Key points
General information
<path-to-game>\Battlefield 1942\Mods\bf1942\init.con
game.setCustomVersion
<path-to-game>\Movies\xDice.bik
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:
This mod is set during the Gulf War and supplies an arsenal of modern weapons and vehicles, and many new maps.
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 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.[3]
*.con
Profiles\<user-id>\
renderer.setFullScreen 0
VideoDefault.con
renderer.fieldOfView
1.33333 - 16:9 1.2 - 16:10 1.25 - 15:9
+joinServer
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.
In your Battlefield 1942 folder, Right click BF1942.exe, select Properties, Go to Compatibility Tab
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.
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.
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.
