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Borderlands

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Revision as of 04:20, 4 February 2018 by Jigen123 (talk | contribs) (Not a DLC.)
Template:Infobox game/row/osxporter
Borderlands
Borderlands cover
Developers
Gearbox Software
Demiurge Studios[1]
Publishers
2K Games
OS X Feral Interactive
Engines
Unreal Engine 3
Release dates
Windows October 26, 2009
macOS (OS X) December 3, 2010
Borderlands guide on StrategyWiki
Borderlands on Wikipedia

Warnings

GameSpy online services have been shut down (see Network for solutions).
Borderlands
Borderlands 2009
Borderlands 2 2012
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel 2014
Tales from the Borderlands (series)
Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced 2019
Borderlands 3 2019
Borderlands 2 VR 2019
Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep:
A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure
2021
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 2022

Key points

Multiplayer for the Steam version has been transitioned to Steamworks as of September 15, 2014.[2]

General information

Borderlands Wiki
Gearbox Forums - Borderlands Tech Support
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
Requires online activation
SecuROM DFA DRM and release date check. Retail product keys of the GOTY Edition can activate DLC on Steam.
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Publisher website
Requires online activation
GOTY Edition
macOS (OS X)
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
GOTY Edition is also available.
Windows
Incorrect store name. See here for available options.
Icon overlay.png
GOTY Edition
Windows
Humble Store
Icon overlay.png
GOTY Edition is also available.
Windows
Mac App Store
Icon overlay.png
GOTY Edition
macOS (OS X)
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Windows
All product keys activate on Steam; retail versions can be activated using the Borderlands Granting Tool under Tools in the Steam client.[3]

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned Part of GOTY release.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot Part of GOTY release.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
The Secret Army of General Knoxx Part of GOTY release.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Claptrap's Robot Revolution Part of GOTY release.
Windows
macOS (OS X)

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Set -nostartupmovies as a launch option[citation needed]
Manual fix[citation needed]
  1. Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Borderlands\WillowGame\Config\
  2. Open WillowEngine.ini.
  3. Find:
    StartupMovies=2K_logo
    StartupMovies=Gearbox_logo
    StartupMovies=NVidia
    StartupMovies=Loading
    
  4. Replace it with:
    ;StartupMovies=2K_logo
    ;StartupMovies=Gearbox_logo
    ;StartupMovies=NVidia
    ;StartupMovies=Loading
  5. Save changes.
Delete or rename video files[citation needed]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Borderlands\WillowGame\Movies
  2. Delete or rename 2K_logo.bik, Gearbox_logo.bik, and NVidia.bik.
Skip new character movies[citation needed]
This method disables the unskippable video sequence that plays every time you create a new character.
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Borderlands\WillowGame\Movies\
  2. Delete or rename Prelude.bik, Attract.bik, and VoG_Transition_Movie.bik.

Force software PhysX

Edit configuration files[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration files location.
  2. Open WillowGame.ini.
  3. Add the following to the end of the file and set as read only:
  4. bPhysXEnabled=False
    
  5. Open willowengine.ini.
  6. Add the following under [Engine.Engine]:
  7. bDisablePhysXHardwareSupport=True
    

Game data

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

Configuration file(s) location

Template:Game data/rowTemplate:Game data/row
System Location
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/8980/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game data location

Template:Game data/rowTemplate:Game data/row
System Location
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/8980/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Steam Cloud

Video settings

In-game video/audio settings.
In-game video/audio settings.

Template:Video settings

Field of view (FOV)

Borderlands natively supports widescreen and ultra-wide resolutions through its options menu. Support is normally Vert- in all widescreen resolutions, but there is a quick solution for Hor+ widescreen gameplay in all resolutions.
Borderlands Configuration Editor[4]
  1. Download Borderlands Configuration Editor.
  2. Run the tool and set your FOV in the middle-bottom section. You must set the FOV change to a key.
  3. Hit apply and close the hack. Then run Borderlands as normal and press your set FOV changing key. The FOV will "snap" to the Hor+ value.

Notes

Using a vehicle or triggering a video in the game resets the FOV. Setting the FOV key to a movement key is recommended to instantly set the FOV again.
Alternative fixes[citation needed]
Modify .ini file[citation needed]
  1. Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Borderlands\WillowGame\Config\
  2. Open WillowInput.ini.
  3. Find under [WillowGame.WillowPlayerInput] the section: Bindings=(Name="F8",Command="shot").
  4. Add the following: Bindings=(Name="F11",Command="FOV 90",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False).

Anti-aliasing (AA)

Anti-Aliasing[citation needed]
  • Use the Borderlands Config Tool.
  • Force AA through the graphics control panel.
  • Force AA through a third party utility such as nHancer for Nvidia-cards or RadeonPro for AMD. This may cause large performance drops.
  • Use an FXAA-injector such as this one.

Vertical sync (Vsync)

V-Sync[citation needed]
  1. Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Borderlands\WillowGame\Config\
  2. Open WillowEngine.ini.
  3. Change UseVsync=False to UseVsync=True.

High frame rate

Edit configuration file[citation needed]
  1. Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Borderlands\WillowGame\Config\
  2. Open WillowEngine.ini.
  3. Change bSmoothFrameRate=TRUE to bSmoothFrameRate=FALSE or change MaxSmoothedFramerate=62 to your choosing.

Input settings

In-game keyboard/mouse settings.
In-game keyboard/mouse settings.
In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.
In-game general gamepad settings.
In-game general gamepad settings.
In-game gamepad layout settings.
In-game gamepad layout settings.

Template:Input settings

Mouse acceleration

Disable mouse smoothing[citation needed]
  1. Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Borderlands\WillowGame\Config\
  2. Open WillowInput.ini.
  3. Change bEnableMouseSmoothing=true to bEnableMouseSmoothing=false

Enable scroll wheel in text boxes

Enable scroll wheel[citation needed]
  1. Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Borderlands\WillowGame\Config\
  2. Open WillowInput.ini.
  3. Search for all instances of InputKeyName="MouseScrollUp",ModifierKeyFlags=42 and change them to InputKeyName="MouseScrollUp".
  4. Search for all instances of InputKeyName="MouseScrollDown",ModifierKeyFlags=42 and change them to InputKeyName="MouseScrollDown".

Enable Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 controller UI

Modify .ini file[citation needed]
  1. Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Borderlands\WillowGame\Config\
  2. Open WillowGame.ini.
  3. Change the FakePlatform= value to one of the values listed below:
    • -1 - disabled/auto
    • 0 - PC
    • 1 - Xbox 360
    • 2 - PlayStation 3
If this fix works, the "Online Game" and "LAN Game" main menu options will change to "Xbox LIVE" and "System Link."
The loading tips and training tooltips will still show keyboard bindings.

Audio settings

Template:Audio settings

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Polish
A Polish patch made by distributor is available here. Note that this patch requires at least game version 1.41, and DLCs are not included.
Spanish
Turkish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
4 Co-op
See this Steam Users' Forums Guide on hacking splitscreen into the game.
LAN play
4 Co-op
Online play
4 Co-op
Needs conversion tools for non-Steam versions, including retail copies. Go to 2K support page for more details.

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP
Add the target IP and port as a command line argument.[6]

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP 7777, 28900, 28902, 28910
UDP 7777, 27900, 28902
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

Issues fixed

Activating DLC

Activating DLC[citation needed]
Some users struggle to activate Borderlands DLC as the activation window requires you to minimize the game and then maximize. However sometimes it won't let you maximize the game and therefore not letting you to access the activation window.
  1. While playing the game press Alt+ Enter and it will put the game into windowed mode for you.
  2. Now when you need to minimize the game to access the activation window you should not have any problems doing so.
  • Alternatively, you can go into Borderlands/Binaries/DLCSetup and run the .exe file found within. DLCSetup activates The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned and Mad Moxxi and DLCSetup2 activates Knoxx and Robot Revolution.
  • Some users may also experience a crash on startup when using multiple monitors. Disabling one or more monitors will fix this problem.

General Protection Fault / R6025 runtime error

General Protection Fault / R6025 runtime error[citation needed]
Some users are experiencing a General Protection Fault, followed by an R6025 runtime error.
  • One fix is to run Windows Update and install the KB2600217 update also found here.
  • A collection of additional troubleshooting steps can be found on the Steam Users' Forums

Fixing performance issues

Fixing Performance Issues[citation needed]

Some systems, despite exceeding the recommended specs, simply do not run Borderlands well. Even after turning down graphical options, the frame rates can be much lower than would be expected. Taking these steps can help make the game much more responsive and raise frame rates significantly. If Borderlands is running poorly on an otherwise stout system, try the following:

  1. Add -dx9 to the command line (helps fps)
  2. Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Borderlands\WillowGame\Config\
  3. Open WillowEngine.ini.
  4. Find UseVsync and set it to True (helps with tearing).

Another known issue has been with the inclusion of Dynamic Shadows, for some users having this graphical setting turned on causes huge drops in frame rate, no matter the specs of the computer. Turning off this setting can greatly improve performance.

Progress not being saved

Progress Not Being Saved[citation needed]
Sometimes Borderlands will not save your progress when you exit. To fix this there are two methods:

First Method:

  • Add -nohomedir to the command line arguments; this is less than ideal as it will start you over from the beginning as it causes the game to create a new save folder.

Second method

  • This fix worked for some people, is to ensure that your SaveData folder (located in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Borderlands) and all its contents are NOT set to Hidden and/or Read Only.

Some weapon stats are not visible

Weapon stats visibility fix[citation needed]
The default font size allows for only 4 lines of stats to be visible, while weapons can have up to 5 stats.
  1. Locate your Borderlands installation folder.
  2. Go to Borderlands\WillowGame\Localization\INT
  3. Find gd_globals.INT and create a backup copy.
  4. Open gd_globals.INT with a text editor.
  5. Search for:
    AttributePresentationTranslation="$NUMBER$ $CONSTRAINT$ $DESCRIPTION$"
  6. Replace it with:
    AttributePresentationTranslation=<font size="14">$NUMBER$ $CONSTRAINT$ $DESCRIPTION$</font>

Game freezes in Lockdown Palace (General Knoxx DLC)

Lockdown Palace crash fix[citation needed]
The problem lies with the grass rendering inside the Prison and affects no other part of the game.
  1. Locate your Borderlands installation folder.
  2. Go to Borderlands\WillowGame\Config
  3. Find WillowEngine.ini and create a backup copy.
  4. Open WillowEngine.ini.
  5. Search for:
    FoliageDrawRadiusMultiplier=1.000000
  6. Replace it with:
    FoliageDrawRadiusMultiplier=0.000000

Do not alter Foliage Quality within the game settings as that will reset the edit. However, as this problem only affects Lockdown Palace, it is fine to allow it to reset for any game session that you don't plan to go to that zone.

No sound through headphones on laptops

Some laptop users struggle to make the game sound through headphones when they have laptops with built in microphones.
No Sound through headphones on laptops[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open WillowEngine.ini.
  3. Change bHasVoiceEnabled=True to bHasVoiceEnabled=False
Disable Microphone Array[citation needed]

Go to the sound options (Control Panel/Sound and Hardware/Sound) go into the recording tab and disable Microphone Array.

Issues unresolved

Crashes on startup (Windows XP)

Some users, after having installed and successfully played the game on Windows XP, experience a standard "Borderlands has encountered an error and needs to close" message after some time. There are no known solutions for this problem.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9
OpenGL 2.0 OS X only.
Shader Model support 3
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics PhysX
Audio FMOD, SpeechFX
Interface Scaleform
Cutscenes Bink Video
Multiplayer GameSpy, Steamworks

Mods

Borderlands Config Tool[7]

Borderlands Config Tool unlocks a number of settings not available in the in-game menu.
Borderlands Config Tool unlocks a number of settings not available in the in-game menu.
Run the game and change a keybind in the options menu at least once before using this tool. This will create the necessary.ini files and should fix options being disabled in the tool.
This tool unlocks many options including the following:
  • Disable startup movies
  • Disable story introduction movies
  • Disable mouse smoothing
  • Disable in-game voice chat
  • Windowed mode
  • V-sync
  • Change FOV
  • Increase Difficulty (LAN only)

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz
System memory (RAM) 1 GB (XP)
2 GB (Vista)
Hard disk drive (HDD) 8 GB
Video card (GPU) ATI Radeon HD 3000 series
Nvidia GeForce 7000 series
256 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/8980/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (8980) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References