Battlefield 2142 - Tweaks & Optimization Guide

I will be updating this guide over time. It is just to save you all time having to google every little problem.

Ill start with the common problems and do the complex ones later.

[glow=yellow,2,300]
Index[/glow]

-Patches & Installation
1: Patches + Booster Pack & Updates.
2: Installing 2142 & Northern Strike
3: Full 2142 Uninstall

-Mods & 3rd Party Tools
1: Hitfixer
2: Alt tab fix
3: Fraps


-Battlerecorder & You Tube Videos
1: Tools & Setup
2: Optimal Solution
3: Vegas Settings
4: Uploading

-Tweaks & Performance Enhancements
1: Ping / Latency Reduction
2: Improved Throughput
3: Port Forwarding
4: QoS
5: More FPS
6: Speed Up Log in time & Custom Res







Patches & Installation :


1: Patches + Booster Pack & Updates.

-Download NS on EADM http://ea-link.en.softonic.com/
-1.4 Full http://www.gamearena.com.au/downloads/details.php/battlefield-2142-patch-v140
-1.5 Full http://www.gamearena.com.au/downloads/details.php/battlefield-2142-patch-v150
- PB Update http://www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=pbsetup.php


2: Installing 2142 & Northern Strike Correctly.

-Install 2142
-Patch to 1.4 ( full patch )
-Install Northern Strike
-Patch with 1.4 [glow=yellow,2,300]again[/glow] ( full patch ) <- very important
-Patch with 1.5 ( full patch )
-Run PBSetup and update 2142 to the latest version.

***Failure with step #4 will give you the " This server only allows players with unmodified content to join " error.



3: Full 2142 Uninstall

[glow=yellow,2,300]* Do this ONLY if you are having issues, otherwise the uninstall under Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel works fine.[/glow]

To delete the configuration files and local copy of your account:

1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar.
2. Select My Documents.
3. Right-click the Battlefield 2142 folder and select Delete.

To delete the game files (in the default location):

1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar.
2. Select My Computer.
3. Double-click the C:drive.
4. Double-click the Program Files folder.
5. Double-click the EA GAMES folder.
6. Right-click the Battlefield 2142 folder and select Delete.
7. Go to the following folder: C:\Program Files\InstallShield Installation Information (If you cannot find this folder you may have to go to Tools > Folder Settings and click the setting to SHOW hidden folders.)
8. Right-click the folder named {ED50ECE9-EC54-4C05-B5ED-EE4741A9F2EC} and select Delete.
9. Close all open windows.
10. Right-click the Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle Bin.

To edit the registry and remove Battlefield 2142:

1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar.
2. Select Run.
3. Type regedit in the text field and click OK.
4. Click File and select Export.
5. Name the file Backup and make sure the Export Range is set to All.
6. Click Save; you will now be returned to the Registry Editor window.
7. Click the plus (+) sign next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
8. Click the plus (+) sign next to Software.
9. Click the plus (+) sign next to EA GAMES.
10. Right-click the Battlefield 2142 folder and select Delete.
11. Back under Software, click the plus (+) sign next to Electronic Arts.
12. Click the plus (+) sign next to EA GAMES.
13. Right-click the Battlefield 2142 folder and select Delete.
14. Just above EA GAMES, you will see a folder named EA CORE. Click the plus (+) sign next to EA CORE.
15. Click the plus (+) sign next to INSTALLED GAMES.
16. Click the plus (+) sign next to EA GAMES.
17. Right-click and select Delete on any Battlefield 2142 folders.
18. Click the plus (+) sign next to Microsoft.
19. Click the plus (+) sign next to Windows.
20. Click the plus (+) sign next to CurrentVersion.
21. Click the plus (+) sign next to Uninstall.
22. Right-click the key named {ED50ECE9-EC54-4C05-B5ED-EE4741A9F2EC} and select Delete.
23. A Confirm Key Delete window will appear, choose Yes.
24. Close the WindowsRegistry Editor.

Battlefield 2142 should now be completely removed from your system.













Mods & 3rd Party Tools:



Hitfixer:


http://www.tacticalgamer.com/battlefield-2-technical-support-faqs/124908-battlefield-2-2142-hit-reg-fix-hitfixer.html


1) Download hitfixer & autohotkey then install Auto Hotkey

2) Double click on hitfixer ( leave it on desktop is easiest ) - its not an exe. Its a script. If you have a G15 keyboard you can assign a key as a shortcut to it.
3) Tick the advanced box , and you can click the soap box if you like too.
4) Set hitfixer key as " \ " or a key you never use in convos or controls.




5) Go to advenced tab and set the hit reg formula to either Default ( EA 2142 default , or their algorith Restricted Range ) * you can experiment with either.

6) have interpolation , extrapolation & Latency compensation at 100%. And have ping offset at +5 to +10 ms depending on how much your ping jitters.





7) Leave hitfixer running in the back ground. Join a game then when on a server , press tab and watch your ping.



8 ) when your ping stabilizes aka 60ms then press the " ~ " key for the console.

9 ) press " \ " ** or whatever key you assigned, and then words will appear. It will ask you to type in your ping.

-Type your ping right after the words, as they appear in your console & then press enter, and exit the console.

Example* TYPE PING THEN HIT ENTER 60




Heres a demonstration of it working in bf2.




The amount it helps is disputed by the community. I find it helps a little, and more of my bullets hit the target in my crosshair vs having to shoot a bit in front.





BF2142 Alt Tab Fix :


http://www.moddb.com/games/battlefield-2142/downloads/battlefield-2142-alt-tab-fix

1) Download alt tab fix
2) Delete the Movies folder in folder : Battlefield 2142 -> Mods -> BF2142
3) Run alt tab fix.





Fraps :

http://www.fraps.com/ * or ...
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5213189/Fraps_3.0.3













Battlerecorder & You tube Videos


Tools needed & Setup

-2142
-The br source file *** only if making a br video
-Fraps *** Records the Game play or br video
-Sony Vegas *** Compiles & Encodes the video
-You tube account



Where to download:


Sony Vegas - http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5145292/Sony_Vegas_Pro_9.0c_Build_896_%5B32.64_bit%5D%5BMULTi%5D%5BFull_Plug-in%5D.i
Fraps - http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5213189/Fraps_3.0.3




STEP 1
Configuring Fraps & Recording Destination


Optimal Solution:





2nd Optimal Solution : ( For those with 2 HDDs )

1) Simply divide the 1st disk into 2 partitions
2) Put windows on one partition and games ( 2142 ) on the other.
3) Use your second hard drive for fraps recording.




Reasons :

1) The Hard Drive is a very slow component, unless you are using a new expensive SSD drive. Having windows , 2142 and recording on the same drive will bottleneck it badly and cause excess lag.

We can make the game more playable by separating up the work load between hard drives.

2) Normal video formats as you see them ( Divx , MPEG * DVD , etc etc ) are all encoded & compressed.
This is a long and CPU intensive process which would lag the game something wicked.

To combat this, fraps records the game uncompressed in a AVI container. This means that your videos will be huge in size and you will see a heap of 4gb portions in your record folder.

With the huge ammount of data being written to disk its best to put the recording destination on a drive that does not have windows or 2142 on it.



I personally advise about :

50gb space if doing a 1080p video
30gb for 720p
20gb for 600 or less.



Fraps Settings:

-Record full screen
-30 , 50 or 60 FPS (I use 50)
-Stereo Audio




STEP 2
Sony Vegas Settings :

To save the video once you have compiled it, click Render As and then..

Format : Main Concept MP4 (h.264)
Rendering Quality: Best
Audio: AAC 160kbps 44100 samples
Video: CBR (4+ mbps for 720 / 6-10 mbps for 1080 ) Dont set it any higher than 10000000 bit rate.
-Resolution ( set it to your resolution you recorded at, dont make it bigger or smaller )
-Frame Rate ( set it to the rate you recorded at, and then tick the box that says " let it adjust to source frame rate "

Then let it render and go Ctrl + Alt + Del and go into task manager and find Vegas.exe and right click and set it to " High Priority " for a decrease in rendering time.



STEP 3
Uploading:

Upload to you tube using IE not Firefox. As the upload often fails with other browsers.












Tweaks & Performance:



Ping / Latency Reduction:

- DSL / ADSL / VDSL users : Ask ISP to turn interleaving OFF ( also known as "Fast Path" )
- If possible get a cable broaband plan or even better , a fibre optic broadband plan. * Order generally goes as follows DSL -> Cable -> Fibre
- Investing in an expensive router / modem , may reduce latency.
- Live closer to the server.
- Choose a broadband plan with a decent upload speed. You are likely to see a ping decrease using a plan which has 256kbps or better upload vs a 128kbps upload plan.
- Choose a good ISP. Some ISPs route traffic though other countries or networks.

* Aka an ISP that routs traffic most efficiently Aus -> NZ is preferred over one that does Aus -> Asia -> NZ



Router Brands
Best Performance: Linksys , Cisco , Billion , Dynalink , Netgear are the recommended.

*Note this is generally speaking and not all models are good.





Increase Throughput ( Internet Speed )

Windows : (XP / 2000/ 98 etc )
- Download TCP Optimizer.
- Run a speedtest at http://www.speedtest.net/ ** Choose a server you are most likely to download from. (Auckland & Sydney most likely for NZ & Aus. )
- Set the slider to the same number of speed you got in the speed test ( Download speed )
EG. 2mbps = 2000kbps
- Click optimal setting and apply.



Windows (Vista & 7)
- Download the TCP/IP patch and run it. NOTE : You must use Internet Explorer to download it. Using firefox or another browser will not make the file work.
Note 2: Using TCP Optmizer is not needed in these windows versions because they TCP receive window auto tune.






Port Forwarding

- Purpose: To ensure 2142 isnt being hindered by any firewalls and can communicate.
Ok this 1st part is what you do in your router / modem. * Consult your user guide on how to open it in your web browser.
* Port Triggering works the best as it will work for ALL PCs on the network and it is more secure than Port Forwarding.



Port Trigger / Port Forward those ports.


Port Descriptions :
16567-17567 Ports commonly used in USA , and on Most NZ & Aus servers.
20000-20170 Ports commonly used on Game Arena servers.
29900-29900 Port used for Game Spy Query ( your soldier stats updates )
4712-4712 Port used for 2142 Command and Control * Only admins need to worry about this.







QoS : Quality of Service

Im sure many of you have home networks where there is more than 1 person on the net.
This can be very frustrating when they are consuming alot of bandwidth and lagging you down.

We can reduce this effect by prioritizing your game data packets and even allocate them a certain amount of bandwidth.



* Copy in the values as I have put them in. Those are the most important ones.
3000kbps is more than enough for 2142. The minimum is 256kbps.





More FPS : ( Frames Per Second )


Download the latest Video drivers:
ATI: http://ati.amd.com/products/catalyst/index.html
Nvidia: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index5.aspx?lang=en-us


Video Driver Settings : ( Max Performance )



* Not sure about ATI cards.





Overclock CPU & Graphics

* Be careful , dont push them too hard. Google results others have had & keep an eye on the temperatures.

ATI cards: http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=733
Nvidia cards: http://www.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_system_tools_6.02.html

To Overclock CPU : when computer starts up enter the BIOS by pressing " Del " at the start.
I reccomend you google your CPU and motherboard for more instructions, as well as detailed OCing guides.




In game settings:

Video:
- Set lighting to low
- Dynamic lighting off
- Dynamic shadows off
- Set Enhanced Lighting ( Bloom ) to off
- Texture Filtering ( Low = trilinear , Med = 2x AF , High = 4x AF ) , setting on Med will give a boost in FPS with minimap quality loss.
- AA ( Anti Aliasing ) Set to off for maximum FPS at the loss of edge smoothness.
- Texture Quality ( low is best if you have a Video card with 128mb , Med / High is ok if you have 256mb or over )
* Setting med / high on a 128mb card will introduce stuttering in the game as the card has to buffer and unbuffer repeatedly.


Sound:
- Turn EAX off for a minimal FPS boost
- Tick the hardware box, unless you use onboard ( motherboard ) audio, in which case use the software option.
[glow=yellow,2,300]* Do not use the Creative X FI option , even if you do have one. It was badly coded in 2142 and results in increased number of crashes & audio loop lockups. [/glow]





Game Booster:

- Download @ http://www.iobit.com/gamebooster.html#
- Defrags your game files.
- Switches off unnecessary services & programs to lessen CPU load.

[glow=yellow,2,300]* Note by default it switches off the windows volume control. This is annoying if you adjust your sound via keyboard button / dial.
If this applies to you, untick the " Human Interface Device Access " on the list.[/glow]







Speed up log in time & Set custom resolution ( Widescreen / Resolution fix ):

1) On the desktop 2142 Icon. Right click and click properties.
2) Edit the target.


For 4:3 ( square screens )

"C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Battlefield 2142\BF2142.exe" +menu 1 +fullscreen 1 +szx [glow=yellow,2,300]1280[/glow] +szy [glow=yellow,2,300]1024[/glow] +eaAccountName XXXXXXX +eaAccountPassword XXXXX +soldierName XXXXX

* Replace all " XXXXX " with your details
** Replace the Yellow Highlight with your preferred screen resolution, dont go above the native screen resolution.



For 16:9 or 16:10 ( widescreens )

"C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Battlefield 2142\BF2142.exe" +menu 1 +widescreen 1 +szx [glow=yellow,2,300]1280[/glow] +szy [glow=yellow,2,300]720[/glow] +eaAccountName XXXXXXX +eaAccountPassword XXXXX +soldierName XXXXX


* Replace all " XXXXX " with your details
** Replace the Yellow Highlight with your preferred screen resolution, dont go above the native screen resolution.


Common 16:9 res.

1280x720
1366x768
1600x900
1920x1080


Common 16:10 res.

1280x800
1440x900
1680x1050
1920x1200






After using these settings do NOT adjust the resolution In Game.
Setting the game to run at the monitors default Resolution can save some FPS, as the game does not have to scale the game.

Aka: Desktop shortcut custom res 1920x1080 is better than using the ingame 1920x1080 option.


Also this yields improvements as seen here: