List of features

A list of significant features included in Serious Sam Classics Patch. Features marked with Steam in the beginning exist in the official Steam patch. Some of these features can be toggled in-game.

For thorough customization use option configs under the new menu at Options -> Classics Patch.

For quick configuration of the patch use preset scripts under Options -> Execute Addon.

New features

Additions

• Modular user plugin system via additional dynamic link libraries (DLL).
  • Supported by the game, dedicated servers and engine tools (Editor, Modeler and SKA Studio).
• Serious Editor with features from Serious Engine 1.10.
  • Terrain editing mode for the semi-finished terrain system.
  • World export feature for directly porting entire levels to SE3+ engines.
• Backported EngineGUI features from Serious Engine 1.50.
• Custom entity & game logic via a global "custom mod" for more advanced features and bug fixes.
  • Custom game themes for the main menu, the console and NETRICSA.
  • Larger font in NETRICSA and the console that scales with resolution.
  • Local customization of blood & gibs.
  • Weapon viewmodel customization: position, rotation, FOV, left-handed mode and power-up particles.
• Chat commands for servers.
  • Ability to add custom chat commands via plugins.
  • Admin and operator access to the server via passwords.
  • Voting system for changing maps, kicking clients etc.
• Observer camera system for advanced spectating, high quality screenshots and camera movement recording in demos.
  • Works in demos and while observing an active game in most mods.
  • Also works in Singleplayer & Cooperative modes in vanilla game with "Custom mod libraries" turned on.

Visuals

• Steam More screen resolutions of various aspect ratios (not just 4:3).
  • Ability to add custom resolutions or by manually specifying one in video options.
  • Supports any screen resolution by dynamically adding it to the list.
• Borderless window mode. "Fullscreen" switch has been replaced with "Window Mode" that includes "Window", "Borderless" and "Fullscreen" options.
• Steam Preservation of vertical FOV on any non-4:3 aspect ratio.
  • Steam Fixed mip distances and weapon viewmodel FOV on wider aspect ratios.
  • Custom FOV commands (for first person & third person view) that work across all gamemodes. Limited to the 60-110 range.
• Reworked "Wide screen" functionality that fixes HUD display on wider aspect ratios.
• Awareness of DPI scaling for the game window on modern operating systems.
• Proper rendering of SKA models (skeletal animations) in The Second Encounter v1.07.
• Custom heads-up display (HUD) with many fixes and features for customization, such as themes.

User experience

• Steam Working server list that doesn't depend on the now defunct GameSpy master server.
  • New query manager that supports 3 different protocols: Legacy (GameSpy emulation), DarkPlaces and GameAgent (from Serious Engine 1.10).
  • Ability to dynamically replace the GameSpy master server address directly in the engine.
• Levels from other games on Serious Engine 1 (such as Nitro Family or Alpha Black Zero) can now be safely stored in the game folder without crashing the game on launch but they cannot be played.
• Content from The First Encounter and Serious Sam: Revolution can be loaded into The Second Encounter by specifying paths to game installations.
  • Levels from The First Encounter and Serious Sam: Revolution can be played directly through The Second Encounter by converting them on load.
  • Additional content from Serious Sam: Revolution workshop (levels, player models etc.) can also be optionally mounted.
• Separation of config options (such as Game Options or configs in Advanced Options) into groups under different option tabs for easier navigation.
• Separation of levels into manually defined level categories (such as TFE and TSE levels) for easier navigation.
• Game render in the menu background.
• Steam Serious Editor with support of 64-bit operating systems.
  • Original 32-bit only Serious Editor can also be launched and used properly.
• "Textbox" type for in-game config settings for convenient editing of string commands.
• "Button" type for in-game config settings for recursive opening of option configs.
• Button in the level list for toggling visibility of all levels.
• Larger font in the server browser on higher resolutions.
• Anti-flood protection system to prevent server crashing.
• In-game chat commands for the server.
• Client logging system for keeping track of all clients that have ever joined the server.
• Client restriction system for convenient banning & muting of server clients.
• Ability to load extra content from other directories on disk instead of only the root game directory.
• Ability to edit buttons of common game controls in the same menu as personal player controls.
• Ability to type characters from different ANSI code pages instead of only Latin characters in any textbox and console.

Other changes

• Removed "Waiting for server to continue" message from demos after changing levels.
• Menu elements now scale according to the window height instead of width (which previously made everything look too big with very little gaps).
• Up to 255 characters for editing player names and teams in-game.
• Various fixes of annoying bugs.

Disadvantages of the Steam patch

• Incomplete support for widescreen resolutions.
  • Lack of 21:9 and other resolutions.
  • Mip distance adjustments are broken.
  • Inconsistent FOV between the player view and other places for rendering 3D elements (e.g. in mods).
• No predefined list of available master servers for GameSpy replacement.
• All of the new features are always on and cannot be toggled.
• No patch for The Second Encounter v1.05.