ToEE patch2: Installation Instructions, Temple of Elemental Evil

ToEE Patch2

The following instructions are posted for self-reference and citation purposes. They once constituted a section in ToEE review, but the review has since become too big, unmanageable and intimidating for newbies who don't like to read more than a few paragraphs per day.

These instructions pertain to installation of the original ToEE. They are only going to be of use to die-hard purists such as myself. The instructions show how the game is installed, the problems players encounter, and how they can be worked around or endured. Note that Temple+ eliminates many of these issues (the crashes and error messages) and largely reduces the others (pathfinding and lag). That is why Temple+ is recommended. See also: ToEE Mods.

ToEE Installation

Install ToEE from your optical media bought in 2003. This is for authenticity because the GoG version has been modded. Also, pat yourself on the back for being one of the people who supported this great game when it counted. In general, ToEE is only retroactively appreciated by people because it has since earned cult status. You have the original CDs: you supported this game and Troika 15 years ago because you had good taste. You're not some scrub who can only get the GoG and modded versions going -- 15 years too late.

ToEE patching

Apply patch1, apply patch2 [toee-patch2-beta8], but do NOT apply patch3. All patch3 did was introduce SecuROM copy protection and fix a looting bug (easily worked around, see below).

Disable Movies

Delete AtariLogo.bik, TroikaLogo.bik and WotCLogo.bik from /data/movies in order to get into the game faster. 

Now, run the game by double-clicking ToEE.EXE. 

***

Oh look, it worked. From an original optical media install. No surprises there. ToEE has always worked, from Windows XP to Windows 11, Nvidia or ATI, Intel or AMD.

If you can't get ToEE going = user error.

ToEE Window Mode

Note that you can make a shortcut for ToEE.EXE and add two useful parameters to its target field. For example: "C:\ToEE\TOEE.EXE" -window -console. This will enable you to run in 800*600 windowed mode, and also access the console, in-game. To bring up console mode, hit Shift + ~ (tilde). You can now type "levelup" (no quotes) in order to give your characters enough experience points to gain a level. This is useful for build-testing purposes. For other console commands, as well as codes, please refer to ToEE Items and ToEE Feats.

Running in Windowed mode also bypasses the inability to loot corpses outside of combat.

ToEE Settings

• Go to Preferences and disable Auto-Save on map changes. This will speed the game up and eliminate some scripting bugs. Turn on Numerical HP display (handy when leveling up).
• Go to Game Options and enable Anti-aliasing to remove the graphical glitch that appears in the fog of war.
• Change Shadow Type to maps because they look better. You will have to tweak this setting back every time you load the game up (it's not saved to ini like other settings).

ToEE CTDs

• Each and every time you exit the game, you will receive an application error for ntdll.dll. This is "normal" and doesn't adversely affect game-play or corrupt your installation. Ignore it.
• In my many runs of ToEE, I have only received tio.dll error once (during the intro vignette).
• You may receive application error d3d8.dll when quickloading. That's your fault for relying on Quicksave.
• temple.dll CTDs may occur in random encounters (extremely rare), may occur when ID'ing items (be careful where you click!), and will definitely occur if description of item is too long during crafting (use abbreviations).

ToEE Performance Issues

• Elemental node lag is notorious if not playing in Windowed mode. The nodes are found in the temple, late-game. Scrolling viewport may lag game for up to 20 secs (scroll it slowly and don't go crazy). Saving the game may take up to 15 secs. Use these downtimes to meditate on your tactics and builds. That is wisdom. Note that the Water node seems oddly free of these issues.
• Pathing routine during exploration is unoptimized. 

ToEE Hotkeys

• F12 = quicksave; F9 = quickload. Again, don't use these quick-keys! Instead, regularly make separate named saves since the game may crash during the save and corrupt the data (very rare). Don't just rely on Quicksave. You may regret it.
• Hit "c"-key to re-enter combat mode in order to loot corpses (or play in Windowed mode).
• Hit "Tab"-key to highlight objects.
• Hit "Alt"-key in combat mode in order to display the path of your unit, and to show any AoOs (Attacks of Opportunity) threatening the unit.
• Location of ToEE savegames: ..\modules\ToEE\Save

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