Widescreen Mod compatibility problems

[Zaphero]

I've been trying to play the game with The Payne Effects 3 mod, but it doesn't seem to work well with the Widescreen Fix... (this does not happen in vanilla)
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1321919533
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1321924713
I have the most recent Widescreen Fix, the Startup Hang Patch (because the game would not run with the Widescreen Fix installed before) and Payne Effects 3 installed.

How can I fix this?

[Frank Drebin]

I experienced this bug too. This is how I managed to fix it:

1. Download RASMaster (it unpacks mp2m files): https://www.softpedia.com/get/Compression-tools/RAS-Master.shtml After it's downloaded, launch RAS-MP2M Master v1.2.exe and click on the "Unpack" button. In this menu you'll need to point the tool to the location of your Payne Effects 3.mp2m ("Source") and choose a folder where it'll extract the mod files ("Extraction destination"). After you choose both, click on the "Extract" button.

2. After unpacking the mod, look for two files in "HUD" folder - "hud.txt" and "introductionSprites.h" (both can be opened with Notepad).

3. In "hud.txt", look for the line "ConstantSprite". There'll be a "DefaultVertexAlpha 255" setting below it. Change it from "255" to "0" and save the file. This will turn off a black vignette that is shown in cutscenes and outside of gunfights if you use a Widescreen Fix.

3. To fix blood and other on-screen effects being shown in a rectangle instead of the whole screen, you'll need to edit "introductionSprites.h" in the "hud" folder. There are 4 "IntroductionSprites" you need to edit: explosion_dirt, blood_soft, blood_heavy, blood_death. Look for the parameters "ReferencePoint", "Width" and "Height". Change "ReferencePoint" from "UPLEFT" to "CENTER", and set your native resolution in the "Width" and "Height" (I used 1920x1080 as my monitor only supports 1080p).

4. To disable or stretch the grey vignette shown on the screen when Max is near plot-related items, edit a "LookAt" sprite located in hud.txt. You can either stretch the vignette to fit your screen by editing "Width" and "Height" to match your desired resolution (don't forget to change "Reference Point" to "Center") or disable it altogether by setting DefaultVertexAlpha of the "LookAt" sprite to 0.

5. Another issue users frequently complain about is Payne Effects 3's difficulty settings which make Max almost invincible as he has so much health and incoming enemy damage is very low. To fix it, I switched "Auto Heal" and enemy "InaccuracyMultiplier" settings in Payne Effects 3's difficulty.txt to their original levels from the vanilla MP2 (they can be found in difficulty.txt located inside MP2_Init.ras). In addition, I reduced Max's healthpoints (PLAYER_MAXIMUMHEALTH) from 400 to 82 by editing ai_ranges.h.txt, and the enemies became just as deadly as in the original game. You can also reduce the amount of ammo that Max finds around the levels by setting "AmmoFoundMultiplier" in difficulty.txt below "1.0".

6. If you don't like the custom music that plays when Max activates bullet-time, delete the line [Message] String = "maxpayne_gamemode->A_PlaySound ( misc, bt_music );"; from the file globalconfig.txt (in the unpacked Payne Effects 3.mp2m file).

7. After you've made the aforementioned edits, create a new mp2m mod file in RASMaster using a "Create" option, and then place this file in the game folder.

If you play in 1920x1080, you can simply download my tweaked Payne Effects 3 2024.mp2m from the link below:

https://mega.nz/file/LWRkkbTA#n3w0LkybKVt0NntbXHEMpJuIbhMV0RS2GajKhMnYpeU

Put Payne Effects 3 2024.mp2m into the game's folder and choose Payne Effects 3 2024 in "Choose Customized Game" in the game launcher.

[JigenDaisuke]

Originally posted by Frank Drebin:

/cut

Sorry for the necro, but i wanted to thank you for this fix.

[MrGrayFox91]

Hi, i have the same Problem but i am too dumb to fix it with rasmaster. I downloaded the file.
So where do I have to unpack the files in there? I cant find any „hud“ folder? Can someone pls explain every step one by one?

[Frank Drebin]

Do you play in 1080p (1920x1080)? I shared my own Payne Effects 3 file with all the changes already made:

https://mega.nz/file/LWRkkbTA#n3w0LkybKVt0NntbXHEMpJuIbhMV0RS2GajKhMnYpeU

It is only adapted for 1080p though, if your resolution is higher than that, my fixes won't work, you will need to edit the files manually and set your custom resolution there.

I also further clarified how to extract the mod files from an .mp2m file in the guide. You'll be able to see "HUD" folder after unpacking Payne Effects 3.mp2m (the first step of my guide).