Too dark to play.

[Shadowe Wolfe]

So I played this game back in the day and enjoyed it. I'd grown nostalgic after the years, and remembered to Wishlist it before the sale to keep an eye out for it, and bought it as soon as the price dropped. Unfortunately the game is almost unplayable, as even adjusting brightness in the game, playing with gamma, etc as it is too dark (even with torch out, which gives a ridiculously small visibility.

I've checked around for other threads on this, and though I see a few, the responses to each don't fix it for me (or the one that does seem to work seems to only work while you play the game, and then you have to readjust your graphics for desktop everytime you play the game, which is really tedius.) Anyone have any ideas for a permament fix? A patch, etc?

[Smoker]

Add -window to the launch options

[Shadowe Wolfe]

Thanks. I'll give this a try next time I load it up.

[Shadowe Wolfe]

Update: Doesn't help. In fact, it messed up the intro video a lot. No visible effect on actual gameplay. Adjusting the darkness thing still does nothing, etc.

[jj-sn2]

When i played this game on the beginning of the 2000's years it already was dark, indeed, especially on the first dungeon: the mines. I used a torch to match the challege, but the fact is that in the mines the game always was dark and it is part of the challenge. I believe so.

[Shadowe Wolfe]

undoubtly the mines were always dark, but I'm literally bumbling through the game in darkness, often unable to see monsters right in front of me because of it. I never had this much trouble with the original game. Thinking about digging around for my box/disc and seeing what the original looked like

[whit]

Try the age of redemption mod - you can either go through the guides section and use the link provided in the guide. You could also use google to find it. It's more of an overhaul then a patch, but it does have fixes in it.

[Stremon]

I have the same problem, the game is so dark that any night or cave scene is unplayable...
I also tried the Age of Redemtion patch, but it doesn't change anything sadly.
There was apparently a trick with the microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit to make it work, but sadly the link that the guy provided is dead, so can't find any good solution.

[Stremon]

I found a very good way to fix the problem, you just need to use the dgvoodoo wrapper, and then the gamma slider works again!
http://dege.freeweb.hu/

[FinalBoss]

your... your using a torch right?

[Stremon]

Originally posted by FinalBoss:

your... your using a torch right?

I don't know if you're just here to troll, but I will still answer anyway, for the people coming here searching a solution to this problem.

If you read the main post carefully, you will see the torch doesn't change a thing, still too dark to see even with it.
To be more specific, the problem is that in the last version of Windows and DirectX the gamma setting in the game got broken, stuck in the darkest setting and can't be adjusted.

The only easy and reliable way to fix it is to use a DirectX wrapper like I said (dgvoodoo wrapper), to make the game run on a proper DirectX. And then the gamma setting works again making the game playable like in the old time.

[jj-sn2]

Originally posted by FinalBoss:

your... your using a torch right?

When i first played the game in the 2000's, the torch helped a lot in the mines. Maybe the torch isn't so useful today with the present resolution changes, but the torch wasn't just a cosmetic on the first days of the game.

[Shadowe Wolfe]

To the condescending/troll people who somehow missed the bit about using the torch, I want to make clear that I bought this game when it first came out (still have the box somewhere), AND I beat whatshisface (the one that was practically unkillable.. think his name started with a D) pre-nerf (and I think I got that far before you could do the "save anywhere" feature). I know what the game should look like, and I may be rusty on the mechanics, but I'm not a noob, nor am I dumb.

Stremon probably has the best solution out there right now (thanks by the way. I personally haven't tried it yet, but I'll definitely mess around with it more when I get in the mood to try this again)

[† Christina Romuald †]

I tried the dgvoodoo directx wrapper and it works

[Mika_Yen]

Originally posted by JayBee:

I found a very good way to fix the problem, you just need to use the dgvoodoo wrapper, and then the gamma slider works again!
http://dege.freeweb.hu/

yes but how do you get it too work? can anyone give me step by step where to place the folders ect. to get it to work? please i'm desperate P_P

[Stremon]

Originally posted by Mika_Yen:

Originally posted by JayBee:

I found a very good way to fix the problem, you just need to use the dgvoodoo wrapper, and then the gamma slider works again!
http://dege.freeweb.hu/

yes but how do you get it too work? can anyone give me step by step where to place the folders ect. to get it to work? please i'm desperate P_P

A guide was written since here:
https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Vampire:_The_Masquerade_-_Redemption#Torches_don.27t_work_.2F_game_is_too_dark