Anonymous edits have been disabled on the wiki. If you want to contribute please login or create an account.

Crysis 2

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Crysis 2
Crysis 2 cover
Developers
Crytek
Multiplayer Crytek UK
Publishers
Electronic Arts
Engines
CryEngine 3
Release dates
Windows March 22, 2011
Reception
Metacritic 86
IGDB 87
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Subscription gaming service
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, FPS, Shooter
Vehicles Tank, Transport
Art styles Realistic
Themes North America, Post-apocalyptic, Sci-fi
Series Crysis
Crysis 2 on HowLongToBeat
Crysis 2 on IGDB
Crysis 2 guide on StrategyWiki
Crysis 2 on MobyGames
Crysis 2 on Wikipedia
Crysis
Crysis 2007
Crysis Warhead 2008
Crysis 2 2011
Crysis 3 2013
Crysis Remastered 2020
Crysis 2 Remastered 2021
Crysis 3 Remastered 2021
Crysis 4 TBA

Warnings

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

Crysis 2 is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person action, FPS and shooter game in the Crysis series.

General information

Crysis Website
MyCrysis Forums
Steam Community Discussions
Manual

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Requires online activation
Can only be used x times
TAGES Solidshield DRM.
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store
Origin
Maximum Edition. Included exclusively with Xbox Game Pass for PC as part of its version of EA Play.
Windows
Origin
Origin
Maximum Edition. Included with EA Play.
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Maximum Edition. Included with EA Play (Steam).
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg (unavailable)
Origin
Maximum Edition.
Windows
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
[1]
Windows
Humble Store (unavailable)
Origin
Maximum Edition. Region locked in Latin America.
Windows
Steam (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Can only be used x times
TAGES Solidshield DRM, 5 machine limit.
Icon overlay.png
Windows
The original edition of Crysis 2 on Steam carries TAGES Solidshield DRM with a 5 machine limit, while the Maximum Edition contains SteamStub DRM in addition to SolidShield, although the SolidShield wrapping seems inert.[citation needed]

Monetization

Type Notes
One-time game purchase The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
Subscription gaming service Available via EA Play.

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Edit system.cfg[2]
  1. Go to the installation folder.
  2. Open system.cfg with Notepad.
  3. Write g_skipIntro = 1 at the end of the file.

Skip log in screen

Edit game.cfg[2]
  1. Go to %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\Crysis2\
  2. Open game.cfg with Notepad (or create if it doesn't exist).
  3. Add g_enableInitialLoginScreen = 0 to the file.

Change in-game language

The game set its language based on Windows' settings by default.
Edit configuration files[citation needed]
  1. Go to the installation folder.
  2. Open <path-to-game>system.cfg.
  3. Find and change g_language = xxxx. Where xxxx is the language officially supported by the game.

Patches

Patch 1.9 prepares Crysis 2 for DX11 features and high-resolution textures. Each need to be downloaded and installed separately from the 1.9 patch. They are both included in the Maximum Edition.

Patch 1.9 can be downloaded from here.

DirectX 11 Ultra Upgrade

The DirectX 11 Ultra Upgrade can be downloaded here.
Included in Maximum Edition.
Features

With this package the following DX11 exclusive features will be activated:

  • Tessellation + Displacement Mapping
  • Realistic Shadows with Variable Penumbra
  • High Quality HDR Motion Blur
  • Sprite Based Bokeh Depth of Field
  • Parallax Occlusion Mapping
  • Particles Motion Blur, Shadows and Art Updates
  • Water Rendering improvements and using Tessellation + Displacement Mapping
Requirements
  • DX11 compatible graphics card with 768 MB Video Memory
  • 545 MB HD space

High-Resolution Textures

The High-Res Texture Pack can be downloaded here.
Included in Maximum Edition.
Features

The High-Resolution Texture Pack doubles the fidelity of many of the game's art assets.

Requirements
  • 64-bit operating system
  • DirectX 9-compatible graphics card with 768 MB Video Memory

NTCore 4GB Patch

Crysis 2 is very memory intensive. This app improves performance for Crysis 2 on 64-bit Windows systems with more than 2GB RAM by allowing it to access up to 4GB RAM.

At least included in the Maximum Edition by default.

Modifications

BlackFire's Mod 2 and MaLDo HD Textures

For those who truly want to push Crysis 2's graphical fidelity to its limits, BlackFire's Mod 2 and MaLDo HD serves their needs. Note that BlackFire's Mod 2 require the MaLDo HD mod to be installed and properly configured, on the other hand the MaLDo HD mod can be used alone as it's meant to improve the vanilla game with higher quality textures, model and bugfixes, a variety of game tweaks etc.

A step by step list of instructions for BlackFire's mod is available at the mod file's description on ModDB.

Most of the download links for the MaLDo HD mod on the original blog page are dead. The files can be found elsewhere though, e.g. over at Mod DB and over at gamepressure.

Game data

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

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\Crysis2\
Microsoft Store
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/108800/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\Crysis2\SaveGames\
Microsoft Store
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/108800/pfx/[Note 1]
Every automatic checkpoint save made in the game is saved as a permanent save file. There is no way to delete these files in-game, nor are they ever overwritten on subsequent playthroughs. These files can add up to several hundred megabytes worth of permanent save files if playing through the single-player campaign more than once.

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Origin
[citation needed]
Steam Cloud
Xbox Cloud

Video

In-game general video settings.
In-game general video settings.
In-game advanced video settings.
In-game advanced video settings.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Default is 55° vertical. See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Always enabled (x8).[citation needed]
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Post-process MSAA[3] applied by default, use r_PostMSAA 0 console command to disable.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Triple Buffering
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
See Run the game at screen refresh rate and Frame rate capped at 100 or 64 FPS, even with V-Sync disabled. Weapon animation is capped at 30FPS.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Field of view (FOV)

This game uses vertical FOV. See FOV Calculator for help.
Change FOV[4][citation needed]
  1. Create an autoexec.cfg file in the installation folder.
  2. Add cl_FOV = 55, which controls the main game world FOV.
  3. Add r_DrawNearFOV = 55, which controls the viewmodel FOV.
  4. Add pl_movement.power_sprint_targetFOV = 55, which controls the FOV used only when you sprint.
  5. Change the default values of 55 to the desired FOV.

Note

Not a permanent solution. The viewmodel FOV resets to its default value randomly after a few minutes or during certain actions such as dying, and there's some chance the camera/sprint FOV might reset at certain points as well.

Input

In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.
In-game mouse settings.
In-game mouse settings.
In-game general gamepad settings.
In-game general gamepad settings.
In-game gamepad layout settings for the player.
In-game gamepad layout settings for the player.
In-game gamepad layout settings for vehicles.
In-game gamepad layout settings for vehicles.

Advanced movement and controls

There are a number of advanced control options that are not taught in the game's tutorial.[5] These include:

Hold the sprint button (default Shift) while aiming down sights to stabilize your aim (costs suit energy).[6][5]
Activating armor mode (default Q) while aiming with a gun allows you to zoom in further.
Hold the melee button (default V) for a stronger melee attack (that uses up all suit energy).[6]
You can also use normal and heavy melee attacks while gliding (sprint + crouch), which leads to a kick.
De-cloak just before firing a weapon, because firing from stealth would drain your energy.

Audio

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

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Up to 7.1 output[7]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Traditional Chinese
Czech
French
German
Hungarian
Fan translation, download.
Italian
Japanese
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese
Fan translation, download.
Russian
Spanish
Turkish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
Online play
16 Online server browser stopped working on May 31, 2014.[8] Use OpenSpy from these two sites: [1] [2].

Connection types

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP 80, 2891, 2990, 6667, 29900, 64100
UDP 27900-27901, 64100
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes State GG3D Notes
Native 3D
Nvidia 3D Vision
See Helix Mod: Crysis 2 for better 3D support.
vorpX
2D
Officially supported game. See vorpx game list Note: Game is on the official list but not yet confirmed to be 3D.
Devices
3RD Space Gaming Vest

Issues unresolved

Statistic screen

The statistic-screen in the menu displays that 13 weapon-attachments are findable in single-player but in fact there are only 12. Therefore, it is not possible to achieve "100%".

Issues fixed

Crash at startup due to Windows Defender

Crysis 2 may crash at startup without a message due to Windows defender finding the game's process suspicious.[9]

Add game's executable to exceptions[10]
  1. Press Win+R and type in windowsdefender: and press OK.
  2. In the new Window press Virus and Threat protection button.
  3. Press the Manage settings button located under Virus & Threat protection settings section.
  4. Scroll down the page and press Add or remove exclusions button located under Exclusions section.
  5. Press + Add an exclusion. button and select File from the list.
  6. Add <path-to-game>\bin32\Crysis2.exe the list.

High sensitivity when using assault scope

When aiming down sights with assault scope mounted on any weapon, the sensitivity will be a lot higher than the one set in the game settings.
Use this mod[11]

Run the game at screen refresh rate

The game may set your monitor's refresh rate to its lowest supported refresh rate when in fullscreen mode, resulting in a lowered FPS when Vsync is on, and heavy screen tearing and/or stuttering even if FPS is high. This issue is separate from the issue capping the frame rate (see The game is capped at 64 FPS), which may also need to be addressed.[12]
Override refresh rate set by game[13]
  1. Download 3Dmigoto.
  2. Copy the files in the x32 folder to <path-to-game>\bin32\.
  3. Open d3dx.ini.
  4. Change ;refresh_rate=60 to the desired value, and remove the semicolon (e.g. refresh_rate=144).
  5. Change hunting=1 to ;hunting=1 by adding a semicolon.
  6. Save the changes and close the file.
Run in DirectX 9[14]
Use Borderless Gaming
  1. Set desktop refresh rate to the maximum your monitor supports.
  2. In the video settings, set Fullscreen and Vsync to "No."
  3. Use Borderless Gaming to run the game in a borderless window mode.
  4. Mouse position may be off in the menus, simply hit Alt+ Enter twice to fix it.
  5. You may want to use a frame limiter such as MSI Afterburner to limit the FPS to your monitor's refresh rate to prevent wasted GPU power usage.
Disable fullscreen optimizations
  1. Navigate to the bin32 folder in the game's main directory and locate Crysis2.exe.
  2. Right click the exe file and choose Properties.
  3. Select the Compatibility tab, and check Disable fullscreen optimizations.
  4. Hit apply and the game will now run at your monitor's native refresh rate.

Crash to desktop when using MSI Afterburner's On Screen Display

Config file edit[15]
  1. Open the MSI On-Screen Display Server program (RivaTuner Statistics Server).
  2. Click the plus sign (or newly "add" button) and navigate to where you installed Crysis 2 and add Crysis2.exe
  3. Once you have that added go to C:\Program Files (x86)\RivaTuner Statistics Server\Profiles
  4. Edit Crysis2.exe.cfg
  5. Change EnableDynamicOffsetDetection=0 to EnableDynamicOffsetDetection=1
  6. Change HookDirectDraw=0 to HookDirectDraw=1

Frame rate capped at 100 or 64 FPS, even with V-Sync disabled

Updates to Windows 10 have resulted in incompatibility with older CryEngine games, which may result in a capped frame rate. Windows 7 is also affected, but only in menus (eg. pause menu). Enabling NULL appears to have no effect under Windows 7.[16]
Set Low Latency Mode to Ultra[17]
  1. Go to the Nvidia control panel, set Low Latency Mode to Ultra for Crysis 2 in the "Manage 3D Settings" tab and press Apply.
Set max frame rate to 1000 in Nvidia control panel[18]
  1. Go to the Nvidia control panel, set max frame rate to 1000 for Crysis 2 in the "Manage 3D Settings" tab and press Apply.
Apply RTSS framerate limiter[19][20]
  1. Download and install RivaTuner Statistics Server.
  2. Run it.
  3. Click the "add" button and navigate to where you installed Crysis 2 and add Crysis2.exe.
  4. Set framerate limiter to any number (e.g. 200).
  5. Minimize (don't close) the program.
Use Crysis 2 fps cap fix[21]
  1. Download the fix and extract it in <path-to-game>\Bin32\.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c, 11
Shader Model support 3, 5
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio FMOD
Interface Scaleform
Multiplayer GameSpy

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP SP3
Processor (CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz
AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.0 GHz
System memory (RAM) 2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 9 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT
ATI Radeon HD 3850
512 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>/108800/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (108800) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References