The Evil Within

Domingo said:
I'm on the verge of buying either this, the Borderland's Prequel, or Shadows of Mordor.
With all of the homemade fixes - exactly how well do they work? Are we talking DSFix where the game looks and runs as if it were designed that way, or are these solutions still kind of janky?
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FWIW I haven't been able to tear myself away from Borderlands TPS since Tuesday. But then I just love the series and played the hell out of BL1 and BL2. I've got The Evil Within sitting here waiting for me at Chapter2 until I finish a couple BL:TPS playthroughs. Having played Shadow of Mordor, I agree with some of the other sentiments about it being like junkfood -- its a very fun game but replayability may be limited after a few days of binging on it. Wait for a sale on it, damn fun game. Its an action brawler that's more arcade game than RPG, even though it may have RPG-ish elements like skill unlocks.

As for the fixes for The Evil Within, the easiest, 1-click solution that I'm aware of is Flawless Widescreen. Simply install and run it, and then download the The Evil Within-plugin within the software. Try the default options first, then minimize it and start The Evil Within. Game runs perfectly for me using this. This program also supports a bunch of titles that didn't bother to support multi-monitor setups natively.

http://www.flawlesswidescreen.org/
 
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DPI said:
FWIW I haven't been able to tear myself away from Borderlands TPS since Tuesday. But then I just love the series and played the hell out of BL1 and BL2. I've got The Evil Within sitting here waiting for me at Chapter2 until I finish a couple BL:TPS playthroughs. Having played Shadow of Mordor, I agree with some of the other sentiments about it being like junkfood -- its a very fun game but replayability may be limited after a few days of binging on it. Wait for a sale on it, damn fun game. Its an action brawler that's more arcade game than RPG, even though it may have RPG-ish elements like skill unlocks.

As for the fixes for The Evil Within, the easiest, 1-click solution that I'm aware of is Flawless Widescreen. Simply install and run it, and then download the The Evil Within-plugin within the software. Try the default options first, then minimize it and start The Evil Within. Game runs perfectly for me using this. This program also supports a bunch of titles that didn't bother to support multi-monitor setups natively.

http://www.flawlesswidescreen.org/
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This worked flawlessly for me :D
 
Pulled the trigger, and yup, the FW works fine.

Running the game at 60fps is fruitless, though. Panning around, even with a gamepad, is choppy. On the plus side, it actually looks okay at 30fps. 30 fps in PC games usually looks rough while their console counterparts look okay. This one looks fine, so at least there's that. Hopefully they'll eventually make 60fps work better, but at least it plays okay.
 
I use Flawlesswidescreen all the time.

Hayden generally has a fix for widescreen and multimonitor before the game is even a day or two old.

If it works and you enjoy the game, please throw a few dollars his way.
 
Something I didn't even think to try - I wonder if my TV's "smoothmotion" will make the game look better at 60fps. GTA4 was always pretty choppy (just like this game - mainly with panning) and that made it look great. As long as you're using a gamepad, it usually doesn't affect your aim all that much either. It's kind of a lame fix, but I really do want to play at 60fps when possible.
 
I tossed Flawless Widescreen on (first game I've ever needed it for actually,) and it works pretty well. I added the swap interval command to one of the .CFG files to raise the frame cap. As others have noted, it doesn't do a whole lot. For me, and maybe this is because of my lowly 660Ti/X58/Xeon setup, it does actually seem to smooth things out slightly. So the opposite of what others see. It looks better, just not by much. (so I left that line in the config)

I played up through chapter 2 last night, and ready to start 3 tonight. I've heard chapter 3 is where it starts taking off, so I can't wait to see it. (I've actually really enjoyed 1 and 2 though too.) This is a very cool game so far.

The framerate, while I truly wish it was 60fps, hasn't detracted as much as I thought from the game. It's definitely playable, and due to the effects they use, is definitely lessened. I'd still love to see it locked at 60, but whatever. It's quite enjoyable as is. I LOVE some of the effects like, and I'll say this cryptically to avoid spoiling things, in the place with the upgrades. That chopped up "stupor-view TM" where you turn, and part of your vision snaps into place while the rest lags behind is brilliant! I think this sort of thing is why the framerate end up being less of an issue. Wonder what it would look like at 60. :D

I will be the first to admit that despite my love for the id Tech 5 engine, there are some textures and objects that could have been a lot better. Mostly the interior of cars from what I've see so far though. The stuff during play looks pretty damned good. (if a tiny bit washed out at times) The type of effects and lighting that this engine offers though really suit the game well, which is why I've always loved id's engines. When it comes to this type of thing they really shine, where many other engines seem a little bland (or maybe it's just the typical art direction in games on those engines.) Who knows.

Anyway, I'd definitely recommend this game. It runs just fine on my aging hardware, though I've turned off AA as I don't value it that highly. (it's the first thing to go on resource heavy games for me) I've been experimenting with blur on and off, and I kind of like it off so far, but it's not a major hit either way. My card has 2GB btw. What I'd like to know is if texture compression can be toggled via the config files. I assume it can as with other id games, but haven't had a chance to try it. Wolfenstein absolutely flew on this same setup once AA was off, and texture compression was on. Silk at 60fps.

Anyway, good game, and while it has some minor flaws, it's been a blast, through only the first two chapters. Can't wait for 3 later today.
 
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Based upon how the game performs at 60fps (and things like GPU usage), it seems like that was probably something they put no time into at all. On my system it's smooth, but looking around causes random frame drops and hitching. That's the case with looking into a the distance in a large are or just looking at a wall or the floor.
I dunno if the community can release a performance patch if the dev never does, but it seems like there's room for it.
 
Domingo said:
Based upon how the game performs at 60fps (and things like GPU usage), it seems like that was probably something they put no time into at all. On my system it's smooth, but looking around causes random frame drops and hitching. That's the case with looking into a the distance in a large are or just looking at a wall or the floor.
I dunno if the community can release a performance patch if the dev never does, but it seems like there's room for it.
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I would tend to agree. I didn't notice any difference between large or small areas, and while it performs adequately, it could be a lot better I think. When I compare this game to the moon-base level of Wolfenstein, I don't see anything at all that makes me think this shouldn't run silky smooth locked at 60 with no dips.

There are more shader fx in this game though, and maybe that's where some of this hit is coming from? Because purely from a geometry and texure standpoint, while it's good, it actually doesn't seem much beyond RAGE or Wolf. It has heaps more in special effects though.
 
Question here about the actual game itself. I picked it up on Tuesday however because of work I didn't actually start the game until yesterday. I had a nice long session and I got to chapter 6.

Anyway, the game is pretty solid so far. Not sure if I'd call it better than Modor yet (I've spent over 40 hours on that game and I'm still not at 100%), but it's definitely off to a good start. I'm playing through on survival mode. I only have a few quibbles with the game. I hate how sometimes you have to be precisely over an object to pick it up. Annoying. The controls are a little janky as well. I've gotten really pissed a few moments as I wanted to run away from something but dipshit Castellanos gets stuck picking something up or the camera gets stuck in a weird angle, however those moments have been few and far between. Overall I'm enjoying myself.

My question is this....the atmosphere is really good and there have been a few creepy moments but overall, I don't know, I guess I expected the game to be scarier. I had no problem sleeping last night. :D For those of you who have finished it, does it get a lot more intense (scare-wise) or is this about it? I mean it's probably for the best because my nerves will be spared but for all the hype, I honestly was more freaked out playing the orignal Dead Space back in the day. It's certainly not a huge deal because the action is well done. Just wanted your guy's opinion.
 
Johnny78 said:
Question here about the actual game itself. I picked it up on Tuesday however because of work I didn't actually start the game until yesterday. I had a nice long session and I got to chapter 6.

Anyway, the game is pretty solid so far. Not sure if I'd call it better than Modor yet (I've spent over 40 hours on that game and I'm still not at 100%), but it's definitely off to a good start. I'm playing through on survival mode. I only have a few quibbles with the game. I hate how sometimes you have to be precisely over an object to pick it up. Annoying. The controls are a little janky as well. I've gotten really pissed a few moments as I wanted to run away from something but dipshit Castellanos gets stuck picking something up or the camera gets stuck in a weird angle, however those moments have been few and far between. Overall I'm enjoying myself.

My question is this....the atmosphere is really good and there have been a few creepy moments but overall, I don't know, I guess I expected the game to be scarier. I had no problem sleeping last night. :D For those of you who have finished it, does it get a lot more intense (scare-wise) or is this about it? I mean it's probably for the best because my nerves will be spared but for all the hype, I honestly was more freaked out playing the orignal Dead Space back in the day. It's certainly not a huge deal because the action is well done. Just wanted your guy's opinion.
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I'm not nearly as far as you are yet. However, just the small amount that I've played so far, Dead Space was definitely the creepier game. So far. That said, I've had some pretty intense moments hiding under beds, in lockers, etc. The way I judge this... I don't really jump out of my chair when playing games. However, when there's an intense part in a scary game, I'm low on (or out of) ammo, being chased backwards, etc. etc. if it's intense enough, I will be physically leaning around in my chair trying to get those extra few inches away from whatever's after me. That's when I know I've been pulled in. This hasn't happened to me yet, but I'm hoping eventually it will. The games where this HAS happened, have been things like System Shock (1&2), Dead Space (more 1, but some 2,) a few times in F.E.A.R. a bit in Doom 3, etc. (less so in Doom 3 now, because I've played it so many times that I'm pretty well equipped to deal with everything)

The minute I start backpedaling and leaning back in my chair I will let you know. :D
 
Johnny78 said:
Question here about the actual game itself. I picked it up on Tuesday however because of work I didn't actually start the game until yesterday. I had a nice long session and I got to chapter 6.

Anyway, the game is pretty solid so far. Not sure if I'd call it better than Modor yet (I've spent over 40 hours on that game and I'm still not at 100%), but it's definitely off to a good start. I'm playing through on survival mode. I only have a few quibbles with the game. I hate how sometimes you have to be precisely over an object to pick it up. Annoying. The controls are a little janky as well. I've gotten really pissed a few moments as I wanted to run away from something but dipshit Castellanos gets stuck picking something up or the camera gets stuck in a weird angle, however those moments have been few and far between. Overall I'm enjoying myself.

My question is this....the atmosphere is really good and there have been a few creepy moments but overall, I don't know, I guess I expected the game to be scarier. I had no problem sleeping last night. :D For those of you who have finished it, does it get a lot more intense (scare-wise) or is this about it? I mean it's probably for the best because my nerves will be spared but for all the hype, I honestly was more freaked out playing the orignal Dead Space back in the day. It's certainly not a huge deal because the action is well done. Just wanted your guy's opinion.
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So far for me, the game only has copious amounts of gore. There is nothing scary about that. I am very intrigued to continue finding out exactly what is going on, though. Dead Space 2 was the scariest game I've ever played. It's the only game that has ever made me stop playing it because I felt so uncomfortable. The first Dead Space always had me on that edge, but never pushed me over it like the second one did.
 
J3RK said:
There are more shader fx in this game though, and maybe that's where some of this hit is coming from? Because purely from a geometry and texure standpoint, while it's good, it actually doesn't seem much beyond RAGE or Wolf. It has heaps more in special effects though.
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My theory is the dynamic lighting and heavy use of depth of field is what is causing performance issues. In Rage and Wolfenstein the character didn't have a flashlight, which is actually one of my pet peeves in fps games. In the Evil Within the hero carries around a lantern + all the other fires and light sources in the game. The depth of field in this game is intense, blurring out most objects 20 feet from you. This makes the game feel more claustrophobic.

Johnny78 said:
My question is this....the atmosphere is really good and there have been a few creepy moments but overall, I don't know, I guess I expected the game to be scarier. I had no problem sleeping last night. :D For those of you who have finished it, does it get a lot more intense (scare-wise) or is this about it? I mean it's probably for the best because my nerves will be spared but for all the hype, I honestly was more freaked out playing the orignal Dead Space back in the day. It's certainly not a huge deal because the action is well done. Just wanted your guy's opinion.
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I'd say it's more psychological horror and playing with reality than trying to outright scare you. Things get more intense towards the end but I don't think it gets scarier.
 
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Johnked6 said:
I'd say it's more psychological horror and playing with reality than trying to outright scare you. Things get more intense towards the end but I don't think it gets scarier.
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Yeah, I'd agree with this description. The perception of reality is all over the place with this one. Not scary per se but interesting and engaging. My roommate was watching me play and he made the comment, "wow, this game really shits on you doesn't you? Apt description I'd say. I guess it's not really what I was expecting but it's a good game nonetheless. I'm looking forward to the rest of it.
 
Is there a way to heal? I just started playing and have been limping along after falling down that menstrual tube thing.
 
Been tinkering a bit to see if I can make 60fps look smoother and I just don't think the game was really designed for it. I tried different FPS limits, smooth motion (interpolation), Triple Buffering, etc. and it's just not quite right with any of them. At the same time, 30fps with smoothmotion looks pretty solid. I think I'm going to stick to that unless some magical patch or mod comes out in the next few days.
 
I stopped using flawless widescreen. I just changed the FOV in the config file. Looks fine, and then I don't have to have an extra application running. I've been trying to add various RAGE console commands in to see if I can tweak it a bit more. A few caused instability, and others I didn't notice a change. I was hoping to find a simple one for texture compression, but there are actually several, and I'm not sure which combination to use at the moment. At the moment though, it looks nice, plays smoothly enough in 60fps mode, so I'll just leave it at that.
 
I think I'm getting too old and impatient for games in general. I keep getting spotted and killed like 10 minutes into the game. I'm debating just watching a play through of the game, haha :D
 
aeonrevolution said:
I think I'm getting too old and impatient for games in general. I keep getting spotted and killed like 10 minutes into the game. I'm debating just watching a play through of the game, haha :D
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I just got to a part last night where there's pretty much no way to avoid being seen, and there happens to be a giant mob just ready to be alerted. I've got 5 bullets, a hatchet, one syringe, and two matches. I've tried it about 5 different ways. I'm going to keep at it, but I may be stuck unless I can find more ammo or at the very least some matches. This may be completely my fault, as I haven't been very effective at throwing bottles so far to distract them. I might try this approach a bit more.
 
J3RK said:
I just got to a part last night where there's pretty much no way to avoid being seen, and there happens to be a giant mob just ready to be alerted. I've got 5 bullets, a hatchet, one syringe, and two matches. I've tried it about 5 different ways. I'm going to keep at it, but I may be stuck unless I can find more ammo or at the very least some matches. This may be completely my fault, as I haven't been very effective at throwing bottles so far to distract them. I might try this approach a bit more.
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When in doubt, run ;).
 
Hmm, didn't when I ran up to it. I just managed to get killed. I'll give it a few more whirls tonight though. Maybe I just missed something. I could have just taken too long to get over there since I fought everything on the way. I'll try running right out there. Pretty early in the game to get stuck like that. :D Then again, I'm not used to playing this particular style of game. I do play some similar ones, but they're usually first person, (like Dead Space, Doom 3, SS2, F.E.A.R. etc.)
 
Johnny78 said:
hmm, last time I checked Dead Space was a 3rd person game.
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You are correct. :eek:

Though it still plays a little differently than TEW. TEW feels a bit more like some of the older RE games (as you might expect being from the same creator.) I didn't play those very well either. In fact, I watched my brother beat the first RE game because I got so fed up with the controls. TEW is a LOT better obviously, but it still kinda has that feel to it. Dead Space even though it's a bit slow paced, still allows you to aim very precisely almost like an FPS (especially when using a mouse.) In fact, the whole game mechanic depends on control precision as you're trying to blast limbs off at the joint.

But you're right, I shouldn't have grouped that in. I think I was running down two trains of thought there, and they emerged as a train wreck. :D
 
J3RK said:
I stopped using flawless widescreen. I just changed the FOV in the config file. Looks fine, and then I don't have to have an extra application running. I've been trying to add various RAGE console commands in to see if I can tweak it a bit more. A few caused instability, and others I didn't notice a change. I was hoping to find a simple one for texture compression, but there are actually several, and I'm not sure which combination to use at the moment. At the moment though, it looks nice, plays smoothly enough in 60fps mode, so I'll just leave it at that.
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The config FOV setting doesn't do anything. You have to use a third party program to change the FOV -- unless there was a recent patch that I am not aware of.
 
naticus said:
The config FOV setting doesn't do anything. You have to use a third party program to change the FOV -- unless there was a recent patch that I am not aware of.
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I have zero black bars. Config file only, Flawless Widescreen removed from my machine.

I changed it in both the .cfg file in the base folder, and in the saved games folder under the windows user profile. Not sure which one did the trick, but one of them does.

I'm using 1.8 for the value.
 
Removing the black bars in config yes but is there a setting there to actually change the FOV? With Flawless Widescreen you can actually change the FOV too.
 
Might be right, just the aspect ratio. I don't remember off the top of my head what the command I used was. I can take a look when I get home. I'm pretty sure I put in a pair of commands, but maybe the FOV isn't doing anything.
 
J3RK said:
Might be right, just the aspect ratio. I don't remember off the top of my head what the command I used was. I can take a look when I get home. I'm pretty sure I put in a pair of commands, but maybe the FOV isn't doing anything.
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Actually removing black bars changes nothing with aspect ratio either. It was a lie that this game was 2:35. The game is native 16:9 and they literally just stuck black bars right on top of that. Removing the black bars simply shows you the whole 16:9 image.
 
misterbobby said:
Actually removing black bars changes nothing with aspect ratio either. It was a lie that this game was 2:35. The game is native 16:9 and they literally just stuck black bars right on top of that. Removing the black bars simply shows you the whole 16:9 image.
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Aha! :D I hadn't read that previously. Ok, then what I've got is bar removal only most likely. I'll double check it anyway though.
 
J3RK said:
You are correct. :eek:

Though it still plays a little differently than TEW. TEW feels a bit more like some of the older RE games (as you might expect being from the same creator.) I didn't play those very well either. In fact, I watched my brother beat the first RE game because I got so fed up with the controls. TEW is a LOT better obviously, but it still kinda has that feel to it. Dead Space even though it's a bit slow paced, still allows you to aim very precisely almost like an FPS (especially when using a mouse.) In fact, the whole game mechanic depends on control precision as you're trying to blast limbs off at the joint.

But you're right, I shouldn't have grouped that in. I think I was running down two trains of thought there, and they emerged as a train wreck. :D
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I guess I missed out on the best part of that franchise.

Heard many great things about RE4, but the only RE game I ever tried was RE5, which was basically about killing mindless African zombies over and over. Not scary at all, more on the boring side and kinda seemed a bit racist.
 
aeonrevolution said:
I think I'm getting too old and impatient for games in general. I keep getting spotted and killed like 10 minutes into the game. I'm debating just watching a play through of the game, haha :D
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Just get past chapter 1, the rest of the game is completely different. It's just a short tutorial on how to stealth and use bottles as distractions.
 
Just started my 2nd playthrough on Nightmare difficulty. The zombies are much more challenging, they spot you far easier, run faster, do more damage, have more health. This makes hiding in closets and beds more integral to the game.

They also mix up the encounters sprinkling in late game enemies into early game chapters. It's fun to apply all the knowledge I learned on my first play through to more challenging situations.
 
Just beat the game on Survivor. Had a lot of fun with this game, but I don't think it's gonna have the same replayability as RE4. I got two bonus weapons after beating the game, one was a machine gun and the other was a rocket launcher. From what I read ammo for the machine gun is extremely rare and you never get ammo for the rocket launcher. Once you use up your initial stock of 20 rockets, you have a dead rocket launcher. You do not get any more rockets when beating the game again either. What's the point of giving us new game+ with these bonus weapons when we can barely even use them, but whatever.

My main complaint of the game is the sheer number of cut-scenes that cannot be skipped. There's also a lot of scripted psychological sequences that honestly I don't feel like they really add anything to the game. Would've been better to just make them cut-scenes that can be skipped. All you're doing is basically pressing the w key on your keyboard for the most part. Don't get me wrong this stuff was cool for on the first playthrough, but it's gonna get real old quick. That's what I like about RE4, virtually ever single cut-scene can be instantly skipped. Even miscellaneous cut scenes like switches opening, camera panning, etc. You're always instantly playing the actual game.
 
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