Cheat Console?

[Pr0f. 8{ ✯ St0rM ✯]

When is the update coming, which activates the cheat console?

[Bolt]

According to this Steam thread the cheat console used to work but doesn't work currently anymore (just tested this: verified - (left) shift + F11 doesn't work anymore in any menu).

The internet is full of outright wrong results that completely ignore that the current Steam version of Desperados (and it looks like the GOG version too[www.gog.com]) has NO working (left) shift + F11 console anymore. So all of that information still claiming this works is wrong.

That linked GOG thread leads to another interesting thread that claims a registry edit will improve the game's performance (originally related to a similar game: Robin Hood):

Originally posted by r34p3r85:

Yes, I finally found it, it really is in Registry.

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers

(not really necessary if you only have one user account)
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers

Look for:
c:\gog games\robin hood - the legend of sherwood\game.exe

Double click it and paste this:
DWM8And16BitMitigation 8And16BitAggregateBlts HIGHDPIAWARE RUNASADMIN HIGHDPIAWARE

The important one is 8And16BitAggregateBlts, this stops the lag, and you can't set this yourself in Compatibility tab.


This also works for Desperados before the modern system update, without the use of any DDraw wrappers, and it fixes all the problems:
-mouse cursor lag
-slow mission loading time, before 20s, now 7s
-slow gameplay, 1-10 FPS
-black traces on mouse path

Some people have verified this improves the game's performance and deals with graphical issues some players had but only so long as no vision cone is active.

The other link of the GOG thread leads to the statement made about bringing back the console in the next update:
thread link

Originally posted by vrbalazs24. Juli 2018:

We're looking into restoring the console for the next update.

Around a year ago.

The Steam / GOG version seems to have been altered far too much from the original so that merely copying a few files from the original game to the Steam version won't work.

According to various sources the most recent version is required to run the game on recent systems. So either way you either get a working game lacking a feature of the original or a game with graphical- or performance issues if using the old files from the original.

[SunBeam]

Hi there.

I've compared both the old (game.exe) and new versions (desperados.exe). The console code is there, it does trigger on same hotkeys (Left Shift+F11). The problem is it's not rendered or receiving any input. Once you press the keys the screen freezes and you can't do anything else. In the old version, you would see a black screen with input at the bottom, where to exit, you'd just hit a simple Enter.

In the new version I had to fake the Enter key input to resume the game. There was no additional overlay drawn over the screen (black screen) with input, so that's the problem. Nothing else is changed.

Am guessing the developers forgot to update that part. But then again.. it's a developer feature, not intended for game play. I doubt they will update anything in that regards.

I'll see if I can crop up a fix.

BR,
Sun

EDIT: I've figured out why nothing happens when you start typing something (even if you don't see a console). They've nuked out the handler for key input (XOR AL,AL | RET). Nice, thanks THQ..