sfall

A set of engine modifications for the classic game Fallout 2 in the form of a DLL, which modifies executable in memory without changing anything in EXE file itself.

Engine modifications include:

• Better support for modern operating systems
• Externalizing many settings like starting map and game time, skills, perks, critical hit tables, books, etc.
• Bug fixes
• Many additional features for users, such as item highlight button, party member control, etc.
• Extended scripting capabilities for modders (many new opcodes to control sfall features as well as previously unavailable vanilla engine functions)

Original author: Timeslip

Original description: A set of engine modifications for the classic game Fallout 2 by Interplay. Includes fixes for bugs in the original engine, allows Fallout to run correctly on modern operating systems, and adds additional features for modders.

Installation

• Download sfall_*.7z from the release archive.

• Extract ddraw.dll, ddraw.ini, sfall.dat, and the mods folder to Fallout's base directory (i.e. the one that contains fallout2.exe). Also, remove gl_highlighting.int and gl_partycontrol.int from Fallout's data\scripts\ directory if you are updating from an older version.

• Important Note:
  If you are using a mod that already included sfall (e.g. killap's Unofficial Patch or Restoration Project), then that mod has probably included a custom modified ddraw.ini. In that case, overwriting it with sfall's vanilla ddraw.ini will be likely break your game. Instead, only overwrite ddraw.dll, and keep the mod's existing copy of ddraw.ini. (Or, if you know what you're doing, you can merge them together by hand.)

• The folder translations contains translations of some of the strings that sfall displays in the game. To use a translation, copy this folder to Fallout's base directory too, and then in ddraw.ini change the TranslationsINI setting to .\translations\<your language>.ini.

Uninstallation

Delete ddraw.dll, ddraw.ini, and sfall.dat from your Fallout directory, and delete sfall-mods.ini from the mods folder.

Usage

This mod is configured via the ddraw.ini and sfall-mods.ini files, which can be opened with any text editor. Details of every configerable option are included in those files. Where a comment refers to a DX scancode, the complete list of codes can be found at the link below:
https://kippykip.com/b3ddocs/commands/scancodes.htm

In a default installation using an unmodified copy of ddraw.ini, the middle mouse button will be set to switch between weapons and the mouse wheel will be set to scroll through any menus that respond to the up/down arrow keys. Holding Ctrl and hitting numpad keys 0 to 6 (with Num Lock off) will adjust the game speed. Holding left Ctrl will let you move items between inventory lists by simply clicking on them. Pressing left Shift will highlight items on the ground, and holding the key will let you move an entire stack of items at once. The script extender and any engine fixes are also enabled. Most of the options that change gameplay in some way not originally intended by the developers are disabled.

For Wine users:
You need to set DLL overrides for ddraw.dll to "native, builtin" in winecfg or use WINEDLLOVERRIDES="ddraw=n,b" to run Fallout from the command line. If you want to play alternative sound files, you'll also need to install GStreamer Good 32-bit plugins.

Build Instructions

Prerequisites:

• Visual Studio 2015 with "Windows XP support for C++" component. If you're using Visual Studio 2017/2019/2022, make sure to install "VC++ 2015.3 v14.00 (v140) toolset for desktop" component as well.
• DirectX SDK (June 2010). You will also need ddraw.lib from DXSDK February 2010 and dinput.lib from DXSDK August 2007. Both files can be found in the DirectX SDK Collection repo.
• DirectX Runtime (June 2010). You can also install it from DirectX SDK installer.

Steps:

1. Set up a postbuild.cmd using the template from the repo.
2. Open the solution file and build with the ReleaseXP configuration (this is the one used for sfall releases).
3. If everything is set up correctly, you should have a new sfall ddraw.dll in your Fallout 2 directory.

Minimalist Setup:

If you don't need a full-fledged IDE, you can use Visual Studio Build Tools instead. Taking Visual Studio 2017 Build Tools for example:

1. Install using the command line:

   vs_BuildTools.exe --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VCTools --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.MSBuildTools --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.140 --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.WinXP --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.ComponentGroup.NativeDesktop.WinXP --passive
   

2. Set up a postbuild.cmd using the template from the repo.
3. Use MSBuild in x86 Native Tools Command Prompt to build sfall:

   MSBuild.exe ddraw.sln /t:Clean;Build /p:Configuration=ReleaseXP /p:Platform=Win32
   

Additional info

• Changelog
• Scripting Documentation
• Fallout Engine IDA Database: for IDA Pro 6.8 | for IDA Pro 7.0 (comments are in Russian)
• Fallout 2 Reference Edition