Difference between revisions of "Darkstone"

Latest revision as of 08:06, 1 December 2023

Darkstone is a singleplayer bird's-eye view RPG game.

General information

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SafeDisc DRM^{[Note 1]}.^[3]
GOG.com		Uses GOG's custom DirectDraw wrapper.
Steam
ZOOM Platform

SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).

A free demo version is available from Archive.org.

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Journey in Uma	Released for free. Included in digital releases.

Essential improvements

Patches

The latest patch is v1.05b. Some previous patches are required. The GOG.com version is already fully patched.

Framerate fix

For Windows 8 and later, use the low frame rate fix.

Peixoto's patch

Peixoto's patch allows high resolution, super-sampling anti-aliasing and gets the installer working on 64-bit systems.

Skip intro videos

Run the game with the `-nointro` command line argument.^{[citation needed]}

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\config\*.txt^{[Note 2]}
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/320320/pfx/^{[Note 3]}

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\save^{[Note 2]}
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/320320/pfx/^{[Note 3]}

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

General settings.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		See the WSGF entry.
Multi-monitor		See the WSGF entry.
Ultra-widescreen		See the WSGF entry.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed	See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS	For Windows 8 and later, use the low frame rate fix.
120+ FPS	Capped at 60 FPS.^[4]

Windowed

Use the `-32bit -window` command line arguments.^[5]

The 32-bit parameter must be present or the interface will be broken.^[5]

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		Set in `<path-to-game>\config\keyboard.txt`.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support

Controller types

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		SFX, Music, Voices
Surround sound
Subtitles		Disabled by default.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Spanish
Swedish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Players	Notes
Local play	Not supported (Steam store page is incorrect).^[6]
LAN play	2	Co-op
Online play

Connection types

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

Issues fixed

Broken graphics on AMD graphics cards

Characters and buildings display incorrectly on recent AMD drivers.

3D elements are broken on AMD drivers newer than Catalyst 13.1.^[7]^[8] The -sortbyz command line argument will fix some issues but others remain.^[9]

Use dgVoodoo 2^{[citation needed]}
Download dgVoodoo 2. Extract `dgVoodooCpl.exe` along with the `DDraw.dll` and `D3Dlmm.dll` from the `MS\x86` subfolder to `<path-to-game>`.

Broken interface in windowed mode

Setting 32-bit color mode fixes the windowed mode interface.^[5]

Use the `-32bit` command line argument^[5]

Low frame rate in fullscreen mode

This game has frame rate issues on Windows 8 and later when running in fullscreen mode.

Apply necessary fixes^{[citation needed]}
Install the Darkstone low frame rate fix. Use the `-32bit` command line argument to avoid flickering/invisible graphics.

Issues unresolved

Music stuttering

The in-game music will frequently skip and stutter on modern hardware. There is no known fix.^[10]

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	6

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	Xaudio MPEG Audio Engine
Cutscenes	Windows Media Foundation

Quest Editor

The Darkstone Quest Editor supports adding or editing monsters, NPCs, buildings and quests.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	95	98
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 233 MHz MMX (or AMD equivalent)	Intel Pentium II 350 MHz MMX (or AMD equivalent)
System memory (RAM)	32 MB	64 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	170 MB	380 MB
Video card (GPU)	4 MB of VRAM DirectX 6.1 compatible	4 MB of VRAM

Notes

↑ SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10^[1] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.^[2]
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 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).
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1
Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (320320) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

References

↑ Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16
↑ Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16
↑ Talk:Darkstone — StrategyWiki, the video game walkthrough and strategy guide wiki - last accessed on 9 June 2023
↑ Verified by User:Expack3 on 2019-03-16
Tested by using my monitor's 48 Hz refresh mode, disabling vsync, and simply running the game normally.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 A way to run this in windowed mode?, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com
↑ Local coop :: Darkstone General Discussions - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Game does not work, Cannot send support ticket either...., page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Latest ATI drivers have broken some GOG games on Win7 (info inside), page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Exhaustive List of Command Line Parameters, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Music skipping, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023

[3] SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10^[1] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.^[2]

[gamedir-5] 2.0 ^2.1 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).

[Proton_path_note-6] 3.0 ^3.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
The app ID (320320) may differ in some cases.
Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[4] File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.

[5] Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.

[6] The app ID (320320) may differ in some cases.

[7] Treat backslashes as forward slashes.

[8] See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[1] Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16

[2] Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16

[4] Talk:Darkstone — StrategyWiki, the video game walkthrough and strategy guide wiki - last accessed on 9 June 2023

[7] Verified by User:Expack3 on 2019-03-16
Tested by using my monitor's 48 Hz refresh mode, disabling vsync, and simply running the game normally.

[windowed-8] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 A way to run this in windowed mode?, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com

[9] Local coop :: Darkstone General Discussions - last accessed on May 2023

[10] Game does not work, Cannot send support ticket either...., page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023

[11] Latest ATI drivers have broken some GOG games on Win7 (info inside), page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023

[12] Exhaustive List of Command Line Parameters, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023

[13] Music skipping, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023

[Note 1]

[3]

[Note 2]

[Note 3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 {{Infobox game/row/developer|Delphine Software International}}
 |publishers   =
-{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Gathering of Developers}}
+{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Gathering of Developers|Retail}}
-{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Anuman Interactive}}
+{{Infobox game/row/publisher|VectorCell|GOG.com}}
-{{Infobox game/row/publisher|VectorCell}}
+{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Anuman Interactive|Steam}}
-{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Gravity Europe SAS}}
 |engines      =
 |release dates=
@@ Line 30: / Line 29: @@
 |lutris       = darkstone
 |strategywiki = Darkstone
-|mobygames    = darkstone
+|mobygames    = 591
 |wikipedia    = Darkstone
 |winehq       = 5144
@@ Line 36: / Line 35: @@
 }}
-'''Key points'''
+{{Introduction
-{{ii}} For Windows 8 and later use the [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/382-darkstone-low-frame-rate-fix/ low frame rate fix].
+|introduction      =
-{{++}} A [[#Quest Editor|Quest Editor]] is available for making custom content.
-{{--}} Major graphics glitches on recent AMD drivers (see [[#Broken graphics on AMD graphics cards|Broken graphics on AMD graphics cards]]).
+|release history   =
-{{--}} The in-game music will frequently skip and stutter on modern hardware. There is no known fix.<ref>[https://www.gog.com/forum/darkstone/music_skipping Music skipping, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com]</ref>
+|current state     =
+}}
 '''General information'''
@@ Line 49: / Line 50: @@
 ==Availability==
 {{Availability|
-{{Availability/row| Retail | | disc | {{DRM|SafeDisc}}.<ref>[http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Talk:Darkstone Talk:Darkstone — StrategyWiki, the video game walkthrough and strategy guide wiki]</ref> | | Windows}}
+{{Availability/row| Retail | | disc | {{DRM|SafeDisc}}.<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Talk:Darkstone|title=Talk:Darkstone — StrategyWiki, the video game walkthrough and strategy guide wiki|date=9 June 2023}}</ref> | | Windows}}
-{{Availability/row| GOG.com | darkstone | DRM-free | | | Windows}}
+{{Availability/row| GOG.com | darkstone | DRM-free | Uses GOG's custom DirectDraw wrapper. | | Windows}}
 {{Availability/row| Steam | 320320 | Steam | | | Windows}}
+{{Availability/row| Zoom Platform | darkstone | DRM-free | | | Windows}}
 }}
 {{ii}} A free demo version is available from [https://archive.org/details/DarkstoneDemo Archive.org].
@@ Line 57: / Line 59: @@
 ==Monetization==
 {{DLC|
-{{DLC/row| Journey in Uma | [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304170944/http://www.tgeweb.com/ironworks/darkstone/downloads.shtml Released for free]. | Windows }}
+{{DLC/row| Journey in Uma | [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304170944/http://www.tgeweb.com/ironworks/darkstone/downloads.shtml Released for free]. Included in digital releases. | Windows }}
 }}
 ==Essential improvements==
 ===Patches===
-The latest patch is [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304170944/http://www.tgeweb.com/ironworks/darkstone/downloads.shtml v1.05b]. Some previous patches are required. The GOG.com version is already fully patched.
+{{ii}} The latest patch is [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304170944/http://www.tgeweb.com/ironworks/darkstone/downloads.shtml v1.05b]. Some previous patches are required. The GOG.com version is already fully patched.
+===Framerate fix===
+{{ii}} For Windows 8 and later, use the [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/382-darkstone-low-frame-rate-fix/ low frame rate fix].
 ===Peixoto's patch===
-[https://www.patreon.com/user?u=44312848 Peixoto's patch] allows high resolution, super sampling anti aliasing and gets the installer working on 64 bit windows
+{{ii}} [https://www.patreon.com/user?u=44312848 Peixoto's patch] allows high resolution, super-sampling anti-aliasing and gets the installer working on 64-bit systems.
 ===Skip intro videos===
-{{Fixbox|description=Add -nointro to shortcut|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
+{{Fixbox|description=Run the game with the <code>-nointro</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]].|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-# Go to the shortcut properties.
-# Add <code> -nointro</code> to the end of the target.
-# Click OK to save your changes.
 }}
-===Quest Editor===
-The [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304170944/http://www.tgeweb.com/ironworks/darkstone/downloads.shtml Darkstone Quest Editor] supports adding or editing monsters, NPCs, buildings and quests.
-===Journey in Uma addon===
-[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304170944/http://www.tgeweb.com/ironworks/darkstone/downloads.shtml Journey in Uma] is an official quest pack built with the [[#Quest Editor|Quest Editor]].
 ==Game data==
 ===Configuration file(s) location===
 {{Game data|
-{{Game data/config|Windows|{{p|game}}\config}}
+{{Game data/config|Windows|{{p|game}}\config\*.txt}}
 }}
@@ Line 141: / Line 137: @@
 |vsync notes                =
 |60 fps                     = true
-|60 fps notes               = For Windows 8 and later use the [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/382-darkstone-low-frame-rate-fix/ low frame rate fix].
+|60 fps notes               = For Windows 8 and later, use the [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/382-darkstone-low-frame-rate-fix/ low frame rate fix].
 |120 fps                    = false
 |120 fps notes              = Capped at 60 FPS.<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Expack3|date=2019-03-16|comment=Tested by using my monitor's 48 Hz refresh mode, disabling vsync, and simply running the game normally.}}</ref>
@@ Line 151: / Line 147: @@
 ===[[Glossary:Windowed|Windowed]]===
-{{Fixbox|description=Add -32bit -window to shortcut|ref=<ref name="windowed">[https://www.gog.com/forum/darkstone/a_way_to_run_this_in_windowed_mode A way to run this in windowed mode?, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com]</ref>|fix=
+{{Fixbox|description=Use the <code> -32bit -window</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line arguments]].|ref=<ref name="windowed">[https://www.gog.com/forum/darkstone/a_way_to_run_this_in_windowed_mode A way to run this in windowed mode?, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com]</ref>|fix=
-Use the <code> -32bit -window</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]]s.
+}}
 {{ii}} The 32-bit parameter must be present or the interface will be broken.<ref name="windowed"/>
-}}
 ==Input==
 {{Input
 |key remap                 = hackable
-|key remap notes           = Set in <code>{{p|game}}\config\keyboard.txt</code>.
+|key remap notes           = Set in {{file|{{p|game}}\config\keyboard.txt}}.
 |acceleration option       = false
 |acceleration option notes =
@@ Line 294: / Line 289: @@
 |local play players   =
 |local play modes     =
-|local play notes     = Not supported (Steam store page is incorrect).<ref>[https://steamcommunity.com/app/320320/discussions/0/594820656444739599/ Local coop :: Darkstone General Discussions]</ref>
+|local play notes     = Not supported (Steam store page is incorrect).<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/320320/discussions/0/594820656444739599/|title=Local coop :: Darkstone General Discussions|date=May 2023}}</ref>
 |lan play             = true
 |lan play players     = 2
 |lan play modes       = Co-op
 |lan play notes       =
-|online play          = true
+|online play          = false
-|online play players  = 2
+|online play players  =
-|online play modes    = Co-op
+|online play modes    =
 |online play notes    =
 |asynchronous         =
 |asynchronous notes   =
 }}{{Network/Connections
-|matchmaking        =
+|matchmaking        = false
 |matchmaking notes  =
 |p2p                = true
@@ Line 312: / Line 307: @@
 |dedicated          = false
 |dedicated notes    =
-|self-hosting       = unknown
+|self-hosting       = true
 |self-hosting notes =
 |direct ip          = true
@@ Line 325: / Line 320: @@
 ===Broken graphics on AMD graphics cards===
 {{Image|Darkstone AMD graphics glitch.png|Characters and buildings display incorrectly on recent AMD drivers.}}
-{{--}} 3D elements are broken on AMD drivers newer than Catalyst 13.1.<ref>[https://www.gog.com/forum/darkstone/game_does_not_work_cannot_send_support_ticket_either Game does not work, Cannot send support ticket either...., page 1 - Forum - GOG.com]</ref><ref>[https://www.gog.com/forum/general_archive/latest_ati_drivers_have_broken_some_gog_games_on_win7_info_inside/page1 Latest ATI drivers have broken some GOG games on Win7 (info inside), page 1 - Forum - GOG.com]</ref> The <code>-sortbyz</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]] will fix some issues but others remain.<ref>[https://www.gog.com/forum/darkstone/exhaustive_list_of_command_line_parameters Exhaustive List of Command Line Parameters, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com]</ref>
+{{--}} 3D elements are broken on AMD drivers newer than Catalyst 13.1.<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/forum/darkstone/game_does_not_work_cannot_send_support_ticket_either|title=Game does not work, Cannot send support ticket either...., page 1 - Forum - GOG.com|date=May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/forum/general_archive/latest_ati_drivers_have_broken_some_gog_games_on_win7_info_inside/page1|title=Latest ATI drivers have broken some GOG games on Win7 (info inside), page 1 - Forum - GOG.com|date=May 2023}}</ref> The <code>-sortbyz</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]] will fix some issues but others remain.<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/forum/darkstone/exhaustive_list_of_command_line_parameters|title=Exhaustive List of Command Line Parameters, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com|date=May 2023}}</ref>
-{{Fixbox|description=Use dgVoodoo2|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-# Download [http://dege.freeweb.hu dgVoodoo2].
-# Open the ZIP file downloaded and copy <code>DDraw.dll</code> and <code>D3Dlmm.dll</code> from the MS folder.
-# Paste the file into the installation folder.
-'''Notes'''
+{{Fixbox|description=Use dgVoodoo 2|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{ii}} If you use a multi-monitor setup and intend to play the game fullscreen, you'll also need to extract <code>dgVoodooSetup.exe</code> to the folder of your choosing so you can set the display monitor to your primary (See <code>Readme.txt</code>, included in the ZIP file, for more details).
+# Download [[dgVoodoo 2]].
+# Extract {{file|dgVoodooCpl.exe}} along with the {{file|DDraw.dll}} and {{file|D3Dlmm.dll}} from the {{file|MS\x86|folder}} subfolder to {{file|{{p|game}}|folder}}.
 }}
@@ Line 339: / Line 330: @@
 {{ii}} Setting 32-bit color mode fixes the windowed mode interface.<ref name="windowed"/>
-{{Fixbox|description=Set 32-bit color mode|ref=<ref name="windowed"/>|fix=
+{{Fixbox|description=Use the <code> -32bit</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]]|ref=<ref name="windowed"/>|fix=
-Use the <code> -32bit</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]]
 }}
@@ Line 350: / Line 340: @@
 # Use the <code> -32bit</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]] to avoid flickering/invisible graphics.
 }}
+==Issues unresolved==
+===Music stuttering===
+{{--}} The in-game music will frequently skip and stutter on modern hardware. There is no known fix.<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/forum/darkstone/music_skipping|title=Music skipping, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com|date=May 2023}}</ref>
 ==Other information==
@@ Line 374: / Line 368: @@
 |windows 32-bit exe     = true
 |windows 64-bit exe     = false
-|windows arm app        = unknown
+|windows arm app        = false
 |windows exe notes      =
 |macos intel 32-bit app =
@@ Line 396: / Line 390: @@
 |input            =
 |input notes      =
-|cutscenes        =
+|cutscenes        = Windows Media Foundation
 |cutscenes notes  =
 |multiplayer      =
 |multiplayer notes=
 }}
+===Quest Editor===
+The [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304170944/http://www.tgeweb.com/ironworks/darkstone/downloads.shtml Darkstone Quest Editor] supports adding or editing monsters, NPCs, buildings and quests.
 ==System requirements==
@@ Line 419: / Line 416: @@
 |recHD    = 380 MB
 |recGPU   =
-|recDX    = 6.1
+|recDX    =
 |recVRAM  = 4 MB
 }}
 {{References}}

Developers

	Delphine Software International
Publishers
Retail	Gathering of Developers
GOG.com	VectorCell
Steam	Anuman Interactive
Release dates
Windows	July 27, 1999
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Bird's-eye view
Controls	Point and select
Genres	RPG
Themes	Fantasy