Widescreen, FOV, HUD and text rendering fixes for Chrome and Chrome SpecForce. Disables mouse acceleration. Disables LOD switching and increases draw distance (optional).
INTRODUCTION
The goal of this unofficial "patch" is to enable the games to be played in widescreen resolutions, ultra widescreen, multi monitor setups and in 4K and above by fixing text rendering and FOV issues and properly scaling some HUD elements. Another goal was to increase the visual fidelity of the game by forcing the game to render highest quality assets even when they are far away from the player.
Only assets that will actually be changed are the HUD map textures. No gameplay changes have been made. All changes are listed in "change_log.txt". Jackfuste from Widescreen Gaming Forums fixed the "ChromeEngine2.dll" for the hor+ FOV, and high resolution map textures for original Chrome were taken from Chrome Widescreen Mod(Chrome HD Fix).
Alternative download link: MediaFire download link
You can watch a short comparison video here: YouTube comparison video
My blog: AntonioR Software Blog
Update (2021-01-28) - Added "Instructions with pictures" PDF. No original mod files were changed.
INSTRUCTIONS
For information how to install this patch read the included "instructions.txt" file.
You will first need to update Chrome to the latest version(1.2.0.0), you can find the patch links on PCGamingWiki. Steam version should already be patched. Specforce does not have any official patches.
Pcgamingwiki.com
NOTE 1: In Step 2 for Steam version of Chrome you need to use ChromeEngine2_Gold.dll file, don't forget to rename it.
NOTE 2: In Steps 3 and 4 you should NOT extract "code.pak" archive. Just open it with WinRAR, then select the files and drag and drop them inside the archive window. WinRAR should then replace the files and rebuild the archive.
NOTE 3: Apply the improved graphics settings (Step 4) only if your computer is comparable to the one I used to test it, because it significantly impacts performance. My computer is from 2014, so it should not be a problem in 2020.
NOTE 4: If you have previously installed the old "Chrome HD Fix" you will be missing some textures for original Chrome, because the installer would delete them, and the HUD will not render properly. To spare you the trouble of re-installing the entire game, here are the missing textures, read the included "info.txt" to see where to put them. ('"ch_p_skaner.tex" is not needed, copy only if you want the original texture back).
Chrome missing files
COMPARISON SCREENSHOTS
Chrome - HUD, FOV and text rendering - before and after
![HUD and FOV_before]( "HUD and FOV_before")
![HUD and FOV_after]( "HUD and FOV_after")
Chrome Specforce - HUD, FOV, text rendering, level of detail - before and after
![HUD_FOV_LOD_before]( "HUD_FOV_LOD_before")
![HUD_FOV_LOD_after]( "HUD_FOV_LOD_after")
Level of detail (zoomed in) - before and after
![Level of detail_before]( "Level of detail_before")
![Level of detail_after]( "Level of detail_after")
Third person perspective hack (bonus)
![SpecForce TPP]( "SpecForce TPP")
LIST OF CHANGES
- disabled screen resolution limit(all supported screen resolutions are available, even multi-monitor or virtual resolutions) in the options menu
- enabled all available texture filtering options in the options menu
- enabled all available texture quality options in the options menu
- disabled mouse acceleration in first person mode
- Hor+ FOV is used instead of Ver- FOV for all rendering(big thanks to jackfuste from WSGF for fixing ChromeEngine2.dll files)
- increased FOV for vehicles
- fixed weapon being cut off in Chrome on higher FOV when aiming down sight
- fixed a bug causing the game to use small fonts on higher resolutions
- increased font size on higher resolutions
- added resolution based scaling for the following: hint and objective text, cut-scene subtitles, Logan subtitles, HUD item counter, HUD implant notifications, cursor, crosshair, hit indicators, sniper/binoculars compass and text, player position and map waypoint indicators
- added F7 toggle for object/motion detector (when available)
- added F12 toggle for entire HUD (nice for screenshots)
- reduced object/motion detector size to 65% and fixed horizontal stretching
- wrote "Chrome font scale" program that sets scaling factor for text in all HUD and GUI files and fixes aspect ratio of left and right HUD circles and positions them properly
- increased/reduced the size of some HUD/GUI elements to display properly on screen
- Fixed issues with high resolution maps from Chrome Widescreen Mod(Chrome HD Fix):
- disabled margins, so the player is positioned properly on the map
- added black borders, so the texture is rendered properly
- added/removed objects that were missing/are not there
- reduced contrast and saturation to match closer to original textures
- made high resolution 1024x1024 maps for Chrome SpecForce too
OPTIONAL
Visual Fidelity*:
- disables LOD switching on mesh objects, trees and terrain
- lowers mesh cull size
- increases tree, objects, rain and terrain draw distance
*These settings can be further changed with a Java class editor. dirtyJOE editor is included in the download and the instructions.
Bonus**:
- FOV multiplier
- third person perspective toggle with F6 (when activated)
- third person perspective, walker and jeep camera height adjustment
- activate object detector in SpecForce(also changed the color to match the rest of the HUD)
- remove black bars in cut-scenes
- crosshair scaling
- additional mouse sensitivity setting
- player jump height multiplier
**Bonus options must be activated manually by the user, because some of them affect gameplay and I did not want to change the game myself. Read the included instructions and use dirtyJOE editor.
Thank you !
Btw. Would be nice to see bigger inventory addon for your mod :)
Thank you
Please add the possibility to use this patch with higher 4:3 custom resolutions (1440x1080 and above). Or is it already possible?
It seems it's already possible, leaving the original DLL.
If everything works correctly the game should display all resolutions your GPU/monitor support in the video options menu, but you can also set the resolution manually:
-Go to the installation folder and open VideoSettings.scr file with Notepad.
-Change the Resolution values to the width and height you want.
-Save your changes and close the file.
(The new dll is only used to fix the FOV on widescreen resolutions)
Request: can you port your brilliant fixes for Chrome Multiplayer too? Now they apply only to the SP component of the game.
Sorry for not answering sooner, I didn't see it, sending me an email would have been better. I left a note about multiplayer in the instructions.txt file under Step 3.
Nice mod,shame it destroys my fps(playing on a 960gtx).
I played on a R9 270X(I think your card is better) and i5-4690 at 1440p, no problem keeping 60 FPS. Game physics are programmed for 60 FPS, having higher framerate makes the player slide on the terrain and is hard to control.
Hmm,I am using windows 10.Im guessing that is the problem.I will try fiddling more,thank you.
Mod breaks the game hardcore. Can't move and FPS dips alot...
This mod has been available for a year now and people already used it without problems. Movement is a known problem in this game if your framerate is too high, it has nothing to do with this mod. The included description already has a warning that the visual improvement is very hardware demanding, that is why it is the last step and is optional.
hey man, I had no idea you played Chrome
Use with dgVoodoo2 on Windows 10 to force VSync ;)
small text in the main menu
and the number of ammo is not visible
You didn't apply the patch properly, this patch fixes those exact issues.
Followed instructions to the letter, and all i got was :
[PID] 47588
CScriptManager::RegisterCPPMethod(..): No java native method: GameObject::SetReplicationSetModeReliable, signature: (I)V
Nice.
I have no idea what that is. If some steps in instructions are unclear, let me know, so I can write it better.
same
after installing the mod I can't move nor shoot, any idea why that could be?
Sorry for replying later. No, I don't know what could be the problem.
How do you run game on Win10??
Sorry, I still use Windows 7.
use DxWnd to make it run on win 10 in full/widescreen
hello!
I would like to ask
How to install this patch in the game?
I did not see detailed instructions on the site
First install the latest official patct 1.2 if you haven't already, you can find download links on PCGamingWiki. Then read the included "instructions.txt" file to install my patch.
Hello, AntonioR. I'm playing the game right now with your patch. It's simply wonderful, thanks for this.
For people playing the Steam version. This version only works with the ChromeEngine2_Gold.dll. I don't think I saw this information anywhere - maybe it's somewhere but I missed it.
For people on Windows 10. Vsync doesn't work through the GPU control panel. RivaTuner and D3DOverrider didn't work either. The only way I was able to limit the framerate is using NVIDIA Inspector. Unfortunately I don't have a AMD GPU, but I imagine there is a similar program for it.
Fortunately this game has zero screen tearing, even when running at 800 frames per second, so limiting the frame rate is actually better than vsync as it doesn't add input lag.
For people playing on high refresh rate monitors or who just prefer higher framerates. The sliding bug only shows up above 200 frames, so it's not necessary to run the game at 60 fps. I've played at 120 fps with no apparent issues.
Hope this comment helps other people enjoy this hidden gem of PC gaming and AntonioR's awesome patch.
Thank you for your feedback.
when applying it to specforce, do i still need to follow steps of patching like with normal chrome or i just skip it and go for instructions in the zip?
Patch 1.2 is only for Chrome. Specforce has no official patches, so you can apply this mod right away.
anywhere else to get the patches for this game. the ones i get from patches scrolls keeps coming up as ransomware during the update. acronis. thankx!
I downloaded patches from Patches Scrolls myself and had no problems. You can try searching on FilePlanet.
We need to remind Techland about the abandoned Chrome 2 game , write them an email or submit a petition for the Chrome remaster , let's unite for the remaster of the game and Chrome 2!!!
If you go to official Techland webpage and see the list of their previous games they don't even mention Chrome! They removed it from Steam, they don't sell it anywhere and have completely abandoned it. Chrome is still a unique game to this day; space bounty hunter with missions on various planets in another solar system, with large open environments, mechs, vehicles and player upgrades. There is nothing like it now.
Has anyone thought about remastering the game?mods improve the graphics of the textures? now it is fashionable to make remasters for games, this is such a masterpiece of those distant times
Chrome already has very high quality textures for its time, so there is not much you can do to improve it, unless you remake everything on a modern engine.
Eyy, awesome!