1. Operating Systems

To start, it is worthwhile to quickly ensure that your operating system is supported:

• Windows (7, Vista, XP, etc.) - Supported. A more detailed, Windows-specific version of this page (with lots of pictures) might be of interest.
• Linux - Supported.
• Mac OS X - Supported.
• Others - As long as you've got a C/C++ compiler and the SDL library available, then things should work.

2. Prerequisite Data

At the moment, game assets (graphics, sounds, levels, translations, etc.) are loaded from the original game files. Therefore, you will require the original CD in order to use CorsixTH. The game is also available at gog.com. If you've got a copy of the original game disk lying around, then great - copy the HOSP folder (which should contain sub-directories called Data, QData, Levels, etc.) from the root of the CD to somewhere on your hard drive, and use this for the theme_hospital_install setting later. If you are unable to acquire the full game data files, then the demo can be downloaded easily and used instead (though the demo only has one level, and lacks most management screens).

3. Downloading and Compiling

There are four ways to obtain a copy of CorsixTH:

1. A ready-to-use executable (compiled binary) or installer for the latest stable release can be downloaded from the download page.
2. The source code of the latest stable release can be downloaded as a tarball from the download page.
3. Windows only: A ready-to-use executable of the latest development version can be downloaded via HTTP (use the prebuilt win32 version link).
4. The very latest development source code can be checked-out from Subversion, or downloaded via HTTP.

If you've gone with option 2 or 4, then you will now need to compile CorsixTH. See HowToCompile for a guide on doing so.

4. Runtime Configuration

Note: If using the Windows installer, this step is done at install time.

The next step is to decide where to put saved games and other configuration files. The default location is the logged in user's "AppData" folder for windows and XDG_CONFIG_HOME or equivalent for Linux and OS X. Continue to step 5 if that sounds good to you. If you want the game to put these files somwehere else, then create a file in the CorsixTH root directory called "config.path.txt" and let it contain one row specifying where to put the files instead.

In-depth information about the Configuration File can be found here.

5. Go Play!

At this point, you should be ready to try CorsixTH. Windows users should be able to double-click CorsixTH.exe, and users on other platforms should just as easily be able to launch the game executable.

Unless you used the Windows installer you'll be prompted for the original Theme Hospital install location on first startup. Settings such as resolution can be changed in-game or edited in the config.txt file located as specified in step 4.

If things don't go quite so smoothly, then consult the FAQ wiki page and the list of common errors, or ask on the mailing list or on IRC.

What next?

After trying CorsixTH, you may be interested in sticking around. If you just want to wait for the next release, then you can join the announcements list. If you'd like to get slightly more involved, then there are a number of ways to do so:

1. Bug reports - If you've noticed something which is wrong, then please report it at the issue tracker.
2. Testing the latest code - From time to time, when developers think that they fixed something, they end up breaking something else. Hence it is useful if people regularly build from Subversion and report things as they break.
3. Contributing documentation - If you're good at writing, and think that these wiki pages could do with some improvements, then please get in touch on the development list.
4. Translations - If you'd like to see the game use your preferred language, or if there are mistakes or omissions in the existing translation,
5. Contributing patches - If you'd like to contribute code, then patches are always welcomed with open arms. You may want to join the development list for ideas on things to work on, and to get assistance with coding. To contribute code, please submit it as a patch to the issue tracker (Subversion access can be obtained after several good patches).