How to Change Engine

[Zan_HedonDev]

If you experience weird lag, broken 3D models or any other issue related to your graphic card, you can try switching to a different engine version to attempt to fix it.

Before anything, it's worth trying to update your graphic card drivers if you're using older graphic cards, especially AMD ones. If this doesn't work, then try this:


CHANGING ENGINE VERSION GUIDE
1a. If you have older specs, go here, scroll down and download gzdoom-bin-3-4-1-x64.zip
https://zdoom.org/files/gzdoom/bin/
1b. If 1a doesn't work or you have current gen specs, download the latest GZDoom version instead.

2. Unzip somewhere, then go to where Hedon is installed, take Hedon.ipk3 and move it into the newly downloaded folder, then launch the game with gzdoom exe (do not drag&drop as you do for Doom mods, just double click gzdoom.exe).
If you got 1b, make sure you select Vulkan renderer when you launch.

3. You might have to configure your settings from scratch. If you got the 1b., make sure Vulkan is enabled from Display Options - Vulkan Options.
Also, remember that if you want to restore your progress, you can start a new game from Testing Hub and select the level where you were at from there. You're also able to pick any gear you need before entering the level.

[Zan_HedonDev]

NOTE: Hedon does not work with LZDoom unfortunately.

[HarleyQuinn95]

Will this fix the screen-tearing I'm experiencing even with V-Sync active?

[Zan_HedonDev]

No clue, give it a try

[vodkins]

Will changing the engine version possibly help with the bug that prevents me from moving further in the Abandoned Town location? Almost at the very beginning of the location, when I start to go deeper into the city (left part/path from the enter), the game just freezes every time. There was nothing like this in the original game. The driver is the latest.

[Zan_HedonDev]

Originally posted by vodkins:

Will changing the engine version possibly help with the bug that prevents me from moving further in the Abandoned Town location? Almost at the very beginning of the location, when I start to go deeper into the city (left part/path from the enter), the game just freezes every time. There was nothing like this in the original game. The driver is the latest.

Have you tried switching the renderer to Vulkan from Set Video Mode?

[vodkins]

Not yet... I will try then! Switching to 3.4.1 version didn't help. But i can play a llttle more (it freezes a little later:)))

[vodkins]

Switching to Vulkan also didn't help. Or i also need to switch engine back to latest (4.6.0?)?

[vodkins]

Unfortunately using 4.6.0 with Vulkan or Soft Poly did't help... Maybe i need to reset all video settings (which are moved from original Hedon as i see)?

[Skeletonpatch]

Small font text does not appear for me. The main menu is visible, but the options menu or any other menu with smaller text is blank (the actual options are still there and can be selected). I assume that dialogue and notes will be blank as well but I haven't gotten far enough in the game to see those yet.

I've switched the engine to the one provided in Hedon's last mod release, as trying to run the Steam version as-is has always given a fatal error. This worked for the last few versions of the game but now I can't read anything in this version. Trying to substitute files from the Steam version into the mod version hasn't fixed the text and usually breaks the sound. I tried switching to the engine that you suggested in this thread and that did not fix the problem.

Do you have any idea how I might be able to fix this?

[Zan_HedonDev]

Can you try a later version of GZDoom, maybe one that starts with 4.x.y?

[Skeletonpatch]

Thanks for the advice, though that hasn't helped. I've tried several versions of GZDoom 4.x.y, none of them even make it to the title screen. All of them give me a fatal error. I assume it's related to my laptop's specs, its an older HP Pavilion with an i3 running Windows 8.1.

I have tried playing it some more with the mod engine, which does run, I can now confirm that notes also appear blank and pickups do not tell me what they are. The HUD is visible along with any larger fonts in the menus.

[DefectiveByDesign]

If your system can't run vulkan/opengl, or has bad drivers, the game will crash using the renderer. You can't fix this unless you manually edit the config file to use a working renderer, because the game will crash itself and doesn't have a safe mode like old unreal games. Some of the recent gzdoom versions have crashed opengl on my laptop, likely because they were focusing on vulkan, but the latest versions run fine for me. lzdoom is newer than 3.4.1, based on 3.88, but there are certain minor things that do not work properly, although cheat codes can bypass it. Haven't tested it on the second game, but the first game could patch 1 or 2 things and be workable. I don't see why 3.4.1 would work at all though if 3.88 isn't new enough. The game is using 4.x code that won't work right with older versions, unless patched.

Version specific code is a problem. It means you can't update the engine without fixing the game. Which means you can't get engine bug fixes, security patches, or performance improvements. The only silver lining is that Hedon only has minor bugs with different engine versions, and does not completely break like Doom Slayer Chronicles. That said, it can reach that point if indefinitely left alone and further code is made version specific.

As a side note, using any gzdoom version over the official one will change the directory of config and save files from a hedon user folder to a gzdoom folder. Not that save files will be compatible, but you'd have to manually copy your config file if you want to keep settings. That or find some command to keep using the hedon folder.