Post by melvinbliss365 on Mar 31, 2022 6:22:52 GMT -5
Catechumen Compatibility Compendium
To whoever happens to stumble upon this thread, hello.
Catechumen is a game that i don't think gets enough love in the compatibility department, so i decided to make a resource for people who wish to run the game on modern systems.
I do hope the game gets released on a service like GOG someday, with all the tweaks to make the game run as best as it can on modern systems, but until then, i have taken it upon myself to give the information and resources i have, from my own experiences of trying to run the game on a modern system.
With that out of the way, lets get into the meat and potatoes.
Section 1: The CD Check.
Like many other games released around the same time, Catechumen has a CD check in the executable.
This means that, if you don't have the game disc in the drive, the game will refuse to start.
This is bad news if you don't have a disc available, or even worse, you don't have a disc drive at all.
However, i did figure out how to patch out the CD check in the executable, and i have put the patched executable up for download:
Just drop it in the /game folder in the install directory, redirect shortcuts to it if necessary, and you should be good to go.
Section 2: nGlide and running the game.
Once the game is installed, you should set the game to Windows XP compatibilty mode.
Just right click on the game executable, click Properties, go to the compatibility tab, and enable compatibility mode.
If the compatibility isn't set to Windows XP (Service Pack 2) already, set it to that.
nGlide (www.zeus-software.com/downloads/nglide) is a wrapper that allows you to run games using the 3DFX Glide API under DirectX or Vulkan.
It also allows you to run games at at modern, widescreen resolutions.
Just install nGlide, start up Catechumen, and set the renderer in the video settings to Glide.
If the game complains about Glide not being available, just restart the game and try again.
You will now be able to play the game at 1080p or higher, instead of the paltry resolutions that the game has in the settings.
Section 3: Frame limiters.
Computers have improved a lot since the game was first released in 2000, and this means that the game can run at far higher framerates than intended.
This can result in certain event triggers, like the angels that give you swords, failing to happen.
Limiting the game's FPS to around 30 or so fixes these issues.
There are some frame limiters out there, but i think the best one available by far is RivaTuner (www.guru3d.com/files-details/rtss-rivatuner-statistics-server-download.html).
Once you install the program, click on the green add button.
In the file browser that opens, navigate to the game executable, and click Open.
Then, on your new profile, set the application detection level to high, and set the framerate limit to 30.
Be warned, RivaTuner will not work if you have the video backend set to DirectX in the nGlide Configurator, so you must set it to Vulkan.
Section 4: Conclusion.
I think Catechumen is an underrated game, and i hope this resource helps anyone who wishes to run the game on modern systems.
If any new information comes along, i will be sure to add it to this thread.
Take care.
