Posted October 18, 2019
Hi everyone,
We have created a little Tech FAQ for all of you and also launched an online WIKI.
Check out the WIKI here:
http://www.outbuddies.com/wiki.html
Tech FAQ:
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Windows 7 or higher only. For running the game in 60 FPS you should at least have a dual-core CPU 2,2 GHz plus. A dedicated graphics card is not needed. The game will auto-adjust to 30 FPS if your machine can´t handle it under heavy load.
! VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ON OLD SAVE DATA !
In case you played an old standalone demo of Outbuddies in the last years, please make sure to restore the default settings in the options menu before starting a new game!
Old save data is known to cause multiple issues withing the current build, including corruption the keyboard or gamepad readouts. Also, do not load progress saves from a demo build, as stability cannot be granted and you would likely run into level design associated issues. Just override old save slots by starting a new game.
DEBUGGING INPUTS
Press F8 during gameplay to run a performance benchmark. The game will freeze for about 2 sec and a framerate counter is displayed bottom left. If this counter exceeds 80 your system should be able to run the game at 60 FPS. Please note that this test won't work if your GPU drivers force Vsync on the game. Outbuddies gameplay is always capped at 60 FPS.
You can toggle an overlay showing your playtime, room ID and framerate by pressing F1.
In case you want to discuss level-design related stuff having the room ID at hand would always be very helpful to me.
NATIVE SCREEN RESOLUTION SUPPORT
Outbuddies runs in an auto-stretched borderless window by default. Multitasking functions are enabled.
You can also try “Win 7/8 Fullscreen” in the options for a direct display output on those systems. This may give a slightly smoother experience, but you cannot use multitasking functions (Win-Key, Alt-Tab) anymore. Important: This mode is NOT compliant and needed with Win 10.
The game should always scale distortion-free to your native desktop resolution. Aspect ratios up to 21:9 as well as resolutions up to 4K are supported. For saving system resources, you may set your desktop to a lower resolution when running the game. It will adapt and rescale on the fly.
For ultra-wide setups please go to options --> system config, and choose either "fixed" resolution or "maximum" resolution.
Please note that the game cannot scale to multi-display setups where linked displays are recognized as one continuous display.
VSYNC HANDLING AND DEDICATED GRAPHICS
Some dedicated cards may need the in-game Vsync deactivated to work correctly. Sync conflicts with those setups may result in delayed loading times, black screen or frequent FR drops on otherwise capable systems. You can deactivate the in-game Vsync handling in the "Options/System Config" tab. Due to the aged game engine, Outbuddies uses your integrated graphics by default. You (normally) should not force the game to your dedicated GPU. In rare cases, disabling Vsync on the GPU-driver side of things is needed to solve the outlined issues.
Important tech notes for Youtubers & Streamers:
Outbuddies' game engine has known issues with software recorders like FRAPS & Bandicam that hook to DirectX APIs. I recommend using a hardware recorder like the Elgato instead or set your software recorder to desktop mode (available with Bandicam, for example). For streaming, it might be useful to let your dedicated GPU handle the screen-recording if this option is available. If the broadcasting software utilizes too much CPU/GPU resources, the game’s FR might auto-adjust to 30 FPS.
INPUT KONFIGURATION
XInput Mode:
For Outbuddies, I recommend using a XInput Gamepad or a gamepad emulated as Xinput. PS4 gamepads can be emulated as XInput using the DS4 software. On XInput mode your gamepad will have a fixed optimized layout, accounting for all late game upgrades and the late game's complexity in controls.
Keyboard Setup:
The game supports full keyboard mapping, in case you want to use that.
Mouse inputs are not supported for single-player yet, but for controlling Buddy in CoOp. Mouse functionality will be added for single-player in the next weeks though, as a request by our beta testers.
DirectInput Mode:
There's an alternative gamepad mode implemented called "DirectInput". This was made for retro gamepads with just eight available buttons or missing Right Stick or D-Pad functionality. If you choose this mode you can rebind keys in-game in the "Input Mapping" tab. DirectInput mode is not compliant with an active XInput emulation, so you need to make sure to deactivate those before launching the game.
ASSIGNING DEVICES FOR CO-OP PLAY
Call the in-game pause menu and choose the top symbol by pressing up on the joystick or keyboard (default = W). You´ll then be asked to assign input devices for each character. You may use a gamepad or keyboard for Nicolay and gamepad, keyboard or the mouse for controlling Buddy.
We have created a little Tech FAQ for all of you and also launched an online WIKI.
Check out the WIKI here:
http://www.outbuddies.com/wiki.html
Tech FAQ:
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Windows 7 or higher only. For running the game in 60 FPS you should at least have a dual-core CPU 2,2 GHz plus. A dedicated graphics card is not needed. The game will auto-adjust to 30 FPS if your machine can´t handle it under heavy load.
! VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ON OLD SAVE DATA !
In case you played an old standalone demo of Outbuddies in the last years, please make sure to restore the default settings in the options menu before starting a new game!
Old save data is known to cause multiple issues withing the current build, including corruption the keyboard or gamepad readouts. Also, do not load progress saves from a demo build, as stability cannot be granted and you would likely run into level design associated issues. Just override old save slots by starting a new game.
DEBUGGING INPUTS
Press F8 during gameplay to run a performance benchmark. The game will freeze for about 2 sec and a framerate counter is displayed bottom left. If this counter exceeds 80 your system should be able to run the game at 60 FPS. Please note that this test won't work if your GPU drivers force Vsync on the game. Outbuddies gameplay is always capped at 60 FPS.
You can toggle an overlay showing your playtime, room ID and framerate by pressing F1.
In case you want to discuss level-design related stuff having the room ID at hand would always be very helpful to me.
NATIVE SCREEN RESOLUTION SUPPORT
Outbuddies runs in an auto-stretched borderless window by default. Multitasking functions are enabled.
You can also try “Win 7/8 Fullscreen” in the options for a direct display output on those systems. This may give a slightly smoother experience, but you cannot use multitasking functions (Win-Key, Alt-Tab) anymore. Important: This mode is NOT compliant and needed with Win 10.
The game should always scale distortion-free to your native desktop resolution. Aspect ratios up to 21:9 as well as resolutions up to 4K are supported. For saving system resources, you may set your desktop to a lower resolution when running the game. It will adapt and rescale on the fly.
For ultra-wide setups please go to options --> system config, and choose either "fixed" resolution or "maximum" resolution.
Please note that the game cannot scale to multi-display setups where linked displays are recognized as one continuous display.
VSYNC HANDLING AND DEDICATED GRAPHICS
Some dedicated cards may need the in-game Vsync deactivated to work correctly. Sync conflicts with those setups may result in delayed loading times, black screen or frequent FR drops on otherwise capable systems. You can deactivate the in-game Vsync handling in the "Options/System Config" tab. Due to the aged game engine, Outbuddies uses your integrated graphics by default. You (normally) should not force the game to your dedicated GPU. In rare cases, disabling Vsync on the GPU-driver side of things is needed to solve the outlined issues.
Important tech notes for Youtubers & Streamers:
Outbuddies' game engine has known issues with software recorders like FRAPS & Bandicam that hook to DirectX APIs. I recommend using a hardware recorder like the Elgato instead or set your software recorder to desktop mode (available with Bandicam, for example). For streaming, it might be useful to let your dedicated GPU handle the screen-recording if this option is available. If the broadcasting software utilizes too much CPU/GPU resources, the game’s FR might auto-adjust to 30 FPS.
INPUT KONFIGURATION
XInput Mode:
For Outbuddies, I recommend using a XInput Gamepad or a gamepad emulated as Xinput. PS4 gamepads can be emulated as XInput using the DS4 software. On XInput mode your gamepad will have a fixed optimized layout, accounting for all late game upgrades and the late game's complexity in controls.
Keyboard Setup:
The game supports full keyboard mapping, in case you want to use that.
Mouse inputs are not supported for single-player yet, but for controlling Buddy in CoOp. Mouse functionality will be added for single-player in the next weeks though, as a request by our beta testers.
DirectInput Mode:
There's an alternative gamepad mode implemented called "DirectInput". This was made for retro gamepads with just eight available buttons or missing Right Stick or D-Pad functionality. If you choose this mode you can rebind keys in-game in the "Input Mapping" tab. DirectInput mode is not compliant with an active XInput emulation, so you need to make sure to deactivate those before launching the game.
ASSIGNING DEVICES FOR CO-OP PLAY
Call the in-game pause menu and choose the top symbol by pressing up on the joystick or keyboard (default = W). You´ll then be asked to assign input devices for each character. You may use a gamepad or keyboard for Nicolay and gamepad, keyboard or the mouse for controlling Buddy.
Post edited October 18, 2019 by JulFloBro
