Blair Witch Vol. I is a title revolving around mystery and a complex storyline. Because this complexity would be difficult to demonstrate in a short demo, this preview is presented more as a "playable trailer" than a full demo. Many gameplay elements are sampled within. Estimated playtime for this trailer is seven to ten minutes.
Many features not demonstrated here, but will be included in the final release of the Blair Witch Trilogy include:
-- lip-synched characters
-- dynamic conversational animations
-- over 1700 lines of dialogue
-- improved control keys (including a 180-degree turn key), lower system requirements
-- incredible special effects
The Setting
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The player assumes the role of Elspeth "Doc" Holliday, scientific investigator for Spookhouse, a shadowy agency dedicated to protecting the world from supernatural evil. The year is 1941. An insane hermit named Rustin Parr has confessed to murdering seven children in the quiet Maryland town of Burkittsville. His claim is that an "old woman ghost" drove him to his heinous crimes. Parr's rantings coincide with age-old local legends: tales of the cursed woods surrounding the town and a murderous, vengeful entity that has haunted Burkittsville for two hundred years, an abomination known locally as "The Blair Witch."
Spookhouse has taken keen interest in the subject. Doc travels to Burkittsville to investigate...
System Requirements
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Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000
Pentium2, Celeron, Pentium3 or AMD Athlon CPU
64MB System RAM (96MB for 3D hardware acceleration)
Sound Blaster Live! for environmental audio effects
Matrox G200/G400, ATI Rage 128, or TnT/TnT2 recommended for 3D hardware acceleration
160MB of free disk space
200MB of free virtual memory
In-game non-programmable keys
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F1 - Display list of controls
F2 - Save game
F3 - Restore game
F5 - Toggle sound
F6 - Quick save
F9 - Quick load
F11 - Brighten Screen (Gamma Settings)
F12 - Darken Screen (Gamma Settings)
ESC- Pause
Doc's Gear
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GUN-MOUNTED LANTERN:
All of Doc's weapons have a lantern mounted to them.
The lantern is switched on and off by pressing the LIGHT key. (F in keyboard/gamepad mode, Q in mouse mode)
Though the lantern's batteries are powerful, they will eventually drain. They carry enough charge for approximately 10 minutes of continuous usage. The battery icon appears in the lower left corner of the screen.
When the lantern is switched off, or Doc holsters her weapon, the battery will recharge.
If the LIGHT key is pressed while no weapon is drawn, Doc draws a flashlight. The flashlight is considered a weapon by the game's inventory system. Scrolling through available weapons will also reveal the flashlight.
NIGHTVISION:
Doc is equipped with Spookhouse's tried-and-true nightvision goggles.
Nightvision is toggled on and off by pressing the NIGHTVISION key. (I in all modes) When on, the screen shifts to Doc's "enhanced" point-of-view.
To look around while Nightvision is on, Doc must have a weapon drawn.
Nightvision aids in navigating and targeting evil creatures in very dark areas.
Using Nightvision in well-lit areas will produce a visual "burnout."
Due to the pre-video technology Doc has developed, static and interference are common when playing in Nightvision mode. Very near objects will tend to "break up." This is an enhanced effect, not a limitation of the rendering engine.
The Nightvision battery is similar to the lantern's; when on, it slowly drains the charge, which lasts for approximately 10 minutes of continuous usage.
When Nightvision is switched off, the battery will slowly recharge.
Some types of enemies aren't visible to Nightvision.
SPECTRAL PROXIMITY SENSOR:
Doc Holliday is equipped with the Spectral Proximity Sensor she designed. The SPS can detect the presence of non-corporeal entities: ghosts, spirits, wraiths, etc. It clicks louder and more frequently as she approaches a ghost (or as one approaches her). Select the SPS from Doc's inventory and press the USE ITEM key to turn it on and off.
Doc cannot active/deactivate the SPS if she has a weapon drawn.
FIELD JOURNAL
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Doc Holliday notes important investigative information in her Field Journal. The Journal automatically stores significant clues, conversations, local lore, prevalent tasks, and maps as Doc encounters them. Press the NOTES key (N by default) to open her notes or select her notebook from the inventory and press USE ITEM.
Doc's field notes are divided into sections such as Interviews, Research, Notes, To Do, and Maps. Click on a tab to go to the beginning of that section. Click on the arrows to turn the pages. The exit button is the small "close book" icon in the lower right.
The "To Do" section is a dynamic task list that updates as new goals are discovered and old tasks are completed. Doc draws a map of her surroundings in the "Map" section, assuming she isn't lost.
Helpful Hints
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The F6 key is the Quick Save key and the F9 key is the Quick load key.
Use the monitor calibration from the graphics options menu to adjust your brightness/contrast of your display to the optimal settings.
With your monitor calibrated, play in total darkness if possible. If you play with the lights on, you may loose some of the important details of your surroundings.
Use F11 and F12 to adjust gamma if the game is too bright or too dark.
When changing controls, go to the top of the control configuration menu, and select "Restore Defaults" to change to the default settings.
To learn the controls during gameplay, press F1 to display the control mappings.
To draw a weapon, use the D key in keyboard/gamepad mode, or the E key in keyboard/mouse control mode. Press the space bar or left mouse button to fire.
To jump, press the G key.
To make the game more challenging, turn off "Auto Aim" mode from the controls menu.
Hardware acceleration is turned off by default. If your video card supports hardware acceleration, try turning it on. Keep in mind that the Nocturne engine is optimized for 32-bit color.
Make sure you have the latest drivers for your video card. If your drivers are more than 3 months old, they are most likely out of date.
Troubleshooting
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Q: I have a video card with only 1MB of memory on it. I meet the system requirements otherwise. Can I play Blair Witch Vol. I?
A: Blair Witch Vol. I requires a video card with at least 2MB of memory on it. Sorry, you will need to upgrade your video card.
Q: Blair Witch Vol. I seems really choppy and slow. I have a fairly low system and I was hoping to play...
A: In the Graphics Options Menu try turning your screen resolution down. The default is 640 X 480, but you will get faster frame rates at lower resolutions. Unfortunately, some video cards can have trouble with lower resolutions. If this happens to you, try running in 16 bit color or change back to 640 X 480.
Q: Blair Witch Vol. I displays an error message after loading/starting a mission.
A: Turn off 3D acceleration from the Graphics Options Menu. Some cards can not properly support 3D hardware acceleration.
Q: My card supports 3D acceleration. I am sure of it. I want a faster frame rate!
A: Turn on 3D acceleration from the Graphics Options Menu. If the program crashes as you load a mission, see the Q & A above.
Q: I have a 3Dfx based card. Will Blair Witch Vol. I use this card?
A: Blair Witch Vol. I supports Voodoo1, Voodoo2, Voodoo Banshee and Voodoo3.
Q: Does Blair Witch Vol. I run on Voodoo2, Voodoo Banshee or Voodoo3?
A: We do not recommend using Voodoo1 or Voodoo2 because they are not AGP cards. Blair Witch Vol. I will run on them, it just won't be as fast as on AGP cards. In reference to Voodoo3, there are new drivers available from 3Dfx for the Voodoo3 that will allow Blair Witch Vol. I to run in 16bpp 640 X 480 mode.
Q: I have a Voodoo3 - Can resolutions greater than 640x480 be used?
A: Voodoo3 cards do not support the large textures used in Blair Witch Vol. I- so right now, no. If we can find a workaround to this that doesn't make the game look even more blurry (than it does now on a Voodoo3), we'll fix it.
Q: Can Blair Witch Vol. I run in software rendering?
A: Blair Witch Vol. I runs very well with software rendering. Select 32-Bit Mode from the Graphics Options Menu. If your computer's clock speed is less than 500MHz, you may wish to run Blair Witch Vol. I in 512x384 or 320x240 mode. Blair Witch Vol. I automatically detects the optimal screen resolution for your computer. Screen resolution may be changed from the Graphics Options menu.
Q: Do cHolliday is all white, without any textures on her. Sometimes other characters turn all white. What the heck?!?
A: Under graphics options, look for the setting that says 3D API. Change this to DirectX 5. This should take care of the problem (most likely you have a card based on a Rage chipset, which has problems with DirectX 6 and beyond).
Q: The game runs but all I see are shadows. What gives?
A: You probably have a TnT or TnT2 based card. Download the latest reference video drivers from NVidia's web site.
Q: I want to run higher resolutions than 640x480.
A: You need 16MB on your video card. 32-bit color requires plenty of video memory and cards with less than 16MB of video memory can not handle this. Also, some cards that do have 16MB+ of video memory can not handle Blair Witch Vol. I in higher resolutions.
Q: 1280x1024 mode runs slow.
A: This mode only runs fast enough on Matrox G400 or ATI Rage 128 video cards.
Q: Blair Witch Vol. I exits to the desktop when I run it in 512x384 mode.
A: Don't run 512x384 mode. Some older video cards don't properly support this mode.
Q: The game says that I have less than 200MB of Virtual Memory free. How do I fix this so that Blair Witch Vol. I runs best?
A: Select Control Panel, then System, then Performance, then Virtual Memory. It is best to change this setting so that Windows manages virtual memory.
Q: Game gives an error message saying that you're out of memory.
A: You need more virtual memory. See previous Q&A for how to change your virtual memory settings.
Q: Blair Witch Vol I. levels do not load as quickly as I would like.
A: Add more RAM to your computer. The more RAM that you have, within reasonable limits, the faster Blair Witch Vol. I will load and run
Q: The dialog skips, pops, or drops out. I have a SoundBlaster Live card. Your box says that it supports this card. What's up with that?
A: You have old LiveWare software and drivers. Visit the Creative Labs web site and download LiveWare 3.0 or higher.
Q: I don't have a SoundBlaster Live card, but I have dialog that skips, pops, or drops out. What about me?
A: You should download and install the latest drivers from your board manufacturer. If you have an Aureal based card (like the Diamond Monster Sound card), download the latest drivers from http://www.a3d.com/html/download/drivers/.
Q: I have the latest drivers and I am sure that things are working. How can I get more cool stuff from my sound card?
A: From the Sound Options Menu, turn on Hardware Mixing. If you have any sound problems, turn this back off (default).
Q: The pistols sound really bad sometimes. It sounds like they are getting cut off. What's up?
A: It sounds like you have your sound turned up too high on the mixer in Windows. Load up the mixer for your sound card and make sure the volume is no higher than 75%. Then, when you want louder sounds, turn up the sound on your speakers and not in the mixer.
Q: Can I use DirectX 7 with Blair Witch Vol. I?
A: Although we haven't done extensive testing with DirectX 7, it appears to work correctly with Blair Witch Vol. I. If you haven't already upgraded to DirectX 7 and you want to make sure that Blair Witch Vol. I works correctly, do not upgrade to DirectX 7 until after you have finished this demo. Again, DirectX 7 appears to work correctly, but it has not been extensively tested with Blair Witch Vol. I.
Q: The screen has a black bar above and below it (letterbox), but nothing is happening and the game won't continue? What do I do?
A: Hit the ESC key on your keyboard and choose to skip the cinematic.
Q: I have set up my controls so that I use the keys on the number pad. I can't seem to get combinations of keys to work (i.e. run and jump at the same time). Why?
A: Because of the way the number pad works, it can't understand two keys on the number pad being pressed at the same time. You should reconfigure your controls so you will never need to press two keys on the number pad simultaneously (i.e. run and jump for a running jump).
Q: The game is too dark even when I try calibration. What can I do?!?
A: Use F11 and F12 to adjust the gamma in game.
Q: How do you Uninstall Blair Witch Vol. I?
A: Go to control panel and select Add/Remove programs.
Q: I have Windows NT. Can I run with hardware accelerated graphics?
A: Blair Witch Vol. I supports Windows NT in software mode. You'll need Windows 2000 and the proper drivers from the video card manufacturer to run accelerated under Direct3D. Windows NT doesn't support DirectX 5 or better (which is what Blair Witch Vol. I needs to run properly with acceleration).
