A special version of "Unofficial Patch 1.2" Bernewfie build (the one with rebalancing, bugfixes and auto-map tweaks, originally created by Boondorl for GZDoom) is now available.
Unlike previous versions which followed @gerwin's MBF 2.04 way of choosing the resolution (which is favoring 640x400 but falling back to 640x480 in case of trouble), the new version allows explicit selection of screen resolution at startup (up to 1280x1024, hence the name). Thus the -hires command line argument no longer has any effect with one of the below argument replacing it:
-400p for 640x400
-480p for 640x480
-600p for 800x600
-768p for 1024x768
-1024p for 1280x1024
Comparison of supported screen resolution options.
As with all recent uploads the build includes music playback fidelity improvements for those running an Adlib, SoundBlaster or other OPL3-based sound cards. Moreover an add-on is provided which replaces original music tracks with those specifically tailored for FM-playback - the tracks coming from the game composer Kevin Schielder himself.
Starting Hexen with the addon is as simple as: BERNEW -file fmmus.wad
For Deathkings LOCATION.STR needs to be edited to point to the right executable. For example:
DRIVE=C
DIR=\HEXEN
EXE=HEX1024.EXE
Then the game can be started with e.g:
HEXENDK -extra fmmus.wad -768p -mlook
Deathkings of the Dark Citadel in high resolution
Some more technical changes included in the build are:
* bump of MAXVISPLANES to 960
* bump of MAXVISSPRITE to 256
* max number of game engine sound channels reverted to a more reasonable 32
* screen buffer blitting tweak for modes where video memory lines do not align by screen width (e.g. for Intel)
At the moment the version is still somewhat experimental. If that puts you off, and you'd rather wait for the changes to the Hexen port to stabilize, let me suggest another fine first person experience for DOS: Bernewfie's sister port Tartar, which boasts Sigil and SIGIL II support as of the December release.
