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Difference between revisions of "The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II"

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(→‎System requirements: Updated system requirements.)
 
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{{stub}}
 
 
{{Infobox game
 
{{Infobox game
 
|title        = The Battle for Middle-earth II
 
|title        = The Battle for Middle-earth II
Line 5: Line 4:
 
|developers  =  
 
|developers  =  
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|EA Los Angeles}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|EA Los Angeles}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/developer|BreakAway Games|Expansion}}
 
|publishers  =  
 
|publishers  =  
 
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Electronic Arts}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Electronic Arts}}
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|New Line Cinema}}
 
 
|engines      =
 
|engines      =
 
{{Infobox game/row/engine|SAGE}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/engine|SAGE}}
 
|release dates=  
 
|release dates=  
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|March 2, 2006}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|March 2, 2006}}
 +
|reception    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/reception|Metacritic|the-lord-of-the-rings-the-battle-for-middle-earth-ii|84}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/reception|IGDB|the-lord-of-the-rings-the-battle-for-middle-earth-ii|81}}
 +
|taxonomy    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase, Expansion pack }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/microtransactions | None }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/modes            | Singleplayer, Multiplayer }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/pacing            | Real-time }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/perspectives      | Bird's-eye view }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/controls          | Multiple select, Point and select }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/genres            | RTS }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/art styles        | Realistic }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/themes            | Fantasy }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series            | The Battle for Middle-earth }}
 +
|official site= https://web.archive.org/web/20070531195652/http://www.ea.com:80/official/lordoftherings/rotwk/us/home.jsp?ncc=1
 
|steam appid  =  
 
|steam appid  =  
|gogcom page  =  
+
|gogcom id    =  
 +
|lutris      = lord-of-the-rings-battle-for-middle-earth-ii
 
|strategywiki = The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
 
|strategywiki = The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
 +
|mobygames    = 23582
 +
|hltb        = 10064
 
|wikipedia    = The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
 
|wikipedia    = The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
 
|winehq      = 4372
 
|winehq      = 4372
 +
|license      = commercial
 
}}
 
}}
{{series|Middle-earth}}
 
  
'''Key points'''
+
{{Introduction
{{--}} Frame rate is capped at 30 FPS.
+
|introduction      =  
{{--}} GameSpy online server browser deactivated on December 31, 2010 due to Electronic Arts losing the Lord of the Rings license.<ref>[http://www.gamereplays.org/battleformiddleearth/portals.php?show=news&news_id=709520&home Middle-earth Online Server Shutdown Announced]</ref>
 
  
''General information''
+
|release history  = The base game received six official patches, the fifth of which was produced by the [https://www.gamereplays.org/battleformiddleearth2/ GameReplays.org ''BFME2'' section]. This patch is most notable for the introduction of the hard counter system.
  
{{mm}} [http://t3aonline.net T3A:Online] - fan-hosted multiplayer server replacement
+
The game received '''''The Rise of the Witch-king''''' expansion pack in November 2006, outsourced to [[Company:BreakAway Games|BreakAway Games]]. It introduced the playable Angmar faction, new units for existing factions and new campaigns. It was, however, based on an obsolete build of ''BFME2'' (earlier than 1.05 at least), and its own single official patch left the game in a state of severe balancing problems and audio mixing/volume issues in the new campaign.
{{mm}} [http://www.gamereplays.org/battleformiddleearth21.08/ BFME2 1.08 section on GameReplays.org] - home to the unofficial 1.08 patch
+
 
{{mm}} [http://www.gamereplays.org/riseofthewitchking/ RotWK section on GameReplays.org] - home to the unofficial 2.02 patch
+
As of December 31, 2010, the official [[GameSpy]] service was shut down and all purchases were halted due to [[Company:Electronic Arts|Electronic Arts]]' loss of the ''Lord of the Rings'' license.<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gamereplays.org/battleformiddleearth/portals.php?show=news&news_id=709520|title=Middle-earth Online Server Shutdown Announced - Battle for Middle Earth - GameReplays.org|date=2023-08-11}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
|current state    = Same as with the [[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth|first game]], the game remains playable on modern Windows versions with some major technical hiccups that can be worked around; issues like [[#Game not starting on Windows Vista and later|errors when starting the game]] and [[#Auto-defeat after 3 minutes and 30 seconds|DRM issues]]. [[#Essential improvements|Unofficial patches]] resolve most of the game's problems; [[#Off-host delay|off-host delay]] was fixed only for ''The Rise of the Witch-king'' in unofficial patch 2.02 build 9.0.0 and newer.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
'''General information'''
 +
{{mm}} [https://t3aonline.net T3A:Online] - fan-hosted multiplayer server replacement
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.gamereplays.org/battleformiddleearth2 BfME II section on GameReplays.org] - home to the competitive community and the unofficial 1.09 patch
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.gamereplays.org/riseofthewitchking Rise of the Witch-king section on GameReplays.org] - home to the competitive community and the unofficial 2.02 patch
  
 
==Availability==
 
==Availability==
 
{{Availability|
 
{{Availability|
{{Availability/row| Retail | | disc check | | | Windows }}
+
{{Availability/row| Retail | | disc, key | {{DRM|SafeDisc|v4}}. | | Windows }}
 +
{{Availability/row| Origin | | Origin | Physical copies used to activate on Origin, but they no longer do.<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://answers.ea.com/t5/Other-Need-for-Speed-Games/Is-NFS-Carbon-redeemable-on-Origin/m-p/9157137/thread-id/10814|title=Solved: Is NFS Carbon Redeemable on Origin - Answer HQ|date=2020-12-03}}</ref> | | Windows | unavailable}}
 +
}}
 +
{{--}} All versions include custom {{term|DRM}} code which can sabotage the game by destroying all units and structures owned by the player after 3 minutes and 30 seconds, triggering an automatic defeat. It can occur on legitimate copies under certain circumstances - see [[#Auto-defeat after 3 minutes and 30 seconds|Auto-defeat after 3 minutes and 30 seconds]] for instructions to fix this.
 +
{{ii}} A free demo version can be downloaded from [https://www.gamefront.com/games/battle-for-middle-earth-2/file/lotr-the-battle-for-middle-earth-ii-sp-demo GameFront] or [https://www.gamepressure.com/download.asp?ID=10794 GamePressure].
 +
 
 +
==Monetization==
 +
{{Monetization
 +
|ad-supported          =
 +
|dlc                    =
 +
|expansion pack        = The expansion pack includes a new faction, a new campaign, maps, units, and War of the Ring mode scenarios.
 +
|freeware              =
 +
|free-to-play          =
 +
|one-time game purchase = The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
 +
|sponsored              =
 +
|subscription          =
 
}}
 
}}
{{--}} This game is no longer available digitally.  It was taken down from digital stores, as Electronic Arts lost the Lord of the Rings license.
 
  
 
{{DLC|
 
{{DLC|
{{DLC/row| The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king |  | Windows }}
+
{{DLC/row| The Rise of the Witch-king |  | Windows }}
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
==Essential improvements==
 +
===Skip intro videos===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Skip intro videos|fix=
 +
# Go to {{folder|{{p|game}}\data\movies\}}
 +
# Delete or rename {{file|CS01.vp6}}, {{file|EALogo.vp6}}, {{file|TE_LOGO.vp6}}, {{file|NLC_LOGO.vp6}} and {{file|NewLineLogo.vp6}}.
 +
{{ii}} For languages other than English the EA logo file played is a localised version extracted from the archive file {{file|{{p|game}}\lang\LanguageName.big}}. To remove the video, this file needs to be edited, for instance with a custom tool such as [http://wagnerma.de/yinger/showdownload.php?detail=1 FinalBIG] or [https://www.ppmsite.com/osbigeditorinfo/ OS BIG Editor].
 +
}}
 +
 +
===Official patches===
 +
{{ii}} The latest official patch for the base game is 1.06, available from [https://www.patches-scrolls.de/patch/4254/7/32843 Patches-Scrolls], [https://www.gamefront.com/games/battle-for-middle-earth-2/category/v1-06 GameFront], and [https://cncnz.com/downloads/battle-for-middle-earth-ii-downloads/#patches CNCNZ.com].
 +
{{ii}} The latest official patch for The Rise of the Witch-king is 2.01, available from [https://www.patches-scrolls.de/patch/4256/7/32856 Patches-Scrolls], [https://www.gamefront.com/games/battle-for-middle-earth-2-rotwk/category/patches-148 GameFront] and [https://cncnz.com/downloads/rise-of-the-witch-king-downloads/#patches CNCNZ.com].
 +
 +
===Widescreen mods for BFME2 without 1.09===
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.the3rdage.net/item-717?addview Modified interface download link]
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.the3rdage.net/item-792?addview Maps with modified zoom download link (breaks compatibility with originals)]
 +
{{++}} Maintains developer-intended gameplay.
 +
{{--}} Not used by users online.
 +
{{ii}} To bypass the DRM, use the modified {{file|game.dat}} from the 1.09 patch.
 +
 +
===Unofficial 1.09 patch (BFME2)===
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.gamereplays.org/battleformiddleearth2/portals.php?show=page&name=bfme2-patch-1.09-version-3.0-live Download link]
 +
{{++}} Does not require the disc.
 +
{{++}} Adapts the main game interface for widescreen resolutions and fixes a lot of the bugs and imbalances left after the official 1.06 patch.
 +
{{++}} Includes a patch switcher for switching between the official 1.00 and 1.06 versions, as well as 1.09.
 +
{{--}} Breaks compatibility with the Rise of the Witch-king expansion.
 +
{{--}} Changes visuals extensively.
 +
 +
===Unofficial 2.02 patch (RotWK)===
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.gamereplays.org/riseofthewitchking/portals.php?show=page&name=unofficial-patch-202-download-page Download link]
 +
{{mm}} [https://gitlab.com/forlongthefat/rotwk-unofficial-202 Source code]
 +
{{++}} Does not require the disc.
 +
{{++}} Adapts the main game interface for widescreen resolutions and fixes a lot of the bugs and imbalances left after the official 2.01 patch, and is actively maintained. As of release 9.0.0 (February 4, 2023), an engine-level bug plaguing all games in the series that caused delayed commands in multiplayer has been fixed.
 +
{{++}} Active multiplayer community.
 +
{{--}} Requires the BFME2 1.09 unofficial patch to be deactivated to run.
  
 
==Game data==
 
==Game data==
 
===Configuration file(s) location===
 
===Configuration file(s) location===
 
{{Game data|
 
{{Game data|
{{Game data/row|Windows|{{p|appdata}}\My Battle for Middle-earth(tm) II Files\options.ini}}
+
{{Game data/config|Windows|{{p|appdata}}\{{LocalizedPath|My Battle for Middle-earth(tm) II Files}}\options.ini|{{p|appdata}}\{{LocalizedPath|My The Lord of the Rings, The Rise of the Witch-king Files}}\options.ini}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
===Save game data location===
 
===Save game data location===
 
{{Game data|
 
{{Game data|
{{Game data/row|Windows|}}
+
{{Game data/saves|Windows|{{p|appdata}}\{{LocalizedPath|My Battle for Middle-earth(tm) II Files}}\save|{{p|appdata}}\{{LocalizedPath|My The Lord of the Rings, The Rise of the Witch-king Files}}\save}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
==Video settings==
+
===[[Glossary:Save game cloud syncing|Save game cloud syncing]]===
{{Video settings
+
{{Save game cloud syncing
|wsgf link                  = http://www.wsgf.org/dr/lord-rings-battle-middle-earth-ii
+
|discord                  =
 +
|discord notes            =
 +
|epic games launcher      =
 +
|epic games launcher notes =
 +
|gog galaxy                =
 +
|gog galaxy notes          =
 +
|origin                    = unknown
 +
|origin notes              =
 +
|steam cloud              =
 +
|steam cloud notes        =
 +
|ubisoft connect          =
 +
|ubisoft connect notes    =
 +
|xbox cloud                =
 +
|xbox cloud notes          =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Video==
 +
{{Image|LotRBFME2 general settings.png|General settings menu (the expansion has an identical menu, with a different theme)}}
 +
{{Image|LotRBFME2 advanced graphics settings.png|Custom graphics settings menu}}
 +
{{Video
 +
|wsgf link                  = https://www.wsgf.org/dr/lord-rings-battle-middle-earth-ii
 
|widescreen wsgf award      = limited
 
|widescreen wsgf award      = limited
 
|multimonitor wsgf award    = limited
 
|multimonitor wsgf award    = limited
|ultrawidescreen wsgf award =  
+
|ultrawidescreen wsgf award = incomplete
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    =  
+
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    = incomplete
 
|widescreen resolution      = hackable
 
|widescreen resolution      = hackable
|widescreen resolution notes= See the [http://www.wsgf.org/dr/lord-rings-battle-middle-earth-ii WSGF entry].
+
|widescreen resolution notes= See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]] or use an unofficial patch launcher for setting a custom resolution.<br>The UI is stretched by default; see [[#Widescreen mods for BFME2 without 1.09|Widescreen mods for BFME2 without 1.09]] or an unofficial patch to adapt the interface to widescreen aspect ratios.
|multimonitor              = hackable
+
|multimonitor              = unknown
|multimonitor notes        = See the [http://www.wsgf.org/dr/lord-rings-battle-middle-earth-ii WSGF entry].
+
|multimonitor notes        =  
 
|ultrawidescreen            = unknown
 
|ultrawidescreen            = unknown
 
|ultrawidescreen notes      =  
 
|ultrawidescreen notes      =  
 
|4k ultra hd                = unknown
 
|4k ultra hd                = unknown
 
|4k ultra hd notes          =  
 
|4k ultra hd notes          =  
|fov                        = n/a
+
|fov                        = hackable
|fov notes                  =  
+
|fov notes                  = No FOV sliders exist; the maps themselves need to be manually edited. For FOV adapted to 16:9 resolutions, see [[#Widescreen mods for BFME2 without 1.09|Widescreen mods for BFME2 without 1.09]] or use an unofficial patch.
|windowed                  = unknown
+
|windowed                  = hackable
|windowed notes            =  
+
|windowed notes            = Use <code>-win</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|parameter]].
 
|borderless windowed        = unknown
 
|borderless windowed        = unknown
 
|borderless windowed notes  =  
 
|borderless windowed notes  =  
|anisotropic                = unknown
+
|anisotropic                = false
 
|anisotropic notes          =  
 
|anisotropic notes          =  
|antialiasing              = unknown
+
|antialiasing              = false
 
|antialiasing notes        =  
 
|antialiasing notes        =  
|vsync                      = unknown
+
|upscaling                  = false
 +
|upscaling tech            =
 +
|upscaling notes            =
 +
|vsync                      = false
 
|vsync notes                =  
 
|vsync notes                =  
 
|60 fps                    = false
 
|60 fps                    = false
|60 fps notes              = Frame rate is capped at 30 FPS; removing cap increases game speed.<ref>[http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=192855 LOTR: Battle For Middle Earth II FPS Unlocker!!!! NO MORE 30 FPS LIMIT - Guru3D.com Forums]</ref>
+
|60 fps notes              = Frame rate is capped at 30 FPS<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=192855|title=LOTR: Battle For Middle Earth II FPS Unlocker!!!! NO MORE 30 FPS LIMIT - Guru3D.com Forums|date=May 2023}}</ref>, with game speed tied to frame rate.
 
|120 fps                    = false
 
|120 fps                    = false
 
|120 fps notes              =  
 
|120 fps notes              =  
|color blind                = unknown
+
|hdr                        = false
 +
|hdr notes                  =
 +
|color blind                = false
 
|color blind notes          =  
 
|color blind notes          =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
==Input settings==
+
===[[Glossary:Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]]===
{{Input settings
+
{{Fixbox|description=Set custom resolution|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Plok|date=2021-09-14|comment=}}</ref>|fix=
|key remap                = unknown
+
# Open the [[#Configuration file(s) location|configuration file]] with a text editor.
 +
# Change <code>Resolution xxx xxx</code> to the desired resolution.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Input==
 +
{{Input
 +
|key remap                = false
 
|key remap notes          =  
 
|key remap notes          =  
|acceleration option      = unknown
+
|acceleration option      = false
 
|acceleration option notes =  
 
|acceleration option notes =  
|mouse sensitivity        = unknown
+
|mouse sensitivity        = false
 
|mouse sensitivity notes  =  
 
|mouse sensitivity notes  =  
|mouse menu                = unknown
+
|mouse menu                = true
 
|mouse menu notes          =  
 
|mouse menu notes          =  
|invert mouse y-axis      = unknown
+
|invert mouse y-axis      = false
 
|invert mouse y-axis notes =  
 
|invert mouse y-axis notes =  
 +
|touchscreen              = unknown
 +
|touchscreen notes        =
 
|controller support        = false
 
|controller support        = false
 
|controller support notes  =  
 
|controller support notes  =  
Line 108: Line 214:
 
|invert controller y-axis  = unknown
 
|invert controller y-axis  = unknown
 
|invert controller y-axis notes=  
 
|invert controller y-axis notes=  
|touchscreen               = unknown
+
|xinput controllers        = unknown
|touchscreen notes        =  
+
|xinput controllers notes  =
|button prompts           = unknown
+
|xbox prompts              = unknown
|button prompts notes     =  
+
|xbox prompts notes        =
 +
|impulse triggers          = unknown
 +
|impulse triggers notes    =
 +
|dualshock 4               = unknown
 +
|dualshock 4 notes        =
 +
|dualshock prompts        = unknown
 +
|dualshock prompts notes  =
 +
|light bar support        = unknown
 +
|light bar support notes  =
 +
|dualshock 4 modes        = unknown
 +
|dualshock 4 modes notes  =
 +
|tracked motion controllers= unknown
 +
|tracked motion controllers notes =
 +
|tracked motion prompts    = unknown
 +
|tracked motion prompts notes =
 +
|other controllers         = unknown
 +
|other controllers notes  =  
 +
|other button prompts     = unknown
 +
|other button prompts notes=  
 
|controller hotplug        = unknown
 
|controller hotplug        = unknown
 
|controller hotplug notes  =  
 
|controller hotplug notes  =  
 
|haptic feedback          = unknown
 
|haptic feedback          = unknown
 
|haptic feedback notes    =  
 
|haptic feedback notes    =  
|light bar support        = unknown
+
|simultaneous input        = unknown
|light bar support notes   =  
+
|simultaneous input notes  =
 +
|steam input api          = unknown
 +
|steam input api notes    =
 +
|steam hook input          = unknown
 +
|steam hook input notes    =
 +
|steam input presets      = unknown
 +
|steam input presets notes =
 +
|steam controller prompts  = unknown
 +
|steam controller prompts notes =
 +
|steam cursor detection    = unknown
 +
|steam cursor detection notes =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
==Audio settings==
+
==Audio==
{{Audio settings
+
{{Audio
|separate volume          = unknown
+
|separate volume          = true
 
|separate volume notes    =  
 
|separate volume notes    =  
 
|surround sound          = unknown
 
|surround sound          = unknown
Line 128: Line 262:
 
|subtitles                = true
 
|subtitles                = true
 
|subtitles notes          =  
 
|subtitles notes          =  
|closed captions          = unknown
+
|closed captions          = false
 
|closed captions notes    =  
 
|closed captions notes    =  
|mute on focus lost      = unknown
+
|mute on focus lost      = always on
 
|mute on focus lost notes =  
 
|mute on focus lost notes =  
|eax support              =  
+
|eax support              = true
|eax support notes        =  
+
|eax support notes         =
 +
|royalty free audio       = unknown
 +
|royalty free audio notes  =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 139: Line 275:
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = English
 
  |language  = English
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = yes
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = Simplified Chinese
 
  |language  = Simplified Chinese
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    =
+
  |audio    = unknown
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = Traditional Chinese
 
  |language  = Traditional Chinese
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    =
+
  |audio    = unknown
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = French
 
  |language  = French
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = yes
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = German
 
  |language  = German
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = yes
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = Italian
 
  |language  = Italian
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = yes
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = Norwegian
 
  |language  = Norwegian
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = no
+
  |audio    = false
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = Polish
 
  |language  = Polish
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = no
+
  |audio    = false
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = Russian
 
  |language  = Russian
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = yes
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = Spanish
 
  |language  = Spanish
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = yes
+
  |audio    = true
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = Swedish
 
  |language  = Swedish
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    = no
+
  |audio    = false
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = Thai
 
  |language  = Thai
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
  |audio    =
+
  |audio    = unknown
  |subtitles = yes
+
  |subtitles = true
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
==Issues unresolved==
 +
===Off-host delay===
 +
{{--}} All games in this series suffer from a delay when giving commands, measured in seconds, if the player is not the host of the multiplayer match.
 +
{{--}} For ''Battle for Middle-earth II'', there is no known fix.
 +
{{++}} For ''The Rise of the Witch-king'', this issue was fixed in the [[#Unofficial 2.02 patch (RotWK)|unofficial 2.02 patch]] in builds 9.0.0 and newer. A full explanation is available [https://www.gamereplays.org/riseofthewitchking/portals.php?show=page&name=rotwk_2.02_delay_fix here].
  
 
==Issues fixed==
 
==Issues fixed==
===Game not starting on Windows 7 and later===
+
===Game not starting on Windows Vista and later===
{{ii}} When first starting the game after the installation the game instantly crashes with an error.
+
{{ii}} When first starting the game after the installation, the game instantly crashes with an error.
 +
{{ii}} Caused by the installer not creating a crucial {{file|options.ini}} file automatically.
 +
{{--}} If the game is uninstalled and reinstalled on the same system, the file is always deleted and has to be created anew every time the game is installed.
  
{{Fixbox|1=
+
{{Fixbox|description=Manually creating options.ini|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Plok|date=2021-09-14|comment=}}</ref>|fix=
{{Fixbox/fix|Manually creating ''options.ini''|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
+
#Locate the default folder for the {{file|options.ini}} at {{folder|{{p|appdata}}\My Battle for Middle-earth(tm) II Files}} and {{folder|{{p|appdata}}\My The Lord of the Rings, The Rise of the Witch-king Files}}
#Locate the default folder for the ''options.ini'' at {{p|appdata}}''\My Battle for Middle-earth(tm) II Files''
+
#Create a new text document and name it {{file|options.ini}}
#Right click, create a new ''Text Document'' and name it options.ini
+
#Open the file and insert the following lines:
#Open your new .ini and insert the following lines:
 
 
<pre>
 
<pre>
 
AudioLOD = High
 
AudioLOD = High
Line 229: Line 372:
 
TimesInGame = 6
 
TimesInGame = 6
 
</pre>
 
</pre>
{{ii}}Make sure to change the ''Resolution'' value to your preferred resolution. See [[#Video settings|Video settings]] for more information.
+
{{ii}}Make sure to change the {{code|Resolution}} value to the preferred resolution.
:4. Save your changes
+
:4. Save the changes
:5. You should now be able to start the game normally
+
:5. Run the game.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Auto-defeat after 3 minutes and 30 seconds===
 +
{{ii}} Is triggered by DRM, even on legitimate installations.
 +
 
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Use [[#Essential improvements|unofficial patches]]|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Plok|date=2022-08-10|comment=}}</ref>|fix=
 +
{{ii}} Circumvents DRM causing this issue.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Check game's serial key registry entries|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Plok|date=2022-08-10|comment=}}</ref>|fix=
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Clean reinstall of the game as administrator|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Plok|date=2022-08-10|comment=}}</ref>|fix=
 +
{{ii}} Fully re-install the game with administrator privileges in hopes the registry keys will be correctly created.
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 241: Line 398:
 
|local play notes    =  
 
|local play notes    =  
 
|lan play            = true
 
|lan play            = true
|lan play players    =  
+
|lan play players    = 8
|lan play modes      =  
+
|lan play modes      = Versus
 
|lan play notes      =  
 
|lan play notes      =  
|online play          = false
+
|online play          = hackable
|online play players  =  
+
|online play players  = 8
|online play modes    =  
+
|online play modes    = Versus
|online play notes    = Official servers have been shut down.<ref>[http://www.ea.com/1/service-updates EA Service Updates]</ref>
+
|online play notes    = The official [[GameSpy]] service has been shut down on December 31, 2010 due to Electronic Arts losing the Lord of the Rings license.<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://www.gamereplays.org/battleformiddleearth/portals.php?show=news&news_id=709520&home|title=Middle-earth Online Server Shutdown Announced|date=May 2023}}</ref>. Replaced by [https://t3a-online.net/ T3A:Online].
 
|asynchronous        =  
 
|asynchronous        =  
 
|asynchronous notes  =  
 
|asynchronous notes  =  
 
}}{{Network/Connections
 
}}{{Network/Connections
|matchmaking        =  
+
|matchmaking        = true
 
|matchmaking notes  =  
 
|matchmaking notes  =  
|p2p                =  
+
|p2p                = true
 
|p2p notes          =  
 
|p2p notes          =  
|dedicated          =  
+
|dedicated          = false
 
|dedicated notes    =  
 
|dedicated notes    =  
|self-hosting      =  
+
|self-hosting      = true
 
|self-hosting notes =  
 
|self-hosting notes =  
|direct ip          =  
+
|direct ip          = false
 
|direct ip notes    =  
 
|direct ip notes    =  
 
}}{{Network/Ports
 
}}{{Network/Ports
 
|tcp  =  
 
|tcp  =  
|udp  =  
+
|udp  = 16000
|upnp =  
+
|upnp = unknown
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
==Other information==
 +
===API===
 +
{{API
 +
|direct3d versions      = 9.0c
 +
|direct3d notes        =
 +
|directdraw versions    =
 +
|directdraw notes      =
 +
|opengl versions        =
 +
|opengl notes          =
 +
|glide versions        =
 +
|glide notes            =
 +
|software mode          =
 +
|software mode notes    =
 +
|mantle support        =
 +
|mantle support notes  =
 +
|metal support          =
 +
|metal support notes    =
 +
|vulkan versions        =
 +
|vulkan notes          =
 +
|dos modes              =
 +
|dos modes notes        =
 +
|shader model versions  =
 +
|shader model notes    =
 +
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 +
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 +
|windows arm app        = false
 +
|windows exe notes      =
 +
|macos intel 32-bit app =
 +
|macos intel 64-bit app =
 +
|macos arm app          = unknown
 +
|macos app notes        =
 +
|linux 32-bit executable=
 +
|linux 64-bit executable=
 +
|linux arm app          = unknown
 +
|linux executable notes =
 +
}}
 +
 +
===Middleware===
 +
{{Middleware
 +
|physics          =
 +
|physics notes    =
 +
|audio            =
 +
|audio notes      =
 +
|interface        =
 +
|interface notes  =
 +
|input            =
 +
|input notes      =
 +
|cutscenes        = On2 VP6
 +
|cutscenes notes  =
 +
|multiplayer      = GameSpy
 +
|multiplayer notes= Shut down in 31 December 2010.
 +
}}
 +
 +
===[[Glossary:Command line arguments|Command line arguments]]===
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Command<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=416726|title=List of ROTWK command line switches. - GameReplays.org|date=May 2023}}</ref> !! Description
 +
|-
 +
| -win || Runs the game in windowed mode
 +
|-
 +
| -mod [path to .big file] || Runs the game with the selected mod
 +
|-
 +
| -xres [number] || Sets resolution width
 +
|-
 +
| -yres [number] || Sets resolution height
 +
|-
 +
| -noaudio || Disables the game audio
 +
|-
 +
| -noshellmap || Disables the Argonath animation in the main menu
 +
|}
 +
 +
===Modifications===
 +
'''Base game'''
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.moddb.com/mods/battle-for-middle-earth-2-hd-edition BfME II: HD Edition]
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.moddb.com/mods/an-unexpected-mod An Unexpected Mod]
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.moddb.com/mods/special-extended-edition Special Extended Edition]
 +
 +
'''Rise of the Witch-king'''
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.moddb.com/mods/rotwk-hd-edition RotWK HD Edition]
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.moddb.com/mods/the-horse-lords-a-total-modification-for-bfme Age of the Ring] - requires the unofficial 2.02 patch
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.moddb.com/mods/edain-mod Edain Mod] - incompatible with the unofficial 2.02 patch
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.moddb.com/mods/rj-rotwk RJ RotWK] - incompatible with the unofficial 2.02 patch
  
 
==System requirements==
 
==System requirements==
Line 273: Line 513:
 
|minOS    = XP
 
|minOS    = XP
 
|minCPU  = 1.6 GHz
 
|minCPU  = 1.6 GHz
|minRAM  = 256 MB (Online: 512 MB)
+
|minRAM  = 256 MB
 
|minHD    = 6 GB
 
|minHD    = 6 GB
|minGPU  = GeForce3
+
|minGPU  = Nvidia GeForce 3
|minGPU2   = ATI Radeon 8500
+
|minGPU2 = ATI Radeon 8500
 
|minVRAM  = 64 MB
 
|minVRAM  = 64 MB
 
|minDX    = 9.0c
 
|minDX    = 9.0c
  
|recOS    = XP
+
|recOS    =  
|recCPU  = Pentium 4 3 GHz
+
|recCPU  = Intel Pentium 4 3 GHz
|recCPU2  = Athlon XP 3 GHz
+
|recCPU2  = AMD Athlon XP 3 GHz
 
|recRAM  = 1 GB
 
|recRAM  = 1 GB
|recHD    = 6 GB
+
|recHD    =  
|recGPU  = GeForce 7800
+
|recGPU  = Nvidia GeForce 7800
 
|recVRAM  = 128 MB
 
|recVRAM  = 128 MB
 
|recDX    =  
 
|recDX    =  
 +
|notes    = {{ii}} Online mode requires 512 MB of system RAM.
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
{{References}}
 
{{References}}

Latest revision as of 15:49, 7 March 2024

The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Battle for Middle-earth II cover
Developers
EA Los Angeles
Expansion BreakAway Games
Publishers
Electronic Arts
Engines
SAGE
Release dates
Windows March 2, 2006
Reception
Metacritic 84
IGDB 81
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Microtransactions None
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Bird's-eye view
Controls Multiple select, Point and select
Genres RTS
Art styles Realistic
Themes Fantasy
Series The Battle for Middle-earth
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II on HowLongToBeat
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II on IGDB
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II guide on StrategyWiki
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II on MobyGames
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II on Wikipedia
The Battle for Middle-earth
Subseries of Middle-earth
The Battle for Middle-earth 2004
The Battle for Middle-earth II 2006

Warnings

GameSpy online services have been shut down (see Network for solutions).

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II is a singleplayer and multiplayer bird's-eye view RTS game in the The Battle for Middle-earth series.

The base game received six official patches, the fifth of which was produced by the GameReplays.org BFME2 section. This patch is most notable for the introduction of the hard counter system.

The game received The Rise of the Witch-king expansion pack in November 2006, outsourced to BreakAway Games. It introduced the playable Angmar faction, new units for existing factions and new campaigns. It was, however, based on an obsolete build of BFME2 (earlier than 1.05 at least), and its own single official patch left the game in a state of severe balancing problems and audio mixing/volume issues in the new campaign.

As of December 31, 2010, the official GameSpy service was shut down and all purchases were halted due to Electronic Arts' loss of the Lord of the Rings license.[1]

Same as with the first game, the game remains playable on modern Windows versions with some major technical hiccups that can be worked around; issues like errors when starting the game and DRM issues. Unofficial patches resolve most of the game's problems; off-host delay was fixed only for The Rise of the Witch-king in unofficial patch 2.02 build 9.0.0 and newer.

General information

T3A:Online - fan-hosted multiplayer server replacement
BfME II section on GameReplays.org - home to the competitive community and the unofficial 1.09 patch
Rise of the Witch-king section on GameReplays.org - home to the competitive community and the unofficial 2.02 patch

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
SafeDisc v4 DRM[Note 1].
Windows
Origin (unavailable)
Origin
Physical copies used to activate on Origin, but they no longer do.[4]
Windows
SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
All versions include custom DRM code which can sabotage the game by destroying all units and structures owned by the player after 3 minutes and 30 seconds, triggering an automatic defeat. It can occur on legitimate copies under certain circumstances - see Auto-defeat after 3 minutes and 30 seconds for instructions to fix this.
A free demo version can be downloaded from GameFront or GamePressure.

Monetization

Type Notes
Expansion pack The expansion pack includes a new faction, a new campaign, maps, units, and War of the Ring mode scenarios.
One-time game purchase The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
The Rise of the Witch-king
Windows

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Skip intro videos
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\data\movies\
  2. Delete or rename CS01.vp6, EALogo.vp6, TE_LOGO.vp6, NLC_LOGO.vp6 and NewLineLogo.vp6.
For languages other than English the EA logo file played is a localised version extracted from the archive file <path-to-game>\lang\LanguageName.big. To remove the video, this file needs to be edited, for instance with a custom tool such as FinalBIG or OS BIG Editor.

Official patches

The latest official patch for the base game is 1.06, available from Patches-Scrolls, GameFront, and CNCNZ.com.
The latest official patch for The Rise of the Witch-king is 2.01, available from Patches-Scrolls, GameFront and CNCNZ.com.

Widescreen mods for BFME2 without 1.09

Modified interface download link
Maps with modified zoom download link (breaks compatibility with originals)
Maintains developer-intended gameplay.
Not used by users online.
To bypass the DRM, use the modified game.dat from the 1.09 patch.

Unofficial 1.09 patch (BFME2)

Download link
Does not require the disc.
Adapts the main game interface for widescreen resolutions and fixes a lot of the bugs and imbalances left after the official 1.06 patch.
Includes a patch switcher for switching between the official 1.00 and 1.06 versions, as well as 1.09.
Breaks compatibility with the Rise of the Witch-king expansion.
Changes visuals extensively.

Unofficial 2.02 patch (RotWK)

Download link
Source code
Does not require the disc.
Adapts the main game interface for widescreen resolutions and fixes a lot of the bugs and imbalances left after the official 2.01 patch, and is actively maintained. As of release 9.0.0 (February 4, 2023), an engine-level bug plaguing all games in the series that caused delayed commands in multiplayer has been fixed.
Active multiplayer community.
Requires the BFME2 1.09 unofficial patch to be deactivated to run.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %APPDATA%\<Localized My Battle for Middle-earth(tm) II Files>\options.ini
%APPDATA%\<Localized My The Lord of the Rings, The Rise of the Witch-king Files>\options.ini

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %APPDATA%\<Localized My Battle for Middle-earth(tm) II Files>\save
%APPDATA%\<Localized My The Lord of the Rings, The Rise of the Witch-king Files>\save

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Origin

Video

General settings menu (the expansion has an identical menu, with a different theme)
General settings menu (the expansion has an identical menu, with a different theme)
Custom graphics settings menu
Custom graphics settings menu

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
See Widescreen resolution or use an unofficial patch launcher for setting a custom resolution.
The UI is stretched by default; see Widescreen mods for BFME2 without 1.09 or an unofficial patch to adapt the interface to widescreen aspect ratios.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
No FOV sliders exist; the maps themselves need to be manually edited. For FOV adapted to 16:9 resolutions, see Widescreen mods for BFME2 without 1.09 or use an unofficial patch.
Windowed
Use -win parameter.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
High-fidelity upscaling
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
Frame rate is capped at 30 FPS[5], with game speed tied to frame rate.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Widescreen resolution

Set custom resolution[6]
  1. Open the configuration file with a text editor.
  2. Change Resolution xxx xxx to the desired resolution.

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Controller types

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
French
German
Italian
Norwegian
Polish
Russian
Spanish
Swedish
Thai

Issues unresolved

Off-host delay

All games in this series suffer from a delay when giving commands, measured in seconds, if the player is not the host of the multiplayer match.
For Battle for Middle-earth II, there is no known fix.
For The Rise of the Witch-king, this issue was fixed in the unofficial 2.02 patch in builds 9.0.0 and newer. A full explanation is available here.

Issues fixed

Game not starting on Windows Vista and later

When first starting the game after the installation, the game instantly crashes with an error.
Caused by the installer not creating a crucial options.ini file automatically.
If the game is uninstalled and reinstalled on the same system, the file is always deleted and has to be created anew every time the game is installed.
Manually creating options.ini[7]
  1. Locate the default folder for the options.ini at %APPDATA%\My Battle for Middle-earth(tm) II Files and %APPDATA%\My The Lord of the Rings, The Rise of the Witch-king Files
  2. Create a new text document and name it options.ini
  3. Open the file and insert the following lines:
AudioLOD = High
FlashTutorial = 0
HasSeenLogoMovies = yes
IdealStaticGameLOD = High
Resolution = 1024 768
StaticGameLOD = High
TimesInGame = 6
Make sure to change the Resolution value to the preferred resolution.
4. Save the changes
5. Run the game.

Auto-defeat after 3 minutes and 30 seconds

Is triggered by DRM, even on legitimate installations.
Use unofficial patches[8]
Circumvents DRM causing this issue.
Check game's serial key registry entries[9]
Clean reinstall of the game as administrator[10]
Fully re-install the game with administrator privileges in hopes the registry keys will be correctly created.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
LAN play
8 Versus
Online play
8 Versus
The official GameSpy service has been shut down on December 31, 2010 due to Electronic Arts losing the Lord of the Rings license.[11]. Replaced by T3A:Online.

Connection types

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
UDP 16000
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Cutscenes On2 VP6
Multiplayer GameSpy Shut down in 31 December 2010.

Command line arguments

Command[12] Description
-win Runs the game in windowed mode
-mod [path to .big file] Runs the game with the selected mod
-xres [number] Sets resolution width
-yres [number] Sets resolution height
-noaudio Disables the game audio
-noshellmap Disables the Argonath animation in the main menu

Modifications

Base game

BfME II: HD Edition
An Unexpected Mod
Special Extended Edition

Rise of the Witch-king

RotWK HD Edition
Age of the Ring - requires the unofficial 2.02 patch
Edain Mod - incompatible with the unofficial 2.02 patch
RJ RotWK - incompatible with the unofficial 2.02 patch

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP
Processor (CPU) 1.6 GHz
System memory (RAM) 256 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 6 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 3
ATI Radeon 8500
64 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
Online mode requires 512 MB of system RAM.


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