Associate
- Joined
- 29 Oct 2024
- Posts
- 75
- Location
- Glasgow
Hi folks.
I thought I’d post a brand-new and fully revised (“Version 2”) tutorial/walkthrough on how to install a very old game, with a fantastic update applied to it by a set of very dedicated and innovative fans of the game.
It is the stone-cold classic (in my opinion, of course) Syndicate Wars, under the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version.
I posted a previous install walkthrough a little while ago, but after realising that I had confused myself (quite considerably), and that I had installed the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion game in a much more complex way than I needed to, I thought I would post this revised (and simplified) installation guide. I hope this helps any fans of this very old game on OCUK.
The Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion offers a few critical benefits over the old standard game, including, first and foremost, an ability to setup the game for a higher resolution of 1920x1080, and to zoom the game-view out considerably, thereby allowing you to see much more on the screen (i.e., to have a much greater field of view). There are many other benefits and possibilities also.
Before deciding if the following process is for you, I have a Playlist of some of my playthroughs of the Eurocorp campaign missions of the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version, here. Sampling some of the videos can give you a good idea of how you can get the game looking. Those familiar with the old game will notice that it is now possible to see considerably more on the screen than was originally possible “back in the day”, making for a much better playing experience.
Here are the steps I recommend to get the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version of the game up and running, with that coveted “big field of view”.
==========================================================
==========================================================
(STEP 1) OBTAIN THE ORIGINAL GAME FILES AND INSTALL THE ORIGINAL GAME
The Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion instructions (over on their GitHub – more on that later) indicate that their files actually only work in conjunction with the original game files, which they do not provide. So, you cannot just go over to the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion GitHub and download the entire modified game in a single go.
Rather, you need to collect (and install) the original game files first, then install Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version, which uses the original files to install.
Here is how to get the original files, and install them.
The Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion pages recommend getting the original files from an original CD (which only a very small number of people will still have), or from an established commercial download source, such GOG.com (“Good Old Games”).
I now recommend collecting the files from GOG.com (“Good Old Games”). Previously, I misunderstood how to make this work, and recommended another process. Thankfully, I have now worked-out how to use the GOG files, which makes things easier.
Go over to the GOG.com Syndicate Wars store page here, and make the purchase. (It sells at a bargain price.)
After purchase, go to your games profile on GOG, select Syndicate Wars, then select “Download Offline Backup Game Installers”, then select “Syndicate Wars”.
At time of writing (24/01/2026), the GOG basic game installer file downloads as:
setup_syndicate_wars_2.1.0.23.exe.
Double click it. The original and basic game is, by default, installed to:
C:\GOG Games\Syndicate Wars
As an aside, I did not use the option to install the game with “GOG Galaxy”, so I cannot speak to that. The method I used worked absolutely fine, so I don’t feel that using GOG Galaxy to install the basic game is necessary.
So, you now have a basic (and unmodified) version of the original game installed. You now need to obtain and install the latest Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion, which uses the original files to install.
==========================================================
==========================================================
(STEP 2) OBTAIN THE LATEST SYNDICATE WARS FAN EXPANSION RELEASE, AND RUN ITS INSTALLER
Go to the main Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion GitHub.com page, here. Scan your eyes over to the right, then down a bit, and find the word “Releases”, in bold. Select the most recent release.
At time of writing (24/01/2026), the most recent release is:
“0.3.8.3283 Halloween Release (Latest)”, released on Oct 13, 2025.
Click on that.
Scroll down the page. If you are a Windows user, you want the 3rd entry from the bottom, called:
“swars-0_3_8_3283-win32-setup.zip”, at 6.89MB.
Download and unzip it.
The extracted file is called swars-setup.exe. Run it. This is what will install the modified game.
Very helpfully, the installer will go through some initial options with you, helping you to install the modified game properly.
An initial option comes up called “Choose Games Files Source Type”.
Select “Install from GOG files”.
Then, confirm where your GOG game files were installed. As noted above, by default, they were installed to:
C:\GOG Games\Syndicate Wars
Proceed with the install. I left the proceeding options at stock. (That means no portable install.)
The installer should now run, and install the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version of the game.
By default, the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion install will be at:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Syndicate Wars
Congratulations. You now have the brilliant Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version of Syndicate Wars installed.
==========================================================
==========================================================
(STEP 3) SETUP THE HIGHER RESOLUTION AND “ZOOMED-OUT” VIEW (THE LARGER FIELD OF VIEW)
Some final steps are required to set the higher resolution, and to take advantage of a much more “zoomed out” view (or in other words, a much larger field of view).
Here are the settings I use personally, and how to implement them.
(3.1) Set the Higher Resolution
Assuming you installed your Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion game to the default location, go to that location.
The default location should be: C:\Program Files (x86)\Syndicate Wars
Open up config.ini using Notepad or Notepad++.
Paste the following line in after those that are already there:
ResGameHi=“1920x1080x8”
Apparently, attempts to use resolution settings higher than 1080p (1920 x 1080) will not work, due to limitations of how the game engine works. This is confirmed here.
(3.2) Set the Visible Playing Area “Zoom”, or “Field of View”.
Now go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Syndicate Wars\conf
Open rules.ini using Notepad or Notepad++ as an Administrator. A simple way to do that is to enter “Notepad” (or “Notepad++”) in your Windows search box, right click on the result, and select “Run As Administrator”. From the program, navigate to the rules.ini file and open it.
I like quite an aggressively “zoomed out” view, with lots visible on the screen as standard.
Therefore, I recommend making the following changes:
ZoomMin = 60
ZoomMax = 60
I believe my tastes are towards the more severe end of the “zoomed out” spectrum. You may prefer slightly more conservative settings here, such as 65, 70, 75, 80, or even settings above those numbers. The only way to know is to play for a bit, and make a decision on what suits you best.
In my opinion, the above results in a much better playing experience – certainly better than the experience “back in the day”. There is only one occasional downside. It is that, sometimes, the bigger field of view can mean that items are difficult to spot and pick-up. This can be an issue on missions where it is important to quickly pick-up High Explosives before they detonate. Do be aware of that.
(3.3) Tweak the Scanner/Mini-Map View
This tweak is also inside rules.ini, under the instructions above.
Hypothetically, you can just leave the default scanner/mini-map settings as they are, and still have a great playing experience.
However, for completeness, I will specify the setting I currently use the most, as follows:
BaseZoomFactor = 350
Here, the lower the number, the more “zoomed in” the mini-map is. The higher the number, the more “zoomed out” the mini-map is. Nowadays, I use mostly 350 or 375. In the past, I have experimented with 800, 700, 600 and 500, but found all of these resulted in a mini-map/scanner view that was too “zoomed-out”.)
Only you can really decide how you like your scanner/mini-map setup, and so you might want to change this setting after playing for a bit.
==========================================================
==========================================================
(STEP 4) ENJOY THE GAME IN ITS MODIFIED (AND MUCH BETTER) FORM
That’s everything to get the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion game up and running.
I’ve been playing this game for the past few weeks, using the settings above, and have been enjoying it a lot. I have found it to be a lot more enjoyable with the ability to see much more on the screen.
Thank you very much to the parties behind this project!
If you stop reading here, I hope this guide has been helpful, and please do take the time to consult the official materials over on the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion team’s official GitHub pages (here) for future updates.
==========================================================
==========================================================
SOME OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL READING
If you want to do some optional additional reading, I recommend doing the following “reading reviews”:
(1) A review the of the official Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion pages over on their brilliant GitHub.com site, as follows:
(a) The main readme section, here (scroll down from the files collection). Don’t be too alarmed at the level of detail after the first few paragraphs. Much of the instructions on that Readme are for people interested in undertaking an install via a “compilation from source”. That’s over my head, and I suspect I’m not alone in that regard.
(b) The main Wiki page, here. From here, you can read the main Wiki “Home” page, then read through some of the sub-headings.
Three of the most important sub-headings of the wiki are:
(i) The page called “Configuration Files Values”, here.
(ii) The page called “Game Modifications ‐ Rules.ini”, here.
(iii) The page called “Command Line Arguments”, here.
If you check (i) and (ii), you can see where I obtained the settings I use to set the screen resolution and “zoom” level.
(2) A review of some of the official Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion discussion and community sites, as follows:
(a) Their GitHub Discussion page, here.
(b) Their Google Groups discussion board, here.
(c) Their Discord Group, here. The Discord Group is the most active. I post on there from time-to-time when I get stuck with something, and have received great help.
Good old-school gaming to all!
I thought I’d post a brand-new and fully revised (“Version 2”) tutorial/walkthrough on how to install a very old game, with a fantastic update applied to it by a set of very dedicated and innovative fans of the game.
It is the stone-cold classic (in my opinion, of course) Syndicate Wars, under the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version.
I posted a previous install walkthrough a little while ago, but after realising that I had confused myself (quite considerably), and that I had installed the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion game in a much more complex way than I needed to, I thought I would post this revised (and simplified) installation guide. I hope this helps any fans of this very old game on OCUK.
The Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion offers a few critical benefits over the old standard game, including, first and foremost, an ability to setup the game for a higher resolution of 1920x1080, and to zoom the game-view out considerably, thereby allowing you to see much more on the screen (i.e., to have a much greater field of view). There are many other benefits and possibilities also.
Before deciding if the following process is for you, I have a Playlist of some of my playthroughs of the Eurocorp campaign missions of the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version, here. Sampling some of the videos can give you a good idea of how you can get the game looking. Those familiar with the old game will notice that it is now possible to see considerably more on the screen than was originally possible “back in the day”, making for a much better playing experience.
Here are the steps I recommend to get the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version of the game up and running, with that coveted “big field of view”.
==========================================================
==========================================================
(STEP 1) OBTAIN THE ORIGINAL GAME FILES AND INSTALL THE ORIGINAL GAME
The Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion instructions (over on their GitHub – more on that later) indicate that their files actually only work in conjunction with the original game files, which they do not provide. So, you cannot just go over to the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion GitHub and download the entire modified game in a single go.
Rather, you need to collect (and install) the original game files first, then install Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version, which uses the original files to install.
Here is how to get the original files, and install them.
The Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion pages recommend getting the original files from an original CD (which only a very small number of people will still have), or from an established commercial download source, such GOG.com (“Good Old Games”).
I now recommend collecting the files from GOG.com (“Good Old Games”). Previously, I misunderstood how to make this work, and recommended another process. Thankfully, I have now worked-out how to use the GOG files, which makes things easier.
Go over to the GOG.com Syndicate Wars store page here, and make the purchase. (It sells at a bargain price.)
After purchase, go to your games profile on GOG, select Syndicate Wars, then select “Download Offline Backup Game Installers”, then select “Syndicate Wars”.
At time of writing (24/01/2026), the GOG basic game installer file downloads as:
setup_syndicate_wars_2.1.0.23.exe.
Double click it. The original and basic game is, by default, installed to:
C:\GOG Games\Syndicate Wars
As an aside, I did not use the option to install the game with “GOG Galaxy”, so I cannot speak to that. The method I used worked absolutely fine, so I don’t feel that using GOG Galaxy to install the basic game is necessary.
So, you now have a basic (and unmodified) version of the original game installed. You now need to obtain and install the latest Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion, which uses the original files to install.
==========================================================
==========================================================
(STEP 2) OBTAIN THE LATEST SYNDICATE WARS FAN EXPANSION RELEASE, AND RUN ITS INSTALLER
Go to the main Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion GitHub.com page, here. Scan your eyes over to the right, then down a bit, and find the word “Releases”, in bold. Select the most recent release.
At time of writing (24/01/2026), the most recent release is:
“0.3.8.3283 Halloween Release (Latest)”, released on Oct 13, 2025.
Click on that.
Scroll down the page. If you are a Windows user, you want the 3rd entry from the bottom, called:
“swars-0_3_8_3283-win32-setup.zip”, at 6.89MB.
Download and unzip it.
The extracted file is called swars-setup.exe. Run it. This is what will install the modified game.
Very helpfully, the installer will go through some initial options with you, helping you to install the modified game properly.
An initial option comes up called “Choose Games Files Source Type”.
Select “Install from GOG files”.
Then, confirm where your GOG game files were installed. As noted above, by default, they were installed to:
C:\GOG Games\Syndicate Wars
Proceed with the install. I left the proceeding options at stock. (That means no portable install.)
The installer should now run, and install the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version of the game.
By default, the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion install will be at:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Syndicate Wars
Congratulations. You now have the brilliant Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion version of Syndicate Wars installed.
==========================================================
==========================================================
(STEP 3) SETUP THE HIGHER RESOLUTION AND “ZOOMED-OUT” VIEW (THE LARGER FIELD OF VIEW)
Some final steps are required to set the higher resolution, and to take advantage of a much more “zoomed out” view (or in other words, a much larger field of view).
Here are the settings I use personally, and how to implement them.
(3.1) Set the Higher Resolution
Assuming you installed your Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion game to the default location, go to that location.
The default location should be: C:\Program Files (x86)\Syndicate Wars
Open up config.ini using Notepad or Notepad++.
Paste the following line in after those that are already there:
ResGameHi=“1920x1080x8”
Apparently, attempts to use resolution settings higher than 1080p (1920 x 1080) will not work, due to limitations of how the game engine works. This is confirmed here.
(3.2) Set the Visible Playing Area “Zoom”, or “Field of View”.
Now go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Syndicate Wars\conf
Open rules.ini using Notepad or Notepad++ as an Administrator. A simple way to do that is to enter “Notepad” (or “Notepad++”) in your Windows search box, right click on the result, and select “Run As Administrator”. From the program, navigate to the rules.ini file and open it.
I like quite an aggressively “zoomed out” view, with lots visible on the screen as standard.
Therefore, I recommend making the following changes:
ZoomMin = 60
ZoomMax = 60
I believe my tastes are towards the more severe end of the “zoomed out” spectrum. You may prefer slightly more conservative settings here, such as 65, 70, 75, 80, or even settings above those numbers. The only way to know is to play for a bit, and make a decision on what suits you best.
In my opinion, the above results in a much better playing experience – certainly better than the experience “back in the day”. There is only one occasional downside. It is that, sometimes, the bigger field of view can mean that items are difficult to spot and pick-up. This can be an issue on missions where it is important to quickly pick-up High Explosives before they detonate. Do be aware of that.
(3.3) Tweak the Scanner/Mini-Map View
This tweak is also inside rules.ini, under the instructions above.
Hypothetically, you can just leave the default scanner/mini-map settings as they are, and still have a great playing experience.
However, for completeness, I will specify the setting I currently use the most, as follows:
BaseZoomFactor = 350
Here, the lower the number, the more “zoomed in” the mini-map is. The higher the number, the more “zoomed out” the mini-map is. Nowadays, I use mostly 350 or 375. In the past, I have experimented with 800, 700, 600 and 500, but found all of these resulted in a mini-map/scanner view that was too “zoomed-out”.)
Only you can really decide how you like your scanner/mini-map setup, and so you might want to change this setting after playing for a bit.
==========================================================
==========================================================
(STEP 4) ENJOY THE GAME IN ITS MODIFIED (AND MUCH BETTER) FORM
That’s everything to get the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion game up and running.
I’ve been playing this game for the past few weeks, using the settings above, and have been enjoying it a lot. I have found it to be a lot more enjoyable with the ability to see much more on the screen.
Thank you very much to the parties behind this project!
If you stop reading here, I hope this guide has been helpful, and please do take the time to consult the official materials over on the Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion team’s official GitHub pages (here) for future updates.
==========================================================
==========================================================
SOME OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL READING
If you want to do some optional additional reading, I recommend doing the following “reading reviews”:
(1) A review the of the official Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion pages over on their brilliant GitHub.com site, as follows:
(a) The main readme section, here (scroll down from the files collection). Don’t be too alarmed at the level of detail after the first few paragraphs. Much of the instructions on that Readme are for people interested in undertaking an install via a “compilation from source”. That’s over my head, and I suspect I’m not alone in that regard.
(b) The main Wiki page, here. From here, you can read the main Wiki “Home” page, then read through some of the sub-headings.
Three of the most important sub-headings of the wiki are:
(i) The page called “Configuration Files Values”, here.
(ii) The page called “Game Modifications ‐ Rules.ini”, here.
(iii) The page called “Command Line Arguments”, here.
If you check (i) and (ii), you can see where I obtained the settings I use to set the screen resolution and “zoom” level.
(2) A review of some of the official Syndicate Wars Fan Expansion discussion and community sites, as follows:
(a) Their GitHub Discussion page, here.
(b) Their Google Groups discussion board, here.
(c) Their Discord Group, here. The Discord Group is the most active. I post on there from time-to-time when I get stuck with something, and have received great help.
Good old-school gaming to all!
Last edited: