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Battlefield 2 & Patches Guide

Discussion in 'Guides' started by booman, Jun 28, 2013.

  • by booman, Jun 28, 2013 at 6:38 PM
  • booman

    booman Grand High Exalted Mystic Emperor of Linux Gaming Staff Member

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    Since many of us can't afford the $60 price tag of Battlefield 4, but we can still try Battlefield 2 in Linux for almost nothing. Specially if you already own it.

    I will walk you through this Step-by-Step guide on how to install and configure Battlefield 2 in order to run it with the optimum settings like you could in Windows.

    battlefield93.png

    battlefield81.png

    Tips & Specs:

    To learn more about PlayOnLinux and Wine configuration, see the online manual: PlayOnLinux Explained

    Mint 17 64-bit
    PlayOnLinux: 4.2.5
    Wine: 1.7.31

    Wine Installation

    Click Tools
    Select "Manage Wine Versions"
    wine01.png

    Look for the Wine Version: 1.7.31
    Note: Try using stable Wine 1.8 and 1.8-staging

    Select it
    Click the arrow pointing to the right
    wine02.png

    Click Next

    Downloading Wine
    wine04.png

    Extracting

    Downloading Gecko
    wine05.png

    Installed
    wine06.png

    Wine 1.7.31 is installed and you can close this window

    Initial Setup

    If you have the retail edition with 5 CD ROMs, each disk needs to be copied to a folder on the desktop.
    When asked to over-write a file, just click Skip.
    This way we can install the entired game right from the desktop

    PlayOnLinux Setup

    Launch PlayOnLinux
    click Install
    battlefield01.png

    Click "Install a non-listed program"
    battlefield02.png

    Click Next

    Select "Install a program in a new vritual drive"
    Click Next
    battlefield04.png

    Name the virtual drive: battlefield2
    Click Next
    battlefield05.png

    Check all three options:
    • Use another version of Wine
    • Configure wine
    • Install some libraries
    Click Next
    battlefield06.png

    Select Wine 1.7.31
    Click Next
    battlefield07.png

    Select "32 bits windows installation"
    Click Next
    battlefield08.png

    Wine Configuration

    Applications Tab
    Windows Version: Windows 7
    Click Apply
    battlefield09.png

    Graphics Tab
    Check "Automatically capture the mouse in full-screen windows"
    Check "Emulate a virtual drive"
    Desktop size: 1024x768
    Click OK
    battlefield10.png

    Installing Packages (Components, DLL's, Libraries)

    Check the following:
    • POL_Install_corefonts
    • POL_Install_d3dx9
    • POL_Install_tahoma

    Click Next
    battlefield11.png

    Note: All packages will automatically download and install

    Installing Battlefield 2

    Click Browse
    battlefield12.png

    Navigate to your desktop where you copied all of the CD ROM files
    Select "Setup.exe"
    Click Open
    battlefield13.png

    Click Next again

    Click OK

    Warning "this game has only been tested in WinXP(32bit)"
    Click OK

    Click Next

    Enter Key for Battlefield 2
    Click Next

    Enter Key for Battlefield 2: Special Forces
    Click Next

    Click Next

    Click Next

    Click Next

    Select "I accept the terms..."
    Click Next

    Select "I accept the terms..." again
    Click Next again

    Click Install

    BattleCommo
    Click Save settings

    Program Error
    You might get an error with the BattleCommo
    Just Click "Close"
    battlefield28.png

    Check "No, install GameSpy Arcade later"
    Click Next
    battlefield29.png

    Click "Register Later"
    battlefield30.png

    Uncheck "View the README file"
    Uncheck "Create desktop shortcuts"
    Click Finish
    battlefield31.png

    PlayOnLinux Shortcut

    Select "BF2.exe"
    Click Next
    battlefield32.png

    Name your shortcut: Battlefield 2
    Click Next
    battlefield33.png

    Click Next again...

    PlayOnLinux Configure

    Back to PlayOnLinux
    Select Battlefield 2
    Click Configure
    battlefield34.png

    General Tab
    Wine verions: 1.7.31
    battlefield36.png

    Note: Click the + to download other versions of wine. Click the down-arrow to select other versions of Wine.

    Important
    At this point, Battlefield 2 is ready to play, but you will need to keep the Play Disk in the drive. If you patch up the game you not only get a CD ROM free game, but you also get the rest of the expansion packs.

    Battlefield 2 1.41 patch

    Download the 1.41 patch and save to your desktop

    Miscellaneous Tab
    Click "Run a .exe file in this virtual drive"
    battlefield37.png

    Navigate to you Desktop
    Select "BF2_Patch_1.41.exe"
    Click Open
    battlefield38.png

    Select Language
    Click Next

    Click Next

    Click Install

    Installation Complete
    Click OK

    Click Finish

    Battlefield 2 1.5 patch

    Download the 1.5 patch and save to your Desktop

    Miscellaneous Tab
    Click "Run a .exe file in this virtual drive"
    battlefield37.png

    Navigate to you Desktop
    Select "BF2_Patch_1.5.exe"
    Click Open
    battlefield46.png

    Select Language
    Click Next

    Click Next

    Click Install

    Installation Complete
    Click Finish

    Launching Battlefield 2

    Select Battlefield 2
    Click Run
    battlefield51.png

    Note: Click debug to see errors and bugs

    Please be patient, it may take up to 3 minutes for the EA logo to appear.
    It isn't crashing, but certainly taking a long time to launch.

    Optimization

    Click Options
    Click Video

    Select a resolution to match your Linux desktop

    Note: The game will play fullscreen when you set the resolution to match the Linux desktop resollution. If you change the Linux desktop resolution later, Battlefield 2 will crash. You will need to set the resolution in the Video.con located in your /home Battlefield 2/Profiles
    If you have folders default, 0001 and 0002, just set the resolution in all three Video.con files.

    Select a Quality preset, or adjust settings to your liking...

    The game will require a restart after you adjust video settings. When you load a level after making video changes, it will have to optimize shaders and it takes an extra 10 minutes or so.
    This is typical in Windows as well.

    I also had problems with resolution crashing the game. The virtual desktop is critical but the resolution of it isn't. Just make sure the game has the proper resolution to match your Linux desktop, if not, follow the previous instructions to manually set the Battlefield 2 resolutions.

    Rule of thumb:
    High settings = More detail, lower frame rates
    Low settings = Less detail, higher frame rates

    Conclusion:
    The only bugs I experienced is some flickering black spots on the ground and the resolution crash. both are absolutely tolerable because Battlefield 2 runs beautifully. You will no longer be able to play online because the EA servers do not exist, but you can play LAN parties and offline cooperative.

    The flickering black shader bug is now fixed!

    Download updated shader ".fx" files
    1. Download a new "shaders_client.zip"
    2. Navigate to the mods directory C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2\mods\bf2\
    3. Rename shaders_client.zip (or delete at your own risk)
    4. Copy new shaders_client.zip to the same directory
    5. Delete the Battlefield 2 cache folder: Documents\Battlefield 2\mods\bf2
    6. Launch Battlefield 2 and run a simple singleplayer level to recompile shaders


    Gameplay Video:


    Screenshots:
    battlefield80.png

    battlefield82.png

    battlefield83.png

    battlefield84.png

    battlefield85.png

    battlefield86.png

    battlefield87.png

    battlefield89.png

    battlefield90.png

    battlefield91.png

    battlefield92.png
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2020
    booman, Jun 28, 2013
    #1
    mrdeathjr28 likes this.
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Comments

Discussion in 'Guides' started by booman, Jun 28, 2013.

Page 2 of 2
  1. booman
    Yeah, that quad-core should run the listenserver in the background just fine
    booman, Oct 5, 2016
    #21
  2. oldrick
    I get plain Battlefield 2 to work fine with PlayOnLinux. But, when I try to run a mod it only runs for a short while then crashes. Do mods need more options, tools, packages, or whatever installed to run properly? Or special options?
    I'm using Linuxmint 17 32-bit , POL ver 4.2.10 and WINE ver 1.9.11 under POL. Installed following this guide. (the reason why I'm running a 32-bit Linux is I have been using the BF2 Linux server kit for LAN games)
    I would really like to get mods working as a client in POL as the BF2 Linux server runs mods just fine. The mods have 64 player sized COOP maps and I have had over One Hundred bots going from a Linux BF2 server on a LAN. (back then I was running the BF2 client under WinXP.)
    oldrick, Nov 22, 2016
    #22
  3. booman
    Wow, you have quite the setup with 100 bots. What mod are you using?
    Sound like the Assault Mod (Which I LOVE!) or Project Reality.

    I'm sure you already know that the Dedicated Server runs natively in Linux, but if you are wanting to run the Windows Server with your mod, then I have no experience with that. I can still help you troubleshoot it...
    Please post, in detail, all of your problems/symptoms/errors in our PlayOnLinux forum:
    http://www.gamersonlinux.com/forum/forums/playonlinux.9/
    booman, Nov 22, 2016
    #23
  4. oldrick
    I didn't explain the server part very well. Yes, it is the Linux Dedicated Server (the kit is: bf2-linuxded-1.1.2965-797.0-installer.sh). With a few changes the Linux Dedicated Server can run large numbers of bots. But, the only way to have fun with large numbers of bots is to run mods because mods are the only ones with the large 64-player COOP maps. (I have run 120 bots but server got a little slow. It's not too bad with 105 bots but I usually run 95-100 when I am playing by myself and drop it down to 88-92 when running a LAN with a few friends.)
    The mods I have played are: Hard Justice v1.3 and AIX 2.0. Hard Justice has a Linux installer kit but AIX doesn't. To get AIX 2.0 going I had copy the folder from a Windows system after the AIX 2.0 kit was installed on it.

    EDIT
    Forgot to mention that before the AIX 2 mod would run properly I had to run the lowercase utility (it's in the Linux Server kit) to change all the file names to lower case. The Linux installer kit for the Hard Justice v1.3 mod already had all the file names set properly for the Linux Server.
    oldrick, Nov 23, 2016
    #24
  5. booman
    That is awesome! I never tried using mods on the Linux dedicated server. In fact, I never thought it would work. I loved the Assault mod with 64 player maps. Honestly, I have been running Battlefield 2 as a Listenserver in Windows 7 during my offline LAN Parties. It runs really well.
    I have Linux Mint installed on all of my machines, but I'm still not ready to do LAN parties completely in Linux yet. I will one day.
    booman, Nov 25, 2016
    #25
  6. booman
    Updated the Battlefield 2 Guide with the Flickering Black Shader fix:

    Download updated shader ".fx" files
    1. Sign up on the battlefieldsingleplayer.com Forum
    2. Download a new "shaders_client.zip" (attached at the bottom of the post)
    3. Navigate to the mods directory C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2\mods\bf2\
    4. Rename shaders_client.zip (or delete at your own risk)
    5. Copy new shaders_client.zip to the same directory
    6. Delete the Battlefield 2 cache folder: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Battlefield 2\mods\bf2
    7. Launch Battlefield 2 and run a simple singleplayer level to recompile shaders
    booman, Dec 6, 2017
    #26
  7. DiaToniC
    So followed directions here. and when I try to run game at my Display settings of 1440x900. It runs but doesn't come up on my screen. When I alt-tab I can see it running there.. But like I said it doesn't show up. Now if I place it back to 1024x768. It shows up on my desktop. Any kind of ideas?

    Running linux Mint 18.3
    Play On Linux - Wine 3.12 Staging
    Nvidia 390.77
    Emulate Desktop is checked
    DiaToniC, Jul 20, 2018
    #27
    booman likes this.
  8. booman
    Yes, this is a common issue with older games.
    Sometimes I have to Alt+Tab several times before it open full-screen
    Are you using the Virtual Desktop?

    In the past I used the Wine Virtual Desktop for every game, but a Mint update broke it and I haven't used it since. So if you are using it, try disabling it.
    Also, set the resolution to match your Linux Desktop.

    If you can't set it in-game, then try setting the config in the Battlefield Profiles
    booman, Jul 20, 2018
    #28
  9. DiaToniC
    Yea. I tired Alt-tabbing alot and had no luck. I am using Virtual Desktop. I have tried turning it off. But then BF2 starts with a black screen and errors. But I can't see what error. Even if I alt-tab to the error to see what it is.

    But when I'm using Virtual Desktop. I have that set to 1024x768. But have the game set to 1440x900. And thats when All I see is my desktop. but the games pointer and can hear the game in background. When I alt-tab I can see the game running.. Virtual Desktop works fine with other programs I run. Just can't get it to work with this one for some reason.. And BF2 is a favorite game. :(
    DiaToniC, Jul 21, 2018
    #29
  10. booman
    Yes, I've experience the black screen, that is because BF2 is trying to launch with a different resolution than the desktop. Try to adjust the config files to match the resolution to your Linux Desktop resolution.

    Select a resolution to match your Linux desktop

    Note: The game will play fullscreen when you set the resolution to match the Linux desktop resollution. If you change the Linux desktop resolution later, Battlefield 2 will crash. You will need to set the resolution in the Video.con located in your
    Code:
     /home/My Games/Battlefield 2/Profiles
    or
    Code:
    Documents/My Games/Battlefield 2/Profiles
    If you have folders default, 0001 and 0002, just set the resolution in all three Video.con files.
    booman, Jul 22, 2018
    #30
  11. DiaToniC
    Yea I have done that.. But I have figured something out. I had to change what version of wine. All the way down to 1.1.42 and got it to run in full screen..
    DiaToniC, Jul 23, 2018
    #31
  12. booman
    What??? That doesn't make sense...
    Are you installing the 5.1 patch that removes DRM?

    So strange, at least you got it working. The last time I played I was using Wine 3.0, but the game was already installed.
    booman, Jul 23, 2018
    #32
    DiaToniC likes this.
  13. DiaToniC
    I have no idea. Yep.. running 1.5, Virtual desktop, Wine 1.1.42, Screen settings at 1440x900 which is desktop settings. and Game is running. When I had it running. I tried updating to new Wine and had issues.. and went back to 1.1.42. Dunno. don't understand it.. Very odd. but yep. its running.. :)
    DiaToniC, Jul 24, 2018
    #33
  14. booman
    Wow, very strange. Good troubleshooting skills.
    I would have gone back to 1.8 or 1.6.2, but never that far back.
    Its crazy those older versions of Wine still work!
    booman, Jul 24, 2018
    #34
    DiaToniC likes this.
  15. CoolhandWarrior
    Hi everyone,

    following instructions, i have a problem, unable to sign up to battlefieldsingleplayer recaptcha of this website is outdated, so it is impossible to sign up!

    Is there anybody who have a link to upload shaders_client.zip file?

    CoolhandWarrior, Feb 7, 2019
    #35
  16. booman
    Strange, Have you tried with a different browser?
    There is a chance the site is no longer supported. It could be archived.
    I should have a copy somewhere at home.
    I'll PM you and we can exchange emails
    booman, Feb 7, 2019
    #36
  17. CoolhandWarrior
    hi,

    I 've tried with chromium and firefox, it says recaptcha V1 is shutdowsn....

    i send you PM
    CoolhandWarrior, Feb 7, 2019
    #37
  18. booman
    Were you able to get the shaders working CoolhandWarrior?
    booman, Feb 11, 2019
    #38
  19. CoolhandWarrior
    Sorry Booman, a little bite buisy this days!

    It's awesome, i can play smoothly now thanks a lot!
    CoolhandWarrior, Feb 13, 2019
    #39
    booman likes this.
  20. booman
    Awesome! Thank you for confirming that the guide still works.
    booman, Feb 16, 2019
    #40
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