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Alan Wake

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games

This page is for the original 2012 version. For the 2021 remaster, see Alan Wake Remastered.

Alan Wake
Alan Wake cover
Developers
Remedy Entertainment
Windows Nitro Games
Publishers
Remedy Entertainment
Retail Nordic Games
Retail (Russia) Noviy Disk[1]
Engines
MAX-FX
Release dates
Windows February 16, 2012
Reception
Metacritic 83
IGDB 83
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Sponsored
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, Quick time events, Survival horror
Themes Contemporary, Supernatural, Detective/mystery, Fantasy, North America, Horror
Series Alan Wake
Alan Wake on HowLongToBeat
Alan Wake on IGDB
Alan Wake guide on StrategyWiki
Alan Wake on MobyGames
Alan Wake on Wikipedia
Alan Wake
Alan Wake 2012
Alan Wake's American Nightmare 2012
Alan Wake Remastered 2021
Alan Wake II 2023

Alan Wake is a singleplayer third-person action, quick time events and survival horror game in the Alan Wake series.

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Epic Games Store
DRM-free after installation through Epic Games Launcher (notes may include more details)
DRM-free when launched from the executable.[2]
Windows
GamersGate
Icon overlay.png
Collector's Edition also available.
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
Collector's Edition also available.
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
Windows
Green Man Gaming
Icon overlay.png
Collector's Edition also available
Windows
Humble Store
DRM-free
Collector's Edition also available.
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Collector's Edition also available.
Windows
Origin (unavailable)
Origin
[3]
Windows
All DLC released for the original Xbox 360 version is included.
The bonus content of the Collector's Edition can be found in the installation folder of the game.
The game was unavailable from May 15, 2017 to October 25, 2018 due to music licensing issues.

Monetization

Type Notes
Sponsored Energizer batteries are used to power the protagonist's flashlight throughout the game.
Verizon billboards are part of the game world.[4]

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Delete/rename video files[citation needed]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\data\videos.
  2. Delete or rename startup_mgs.bik and startup_remedy.bik.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Remedy\AlanWake\
Epic Games Launcher %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Remedy\AlanWake_EGS_Version\
GOG.com %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Remedy\AlanWake_GOG_Version\
Microsoft Store %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Remedy\AlanWake_MS_Version\
Steam <Steam-folder>/userdata/<user-id>/108710/
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/108710/pfx/[Note 1]
resolution.xml controls screen resolution as well as debugging information.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Remedy\AlanWake\
Epic Games Launcher %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Remedy\AlanWake_EGS_Version\
GOG.com %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Remedy\AlanWake_GOG_Version\
Microsoft Store %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Remedy\AlanWake_MS_Version\
Steam <Steam-folder>/userdata/<user-id>/108710/
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/108710/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Epic Games Launcher
GOG Galaxy
Origin
OneDrive
Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud
Approx. 100 MB available.
Settings will sync, except graphics settings.
Xbox Cloud

Video

Graphics settings.
Graphics settings.
Advanced options for graphics.
Advanced options for graphics.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
FMVs are windowboxed.
4K Ultra HD
UI elements are meant for 720p and have no scaling applied to them; thus becoming smaller as the output resolution increases.
Field of view (FOV)
See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Set the game to windowed mode then use Borderless Gaming to make the game borderless.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Up to 16 samples.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Up 8x MSAA (2x as the minimum); Low to high FXAA.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Triple buffering [5]
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
No refresh rate cap but the game is capped at 200 fps.[6] To remove the cap, See Frame rate (FPS).
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Field of view (FOV)

Suggested values by aspect ratio:
Aspect Ratio FOV
16:9, 16:10, 15:9 FOV 11
21:9 (2560x1080) FOV 13
15:4 (3840x1024) FOV 15
48:10 (5040x1050) FOV 19
48:9 (5760x1080) FOV 20

Frame rate (FPS)

Use DXVK[7]
DXVK is a DirectX-to-Vulkan wrapper. It will permanently remove the frame rate cap and may fix low framerate issues.
  1. Download DXVK.
  2. Extract the files in the "x32" subfolder to <path-to-game>.
Use Cheat Engine[citation needed]
This process will remove the frame rate cap, but must be performed each time the game is launched.
Mouse sensitivity is tied to frame rate.
Tested on the GOG version of the game.
  1. Download and run Cheat Engine. Go to the main menu.
  2. Set Executable, Writable and CopyOnWrite to Don't Care and memory scan option to alanwake.exe.
  3. Disable the Fast Scan option and search for the value 0.005000 as a float and as a double in rounded (extreme) mode. Select all values.
  4. Set the all the values to 0 to uncap or (1/FPS) for a custom cap.

Ambient occlusion

Force HBAO+ (Nvidia only)[8][9]
  1. Download and run Nvidia Profile Inspector.
  2. Select the Alan Wake profile.
  3. Change Ambient Occlusion compatibility value to 0x00000006.
  4. Change Ambient Occlusion setting to High Quality.
  5. Change Ambient Occlusion usage to Enabled.
  6. Press "Apply Changes" in the top-right corner.

Notes

In-game SSAO needs to be disabled.

Motion blur

Turn motion blur off[10]
  1. Download this file.
  2. Copy Blur.obj and VectorBlur.obj to <path-to-game>/shaders/build/pc.

Notes

Keeping a copy of the original VectorBlur.obj file in the folder may cause the game to load it instead of the motion blur disabler VectorBlur.obj file, even if it has been renamed. The same may apply to the Blur.obj file.
Copying the Blur.obj file alone or both files together will remove camera motion blur and per-object motion blur but all dizziness/shroud/taken blur effects as well, though with the darkness effect still present. Copying the VectorBlur.obj file alone will remove camera motion blur only.

Input

Controls settings.
Controls settings.

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Enter and ← Backspace cannot be bound. See Binding Enter or Backspace to actions.
Mouse acceleration
On by default. Enable Direct Aiming in the controls to disable it.
Mouse sensitivity
Tied to frame rate. Higher FPS values make the mouse less responsive. Use the -sensscale=X command line argument to adjust the strength of the sliders.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
XInput controllers only.
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Two layouts only.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration
PlayStation controllers
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Generic/other controllers
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M
Rapidly changes button prompts

Binding Enter or Backspace to actions

Edit keybinds.xml[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open keybinds.xml.
  3. For the action you want to set to Enter use key="0x1c", or use key="0x0e" to set to ← Backspace.

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Separate controls for music, effects, speech, and cinematic.
Surround sound
Auto configures up to 7.1 output.[11]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Pauses and mutes on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Traditional Chinese
Czech
French
German
Hungarian
Fan translation, download.
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese
Fan translation, download.
Russian
Fan voice-over by «Mechanics VoiceOver».
Fan voice-over by «GamesVoice».
Spanish
Includes localization for Spain and Latin American countries.[12]
Latin American Spanish
Includes localization for Spain and Latin American countries.[12]
Turkish
Fan translation, download.

Latin American Spanish localization

Features its own dubbing.
Configure the game in Latin American Spanish[13]
  1. Download the language pack.
  2. Extract the files to <path-to-game>/data/.
  3. Enter this command line argument: -locale=esm

Change of language in Epic Game Store version

Add command line option to the game in Epic Game Store client[14]
  1. Update the game.
  2. Go to Settings in the Epic Games launcher.
  3. Click 'alan wake'.
  4. Tick 'additional command line arguments'.
  5. Type -locale=XX where XX is the language code.
Possible language codes: en, pl, fr, jp, de, esm, it, ko, cht, ru, cz.

VR support

3D modes State GG3D Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
Use Helix Mod: Alan Wake for better 3D support.
TriDef 3D
vorpX
G3D
Officially supported Game, see vorpX gamelist

Issues unresolved

Commentary audio volume too high

The volume for audio commentary cannot be changed and may be too high for some users. It was lowered slightly in 1.02 to be "more sensible".

Issues fixed

Everything is black and white on Intel graphics

This glitch causes all the graphics in the game to appear white, black and dark grey, while all the lighting and shadows seem to work.
This occurs on (even slightly) older Intel graphics drivers (confirmed with the one that ships with Apple's Boot Camp drivers for Windows 8).
Update graphics driver[citation needed]
Download and install the appropriate driver for your graphics adapter and OS from Intel's Download Center.

"No World Loaded" error

This is caused by a corrupted download.
Fix corrupted files[citation needed]
Use the Steam client's "Verify Integrity of Game Cache" option or redownload the game installer from GOG.com.

Nvidia Control Panel forced anisotropic filtering disables the "darkness effect" and causes texture flickering

With Nvidia cards, if anisotropic filtering is forced through the Nvidia Control Panel, the "darkness effect" post processing (swirls, blur) might be missing and textures might flicker. This issue is solved by changing AF in Nvidia Control Panel to application controlled and enabling 16x anisotropic filtering in the game options.

Black cutscenes

Use the ingame Vsync and force Vsync through drivers[15]

No sound

Disable the Alienware Sound Center[16]

Constant "g_mLocalToClip" has an unknown class error on Linux (Wine/Proton)

This issue is more likely to occur with versions of the game outside of Steam, as clients such as Heroic Games Launcher do not install the required dependencies automatically like Steam does.
Install dependencies with Winetricks
  1. Using Winetricks, select the default wineprefix and then install a Windows DLL or component.
  2. Install d3dcompiler_47.
Use GE-Proton as the compatibility layer in Steam[17]
If the game is owned on Steam and the error occurs, using GE-Proton will automatically install the missing dependency on start. This does not apply to non-Steam shortcuts!

No audio in cutscenes on Linux (Wine/Proton)

This issue has reports of being fixed since Proton 7.0.[18] The fix below is still valid for older versions of Proton.
Add Wine DLL override for xaudio2_7

Run the game with the environment variable WINEDLLOVERRIDES set to "xaudio2_7=b,n". (In the General tab of the game's Properties window in Steam, put WINEDLLOVERRIDES="xaudio2_7=b,n" %command% in the launch options field.)

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c
Shader Model support 3.0
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics Havok
Audio FMOD Ex[19] 4.26.9
Cutscenes Bink Video 1.99n

Command line parameters

Set these parameters to change certain hidden settings or force different options at start-up.[20]

Command Description
-hX Screen height (e.g. -h720).
-wX Screen width (e.g. -w1280).
-window Force windowed.
-novsync Disables Vsync.
-showfps Shows frame rate counter.
-forcesurround Forces 5.1 speaker mode.
-forcestereo Forces stereo speaker mode.
-nosound Disables sound.
-cleancloud Deletes save games and settings for Alan Wake from the Steam Cloud.
-noblur Disables the in-game vector blur.
-locale=xx Forces a selected locale.
-rigidcamera Modifies mouse aim behavior.
-directaiming Removes all mouse acceleration, also enables -rigidcamera.
-sensscale mouse sensitivity multiplier (e.g. -sensscale=0.123)
-nativekeys Fixes Windows language bar or input language disappearance.
-developermenu Unlocks all episodes and allows you to play at Nightmare difficulty without completing the game first on lower difficulties.
-freecamera Pressing the right thumb stick enables/disables freecamera mode. There is no keyboard switch.

Difficulty

Normal difficulty on the PC version is the same as the Hard difficulty in the console version.[21]

Unpacking game files for modding

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qinph0o9dr6yv4a/AWTool.7z?dl=0
https://archive.org/details/awtool.-7z
https://github.com/Nostritius/AWTools

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP SP2
Processor (CPU) Intel Dual Core 2.0 GHz
AMD Dual Core 2.8 GHz
System memory (RAM) 2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 8 GB
Video card (GPU) 512 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
Sound (audio device) DirectX 9.0c compatible


Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 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>/108710/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (108710) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References