This page is for the original release. For the remake, see Dear Esther: Landmark Edition.
Warnings
- The macOS (OS X) release of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.
General information
- Article on the official Valve Developer Community wiki
- Steam Community Discussions
Availability
| Source |
DRM |
Notes |
Keys |
OS |
| Humble Store |
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Two distinct Linux releases are distributed by Humble: the Windows version in a CrossOver wrapper, available in several formats (32-bit and 64-bit .deb packages, a 32-bit .rpm package, and a ".bin" installer script); and an actual Linux build ("Native .bin") ported by Ryan C. Gordon.[1] |
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| Steam (unavailable) |
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The store page now leads to Landmark Edition. |
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- This game is no longer sold on Steam. A DRM-Free version can be purchased via Humble Widget.
- The original mod release can be downloaded from here.
Monetization
Microtransactions
Essential improvements
Skip intro videos
Increase movement speed
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Bind key to increase movement speed[2] (retrieved)
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- Open
<path-to-game>\dearesther\cfg\userconfig.cfg
- Add the following code to the end of the file:
bind 1 "de_playerspeed 100"
bind 2 "de_playerspeed 200"
bind 3 "de_playerspeed 300"
bind 4 "de_playerspeed 400"
bind "W" "+forward"
bind "MOUSE1" "+forward"
bind "MOUSE2" "+zoom"
bind "MWHEELDOWN" "de_playerspeed 100"
bind "MWHEELUP" "de_playerspeed 200"
bind "MOUSE3" "de_playerspeed 400"
- Enable the developer console from the options menu.
- Toggle the console with ~, type in
exec userconfig, and press ↵ Enter.
- In game, you can hold the left mouse button to move forward, mousewheel up to increase movement speed, mousewheel down to reset or use the number 1, 2, 3, 4 to adjust movement speed.
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Game data
Configuration file(s) location
- This game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.
Save game data location
| System |
Native |
Notes |
| Steam Cloud |
|
Does not sync any save data, despite Steam Cloud feature flag |
Video
In-game advanced video settings.
Input
In-game input mapping settings.
In-game controller settings.
Audio
| Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
| Separate volume controls |
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| Surround sound |
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4 and 5.1 speakers options. |
| Subtitles |
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| Closed captions |
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| Mute on focus lost |
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| Royalty free audio |
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Localizations
VR support
Issues unresolved
Native Linux version ("Native .bin" version) developer console text not visible
- Technically the developer console can still be used (i.e. commands can be entered or pasted and will work) but the text is not visible.[3]
Issues fixed
Purple and black broken textures
- A generic fix for this issue can be found on our Source engine page.
Chapter selections not unlocking
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Use the developer console[4]
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- Go to Options.
- Go to Keyboard/Mouse.
- Enable the Allow Developer Console option.
- Open the console with ~.
- Enter
ui_lastmap_played 4 to unlock all chapters (or enter ui_lastmap_played followed by an integer from 1 through 4 to unlock the desired number of chapters).
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Native Linux version ("Native .bin" version) fails to launch on unsupported localizations
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Instructions[5][6]
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Run the game with the following command: LC_ALL=C ./Dear_Esther
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Native Linux version ("Native .bin" version) fails to launch on older AMD or Intel GPUs with open source drivers
Override Mesa GL version[7]
- Open a terminal in <path-to-game> and enter following command:
export MESA_GL_VERSION_OVERRIDE=3.2
- Launch the game in the same terminal tab:
LC_ALL=C ./Dear_Esther
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Native Linux version ("Native .bin" version) missing voiceovers and music
- The game runs without MP3 sounds if it cannot load a 32-bit
libopenal.so.1.[8]
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Install the missing library using the system's package manager[9]
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For example, on Ubuntu or Linux Mint: sudo apt install libopenal1:i386.
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Put the missing library directly in the game's "bin" folder[9]
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Acquire a 32-bit libopenal.so.1 and place it in <path-to-game>/bin.
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Run the game using Steam Linux Runtime[9]
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Steam Linux Runtime provides a 32-bit libopenal.so.1.
- Add
<path-to-game>/Dear_Esther to Steam as a non-Steam game.
- In the game's Properties window, go to the Compatibility tab.
- Enable Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool.
- Select "Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout)" from the drop-down menu.
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Other information
API
| Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
| Direct3D |
9 |
|
| OpenGL |
2.1 |
OS X and Linux only. |
| Executable |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
| Windows |
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| macOS (OS X) | |
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This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later. |
| Linux | |
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System requirements
| Windows |
|
Minimum | Recommended |
| Operating system (OS) |
XP | Vista |
| Processor (CPU) |
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz | Quad Core 2.4 GHz |
| System memory (RAM) |
1 GB (XP)
2 GB (Vista) | |
| Storage drive (HDD/SSD) |
2 GB | |
| Video card (GPU) |
Nvidia GeForce 7600
ATI Radeon X1600
DirectX 9 compatible
Shader model 3.0 support | |
- Pre-Sandybridge Intel graphics chipsets not supported
| macOS (OS X) |
|
Minimum |
| Operating system (OS) |
10.6.7 |
| Processor (CPU) |
Intel Core Duo 2 GHz |
| System memory (RAM) |
2 GB |
| Storage drive (HDD/SSD) |
2 GB |
| Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon 2400
Nvidia GeForce 8600M
Intel HD Graphics 3000 |
Notes
References
