Need for Speed Reinvented
It’s been a long time since I’ve announced a major leap in NFS3 evolution and here it is!
NFS3 NextGen is sort of a joint project between me (RejZoR) and Evgeny Vrublevsky. We were both working on our own versions of patches. Mine was sort of a collection of things that made NFS3 work on modern operating systems through easy to use installer/patch and Evgeny was actually reverse engineering the game. We met in spring 2015 and started testing together while I started working on NextGen patch. After our job was pretty much done and we part our ways, I was experiencing weird crashes and failures with the patch on Windows 10 using GeForce GTX 980 (I was testing with Radeon HD7950 initially), but with latest version of Evgeny’s patch, things are working great again. Tested the patch, updated some stuff and voila, here it is!
Highlights:
- Proper full support for modern Windows operating systems, including latest Windows 10 in 32 and 64bit
- Fully portable, no more ties to the registry
- Full widescreen support with resolutions up to 4K (UHD) and beyond
- Enhanced Direct3D 6 mode with advanced fogging and lighting effects
- No Ferrari/Mercedes licensing restrictions in Hot Pursuit mode
- New 3DSETUP_NXG for easy rendering mode selection
- Ability to add and drive traffic cars (optional)
- DirectSound3D/EAX support via audio wrapper
- Easy to use patcher/installer
- Many other small, but important and useful changes
Requirements:
- Retail English version of Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit game (may work with others, but I can’t guarantee it)
Known compatibility issues:
- IndirectSound Audio Wrapper will crash the game if you also have Creative ALchemy installed. Use ALchemy instead because it actually emulates proper EAX.
- Game may crash when using Direct3D 6 mode on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 9xx series (Maxwell 2). Use nGlide instead.
Download:
Need for Speed 3: NextGen Patch
Changelog:
1.2.1 (2016-10-10)
- Updated 3DSETUP_NXG to include Direct3D 7 mode and corrected broken ThrashDriver variables
1.2 (2016-09-25)
- Updated patch core to version 1.6 (Evgeny’s Modern Edition Patch)
1.1 (2016-02-21)
- Updated patch core to version 1.4 (Evgeny’s Modern Edition Patch)
1.0.1 (2016-01-30)
- Re-arranged 3DSETUP_NXG 3D rendering modes, updated descriptions and made nGlide as default (best compatibility and performance)
1.0 Initial release (2016-01-27)
- Includes Evgeny Vrublevsky’s patch v1.3.1 with enhanced Direct3D 6 mode
- New installer/patcher with 3 install modes
- New 3DSETUP_NXG for rendering mode selection
- Removed Mercedes/Ferrari licensing limit
- Optional drivable traffic cars (they are rubbish but fun! 🙂 )
- DirectSound3D/EAX support through IndirectSound Audio Wrapper
Angry Sheep Blog 
Hey man,, the game isn’t working for me and I was hoping you could help, the fedata and the gamedata are the ones that aren’t cooperating with me. It says that they are corrupted or something so please help
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You’ll have to be more specific than “they are corrupted or something”… What messages you get exactly, maybe post screenshots of it, what Windows you have, where the game is installed, etc…
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that error message can appear, if in nfs3.ini the setting for language is not correct
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Hi, Thank You very much! You are awesome! It works perfectly. I have played this game last time around 20 years ago. Amazing. Why EA not doing this. They should!!!
Thanks, Thanks, Thanks!
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Where is the download link to NFS 3 HP?
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There isn’t one because despite game’s age, providing one would be piracy. You have to either own game already or find it yourself in whatever way you feel like it. Unfortunately.
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beneath download
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So should I use this with modern patch or this one includes everything from the other? It’s kinda confusing, in fact I want to know if using both is a bad idea.
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I am getting the error “savefileadr – OPEN FAILED FOR FILE \fedata\config\config.dat.” I looked the first file that couldn’t right was reg.dat in the stats folder. I fixed that by giving all apps write rights to the file, but I looked in the folder config and only file there is “platcfg.dat.” I don’t get it.
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I think this error was happening if you installed the game in Program Files. Try installing it to C:\Games folder instead. I think this should fix the issue.
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thank you so much for your work on this classic game! unfortunately i also get the corrupted error message: “The required files are not found or they were corrupted. Please copy FEDATA and GAMEDATA directories from the NFS3 CD to a new empty directory, and then extract contents of the Modern Patch archive into that directory with replacement of existing files.”
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It’s been a while, but if I remember correctly this error happens if you install game into Program Files on newer Windows. Install game into a folder like C:\Games\NFS3 and it should work.
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nice but eax effect only work with realtek 3d soundback but other software/dll/files can’t restore also creative alchemy only can restore it for some time, after that game will no sound
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Hey, thank you for making this, I played this game so much as a kid! I am trying to get it working with my Logitech G29. It recognizes the pedals fine but for some reason won’t recognize the X axis moving at all when I turn the wheel. Do you know how to fix this?
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I am so sorry, please delete. My power cable just came out – the wheel works fine with the game! Thank you again!!
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I have installed it but I get the following error:
isndloaddll – couldn’t load/find eacsnd.dll
I am running on Windows 11. I tried copying and pasting eacsnd.dll on every single folder on my computer. Tried running as administrator. Tried extracting the original eacsnd.dll from the disc instead of the one that the NextGen patch creates. Also tried saving in a folder titled Games instead of saving in the Program Files folder with no luck. May be time for a new update to the nextgen patch…
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I suggest installing it anywhere but in Program Files. That seems to cause such problems.
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It looks like I found the solution. When you go to install the game, the folder that is “anywhere but in Program Files” cannot already exist. When you go to select an install directory in the NextGen installer, you have to type in a filepath that does not already exist and allow the installer to create the folder, then it seems to recognize the DLL file.
Thanks for the help.
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During installation uncheck “sound” flag, and it will work OK.
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And I want to add, it works fine on win 10-64 22H2.
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