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The imagery is intriguing. The action is intense. The ramifications are eternal.

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SaintsX is a fan patch and alternate runtime for Shine Studios' Saints of Virtue, a Christian-themed first-person shooter from 1999.

It is not a remake, remaster, or source port. It requires the original retail game files to run.

Say hello or provide feedback on Discord. The patch is free. I work on this after the kids are in bed, so temper your expectations!

Features

• Patches older retail versions to the final official v1.3 release.
• High-res SVGA resolution (800x600) with corrected UI.
• Locked high-framerate (60FPS).
• Framerate-corrected physics, weapons, traps, and entities.
• Modern remapped controls with vertical mouselook.
• Debug mode and extra cheats, including Fly Mode.

FAQ

• Why did you do this?

  • Because I could, and because Saints of Virtue is an interesting and enjoyable enough game that I thought it deserved to be played with some quality-of-life improvements. Most people have played this at VGA resolution (640x480) with archaic controls and unlocked framerates averaging 30FPS. Playing it at SVGA resolution with a (mostly) locked 60FPS framerate and more familiar controls is a revelation. Try it for yourself.

• Why doesn’t SaintsX include the retail game assets?

  • It was a hard decision, since the game would probably be considered “abandonware”. The trademark has expired, and the game has not been available for sale for many years. That said, I’m a huge fan of the game and I respect the effort and work put into it by the guys at Shine Studios. For all I know, they’re working on a remaster! So I decided to not to give away their game with SaintsX.

• Does SaintsX work on Linux/OSX/Android/etc?

  • It may be possible, but it’s not supported. The patch is mostly plain-text scripts and open-source technology, and the underlying DOS emulation technology is DOSBox-X, so a diligent person could probably get this running in Wine or even natively on other platforms. Let me know what you figure out!

• Why not a source port or remake in Unity? Why not a re-imagining like Brutal DOOM?

  • Again, I’m sure this is possible for the right developer. ACKNEX 3 is a well-documented raycasting engine. I chose a tradeoff of staying faithful to the original game and fixing the biggest issues with the original experience for a smaller time investment. I’ve got a lot of demands on my time!

Acknowledgements

Saints of Virtue was created by Shine Studios. The game is their property. Thanks to Dave, Bud, and Michael for a very original and ambitious game.

Many thanks to developer and fellow fan Isaiah Kelly for helping me brainstorm and also for digging up software that made this patch possible.

The game engine powering Saints of Virtue is Conitec’s Acknex 3. I’ve enjoyed this engine both as a hobbyist and consumer. Kudos to them for enabling many students and indie developers over the years.

Shoutout to Aleksander Krimsky for his excellent SimCopterX and SimStreetsX patches, which provided inspiration for this project.