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Difference between revisions of "Desert Thunder"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
m (updated template usage)
 
(32 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
{{stub}}
 
 
{{Infobox game
 
{{Infobox game
−
|cover        = Desert Thunder cover.jpg
+
|cover        = Desert Thunder (PC Cover).png
 
|developers  =  
 
|developers  =  
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Brainbox Games}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Brainbox Games}}
−
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Hip Games}}
 
 
|publishers  =  
 
|publishers  =  
−
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|KISS ltd}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Groove Games|Retail}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Hip Games}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Funbox Media}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Funbox Media}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Russobit-M|Russia}}
 
|engines      =  
 
|engines      =  
 +
{{Infobox game/row/engine|Unreal Engine 2}}
 
|release dates=  
 
|release dates=  
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|November 19, 2003}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|November 19, 2003}}
 +
|taxonomy    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/modes            | Singleplayer }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/pacing            | Real-time }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/perspectives      | Third-person }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/controls          | Direct control }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/genres            | Action, Shooter, TPS, Vehicle combat }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/vehicles          | Tank }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/art styles        | Realistic }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/themes            | Contemporary, Middle East }}
 
|steam appid  = 283330
 
|steam appid  = 283330
 
|steam appid side  =  
 
|steam appid side  =  
−
|gogcom page  =  
+
|gogcom id    = 1094951883
 +
|official site= https://web.archive.org/web/20051119073939/http://www.groovegames.com/Games/DesertThunder/index.php
 +
|hltb        = 17529
 +
|lutris      = desert-thunder
 +
|igdb        = desert-thunder
 
|strategywiki =  
 
|strategywiki =  
 +
|mobygames    = 19673
 
|wikipedia    =  
 
|wikipedia    =  
 
|winehq      = 9280
 
|winehq      = 9280
 +
|license      = commercial
 +
}}
 +
 +
{{Introduction
 +
|introduction      =
 +
 +
|release history  =
 +
 +
|current state    =
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
'''General information'''
 
'''General information'''
−
{{mm}} [http://steamcommunity.com/app/283330/discussions/ Steam Community Discussions]
+
{{mm}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20051119073939/http://www.groovegames.com/Games/DesertThunder/index.php Official site] - retrieved with Wayback machine from November 19, 2005.
 +
{{GOG.com links|1094951883|desert_thunder}}
 +
{{mm}} [https://steamcommunity.com/app/283330/discussions/ Steam Community Discussions]
  
 
==Availability==
 
==Availability==
 
{{Availability|
 
{{Availability|
 +
{{Availability/row| Retail | | disc | {{DRM|StarForce|3}}. |  | Windows }}
 +
{{Availability/row| Amazon.com | B00J4W918M | Steam | | | Windows }}
 +
{{Availability/row| GamersGate | desert-thunder | Steam | | | Windows }}
 +
{{Availability/row| GOG.com | desert_thunder | DRM-free |  |  | Windows }}
 +
{{Availability/row| GMG | desert-thunder | Steam | | | Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| Steam | 283330 | Steam |  |  | Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| Steam | 283330 | Steam |  |  | Windows }}
 +
{{Availability/row| ZOOM | desert-thunder | DRM-free |  |  | Windows }}
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 30: Line 63:
 
===Configuration file(s) location===
 
===Configuration file(s) location===
 
{{Game data|
 
{{Game data|
−
{{Game data/config|Windows|}}
+
{{Game data/config|Windows|{{p|game}}/System/*.ini}}
 
}}
 
}}
 +
{{ii}} {{file|DT.ini}} contains general settings.
 +
{{ii}} {{file|User.ini}} contains camera FOV, mouse, keyboard/controller bindings and other settings.
  
 
===Save game data location===
 
===Save game data location===
Line 40: Line 75:
 
===[[Glossary:Save game cloud syncing|Save game cloud syncing]]===
 
===[[Glossary:Save game cloud syncing|Save game cloud syncing]]===
 
{{Save game cloud syncing
 
{{Save game cloud syncing
−
|origin               =  
+
|discord                  =
−
|origin notes         =  
+
|discord notes            =
−
|steam cloud           = false
+
|epic games launcher      =
−
|steam cloud notes     =  
+
|epic games launcher notes =
−
|uplay                =  
+
|gog galaxy                = false
−
|uplay notes           =  
+
|gog galaxy notes          =
−
|xbox cloud           =  
+
|origin                   =  
−
|xbox cloud notes     =  
+
|origin notes             =  
 +
|steam cloud               = false
 +
|steam cloud notes         =  
 +
|ubisoft connect          =  
 +
|ubisoft connect notes     =  
 +
|xbox cloud               =  
 +
|xbox cloud notes         =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==Video settings==
+
==Video==
−
{{Video settings
+
{{Video
 
|wsgf link                  =  
 
|wsgf link                  =  
 
|widescreen wsgf award      =  
 
|widescreen wsgf award      =  
Line 57: Line 98:
 
|ultrawidescreen wsgf award =  
 
|ultrawidescreen wsgf award =  
 
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    =  
 
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    =  
−
|widescreen resolution      = unknown
+
|widescreen resolution      = hackable
−
|widescreen resolution notes=  
+
|widescreen resolution notes= See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
−
|multimonitor              = unknown
+
|multimonitor              = hackable
−
|multimonitor notes        =  
+
|multimonitor notes        = See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
−
|ultrawidescreen            = unknown
+
|ultrawidescreen            = hackable
−
|ultrawidescreen notes      =  
+
|ultrawidescreen notes      = See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
−
|4k ultra hd                = unknown
+
|4k ultra hd                = hackable
−
|4k ultra hd notes          =  
+
|4k ultra hd notes          = See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
−
|fov                        = unknown
+
|fov                        = hackable
−
|fov notes                  =  
+
|fov notes                  = See [[#Field of view (FOV)|Field of view (FOV)]].
−
|windowed                  = unknown
+
|windowed                  = true
−
|windowed notes            =  
+
|windowed notes            = You can toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode with {{key|Alt|Enter}}. See [[#Windowed|Windowed]].
−
|borderless windowed        = unknown
+
|borderless windowed        = false
 
|borderless windowed notes  =  
 
|borderless windowed notes  =  
−
|anisotropic                = unknown
+
|anisotropic                = hackable
−
|anisotropic notes          =  
+
|anisotropic notes          = See [[#Anisotropic filtering (AF)|Anisotropic filtering (AF)]].
−
|antialiasing              = unknown
+
|antialiasing              = false
 
|antialiasing notes        =  
 
|antialiasing notes        =  
−
|vsync                      = unknown
+
|vsync                      = hackable
−
|vsync notes                =  
+
|vsync notes                = Off by default. To turn it on, see [[#Vertical sync (Vsync)|Vertical sync (Vsync)]].
−
|60 fps                    = unknown
+
|60 fps                    = true
 
|60 fps notes              =  
 
|60 fps notes              =  
−
|120 fps                    = unknown
+
|120 fps                    = true
−
|120 fps notes              =  
+
|120 fps notes              = See [[#Run the game at screen refresh rate|Run the game at screen refresh rate]].
−
|hdr                        = unknown
+
|hdr                        = false
 
|hdr notes                  =  
 
|hdr notes                  =  
−
|color blind                = unknown
+
|color blind                = false
 
|color blind notes          =  
 
|color blind notes          =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==Input settings==
+
===[[Glossary:Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]]===
−
{{Input settings
+
{{ii}} Custom resolutions can be set manually. Note that image is {{term|Vert-}}, and FOV should be increased to compensate for the first two options.
−
|key remap                = unknown
+
{{Fixbox|description=Set custom resolution in-game|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-07-24}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# While in game, open the console with {{key|~}}.
 +
# Enter <code>setres XXXXxYYYY</code> (for example <code>setres 1920x1080</code>).
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Edit ini file|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-06-07}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# Launch the game at least once then close it.
 +
# Open {{file|{{p|game}}/System/DT.ini}}.
 +
# Go to the <code>[WinDrv.WindowsClient]</code> section.
 +
# Set <code>FullscreenViewportX</code> and <code>FullscreenViewportY</code> to the desired resolution.
 +
 
 +
'''Notes'''
 +
{{--}} HUD is stretched.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Use the [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/2704-desert-thunder-widescreen-fix/ Widescreen Fix]|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-07-15}}</ref>|fix=
 +
 
 +
'''Notes'''
 +
{{++}} Camera FOV is fixed.
 +
{{++}} Menu elements are no longer cropped.
 +
{{--}} HUD and menus are stretched.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Glossary:Field of view (FOV)|Field of view (FOV)]]===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Set default FOV in-game|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-07-24}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# While in game, open the console with {{key|~}}.
 +
# Type <code>fov x</code>, where <code>x</code> is the desired FOV.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Edit ini file|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-06-07}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# Launch the game at least once then close it.
 +
# Open {{file|{{p|game}}/System/User.ini}}.
 +
# Search for the line 34 and change the line to (change <code>x</code> to the desired value):<pre>Aliases[27]=(Command="fov x",Alias=SetFOV)</pre>
 +
# Add <code>SetFOV</code> in front of one of the keyboard letters that says <code><Keyname>=</code>.
 +
# While in-game press the key to activate the new FOV.
 +
 
 +
'''Notes'''
 +
{{--}} Game could start to randomly reset those values. If so, edit those values in {{file|{{p|game}}\System\DefUser.ini}} too.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Glossary:Windowed|Windowed]]===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Edit ini file|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-06-07}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# Launch the game at least once then close it.
 +
# Open {{file|{{p|game}}/System/DT.ini}}.
 +
# Find the section <code>[WinDrv.WindowsClient]</code>.
 +
# In that section, find an entry <code>WindowedViewportX=</code> and set its value to your desired window width.
 +
# In that section, find an entry <code>WindowedViewportY=</code> and set its value to your desired window height.
 +
# Set <code>StartupFullscreen=</code> to <code>False</code> to start the game in windowed mode.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Glossary:Anisotropic filtering (AF)|Anisotropic filtering (AF)]]===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Edit ini file|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-06-07}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# Launch the game at least once then close it.
 +
# Open {{file|{{p|game}}/System/DT.ini}}.
 +
# Change the line <code>LevelOfAnisotropy=1</code> to any value desired (between 1 and 16).
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Glossary:Vertical sync (Vsync)|Vertical sync (Vsync)]]===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Edit ini file|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-06-07}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# Launch the game at least once then close it.
 +
# Open {{file|{{p|game}}/System/DT.ini}}.
 +
# Change the line <code>UseVSync=False</code> to <code>UseVSync=True</code>.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Input==
 +
{{Input
 +
|key remap                = true
 
|key remap notes          =  
 
|key remap notes          =  
−
|acceleration option      = unknown
+
|acceleration option      = hackable
−
|acceleration option notes =  
+
|acceleration option notes = Enabled by default. To disable it, see [[#Mouse acceleration|Mouse acceleration]].
−
|mouse sensitivity        = unknown
+
|mouse sensitivity        = hackable
−
|mouse sensitivity notes  =  
+
|mouse sensitivity notes  = See [[#Mouse sensitivity|Mouse sensitivity]].
−
|mouse menu                = unknown
+
|mouse menu                = true
 
|mouse menu notes          =  
 
|mouse menu notes          =  
−
|invert mouse y-axis      = unknown
+
|invert mouse y-axis      = always on
−
|invert mouse y-axis notes =  
+
|invert mouse y-axis notes = Enabled by default. To disable, set <code>bInvertMouse=</code> in {{file|{{p|game}}/System/User.ini}} to True.
−
|controller support        = false
+
|touchscreen              = false
−
|controller support notes  =  
+
|touchscreen notes        =  
 +
|controller support        = hackable
 +
|controller support notes  = Set <code>UseJoystick=True</code> in {{file|{{p|game}}/System/DT.ini}} under <code>[WinDrv.WindowsClient]</code>.
 
|full controller          = unknown
 
|full controller          = unknown
 
|full controller notes    =  
 
|full controller notes    =  
−
|controller remap          = unknown
+
|controller remap          = hackable
−
|controller remap notes    =  
+
|controller remap notes    = Edit in {{file|{{p|game}}/System/User.ini}}.
−
|controller sensitivity    = unknown
+
|controller sensitivity    = hackable
−
|controller sensitivity notes=  
+
|controller sensitivity notes= Edit in {{file|{{p|game}}/System/User.ini}}.
−
|invert controller y-axis  = unknown
+
|invert controller y-axis  = hackable
−
|invert controller y-axis notes=  
+
|invert controller y-axis notes= Edit in {{file|{{p|game}}/System/User.ini}}.
−
|touchscreen               = unknown
+
|xinput controllers        = unknown
−
|touchscreen notes        =  
+
|xinput controllers notes  =
−
|button prompts           = unknown
+
|xbox prompts              = unknown
−
|button prompts notes     =  
+
|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        = unknown
 
|controller hotplug notes  =  
 
|controller hotplug notes  =  
 
|haptic feedback          = unknown
 
|haptic feedback          = unknown
 
|haptic feedback notes    =  
 
|haptic feedback notes    =  
−
|light bar support        = unknown
+
|simultaneous input        = unknown
−
|light bar support notes   =  
+
|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 =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Glossary:Mouse acceleration|Mouse acceleration]]===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Edit ini file<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-07-24}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# Launch the game at least once then close it.
 +
# Open {{file|{{p|game}}/System/User.ini}}.
 +
# Change the line <code>MouseAccelThreshold=</code> to <code>0</code>.
 +
 
 +
'''Notes'''
 +
{{ii}} [Engine.PlayerInput] entries are created upon inverting mouse y-axis or adjusting sensitivity.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Glossary:Mouse#Sensitivity|Mouse sensitivity]]===
 +
{{ii}} [Engine.PlayerInput] entries are created upon inverting mouse y-axis or adjusting sensitivity in the game settings.
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Set custom sensitivity in-game|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-07-24}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# While in game, open the console with {{key|~}}.
 +
# Enter <code>setsensitivity x</code> (for example <code>setsensitivity 5</code>).
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Edit ini file<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-07-24}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# Open {{file|{{p|game}}/System/User.ini}}.
 +
# Change the line <code>MouseSensitivity=</code> to the desired value.
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==Audio settings==
+
==Audio==
−
{{Audio settings
+
{{Audio
−
|separate volume          = unknown
+
|separate volume          = true
−
|separate volume notes    =  
+
|separate volume notes    = Music, Effects.
−
|surround sound          = unknown
+
|surround sound          = true
−
|surround sound notes    =  
+
|surround sound notes    = Up to 7.0 output with [[Glossary:Sound card#DirectSound hardware path|DirectSound3D restoration software]] or [[Glossary:Sound card#Set up OpenAL|OpenAL]]. See [[#Surround sound|Surround sound]].
−
|subtitles                = n/a
+
|subtitles                = false
 
|subtitles notes          =  
 
|subtitles notes          =  
−
|closed captions          = unknown
+
|closed captions          = false
 
|closed captions notes    =  
 
|closed captions notes    =  
−
|mute on focus lost      = unknown
+
|mute on focus lost      = false
 
|mute on focus lost notes =  
 
|mute on focus lost notes =  
−
|eax support              =  
+
|eax support              = true
−
|eax support notes        =  
+
|eax support notes        = EAX 3.
 +
|royalty free audio        = unknown
 +
|royalty free audio notes  =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Glossary:Surround sound|Surround sound]]===
 +
{{ii}} By default the game ouput to stereo on modern versions of Windows. This will force the game to use the system OpenAL device as ouput and restore surround sound.
 +
{{--}} Forcing the game to use system OpenAL device may lead to audio dropouts, missing and substituted audio samples.
 +
 
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Restore surround sound<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-06-07}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# Launch the game at least once then close it.
 +
# Open {{file|{{p|game}}/System/DT.ini}}.
 +
# Set <code>Use3DSound=True</code> and <code>UseDefaultDriver=False</code>, and save.
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 140: Line 311:
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
|language  = English
 
|language  = English
−
|interface = yes
+
|interface = true
−
|audio    = yes
+
|audio    = true
−
|subtitles = no
+
|subtitles = n/a
 
|notes    =  
 
|notes    =  
 
|fan      =  
 
|fan      =  
−
|fan notes =
 
 
}}
 
}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
==Issues fixed==
 +
===Game's Vsync doesn't work on Windows 8/8.1/10/11===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Use [[dgVoodoo 2]]}}
 +
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Use crosire's d3d8to9 wrapper|fix=
 +
# Download {{file|d3d8.dll}} from [https://github.com/crosire/d3d8to9/releases here].
 +
# Place it in {{folder|{{p|game}}\System\}}.
 +
}}
 +
 +
===Poor performance on Windows 8/8.1/10/11===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Use [[dgVoodoo 2]]}}
 +
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Use crosire's d3d8to9 wrapper|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-06-07}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# Download {{file|d3d8.dll}} from [https://github.com/crosire/d3d8to9/releases here].
 +
# Place it in {{folder|{{p|game}}\System\}}.
 +
}}
 +
 +
===Run the game at screen refresh rate===
 +
{{--}} Maximum selectable refresh rate is 60 Hz. This does not limit FPS, but may set your monitor's refresh rate to 100 Hz, which may result in screen tearing on a 120 or 144 Hz monitor.
 +
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Set fullscreen refresh rate|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=AlphaYellow|date=2023-06-07}}</ref>|fix=
 +
# Launch the game at least once then close it.
 +
# Open {{file|{{p|game}}/System/DT.ini}}.
 +
# Find the line <code>DesiredRefreshRate=60</code>.
 +
# Change the value to set your monitor's refresh rate. For example, 120 or 144.
 +
 +
'''Notes'''
 +
{{ii}} Modifying any video options will undo the custom refresh rate.
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 152: Line 352:
 
===API===
 
===API===
 
{{API
 
{{API
−
|direct3d versions      =  
+
|direct3d versions      = 8
 
|direct3d notes        =  
 
|direct3d notes        =  
 
|directdraw versions    =  
 
|directdraw versions    =  
Line 172: Line 372:
 
|shader model versions  =  
 
|shader model versions  =  
 
|shader model notes    =  
 
|shader model notes    =  
−
|64-bit executable     = unknown
+
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
−
|64-bit executable notes=  
+
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 +
|windows arm app        =
 +
|windows exe notes      =
 +
|macos intel 32-bit app =
 +
|macos intel 64-bit app =
 +
|macos app notes        =
 +
|linux 32-bit executable=  
 +
|linux 64-bit executable=
 +
|linux executable notes =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 181: Line 389:
  
 
|minOS    = 98
 
|minOS    = 98
−
|minCPU  = Intel Pentium III/ 750.0 MHz
+
|minCPU  = Intel Pentium III 750 MHz
 
|minRAM  = 128 MB
 
|minRAM  = 128 MB
 
|minHD    =  
 
|minHD    =  
Line 189: Line 397:
  
 
|recOS    = 2000, XP, ME
 
|recOS    = 2000, XP, ME
−
|recCPU  = PIII/1.4 GHz
+
|recCPU  = Intel Pentium III 1.4 GHz
 
|recRAM  = 256 MB
 
|recRAM  = 256 MB
 
|recHD    =  
 
|recHD    =  
 
|recGPU  =  
 
|recGPU  =  
 
|recVRAM  = 64 MB
 
|recVRAM  = 64 MB
−
|recDX    = 8
+
|recDX    =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
{{References}}
 
{{References}}

Latest revision as of 16:49, 22 March 2024

Desert Thunder
Desert Thunder cover
Developers
Brainbox Games
Publishers
Retail Groove Games
Hip Games
Funbox Media
Russia Russobit-M
Engines
Unreal Engine 2
Release dates
Windows November 19, 2003
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, Shooter, TPS, Vehicle combat
Vehicles Tank
Art styles Realistic
Themes Contemporary, Middle East
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Desert Thunder on HowLongToBeat
Desert Thunder on IGDB
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Desert Thunder on MobyGames
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Desert Thunder is a singleplayer third-person action, shooter, TPS and vehicle combat game.

General information

Official site - retrieved with Wayback machine from November 19, 2005.
GOG.com Community Discussions
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
 StarForce 3 DRM[Note 1].
Windows
Amazon.com
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Windows
GamersGate
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Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
Windows
Green Man Gaming
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Windows
Steam
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Windows
ZOOM Platform
DRM-free
Windows
StarForce DRM for this game does not work on modern versions of Windows (see above for affected versions).

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>/System/*.ini[Note 2]
Steam Play (Linux) <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/283330/pfx/[Note 3]
DT.ini contains general settings.
User.ini contains camera FOV, mouse, keyboard/controller bindings and other settings.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows
Steam Play (Linux) <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/283330/pfx/[Note 3]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor
See Widescreen resolution.
Ultra-widescreen
See Widescreen resolution.
4K Ultra HD
See Widescreen resolution.
Field of view (FOV)
See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
You can toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode with Alt+↵ Enter. See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See Anisotropic filtering (AF).
Anti-aliasing (AA)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Off by default. To turn it on, see Vertical sync (Vsync).
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
See Run the game at screen refresh rate.
High dynamic range display (HDR)

Widescreen resolution

Custom resolutions can be set manually. Note that image is Vert-, and FOV should be increased to compensate for the first two options.
Set custom resolution in-game[5]
  1. While in game, open the console with ~.
  2. Enter setres XXXXxYYYY (for example setres 1920x1080).
Edit ini file[6]
  1. Launch the game at least once then close it.
  2. Open <path-to-game>/System/DT.ini.
  3. Go to the [WinDrv.WindowsClient] section.
  4. Set FullscreenViewportX and FullscreenViewportY to the desired resolution.

Notes

HUD is stretched.
Use the Widescreen Fix[7]

Notes

Camera FOV is fixed.
Menu elements are no longer cropped.
HUD and menus are stretched.

Field of view (FOV)

Set default FOV in-game[8]
  1. While in game, open the console with ~.
  2. Type fov x, where x is the desired FOV.
Edit ini file[9]
  1. Launch the game at least once then close it.
  2. Open <path-to-game>/System/User.ini.
  3. Search for the line 34 and change the line to (change x to the desired value):
    Aliases[27]=(Command="fov x",Alias=SetFOV)
  4. Add SetFOV in front of one of the keyboard letters that says <Keyname>=.
  5. While in-game press the key to activate the new FOV.

Notes

Game could start to randomly reset those values. If so, edit those values in <path-to-game>\System\DefUser.ini too.

Windowed

Edit ini file[10]
  1. Launch the game at least once then close it.
  2. Open <path-to-game>/System/DT.ini.
  3. Find the section [WinDrv.WindowsClient].
  4. In that section, find an entry WindowedViewportX= and set its value to your desired window width.
  5. In that section, find an entry WindowedViewportY= and set its value to your desired window height.
  6. Set StartupFullscreen= to False to start the game in windowed mode.

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

Edit ini file[11]
  1. Launch the game at least once then close it.
  2. Open <path-to-game>/System/DT.ini.
  3. Change the line LevelOfAnisotropy=1 to any value desired (between 1 and 16).

Vertical sync (Vsync)

Edit ini file[12]
  1. Launch the game at least once then close it.
  2. Open <path-to-game>/System/DT.ini.
  3. Change the line UseVSync=False to UseVSync=True.

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Enabled by default. To disable it, see Mouse acceleration.
Mouse sensitivity
See Mouse sensitivity.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Enabled by default. To disable, set bInvertMouse= in <path-to-game>/System/User.ini to True.
Controller
Controller support
Set UseJoystick=True in <path-to-game>/System/DT.ini under [WinDrv.WindowsClient].
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Edit in <path-to-game>/System/User.ini.
Controller sensitivity
Edit in <path-to-game>/System/User.ini.
Controller Y-axis inversion
Edit in <path-to-game>/System/User.ini.
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
PlayStation controllers
Generic/other controllers
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Mouse acceleration

Edit ini file[13]
  1. Launch the game at least once then close it.
  2. Open <path-to-game>/System/User.ini.
  3. Change the line MouseAccelThreshold= to 0.

Notes

[Engine.PlayerInput] entries are created upon inverting mouse y-axis or adjusting sensitivity.

Mouse sensitivity

[Engine.PlayerInput] entries are created upon inverting mouse y-axis or adjusting sensitivity in the game settings.
Set custom sensitivity in-game[14]
  1. While in game, open the console with ~.
  2. Enter setsensitivity x (for example setsensitivity 5).
Edit ini file[15]
  1. Open <path-to-game>/System/User.ini.
  2. Change the line MouseSensitivity= to the desired value.

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Music, Effects.
Surround sound
Up to 7.0 output with DirectSound3D restoration software or OpenAL. See Surround sound.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support
EAX 3.
Royalty free audio

Surround sound

By default the game ouput to stereo on modern versions of Windows. This will force the game to use the system OpenAL device as ouput and restore surround sound.
Forcing the game to use system OpenAL device may lead to audio dropouts, missing and substituted audio samples.
Restore surround sound[16]
  1. Launch the game at least once then close it.
  2. Open <path-to-game>/System/DT.ini.
  3. Set Use3DSound=True and UseDefaultDriver=False, and save.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English

Issues fixed

Game's Vsync doesn't work on Windows 8/8.1/10/11

Use dgVoodoo 2
Use crosire's d3d8to9 wrapper
  1. Download d3d8.dll from here.
  2. Place it in <path-to-game>\System\.

Poor performance on Windows 8/8.1/10/11

Use dgVoodoo 2
Use crosire's d3d8to9 wrapper[17]
  1. Download d3d8.dll from here.
  2. Place it in <path-to-game>\System\.

Run the game at screen refresh rate

Maximum selectable refresh rate is 60 Hz. This does not limit FPS, but may set your monitor's refresh rate to 100 Hz, which may result in screen tearing on a 120 or 144 Hz monitor.
Set fullscreen refresh rate[18]
  1. Launch the game at least once then close it.
  2. Open <path-to-game>/System/DT.ini.
  3. Find the line DesiredRefreshRate=60.
  4. Change the value to set your monitor's refresh rate. For example, 120 or 144.

Notes

Modifying any video options will undo the custom refresh rate.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 8
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98 2000, XP, ME
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium III 750 MHz Intel Pentium III 1.4 GHz
System memory (RAM) 128 MB 256 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)
Video card (GPU) 32 MB of VRAM
DirectX 8 compatible 		64 MB of VRAM


Notes

  1. ↑ This version of StarForce DRM does not work on Windows Vista or later.[1][2][3][4] For supported versions of Windows the StarForce driver may need to be updated manually using SFUPDATE.
  2. ↑ 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. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:

References

  1. ↑ Windows Vista support - StarForce Support
  2. ↑ Windows 7 support - StarForce Support
  3. ↑ Windows 8.1 support - StarForce Support
  4. ↑ Windows 10 support - StarForce Support
  5. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-07-24
  6. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-06-07
  7. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-07-15
  8. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-07-24
  9. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-06-07
  10. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-06-07
  11. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-06-07
  12. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-06-07
  13. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-07-24
  14. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-07-24
  15. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-07-24
  16. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-06-07
  17. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-06-07
  18. ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-06-07