Modernizes F.E.A.R. and its expansions with HUD scaling, high-framerate optimizations, XInput controller support, and other quality-of-life enhancements. It aims to be as non-intrusive as possible, with no file modifications and no gameplay changes by default, focusing solely on fixing issues and enhancing the overall experience.

How to Install

Note

Compatible with F.E.A.R. Ultimate Shooter Edition (Steam) and F.E.A.R. Platinum (GOG).
All features are compatible with Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate.

Download: EchoPatch.zip
Extract the contents of the zip file into the game’s folder, in the same directory as the FEAR.exe file.

Warning

The GOG version defaults to a 60 FPS cap.
To unlock higher framerates, modify the dxwrapper.ini file by setting LimitPerFrameFPS from 60 to 0.
This change enables compatibility with the HighFPSFixes optimizations, ensuring smooth performance at framerates up to 240 FPS.

Features

HUD Scaling

• Dynamically scales HUD elements (texts, crosshair, icons) relative to screen resolution.
• Adjust HUDCustomScalingFactor in EchoPatch.ini to customize overall HUD scaling.
• Adjust SmallTextCustomScalingFactor for independent scaling of smaller text (e.g., subtitles).

4K Vanilla	4K EchoPatch

Note: The base resolution (1024×768) is used as the reference for scaling, ensuring the HUD retains its original proportions and appearance on all higher resolutions.

Fix High FPS Issues

Resolves multiple issues at high framerates, designed and optimized for smooth gameplay at up to 240 FPS:

• Ragdoll physics instability above 60 FPS.
• Water physics instability above 120 FPS.
• Excessive water splash effect repetitions above 60 FPS.
• Frozen FX effects above 120 FPS.
• Oversized particles above 120 FPS.
• Overly dampened velocity when jumping out of water above 60 FPS.
• Velocity dampening when jumping and landing above 120 FPS.
• Walking animation prematurely reverting to idle, causing camera stutter above 120 FPS.
• Inability to perform a jump kick above 120 FPS.
• Excessive sliding on sloped surfaces above 60 FPS.

Weapon Fixes

Addresses several weapon-related issues:

• Zoom disabled when loading a save during a cutscene.
• Automatic weapons stuck in firing animation when loading a save made mid-fire.
• Weapon cycling not working when there’s an empty slot between two weapons.
• Weapon models not refreshing after loading a save with the same weapon equipped.

Note: These issues were partially fixed in the Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate expansions.

Framerate Limiter

Prevents the game from running too fast by capping the maximum framerate.

• MaxFPS (MaxFPS in EchoPatch.ini): Set the maximum framerate. A value of 0 disables the limiter, any other value enables it. The default value of 240 is the recommended safe value, as some high FPS optimizations may not cover higher framerates.
• Dynamic VSync (DynamicVsync in EchoPatch.ini): When enabled (1), VSync synchronizes frame updates to your monitor’s refresh rate, reducing screen tearing and shadow flickering. VSync will only be enabled if your monitor’s refresh rate is lower than MaxFPS, otherwise it remains off. Set to 0 to disable.

Input & Frame Drop Fixes

• FPS Drop Fix: Stops the game from initializing all HID devices as a controller to prevent framerate drops over time, rather than intercepting the call as in other fixes.
• Input Lag Fix: Disables the SetWindowsHookEx call to reduce input lag.

XInput Controller Support

Controller Input	Action
Left Analog Stick	Move
Right Analog Stick	Aim
Left Analog Stick (Press)	Use Health Kit
Right Analog Stick (Press)	Toggle Flashlight On/Off
A Button	Jump
B Button	Crouch
X Button	Reload / Interact / Pick Up
Y Button	Toggle Slow-Motion
Right Trigger (RT)	Fire
Left Trigger (LT)	Zoom
Right Bumper (RB)	Melee
Left Bumper (LB)	Throw Grenade
D-Pad Up	Next Weapon
D-Pad Down	Next Grenade
D-Pad Left	Lean Left
D-Pad Right	Lean Right
Back Button	Mission Status

Customizable alongside sensitivity settings within the [Controller] section of EchoPatch.ini.

Note: Hotplugging is supported, connect or disconnect controllers at any time without restarting the game.
Note: For a more console-like experience, you can automatically hide the mouse cursor when a controller is detected. This feature is disabled by default. To enable it, set HideMouseCursor=1 in EchoPatch.ini.

Fix Keyboard Input Initialization

Corrects default control assignment on non‑English layouts by mapping hardware scan codes instead of English key names (preventing some “[unassigned]” entries on first launch or after resetting controls) while leaving the saved bindings in the save file unchanged.

Widescreen Resolution Support for Extraction Point

Removes 4:3 restriction so all widescreen resolutions are available.

LAA Patcher

Applies a Large Address Aware patch to allow up to 4 GB of memory (default 2 GB), which can resolve loading issues.
Disabled by default because it modifies the executable on disk, set CheckLAAPatch = 1 in EchoPatch.ini to enable.

Note: For the Steam version, running Steamless on FEAR.exe before enabling is recommended, but not required.

Persistent World State

Keeps objects (bodies, blood stains, debris, bullet holes, shell casings, glass shards…) from despawning.

HD Reflections & Displays

Improves resolution quality of reflective surfaces and displays.

Vanilla	HD Display

No Model LOD Bias

Renders the highest quality models at all distances by disabling LOD bias.

Reduced Mipmap Bias

Improves texture sharpness at a distance by reducing mipmap bias.

Mouse Aim Multiplier

Multiplier applied to mouse aiming to compensate for high sensitivity (does not affect profile settings).
Set MouseAimMultiplier in EchoPatch.ini (default 1.0).

Disable Letterboxing

Disables cutscene letterboxing when DisableLetterbox = 1 in EchoPatch.ini.

Vanilla	Letterbox Disabled

Auto Resolution

Automatically sets the game window to match your screen resolution on first launch (or every launch if AutoResolution = 2).

Skip Splashscreen

Bypasses developer splash on launch when SkipSplashScreen = 1.

Skip Movies

Skips intro videos (menu sound retained) when SkipAllIntro = 1.
Individual videos can be skipped via the SkipIntro section in EchoPatch.ini.

Save Folder Redirection

Redirects the save folder from %PUBLIC%\Documents\ to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\.
Disabled by default, set RedirectSaveFolder = 1 in EchoPatch.ini to enable.

Infinite Flashlight

Removes battery limit and hides HUD indicator.
Enable with InfiniteFlashlight = 1.

Weapon Capacity Editor

Customize max weapon capacity via MaxWeaponCapacity (0–10).
Enable with EnableCustomMaxWeaponCapacity = 1.

Note: Weapon capacity is tied to the save data. Lowering the capacity will not take effect on an existing save. Start a new save file to apply a reduced limit.

dinput8 Chaining Support

Chains another dinput8.dll by loading dinput8_hook.dll for mod compatibility.

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Credits

• MinHook for hooking.
• mINI for INI file handling.
• Methanhydrat for identifying the FPS drop root cause.
• Vityacv for identifying the extra latency caused by SetWindowsHookEx.
• CRASHARKI for the logo.