with the development of open-source remakes such as CorsixTH.
+
The game was re-released on GOG.com in 2012 and Origin in 2014, and the PlayStation version was released on the PlayStation Network in Europe in 2008, Japan in 2009, and North America in 2010. The community-made open-source reimplementation [[#CorsixTH|CorsixTH]] improves the game in major aspect to fix bugs and make it natively compatible with modern OS versions.
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 50: Line 50:
 
{{Availability|
 
{{Availability|
 
{{Availability/row| Retail | | disc | Native Windows version has compatibility problems. | | DOS, Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| Retail | | disc | Native Windows version has compatibility problems. | | DOS, Windows }}
{{Availability/row| GOG.com | theme_hospital | DRM-free | DOS version pre-packaged with [[DOSBox]].<ref>[https://www.gog.com/forum/general/list_of_gog_games_using_dosbox/page1 List of GOG games using DOSBox, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com]</ref> | | Windows, OS X }}
+
{{Availability/row| GOG.com | theme_hospital | DRM-free | DOS version pre-packaged with [[DOSBox]].<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/forum/general/list_of_gog_games_using_dosbox/page1|title=List of GOG games using DOSBox, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com|date=May 2023}}</ref> | | Windows, OS X }}
{{Availability/row| Origin | theme/theme-hospital | Origin | DOS version pre-packaged with [[DOSBox]]. | | Windows | unavailable }}
+
{{Availability/row| Origin | theme/theme-hospital | Origin | DOS version pre-packaged with [[DOSBox]].<br> [https://www.ea.com/games/theme/theme-hospital Manual link for EA App purchase]. | | Windows }}
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{ii}} Free demo versions are available from Archive.org: [https://archive.org/details/ThemeHospital_1020 pre-release], [https://archive.org/details/HOSP_zip final].
 
{{ii}} Free demo versions are available from Archive.org: [https://archive.org/details/ThemeHospital_1020 pre-release], [https://archive.org/details/HOSP_zip final].
Line 57: Line 57:
 
==Essential improvements==
 
==Essential improvements==
 
===[https://github.com/CorsixTH/CorsixTH CorsixTH]===
 
===[https://github.com/CorsixTH/CorsixTH CorsixTH]===
{{++}} '''CorsixTH''' is an open-source reimplementation of Theme Hospital. It features high resolution support, zooming, improved game logic, option to remove destroyed rooms for a fee, unlimited saving, and custom content support.
+
{{++}} '''CorsixTH''' is a community-made open-source reimplementation of Theme Hospital. It features native modern OS compatibility, high resolution support, zooming, improved game logic, option to remove destroyed rooms for a fee, unlimited saving, custom content support and more.
  
 
===Patches===
 
===Patches===
{{++}}Mouse Lag Patch
+
{{mm}} [https://www.patches-scrolls.de/patch/4358/7/33803 Official patch from Patches-Scrolls]
 +
 
 +
===Using ImageCFG to fix mouse lag===
 
{{ii}} Sets the CPU affinity to 3 instead of 1, though you may need to fiddle with this number.
 
{{ii}} Sets the CPU affinity to 3 instead of 1, though you may need to fiddle with this number.
  
{{Fixbox|description=Modify exe CPU affinity|ref=<ref name="imagecfgfix">[URL Name]</ref>|fix=
+
{{Fixbox|description=Modify exe CPU affinity|ref={{cn|December 2022}}|fix=
 
# Download [http://www.robpol86.com/index.php/ImageCFG ImageCFG]
 
# Download [http://www.robpol86.com/index.php/ImageCFG ImageCFG]
 
# Extract <code>imagecfg.exe</code> to the installation folder.
 
# Extract <code>imagecfg.exe</code> to the installation folder.
 
# Go into the installation folder and execute each in order:
 
# Go into the installation folder and execute each in order:
: ''imagecfg -u WINMAIN.EXE''
+
<pre>
: ''imagecfg -a 0x4 WINMAIN.EXE''
+
imagecfg -u WINMAIN.EXE
 +
imagecfg -a 0x4 WINMAIN.EXE
 +
</pre>
 
}}
 
}}
  
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|windowed notes            =  
 
|windowed notes            =  
 
|borderless windowed        = hackable
 
|borderless windowed        = hackable
|borderless windowed notes  = Use [[#CorsixTH|CorsixTH]] to enable windowed mode.
+
|borderless windowed notes  = Use [[#CorsixTH|CorsixTH]] to enable windowed mode.
 
|anisotropic                = n/a
 
|anisotropic                = n/a
 
|anisotropic notes          =  
 
|anisotropic notes          =  
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|surround sound          = n/a
 
|surround sound          = n/a
 
|surround sound notes    =  
 
|surround sound notes    =  
|subtitles                = n/a
+
|subtitles                = false
|subtitles notes          = All speech is text-based.
+
|subtitles notes          = Announcer voice lines are not subtitled; otherwise, all speech is text-based.
 
|closed captions          = n/a
 
|closed captions          = n/a
 
|closed captions notes    =  
 
|closed captions notes    =  
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{{L10n|content=
 
{{L10n|content=
 +
{{ii}} All Retail editions come as '''MULTI6''' with full localization.
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = English
 
  |language  = English
 
  |interface = true
 
  |interface = true
  |audio    = n/a
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = n/a
+
  |subtitles = false
 
  |notes    =  
 
  |notes    =  
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Simplified Chinese
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = unknown
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    = Retail only, local PRC region.
 
  |fan      =  
 
  |fan      =  
 
}}
 
}}
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  |language  = French  
 
  |language  = French  
 
  |interface = true
 
  |interface = true
  |audio    = n/a
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = n/a
+
  |subtitles = false
  |notes    =  
+
  |notes    = Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
 
  |fan      =  
 
  |fan      =  
 
}}
 
}}
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  |language  = German
 
  |language  = German
 
  |interface = true
 
  |interface = true
  |audio    = n/a
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = n/a
+
  |subtitles = false
  |notes    =  
+
  |notes    = Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
 
  |fan      =  
 
  |fan      =  
 
}}
 
}}
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  |language  = Italian
 
  |language  = Italian
 
  |interface = true
 
  |interface = true
  |audio    = n/a
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = n/a
+
  |subtitles = false
  |notes    =  
+
  |notes    = Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
 
  |fan      =  
 
  |fan      =  
 
}}
 
}}
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  |language  = Japanese
 
  |language  = Japanese
 
  |interface = true
 
  |interface = true
  |audio    = n/a
+
  |audio    = unknown
  |subtitles = n/a
+
  |subtitles = false
  |notes    = Japanese retail release only.
+
  |notes    = Local Retail release only.
 
  |fan      =  
 
  |fan      =  
 
}}
 
}}
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  |language  = Polish
 
  |language  = Polish
 
  |interface = hackable
 
  |interface = hackable
  |audio    = n/a
+
  |audio    = false
  |subtitles = n/a
+
  |subtitles = false
  |notes    = Fan translation, [https://grajpopolsku.pl/download/theme-hospital/ download].
+
  |notes    = Fan translation, [https://grajpopolsku.pl/download/theme-hospital/ download]
 
  |fan      = true
 
  |fan      = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = Russian
 
  |language  = Russian
  |interface = hackable
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = n/a
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = n/a
+
  |subtitles = false
  |notes    = Unofficial translation, [https://yadi.sk/d/CVy0PmsotLrAf download]
+
  |notes    = Local Retail release (female) and few unofficial translations, [https://yadi.sk/d/CVy0PmsotLrAf download] one (male variant)
 
  |fan      = true
 
  |fan      = true
 
}}
 
}}
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  |language  = Spanish
 
  |language  = Spanish
 
  |interface = true
 
  |interface = true
  |audio    = n/a
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = n/a
+
  |subtitles = false
  |notes    =  
+
  |notes    = Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
 
  |fan      =  
 
  |fan      =  
 
}}
 
}}
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  |language  = Swedish
 
  |language  = Swedish
 
  |interface = true
 
  |interface = true
  |audio    = n/a
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = n/a
+
  |subtitles = false
  |notes    =  
+
  |notes    = Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
 
  |fan      =  
 
  |fan      =  
 
}}
 
}}
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|self-hosting notes =  
 
|self-hosting notes =  
 
|direct ip          = true
 
|direct ip          = true
|direct ip notes    =  
+
|direct ip notes    = legacy IPX protocol
 
}}{{Network/Ports
 
}}{{Network/Ports
 
|tcp  =  
 
|tcp  =  
Line 360: Line 373:
 
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 
|windows 64-bit exe    = hackable
 
|windows 64-bit exe    = hackable
|windows arm app        = unknown
+
|windows arm app        = false
|windows exe notes      = ''CorsixTH uses a 64-bit .exe''
+
|windows exe notes      = ''Some Retail editions use 16-bit installer, game are 32-bit; [[#CorsixTH|CorsixTH]] allows the game to run with 64-bit support.''
|macos intel 32-bit app = unknown
+
|mac os x powerpc app  = unknown
|macos intel 64-bit app = unknown
+
|macos intel 32-bit app = true
|macos arm app          =  
+
|macos intel 64-bit app = hackable
|macos app notes        =  
+
|macos arm app          = false
|linux 32-bit executable=  
+
|macos app notes        = ''Official 32-bit bundled with DosBox for Mac; [[#CorsixTH|CorsixTH]] allows the game to run with 64-bit support, thus allowing the game to run on macOS 10.15 and later.''
|linux 64-bit executable=  
+
|linux 32-bit executable= hackable
|linux arm app          = unknown
+
|linux 64-bit executable= hackable
|linux executable notes =  
+
|linux arm app          = false
 +
|linux executable notes = ''DosBox or [[#CorsixTH|CorsixTH]] allows the game to run with 32/64-bit support.''
 
}}
 
}}
  

Revision as of 22:37, 19 April 2024

Theme Hospital
Theme Hospital cover
Developers
Bullfrog Productions
Publishers
Electronic Arts
Re-release Sold Out Software
Release dates
DOS March 28, 1997
Windows March 28, 1997
Windows (DOSBox) April 12, 2012
macOS (OS X) (DOSBox) October 18, 2012[1]
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Bird's-eye view, Isometric
Controls Point and select
Genres Building, Simulation
Art styles Cartoon
Themes Comedy, Healthcare
Series Theme Park
Theme Hospital on HowLongToBeat
Theme Hospital guide on StrategyWiki
Theme Hospital on MobyGames
Theme Hospital on Wikipedia
Theme Park
Theme Park 1994
Theme Hospital 1997
Shin Theme Park 1997
Theme Park World 1999
Theme Park Inc. 2001

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game needs a fix to work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later (see API for details).

Theme Hospital is a building game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1997 for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows compatible PCs in which players design and operate a privately owned hospital with the goal of curing patients of fictitious comical ailments.

The game is the thematic successor to Theme Park, also produced by Bullfrog, and the second instalment in their Theme series, and part of their Designer Series. The game is noted for its humour, and contains numerous references to pop culture. Peter Molyneux and James Leach came up with the idea of creating a Theme game based on a hospital, but Molyneux was not directly involved in development due to his work on Dungeon Keeper. Designers originally planned to include four distinct gameplay modes corresponding to historical time periods, but this was dropped due to time pressures on the team. Multiplayer support with up to four players was added in a patch. The game received a generally positive reception, with reviewers praising the graphics and humour in particular. Theme Hospital was a commercial success, selling over 4 million copies worldwide, and was ported to the PlayStation in 1998. A Sega Saturn version was in development, but cancelled.

The game was re-released on GOG.com in 2012 and Origin in 2014, and the PlayStation version was released on the PlayStation Network in Europe in 2008, Japan in 2009, and North America in 2010. The community-made open-source reimplementation CorsixTH improves the game in major aspect to fix bugs and make it natively compatible with modern OS versions.

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions
GOG.com Support Page

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
Native Windows version has compatibility problems.
DOS
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
DOS version pre-packaged with DOSBox.[2]
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Origin
Origin
DOS version pre-packaged with DOSBox.
Manual link for EA App purchase.
Windows
Free demo versions are available from Archive.org: pre-release, final.

Essential improvements

CorsixTH

CorsixTH is a community-made open-source reimplementation of Theme Hospital. It features native modern OS compatibility, high resolution support, zooming, improved game logic, option to remove destroyed rooms for a fee, unlimited saving, custom content support and more.

Patches

Official patch from Patches-Scrolls

Using ImageCFG to fix mouse lag

Sets the CPU affinity to 3 instead of 1, though you may need to fiddle with this number.
Modify exe CPU affinity[citation needed]
  1. Download ImageCFG
  2. Extract imagecfg.exe to the installation folder.
  3. Go into the installation folder and execute each in order:
imagecfg -u WINMAIN.EXE
imagecfg -a 0x4 WINMAIN.EXE

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
DOS <path-to-game>\HOSPITAL.CFG
Windows <path-to-game>\HOSPITAL.CFG[Note 1]
macOS (OS X) <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 2]

Save game data location

System Location
DOS <path-to-game>\Save
Windows <path-to-game>\Save[Note 1]
macOS (OS X) <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 2]
Edit HOSPITAL.CFG after where it says INSTALL PATH= to the installation folder, making sure to put a trailing backslash (\) at the end of the folder name. This tells the game where to save the save files.

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Origin

Video

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
Use CorsixTH to enable widescreen mode
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
For DOSBox toggle with Alt+ Enter (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Use CorsixTH to enable windowed mode.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)
For DOSBox use an unofficial build (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
60 FPS and 120+ FPS

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
For DOSBox use the DOSBox Mapper (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
For DOSBox use the DOSBox Mapper (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
Controller types

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Announcer voice lines are not subtitled; otherwise, all speech is text-based.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
For DOSBox change the priority background value in the DOSBox configuration file.
Royalty free audio

Localizations

All Retail editions come as MULTI6 with full localization.
Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Retail only, local PRC region.
French
Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
German
Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
Italian
Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
Japanese
Local Retail release only.
Polish
Fan translation, download
Russian
Local Retail release (female) and few unofficial translations, download one (male variant)
Spanish
Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
Swedish
Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
4 Added in the last patch.
Online play
For DOSBox use DOSBox IPX/modem emulation.

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP
legacy IPX protocol

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
DOS video modes SVGA
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
Some Retail editions use 16-bit installer, game are 32-bit; CorsixTH allows the game to run with 64-bit support.
macOS (OS X)
Official 32-bit bundled with DosBox for Mac; CorsixTH allows the game to run with 64-bit support, thus allowing the game to run on macOS 10.15 and later.
Linux
DosBox or CorsixTH allows the game to run with 32/64-bit support.

System requirements

DOS
Minimum
Operating system (OS) 6.2
Processor (CPU) 66 MHz
System memory (RAM) 8 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 20 MB
Video card (GPU) SVGA
Windows
Minimum
Operating system (OS) 95
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium
System memory (RAM) 16 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)
Video card (GPU) SVGA
macOS (OS X)
Minimum
Operating system (OS) 10.6.8 or later
Processor (CPU) Intel Core Duo 2 GHz+
System memory (RAM) 1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 200 MB
Video card (GPU) 64 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 the installation folder reflects the path(s) listed for DOS game data. For the GOG.com release, file changes in DOSBox are redirected to <path-to-game>/cloud_saves/ even if GOG Galaxy is not used (this folder contains all redirected files, so some files in the cloud_saves folder might be temporary files or other files that do not contain saves or settings).

References

  1. GOG.com goes Mac ● GOG.com - last accessed on 9 June 2023
  2. List of GOG games using DOSBox, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023