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Aliens versus Predator 2

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Aliens versus Predator 2
Aliens versus Predator 2 cover
Developers
Monolith Productions
Primal Hunt Third Law Interactive
macOS (OS X) The Omni Group
Publishers
Sierra Entertainment
Fox Interactive
macOS (OS X) MacPlay
Japan Capcom
Engines
Lithtech Talon
Release dates
Windows October 30, 2001
macOS (OS X) July 23, 2003
Reception
Metacritic 85
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, FPS, Stealth
Vehicles Robot
Art styles Stylized
Themes Horror, Sci-fi, Space
Series Aliens versus Predator
Aliens versus Predator 2 on HowLongToBeat
Aliens versus Predator 2 on IGDB
Aliens versus Predator 2 guide on StrategyWiki
Aliens versus Predator 2 on MobyGames
Aliens versus Predator 2 on Wikipedia
Aliens versus Predator
Subseries of Alien
Subseries of Predator
Aliens versus Predator 1999
Aliens versus Predator 2 2001
Aliens vs. Predator 2010

Warnings

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

Aliens versus Predator 2 is a singleplayer and multiplayer horror sci-fi FPS in the Aliens versus Predator series set in space and developed by Monolith Productions.

The game was released to Windows on October 23, 2001. The following year in August 2002 an expansion pack developed by Third Law Interactive titled Primal Hunt was released. In May 2003 the Gold Edition was released which bundled the base game with the expansion pack. Two months later on July 23, 2003 an OS X port developed by The Omni Group was released.

As the multiplayer service GameSpy has terminated its services, the game requires either a community-created Master Server Patches or the use of the third-party software GameRanger to enable online functionality.

General information

AvP Universe - fansite with some useful links

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
SecuROM 4.54.00.0018 DRM.
SecuROM 4.77.00.0002 DRM for Primal Hunt.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
The game is not sold digitally due to various legal issues with several parties.
Free singleplayer and multiplayer demos are available.

Version differences

Gold Edition released in May 2003 bundles the base game with the Primal Hunt expansion pack.

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
Primal Hunt Expansion pack which adds new weapons and multiplayer maps as well as a singleplayer prequel campaign to the base game.
Windows

Essential improvements

Patches

  • The v1.0.9.6 patch is available in the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Korean and Spanish. It can be downloaded from the Files section

Map updates

Make sure the game is patched to v1.0.9.6 before installing the updates

Master Server Patch

Contrary to the name, this is an unofficial patch that not only redirects the multiplayer segment of the base game and Primal Hunt to a community-run master server, but also introduces fixes for modern systems.
Requires the official 1.0.9.6 patch and Single Player Map Update #1.
Includes widescreen and high resolution support, anisotropic filtering in the custom performance menu, a mouse input fix, and framerate issue fixes.
Includes a console with commands for turning off visor color inversion, showing the framerate, toggling patch options, etc.
Incompatible with custom launchers.

Skip intro videos

Intro videos can be skipped by clicking on Options in the launcher and ticking Disable Logos.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\autoexec.cfg[Note 1]
macOS (OS X)

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\Save\Player_0[Note 1]
macOS (OS X)

Video

Video settings.
Video settings.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor
See Widescreen resolution.
Ultra-widescreen
See Widescreen resolution.
4K Ultra HD
See Widescreen resolution. HUD and menus do not scale well at very high resolutions.
Field of view (FOV)
See Widescreen resolution.
Windowed
Add +windowed 1 to the advanced command-line in the launcher.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See Borderless windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Up to 16 samples for the base game with the Master Server Patch.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
High-fidelity upscaling
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Can be forced off.[citation needed]
60 FPS
120+ FPS
Sound and animation issues at higher frame rates. Cap the game at 60 FPS to prevent these.
High dynamic range display (HDR)

Widescreen resolution

Using the Master Server Patch
  1. Install patch 1.0.9.6 and Single Player Map Update #1 from the Patches section.
  2. Install the Master Server Patch.

Custom launchers

Alternative method: Use custom launchers[1]
  1. Install patch 1.0.9.6 and Single Player Map Update #1 from the Patches section.
  2. Download launcher executables for the base game and/or expansion.
  3. Place chosen executable(s) in <path-to-game>.
  4. Run the launcher for the base game or expansion and configure desired settings.

Notes:

Allows the FOV to be freely configured to a chosen number value
Needs to be run with administrator privileges in order to launch.
Conflict with the Master Server Patch, preventing the use of the patch's console.
Alternative method: Edit autoexec[2][dubious – discuss]
  1. Install patch 1.0.9.6 and Single Player Map Update #1 from the Patches section.
  2. Open the autoexec.cfg file located in <path-to-game>\Fox\Aliens vs. Predator 2 with a text editor. For Primal Hunt, the file is found in <path-to-game>\Fox\Aliens vs. Predator 2 - Primal Hunt.
  3. Search for the following entries:
"SCREENWIDTH" "#"
"GameScreenHeight" "#"
"SCREENHEIGHT" "#"
"GameScreenWidth" "#"

4. Change the resolution numbers that appear after those entries to the desired screen resolution.

Notes:

It is possible to use resolutions that go beyond the game's resolution settings, but accessing and modifying the display settings in the game launcher will immediately overwrite the value.
FOV will be stretched to fit the aspect ratio
Does not work for resolution heights greater than 2048 or resolution widths greater than 1536

Borderless windowed

Master Server Patch: Activate borderless windowed mode[2]
  1. Add +windowed 1 and +borderless 1 command line arguments to the advanced command-line in the Options section of the launcher.
Lithfix: Activate borderless windowed mode
  1. Go to <path-to-game> and open autoexec.cfg in a text editor.
  2. Create a new line at the top and type "lf_borderless_window" "1.0".
  3. Save the file.

Notes:

With the custom launchers, borderless windowed mode can be toggled in the Game settings section of the custom launcher.
Use Borderless Gaming

Input

Audio

Audio settings.
Audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Under Game settings.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Czech
Fan translation. link #1 or link #2
French
German
Hungarian
Fan translation; download for base game, Primal Hunt
Italian
Korean
Requires patch v1.0.9.6 installed.
Spanish
Download for base game, Primal Hunt

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
16
Online play
16 The official GameSpy service has been shut down; use the Master Server Patch for a community-run replacement.

Connection types

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP 2300-2400, 7000-10000
UDP 27888-27900
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes State Notes
vorpX
Z3D
User created profile, requires DGvoodoo2 v 2.6 (DX6), see vorpx forum.

Issues fixed

The game does not launch or crashes when loading a level

Run avp2.exe in compatibility mode for Windows 98 / Me and as administrator.[citation needed]

Windows 8 low frame rate in fullscreen

Use low frame rate fix[2]
  1. Download the Windows 8/8.1 DDraw FPS Fix and extract ddraw.dll into <path-to-game>.

Notes:

May cause black screen freezing on startup for Windows 10.

Uncontrollable mouse movement

Mouse moves in wavelike pattern when attempting y-axis movement.
Decrease mouse polling rate to 125 Hz.[2]
Use the Master Server Patch
Install mrNuku and Ayleia's dinput.dll[2]
  1. Download it here extract it to <path-to-game>.

Notes:

Fixes a common crash on launch.
Conflicts with DI-wrapper.
Will require reassigning mouse buttons.
Alternative method: Use DI-wrapper[3]
  1. Download DI-Wrapper extract it to <path-to-game>.

Notes:

Conflicts with mrNuku and Ayleia's dinput.dll.
Will require reassigning mouse buttons.
Alternative method: Use LithFix for smoother mouselook
  1. Download LithFix and copy it to installation folder.
  2. Remove any custom .rez files and add -rez lithfix to advanced command-line in the launcher.

Notes:

Custom launchers have basic support for LithFix since version 1.3.0 (base game) or 1.1.0 (Primal Hunt).
Conflicts with Master Server Patch.[2]

Screen turns black in alternate Alien and Predator vision modes

With recent graphics drivers, the game's color inversion does not work, resulting in the Alien vision and the Predator tech visor displaying black screens.[4][5]
Disable inverted vision modes in the Master Server Patch's console[2]
  1. Install the Master Server patch.
  2. When in-game, hit ~ on the keyboard to open the console.
  3. Type invertbypass into the console and hit enter to toggle the inversion off.

Notes:

Works in both multiplayer and singleplayer.
The toggle will be saved, remaining on or off through restarts as set.
Changes the look of the inverted vision modes significantly.
Doesn't work for "Primal hunt" expansion.
Alternative method: Disable inverted vision modes by installing the vision mode fix[2]
  1. Download the file and unzip it in the custom subfolder in <path-to-game>\Fox\Aliens vs. Predator 2. If the folder does not exist, create it.
  2. In the launch settings, go to Options, then type in the -rez custom/visionfix.rez command line argument.

Notes:

Can also be installed to <path-to-game> and launched with the -rez visionfix.rez command line argument.
Changes the look of the inverted vision modes significantly.
Only works in singleplayer.
Predator's night vision does not work underwater.
Alternative method: Install dgVoodoo 2[2]
  1. Download the latest version of dgVoodoo 2 and unpack it (verified working on version 2.82.3).
  2. Extract dgVoodooCpl.exe and dgVoodoo.conf, paste them into <path-to-game>.
  3. Extract D3D8.dll D3D9.dll D3DImm.dll and DDraw.dll from the MS\x86 folder to <path-to-game>.
  4. Run dgVoodooCpl.exe and configure the settings.

Notes:

Makes the inverted vision modes display properly, rather than turning off their color inversion.
Can be used to force anti-aliasing and higher resolutions without shrinking the HUD and menus.
Works with all patches except the Windows 8 FPS fix.
Has severe performance issues with the game's dynamic lighting.

Cutscenes play too fast

Cap the frame rate at 60 FPS[2]
Set monitor refresh rate to 60 Hz[6]


MFC Application Client Application Has Stopped Working error

This error seems to also occur more often when running in fullscreen mode; consider using windowed or borderless windowed mode.[citation needed]
Install the Master Server Patch[2]
Check the Windows Event Log for the application error - if it refers to a \system32\HID.DLL then it's likely an error with some input devices.[citation needed]
Install mrNuku and Ayleia's dinput.dll[2]
  1. Download it here and extract dinput.dll to <path-to-game>.

Notes:

Built to solve this crash, mouse issues, and any problems with keybindings.
Conflicts with DI-wrapper.
Disable HID devices[7][8]
  1. Open the Windows Device Manager.
  2. Expand Human Interface Devices.
  3. Right-click on each driver starting with "HID Compliant", and left-click on "Disable Device".

Notes:

Test re-enabling them and re-launching the game one after the other to determine the driver(s) causing the problem.
Uninstalling these drivers tends to result in them being reinstalled and reenabled almost immediately.

MSI Afterburner overlay makes the game crash

Change the settings in RivaTuner[citation needed]
  1. After launching MSI Afterburner, open the Riva Tuner Statistics Server from the system tray.
  2. Add lithtech.exe from <path-to-game> to the settings.
  3. Set Stealth mode to "ON".

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 7
ExecutablePPC 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio Miles Sound System 6.0i
Cutscenes Bink Video 1.0h
Multiplayer GameSpy

Modding

Complete Texture Overhaul Mod

Replaces most textures in the game with higher resolution ones.
The mod drastically changes the game's overall aesthetic, aiming for a grittier, more desaturated look.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium III 450 MHz
System memory (RAM) 128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 750 MB
Video card (GPU) 16 MB of VRAM
DirectX 8.0 compatible
macOS (OS X)
Minimum
Operating system (OS) 10.2.6
Processor (CPU) G4 700 MHz
System memory (RAM) 256 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 1.2 GB
Video card (GPU) ATI Radeon
Nvidia GeForce
32 MB of VRAM


Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

References