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F.E.A.R.

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. cover
Developers
Monolith Productions
Extraction Point TimeGate Studios
Publishers
2005-2008 Sierra Entertainment
2009-present Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Russia SoftClub[1]
Engines
Lithtech Jupiter EX
Release dates
Windows October 18, 2005
Reception
Metacritic 88
IGDB 81
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, FPS
Art styles Realistic
Themes Horror, Contemporary
Series F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. on HowLongToBeat
F.E.A.R. on IGDB
F.E.A.R. on MobyGames
F.E.A.R. on Wikipedia
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. 2005
F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate 2007
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin 2009
F.E.A.R. 3 2011
F.E.A.R. Online 2014

Warnings

GameSpy online services have been shut down (see Network for solutions).

F.E.A.R. is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person action and FPS game in the F.E.A.R. series.

The first expansion pack, Extraction Point, was released in October 2006. The second one, Perseus Mandate, was released in November 2007 as a standalone product and is handled in its own article. In 2006, a multiplayer-only client titled F.E.A.R. Combat was also released.

General information

Official manual
GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions
Steam Community Discussions (Extraction Point)
Steam Community Discussions (Perseus Mandate)

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
SecuROM 7.00.00.0128 DRM, 5 CDs or 1 DVD.
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
Ultimate Shooter Edition. The only version available in Germany.
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
Platinum Edition.
Multiplayer executable creates dormant SecuROM files.[2]
Windows
Green Man Gaming
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
DRM-free after installation through Steam client (notes may include more details)
Complete Pack. Expansions don't require Steam to be running.
Windows
GamersGate (unavailable)
Requires online activation
SecuROM PA DRM
Windows
Steam (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Standalone release. SDK needs fixes in registry.
Windows
The GOG install removes SecuROM, GameSpy, and Punkbuster. GOG is 15.6 GB [136 files], Steam is 16.5 GB [161 files].[3]
Not available for sale on GOG and Steam in Germany.
Free demo versions are available from GameFront: singleplayer, multiplayer, Extraction Point.

Version differences

The Gold Edition includes the base game and the Extraction Point expansion pack.
The Ultimate Shooter Edition includes the base game and both expansion packs.
The Platinum Collection includes the base game, both expansion packs, and a 10-Day Trial demo of World in Conflict.
The Platinum Edition On GOG, includes the base game, both expansion packs, making-of footage, a live action "declassified" Alma interview, and a F.E.A.R. Machinima episode created by Rooster Teeth.
The retail only Director's Cut includes the base game, making-of footage, a live action "declassified" Alma interview, and a F.E.A.R. Machinima episode created by Rooster Teeth, and includes a Dark Horse F.E.A.R. comic book.

F.E.A.R. Combat

In 2006, the multiplayer component of the base game was officially released for free, titled F.E.A.R. Combat.
A fan-maintained client and server are available at F.E.A.R. Combat Community.

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
Extraction Point Demo (standalone) (German website, but demo is in English) 2 CDs on the original release, 1 DVD on the Gold and Platinum Collection Release's.
Windows
Perseus Mandate Standalone, works without original game.
Windows

Essential improvements

Patches

The latest version for the base game is 1.08.
The expansion packs never received official patches.

4 GB patch

4 GB aware patch
Fixes several issues and improves game performance.
Steam users needs to unpack the executables using Steamless before applying the LAA flag.[4] (Only the base game needs this as the expansions don't have any DRM.)
  1. Download and run either of these tools: 4GB Patch or Large Address Aware Tool
  2. Apply the patch to FEAR.exe, FEARXP.exe, and FEARXP2.exe in the games installed directory.

HUD & subtitles scaling patch

The HUD and subtitles do not scale at all, and it is difficult to see and read them on 1080p, 32:9, 21:9, 4K resolutions.
Install HUD & subtitles scaling fix
  1. Go to the Fear HUD & Subtitles fix page and select the version that matches the used resolution. (32:9 and 21:9 users should use the 4K option)
  2. Unzip the download using the password pcgw
  3. Extract the contents of the zip file into the <path-to-game>, and overwrite all files.

Skip intro videos

Skip intro videos via the native config tool
  1. Navigate to the game's folder, open the Config.exe
  2. Move to the Options tab and tick the Disable Movies box.

Game data

In-game general settings.
In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %PUBLIC%\Documents\Monolith Productions\FEAR\settings.cfg
%PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP\settings.cfg
%PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP2\settings.cfg
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/21090/pfx/[Note 1]
Key bindings are stored in %PUBLIC%\Documents\Monolith Productions\FEAR\Profiles\Profile000.gdb (original game), %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP\Profiles\Profile000.gdb (Extraction Point), %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP2\Profiles\Profile000.gdb (Perseus Mandate)

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %PUBLIC%\Documents\Monolith Productions\FEAR\Save\Profile000\SinglePlayer
%PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP\Save\Profile000\SinglePlayer
%PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP2\Save\Profile000\SinglePlayer
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/21090/pfx/[Note 1]
F.E.A.R. has 10 save slots, plus 1 quicksave slot and 1 autosave slot. Additional save slots can be made by creating a new player profile. There is no ability to replay completed levels other than loading a manual save.

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

In-game general video settings.
In-game general video settings.
In-game advanced video settings (for CPU).
In-game advanced video settings (for CPU).
In-game advanced video settings (for GPU, 1/2).
In-game advanced video settings (for GPU, 1/2).
In-game advanced video settings (for GPU, 2/2).
In-game advanced video settings (for GPU, 2/2).

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
Requires Patch 1.08.
Multi-monitor
Requires Patch 1.08.
Ultra-widescreen
Requires Patch 1.08.
4K Ultra HD
Requires Patch 1.08.
Field of view (FOV)
See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See Borderless fullscreen windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Up to 16 samples.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Up to 4x FSAA. Soft shadows are not rendered when enabled.
See Anti-aliasing (AA) for an alternative. Users with an Nvidia graphics card can force high quality SGSSAA with the 0x004010C1 AA flag in the Nvidia Profile Inspector.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Double Buffering.
60 FPS
120+ FPS
Breaks at very high framerates. High FPS also breaks the jump in the Extraction Point expansion.[5] See High framerate.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Widescreen resolution

Widescreen fix is required for Extraction Point only (Steam and GOG versions).
Set custom resolution for Extraction Point[6]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\FEARXP
  2. Right-click on the FEARXP.exe application and click on Properties.
  3. Click the Compatibility tab and tick the Disable fullscreen optimizations box and hit Apply.
  4. Run the game once from Steam and then quit once you reach the main menu. This will generate the settings.cfg file.
  5. Go to %PUBLIC%\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP
  6. Open settings.cfg with a text editor.
  7. Change the "ScreenWidth" "640" and "ScreenHeight" "480" lines to match your resolution.
  8. Save your changes and set the file to read-only.
Set custom resolution for Extraction Point (alternative)
  1. Download Rivarez mod.
  2. Use the tool provided in the Extraction Point folder to set custom resolution.

4K Ultra HD

In-game FSAA setting must be set to Off before enabling 4K resolution, otherwise you will be stuck in a black screen. If this happens, reset resolution via settings.cfg. If you need AA at 4K, see Anti-aliasing (AA).
F.E.A.R maintains 1:1 HUD scaling at all resolutions (i.e. there is no HUD scaling). This has the benefit of keeping HUD elements sharp, but they also may become very small on high-density monitors, such as 4K monitors sized below 30". Use this fix corresponding to your chosen resolution to increase the HUD size.

Field of view (FOV)

This game uses vertical FOV. See FOV Calculator for help.
Set custom FOV[7]
  1. Go to the game's directory:
    • Base game: \FEAR
    • Extraction Point: \FEARXP
    • Perseus Mandate: \FEARXP2
  2. Create a file named autoexec.cfg with a text editor.
  3. If using a widescreen resolution add this line: "FovYWidescreen" "XX.00" where XX is the vertical FOV value. If using a non-widescreen resolution use "FovY" "XX.00"

Windowed

FSAA is unavailable in windowed mode. See Anti-aliasing (AA) for an alternative.
Set windowed mode[citation needed]
  1. Go to the game's directory:
    • Base game: \FEAR
    • Extraction Point: \FEARXP
    • Perseus Mandate: \FEARXP2
  2. Create a file named autoexec.cfg with a text editor.
  3. Add "Windowed" "1" on a new line.

Borderless fullscreen windowed

FSAA is unavailable in windowed mode. See Anti-aliasing (AA) for an alternative.
If this method doesn't work or causes issues, you can try Borderless fullscreen mode.
Set borderless fullscreen windowed mode[citation needed]
  1. Ensure the game's resolution matches your desktop resolution:
    • Launch the game.
    • Go to the game's Options > Display > Resolution and change it accordingly. If it's unsupported, check out Widescreen resolution.
    • Close the game.
  2. Go to the game's directory:
    • Base game: \FEAR
    • Extraction Point: \FEARXP
    • Perseus Mandate: \FEARXP2
  3. Create a file named autoexec.cfg with a text editor.
  4. Add "Windowed" "2" on a new line.

Anti-aliasing (AA)

The Soft Shadows option will have no effect if the FSAA option is enabled.
MSAA solution (Nvidia only)[8]
  1. Open the game and disable the FSAA option.
  2. Download and run Nvidia Profile Inspector.
  3. Search and open the game profile.
  4. Set Antialiasing Compatibility to 0x004000C1.
  5. Set Antialiasing Mode to Override any application setting.
  6. Set Antialiasing Setting to 8x Multisampling or your desired level of MSAA/CSAA.
  7. Apply changes. Do the same for the Extraction Point expansion.

Notes

May have a very negative performance impact even on modern systems.
Alternatively, SMAA is available through an injector.
Another method is forcing MSAA through DgVoodoo2.

High framerate

The game struggles to go above 60 FPS by default.
Even with the following fix, framerates above ~200 FPS causes stuttering and lighting problems. Cap the framerate with a tool such as Rivatuner to prevent this.
Cannot be used with ReShade at the same time. (dinput8.dll conflict).
Apply High FPS Patch
  1. Download the DirectInput FPS Fix
  2. Unzip to <path-to-game> and overwrite all files.

Input

In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.
In-game mouse settings.
In-game mouse settings.
In-game joystick axis map settings.
In-game joystick axis map settings.

Audio

In-game audio settings.
In-game audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Effects, speech, music
Surround sound
Up to 7.0 output.[9] May require DirectSound 3D restoration software.
Subtitles
Subtitles are too small at high resolutions; see Small subtitles.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Pauses on loss of focus.
EAX support
EAX 2, EAX 4.0.[10] EAX sound examples with HRTF mod and ALchemy Some localized (all games) and English (Extraction Point only) has missing radio voice when using HW mixing (required for EAX, Surround sound).
Royalty free audio

Enable EAX without sound card

Install Creative ALchemy
  1. Download and install ALchemy v.1.45.03 Universal.
  2. Download GenericALchemyDerestrictor and put it in the installation folder of Creative Alchemy (default location: C:\Program Files\Creative\ALchemy).
  3. Run "GenericALchemyDerestrictor.exe" as administrator and install.
  4. Reboot PC.
  5. Go to Creative ALchemy folder and open "ALchemy.exe"
  6. Add FEAR.exe, FEARXP.exe, FEARXP2.exe and move them to the "enabled" section.
  7. Turn on EAX options in game.
Should work for most EAX compatible games.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Traditional Chinese
Retail only; Extraction Point was also translated, but Perseus Mandate was not.
French
Retail only.
German
Retail only, censored. For digital versions, download from DeutschPatch or CompiWare. Includes Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate.
Hungarian
Retail only, which is called Gold Edition and includes Extraction Point. Language files available here.
Italian
Retail only. For digital versions, download from here.
Japanese
Untested. Looks like it's possible (includes localizations for the base game and both expansions): https://memoroh.seesaa.net/article/a47445890.html
Polish
Local retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Brazilian Portuguese
Fan translation, download.
Fan translation for Extraction Point, download.
Russian
Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Spanish
Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Turkish
Fan translation for platinium collection, download.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
16 Versus
Online play
16 Versus, Co-op
Install F.E.A.R. Combat Community (SEC2)

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Dedicated server software available for Windows and Linux.
Direct IP
You need to create a shortcut to the game, write the command +join ip:port in the parameters. Then launch the shortcut.

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP 27888
UDP 27888
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes State Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
Disable game crosshair by turning the transparency all the way down and then enable 3DVision 3D crosshair (Ctrl+F12). Any depth adjustments must be done via keyboard shortcuts, as the Nvidia pyramid's scroll wheel will not work.
vorpX
G3D, DirectVR
Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.
Devices
3RD Space Gaming Vest
Novint Falcon

Issues unresolved

Long save times

When playing the game, exiting and launching it again without logging out of Windows, saving can take very long. To work around that, log out and back into the Windows profile (or restart the computer) before re-launching the game.[11]

Issues fixed

TweakGuides has created a comprehensive guide for fixing issues in this game. It can be found here.

Game crashes when loading a map in LAN as a Listen server

Host the game as a dedicated server and then join with the FEAR Combat client.[12]
Run the game in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP2 and disable fullscreen optimizations/display scaling on high DPI settings[citation needed]

"Disconnected from server" when playing singleplayer

Method 1: Apply the 4 GB patch[citation needed]
Method 2: If the game shows this error when loading a level, set texture resolution to Medium[citation needed]

Slow level loading

Occurs only on Windows Vista and 7, because of the special graphic stack WDDM.[13]
Apply the 4 GB patch[citation needed]
Disable Windows Aero[14]

Low frame rate

Frame rate may drop to around 20-30 FPS after a few minutes of play. This is especially common with Logitech devices.
See High framerate

Black screen on ATI/AMD graphics cards

Disable Soft Shadows and Pixel Doubling in the game's settings[citation needed]
Run the game in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP3[citation needed]
Install RuntimePack.[citation needed]

Flickering textures on modern systems

Use dgVoodoo2 wrapper
  1. Download dgVoodoo 2.
  2. Unpack to <path-to-game> the following files: dgVoodooCpl.exe, MS\x86\d3d9.dll.
(nVidia only) Enhancing the in-game AA to SGSSAA may solve this issue as well. (further testing is required)[15]

Broken shadow rendering on Nvidia graphics

Fix shadow corruption[16]
  1. Download the registry tweak.
  2. Run ON_DisableVidMemVBs.reg before you start playing F.E.A.R. to fix shadow corruption.
  3. Run OFF_DisableVidMemVBs.reg after playing F.E.A.R. to disable the tweak. This is needed because this tweak has an extremely negative performance effect for other games. If you don't care about performance in other games, you can leave it on constantly.

Soft shadows do not work combined with FSAA

This is due to the features of the engine and the artificial limitation of the simultaneous use of anti-aliasing with soft shadows, since they can cause graphic artifacts on the shadows.
See Anti-aliasing (AA) for alternative AA solution[8]

Screen shaking, broken physics

This is most likely related to issues with high frame rate
Limit the frame rate to 60 FPS[17][18][19][20]
Turn off FSAA[citation needed]

No dialogue playing

Enable/install Windows Media Player[citation needed]
  • Windows N/KN versions: install Windows Media Player.
  • Windows Vista and later: open the Start screen/Start menu, type OptionalFeatures.exe and press Enter. Then, ensure Windows Media Player is ticked.
  • Windows XP: press Win+R, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter, choose Add/Remove Windows Components. Then, ensure Windows Media Player is enabled in the list.

Missing radio voices when using hardware audio mixing

Some Localized versions have this problem for all games. The English version does not suffer from this issue, except for the Extraction Point expansion.
Install an unofficial fix
  1. Download fix: Russian version; French/German/Spanish/Italian version; English (Extraction Point).
  2. Extract files to <path-to-game>.

No gunshot sound

Install Creative Alchemy[citation needed]
  1. Install Alchemy.
  2. If using a non-Creative sound card, use GenericALchemyDerestrictor as well.

Key mappings are not assigned

Run the game as administrator

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 8, 9.0c
Shader Model support 1.1, 2
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics Havok
Audio EAX Unified, Windows Media Player
Cutscenes Bink Video
Multiplayer GameSpy
Anti-cheat PunkBuster [citation needed]

Official SDK

The Steam version includes the SDK with the game.[21] Make sure you read instructions

DevMode

DevMode gives the ability to use the debug keys in order to trigger commands like hide HUD, stop time, and fast forward and to load any map, including a few demo levels.

F.E.A.R: AI Upscaled Textures Mod

Too unstable on the Retail version (frequent crashes and geometry disappears when hitting a checkpoint).
AI upscaled texture pack that has been processed to aim for stability and upgrading textures that practically improve visual quality.
The installer no longer features a basic install option, but rather includes a separate Lite version of the files to use to overwrite over a full installation for stability.
Supports Extraction Point expansion.
Does not support Perseus Mandate expansion.
Completely replaces some textures with new ones.

Persistent decals

Makes blood, bullet holes etc. permanent.

Use Rivarez Mod[22]
  1. Download and extract Rivarez mod.
  2. Take everything from the folder "Without weapons changes" and copy it to the game folder (where the FEAR.exe is). Confirm override.

Notes

Only works in the base game and Extraction Point, not for Perseus Mandate.
Includes tool for more resolutions in Extraction Point.

Dynamic flashlight

Flashlight will cast dynamic shadows
  1. Download the mod here.
  2. Extract the .Arch00 file for the chosen version of flashlight to <path-to-game>.
  3. Open Default.archcfg in a text editor in FEAR's installation folder.
  4. Add the line LC_FlashlightMod.Arch00 or LC_FlashlightMod_WIDE.Arch00 to the end of the list, corresponding to which mod you installed.

Notes

Only works with the base F.E.A.R. game, Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate expansions are not supported.
LC_FlashlightMod_WIDE.Arch00 casts shadows from your own weapons, which can be a hindrance.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 2000
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium IV 1.7 GHz
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
System memory (RAM) 512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 17 GB [Note 2]
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 4 Ti 4200
ATI Radeon 8500
64 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
Shader model 1.1 support
Sound (audio device) 16-bit DirectX 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>/21090/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (21090) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.
  2. The GOG version of "F.E.A.R. Platinum" takes up 15.6 GB

References

  1. Official page (Russian) - last accessed on 2023-07-27
  2. FEAR installed SecuROM all over my computer. Does anyone know how to get rid of it?, page 9 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023
  3. File Comparison hosted on GDrive - last accessed on May 2023
  4. Verified by User:Aemony on 2022-07-31
    Confirmed just now on my Steam copy. Also note that it is against the wiki policy to provide more instructions regarding Steamless than this.
  5. Steam Community - last accessed on May 2023
  6. Verified by User:Plok on 2022-01-21
  7. F.E.A.R. - Can FOV be changed? - Dead End Thrills - last accessed on May 2023
  8. 8.0 8.1 F.E.A.R.: Anti Aliasing and Soft Shadows – together, on nVidia! » The GAT at XIN.at
  9. PC Gaming Surround Sound Round-up - last accessed on May 2023
  10. Gaming - SoundBlaster.com (retrieved) - last accessed on May 2023
  11. Game Freezing When Saving - last accessed on 2021-02-05
  12. Topic: Game won't start/maps not loading | FEAR Combat Community
  13. DirectX 12 & WDDM 2.0: Reworking the Windows Graphics Stack - last accessed on
  14. [1] - last accessed on
  15. Verified by User:ChaosBahamut on 2020-9-27
  16. F.E.A.R. Shadows are still broken - GeForce Forums - last accessed on 2017-04-16
  17. Steam Community - last accessed on May 2023
  18. Steam Community - last accessed on May 2023
  19. Steam Community - last accessed on May 2023
  20. Steam Community - last accessed on May 2023
  21. FEAR SDK Problem With Steam Version? - Page 2 - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
  22. Reddit - last accessed on May 2023