When Painkiller struggles or fails to run on Windows 10

[bonechiller1]

Painkiller is one of the classics, and an unmissable game for FPS connoisseurs. So many things that we take for granted in modern FPS kings saw their first successfull implementation in this title. The game didn't invent these conventions, but it perfected them for an audience that enjoys prettier, more techinically sophisticated modern shooters that needed to evolve a little from the Doom and Wolfenstein era. Things like level layouts, how enemies attack you, how physics and elaborate levels actually become lead playing fields... it all found its home here.

It is thus very sad when your enjoyment of the game is impeded by launch issues.

The main reasons people are struggling with this game is because Windows 10 and Painkiller are not good friends. More like enemies in fact. So when your game does not work, or even gives you glitches, play around with compatibility modes.

That is, you have to fool around with making the game think it is running in Windows XP or sometimes 7.

Go to the Steam folder (steamapps/common/painkiller etc.) and right click on 'painkiller.exe.' Choose the compatibility tab, and select either Windows 7, or Windows XP service pack 2 compatibility mode.

This has been known to fix everything from audio issues, to graphics glitches, to failure to launch, to in-game cutscene problems. Give it a shot.

However, in the end, I must admit that for all we can do to tweak it, this game has more bugs than a Taiwanese prison cell. It's never a bad idea to make sure you have the latest patch installed. Get it here: http://pkzone.org/unofficial-patch-v1-65/.

[Jaegeras]

Not to mention the random times it decides to ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hang on you, forcing you to alt tab away. Then the hang is so bad, Task Manager can't even close it. The ♥♥♥♥...

[bonechiller1]

Originally posted by Jieger:

Not to mention the random times it decides to ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hang on you, forcing you to alt tab away. Then the hang is so bad, Task Manager can't even close it. The ♥♥♥♥...

Geez sounds hectic. Sorry to hear. Have you tried setting the game to run with only one core affinity? Like Ctrl, alt and delete> details tab> right-click and choosing affinity? This sometimes helps for older games that get confused by multiple cores.

[Milansta]

Originally posted by bonechiller1:

Painkiller is one of the classics, and an unmissable game for FPS connoisseurs. So many things that we take for granted in modern FPS kings saw their first successfull implementation in this title. The game didn't invent these conventions, but it perfected them for an audience that enjoys prettier, more techinically sophisticated modern shooters that needed to evolve a little from the Doom and Wolfenstein era. Things like level layouts, how enemies attack you, how physics and elaborate levels actually become lead playing fields... it all found its home here.

It is thus very sad when your enjoyment of the game is impeded by launch issues.

The main reasons people are struggling with this game is because Windows 10 and Painkiller are not good friends. More like enemies in fact. So when your game does not work, or even gives you glitches, play around with compatibility modes.

That is, you have to fool around with making the game think it is running in Windows XP or sometimes 7.

Go to the Steam folder (steamapps/common/painkiller etc.) and right click on 'painkiller.exe.' Choose the compatibility tab, and select either Windows 7, or Windows XP service pack 2 compatibility mode.

This has been known to fix everything from audio issues, to graphics glitches, to failure to launch, to in-game cutscene problems. Give it a shot.

However, in the end, I must admit that for all we can do to tweak it, this game has more bugs than a Taiwanese prison cell. It's never a bad idea to make sure you have the latest patch installed. Get it here: http://pkzone.org/unofficial-patch-v1-65/.

are you talking about the windows 10 experience? Beecause i invested over 30 hours on my windows 7 64 bit laptop and not a single bug or problem so far :? first time i hear about that patch...is it only for windows 10 users meant?

[bonechiller1]

Well, from what I have read, it appears to be mostly Windows 10 users who are having issues with the game, and I am not suprised at all that Painkiller is running so well on 7. Windows 7 and XP are the holy grails for running games on PC, and I would still be running 7, frankly, if it wasn't for... actually I am not entirely sure why I am using 10 anymore. Anyhow, if your game runs well, don't worry about the patch since it primarily fixes glitches and bugs. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[JesusFreak]

Sorry to necro, but hanging with an old OS is like driving a 30-year-old car because it still runs. Sure, it's patched together with duct tape and baling wire(AKA Service Packs), but sometimes you have to trade in the jalopy for something more modern. Windows 7 doesn't have as robust of security as 10, nor is it equipped with the technology that many newer applications and hardware run on. You say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it..." If technology really ran on that mentality, you'd still be on a 286 playing text-based games in DOS. You either keep up or you get left behind. Plain and simple.

Anyway, I really just wanted to throw out that running in compat mode fixes a lot of issues, but I still get kicked to the desktop whenever I change graphics settings and have to kill the process and re-launch. However, once I got my graphics set properly, I've had no problems.

[Hydris]

Using Windows 10 is a lot like being herded like a sheep. Microsoft put a lot of effort into strong arming the public into using it such as nagging updates, limiting support to other platforms, etc because their business model is selling user information.

I don't need Ciri, DirectX 12, and the Windows App Store. So Windows 7 is still fine.

To throw it out there, this game is flawless on Linux. (Platinum rating on Wine)

[bonechiller1]

Originally posted by JesusFreak:

Sorry to necro, but hanging with an old OS is like driving a 30-year-old car because it still runs. Sure, it's patched together with duct tape and baling wire(AKA Service Packs), but sometimes you have to trade in the jalopy for something more modern. Windows 7 doesn't have as robust of security as 10, nor is it equipped with the technology that many newer applications and hardware run on. You say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it..." If technology really ran on that mentality, you'd still be on a 286 playing text-based games in DOS. You either keep up or you get left behind. Plain and simple.

Anyway, I really just wanted to throw out that running in compat mode fixes a lot of issues, but I still get kicked to the desktop whenever I change graphics settings and have to kill the process and re-launch. However, once I got my graphics set properly, I've had no problems.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." was my reference to the game itself, not the OS. If the game is running without problems, no need to patch regardless of what OS you are rocking.

I do not dislike Windows 10. I 100% agree on the security thing. You will give hackers ptsd if you have a decent antivirus solution and keep your Windows 10 defender up to date for sure. I just like Windows 7 more.

After that being said, video games were in their prime on the older stuff. Those were the days when game developers had TONS of original ideas and they were not being exploited by publishers. A game had to sell on how much fun it was, not how much new technology you could cram into it. Being 'left behind' might not be such a bad thing...

[OldDog]

Make a batch file in Painkiller's Bin folder and paste this into there.

cmd.exe /c start /affinity 2 Painkiller.exe

Now create a shortcut to the batch file and put it on the desktop, now when you run the game it will only be on 1 core as long as your run the game from this batch file you made.

And if your having speed problems, open the console with ~ (its under the escape key) and type in \setmaxfps 120

now your game will run perfect without issue.

[Havcom]

1 - Painkiller works great on win10. I, as a user of this operating system and a developer of mods for this game, I tell you.
2 - I strongly discourage anyone from putting unofficial patches on this game, because often people try to fix something that does not need fixing. it is solely at your own peril and risk.
Good luck.