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Difference between revisions of "Theme Hospital"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
(Created page with "{{infobox |cover = ThemeHospital.jpg |developer = Bullfrog Productions |publisher = Electronic Arts |release dates = <sup>INT</sup> March 31, 1997 }} '''I...")
 
 
(175 intermediate revisions by 40 users not shown)
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−
{{infobox
+
{{Infobox game
−
|cover         = ThemeHospital.jpg
+
|cover       = ThemeHospital.jpg
−
|developer     = Bullfrog Productions
+
|developers  =
−
|publisher      = Electronic Arts
+
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Bullfrog Productions}}
−
|release dates = <sup>INT</sup> March 31, 1997
+
|publishers  =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Electronic Arts}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Sold Out Software|Re-release}}
 +
|engines     =  
 +
|release dates=
 +
{{Infobox game/row/date|DOS|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|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    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/microtransactions | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/modes            | Singleplayer, Multiplayer }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/pacing            | Real-time }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/perspectives      | Bird's-eye view, Isometric }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/controls          | Point and select }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/genres            | Building, Simulation }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/sports            | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/vehicles          | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/art styles        | Cartoon }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/themes            | Comedy, Healthcare }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series            | Theme Park }}
 +
|steam appid  =
 +
|gogcom id    = 1207659026
 +
|hltb        = 10290
 +
|lutris      = theme-hospital
 +
|strategywiki = Theme Hospital
 +
|mobygames    = 674
 +
|wikipedia    = Theme Hospital
 +
|winehq      = 975
 +
|license      = commercial
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
'''Introduction'''
+
{{Introduction
 +
|introduction      = '''''Theme Hospital''''' is a {{Glossary:Building}} game developed by [[:Company:Bullfrog Productions|Bullfrog Productions]] and published by [[Company:Electronic Arts|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.
 +
|release history  = 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.
  
−
There is now no support for Theme Hospital due to Bullfrog Productions LTD being merged into Electronic Arts. This is especially a problem as the game was originally released for MS-DOS but does not work well on DOSBOX as it is Windows 3.1x based. However, EA signed a deal with [[Good Old Games]] in 2011 to revive classic Bullfrog games<ref>http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2009/08/11/ea-looking-to-revive-classic-bullfrog-games/</ref>, so Theme Hospital may be included within this.
+
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.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
'''General information'''
 +
{{GOG.com links|1207659026|theme_hospital}}
 +
 
 +
==Availability==
 +
{{Availability|
 +
{{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>{{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]].<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].
 +
 
 +
==Essential improvements==
 +
===[https://github.com/CorsixTH/CorsixTH 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===
 +
{{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.
 +
 
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Modify exe CPU affinity|ref={{cn|December 2022}}|fix=
 +
# Download [http://www.robpol86.com/index.php/ImageCFG ImageCFG]
 +
# Extract {{file|imagecfg.exe}} to the installation folder.
 +
# Go into the installation folder and execute each in order:
 +
<pre>
 +
imagecfg -u WINMAIN.EXE
 +
imagecfg -a 0x4 WINMAIN.EXE
 +
</pre>
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Game data==
 +
===Configuration file(s) location===
 +
{{Game data|
 +
{{Game data/config|DOS|{{p|game}}\HOSPITAL.CFG}}
 +
{{Game data/config|Windows|{{p|game}}\HOSPITAL.CFG}}
 +
{{Game data/config|OS X|}}
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Save game data location===
 +
{{Game data|
 +
{{Game data/saves|DOS|{{p|game}}\Save}}
 +
{{Game data/saves|Windows|{{p|game}}\Save}}
 +
{{Game data/saves|OS X|}}
 +
}}
 +
{{ii}} Edit {{file|HOSPITAL.CFG}} after where it says <code>INSTALL PATH=</code> to the installation folder, making sure to put a trailing backslash (<code>\</code>) at the end of the folder name. This tells the game where to save the save files.
 +
 
 +
===[[Glossary:Save game cloud syncing|Save game cloud syncing]]===
 +
{{Save game cloud syncing
 +
|discord                  =
 +
|discord notes            =
 +
|epic games launcher      =
 +
|epic games launcher notes =
 +
|gog galaxy                = true
 +
|gog galaxy notes          =
 +
|origin                    = true
 +
|origin notes              =
 +
|steam cloud              =
 +
|steam cloud notes        =
 +
|ubisoft connect          =
 +
|ubisoft connect notes    =
 +
|xbox cloud                =
 +
|xbox cloud notes          =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Video==
 +
{{Video
 +
|wsgf link                  =
 +
|widescreen wsgf award      =
 +
|multimonitor wsgf award    =
 +
|ultrawidescreen wsgf award =
 +
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    =
 +
|widescreen resolution      = hackable
 +
|widescreen resolution notes= Use [[#CorsixTH|CorsixTH]] to enable widescreen mode
 +
|multimonitor              = false
 +
|multimonitor notes        =
 +
|ultrawidescreen            = false
 +
|ultrawidescreen notes      =
 +
|4k ultra hd                = false
 +
|4k ultra hd notes          =
 +
|fov                        = n/a
 +
|fov notes                  =
 +
|windowed                  = false
 +
|windowed notes            =
 +
|borderless windowed        = hackable
 +
|borderless windowed notes  = Use [[#CorsixTH|CorsixTH]] to enable windowed mode.
 +
|anisotropic                = n/a
 +
|anisotropic notes          =
 +
|antialiasing              = n/a
 +
|antialiasing notes        =
 +
|upscaling                  = unknown
 +
|upscaling tech            =
 +
|upscaling notes            =
 +
|vsync                      = false
 +
|vsync notes                =
 +
|60 fps                    = unknown
 +
|60 fps notes              =
 +
|120 fps                    = unknown
 +
|120 fps notes              =
 +
|hdr                        = unknown
 +
|hdr notes                  =
 +
|color blind                = unknown
 +
|color blind notes          =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Input==
 +
{{Input
 +
|key remap                = false
 +
|key remap notes          =
 +
|acceleration option      = n/a
 +
|acceleration option notes =
 +
|mouse sensitivity        = unknown
 +
|mouse sensitivity notes  =
 +
|mouse menu                = true
 +
|mouse menu notes          =
 +
|invert mouse y-axis      = n/a
 +
|invert mouse y-axis notes =
 +
|controller support        = false
 +
|controller support notes  =
 +
|full controller          = unknown
 +
|full controller notes    =
 +
|controller remap          = unknown
 +
|controller remap notes    =
 +
|controller sensitivity    = unknown
 +
|controller sensitivity notes=
 +
|invert controller y-axis  = unknown
 +
|invert controller y-axis notes=
 +
|xinput controllers        = unknown
 +
|xinput controllers notes  =
 +
|xbox prompts              = unknown
 +
|xbox prompts notes        =
 +
|impulse triggers          = unknown
 +
|impulse triggers notes    =
 +
|dualshock 4              = unknown
 +
|dualshock 4 notes        =
 +
|dualshock prompts        = unknown
 +
|dualshock prompts notes  =
 +
|light bar support        = unknown
 +
|light bar support notes  =
 +
|dualshock 4 modes        = unknown
 +
|dualshock 4 modes notes  =
 +
|tracked motion controllers= unknown
 +
|tracked motion controllers notes =
 +
|tracked motion prompts    = unknown
 +
|tracked motion prompts notes =
 +
|other controllers        = unknown
 +
|other controllers notes  =
 +
|other button prompts      = unknown
 +
|other button prompts notes=
 +
|controller hotplug        = unknown
 +
|controller hotplug notes  =
 +
|haptic feedback          = unknown
 +
|haptic feedback notes    =
 +
|simultaneous input        = unknown
 +
|simultaneous input notes  =
 +
|steam input api          = unknown
 +
|steam input api notes    =
 +
|steam hook input          = unknown
 +
|steam hook input notes    =
 +
|steam input presets      = unknown
 +
|steam input presets notes =
 +
|steam controller prompts  = unknown
 +
|steam controller prompts notes =
 +
|steam cursor detection    = unknown
 +
|steam cursor detection notes =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Audio==
 +
{{Audio
 +
|separate volume          = true
 +
|separate volume notes    =
 +
|surround sound          = n/a
 +
|surround sound notes    =
 +
|subtitles                = false
 +
|subtitles notes          = Announcer voice lines are not subtitled; otherwise, all speech is text-based.
 +
|closed captions          = n/a
 +
|closed captions notes    =
 +
|mute on focus lost      = false
 +
|mute on focus lost notes =
 +
|eax support              =
 +
|eax support notes        =
 +
|red book cd audio        =
 +
|red book cd audio notes  =
 +
|royalty free audio      = always on
 +
|royalty free audio notes =
 +
}}
  
−
==Issues and Fixes==
+
{{L10n|content=
−
Getting the game to run at all on modern machines is difficult due to the age of the game. However, there are several steps you can follow that may get it working. It is suggested to check if the game works after each paragraphs as different users will have different settings.
+
{{ii}} All Retail editions come as '''MULTI6''' with full localization.
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = English
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = true
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    =
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Simplified Chinese
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = unknown
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    = Retail only, local PRC region.
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = French
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = true
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    = Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = German
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = true
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    = Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Italian
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = true
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    = Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Japanese
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = unknown
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    = Local Retail release only.
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Polish
 +
|interface = hackable
 +
|audio    = false
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    = Fan translation, [https://grajpopolsku.pl/download/theme-hospital/ download]
 +
|fan      = true
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Russian
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = true
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    = Local Retail release (female) and few unofficial translations, [https://yadi.sk/d/CVy0PmsotLrAf download] one (male variant)
 +
|fan      = true
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Spanish
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = true
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    = Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Swedish
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = true
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    = Bundled with English version, including GOG and Origin.
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
}}
  
−
The first is to transfer the ''HOSP'' folder from your CD copy onto your storage device, making sure to save the files close to the root of the drive (the entire directory location needing to be under 8 characters, e.g. ''C:/ThemeH''). You will also need to edit the configuration file to allow saves to work (see "[http://pcgamingwiki.com/index.php?title=Theme_Hospital&action=submit#Save_Game_Data Save Game Data]" below).
+
==Network==
 +
{{Network/Multiplayer
 +
|local play          =
 +
|local play players  =
 +
|local play modes    =
 +
|local play notes    =
 +
|lan play            = true
 +
|lan play players    = 4
 +
|lan play modes      =
 +
|lan play notes      = Added in the last patch.
 +
|online play          = false
 +
|online play players  =
 +
|online play modes    =
 +
|online play notes    =
 +
|asynchronous        =
 +
|asynchronous notes  =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{Network/Connections
 +
|matchmaking        = false
 +
|matchmaking notes  =
 +
|p2p                = true
 +
|p2p notes          =
 +
|dedicated          = false
 +
|dedicated notes    =
 +
|self-hosting      = true
 +
|self-hosting notes =
 +
|direct ip          = true
 +
|direct ip notes    = legacy IPX protocol
 +
}}{{Network/Ports
 +
|tcp  =
 +
|udp  =
 +
|upnp =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Other information==
 +
===API===
 +
{{API
 +
|direct3d versions      =
 +
|direct3d notes        =
 +
|directdraw versions    =
 +
|directdraw notes      =
 +
|opengl versions        =
 +
|opengl notes          =
 +
|glide versions        =
 +
|glide notes            =
 +
|software mode          =
 +
|software mode notes    =
 +
|mantle support        =
 +
|mantle support notes  =
 +
|vulkan versions        =
 +
|vulkan notes          =
 +
|dos modes              = SVGA
 +
|dos modes notes        =
 +
|shader model versions  =
 +
|shader model notes    =
 +
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 +
|windows 64-bit exe    = hackable
 +
|windows arm app        = false
 +
|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.''
 +
|mac os x powerpc app  = unknown
 +
|macos intel 32-bit app = true
 +
|macos intel 64-bit app = hackable
 +
|macos arm app          = false
 +
|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 32-bit executable= hackable
 +
|linux 64-bit executable= hackable
 +
|linux arm app          = false
 +
|linux executable notes = ''DosBox or [[#CorsixTH|CorsixTH]] allows the game to run with 32/64-bit support.''
 +
}}
  
−
Now change your EXE compatibly settings (which may depend on what OS you are using). Right click ''HOSPITAL.EXE'' and click properties. going over to ''Compatibility'' and choose ''Windows 95''. Then, under ''Settings'' check ''Run in 256 colours'', ''Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution'' as well as ''Run this program as an administrator''. Fiddle around with these options for the one that suits you if you know what you are doing.
+
==System requirements==
 +
{{System requirements
 +
|OSfamily = DOS
  
−
There is also a patched version available, which you can [http://dl.dropbox.com/u/48215081/Theme%20Hospital/ThemeHospitalPatch.rar download here]. Copy and paste it over to your ''HOSP'' folder (replacing any existing files, remembering to edit the configuration file again if you replace that too). If this now gives you mouse lag, see the "[http://pcgamingwiki.com/index.php?title=Theme_Hospital&action=submit#Patches Patches]" section below.
+
|minOS    = 6.2
 +
|minCPU  = 66 MHz
 +
|minRAM  = 8 MB
 +
|minGPU  = SVGA
 +
|minHD    = 20 MB
  
−
If none of those steps work for you, then you will have to use ''Corsix-TH'' (see "[http://pcgamingwiki.com/index.php?title=Theme_Hospital&action=submit#Corsix-TH Corsix-TH]" below).
+
|recOS    =  
 +
|recCPU  =
 +
|recRAM  =
 +
|recGPU  =
 +
|recDX    =
 +
|recHD    =  
  
−
==Patches==
+
}}
−
[http://dl.dropbox.com/u/48215081/Theme%20Hospital/ThemeHospitalBatch.bat Mouse Lag Patch] - This sets the CPU affinity to 3 instead of 1, though you may need to fiddle with this number. Save this file where your ''HOSP'' folder is and run it instead of ''Hospital.exe''.
 
  
−
==Save Game Data==
+
{{System requirements
−
Edit ''HOSPITAL.CFG'' after where it says ''INSTALL PATH='' to your installation directory, making sure to put a trailing backslash (''\'') at the end of the directory name. This tells the game where to save the save files.
+
|OSfamily = Windows
  
−
==Corsix-TH==
+
|minOS    = 95
−
Corsix-TH is an open source clone of Theme Hospital, however, it can be seen as a (slightly buggy and unfinished) patch to get Theme Hospital to work on the latest machines. Simply download the latest archive files [https://code.google.com/p/corsix-th/ here] and then extract them into the directory where you have the game saved. Then download the installer from the same place and run that. Whenever you get any options for directory placement make sure that you insert the exact directory of where you installed the game files. Remember, once you have this installed you don't run the ''HOSPITAL.EXE'', instead you run one of the three Corsix files, where you can choose to run the game with DirectX, OpenGL or SDL.
+
|minCPU  = Intel Pentium
 +
|minRAM  = 16 MB
 +
|minGPU  = SVGA
 +
|minHD    =
  
−
While the version linked above is the most stable, it is only updated every three months. To get the latest fixes you need to install the development snapshots which won't be as stable but will have more bug fixes. Windows users can download it [http://dl.dropbox.com/u/48215081/Theme%20Hospital/corsix-th-r1461-win32.zip here] and those on other OSs download it [http://dl.dropbox.com/u/48215081/Theme%20Hospital/corsix-th-r1461.tar.gz here]. To install, simply extract all the files into your ''HOSP'' folder. You will automatically get the latest development versions via SVN (make sure you have a SVN client installed like [http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/ Tortoise SVN]).
+
|recOS    =
 +
|recCPU  =
 +
|recRAM  =
 +
|recGPU  =
 +
|recDX    =
 +
|recHD    =
  
−
When using Corsix-TH it is advisable to install it over a "clean" (ie. not patched) version.  
+
}}
 +
 
 +
{{System requirements
 +
|OSfamily = OS X
 +
 
 +
|minOS    = 10.6.8 or later
 +
|minCPU  = Intel Core Duo 2 GHz+
 +
|minRAM  = 1 GB
 +
|minVRAM  = 64 MB
 +
|minHD    = 200 MB
 +
}}
  
−
== References ==
+
{{References}}
−
<references/>
+
{{GOG.com Enhancement Project}}

Latest revision as of 18:22, 26 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
Icon overlay.png
Theme Hospital on HowLongToBeat
Icon overlay.png
Theme Hospital guide on StrategyWiki
Theme Hospital on MobyGames
Theme Hospital on Wikipedia
Icon overlay.png
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