Anonymous edits have been disabled on the wiki. If you want to contribute please login or create an account.

Difference between revisions of "Scratches"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
m (typo)
 
(47 intermediate revisions by 14 users not shown)
Line 10: Line 10:
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|March 8, 2006}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|March 8, 2006}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|OS X|July 28, 2011}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|OS X|July 28, 2011}}
 +
|reception    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/reception|Metacritic|scratches|67}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/reception|OpenCritic||}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/reception|IGDB|scratches|}}
 +
|taxonomy    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/microtransactions | None }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/modes            | Singleplayer }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/pacing            | Relaxed }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/perspectives      | First-person }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/controls          | Point and select }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/genres            | Adventure }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/sports            | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/vehicles          | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/art styles        | Realistic, Pre-rendered graphics }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/themes            | Contemporary, Horror }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series            | }}
 
|steam appid  = 46460
 
|steam appid  = 46460
|gogcom page  = scratches_directors_cut
+
|steam appid side =
 +
|gogcom id    = 1207658952
 +
|gogcom id side =
 +
|official site=
 +
|hltb        = 8189
 +
|igdb        = scratches
 
|strategywiki =  
 
|strategywiki =  
 +
|mobygames    = scratches
 
|wikipedia    = Scratches (video game)
 
|wikipedia    = Scratches (video game)
 
|winehq      = 4388
 
|winehq      = 4388
 +
|license      = commercial
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 20: Line 44:
 
{{++}} Both GOG.com and Steam versions are fully compatible with Windows Vista and later.
 
{{++}} Both GOG.com and Steam versions are fully compatible with Windows Vista and later.
 
{{++}} Retail versions are fully compatible, but require patching and configuration to get working.
 
{{++}} Retail versions are fully compatible, but require patching and configuration to get working.
{{--}} Game removed from GOG.com and Steam in January 2015.<ref name="availability">{{cite web|url=http://steamcommunity.com/app/46460/discussions/0/622954302098336803/?ctp=2#c618459109267275649|title=Game removed from steam}}</ref>
+
{{--}} Game removed from GOG.com and Steam in January 2015.<ref name="availability">{{refurl|url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/46460/discussions/0/622954302098336803/?ctp=2#c618459109267275649|title=Game removed from steam|date=2016-09-27}}</ref>
  
 
'''General information'''
 
'''General information'''
{{GOG.com links|scratches_directors_cut|scratches}}
+
{{GOG.com links|1207658952|scratches}}
{{mm}} [http://steamcommunity.com/app/46460/discussions/ Steam Community Discussions]
+
{{mm}} [https://steamcommunity.com/app/46460/discussions/ Steam Community Discussions]
{{mm}} [http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=1116 Steam Users' Forums]
 
 
{{mm}} [https://talk.senscape.io/ Senscape Forum]
 
{{mm}} [https://talk.senscape.io/ Senscape Forum]
 +
{{mm}} [https://discord.gg/fJfuRVv/ Senscape Discord Community]
  
 
==Availability==
 
==Availability==
 
{{Availability|
 
{{Availability|
{{Availability/row| Retail | | DRM-Free | Has 3 Releases, The Original, Director's Cut, and some copies of Director's Cut came with an extra disc with patches to fix problems in the 1-disc version. | | Windows }}
+
{{Availability/row| Retail | | DRM-free | Has 3 Releases, The Original, Director's Cut, and some copies of Director's Cut came with an extra disc with patches to fix problems in the 1-disc version. | | Windows }}
 +
{{Availability/row| GOG.com | scratches_directors_cut | DRM-free | Director's Cut. | | Windows, OS X | unavailable }}
 +
{{Availability/row| Steam | 46460 | DRM-free | Director's Cut. | | Windows | unavailable }}
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{--}} Game removed from GOG.com and Steam in January 2015.<ref name="availability"/>
 
{{--}} Game removed from GOG.com and Steam in January 2015.<ref name="availability"/>
{{++}} Steam version can be ran without Steam running, and is DRM-free.<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Cheatfreak47|date=2016-09-27}}</ref>
+
{{++}} Steam version can be run without Steam running, and is DRM-free.<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Cheatfreak47|date=2016-09-27}}</ref>
  
 
==Game data==
 
==Game data==
 
===Configuration file(s) location===
 
===Configuration file(s) location===
 
{{Game data|
 
{{Game data|
{{Game data/row|Windows|Director's Cut: {{p|appdata}}\Nucleosys\Scratches Director's Cut\scream.cfg
+
{{Game data/config|Windows|{{p|appdata}}\Nucleosys\Scratches\|{{p|appdata}}\Nucleosys\Scratches Director's Cut\}}
or
+
{{Game data/config|OS X|}}
Original Retail: {{p|appdata}}\Nucleosys\Scratches\scream.cfg}}
 
{{Game data/row|OS X|}}
 
 
}}
 
}}
 +
{{ii}} The {{file|scream.cfg}} location differs between releases.
  
 
===Save game data location===
 
===Save game data location===
 
{{Game data|
 
{{Game data|
{{Game data/row|Windows|}}
+
{{Game data/saves|Windows|{{p|appdata}}\Nucleosys\Scratches\|{{p|appdata}}\Nucleosys\Scratches Director's Cut\}}
{{Game data/row|OS X|}}
+
{{Game data/saves|OS X|}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
===[[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          =
 +
|origin                   =  
 +
|origin notes             =  
 +
|steam cloud               = false
 +
|steam cloud notes        =
 +
|ubisoft connect          =
 +
|ubisoft connect notes    =  
 +
|xbox cloud                =  
 +
|xbox cloud notes         =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
==Video settings==
+
==Video==
{{Video settings
+
{{Image|Scratches - Options.png|Options Menu}}
 +
{{Video
 
|wsgf link                  =  
 
|wsgf link                  =  
 
|widescreen wsgf award      =  
 
|widescreen wsgf award      =  
Line 68: Line 102:
 
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    =  
 
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    =  
 
|widescreen resolution      = false
 
|widescreen resolution      = false
|widescreen resolution notes= 4:3 ratio only. Editing in custom resolutions into <code>scream.cfg</code> causes major issues.
+
|widescreen resolution notes= 1024x768 only. Editing in custom resolutions into <code>scream.cfg</code> causes major issues.
 
|multimonitor              = false
 
|multimonitor              = false
 
|multimonitor notes        =  
 
|multimonitor notes        =  
Line 77: Line 111:
 
|fov                        = false
 
|fov                        = false
 
|fov notes                  =  
 
|fov notes                  =  
|windowed                  = hackable
+
|windowed                  = true
|windowed notes            = Windowed mode is buggy, but can be achieved through editing <code>scream.cfg</code>.
+
|windowed notes            = Achievable through editing <code>scream.cfg</code>. Windowed mode is only playable by turning off "alternate control" from the settings.
 
|borderless windowed        = false
 
|borderless windowed        = false
 
|borderless windowed notes  =  
 
|borderless windowed notes  =  
Line 85: Line 119:
 
|antialiasing              = false
 
|antialiasing              = false
 
|antialiasing notes        =  
 
|antialiasing notes        =  
|vsync                      = true
+
|upscaling                  = unknown
|vsync notes                = On by default. Can be manually toggled by editing <code>scream.cfg</code>
+
|upscaling tech            =
 +
|upscaling notes            =
 +
|vsync                      = always on
 +
|vsync notes                = Can be manually toggled by editing <code>scream.cfg</code>
 
|60 fps                    = true
 
|60 fps                    = true
|60 fps notes              = Game uses software rendering, resulting in absurdly high framerates.
+
|60 fps notes              = Game uses software rendering, resulting in absurdly high frame rates.
 
|120 fps                    = true
 
|120 fps                    = true
|120 fps notes              = Game uses software rendering, resulting in absurdly high framerates.
+
|120 fps notes              = Affects camera speed. See [[#Run the game at screen refresh rate|Run the game at screen refresh rate]].
|color blind                = false
+
|hdr                        = unknown
 +
|hdr notes                  =
 +
|color blind                = unknown
 
|color blind notes          =  
 
|color blind notes          =  
 
}}
 
}}
 +
{{--}} Editing {{file|scream.cfg}} to custom resolutions is not recommended as it can cause major issues.
  
==Input settings==
+
==Input==
{{Input settings
+
{{Input
|key remap                = false
+
|key remap                = true
 
|key remap notes          =  
 
|key remap notes          =  
 
|acceleration option      = false
 
|acceleration option      = false
Line 107: Line 147:
 
|invert mouse y-axis      = false
 
|invert mouse y-axis      = false
 
|invert mouse y-axis notes =  
 
|invert mouse y-axis notes =  
 +
|touchscreen              = false
 +
|touchscreen notes        =
 
|controller support        = false
 
|controller support        = false
 
|controller support notes  =  
 
|controller support notes  =  
|full controller          = false
+
|full controller          = unknown
 
|full controller notes    =  
 
|full controller notes    =  
|controller remap          = false
+
|controller remap          = unknown
 
|controller remap notes    =  
 
|controller remap notes    =  
|controller sensitivity    = false
+
|controller sensitivity    = unknown
 
|controller sensitivity notes=  
 
|controller sensitivity notes=  
|invert controller y-axis  = false
+
|invert controller y-axis  = unknown
 
|invert controller y-axis notes=  
 
|invert controller y-axis notes=  
|touchscreen              = false
 
|touchscreen notes        =
 
|button prompts            = false
 
|button prompts notes      =
 
 
|controller hotplug        = false
 
|controller hotplug        = false
 
|controller hotplug notes  =  
 
|controller hotplug notes  =  
 
|haptic feedback          = false
 
|haptic feedback          = false
 
|haptic feedback notes    =  
 
|haptic feedback notes    =  
|light bar support        = false
+
|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 =  
 
}}
 
}}
 +
{{ii}} Function keys are reserved by the game. It is necessary to re-bind {{key|F12}} to {{key|F3}}, {{key|F6}} or {{key|F11}} to take a screenshot via Steam.
  
==Audio settings==
+
==Audio==
{{Audio settings
+
{{Audio
 
|separate volume          = true
 
|separate volume          = true
 
|separate volume notes    =  
 
|separate volume notes    =  
Line 137: Line 186:
 
|subtitles                = true
 
|subtitles                = true
 
|subtitles notes          =  
 
|subtitles notes          =  
|closed captions          = true
+
|closed captions          = false
 
|closed captions notes    =  
 
|closed captions notes    =  
|mute on focus lost      = true
+
|mute on focus lost      = false
 
|mute on focus lost notes =  
 
|mute on focus lost notes =  
 
|eax support              =  
 
|eax support              =  
|eax support notes        =  
+
|eax support notes         =
 +
|royalty free audio       = unknown
 +
|royalty free audio notes  =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 148: Line 199:
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = English
 
  |language  = English
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = yes
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
  |notes    =  
 
  |notes    =  
 
  |fan      =  
 
  |fan      =  
  |fan notes =  
+
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Spanish
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = true
 +
|subtitles = true
 +
|notes    = Retail version, [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=357482599 download].
 +
  |fan       =  
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
==Issues fixed==
 
==Issues fixed==
===Retail versions of the game BSoD modern Windows===
+
===BSoD on modern Windows (Retail)===
Attempting to run the original Scratches or Scratches: Director's Cut on Windows Vista or above will cause Windows to crash to a blue screen.
+
{{ii}} Attempting to run the original Scratches or Scratches: Director's Cut on Windows Vista or above will cause Windows to crash to a blue screen.
 
{{ii}} This issue is caused by how modern Windows handles an outdated call for the monitor refresh rate.
 
{{ii}} This issue is caused by how modern Windows handles an outdated call for the monitor refresh rate.
  
{{Fixbox|1=
+
{{Fixbox|description=Manually the edit configuration refresh rate|ref=<ref name="fix1">{{refurl|url=https://talk.senscape.io/t/problems-running-scratches-on-win-7/812|title=Problems running Scratches on Win 7?|date=2016-09-27}}</ref>|fix=
{{Fixbox/fix|Manually the edit configuration refresh rate|ref=<ref name="fix1">{{cite web|url=https://talk.senscape.io/t/problems-running-scratches-on-win-7/812|title=Problems running Scratches on Win 7?}}</ref>}}
+
# Go to the [[#Game data|configuration file(s) location]].
# Open <code>scream.cfg</code> at it's path mentioned above.
+
# Open <code>scream.cfg</code>.
 
# Change <code>RATE 0</code> to <code>RATE 60</code>.
 
# Change <code>RATE 0</code> to <code>RATE 60</code>.
 
# Save the file.
 
# Save the file.
Line 172: Line 230:
 
}}
 
}}
  
===Retail versions of Scratches crashing in-game===
+
===Crashing in-game (Retail)===
The original version of Scratches is prone to crashing on modern computers.
+
{{ii}} The original version of Scratches is prone to crashing on modern computers.
 
{{ii}} This issue was initially due to features that were added to Intel CPUs at the time, features that have since become standard in all Intel CPUs.
 
{{ii}} This issue was initially due to features that were added to Intel CPUs at the time, features that have since become standard in all Intel CPUs.
  
{{Fixbox|1=
+
{{Fixbox|description=Download and install an official patch|ref=<ref name="fix2">{{refurl|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228192407/http://nucleosys.com/site/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/gid,19/Itemid,29|title=Mirror of the Nucleosys downloads page|date=2016-09-27}}</ref>|fix=
{{Fixbox/fix|Download and install an official patch|ref=<ref name="fix2">{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20090228192407/http://nucleosys.com/site/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/gid,19/Itemid,29|title=Mirror of the Nucleosys downloads page}}</ref>}}
+
# Download and [https://web.archive.org/web/20090228192407/http://www.nucleosys.com/site/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,7/Itemid,29/ install this patch] for Scratches. A mirror of this patch is available [https://mega.nz/#!QhdgVS4R!JL8PuefIe0SVWmM3QAEE1R2xVsZOszHuxPsqFeBsr_U here].
# Download and [http://web.archive.org/web/20090228192407/http://www.nucleosys.com/site/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,7/Itemid,29/ install this patch] for Scratches. A mirror of this patch is available [https://mega.nz/#!QhdgVS4R!JL8PuefIe0SVWmM3QAEE1R2xVsZOszHuxPsqFeBsr_U here].
 
  
 
'''Notes'''
 
'''Notes'''
Line 185: Line 242:
 
}}
 
}}
  
===Retail versions of Scratches: Director's Cut crashing during The Last Visit===
+
===Crashing during The Last Visit (Retail)===
The initial release of Scratches Director's Cut came with only one disc, which contained a game breaking bug that would cause the game to crash during the additional content chapter of the game.  
+
{{ii}} The initial release of Scratches Director's Cut came with only one disc, which contained a game breaking bug that would cause the game to crash during the additional content chapter of the game.  
{{ii}}Future releases had two discs, with the second disc containing copies of the patches below, as such this issue should not be present on those copies, so long as the patches on Disc 2 are installed.
+
{{ii}} Future releases had two discs, with the second disc containing copies of the patches below, as such this issue should not be present on those copies, so long as the patches on Disc 2 are installed.
  
{{Fixbox|1=
+
{{Fixbox|description=Download and install a patch and an update|ref=<ref name="fix2"/>|fix=
{{Fixbox/fix|Download and install a patch and an update|ref=<ref name="fix2"/>}}
+
# Download and [https://web.archive.org/web/20090228192407/http://www.nucleosys.com/site/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,8/Itemid,29/ install this patch] for Scratches Director's Cut. A mirror of this patch is available [https://mega.nz/#!kkcC3Q7K!pILT4C3w-Y7fxMXpg_p8kdg9TAS5GrXOvfE_mrWFWpU here].
# Download and [http://web.archive.org/web/20090228192407/http://www.nucleosys.com/site/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,8/Itemid,29/ install this patch] for Scratches Director's Cut. A mirror of this patch is available [https://mega.nz/#!kkcC3Q7K!pILT4C3w-Y7fxMXpg_p8kdg9TAS5GrXOvfE_mrWFWpU here].
 
 
# Download and [https://mega.nz/#!kpNVxbbC!ql60ClH4zHcTvWMyHI9qp99UJHRbDlFAO3YvjXYVrEs install this update] for Scratches Director's Cut.
 
# Download and [https://mega.nz/#!kpNVxbbC!ql60ClH4zHcTvWMyHI9qp99UJHRbDlFAO3YvjXYVrEs install this update] for Scratches Director's Cut.
  
Line 197: Line 253:
 
{{ii}} Only a mirror is available for the update because of Wayback Machine's file size limit.
 
{{ii}} Only a mirror is available for the update because of Wayback Machine's file size limit.
 
{{++}} The update dramatically improves the visuals of the game overall, and fixes some minor visual bugs.
 
{{++}} The update dramatically improves the visuals of the game overall, and fixes some minor visual bugs.
 +
}}
 +
 +
===Run the game at screen refresh rate===
 +
{{--}} Fullscreen mode defaults to 60&nbsp;Hz, even if the screen refresh rate is set higher than that.
 +
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Set screen refresh rate|ref={{cn|date=July 2017}}|fix=
 +
# Go to the [[#Game data|configuration file(s) location]].
 +
# Open <code>scream.cfg</code>.
 +
# Change <code>RATE 60</code> to the screen refresh rate (e.g. <code>RATE 120</code>).
 +
}}
 +
 +
===Camera speed is too fast / Movement problems (Windows 10)===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=[[Glossary:Frame rate (FPS)#Frame rate capping|Cap the frame rate at 60 FPS]]|ref={{cn|date=July 2017}}}}
 +
{{Fixbox|description=[[Windows Compatibility Mode|Set Windows compatibility mode to "Windows XP SP3"]]}}
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Change in-game options|fix=
 +
*Set '''Camera speed''' to '''Slow'''.
 +
*Set '''Slideshow''' to '''Off'''.
 +
*Set '''Alternate controls''' to '''Disabled'''.
 +
}}
 +
 +
==Other information==
 +
===API===
 +
{{API
 +
|direct3d versions      = 9.0c
 +
|direct3d notes        = Steam release
 +
|directdraw versions    =
 +
|directdraw notes      =
 +
|opengl versions        = true
 +
|opengl notes          =
 +
|glide versions        =
 +
|glide notes            =
 +
|software mode          =
 +
|software mode notes    =
 +
|mantle support        =
 +
|mantle support notes  =
 +
|metal support          =
 +
|metal support notes    =
 +
|vulkan versions        =
 +
|vulkan notes          =
 +
|dos modes              =
 +
|dos modes notes        =
 +
|shader model versions  =
 +
|shader model notes    =
 +
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 +
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 +
|windows arm app        = unknown
 +
|windows exe notes      =
 +
|mac os x powerpc app  =
 +
|macos intel 32-bit app = unknown
 +
|macos intel 64-bit app = unknown
 +
|macos arm app          =
 +
|macos app notes        =
 +
|linux 32-bit executable= unknown
 +
|linux 64-bit executable= unknown
 +
|linux arm app          = unknown
 +
|linux executable notes =
 +
}}
 +
 +
===Middleware===
 +
{{Middleware
 +
|physics          =
 +
|physics notes    =
 +
|audio            = OpenAL
 +
|audio notes      =
 +
|interface        =
 +
|interface notes  =
 +
|input            =
 +
|input notes      =
 +
|cutscenes        =
 +
|cutscenes notes  =
 +
|multiplayer      =
 +
|multiplayer notes=
 +
|anticheat        =
 +
|anticheat notes  =
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 203: Line 333:
 
|OSfamily = Windows
 
|OSfamily = Windows
  
|minOS    = XP, Vista, 7
+
|minOS    = XP
 
|minCPU  = 1.0 GHz
 
|minCPU  = 1.0 GHz
 
|minRAM  = 256 MB
 
|minRAM  = 256 MB
 
|minHD    = 500 MB
 
|minHD    = 500 MB
 
|minVRAM  = 64 MB
 
|minVRAM  = 64 MB
 +
|minGPU  =
 
|minDX    = 9.0c
 
|minDX    = 9.0c
 
|minOGL  = 1.2
 
|minOGL  = 1.2
 +
|minaudio = Sound card with DirectX 9.0c support
 +
 +
|recOS    = Vista, 7
 
}}
 
}}
  

Latest revision as of 01:12, 7 May 2023

Scratches
Scratches cover
Developers
Nucleosys
Publishers
Got Game Entertainment
Meridian4
Release dates
Windows March 8, 2006
macOS (OS X) July 28, 2011
Reception
Metacritic 67
Taxonomy
Microtransactions None
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Relaxed
Perspectives First-person
Controls Point and select
Genres Adventure
Art styles Realistic, Pre-rendered graphics
Themes Contemporary, Horror
Scratches on HowLongToBeat
Scratches on IGDB
Scratches on MobyGames
Scratches on Wikipedia

Key points

Both GOG.com and Steam versions are fully compatible with Windows Vista and later.
Retail versions are fully compatible, but require patching and configuration to get working.
Game removed from GOG.com and Steam in January 2015.[1]

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions
Senscape Forum
Senscape Discord Community

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
DRM-free
Has 3 Releases, The Original, Director's Cut, and some copies of Director's Cut came with an extra disc with patches to fix problems in the 1-disc version.
Windows
GOG.com (unavailable)
DRM-free
Director's Cut.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Steam (unavailable)
DRM-free after installation through Steam client (notes may include more details)
Director's Cut.
Windows
Game removed from GOG.com and Steam in January 2015.[1]
Steam version can be run without Steam running, and is DRM-free.[2]

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %APPDATA%\Nucleosys\Scratches\
%APPDATA%\Nucleosys\Scratches Director's Cut\
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/46460/pfx/[Note 1]
The scream.cfg location differs between releases.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %APPDATA%\Nucleosys\Scratches\
%APPDATA%\Nucleosys\Scratches Director's Cut\
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/46460/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

Options Menu
Options Menu

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
1024x768 only. Editing in custom resolutions into scream.cfg causes major issues.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Achievable through editing scream.cfg. Windowed mode is only playable by turning off "alternate control" from the settings.
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)
Can be manually toggled by editing scream.cfg
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
Game uses software rendering, resulting in absurdly high frame rates.
Affects camera speed. See Run the game at screen refresh rate.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Editing scream.cfg to custom resolutions is not recommended as it can cause major issues.

Input

Function keys are reserved by the game. It is necessary to re-bind F12 to F3, F6 or F11 to take a screenshot via Steam.

Audio

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

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Spanish
Retail version, download.

Issues fixed

BSoD on modern Windows (Retail)

Attempting to run the original Scratches or Scratches: Director's Cut on Windows Vista or above will cause Windows to crash to a blue screen.
This issue is caused by how modern Windows handles an outdated call for the monitor refresh rate.
Manually the edit configuration refresh rate[3]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open scream.cfg.
  3. Change RATE 0 to RATE 60.
  4. Save the file.

Notes

The explanation for the problem and how it can be fixed was provided by the original developer of the game.

Crashing in-game (Retail)

The original version of Scratches is prone to crashing on modern computers.
This issue was initially due to features that were added to Intel CPUs at the time, features that have since become standard in all Intel CPUs.
Download and install an official patch[4]
  1. Download and install this patch for Scratches. A mirror of this patch is available here.

Notes

This patch was provided by the original developers during this game's original run.
This patch will break compatibility with existing save files.

Crashing during The Last Visit (Retail)

The initial release of Scratches Director's Cut came with only one disc, which contained a game breaking bug that would cause the game to crash during the additional content chapter of the game.
Future releases had two discs, with the second disc containing copies of the patches below, as such this issue should not be present on those copies, so long as the patches on Disc 2 are installed.
Download and install a patch and an update[4]
  1. Download and install this patch for Scratches Director's Cut. A mirror of this patch is available here.
  2. Download and install this update for Scratches Director's Cut.

Notes

Only a mirror is available for the update because of Wayback Machine's file size limit.
The update dramatically improves the visuals of the game overall, and fixes some minor visual bugs.

Run the game at screen refresh rate

Fullscreen mode defaults to 60 Hz, even if the screen refresh rate is set higher than that.
Set screen refresh rate[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open scream.cfg.
  3. Change RATE 60 to the screen refresh rate (e.g. RATE 120).

Camera speed is too fast / Movement problems (Windows 10)

Cap the frame rate at 60 FPS[citation needed]
Set Windows compatibility mode to "Windows XP SP3"
Change in-game options
  • Set Camera speed to Slow.
  • Set Slideshow to Off.
  • Set Alternate controls to Disabled.

Other information

API

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

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio OpenAL

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP
Processor (CPU) 1.0 GHz
System memory (RAM) 256 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 500 MB
Video card (GPU) 64 MB of VRAM
OpenGL 1.2 compatible
DirectX 9.0c compatible
Sound (audio device) Sound card with DirectX 9.0c support
macOS (OS X)
Minimum
Operating system (OS) 10.6.8
Processor (CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz
System memory (RAM) 512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)
Video card (GPU) 64 MB of VRAM
OpenGL 1.2 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>/46460/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (46460) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Game removed from steam - last accessed on 2016-09-27
  2. Verified by User:Cheatfreak47 on 2016-09-27
  3. Problems running Scratches on Win 7? - last accessed on 2016-09-27
  4. 4.0 4.1 Mirror of the Nucleosys downloads page - last accessed on 2016-09-27