Serious Sam HD FAQ

[jasser]

Serious Sam HD FAQ
(written and maintained by Spoon and Fiendian)

Table of contents
1. How can I enable cheats?
2. What are the system requirements for the game?
3. I heard that the retail version of the game will require Steam, is that true?
4. Is there a demo for the game?
5. When will the retail version/XBLA version be released?
6. How many levels/secrets/enemies does the game have?
7. Where can I find my ...? [Sub-items: 6.1 Savegames, 6.2 Config data, 6.3 Log files, 6.4 Screenshots]
8. Will there be a Second Encounter HD?
9. Is there a dedicated server app for Serious Sam HD?
10. I heard there is no deathmatch/editor/SDK. Will they be released later?
11. I don't like auto-jump and/or dynamic crosshairs. Will this be fixed?
12. Is there a demo recording functionality in the game? And what about timedemo for benchmarking?

1. How can I enable cheats?
   
   To enable cheats, hold shift and press F3 F4 F3 F3 F4. This will unlock an option in the pause menu (bound to the End key), where you can find several cheats such as giveall, god mode, etc. To disable cheat mode, use the same key combo. To access the cheat menu, press the End key. Note that while cheat mode is enabled, no scores will be submitted to the leaderboards, and no achievements will be unlocked.
   
   Under no circumstances should you use external cheats! Such as memory editors. The game actively detects these in different ways, and if you're caught cheating thus, there will be repercussions. So don't do it.
   
   
2. What are the system requirements for the game?
   
   

   Minimum
   
   CPU/Processor: Intel P4 3.0GHz or AMD Athlon64 3500+
   Graphics Card: 256MB VRAM Graphics Card that supports DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 3.0 (i.e.; Nvidia GeForce 7600-series, ATI Radeon X1600 or better)*
   RAM: 1GB for XP or 2GB for Vista
   Hard Drive: 1GB of free hard disk space
   Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card
   Operating System: Windows XP (32bit or 64bit) with Service Pack 3 or
   Windows Vista** with Service Pack 2
   DirectX: 9.0c
   CD/DVD-ROM: DVD-ROM
   
   Recommended
   
   CPU/Processor: Intel Core2Duo 2.0GHz or AMD Athlon64 X2 4000+
   Graphics Card: 512MB VRAM Graphics Card that supports DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 3.0 (i.e.; Nvidia GeForce 9800-series, ATI Radeon HD 4850 or better)*
   RAM: 2GB
   Hard Drive: 1GB of free hard disk space
   Sound Card: 5.1 Surround Sound DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card
   Operating System: Windows XP (32bit or 64bit) with Service Pack 3 or
   Windows Vista** with Service Pack 2 or Windows 7
   DirectX: 9.0c
   CD/DVD-ROM: DVD-ROM
   
   Additional Info
   
   * Integrated video controllers (Intel Chipsets or similar) are not
   recommended or intended for gaming and may not work with this game.
   
   ** You will be required to install DirectX 9.0c to run the game.
   DirectX 9.0c is included with this copy of the game.

3. I heard that the retail version of the game will require Steam, is that true?
   
   Yes, it is. All PC versions of the game, including the version that can be purchased from Get Games, require Steam to work.
   
   
4. Is there a demo for the game?
   
   Not at the moment, but a demo has been announced as of today, 4th December. You will get a chance to try the Karnak demo level in the HD glory before you decide to buy the full game.
   Full announcement here.
   
   
5. When will the retail version/XBLA version be released?
   
   No press releases have been made for the retail box release, but here are some per-country stats:
   Austria, Germany and Switzerland: December 10th, 2009 [Confirmed] (Thanks, Pulverdings!)
   United Kingdom: January 29th, 2010 [Unconfirmed]
   Slovakia and Czech Republic: January 31st, 2010 [Unconfirmed]
   
   As for the XBLA release, it has been confirmed that it got pushed all the way to January 13th next year.
   News item here.
   
   
6. How many levels/secrets/enemies does the game have?
   
   As of now there is no confirmation of new levels or different enemy placement in HD. But new secrets that do not exist in the original have been confirmed, and perhaps there are more new goodies waiting to be discovered.
   
   
7. Where can I find my ...?
   
   • Game saves: Steam directory/userdata/Steam accountID/41000/local/SeriousSamHD
   • Configuration data: Steam directory/userdata/Steam account ID/41000/local/SeriousSamHD
   • Log files: Steam directory/steamapps/common/serious sam hd the first encounter/Log
   • Screenshots: Steam directory/steamapps/common/serious sam hd the first encounter/Temp/ScreenShots
   
   
8. Will there be a Second Encounter HD?
   
   You bet! It has been announced that Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter will be released early 2010 for PC and consoles.
   Full announcement here.
   
   
9. Is there a dedicated server app for Serious Sam HD?
   
   Not yet, but it should be added in a patch in the coming weeks.
   
   
10. I heard there is no deathmatch/editor/SDK. Will they be released later?
    
    These are to be added in future patches.
    
    
11. I don't like auto-jump and/or dynamic crosshair. Will this be fixed?
    
    These were made optional in the first patch.
    Auto-jump: Make sure your copy of the game is updated, then fire it up, open the console, type plr_bAllowPlayerAutoJump=0 (case sensitive) and press Enter. This will disable the auto-jump feature.
    
    Dynamic crosshair: Make sure your copy of the game is updated, then fire it up, open up the console, type hud_bFixedCrosshair=1 (case sensitive) and the crosshair should change to a static state.
    
    
12. Is there a demo recording functionality in the game? And what about timedemo for benchmarking?
    
    This feature is being worked on. It is currently in the game but disabled. It will be enabled in a future patch (likely the next patch) when Croteam have tested and ironed out the glitches.
    

[Pan]

Good work Jasser, are we free to add on to this at all?

[Gimli]

Add away, and someone will update the fist post with info.

[NecroViolator]

1...Just curious, but is there a Demo of the game ???

2...IF you use more Cores on the CPU can you play on a slower speed ??? Example 4x1.6 ???

[Alen Ladavac]

Originally Posted by jasser

To enable cheats, hold shift and press F1 F2 F1 F1 F2. This will
unlock an option in the pause menu, where you can find several cheats
such as giveall, god mode,

Actually, its F3&F4, not F1&F2. And you have to be in the menus for this to work.

And perhaps note that the in-game cheat menu is bound to "End".

[Gimli]

Fixed and fixed text formatting. Came out weird looking.

[GeNeRiC_DeTeCteD]

if i destroy a tree, it's shadow will disappear?

[Finzy]

Yes, since all lighting is dynamic.

[jasser]

Originally Posted by Pan Strife

Good work Jasser, are we free to add on to this at all?

Not my work. Spoon's work. Even says so on the first line . And yeah you can add to it, that's why the thread isn't locked.

[The Serious Spoon]

Originally Posted by NecroViolator

1...Just curious, but is there a Demo of the game ???

2...IF you use more Cores on the CPU can you play on a slower speed ??? Example 4x1.6 ???

Added the question about the demo. I don't know about your second question, I'll check with Croteam.

Originally Posted by Alen Ladavac

Actually, its F3&F4, not F1&F2. And you have to be in the menus for this to work.

And perhaps note that the in-game cheat menu is bound to "End".

Oops, thanks. I knew I should've checked that

Originally Posted by Gimli

Fixed and fixed text formatting. Came out weird looking.

Thanks. It's because I emailed it to jasser, which added word wrap to the text.

Originally Posted by jasser

Not my work. Spoon's work. Even says so on the first line . And yeah you can add to it, that's why the thread isn't locked.

Indeed. I was unable to access Seriously! at home for some reason, so jasser posted it for me.

[NecroViolator]

@The Serious Spoon

Thanks bro...

BTW, ask if the Map Editor was also supposed to support multi processing (Multi-Core)...Always good with more speeds...
I read something about it somewhere but cant find it again...

Also if we are allowed to use the OpenGL this time around in editor... ...

Thanks ...

[Costa]

What happened if i join in a server with custom map (made with the editor)?

[Gimli]

We don't know yet, because the editor is not out yet.

[GeNeRiC_DeTeCteD]

i wish it would be like in halo (yeah, i have played it alot in the last weeks),you don't need to download anything, just join the server, and no matter what mod the guy have, you will have it too.

Since Serious Sam HD have better models, textures, more polygons....
We will need better skills to meet SSHD's standards? or we will have better displacing tools?

edit: didn't saw it's a double, merge the posts if you can. (Merged)

[Fiendian]

Updated the FAQ now that the first patch is released. Also added a statement about demo recording/timedemo based on Alen Ladavac's statement in this thread.

EDIT: Updated the FAQ again to reflect announcement of SSHD:SE and delay of XBLA release. Also added an extra line to the demo explanation clause, one stupid reason for a lack of demo is now equalized with a good reason why there should be a demo.

[The Serious Spoon]

Nice! Thanks for helping to keep things accurate and up to date

[Fiendian]

No problem.
Btw, updated the FAQ today to reflect the announcement of the upcoming demo.

[seriousEd]

I heard there is no Walk/Run toggle. Why is that?

[--Fragman--]

CT probably realized that walking doesn't make any sense in this game

[Brute]

I find it annoying. I can only walk with the controller, and only use thirdperson with the keyboard.

[Alen Ladavac]

You can rebind controller commands. Can't you rebind 3rd person to the controller?

[Pan]

Originally Posted by --Fragman--

CT probably realized that walking doesn't make any sense in this game

I walk with colts all the time. XD

[Brute]

Originally Posted by Alen Ladavac

You can rebind controller commands. Can't you rebind 3rd person to the controller?

I didn't know you could. I only saw 4 sets of pre-defined controller layouts (A B and lefty versions). I'll have to figure out how to do that. Re-binding "jump" may also be nice.

*edit: So, I found the Custom Controller options, but if you're not aware of this yet, I just thought I'd bring it to your attention.

[Fiendian]

Updated FAQ, the delay of the XBLA release is now reflected here. Also added some more details about the retail box.

EDIT: Did some changes to the formatting to (hopefully) make the FAQ more readable. Also added a list of questions that the FAQ answers.

[ToVat43]

Great :/

[Brute]

Originally Posted by Deathlink6.0

Just read that even the retail version of Serious Sam HD needs Steam.

That's sad. It is a reason for me not buy a game when it is released via an online platform but SSHD comes at least also on DVD which can be bought in a shop. I really like Serious Sam and I have three legal versions only of Serious Sam SE (Original, Gold and one from a game magazine). SSam was great for LANs and I played it very often with friends (Coop/Deathmatch/Splittscreen*) but with Steam it will be difficult to do that. You can't just give everyone a CD/DVD to put it into Disc-Drive and install. A lot of my mates don't want Steam and something like that.

Well, unless you violate the Terms of Use agreement, it's actually easier to install the game again on seperate computers from Steam, as you can download it off your account, which can be accessed anywhere.

You're not supposed to install one copy of a retail game on multiple computers at the same time, espicially not to play them together online.

[Finzy]

Originally Posted by Brute

You're not supposed to install one copy of a retail game on multiple computers at the same time, espicially not to play them together online.

Yeah, I can't think of any modern games that would allow that.

I've tried playing SS:SE without the disc, but even that requires you to first insert the disc and take it off after the game has launched (and you may still get messages telling you to insert the correct disc), so it's not really advised.

[GeNeRiC_DeTeCteD]

Originally Posted by GeNeRiC_DeTeCteD

Since Serious Sam HD have better models, textures, more polygons....
We will need better skills to meet SSHD's standards? or we will have better displacing tools?

.

[Finzy]

Yes.

I like simple answers.

[Rakanishu]

Originally Posted by jasser

[list=1][*]How can I enable cheats?

To enable cheats, hold shift and press F3 F4 F3 F3 F4. This will unlock an option in the pause menu (bound to the End key), where you can find several cheats such as giveall, god mode, etc. To disable cheat mode, use the same key combo. To access the cheat menu, press the End key. Note that while cheat mode is enabled, no scores will be submitted to the leaderboards, and no achievements will be unlocked.

Under no circumstances should you use external cheats! Such as memory editors. The game actively detects these in different ways, and if you're caught cheating thus, there will be repercussions. So don't do it.

You also can do "cht_bEnable=1" in the console with the key " ² "