- What is ResidualVM?
- Current state
- Running GrimE games
- Running Myst III
- Running The Longest Journey
- Configuration
- Troubleshooting
- Debugging
- Bug reports
- Contact
ResidualVM is a game engine reimplementation that allows you to play 3D adventure games such as Grim Fandango, Escape from Monkey Island, Myst III and The Longest Journey.
ResidualVM utilizes OpenGL for 3D graphics hardware acceleration. A software renderer is also included for machines without hardware OpenGL.
At this point ResidualVM is fit for normal use, when playing supported games, it is however worth noting that you should still save early and save often, as problems or dead ends might still exist (Grim Fandango itself originally had a few unintentional ways to get the game stuck).
Currently ResidualVM supports Grim Fandango and Escape from Monkey Island, as well as Myst III and The Longest Journey.
Game | Status |
---|---|
Grim Fandango | Completable with glitches |
Grim Fandango (demo) | Completable with glitches |
Escape from Monkey Island | Completable with glitches |
Escape from Monkey Island (demo) | Completable with glitches |
Escape from Monkey Island (PS2) | Untested |
Game | Status |
---|---|
Myst III Exile | Completable |
The Longest Journey | Untested |
The Longest Journey (demo) | Untested |
Specifics can be found at https://www.residualvm.org/compatibility/
For more information, see the page on ResidualVM at the wiki page: https://wiki.residualvm.org/
For both Grim Fandango and Escape from Monkey Island, you will need the original game files as well as the official update patch.
You will need to copy the data files from your Grim Fandango CDs into one directory. Specifically, you'll need:
- All of the
LAB
files from both CDs. - A copy of the Grim Fandango 1.01 update EXE. The patch can be downloaded from: https://demos.residualvm.org/patches/gfupd101.exe
You will need to copy the data files from your Escape from Monkey Island CDs into one directory. Specifically, you'll need:
- All of the
M4B
files from both CDs. One of the files is easy to miss:local.m4b
is located on CD1 inMonkey4/MonkeyInstall
. Note: The filevoiceAll.m4b
is repeated on both CDs. Use the copy from the first CD, it contains all of the required voice data. - The
Textures
directory, combined from both CDs. When copying, rename theFullMonkeyMap.imt
files toFullMonkeyMap1.imt
andFullMonkeyMap2.imt
from CDs 1 and 2 respectively. - The
Movies
directory from each CD. - A copy of the Escape from Monkey Monkey Island update EXE. You will need a patch specific to the EMI version you're using:
- "EFMI Installer" if you have the Mac version of EMI.
You will need to copy the data files from your Escape from Monkey Island DVD into one directory. Specifically, you'll need:
- All of the
M4B
files from the DVD. - The
Videos
,demos
,jambalay
,lucre
,melee
andmonkey
directores.
- Prepare the game directory as specified above.
- Open ResidualVM.
- Click
Add Game...
. - Select the directory you created in step 1.
- Click
Start
.
If you want to play with software rendering, see the configuration section below, or use the in-game settings to disable 3D acceleration.
When launching the game for the first time, ResidualVM will perform a full integrity check of your game data files. This can take a bit of time, but it will not happen again on successive runs. This prevents bugs from incompatible game data and helps us to find game variants that we're not aware of.
Key | Binding |
---|---|
Arrow keys | Movement |
Shift |
Hold to run |
Enter |
Selects items in inventory, conversation, etc |
Escape |
Skips cutscenes, exits certain screens |
e |
Examine |
u |
Use |
p |
Pickup |
i |
Inventory |
q |
Exit Dialog Menu |
. |
Skips dialogue |
F1 |
Menu |
Alt + x |
Quit (in-game) |
Ctrl + c |
Force quit (from command line) |
Alt + Enter |
Switch between windowed mode and fullscreen |
Alt + s |
Save a screenshot |
If you want to use a joystick or gamepad for navigation, the joystick support of the engine needs to be enabled using one of the following two options:
- start ResidualVM with
--joystick
parameter, - add
joystick\_num=0
to the[residualvm]
section of the configuration file (see section 6.1. how to find it).
You will need to copy the data files from your Myst III CDs or DVD into one directory. Specifically, you'll need:
- The
M3Data
directory. - The
Data
directory. - The menu language file
[LANGUAGE].m3u
(DVD only).
The game must be at least version 1.1. For most releases of the game, the update is already applied on the installation media and no action is required. Otherwise, ResidualVM asks for the update to be installed and refuses to run the game. The updates can be downloaded from https://demos.residualvm.org/patches/
The DVD version is multilingual, you can change the in-game language from
the game menu. However, you must choose the language of the menus by
copying the appropriate files. You have to copy the menu language file
from your chosen language directory on the disc. On the DVD, the menu
language file can be named language.m3u
or [LANGUAGE].m3u
depending on
the release. It should be copied to the M3Data/TEXT
directory. If the
file is named language.m3u
, it should be renamed to the explicit
language e.g. ENGLISH.m3u
for English.
The required files must be organized in the following manner to be recognized:
├── Data
│ └── *.m3a
└── M3Data
└── Various files and directories (including the DVD version's menu language file)
- Prepare the game directory as specified above.
- Open ResidualVM.
- Click
Add Game...
. - Select the directory you created in step 1.
- Click
Start
.
The mouse is used to look around and interact with the ages.
Available keyboard shortcuts:
Key | Binding |
---|---|
Escape |
Original Myst III menu |
Space |
Skip cutscenes, interact |
Ctrl + F5 |
ResidualVM menu |
Ctrl + c |
Force quit (from command line) |
Ctrl + q |
Quit (in-game) |
Alt + s |
Save a screenshot |
You will need to copy the data files from your The Longest Journey CDs, DVD or digital distribution into one directory. Specifically, you'll need:
- The
1a
—79
directories (only4f
for demo version). - The
global
directory. - The
static
directory. - The
fonts
directory (not critical, but recommended – see below). x.xarc
and all theINI
files.game.exe
(not critical, but recommended for a styled message dialog)
The 2-CD and DVD versions have some of the data files packed in installer archives. The archives need to be unpacked before they can be used.
Steam version and demo from Steam are missing the fonts
directory.
The required fonts can be copied over from demo version obtained from
different sources or a GOG or retail version.
Mixing files from different versions of the game is not supported.
- Prepare the game directory as specified above.
- Open ResidualVM.
- Click
Add Game...
. - Select the directory you created in step 1.
- Click
Start
.
The mouse is used to interact with objects and menu elements.
Available keyboard shortcuts:
Key | Binding |
---|---|
Escape |
Skip video sequence or current line of dialogue, skip time if Time Skip option is enabled |
F1 |
Diary Menu |
F2 |
Save game |
F3 |
Load game |
F4 |
Conversation Log |
F5 |
April's Diary (initially disabled) |
F6 |
Video replay |
F7 |
Game settings |
F8 |
Save a screenshot |
F9 |
Toggle subtitles on and off |
F10 |
Quit game and return to main menu |
A |
Cycle back through inventory cursor items |
S |
Cycle forward through inventory cursor items |
I |
Inventory |
P |
Pause the game |
X |
Display all exits on current location |
Page Up |
Scroll up in dialogues and in your inventory |
Up arrow |
Scroll up in dialogues and in your inventory |
Page Down |
Scroll down in dialogues and in your inventory |
Down arrow |
Scroll down in dialogues and in your inventory |
Enter |
Select currently highlighted dialogue choice |
1 – 9 |
Select a dialogue choice |
Ctrl + F5 |
ResidualVM menu |
Alt + Enter |
Switch between windowed mode and fullscreen |
Ctrl + c |
Force quit (from command line) |
Ctrl + q |
Quit (in-game) |
Alt + x |
Quit |
Alt + q |
Quit |
Alt + s |
Save a screenshot |
Currently, not all the settings for ResidualVM are available through the GUI, if you have problems with getting anything to work, first try to pass the settings from the command line, then, if that doesn't work, try to change your configuration file manually.
By default, the configuration file is saved in and loaded from:
Operating System | Location |
---|---|
Windows Vista/7/8/10 | \Users\username\AppData\Roaming\ResidualVM\residualvm.ini |
Windows 2000/XP | \Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\ResidualVM\residualvm.ini |
Linux | ~/.config/residualvm/residualvm.ini |
macOS/OS X | ~/Library/Preferences/ResidualVM Preferences |
Others | residualvm.ini in the current directory |
By default, screenshots will be saved to:
Operating System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | \Users\username\My Pictures\ResidualVM Screenshots |
macOS X | On the Desktop |
Other unices | In the XDG Pictures user directory, e.g. ~/Pictures/ResidualVM Screenshots |
Any other OS | In the current directory |
Alternatively, you can specify the directory where the screenshots will be saved in the configuration file. To do so, add a screenshotpath value under the [residualvm] section:
[residualvm]
screenshotpath=/path/to/screenshots/
The following settings are currently available in the config file, however some of them might not work with your current build and some of them might make ResidualVM crash, or behave in weird ways.
Setting | Values | Effect |
---|---|---|
show_fps |
true /false |
If set to true , ResidualVM will show the current FPS rate while you play |
last_set |
set name | The set you were last on, ResidualVM will try to continue from there |
last_save |
save number | The save you last saved, ResidualVM will have that selected the next time you try to load a game |
use_arb_shaders |
true /false |
If set to true and if you are using the OpenGL renderer ResidualVM will use ARB shaders. While fast, they may be incompatible with some graphics drivers |
fullscreen_res |
desktop /widthx height |
If set to desktop (the default), ResidualVM will use your desktop resolution in fullscreen mode. If set to a resolution such as 640x480 or 1280x720 , that resolution will be used |
Grim Fandango had a few issues when it came out and a few new and exciting issues when you try to run it on newer hardware. Some of these have been fixed in ResidualVM, but ResidualVM itself also has a few new issues that we know about: https://github.com/residualvm/residualvm/blob/master/KNOWN_BUGS
Look below for help with these issues and if you can't find help here, try contacting us at Contact section.
This is because the last save and visited scene is stored in your
configuration file, either delete your Grim Fandango entry from the
ResidualVM menu and readd it, or go to your configuration file and clean
out the last_save
and last_set
entries.
Did you recently update to a newer build of ResidualVM? ResidualVM is still a work in progress, which means that the save format might change between builds. While attempts are made to keep save file compatibility, this isn't always possible.
WARNING: This section contains information about the various tools that are included for debugging ResidualVM, this should not be necessary for normal play at all! However, the curious might like to know how to access these tool. Please use at your own risk!
To enter the debug console, press Ctrl
+ d
. Use the help
command to
display a list of the available commands. To exit, press Escape
or type
exit
or quit
.
Debug console commands common to all engines:
Command | Description |
---|---|
openlog |
Show the log of errors/warnings/information from the engine |
debuglevel |
List or change verbosity of debug output |
debugflag_list |
List the available debug flags and their status |
debugflag_enable |
Enable a given debug flag |
debugflag_disable |
Disable a given debug flag |
md5 |
Calculates MD5 checksum of a file |
md5mac |
Calculates MD5 checksum of a file (Mac format) |
The development console can be used to debug both Grim Fandango and Escape from Monkey Island.
Some of the useful debug console commands:
Command | Description |
---|---|
jump |
Jump to a section of the game |
lua_do |
Execute a lua command |
set_renderer |
Select a renderer (software, OpenGL or OpenGL with shaders) |
The jump
targets can be found at:
- https://wiki.residualvm.org/index.php/Grim_Fandango_Debug_Mode#Jump_targets
- https://wiki.residualvm.org/index.php/Escape_From_Monkey_Island_Debug_Mode#Jump_targets
Grim Fandango also includes a built in debug mode. To enable debug mode and debug keys, you will have to add the following line to your configuration file under the Grim Fandango entry:
game_devel_mode=true
Development/debug keys from the original game:
Key | Binding |
---|---|
Ctrl + e |
Enter lua string to execute |
Ctrl + g |
Jump to set |
Ctrl + i |
Toggle walk boxes |
Ctrl + l |
Toggle lighting |
Ctrl + n |
Display background name |
Ctrl + o |
Create a door |
Ctrl + p |
Execute patch file |
Ctrl + s |
Turn on cursor |
Ctrl + u |
Create a new object |
Ctrl + v |
Print the value of a variable |
Alt + n |
Next viewpoint |
Alt + p |
Prev viewpoint |
Alt + s |
Run lua script |
Shift + n |
Next set |
Shift + p |
Previous set |
Shift + o |
Toggle object names |
F3 |
Toggle sector editor |
Home |
Go to default position in current set |
j |
Enter jump number |
Note that these are only available after enabling debug mode.
The most useful debug console commands are:
Command | Description |
---|---|
dumpArchive |
Extract a game archive |
infos |
Display the name of a node and show the associated scripts |
go |
Jump to a node |
var |
Display or alter the value of a variable from the game state |
The debug console commands are:
Command | Description |
---|---|
changeChapter |
Change the current chapter |
changeKnowledge |
Change the value of some knowledge |
changeLocation |
Change the current location |
chapter |
Display the current chapter |
decompileScript |
Decompile a script |
dumpArchive |
Extract a game archive |
dumpGlobal |
Print the global level's resource sub-tree to stdout |
dumpKnowledge |
Print the current knowledge to stdout |
dumpLevel |
Print the current level's resource sub-tree to stdout |
dumpLocation |
Print the current location's resource sub-tree to stdout |
dumpRoot |
Print the resource tree root to stdout |
dumpStatic |
Print the static level's resource sub-tree to stdout |
enableInventoryItem |
Enable a specific inventory item |
enableScript |
Enable or disable script |
extractAllTextures |
Extract the textures used by the 3d models to dump/ |
forceScript |
Force the execution of a script |
forceAnimation |
Force an animation to play |
listAnimations |
List all the animations in the current level |
listInventoryItems |
List all inventory items in the game |
listLocations |
List all the locations in the game |
listScripts |
List all the scripts in current level |
location |
Display the current location |
testDecompiler |
Test decompilation of all the scripts in game |
ResidualVM can load replacement assets instead of the original files for some of the asset types. By leveraging this capability, users can create mods for the game. These are the currently supported modding features:
-
Load mods from the
mods
directory inside the game data path. Each mod should be in its own directory in themods
subdirectory. Mods are loaded in alphabetical order. -
Load external PNG files instead of the XMG files inside the game archives. The replacement PNG files can have larger dimensions when compared to the original XMG images, enabling the creation of a high resolution mod. The game looks for the replacement files in a mod directory and then in the
xarc
subdirectory of the directory containing the archive in which the XMG picture to be replaced is located. For instance:mods/[my_mod]/1e/00/xarc/fountain_layercenter.png
needs to be used for the Venice park background. ResidualVM expects PNGs to be in pre-multiplied alpha format for improved load times. However thereplacement_png_premultiply_alpha
residualvm.ini
setting allows to load regular transparency PNGs when set totrue
for convenience when testing. -
Load replacement video files for the Smacker animations. The replacement files can be either in Smacker or Bink encoding. With Smacker, only 1-bit transparency can be used. Transparent pixels must have the Cyan color (#00FFFF). When using Bink, 8-bit transparency can be used. The alpha channel should be encoded in the pre-multiplied alpha format. The replacement videos can have larger dimensions than the originals but must have the same number of frames and the same frame rate. Like with PNG files, replacement video files are loaded from mod folders: for instance
mods/[my_mod]/08/02/xarc/011001.bik
is the animation where the tree spirit lifts the egg back into the nest. -
Load replacement textures for the 3d models. Each original
tm
file contains several textures, each with its associated mipmaps. The replacement files arezip
archives containingdds
packaged textures. The replacement archives must be placed at the root of the mod directory and be named after thetm
file they replace:mods/[my_mod]/april_waitress.tm.zip
. Eachzip
archive must contain all the textures from the replacedtm
file. The textures need to be encoded in uncompressed RGB or RGBAdds
files with mipmaps. Files inside the archive must be named according to the replaced texture name, but with thebmp
extension replaced withdds
:backdress-highres-battic.dds
TheextractAllTextures
console command can be used to extract thetm
files topng
files.
Contact us if you need further capabilities for your mod.
ResidualVM still has a few bugs, many might already have been reported, but should you find a new one, don't hesitate to report it.
You can report bugs at our GitHub issue tracker: https://github.com/residualvm/residualvm/issues
Please read the Wiki regarding how to report bugs properly first though: https://wiki.residualvm.org/index.php?title=Reporting_Bugs
Remember to always provide the following information in your bug reports:
- Information about the game (e.g. Escape from Monkey Island, PS2 version).
- Language of game (English, German, ...).
- Platform (Windows, Linux, macOS, ...).
- Bug details, including instructions on reproducing it.
- Preferably also a link to a save game right before the bug happened.
- Homepage: https://www.residualvm.org/
- Wiki: https://wiki.residualvm.org/
- Discord: https://discord.gg/VFQjRfa
- Forums: https://forums.residualvm.org/
- IRC: #residualvm on freenode