Anonymous edits have been disabled on the wiki. If you want to contribute please login or create an account.

Battlefield 1942

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942 cover
Developers
DICE
macOS (OS X) Aspyr Media
Publishers
Electronic Arts
Engines
Refractor 2[1][2]
Release dates
Windows September 10, 2002
macOS (OS X) June 28, 2004
Reception
Metacritic 89
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, FPS, Shooter
Vehicles Automobile, Flight, Naval/watercraft, Tank, Transport, Truck
Art styles Realistic
Themes World War II
Series Battlefield
Battlefield 1942 on HowLongToBeat
Battlefield 1942 on IGDB
Battlefield 1942 guide on StrategyWiki
Battlefield 1942 on MobyGames
Battlefield 1942 on Wikipedia
Battlefield 1942 2002
Battlefield Vietnam 2004
Battlefield 2 2005
Battlefield 2142 2006
Battlefield Heroes 2009
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 2010
Battlefield Online 2010
Battlefield Play4Free 2011
Battlefield 3 2011
Battlefield 4 2013
Battlefield Hardline 2015
Battlefield 1 2016
Battlefield V 2018
Battlefield 2042 2021

Warnings

The Mac OS X version of this game does not work on Mac OS X Lion (version 10.7) or later due to the removal of support for PowerPC apps.
GameSpy online services have been shut down (see Network for solutions).

Battlefield 1942 is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person action, FPS and shooter game in the Battlefield series.

General information

Official Website
The Battlefield series on Battlelog - PC section.
EA Answers HQ

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
SafeDisc v2 DRM[Note 1]
Windows
Retail
DRM details are not known
macOS (OS X)
Origin (unavailable)
Origin
No longer available.[5]
Windows
SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
This game is no longer available digitally.

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
The Road to Rome OS X version only sold in bundles.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Secret Weapons of WWII
Windows
macOS (OS X)
To make expansions work with the Origin version, just copy XPack1 and XPack2 into the Mods folder.[citation needed].

Essential improvements

Patches

The Origin digital release is patched to v1.612.
Version check[6]
In order to check which version is installed, open the file <path-to-game>\Mods\bf1942\init.con and find the line game.setCustomVersion.

Windows 8/10 compatibility

Enable DirectPlay[6]

Online play support

After the shutdown of GameSpy, the community set up a new master server to keep the server browser functional.
Either download a modified executable or edit the hosts file to restore online functionality.

Download the patched executable
Manually connect to servers from the community server list

PunkBuster updates

The Origin version doesn't contain or support PunkBuster.

Support for the anti-cheat software PunkBuster in BF1942 has been discontinued by EvenBalance. Most servers do not have it enabled anymore. As such it is recommended to move the contents of <path-to-game>\pb to a backup folder to avoid any disconnects by its service. If an up-to-date version is required, follow the steps below.

Update PunkBuster manually[6]
Make sure the PunkBuster service is installed and working properly by using the PunkBuster Service Installer (pbsvc). A reboot is required if it is installed for the first time.
  1. Download the PunkBuster files.
  2. Extract the contents to <path-to-game>\pb, overwriting any older files.
  3. Enable PunkBuster in-game in the lower left corner of the server browser.

Skip intro videos

Launch the game with +restart 1 parameter[6]
Modify intro video files[6]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Movies
  2. Delete or rename the files Dice.bik, EA.bik, Intro.bik and Legal.bik.

Game data

In-game general settings.
In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\Mods\bf1942\Settings\[Note 2]
macOS (OS X)
User-specific *.con is stored under Profiles\<user-id> in this location.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\Mods\bf1942\save\<user-id>\[Note 2]
macOS (OS X)

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Origin

Video

In-game graphics settings.
In-game graphics settings.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor
See the WSGF entry. Requires manual fix for online play support.
Ultra-widescreen
See Widescreen resolution. HUD slightly stretched.
4K Ultra HD
See Widescreen resolution.
Field of view (FOV)
See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Set renderer.setFullScreen 0 inside VideoDefault.con
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Use dgVoodoo 2 and choose between 2x-16x under "Texture Filtering".
Anti-aliasing (AA)
MSAA can be forced in graphics card control panel, or through dgVoodoo 2.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Type renderer.setVsyncEnabled 1 into the console. Will reset on loading a new map.
60 FPS
120+ FPS
Capped at 100 FPS. Can be unlocked by setting renderer.lockfps inside VideoDefault.con to the desired frame rate (e.g. renderer.lockfps 144 for 144 Hz; default value is 240) or by typing renderer.lockfps 300 (for 300 Hz) into the console.
Color blind mode
No general support but crosshair color can be adjusted.

Widescreen resolution

Download and extract the patched executable for the retail or Origin version[6]

Field of view (FOV)

Edit VideoDefault.con[6]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open VideoDefault.con with a text editor.
  3. Edit the line renderer.fieldOfView with a new value.
1 - 4:3 (default)
1.33333 - 16:9
1.75 - 21:9
1.2 - 16:10
1.25 - 15:9

Notes

May cause visual glitches when inside vehicles.
May not work properly when combined with windowed mode, Borderless Gaming, and multiple monitors.

DirectX API Wrappers

Some modern Windows systems may experience glitches or crashes with old DirectX games. Some have had success with the following DirectX wrappers. Both are installed by extracting override DLLs alongside the game EXE file in the game installation folder.

  1. Old DirectX to New DirectX: dgVoodoo 2
  2. DirectX to OpenGL: WineD3D for Windows

Input

In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.

Audio

In-game general audio settings.
In-game general audio settings.
In-game advanced audio settings.
In-game advanced audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Master volume & Music.
Surround sound
Up to 7.0 output with DirectSound3D restoration software. Supports HRTF via OpenAL.[7]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
American and British.
Simplified Chinese
Retail only. Secret Weapons of WWII expansion is not available.
Traditional Chinese
French
Audio only in Road to Rome expansion; Free French Forces faction.
German
"DEUTSCHER DIALOG"; makes all soldiers speak German.
Hungarian
Fan translation by GameHunter Team (Mirror on magyaritasok.hu)
Italian
Audio only in Road to Rome expansion; Royal Italian Army faction.
Japanese
"日本語音声 (JAPANESE VOICE)"; makes all soldiers speak Japanese.
Korean
Spanish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
64 Co-op, Versus
Online play
64 Co-op, Versus
The official GameSpy service has been shut down; see Online play support.

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Dedicated server software available:

Windows: Standalone and patch
Linux: Standalone and patch

OS X: Standalone
Download patched server files to allow communication with the community master server and both Origin and CD users to connect.
Direct IP
In-game option or use +joinServer parameter with IP:Port.[8]

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP 28900
UDP 14567, 14690, 22000, 23000-23009, 27900
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes State Notes
vorpX
G3D
User created profile, requires DGVoodoo2 v 2.55.4 (as latest version may not work), see profile introduction.

Issues fixed

Blackscreen/crash at launch

Install compatibility profile[9]
  1. Download the compatibility profile.
  2. Either run the installer or install it manually using the batch file.

Notes

Remove any compatibility mode setting on the games executable and activate "Run this program as an administrator".
Disable sound hardware acceleration[10]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Mods\bf1942\Settings\Profiles\Custom.
  2. Open Sound.con.
  3. Change game.setHardware 1 to 0.
Modify VideoDefault.con[11]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Mods\bf1942\Settings.
  2. Open VideoDefault.con.
  3. Add the line renderer.allowAllRefreshRates 1.
Alternatively, modify <path-to-game>\Mods\bf1942\Settings\Profiles\Custom\Video.con so that the refresh rate value of game.setGameDisplayMode (the last value of 4 values) matches the monitor's refresh rate.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 8.1
ExecutablePPC 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio DirectSound3D
Cutscenes Bink Video
Multiplayer GameSpy
Anti-cheat PunkBuster

Console commands

The console can be accessed by pressing ~. Below are some common commands, for a more extensive list visit the TweakTown Tweak Guide.

  • fps 1 Shows frames per second.
  • hud 0 Disables heads-up display.
  • freecam 1 Unlocks the camera while waiting for spawn (if allowed by server).

Mods

Mods are mostly compatible with the Origin version of the game. However, some installers may not work as they look for the retail installation path.


Desert Combat
This mod is set during the Gulf War and supplies an arsenal of modern weapons and vehicles, and many new maps.

Forgotten Hope
Forgotten Hope concentrates on adding both a more realistic and more enjoyable playing experience than the original BF1942 and includes many new specially designed custom maps to play in.

BattleGroup42
BattleGroup42 focuses on adding historically accurate equipment and battles to the game and includes many nations not included in the original game or expansions such as China, Greece, Netherlands and Hungary.

Battlefield 1918
A total conversion which takes place in World War 1 and includes many new weapons, vehicles and maps.

Eve Of Destruction
A mod based on the Vietnam war which later got releases for Battlefield Vietnam and Battlefield 2.

Realplayer AI
This enhancement mod will improve the AI on the standard BF1942 maps and includes some balance changes.

Graphics mod
Graphics pack for the game with remastered, higher resolution textures and other improvements.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium III 500 MHz
AMD Athlon 500 MHz
System memory (RAM) 128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 1.2 GB
Video card (GPU) 3D accelerator with Hardware T&L and 24-bit z-buffer
32 MB of VRAM
DirectX 8.1 compatible
macOS (OS X)
Minimum
Operating system (OS) 10.2.8
Processor (CPU) PowerPC G4 867 MHz
System memory (RAM) 256 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 1.6 GB
Video card (GPU) ATI Radeon 7500
Nvidia GeForce 2
32 MB of VRAM


Notes

  1. SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[3] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[4]
  2. 2.0 2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

References