Privateer 2: The Darkening

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Privateer 2: The Darkening
Privateer 2: The Darkening cover
Developers
Origin Systems
Publishers
Electronic Arts
Release dates
DOS December 9, 1996
Windows November 4, 1997
 
 
 
Privateer 2: The Darkening at Wikipedia
Wing Commander
Wing Commander 1990
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi 1991
Wing Commander: Academy 1993
Wing Commander: Privateer 1993
Super Wing Commander 1994
Wing Commander: Armada 1994
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger 1994
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom 1996
Privateer 2: The Darkening 1996
Wing Commander: Prophecy 1997
Wing Commander: Secret Ops 1998

Key points

Use the Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch to remove FMV interlacing and improve stability.

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
GOG.com Support Page

Availability[edit]

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
DRM details are not known
 DOS (original) or Windows (Deluxe).
DOS
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
 DOS version pre-packaged with DOSBox.[1]
Windows

Essential improvements[edit]

Patches[edit]

Version 17.0e (Buffalo Wings) patch (DOS)[edit]

The Version 17.0e (Buffalo Wings) patch updates the DOS version with fixes and improvements. The GOG.com and Windows versions are already patched.

Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch[edit]

The Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch removes video interlacing and fixes many other issues.
Set up Unofficial Patch[citation needed]
  1. Download the Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch.
  2. Extract into the installation folder.
  3. Right-click DARKFIX.EXE in the installation folder and choose Properties.
  4. Click Compatibility and select the Run in Compatibility Mode check box. Select Windows 95.
  5. Click OK to save your changes.
  6. If you are using an original CD version you need to copy the files from all three CDs into the installation folder.
  7. If your game is not installed on your C: drive you have to edit the DARK.FIX file and change the first two lines in order to match with your installation folder (e.g. C:. -> D:.)
  8. Use DARKFIX.EXE to run the game from now on.

Game data[edit]

Configuration file(s) location[edit]

System Location
DOS <path-to-game>\DARK.CFG
Windows <path-to-game>\DARK.CFG
Settings for the Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch are stored in <path-to-game>\DARK.FIX.

Save game data location[edit]

System Location
DOS <path-to-game>\GAME0*.IFF
Windows <path-to-game>\GAME0*.IFF

Save game cloud syncing[edit]

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy

Video settings[edit]

General settings.
General settings.
Graphics option Option WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
 
 640x480 only. Use the Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch for pillarboxed.
Multi-monitor
 
Ultra-widescreen
 
4K Ultra HD
 
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
True for DOS version (when using DOSBox), false for Windows version.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)
For DOSBox use an unofficial build (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
Game is capped to around 30 FPS.

Input settings[edit]

Keyboard and mouse Native Notes
Remapping
For DOSBox use the DOSBox Mapper (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Toggle Flight Model Orientation in in-flight options (Alt+O).
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Space flight only.
Controller remapping
For DOSBox use the DOSBox Mapper (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion
Toggle Flight Model Orientation in in-flight options (Alt+O).
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio settings[edit]

Audio options Native Notes
Separate volume controls
On/off only.
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
German

Issues fixed[edit]

No music during space flight (Windows)[edit]

The Windows version only plays music when running in compatibility mode.
Install Unofficial Patch[2]

Install the Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch.

Other information[edit]

API[edit]

Technical specs Supported Notes
64-bit executable

System requirements[edit]

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP, Vista, 7, 8
Processor (CPU) 1 GHz 1.4 GHz
System memory (RAM) 256 MB 512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)
Video card (GPU) DirectX 7 compatible DirectX 9 compatible

References

  1. ↑ List of GOG games using DOSBox, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com
  2. ↑ New Privateer 2 Patch Adds Deinterlace Feature & Makes Numerous Improvements (October 1, 2013) | Page 3 | Wing Commander CIC