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Gothic

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games

This page is for the original 2001 PC release. For the remake, see Gothic 1 Remake.

Gothic
Gothic cover
Developers
Piranha Bytes
Publishers
2001 DTP Entertainment
2001 Egmont Interactive
2002-2011 JoWood Productions
2011-2016 Nordic Games
2016-present THQ Nordic
Retail (USA) Xicat Interactive
Retail (Russia) Snowball Studio
Retail (Russia) Russobit-M
Engines
ZenGin
Release dates
Windows March 15, 2001
Reception
Metacritic 81
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres RPG, ARPG
Themes Fantasy
Series Gothic
Gothic on HowLongToBeat
Gothic on IGDB
Gothic guide on StrategyWiki
Gothic on MobyGames
Gothic on Wikipedia
Gothic
Gothic 2001
Gothic II 2002
Gothic 3 2006
Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods 2008
Arcania: Gothic 4 2010
Arcania: Fall of Setarrif 2011
Gothic Playable Teaser 2019
The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos (unofficial mod) 2021
Gothic 1 Remake TBA

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
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)
Install the version 1.08k patch.
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
Windows
Steam
DRM-free after installation through Steam client (notes may include more details)
Only sold as part of bundles. Player-Kit and SystemPack (version 1.8) included since March 2021. Doesn't require Steam after installation.
Windows

Version differences

The original German release included a performance by In Extremo that was omitted from later German releases and all international versions. Use the In Extremo Mod.
The Russian Gothic: Collector's Edition includes Gothic and the Diccuric mod.
The German Gothic Collector's Edition includes Gothic along with Gothic II and its expansion.

Demos

You can download an English demo and a German demo from World of Gothic. You might have to copy the download link on the page into your browser.

Essential improvements

Patches

The latest retail patch is version 1.08k. Some digital distribution versions already include this patch. To check your current patch version look at the bottom right of the main menu box.

Union (SystemPack 2.0)

Alternative version of the SystemPack called Union (also referred to as SystemPack 2.0) provides additional bug fixes and engine improvements, including improved performance, steam overlay support and 64-bit patch for x64 systems.

It is advised to use Union instead of the original SystemPack as the latter is no longer developed.
Already contains Player-Kit in its installation (Union Primary Universal Patch).
Install Union (SystemPack 2.0)
  1. Download and install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2010.
  2. Download and install the "Union Primary Universal Patch" from the link above.
  3. Download and install "Union 1.0m" from the link above.
  4. Launch the game.
If Union is properly installed, its version will appear on the right side of the main menu.
Alternative option for download through Steam Workshop.

Gothic 1 Community Patch

Fixes mostly story- and script-related bugs.

It is recommended to use this patch in combination with Union.
Install Gothic 1 Community Patch
  1. Download and install the latest version of Ninja: https://github.com/szapp/Ninja/releases
  2. Download and install the the latest version of the Gothic 1 Community Patch: https://github.com/AmProsius/gothic-1-community-patch/releases
You can check if Ninja was properly installed by opening the console and typing "Ninja". If it was installed, it will tell you what (if any) patches are installed.
If the Community Patch is properly installed, its version will appear on the left side of the main menu.
Ninja and the Community Patch are also available on the Steam Workshop and recommended for Steam users.

Skip intro videos

Change playLogoVideos setting[1]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Edit gothic.ini.
  3. Change playLogoVideos=1 to playLogoVideos=0
  4. Save the changes. The game will now go directly to the main menu when launched.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\system\GOTHIC.INI[Note 1]
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/65540/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\Saves\[Note 1]
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/65540/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

Video settings.
Video settings.
Graphic settings.
Graphic settings.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
Only some resolutions listed; see Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor
Use Union (SystemPack 2.0).
Ultra-widescreen
Use Union (SystemPack 2.0).
4K Ultra HD
Use Union (SystemPack 2.0).
Field of view (FOV)
Use Union (SystemPack 2.0).
Windowed
Works with limitations; see Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Works with limitations; see Borderless fullscreen windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Forcing in the graphics card's control panel may cause black videos.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
60 FPS
Capped at 25 FPS by default; use Union (SystemPack 2.0).
120+ FPS
Use Union (SystemPack 2.0). Framerate affects sliding on terrain.[1]

Widescreen resolution

Gothic only has native support for 1280x720, 1280x768, 1280x800, and 1440x900.
Use other widescreen resolutions[2]
  1. Go to the installation folder.
  2. Go into system
  3. Make a shortcut for the Gothic executable:
    • If the Player-Kit is not installed, make a shortcut to Gothic.exe
    • If the Player-Kit is installed, make a shortcut to GothicMod.exe
  4. Right click the shortcut and choose Properties.
  5. Paste the following onto the end of the Target field:
    -zRes:XXXX,XXXX,32
  6. Replace the XXXX parts with the width and height of your resolution.
  7. Click Apply. Use this shortcut to launch the game with your chosen resolution.

Windowed

Task-switching may cause repeated Tab input when you return to the game (simply press Tab again to make it work normally).
Task-switching during video cutscenes will crash the game (there are only four during the game, not counting the intro and ending).
Change zStartupWindowed setting[1]
  1. Run the game at least once.
  2. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  3. Edit gothic.ini
  4. Change zStartupWindowed=0 to zStartupWindowed=1
  5. Change scaleVideos=1 to scaleVideos=0 (otherwise videos render in the corner of the screen).
  6. Save your changes.

Borderless fullscreen windowed

See Windowed for the limitations of this mode.
Set up borderless fullscreen windowed mode[1]
  1. Install the Union (SystemPack 2.0).
  2. Set zStartupWindowed=1 in Gothic.ini (see Windowed).
  3. Set your desktop resolution in-game. Gothic should now display as a fullscreen borderless window.

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
No cursor; buttons and wheel work but can't change settings.
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Set in Settings, Game, Invert View.
Controller
Controller support
Controller types

Audio

Audio settings.
Audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Sound and music.
Surround sound
Change Speakers to Surround.
Subtitles
Disabled by default; set in Settings, Game, Subtitles.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Not supported.
EAX support
Change Soundprovider to EAX 2. Hardware accelerated DirectSound3D and EAX2 (on compatible sound cards with restoration software like ALchemy or 3D SoundBack) isn't available until the fix is applied.
Royalty free audio
Original German release features music by In Extremo; unmodded modern releases exclusively use royalty free audio.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Czech
German
Italian
Available in the LangPack.
Polish
Russian
Only two translations, by Snowball Studios (1C-SoftClub) and Russobit-M. Steam version uses localization by Snowball Studios
Spanish

VR support

3D modes State Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
See Helix Mod: Gothic [DX11].
vorpX
G3D
Included in DGVoodoo2 Default Profile.
Note: Profile may not work with the latest wrapper, in case of issues please report to the vorpx forum.

Issues unresolved

ATI 1xxx invisible inventory items

Inventory item graphics turn invisible on ATI 1xxx cards (the items themselves are still there). There is no known fix.
One potential fix is to add zInventoryItemsDistanceScale=2.0 under [GAME] in GOTHIC.INI.[3]

Issues fixed

Black videos (sound but no picture)

This is caused by forcing anti-aliasing. Either method below will fix this.
Disable video card anti-aliasing[citation needed]
  1. Open your graphics card's control panel.
  2. Set anti-aliasing to Application-Controlled.
  3. Apply the changes.
Disable video scaling[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Edit gothic.ini
  3. Change scaleVideos=1 to scaleVideos=0
  4. Save your changes. Videos will now display centred.

Game menus display zoomed in, cutting off information but still function

Fix incorrectly sized menu (Main and In Game)[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Edit Systempack.ini
  3. Change Scale=1 to Scale=0 in the [INTERFACE] section
  4. Save your changes. Menus will now display properly.

Window border visible in fullscreen mode

Gothic and Gothic II show a window border in fullscreen mode on Windows 8 and later.
The GOG.com version already includes this fix.
Apply the fix[citation needed]

Install the Union (SystemPack 2.0).

Poor performance

Use Union (SystemPack 2.0).

Access violation errors (Steam)

Disable Steam Community In-Game overlay[citation needed]
  1. Right-click the game in the Steam Library.
  2. Choose Properties.
  3. Uncheck Enable Steam Community In-Game.
  4. Click Close to save your changes.

Notes

Browsing to the game's Steam folder and running as Administrator will work as well, if disabling the in-game overlay does not.[citation needed]

Access Violation / Assertion Failed error when saving

This can be caused by deleting the saves folder.
Make saves folder[citation needed]
  1. Go to the installation folder.
  2. Make a folder called saves.
If you want to delete saves in the future delete the individual saves within the folder, not the saves folder itself.

Gate cutscene doesn't play, gate won't open

A gate in the final area won't open when playing with the Player-Kit due to the cutscene not playing.
Use Union (SystemPack 2.0).

Can't Alt+Tab (GOG.com)

The GOG.com version prevents task switching to avoid some potential issues (e.g. crashing during FMV cutscenes).
Remove GOG.com fix[citation needed]
  1. Open Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl).
  2. Find and remove the GOG.com Gothic entry.
  3. If you are using Windows 8 or later, install the Union (SystemPack 2.0).
  4. Gothic will now allow you to task switch at any time.

Constant Tab input after Alt+Tab

After task switching the game may constantly repeat Tab input; press Tab again to stop this.

Game Starts, but screen is black

If you have multiple monitors, disable/unplug all of them except the one that you're using to play Gothic.

Game reverts back to Miles Fast even after EAX restoration software is installed

Gothic doesn't see dsound.dll wrapper from EAX restoration software.
Create pre.load file, which orders game to load dsound.dll wrapper[4]
  1. Open Notepad.
  2. Write exactly dsound.dll to document.
  3. Save the document exactly as pre.load to <path-to-game>\System\
  4. Launch game, change sound provider to Creative EAX 2 and quit. Launch game again and check if sound provider is still the same.

Notes

Users with Union (SystemPack 2.0) patch need to put dsound.dll (and dsound.ini) to <path-to-game>\System\autorun [5]
Users with old SystemPack installed have to change FixMss=1 to FixMss=0 in SystemPack.ini configuration file. SystemPack uses own implementation of restoring surround sound, which is purely software and because of that EAX restoration software won't make effect if FixMss is set to 1.

Crash on launch on Intel iGPUs (12th Gen CPU and later)

Use Gothic LegacyAltRenderer
Compared with D3D11 Renderer below, it's DX9 renderer providing better performance than stock renderer, and it's more friendly for low-end configurations - without more demanding graphic effects like in DX11 renderer.

Other information

D3D11 Renderer

D3D11 Renderer replaces Gothic's old DX7 API with a new DX11 one that improves compatibility on new systems and provides additional features e.g. higher quality shadows.

Install D3D11 Renderer
  1. Download and install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2022.
  2. Download D3D11 Renderer from the link above.
  3. Extract contents of downloaded archive into <path-to-game>\system\ folder.
  4. Launch the game.
D3D11 Renderer's configuration menu can be accessed in-game by pressing F11.
Alternative option for download through Steam Workshop.

Spine Management Tool

Spine is a simple, however with the advent of Union, now outdated, modification manager that allows you to easily install the D3D11 renderer and other useful tools via a database tab, as well as pre-emptively installing the Systempack for either game and updating the games to the proper patch version.

Setting up Spine
  1. Download the .exe and install it in any desired place in its own folder.
  2. Start the tool, and direct it to Gothic's installation folder. Tick the Steam box to the right of the directory if using the Steam version. Spine also has a auto-detect function right below the directories.
  3. The manager will download the basic necessities for the installed games by default, like the Player-Kit and SystemPack. It also features Ninja for inter-mod compatibility and will automatically enable it if you tick mods that require it.

Notes:

You can now browse the database tab for other mods or tools and easily install them on the go.
The library tab will act as your game launcher and allow you to launch different mods without affecting the base game installation. Patches and tools you can enable/disable will appear on the right side.
You do not need to make an account unless you're interested in the community-related features that do not have a direct impact on the game.

Restore Velaya's original behavior

In the original German version of the game, the NPC Velaya bathes in Gomez's room completely naked at certain times of day. Subsequent releases gave her a bikini. To restore her original behavior, simply rename or remove the textures_bikini.VDF file in <path-to-game>\Data.

Restore In Extremo performance

The original German release included a performance by In Extremo; this was omitted from later German releases and all international versions.
Changes the names of some enemies to bizarre names.
Use inextremo.VDF[citation needed]
  1. Download the In Extremo Mod (archived).
  2. Extract to Data in the installation folder.
  3. Start a new game. In Extremo will perform during Chapter 2.
Steam users are recommended to use the Steam Workshop version instead. It does not alter enemy names.

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 7 Fan-made D3D11 renderer available here.
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio Miles Sound System 6.0k
Cutscenes Bink Video 1.0v

System requirements

Steam

Windows
Minimum
Operating system (OS) XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium III 700 MHz
System memory (RAM) 512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 5 GB
Video card (GPU) 32 MB of VRAM
DirectX 8.1 compatible

Disc Version

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98, ME, XP, 2000
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium II 400 MHz
System memory (RAM) 128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 700 MB
Video card (GPU) 3D Accelerated Graphics Card
4 MB of VRAM


Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 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).
  2. 2.0 2.1 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>/65540/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (65540) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Verified by User:Suicide machine on August 11, 2016
  2. wsgf.org - last accessed on May 2023
  3. Object's Problem ( G1 )
  4. SystemPack thread
  5. [1] - last accessed on 2022-12-27