SkyNET Unofficial Patch 2017
SkyNET (aka The Terminator: SkyNET) is Bethesda's 1996 sequel to The Terminator: Future Shock, a Quake-like game set
in the Terminator universe. This is an all-in-one patch which includes every known fix and improvement for the game.
This patch:
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Updates the game to v1.01.
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Allows for playing entirely from the hard drive.
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Starts the game with 640x480 (SVGA) mode enabled.
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Fixes crashes at the start of gameplay (aka the "SVGA fix").
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Fixes crashes when entering buildings (aka the "door fix"). Credit to ripsaw8080.
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Extends the visual range (so that structures and objects are visible from farther away). Credit to WERTA & Corak.
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Corrects the night sky color from blue to black (as it was in Future Shock). Credit to WERTA & Corak.
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Includes an INSTALL.DAT to aid users in setting up the game and adding Future Shock.
The following screenshots demonstrate the two visual improvements: extended visual range and sky color correction.
(What the left image can't show is that buildings and other objects suddenly appear in the distance as you approach. In overlay mode, they gradually fade in from black. It may see too dark here, but it should look better in the game.)
To apply/install:
1. Copy these files and folders to your SkyNET game folder, overwriting the ones there.
2. If using DOSBox:
* Set output=overlay in your .conf file. This gives the best appearance with the extended visual range because
it's slightly darker than other modes, greatly helping distant objects to gradually appear out of the shadows.
* Make sure that DOSBox is v0.74 or a recent SVN build. Pre-0.74 versions and older SVN builds may have very poor
performance or crash in 640x480 mode.
Future Shock:
To play Future Shock (SkyNET's 1995 predecessor) in SkyNET's 640x480 mode and with the extended visual range, copy
or install it to SkyNET's new SHOCK folder, then run SkyNET, choose New Game and select Future Shock. If you prefer
to keep it elsewhere, edit the "fspath" line in INSTALL.DAT accordingly.
SkyNET install tip:
To do a full installation of SkyNET to the hard drive, copy the SKYNET folder from the CD, copy this patch over it and run
SETUP.EXE to configure your sound drivers. That eliminates having to mount the CD in DOSBox and go through the
installation program, after which you still would've had to copy the SKYNET folder, since even the largest installation option
leaves most of it on the CD.
320x200 mode:
To start SkyNET in 320x200 mode, run GAME.EXE instead of SKYNET.EXE. GAME.EXE is the actual patched game
executable (formerly SKYNET.EXE) which starts in 320x200 mode by default and SKYNET.EXE is a new launcher which tells
it to run in 640x480, instead, so that you don't have to change the resolution to 640x480 every time that you start the game.
Blue sky:
If you prefer to keep the original blue sky, don't copy GAMEDATA\MDMDIMGS.BSA. Be aware, though, that Future Shock's
sky color was black, so Future Shock won't look as it originally did if you play it through SkyNET.
Menu mouse bug:
After dismissing the intro, if the main menu options are unresponsive to clicks, simply RIGHT click anywhere to fix it.
This isn't a bug in this patch, but with this game and DOSBox's overlay mode. You may experience it only now because
overlay mode is recommended for this patch (because of how much more nicely objects fade in from the shadows in it).
Rather than change modes to avoid the bug, it's recommended that you work around it by right-clicking... or simply
rename GAMEDATA\OPENING.VID to disable the intro, so that you don't have to dismiss it and encounter the bug.
Credits:
ripsaw8080 @ vogons.org (door fix)
WERTA & Corak @ old-games.** (extended visual range and sky color fix)
Bethesda Softworks® LLC © 1996 (game)
SkyNET and The Terminator: Future Shock are the property of Bethesda Softworks® LLC.
This patch is not made, offered or supported by Bethesda Softworks.
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