What Are the Open-Source Upgrade Patches on Mulderland and How Do They Work?

Updated

Mulderland's open-source upgrade patches are community-made installers and patches that take a game you already own or have downloaded and add features, fixes, or platform support it never shipped with. The clearest example on the site is the Bloodborne PC port, which the site says reached v1.6 with online play, and the Silent Hills P.T. port, which the site describes as supporting 4K and ultrawide resolutions. They work by modifying or wrapping an existing game installation rather than distributing the game itself — for P.T., the site states you still need the original PKG file to install it.

What the patches actually do

Based on the site's news feed, the patches fall into a few recurring categories:

  • Platform support: Linux and Steam Deck compatibility, including automatic detection of your OS so the correct version installs. Dino Crisis 2 and Silent Hills P.T. both received Linux/Steam Deck fixes.
  • Feature additions: The Bloodborne port added online play in v1.6, though it is not enabled by default.
  • Bug fixes and stability: Installer hotfixes for Steam Deck external drive/SD card installs, less frequent PKG extraction failures, and notifications when extraction does fail.
  • Display and camera options: 4K and ultrawide support for P.T., and restored FOV/camera tweaks for 007 First Light.
  • Launcher integration: On Linux, installers became runnable "as non-Steam game," which lets you add them to your Steam library manually.

How installation works

The general flow, as described in the site's update notes:

  1. Get the base game or required file. For P.T., the site explicitly says you need the original PKG file. The patch is not a standalone game.
  2. Run the installer. It detects whether you are on Windows or Linux/Steam Deck and installs the matching version of the port.
  3. Expect self-updating in some cases. For Bloodborne, the site says if you already have the previous installer, you don't need to re-download — the authors added a self-update feature that triggers the next time you run Bloodborne.exe.
  4. Enable optional features manually. Online play in Bloodborne is off by default and requires creating an account on ShadNet.
  5. Add to Steam manually on Linux if you want. The "as non-Steam game" option is the documented way to launch it from your Steam library.

What to watch out for

  • Version numbers move fast. The news feed shows Bloodborne at v0.51 (Linux) and v1.7.1 (Windows) within days of v1.6, so check the current version before troubleshooting.
  • External storage on Steam Deck was a known problem. The site notes installation issues when installing to an external drive or SD card, now reportedly fixed — if you hit it, update the installer first.
  • PKG extraction can still fail. The site says this is now rarer and that you will be notified, but it is not eliminated.
  • Online play has an extra dependency. ShadNet account creation is a separate step from installing the patch.

Choosing whether a patch fits your setup

If you want… Look for…
Play on Steam Deck or Linux Patches noting Linux/Steam Deck compatibility and auto-OS detection
Higher resolution or widescreen Patches listing 4K/ultrawide support (e.g., P.T.)
Multiplayer Patches mentioning online play, plus any required account (e.g., ShadNet)
Camera or FOV changes Patches referencing restored FOV/camera tweaks (e.g., 007 First Light)
Minimal re-downloading Patches with a self-update feature (e.g., Bloodborne)

The patches are best understood as a layer on top of a game you supply, not a replacement for it. If you don't have the required base file — such as the P.T. PKG — the installer alone won't get you running.