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Spec Ops: The Line

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Spec Ops: The Line
Spec Ops: The Line cover
Developers
Yager Development
Multiplayer Darkside Game Studios
macOS (OS X) Virtual Programming
Linux Virtual Programming
Publishers
2K Games
Missing Link Games
OS X Digital Tribe
Engines
Unreal Engine 3
Release dates
Windows June 26, 2012
macOS (OS X) November 7, 2013
Linux May 14, 2015
Reception
Metacritic 76
IGDB 77
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Microtransactions None
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, Tactical shooter, TPS
Art styles Realistic
Themes Contemporary, Middle East
Series Spec Ops
Spec Ops: The Line on HowLongToBeat
Spec Ops: The Line on IGDB
Spec Ops: The Line on MobyGames
Spec Ops: The Line on Wikipedia
Spec Ops
Spec Ops: Rangers Lead the Way 1998
Spec Ops II: Green Berets 1999
Spec Ops: The Line 2012

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

Spec Ops: The Line is a singleplayer and multiplayer third-person action, tactical shooter and TPS game in the Spec Ops series.

General information

Official forums
Spec Ops Wiki - A wiki for the series
GOG.com Community Discussions
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Icon overlay.png
Premium Edition also available.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Amazon.co.uk (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
GOG.com (unavailable)
DRM-free
Singleplayer only.
Windows
GamersGate (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Gamesplanet logo.svg (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Green Man Gaming (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Humble Store (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Steam (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
A faithful, higher quality icon can be found on this wiki's community site.

Monetization

Microtransactions

Type Notes
No microtransactions Spec Ops: The Line has no microtransactions.

Version differences

Premium Edition content includes:
  • FUBAR pack for multiplayer
  • Double XP for a week
  • AK-47 at Rank 1
  • Clan Accesories: Exclusive Skins/Accessories for all classes and Unique and Visually Distinct items

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Set launch options[1]

Use the -nostartupmovies command line argument.

Skip the splash screen

Set launch options[citation needed]

Use the -nosplash command line argument.

There is no splash screen under OS X [citation needed] and Linux ports.[1]

Skip the update search

At startup the game spends quite some time searching for updates.
Prevent game from connecting with online servers
  1. Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security
  2. Create a new outbound rule
  3. Block SpecOpsTheLine.exe

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\SpecOps-TheLine\SRGame\Config\
macOS (OS X) $HOME/Library/Application Support/Spec Ops The Line/GameDocuments/My Games/SpecOps-TheLine/SRGame/Config/
Linux $XDG_DATA_HOME/yager/specops/GameDocuments/My Games/SpecOps-TheLine/SRGame/Config/
This game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.
Configuration files are encrypted in the Windows version of the game. (The Linux and Apple OS X Steam port configuration files are not encrypted.)

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\SpecOps-TheLine\SRGame\SaveData\
Steam <Steam-folder>/userdata/<user-id>/50300/remote/

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
OneDrive
Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud

Video

In-game video settings.
In-game video settings.
In-game brightness settings. Available filters are Default, Vintage, and Vibrant.
In-game brightness settings.
Available filters are Default, Vintage, and Vibrant.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
Non-16:9 resolutions are anamorphic; use Flawless Widescreen to remove.[2]
Multi-monitor
Use Flawless Widescreen
Ultra-widescreen
Use Flawless Widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Default FOV is 72°. See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Set in options or use -windowed parameter.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Default is 4x. See Anisotropic filtering (AF).
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Nvidia users can force MSAA and TrSSSGAA in Nvidia Profile Inspector with the Antialiasing Compatibility flag 0x080102C1. AMD users can force AA through AMD Control Center.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS
Some cutscenes are pre-rendered at 30 FPS.
120+ FPS
See Helicopter Run en FUBAR mode is imposible.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Field of view (FOV)

Flawless Widescreen can set the FOV up to 92° by default.
Change max FOV for Flawless Widescreen[citation needed]
  1. Download and run Flawless Widescreen.
  2. Install the Spec Ops: The Line plugin.
  3. Exit Flawless Widescreen.
  4. Open the folder where Flawless Widescreen is installed.
  5. Go into PluginCache\FWS_Plugins\Modules\SpecOpsTheLine\Dependencies\Scripts\.
  6. Edit SpecOpsTheLine.lua with a text editor.
  7. Find the line fAdditionalFOV = Sender:GetScaledFloat(5).
  8. Change (5) to (2) and save the file.
  9. Launch Flawless Widescreen and adjust the slider.

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

Changing anisotropic filtering level[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file location.
  2. Decrypt SREngine.ini.
  3. Change MaxAnisotropy=4 to MaxAnisotropy=16.
  4. Save and re-encrypt SREngine.ini.

Frame rate (FPS)

Limit frame rate[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file location.
  2. Decrypt SREngine.ini.
  3. Look for [Engine.Engine] class and edit MaxSmoothedFrameRate= to your preference.
  4. Save and re-encrypt SREngine.ini.

Disable motion blur

Disable motion blur[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file location.
  2. Decrypt SREngine.ini.
  3. Change MotionBlur=True to MotionBlur=False.
  4. Save and re-encrypt SREngine.ini.

Input

In-game keyboard/mouse settings.
In-game keyboard/mouse settings.
In-game gamepad settings.
In-game gamepad settings.

Mouse acceleration

Disable mouse acceleration[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file location.
  2. Decrypt SRInput.ini.
  3. Find m_viewAccelEnabled=true change it to false.
  4. Save and re-encrypt SRInput.ini.

Mouse sensitivity

Change general sensitivity[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file location.
  2. Decrypt SRInput.ini.
  3. Find MouseSensitivity=60.0 and change it to a different value according to your preferences.
  4. Save and re-encrypt SRInput.ini.
Change aim sensitivity[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file location.
  2. Decrypt SRInput.ini.
  3. Find m_targetingModeMouseViewScalePct=0.6 change it to 1.0. That way it will only scale with FOV which is good for muscle memory.
  4. Save and re-encrypt SRInput.ini.

Mouse smoothing

Disable mouse smoothing[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file location.
  2. Decrypt SRInput.ini.
  3. Find bEnableMouseSmoothing=true change it to false.
  4. Save and re-encrypt SRInput.ini.

Audio

In-game audio settings.
In-game audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Music, Speech, SFX, Voice chat.
Surround sound
Up to 7.1 output.[3]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Brazilian Portuguese
Fan translation; download.
Russian
Spanish
Turkish
Fan translation, download
Polish
Fan translation, download
Most languages have the in-game option to select English audio.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
8 Versus, Co-op
Use Nucleus Co-op. Co-op 2 players
LAN play
8 Versus, Co-op
Co-op 2 players
Online play
8 Versus, Co-op
Co-op 2 players

Connection types

VR support

3D modes State Notes
vorpX
G3D
User created game profile, see vorpx forum profile introduction.

Issues fixed

Xbox button prompts always displayed

Disable XInput controller for the game[citation needed]
  1. Download NoX360.
  2. Extract the contents to <path-to-game>\Binaries\Win32\.

OR

  1. Unplug all controllers from your computer.

D3DERR_INVALIDCALL error

Launch the game in windowed mode[4]

Helicopter Run en FUBAR mode is impossible

At high fps, the section where the helicopter appears and you have to run is almost impossible to pass at high fps.
Limiting the frame rate to 60fps
Enable Vsync and set refresh rate on 60hz[5]

No sound during cutscenes

Fix binkw32.dll[6]
  1. Download the Bink Video 1.99r DLL.
  2. Extract the contents to <path-to-game>\Binaries\Win32
Disable HDMI output[7]
  1. Go into "control panel" → "hardware and sound" → "device manager"
  2. Search under "audio, video and game controller" for the graphics card's audio device
  3. for AMD: "AMD High Definition Audio Device")-> open the properties → open the "driver" tab → deactivate the device
Set stereo sound[6]
  1. Open Windows audio panel (right click on the speaker icon on the bottom right of the screen)
  2. Configure your playback device
  3. Set 2 channels

Crashing and low frame rate

Install Nvidia PhysX[citation needed]
  1. Install the latest Nvidia PhysX System Software.
  2. Right click Spec Ops: The Line in the Steam games list.
  3. Click on Properties.
  4. Under Local Files, select Verify Integrity of Game Cache.
Reset configuration files[citation needed]
  1. Launch the game at least once.
  2. Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\.
  3. Delete the SpecOps-TheLine folder.
This will reset all game settings, but save games will preserved.

White/Black screen after launching game

Launch game in windowed mode through Steam[8]
  1. Right click the game on Steam.
  2. Click Properties.
  3. Select Set Launch Options...
  4. Type in -windowed.
  5. Go to options and then select a screen resolution that is compatible with the monitor used.
  6. Can now select fullscreen in game options if setting is desired.
  7. Can now remove -windowed option from Set Launch Options...

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c
OpenGL 2.0 OS X and Linux only.
Shader Model support 3
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.
Linux

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics PhysX v2.8.3.14
Audio FMOD v0.4.32.4
Cutscenes Bink Video v1.9.99.0
Multiplayer Steamworks

Mods

Eternal Penance

Greatly rebalances the gameplay

Deadly Bullets

Alternate mod to Eternal Penance

Edit encrypted configuration files

Use Rick's tools[9]
  1. Download the decrypter.
  2. Unzip it in a handy folder. Such as %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\SpecOps-TheLine\SRGame\Config\.
  3. Open the file you need to edit with Gibbed.SpecOpsTheLine.IniDecrypt.exe (drag-and-drop).
  4. Make the changes you want in the now unencrypted file.
  5. Save the file.
  6. Open the modified file with Gibbed.SpecOpsTheLine.IniEncrypt.exe, thus re-encrypting it.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP SP3
Processor (CPU) AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz
System memory (RAM) 2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 6 GB
Video card (GPU) ATI Radeon HD 2600XT
Nvidia GeForce 8600
256 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible


References