Thief:TDP Texture/Model Patch Question

Phaedrus on 31/7/2003 at 22:36

Hello, all:

I recently downloaded and installed both the texture patch and model patch for The Dark Project, as it had been a while since I had played through the game. I was amazed at how much better everything looked, and I was having a grand time revisiting the old familiar places with a new look. That is, until I got to Escape!, when the ratmen make their first appearance. For some reason, every ratman looks like a psychedelic nightmare, with strange multi-colored skin and funky blue sword. I found this exceedingly odd, as every other model in the game looks great. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, what causes it, and what can be done to correct it? I have a Voodoo 3 card, but it has been updated to its most recent drivers. If anyone has a clue about this strange behavior, I would appreciate some insight.

Eshaktaar on 31/7/2003 at 23:13

This is somewhat a wild guess, but you can try if it works: Open your Thief folder and go into /MESH/txt16. There are two textures that belong to the ratmen (monkey.gif and monkeyg.gif). Move these two files to somewhere outside the Thief folder. Restart the game and check if the ratmen's textures still look funny. If it didn't work, put the two files back, and never mind my feeble attempt at trying to be helpful ;)

Arthur Dent on 1/8/2003 at 05:56

Hi Phaedrus,

I had exactly the same problem, the only way I could see to fix it was to remove the two monkey textures and play with the originals.

Regards,

Arthur Dent

Phaedrus on 1/8/2003 at 12:06

Thanks to everyone who replied; I really appreciate all the help.

If I remember correctly, at the time I downloaded the patches, I was given an option of two different graphic formats, one of which supposedly looked better in-game, and the other which was better suited to working in Dromed. I downloaded the first one, and as I mentioned before, everything looked great except for the ratmen. Am I asking for trouble if I download the second version and selectively copy the ratmen textures to replace the ones that look bad?

David on 1/8/2003 at 18:55

Ensure you have added the line <i>ObjTextures16</i> to <i>user.cfg</i> from the Thief directory using notepad. If the file does not exist, feel free to create it, or add it to one of the other .cfg files in the same directory.
:)

Phaedrus on 1/8/2003 at 19:09

David:

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I've already done everything to get the patch to work properly, which is why I was so surprised to see the funky color pattern on the ratmen models (every other model in the game looks wonderful). To clarify my question a bit more:

I downloaded the TGA version, which was supposed to look better in-game. The other version is the GIF version, which supposedly looks better in Dromed. Can I remove the monkey and monkeyg files (TGA version) and replace them with the GIF version? I'm concerned that having both TGA and GIF textures in the same folder might cause the Dark Engine to have a seizure. If not, then substituting just those meshes might correct the problem.

Phaedrus on 2/8/2003 at 12:55

Okay, here's the scoop:

I looked at the files in the mesh folder, and it turns out that not all of the textures in the folder are TGA files. The TGA version download actually contains a mixture of TGA and GIF files, and the textures that are causing the problem (monkey and monkeyg) are, in fact, in GIF format. I downloaded the GIF version and found that the two textures are exactly the same as the ones in the TGA version. I replaced them anyway, with no discernible effect. Only removing the files from the folder entirely solved the problem. Of course, the ratmen now look like the original and lack the groovy artwork intended in the texture patch, but hey, at least now they don't glow in the dark.

Caradavin on 2/8/2003 at 14:48

Almost every person in T: dp is like that for me. Except the Hammer priest haunt and a certain type of guard (ocre colored clothing, with black collar. Looks like he has no neck). I did the Objtextures deal. My player arm is that way, too. Even now, after I installed a graphics card (GeForce 4 Mx 440) last week. Arg. It seems there is no solution for mua :erg: Oh, and I have the texture patch of Daemonites because I hoped it would fix the problem, but it only fixed the priest and that certain type of guard...

Update! I fixed it, I fixed it! I reinstalled T: dp, patched it to 1.33 (which I hadn't done previously), and got the 16 bit meshes. I can see everyone! T: dp never looked this good! :D

CrackJack on 5/8/2003 at 09:14

Greetings fellow thieves,

I have two questions.............

Where can I get this patch? .......... and

has anyone made one for thief 2???

Phaedrus on 5/8/2003 at 14:29

CrackJack:

Actually, there are two patches you can apply to spiff up the look of Thief. One is the texture patch (which will improve the look of textures on walls, floors, etc.), and the model patch, which will improve the look of the AI characters (guards, zombies, etc.) You can find links to both patches, along with instructions and tips for getting them to work, here:

(http://www.ttlg.com/thievery/patchguide.htm)

To answer your question: No, there is no similar patch for Thief 2, because it is already running at 16-bit color depth. In fact, the patches are basically files lifted from Thief 2 that you put in your Thief folder, along with a modified .cfg file that tells Thief to run at 16-bit color rather than the original 8-bit. If you haven't played Thief in a while, install the patches and give it a go. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Good luck!