Skip to content

INSTALLING.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
97 lines (59 loc) · 3.9 KB

INSTALLING.md

File metadata and controls

97 lines (59 loc) · 3.9 KB
Raw

Installation Guide

Copyright (c) Peter Wright 2026

After install, if something isn't working properly, see the Troubleshooting Guide.

Quick Start

  1. Make sure you have NewDark 1.27 or 1.28 (see Engine Version below).
  2. Take a backup of your Thief user.bnd file.
  3. Install gamepad.zip with DMM and enable the mod.
  4. Run MODS/gamepad/GamepadConfig.exe. This copies dinput.dll into your game folder for you and lets you customise the mod. (If you prefer, you can skip the config tool and manually copy dinput.dll from MODS/gamepad/ into the root of your game folder, alongside THIEF.EXE / THIEF2.EXE.)
  5. See Steam Deck, Proton and Wine below for additional steps for Steam Deck

N.B. Without step 4 the mod cannot work — dinput.dll is what converts the engine's old DirectInput API to modern XInput and hooks into the core engine features the mod relies on.

Engine Version

The mod requires NewDark and supports v1.27* and 1.28 (tested up to NewDark 1.28 20250515). I find 1.28 works best

If you're unfamiliar with Thief, the easiest way to get a recent, patched engine is to use one of these:

Backing Up Your Bindings

By default, the mod enables joystick input and writes joybutton bindings to your user.bnd on launch. If it changes anything, it first backs up your previous settings to user.bnd.bak.

You should still take your own backup of user.bnd before installing, just in case. The values the mod applies are listed in the bundled auto.user.bnd.

If you'd rather manage your own bindings, set force_joystick_binds = false in gamepad.ini.

Recommended: High-DPI Mouse Settings

For the smoothest look/camera control, tell the engine to treat the controller's right stick as a high-DPI mouse. Add the following two lines to cam_ext.cfg in your game folder:

use_raw_mouse_input 1
raw_mouse_sens_scale 0.5

Alternatively, keep the game's in-game Mouse Sensitivity slider reasonably low and raise the mod's own sensitivity in GamepadConfig.exe. A low in-game sensitivity lets the mod supply more precise inputs which reduces juddering.

Configuration

Run MODS/gamepad/GamepadConfig.exe to adjust deadzones, look sensitivity, rumble, button bindings, and more — and to update the mod when a new release is available. Settings are saved to a gamepad.ini in your game folder so they survive mod upgrades. You can also create or edit that gamepad.ini by hand; see the bundled file for the available options and their defaults.

Steam Deck, Proton and Wine

Under Proton or Wine, mark dinput.dll as "native then built-in" so the engine loads the mod's DLL. In Steam, set the game's Launch Options to:

WINEDLLOVERRIDES="dinput=n,b" %command%

On Steam Deck, also remember to set Thief to use Joystick mode in the controller settings.

Fan Missions

If the mod doesn't work (for example in the default version of The Black Parade), edit the FM's fm.cfg and remove the apply_dbmods 0 line. That line tells the engine not to load any .dml/.osm mods (normally to stop mods interfering with the FM, but this also blocks this mod from working).

Gamepads

Any XInput device should work. The mod has been tested with:

  • The Xbox Wireless Controller (the primary target)
  • Playstation controllers (e.g. DualSense) via DS4Windows
  • Steam Deck

Updating

The bundled GamepadConfig.exe includes an update feature (in the About tab)