Battlefield 1942

Battlefield 1942

Developers
	DICE
macOS (OS X)	Aspyr Media
Publishers
	Electronic Arts
Engines
	Refractor 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

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		SafeDisc v2 DRM
Retail
Origin (unavailable)		No longer available.

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.
Secret Weapons of WWII

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.

• Patch 1.6.19 full
• Incremental patch 1.6.19 -> 1.61b

Version check
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

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
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. Download the PunkBuster files. Extract the contents to <path-to-game>\pb, overwriting any older files. Enable PunkBuster in-game in the lower left corner of the server browser.

Skip intro videos

Launch the game with +restart 1 parameter

Modify intro video files
Go to <path-to-game>\Movies Delete or rename the files Dice.bik, EA.bik, Intro.bik and Legal.bik.

Game data

In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Mods\bf1942\Settings\
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>\
macOS (OS X)

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Origin

Video

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

Field of view (FOV)

Edit VideoDefault.con
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open VideoDefault.con with a text editor. 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.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration		Forced mouse acceleration.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		Only for vehicles. Mouse look can't be mapped to analogue sticks.
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Additional information
Button prompts
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

In-game general 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.
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.

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
Download the compatibility profile. 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
Go to <path-to-game>\Mods\bf1942\Settings\Profiles\Custom. Open Sound.con. Change game.setHardware 1 to 0.

Modify VideoDefault.con
Go to <path-to-game>\Mods\bf1942\Settings. Open VideoDefault.con. 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

Executable	PPC	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.

• Mod DB landing page for Battlefield 1942
• Battlefield Singleplayer Forum

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

macOS (OS X)

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	98	ME, 2000, XP
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium III 500 MHz AMD Athlon 500 MHz	800 MHz
System memory (RAM)	128 MB	256 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	64 MB of VRAM

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