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Driver: San Francisco

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Driver: San Francisco
Driver: San Francisco cover
Developers
Ubisoft Reflections
Ubisoft Annecy[1]
Ubisoft Bucharest[1]
Ubisoft Montreal[1]
Ubisoft Red Storm[1]
Ubisoft Shanghai[1]
Ubisoft Vancouver[1]
Windows Ubisoft Ukraine
macOS (OS X) Ubisoft Ukraine
Publishers
Ubisoft
Release dates
Windows September 2, 2011
macOS (OS X) March 8, 2012
Reception
Metacritic 80
IGDB 82
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Microtransactions None
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person, Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, Driving, Open world
Vehicles Automobile
Art styles Realistic
Themes Contemporary, North America
Series Driver
Driver: San Francisco on HowLongToBeat
Driver: San Francisco on IGDB
Driver: San Francisco on MobyGames
Driver: San Francisco on Wikipedia
Driver
Driver 1999
Driv3r 2005
Driver: Parallel Lines 2007
Driver: San Francisco 2011
REDRIVER 2 (unofficial port) 2020

Driver: San Francisco is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person and third-person action, driving and open world game in the Driver series.

Key points

Online services shut down on October 1, 2022. Activation, Installation and DLC access via Ubisoft Connect are only available if you activate a key coming from a physical copy of the game. [2]
The split screen multiplayer mode from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions has been removed.
Missing a grainy, orangey filter used on the console versions.[3][4]. See Restore console effects for a fix.

General information

Driver Madness
Steam Community Discussions


Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Steam (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Ubisoft Store (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
All versions require Ubisoft Connect DRM.
No longer available digitally, most likely due to licensing issues.[5]

Version differences

The Deluxe Edition adds:
  • Three multiplayer cars — 1966 Shelby Cobra 427, 1972 Lamborghini Miura, 1963 Aston Martin DB5
  • Four single player challenge missions — Russian Hill Racers, Mass Chase, Relay Race, Taxi!

This content is also available in the retail Collector's Pack.

The Special Edition adds:
  • One multiplayer car — 1963 Aston Martin DB5
  • One single player challenge mission — Taxi!

This content can only be obtainable through Physical copies.

Monetization

Type Notes
One-time game purchase The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

Microtransactions

Type Notes
No microtransactions Game does not contain microtransactions.

Essential improvements

Patches

Patch 1.04 updates the game to the latest version.

Skip intro videos

Move, delete or rename files[citation needed]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Driver San Francisco\Common\fmv.
  2. Move, delete or rename DriverSplash.bik and ubisoft.bik.

Restore console effects

Use mod
  1. Download Post Process Re-Enabled.
  2. Unpack media into <path-to-game>.

Fix character skin and cloth textures

Tanner's hands and clothes in the PC version are too shiny in the comparison to the console counterparts.
Use mod
  1. Download Character Skin and Cloth Fix.
  2. Unpack shaderoverride, d3d9.dll and DX9Settings into <path-to-game>.

Enable Deluxe Edition & Uplay Challenges

Instructions
  1. Download the Deluxe & Uplay Events mod.
  2. Unpack ScriptsLuaScripts.fchunk in the Deluxe & Uplay Events folder to <path-to-game>\media.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Ubisoft\Driver San Francisco\graphics.ini
macOS (OS X) $HOME/Library/Application Support/Ubisoft/Driver San Francisco/graphics.ini
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/33440/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Ubisoft\Driver San Francisco\<user-id>\savegames\
macOS (OS X) $HOME/Library/Application Support/Ubisoft/Driver San Francisco/Profiles/<user-id>/savegames/
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/33440/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
OneDrive
Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud
Ubisoft Connect

Video

Input

Keyboard/Mouse options.
Keyboard/Mouse options.
Gamepad options.
Gamepad options.
Advanced wheel options.
Advanced wheel options.

Audio

Volume options.
Volume options.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
See Mute on focus lost.
Royalty free audio

Mute on focus lost

Set mute in background[citation needed]
  1. Download Special K.
  2. Copy SpecialK32.dll to the installation folder.
  3. Rename SpecialK32.dll to d3d9.dll.
  4. Run the game and exit.
  5. Edit d3d9.ini in the installation folder.
  6. Change MuteInBackground=false to MuteInBackground=true under [Window.System].

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Danish
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Norwegian
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese
Fan translation, download.
Russian
Spanish
Swedish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Notes
Local play
Console versions only
LAN play
Online play
Official servers shut down on October 1, 2022.[2] Can be re-enabled using Alcatraz Launcher.

Issues fixed

Black border with certain aspect ratio

Replace application[6]
  1. Patch the game to version 1.04.
  2. Download the file corresponding to the desired aspect ratio. 4:3, 5:4, 16:10.
  3. Go to the installation folder.
  4. Replace the original driver.exe with the downloaded one.

Story mode crashes to desktop (Windows 10 and later)

Add plugin[1]
  1. Download the dgVoodoo API latest vesion.
  2. Copy the D3D9.dll file from the MS\x86 folder.
  3. Paste the file in the folder where the driver.exe is.

Game starts fullscreen and with sound but no video

Modify value[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open graphics.ini.
  3. Change Fullscreen = 1 to Fullscreen = 0

White screen and only sounds (OS X)

OS X users are reporting they are only getting a white screen and audio after launching the game.[7][8] A possible fix is detailed below.
Adjust settings[citation needed]
  1. Go to System Preferences and open Energy Saver.
  2. Untick Automatic graphics switching.

Run the game at screen refresh rate

Fullscreen mode defaults to ~100 Hz, even if the screen refresh rate is set higher than that.
Set screen refresh rate[citation needed]
  1. See the Special K Unofficial Guide to install Special K.
  2. Start the game once and close it immediately to allow the configuration file of Special K to be created.
  3. Open <path-to-game>\d3d9.ini or %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\Driver San Francisco\SpecialK.ini depending on the used injection method.
  4. Change RefreshRate=-1 to RefreshRate=0 under [Render.FrameRate].
Use ForceFix
  1. Install recommended software and system updates under Ideal Conditions from Steam Guide.
  2. Download version of ForceFix for the used operating system from Steam Guide.
  3. Unpack the archive and launch ForceFix.
  4. For refresh rates above 60 Hz, set frequency under Custom tab and Apply.

Notes

By default, the refresh rate in the game will go back to normal once the program closes. This can be changed by unchecking Restore on Close option.

Installer UI Mode Error

The game may refuse to install on Windows 8 and later with the following error: "The installer cannot run in this UI Mode".
Run the installer (Ubisoft Game Launcher\cache\installers\13\Disk1\InstData\setup.exe) in compatibility mode for Windows 7.[citation needed]
Run the installer with the -i GUI command line argument[citation needed]

Icons in Windows system menus are not removed with uninstallation

Remove the game's registry entry[citation needed]
  1. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\GameUX\Games
  2. Look at the registry data for each entry under this folder until one of them is for the installation folder of Driver: San Francisco.
  3. Delete the registry entry in the Registry Editor by right-clicking it and selecting Delete.

Logitech G920, Logitech G29 wheels not supported

Install game files modification

Go to the site and place files in the installation folder.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio Wwise
Interface Omegame Menus Master
Cutscenes Bink Video

Modifications

Shiny Roads

Restores shininess effect on the roads, like in beta version and E3 demo.
Instructions
  1. Download Shiny Roads mod.
  2. Unpack san_francisco.dngc into <path-to-game>\Install.

Tanner's Dodge Challenger Yellow

Restores the original color of Tanner's challenger, like how it was in E3 demo.
Instructions
  1. Download Tanner's Original Yellow Dodge Challenger mod.
  2. Unpack dngvehicles.sp into <path-to-game>\Install.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium D 3.0 GHz
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ 2.2 GHz
System memory (RAM) 1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 10 GB
Video card (GPU) 256 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
Shader model 4.0 support
Sound (audio device) DirectX 9.0c compatible
macOS (OS X)
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 10.6, 10.7
Processor (CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo
System memory (RAM) 2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 11 GB
Video card (GPU) 512 MB of VRAM


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>/33440/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (33440) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References