5. Umineko FAQ¶

Welcome to the Umineko FAQ. You can find your question using the instant search bar at the top of the screen, or the Table of Contents on the right.

What if my issue is not listed below?¶

Please proceed to Umineko Support.

Known Issues¶

Game Crashes / Freeze¶

The engine is known to crash or freeze under certain conditions:

during skip mode, the game can freeze (get stuck)
can hard crash randomly ("This program has stopped working...")
can hard crash at specific points of the game (for example:
- in the Question just before a scene at the festival
when using the Special K mod framework - please make sure this is disabled

If you repeatedly get crashes at a certain point of the game, you can try to do the following (not guaranteed to work):

create a save as close as possible to the crash
restart your computer (to try to cause different memory conditions for the game)
load the save repeatedly and try to get past the crash:
- try using skip mode (hold CTRL)
- try restarting your computer periodically if you still can't get past it

These crashes can happen on the unmodded game too, but it's possible the increased resolution/graphics cause the crashes to happen more often.

The game has poor performance or stutter (on text and menus), even on high end systems¶

As reported on the steam forums:
- This issue happens on some Nvidia systems
- The stuttering happens when you move the mouse
- The stuttering issue happens even even on the base game
To solve this issue (as a workaround) use just the keyboard or a controller to play the game, rather than your mouse
We've also had a report that having a PS4 controller plugged in can cause this issue - try unplugging any controllers you have and see if it fixes the issue.
More generally, if the issue randomly started happening, please try to remember if you installed any drivers, software, or hardware (including USB headphones, input peripherals like controllers, monitors etc.) recently. Try reverting the change you made or removing the devices and see if the issue is fixed.
You will need a good CPU and OK-ish GPU to run the mod - the requirements are higher than the base game!:
You probably cannot run the mod on an old netbook or old laptop, even if the base game runs fine on older hardware. The game relies heavily on CPU for rendering.
We have a table of hardware which has been tested with the mod, to give you some idea of what works and doesn't work.
The game also seems to perform worse as your screen resolution increases (especially on integrated graphics). You can test this by playing in windowed mode, and reducing the window size - the performance should improve. If this is your problem, try reducing your desktop resolution to 1080p (the resolution the game runs at).
Having many programs running in the background can also affect performance, especially on low end systems. Please close other programs (including your browser) before running the game.

Old info on the performance issue

We're currently investigating some reports of poor performance, especially on the Umineko Answer arcs.

Please note that the Umineko game engine heavily relies on single threaded CPU performance. This may mean that, even if you have a great GPU, an older CPU may cause you to lag or drop frames. On very underpowered machines (like netbooks with Atom processors, or old laptops), performance won't be very good - we recommend using a different machine to play if possible.

Having many programs running in the background can also affect performance, especially on low end systems. Please close other programs (including your browser) before running the game.

The game also seems to perform worse as your screen resolution increases (especially on integrated graphics). You can test this by playing in windowed mode, and reducing the window size - the performance should improve. If this is your problem, try reducing your desktop resolution to 1080p (the resolution the game runs at).

We have had a couple reports of high end systems having performance problems - we are currently investigating this issue.

Changing any ADV related setting will clear the text currently on the screen. You can still view the cleared text on the backlog.
There are certain parts of the game which are always displayed in NVL mode (text over the whole screen). If you enable ADV mode during these sections, the ADV textbox won't appear until the NVL section ends.

The game window is too small/too large¶

In the main arcs, as well as Umineko Saku, you may freely resize the window by dragging its borders. In Umineko Tsubasa and Hane, however, this doesn't work, as they run on an older version of the game engine that didn't have this feature implemented yet. You may open the ons.cfg file with any text editor (e.g. Notepad), and edit the line that says window-width=1280 to include a different value. The minimum value is 640, for a resolution of 640x480. There is no known maximum.

The game window size is reset when the game starts¶

The newer Umineko games currently don't remember the size or position of the window once you close the game. As a workaround on Windows, you can use this AutoHotkey script to resize the currently active window:

; Press "alt + r" to resize the current window when this script is active
; https://www.autohotkey.com/docs/commands/WinMove.htm

; Change the variables below to set the window position when you press "alt + r"
x := 200 ; X position of the window (top left corner of window)
y := 200 ; Y position of the window (top left corner of window)
width := 1280 ; Width of the window
height := 720 ; Height of the window

; !r means ALT + r - change to change the hotkey to activate the window resize
; # - Win; ! - Alt; ^ - Ctrl; + - Shift
!r::
    WinMove, A, , %x%, %y%, %width%, %height%
    return

Fullscreen doesn't work¶

For some strange reason, fullscreen only seems to work when the game window already fits on your screen normally. If the window is currently too large for your screen, pressing the F key to toggle fullscreen will do nothing. Use one of the above methods to resize the window to fit your screen first, and then try to switch into fullscreen.

General Problems¶

You can navigate the menu with directional arrow keys on the Question arcs, but not on the Answer arcs. To fix this, you can copy the Umineko Question .exe into the Answer Arcs and run it instead, BUT this may silently break things in the Answer arcs - do so at your own risk.

Does Umineko have feature X from the Higurashi mod?¶

Please do not expect the same mod features as the Higurashi mod, as Umineko runs on an entirely different engine to Higurashi. Please see the "Higurashi Mod Feature Comparison".

Game Crashes when saving¶

Try running the game as Administrator to check if you have permission issues when making saves.

If this fixes the issue, consider moving the game folder to another place you have write access to (outside of Program Files).

You might also want to try running the game with steam completely closed, by double clicking on the .exe.

Install Problems¶

Steam updated and now my saves are missing!¶

Rename your folder saves to mysav, this should restore your progress when using the new executable.

My saves are all broken/shifted backwards/forwards in the game!¶

The following can cause your saves to break:

Updating to a new script. If you need to update, finish a chapter first before updating the script.
Transferring your game from Windows 7 to Windows 10 (Or between operating systems)
Editing the script file, and adding/removing lines (editing existing lines is OK)
Steam updates (see above FAQ)

The game does feature a 'subchapter select' menu for each chapter, allowing you to skip to a certain point in the chapter. However it is only unlocked once you complete the chapter, so is not useful unless you are replaying the game.

Note that your chapter unlock status should always be maintained, unless you delete your global save file.

'No game script found' error when launching the game¶

You forgot to rename the script file 0.utf to 0.u (located in the root game directory)

I want to play with the original sprites/ryukishi sprites/adv mode etc.¶

See the Mod Options page.

Linux/MacOSX - Game stops on black or beach screen when launching game without Steam - `Failed loading libpng12.so.0` or other libraries¶

This problem happens even on the base game when you launch the game without Steam. Note that launching the game through Steam (if you have the Steam version) might fix this issue, as Steam will provide the missing libraries.

To fix this issue, download and extract this archive to the game directory (it should overwrite the lib64 folder): https://github.com/07th-mod/patch-releases/releases/download/umineko-question-v1.0/linux-libpng-libjpeg.7z

The alternative way to fix this issue is to make sure Steam is installed, then run the game through Steam (not by clicking on the .exe).

Linux/MacOSX - I can't launch the game (No Execute Permissions)¶

You may need to do chmod +x Umineko1to4 or chmod +x Umineko5to8 to give execute permissions if your executable doesn't launch.

MangaGamer + MacOS - I get a "Missing Game Data: No game script found..." error (Even on the base game)¶

MangaGamer's MacOS version of the game is packaged as a zip file. On MacOS, if you unzip the game and run it where you unzipped it, MacOS will run the application in a sandbox, and in the sandbox it can't find the game script (the 0.utf (stock) or 0.u (modded) script file). This results in the No game script found error.

To fix this issue with the stock game:

Extract the zip file as normal, which should produce the extracted game folder
Copy the extracted game folder to another location on your computer
Try running the game - if it still doesn't work:
1. Delete the .app file in the copy of the game folder
2. Copy the .app file from the extracted folder to the copy of the game folder

You can proceed to install the mod once you've got this working.

Detailed Information

Due to a previous security issue with downloaded zip files bypassing app signing checks, MacOS puts apps in a sandbox if they are left in the same directory where they were unzipped, which prevents them from accessing other files in the same directory as themselves (rather than within the .app folder). This is disabled if you move the application after unzipping it.

The security issue is that you could take a codesigned application that accessed folders with relative paths, and put it into a zip file with unsigned stuff that matched those paths, and they wouldn't be checked for codesigning but would be able to execute.

Gameplay Problems¶

Inputs don't work correctly, or the game constantly skips / Controller Support¶

If you have this problem, try unplugging any controllers you have connected to the computer, and use only the mouse and keyboard to play.

The game actually has controller support, even though it's not advertised.

The main issue is that, if a controller is plugged in, it will always be active, even if you're using the mouse and keyboard. The default keybinding for "skip" is right trigger, which is easy to hold down by putting the controller down or having a sticky right trigger - if this happens and you don't realize it, the game will constantly skip.

Here is a list of the controls (on a generic controller):

Often used controls¶

"a" - Equivalent to pressing the "Esc" key on your keyboard, use to exit menus
"y" - Right click (open/close game menu)
"b" - Left click
"up/down on the dpad/left thumbstick" - Up and Down only are used to navigate the menus. Don't try to use left and right as it doesn't actually move to the left or right item, and can cause the menu to close (see below).

Less used controls¶

"left/right on the dpad/left thumbstick" - Equivalent to mousewheel up and down, used for accessing the backlog, but can also cause you to exit menus.
"start" - Enter Autoplay Mode
"right trigger/right button" - Enter Skip mode

You probably don't want to press these¶

"back/select" - Cycles the text speed between low, medium, and high
"up/right on the right thumbstick" - Enter Autoplay Mode
"down/left on the right thumbstick" - Exit Autoplay Mode
other buttons - I couldn't figure out if any of the other buttons do anything.

Audio does not play through my headset (or other device), but other games/programs do¶

Umineko decides which device to play audio on on startup. It won't change to a new device if you plug it in or switch devices while the game is running.

Please select the audio device before starting the game. You may also want to try restarting your computer with your chosen device plugged in, then starting the game.

Suddenly all my sound/audio/voices/music has stopped working¶

In this game engine, pressing 'm' on your keyboard, or the "Select" equivalent on your gamepad, mutes all sound - you probably pressed this by accident. Press that button again to unmute.

The voices at the start of the Question Arcs have some minor distortion¶

This seems to be inherent to the audio files of the PS3 game (either when they were recorded, or during mixdown). However the quality seems to improve as you progress through the game - it's mainly during the start of Episode 1 when it is noticeable.

Text advances too slowly/quickly¶

Press the 1 (slow), 2 (normal), or 3 (fast) keys while the game is not animating text to change the text speed. The full list of controls can be viewed by pressing the "Controls" button on the main menu.

Sometimes voices don't play¶

The game has some issues with playing back voice files, depending on the timing of when you click to advance (if you click just before a voice stops playing, it may cancel the next voice line being played). We don't really know of a solution to this problem, as it happens pretty randomly.

That said, if you find there is some spoken dialogue which never plays a voice, and seems like it should, please tell us so we can fix it up. Just make sure it's reproducible by playing through that line a couple times.

Steam Sync doesn't work!¶

Previously we had some issues with steam updating the game and loading 'patched' saves into the 'unpatched' script, which could potentially skip you forward in the game. To prevent this, we hid the save folder from Steam, as mysav. Unfortunately, this also breaks Steam Sync.

If you want to re-enable steam sync, you can do the following: - rename the saves folder to saves_old (if it exists) - double click EnableSteamSync.bat (if you don't have it, download this and rename it as a .bat file) - if successful, you should see a shortcut called saves appear in the game folder (might need to refresh the folder). If you double click it, you will see the contents of the mysav folder. This tricks steam into syncing the mysav folder.

Please note that even if you move the game folder, in certain cases your save files might still go into ...\Steam\steamapps\common\Umineko\mysav, no matter where you place the game folder. See below section "My save files have disappeared or changed unexpectedly" for more details.

How do I make the game launch in fullscreen automatically¶

Launch the game with the --fullscreen option. You can do this by creating a shortcut, then changing the 'Target' to "path\to\game\Umineko1to4.exe" --fullscreen

My save files have disappeared or changed unexpectedly¶

If you have the Steam version of Umineko, and you move or copy the game outside of the default folder, the save folder location will change if Steam is not running:

If steam is not running, the (modded) game will use the mysav folder next to the game executable
If steam is running, and maybe only for the Answer arcs, the (modded) game will use the mysav folder located wherever steam thinks it's installed. Probably this is your Steam/steamapps/common/[Umineko/Umineko Chiru]/mysav folder

Please be aware of this if you want to move the game. Steamless/MangaGamer versions of the game probably are unaffected by this.

Also to note is that the base game will save to the saves folder, and the modded game will save to the mysav folder. But please note that the base and modded game saves are not compatible!

I've finished the game, but some Steam achievements are missing¶

Firstly, try restarting Steam, as it sometimes doesn't properly show achievements until restarted.

If you do not have steam running, the game will not register achievements. If you think you've wrongly missed an achievement, don't worry - once you've finished the game, we've added a button on the Mod Menu to forcibly unlock all achievements (right click while in-game, then click "Options", then "Unlock All Achievements").

There is also one achievement for the Question Arcs which is difficult to unlock, "Trumpet Blues". I suggest googling it if that is the one you are missing.

No sound on Linux (game doesn't even show up in mixer)¶

Firstly, check if you pressed the 'm' key (or 'Select' key on controller), which mutes the game. Deleting your save files also disables muting, see Uninstalling Umineko and the Mod
On Linux, if Umineko doesn't show up in your audio mixer at all, try following this gamingonlinux tutorial to run Umineko using the Steam Linux Runtime compatability tool.

Steam Deck Users have reported the following:

See the Higurashi FAQ regarding Steam Deck Sound Issues
One user reported that doing a clean install fixed the "no audio" issue. Follow the instructions here to fully uninstall the game and mod: Uninstalling Umineko and the Mod
One user reported that the Steam Deck + GOG version of the game had no sound, even on the unmodded game. This was fixed by going into the "lib64" folder and deleting every file except for "libsteam_api.so".

The episode credits just display a black screen¶

If the credits play music, but only shows a black screen, it's probably due to you using an (old) integrated graphics card.

We think this is because the 1080p credits images are too large for some computers to support, so the engine just does not display them at all.