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Battlefield 1942

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Template:Infobox game/row/osxporter
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942 cover
Developers
DICE
Publishers
Electronic Arts
Engines
Refractor 2
Release dates
Windows September 10, 2002
macOS (OS X) June 28, 2004
Battlefield 1942 guide on StrategyWiki
Battlefield 1942 on Wikipedia

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 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

Key points

The GameSpy online server browser has been shut down;[1] use Team Simple replacement.
No longer available digitally.
Expansions do not work with the Origin version.

General information

Official Website
Battlefield 1942 on the Battlefield Wiki
Battlefield 1942 hub on Planet Battlefield

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
Amazon.com
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
Windows
SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
This game is no longer available digitally.[4]

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)

Essential improvements

Patches

The Origin digital release is fully patched to 1.61b.

Patch 1.1619

Patch 1.61b

Requires Patch 1.1619 to be installed first.
Instructions

Skip intro videos

Instructions
Instructions

PunkBuster updates

BF1942 has the PunkBuster anti-cheat software by Evenbalance. However, evenbalance discontinued support and updates for all new clients on February 3, 2010, leaving players with only the hit-or-miss in-game updater which downloads the latest PB updates from the 1942 server the player is connected to. Fortunately, 1942 player Tankpanzer managed to package up the last available update in a convenient installer for new players:

This will get all new players up to the latest version of PunkBuster for Battlefield 1942, boot-free. Players should also update the PunkBuster Services that run in the background as windows processes using the Evenbalance PBsvc.exe installer/updater:

  • Note, the Origin version of the game doesn't contain or require PunkBuster, and is not supported.

Mods And Utilities

The majority of mods appear to be compatible with the Origin version of the game.

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 is a modification for Battlefield 1942 that 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 is a modification for Battlefield 1942 that 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. The mod is still in development and the team plans to release the final version in 2015.[5]

Game data

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

Configuration file(s) location

User-specific *.con is stored under Profiles\<user-id>\ in this location.

Save game data location

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Origin

Video settings

In-game graphics settings
In-game graphics settings

Template:Video settings

Field of view (FOV)

Instructions

Input settings

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

Template:Input settings

Audio settings

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

Template:Audio settings

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
64
Online play
64 GameSpy server browser no longer works; use Team Simple replacement.

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Dedicated server software available for Windows, OS X, and Linux.
Direct IP
In-game option or use +joinServer parameter with the IP and port.[6]

Issues fixed

Compatibility with Windows Vista/Windows 7

Note: Compatibility of the 2012 Origin release is still being determined. Some things have been changed "under the hood" in this new release and may no longer be valid. Keep this in mind, especially before doing the Pixel-Fighter patch"

Windows Vista and Windows 7 do not run Battlefield 1942 very well. Before applying any tweaks, most users on both 32 bit and 64 bit Windows encounter crashes to desktop and PunkBuster-related kicks in Multiplayer. Some users report high pings versus Windows XP as well.

Try and run your fully patched/updated BF1942 in Windows Vista/Windows 7 and see if you are able to play a few rounds in PunkBuster Multiplayer servers without any crashes, PunkBuster kicks, or absurdly high pings. If so, ignore the following. If you do experience any of the above symptoms, refer to below for some fixes until you don't anymore. With a little tinkering, 42 should run just fine on Windows Vista/Windows 7.

Attempt 1: Run the game as an Administrator in Windows 98 Compatibility mode

In your Battlefield 1942 folder, Right click BF1942.exe, select Properties, Go to Compatibility Tab

  1. Check "Run this program in compatibility mode for" and select Windows 98
  2. Check "Run as Administrator"
  3. Click OK

Compatibility mode should fix the crashes, however sometimes PunkBuster doesn't like it and boots you a few seconds after joining. If this is the case, Turn off compatibility mode and proceed to Attempt 2.

  • Note, this method is recommended if you are experiencing crashes for the Origin version of the game. It is also suggested you try the other compatibility modes if Windows 98 does not fix the problem.
Attempt 2: Pixel-Fighter Windows Vista/7 Patch

BF42 Player Grabbi (server admin/creator of Forgotten Hope Mod fan community Pixel-Fighter) has developed a patch which changes some game files and registry entries to fix crashing and eliminate the need for compatibility mode in Windows Vista/Windows 7 (thus fixing PunkBuster kicks because of it). It also adds some Widescreen resolutions (up to 1600x1200) and lowers abnormally high pings on Windows Vista/7 that some have reported. This should be a last resort since it permanently changes Windows registry entries and game files.

Attempt 3: Delete Custom Profiles

If nothing worked for you and you still get the Blackscreen, just delete all your Custom Profiles. They are located in X:\X\BF1942\Mods\bf1942\Settings\Profiles, and in your Documents Directory. In the Documents Directory just delete the whole Battlefield 1942 Folder. After that, relaunch BF1942 and it should work.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98, 2000, ME, XP
Processor (CPU) AMD Athlon
500 MHz Intel Pentium
System memory (RAM) 128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 1.2 GB
Video card (GPU) 32 MB of VRAM

Notes

  1. SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[2] 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.[3]

References