Far Cry Tweak Guide

[Page 4] Official Patches, Maps & Mods



Patches


As with most modern PC games, Far Cry has received several official patches since its release. The latest patch brings Far Cry up to Version 1.4, and contains a range of fixes and changes aimed exclusively at multiplayer. If your Far Cry is already patched up to Version 1.3 or above, you can download the incremental version of the 1.4 patch here (124MB). If you're installing the patch on a fresh install of Far Cry, the full version of the 1.4 patch is here (180MB) and contains all the changes from the previous patches as well. To see the list of changes the latest patch contains, check the links above. After installing the patch to see even more details on all the changes read the Features_Manual_FC1.4.pdf file found under your \Program Files\Ubisoft\Crytek\Far Cry\Support\Manual\ directory. For server administrators there is also a Server_Command_Table.pdf file in the same directory.


Note: Many people report problems with the new 1.4 Patch, and given that it almost solely contains multiplayer-related changes, for those who only play Far Cry single player I suggest patching up to Version 1.33 and/or trying the 64-bit to 32-bit conversion patch further below, rather than patching to 1.4.


An 'Experimental' Version 1.4 patch was leaked a while ago and is available at a range of places such as Guru3D. This patch is 5MB in size, and supposedly allows the use of HDR Rendering in combination with Antialiasing, on both Nvidia GeForce 8 and above cards, as well as ATI X1000 series or newer cards. To install this patch, you will have to extract the contents of the archive and overwrite the original versions in your Far Cry directories. Note however that this patch is quite likely to cause problems, so it is not recommended you install it unless you absolutely want to experiment with this functionality.


Finally, for people running 64-bit based systems on a 64-bit OS (like Windows XP Professional x64), you can install two Version 1.32 AMD64 patches - the Far Cry 64-bit Patch, and the Far Cry 64-bit Extra Content Pack, both downloadable from FileShack or 3DGamers among other places. These patches are described in detail here, but basically they improve performance on 64-bit machines (both Intel and AMD), and provide additional content such as improved textures, increased view distance and two new mutliplayer maps. Installing the 64-bit patches also provide a built-in No-CD for Far Cry, whereby you will no longer need to keep the game CD in the drive to play the game. If you're running the 64-bit patches on a 64-bit machine, don't install the latest 1.4 Patch.


Update: There is now a 64-to-32 bit Convertor Mod which allows regular Windows XP 32-bit users to use the 64-bit patches above. It may cause problems with multiplayer and there is a noticeable performance drop due to the system-intensive nature of the new content, but if you want to see Far Cry look better on a 32-bit OS, give it a try.


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No-CD Cracks


As already indicated in my UT2004 Tweak Guide, I've made the decision not to provide detailed information about where to find No-CD cracks, nor how to circumvent the copy protection systems for legal reasons. Just like most gamers I am disappointed that Ubisoft have chosen such an intrusive and troublesome copy protection system for their phenomenal game. Whether you use a crack or other method to bypass the copy protection system is up to you. It may even result in a slight performance improvement.


However I strongly suggest that if you are using a No-CD or drive emulation software (like Alcohol) that you disable these if you're having problems. In particular, make sure you don't use these methods when attempting to go online and play Far Cry multiplayer, as the Punkbuster cheat detection system will likely consider these files as "cheats" and continually kick you from servers, eventually banning your CD Key permanently.


Note that if you install the 64-bit Far Cry patches (See Patches section above), then the game will no longer require the game CD in the drive to play.



Maps and Mods


Far Cry’s CryEngine has been designed to accept user-made maps and modifications, similar to other popular games like UT2004. Each copy of Far Cry comes with the Sandbox Editor, which allows anyone and everyone the opportunity to make their own maps and mod. The first major custom-made map currently available is this Far Cry Co-op Map, but clearly more will be available in a short space of time. Visit this guide for more updates on major maps and mods.


If you can't wait, then get cracking on your own custom maps or mods by firing up the Sandbox editor on your machine and downloading the SandBox Editor User Manual V1.1. Once you get the hang of it, the Far Cry engine is a great basis for making incredible maps and mods, and it is truly rewarding to make your own map or mod and share it with other players. For more detailed work, use the Far Cry Mod SDK.


A popular set of singleplayer mods/maps is the Matto series: Matto 1, Matto 2, Matto 3 and Matto 4. These mods include new environments, storylines and weapons, and are proving quite popular so they're well worth checking out.



The next section starts the guide's coverage of Far Cry's in-game settings and their performance impacts.