This page is a
stub: it lacks content and/or basic article components. You can help to
expand this page
by adding an image or additional information.
Witchaven is a 1995 sword & sorcery fantasy FPS game with a heavy focus on melee combat. It features light RPG mechanics and blends fast-paced first-person combat with a rudimentary experience and leveling system. It is the first game licensed to use the Build engine, and as such uses an earlier version than Duke Nukem 3D.
Witchaven shipped in a buggy state and after official patches remains this way. It is known for hazardous map triggers and game physics that cause haphazard player movement, sudden deaths, and faulty hit detection. The game's source code has been made available as of 2006 by a former developer.[1]
General information
- ETTiNGRiNDER's Witchaven Shrine Fanpage that catalogues much of Witchaven's content & bugs.
- Witchaven entry at RTCM Lots of information & patches relating to Witchaven.
Availability
Source |
DRM |
Notes |
Keys |
OS |
Retail |
|
|
|
|
Demos
- July 1995 Witchaven Demos
These two releases feature the first three levels and are nearly identical to each other. Capstone released a patch for these demos based on user feedback.
- Witchaven 3 Level Interactive Preview
This demo features the first three levels and the intro cinematic by Animation Factory.
Essential improvements
- EGwhaven A bugfix/enhancement patch to the original executable. Improves mod-ability, player movement, and adds a config file.
- ETTiNGRiNDER's Unofficial Witchaven level patches Fixes issues for two maps.
Source ports
Name |
Description |
|
BuildGDX |
Reverse-engineered gameplay-accurate port written in Java. Adds high resolutions support, OpenGL renderer, and improved mouse control. Fixes most issues with the game. |
|
Game data
- Most of Witchaven's settings are stored in non-human-readable .DAT files. They can be still be modified with a hex editor. EGwhaven ameliorates this by instituting a proper .CFG file.
Configuration file(s) location
System |
Location |
DOS |
<path-to-game>\PREF.DAT config for values changeable ingame. <path-to-game>\SETUP.DAT config for values changeable by setup utility. <path-to-game>\HMISET.CFG audio config for HMI sound system. |
Save game data location
Video
Witchaven's video settings screen. Different resolutions are detected based on the computer's setup.
Input
Keyboard configuration screen.
Mouse configuration screen.
Joystick/controller configuration screen.
Audio
Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
Separate volume controls |
|
Can be changed during gameplay by pressing F9 and the arrow keys. |
Surround sound |
|
|
Subtitles |
|
|
Closed captions |
|
|
Mute on focus lost |
|
For DOSBox change the priority background value in the DOSBox configuration file. |
Witchaven's audio settings screen.
The sound card configuration program.
Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
|
|
|
|
Network
Multiplayer types
Connection types
Other information
Texture packs
API
Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
Software renderer |
|
|
DOS video modes |
SVGA, SVGA (VESA), VGA |
|
Middleware
|
Middleware |
Notes |
Audio |
HMI Sound Operating System |
Sound Library for producing digital sounds and MIDI playback. |
Cutscenes |
Smacker Video Technology |
256 color video format. |
Multiplayer |
DWANGO |
Defunct paid matchmaking service. Support was added by Capstone via a patch |
System requirements
DOS |
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
5.0 | |
Processor (CPU) |
Intel 486DX/33 MHz
| Pentium 100 |
System memory (RAM) |
8 MB | |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
5 MB | |
Video card (GPU) |
SuperVGA, VESA, VGA | |
References