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General
What is SoF 2?
What do I need to play SoF 2?
What is the CD Key?
Invalid CD Key?
I lost my CD Key, can I have another one?
Patches? What patches?
I have seen some screenshots with a clock on them, how do I get it?
Can I add computer controlled opponents to the game?
How do I get to my console?
How do I see my frames per second (FPS)?
How do I set my max FPS beyond the menu setting?
Add-Ons
What is a map?
What is a skin?
How do I install a map or skin?
How do I make a map?
What is a mod?
How do I install a mod?
OSP, what is it??
Binding
I have seen some people write in colour, how do they do it?
What is a bind and how do I make one?
How do I take screenshots and where do they go?
How do I say things (voice) like ‘Objective Achieved'?
Punk Buster (PB)
What is Punk Buster?
Punk Buster keeps kicking me!!
How do I update Punk Buster?
How can I find out the version of my Punk Buster?
Technical
I installed the game, but I get an OpenGL error when I try to run it!!
I have windows XP, will the game work
I have an EAX soundcard, but I can't use EAX?!
Game worked fine, but now crashes…
General
What is SoF 2?
SoF 2 stands for Solider of Fortune 2. It is rated as a mature game with both single player (SP) and multi players (MP) aspects. The SP game takes you through a number of levels based on a great story line. The MP game allows you to battle with others across the internet with several game types (Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Infiltration, Demolition and Capture the Flag) each with a goal that needs to be achieved.
What do I need to play SoF 2?
To play SoF 2, you need a computer that meets the minimum specifications (P3 450Mhz, 128MB RAM, 16MB OpenGL 3D card, Direct X 8.1, 1.3 GB HD space) for the game. You need a purchased, fully legal version of the game and your very own unique CD Key.
What is the CD Key?
Each game comes with a unique CD Key. This is used to identify you online in MP games. It is also needed to install the game.
You must make sure that you do not loose it, or give it to someone else.
Invalid CD Key?
I bought and installed the game, and I am trying to enter the CD Key but it says it's invalid. I am 100% sure that I am entering it right... If your CD for some strange reason is not working, take the game back to the shop for an exchange.
If you have installed and played the game and are suddenly getting an invalid CD key warning, in the options, enter your CD key again.
I lost my CD Key, can I have another one?
Raven has given you one CD Key per game. If you loose this then you will have to buy another game. Raven does not give out new CD keys, and neither do we.
Patches? What patches?
There have been 3 patches for SoF 2. Each brought something to the game; bugs fixes, news maps, new gun and Punk Buster.
There are 3 separate patches (v1.01, 1.02, 1.03 Gold). The 3rd patch is known as the Gold patch as it updates the game to the same level as the retail version of SoF 2 Gold. To update the game you can install the 1.03 Gold Full patch. This will make sure that you game is fully up to date. You can get it here.
There are loads of benefits for having the latest version of the game, don't miss out.
I have seen some screenshots with a clock on them, how do I get it?
The screenshots you have seen are from the mandown mod. It adds the clock to the game, this option is also available with the new OSP mod.
Can I add computer controlled opponents to the game?
Raven released the game without adding bots to the game. However some developers have added computer controlled opponents to the game. For instance the mandown mod or the Goldrush mod have bot support. There are also separate bot mods for the game like the CRSbot which are currently in development. But bots for the game tend to be stupid and very accurate.
How do I get to my console?
To bring down the console, make sure you are in the game and press the tide key (the one to the left of 1).
How do I see my frames per second (FPS)?
To show your FPS you need to type this command into the console:-
/cg_drawFPS 1
To disable the FPS being displayed, simple replace the 1 with a 0 
How do I set my max FPS beyond the menu setting?
To set the max FPS you need to type this into your console:-
/com_maxfps {fps} (where {fps} = the max number you want)
Add-Ons
What is a map?
A map is a playing field for the game. Whenever you start a game, you are put into an area. It has a ground, sky, buildings, crates, and a bunch of enemies run around it. The name given to this is a map. You can download many maps from this site for multiplayer games. To play it you must either create your own server or join a server running that map.
What is a skin?
If you look at anything in the game, it has 2 things, a model and a skin. The model dictates the objects shape and dimensions and the skin wraps around it giving texture/colour to the model. If you didn't have a skin around a model, you would see a grey shape with white lines along it. There are many developers out there who make their own skins for guns or for characters from the game. So if you are bored with the way a gun looks like, you can try one of the other skins. Some are very good 
How do I install a map or skin?
When you download a map or a skin, it comes with a readme file, which should contain installation instructions. Maps and skins have to be put into your base or base/mp folder.
When you install the game into the default location your base folder can be found at:-
C rogram FilesSolider of Fortune 2 – Double Helixbase
You should extract the contents of the zip (the .pk3 from inside) into this folder or the base/mp folder. Depending on which the readme file says. Then when you start the game you will have the maps and skins installed.
NOTE that skins will only work on unpure servers. Many large server providers like Jolt, Barrysworld, Blueyonder provide you with pure servers that the skins will not work on.
How do I make a map?
There are many tutorials about this. Try here.
What is a mod?
Mod is short for modification. Some developers (by themselves or as a team) choose to make more than a map or a skin and they go about changing a lot more to the game. Sometimes creating a slight verification of the game, sometimes a completely new game.
How do I install a mod?
When you download the mod, it should come with a readme file that has installation instructions. Mods have to be put into your SoF 2 directory.
When you install the game into the default location your SoF 2 folder can be found at:-
Crogram FilesSolider of Fortune 2 – Double Helix
You must extract the contents of the zip into there. This will create a new directory with the mod inside. To launch the mod, start your game as normal and go to the mods menu (this came with one of the patches) and select the mod from the list and enable it.
OSP, what is it??
OSP stands for Orange Smoothie Productions. This is a mod created for Quake 3 Engine games such as this one. It adds a number of administrative features to the game. The OSP for SoF 2 is still being developed. Beat 0.2 (many servers run this) is only a server side mod. This means that players can connect to it without downloading anything first. A new version is being release, Beat 0.3. For this one, you will have to download a few files first and install them.
Amongst many add-ons to the game, OSP offers stats at the end of each game in the console and talk tokens. You can display you health to other players by typing #h. It may be useful downloading the server side version and reading the documentation that comes with it to discover the full potential of this mod. Below are the tokens that can be used while talking to players and what the tokens display:
#h
#H Inserts your current numerical health with colorcoding in lowercase and without it in uppercase.
#a
#A Inserts your current numerical armor with colorcoding in lowercase and without it in uppercase.
#d
#D Inserts the name of the last player that hurt you.
#t
#T Inserts the name of the last player that you hurt.
#f
#F Inserts the name of the closest teammate.
#l
#L Inserts your current location. Note: useful in tandem with the say_teamnl command (which is a team message without the location). Useful if you want to format it with special colors.
#i
#I Inserts the name of your currently equipped handgun, if you use the token in upper case it will print a short name for the weapon.
#p
#P Inserts the name of your currently equipped primary weapon, if you use the token in lower case it will print a short name for the weapon.
#s
#S Inserts the name of your currently equipped secondary weapon, if you use the token in lower case it will print a short name for the weapon.
#g
#G Inserts the name of your currently equipped grenade, if you use the token in lower case it will print a short name for the weapon.
#g
#G Inserts the name of your currently equipped grenade, if you use the token in lower case it will print a short name for the weapon.
#e
#E Inserts the name of your current equipment (armor, nightvision, infrared).
#B Inserts your current health in a nice bar format.
#b Inserts your current armor in a nice bar format.
Also when in an OSP server, you can type “/players" to see who is on the server and what rights they have (referee or admin).
Refs and admins have the power to kick and punish you for misbehaving. This is also a good way to make sure that you are in an OSP server
Binding
I have seen some people write in colour, how do they do it?
To write in colour, you need to prefix what you say with the colour code. So if you would like to write “abc123" in yellow,
you would have to write
^3abc123
The ^ can be achieved by pressing Shift + 6 on your keyboard. There are loads of colours you can use. By putting a different
number of letter after the ^. Here are some colours for you:-
^1 abc123 red
^2 abc123 olivegreen
^3 abc123 yellow
^4 abc123 MidnightBlue
^5 abc123 cyan
^6 abc123 pink
^7 abc123 white
^8 abc123 black
^9 abc123 red
^0 abc123 black
^a abc123 darkturquoise
^b abc123 orange
^c abc123 redorange
^d abc123 dodgerblue
^e abc123 deeppink
^f abc123 skyblue
^g abc123 limegreen
^h abc123 redpurple
^i abc123 steelblue
^j abc123 lightgreen
^k abc123 moccasin
^l abc123 lightblue
^m abc123 magenta
^n abc123 forestgreen
^o abc123 lightpink
^p abc123 springgreen
^q abc123 whitepink
^r abc123 lightpink
^s abc123 purple
^t abc123 redpink
^u abc123 purple
^v abc123 green
^w abc123 black
^x abc123 darkblue
^y abc123 lightblue
^z abc123 darkorange
^- abc123 darkgray
^= abc123 darkcyan
^[ abc123 darkcyan
^] abc123 darkcyan
^; abc123 black
^' abc123 yellow
^ abc123 darkpink
^/ abc123 black
^, abc123 gray
^. abc123 purple
You can create binds with these to use the same phrase over and over again.
What is a bind and how do I make one?
Binding is a process by which you attach a function/control to a key. All of your controls, for instance, are bound to the keyboard/mouse. You can create you own binds by typing a simple command into the console:-
bind x “say ^3abc123"
that means that every time you hit the button x, you will say abc123 in yellow. You can also say things to your team mates using the say_team command (bind x “say_team abc123"). Binds are not only for saying things on the screen, but can be used for many other things. If you are interested, check out the scripts on the site.
How do I take screenshots and where do they go?
To take a screenshot, first of all you need to bind a key for the screenshot. Bring down the console and type:-
/bind F11 screenshot
This will make you F11 key the button to press for screenshots. Then each time you take it, a jpg will be written to the screenshot folder. If you are playing the original game, it will be in the SoF 2/base/mp/screenshots folder. If you are playing a mod, it will be in the screenshot folder for that mod. So on an OSP server you will find the screenshots under SoF 2/OSP/screenshots.
How do I say things (voice) like 'Objective Achieved'?
You can access several of the voice chat commands that are not in the voice menu by typing them into the console. You can bind them to key as well, eg:
Bind x “vsay_team check_that_out"
Here is a list of all the voices:
vsay_team check_that_out
vsay_team take_cover
vsay_team negative
vsay_team hold_position
vsay_team advance
vsay_team fire_hole
vsay_team affirmative
vsay_team got_him
vsay_team sniper
vsay_team careful
vsay_team under_fire
vsay_team await_orders
vsay_team man_down
vsay_team clear
vsay_team need_backup
vsay_team cover_me
vsay_team grenade
vsay_team got_it
vsay_team check_fire
vsay_team obj_complete
vsay_team yes_sir
Punk Buster (PB)
What is Punk Buster?
Punk Buster is an anti-cheat software developed by Even Balance. It
has been added to SoF 2 with the second patch (v1.02). Any player trying to connect to a PB server with a recognised cheat gets kicked for it. Simple
As new cheats are discovered, they are added to PB so that it blocks them. This is why PB needs regular updates.
Punk Buster keeps kicking me!!
I join a server and in the matter of seconds I get kicked. It says something in the top left of the screen when I join something about Punk Buster, update and evenbalance.com. What's going on?
In the early stages of PB in SoF 2, there was a problem with PB updating itself and it needed you to update it manually. This should have been resolved by the gold patch (v1.03).
I try to join a server and I get kicked back to the menu and I get a message about Punk Buster kicking me for some reason and I don't understand it!!
If you have a cheat installed, you will be kicked, simple. If you do not have a cheat, you might have a wrong setting somewhere. There are many values that you need to have within limits otherwise you get kicked. These may have been accidentally changed by you or by a server you connected to before. If you don't know what is happening, note down the error message and ask about it on our forums
How do I update Punk Buster?
Punk Buster is designed to update itself automatically. In rare cases this doesn't happen and you should update it manually.
There are 3 ways to do this.
- Go to EvenBalance.com and download the updating program. This is a simple file that you must execute from the PB directory and it will make sure that you have all the files you need.
- Go to EvenBalance.com and manually save the htm files into the PB directory (more fiddly than above).
- In the game pull down the console and type:-
> pb_sv_enable
> pb_sv_update
> after its done
> pb_sv_disable
How can I find out the version of my Punk Buster?
In the console type “pb_ver" (without the quotes).
Technical
I installed the game, but I get an OpenGL error when I try to run it!!
If you get an OpenGL error when trying to run the game, this means that your current graphics drivers do not support the graphics system the game needs to run. You should get the latest graphic drivers from your cards manufacture.
This is also common of Windows XP systems. After windows XP is installed, it uses its own graphics drivers which are not OpenGL compatible. They simply need to be replaced
Another solution is to install GL Setup. This is an application intended to make sure that your drivers are OpenGL compatible. Get it here.
I have windows XP, will the game work
The game is fully compatible with windows XP (home and pro editions). There are some people who are experiencing trouble with the game on an XP computer, and blame XP straight away, but XP is not the fault.
There is a forums thread about Win XP and the game
target="_blank">here.
I have an EAX soundcard, but I can't use EAX?!
SoF 2 comes with the latest EAX technology, supported by Audiogy and Audiogy 2 sounds cards. People with Live sound card do not have compatible hardware BUT you can install an application called OpenAL. This can be found on the SoF 2 CD, by clicking on the links section in the autorun window. The program is on the CD, and once installed, it will configure your system to be compatible with the EAX in game so you can enjoy precision surround sound
Game worked fine, but now crashes…
If you have played the game for a while (couple of weeks or more) and it begun to crash without having done any changes to the game or computer, there are 2 main cause (but not the only ones) of this problem.
First of all if Punk Buster fails to update or cannot update, you may experience trouble while in a game, or even starting it. You should update your Punk Buster manually (look at Punk Buster section above). This should always be done just in case
Secondly it can be caused by hardware. If you have built the computer yourself or has been custom built for you, inadequate heat dissipation may be the cause. The game is very demanding on your system and makes it run hotter than many other applications. So it may be because your computer goes over the heat level it can tolerate. If you are running the game with Win XP, your computer will get hotter than if you were running it on Win 98. It may be worth having a look at the temperatures your computer reaches by using your motherboard monitoring software.
What if your computer has run the game for a several weeks or even months and it started happening. You might think that it won't be heat. Over time your computer accumulates dust. The dust acts like a blanket raising the temperature by 3 – 5 degree Celsius, possibly even more. In some computer raising the temperature by even as much as 1 degree it can make it crash. Cleaning the computer on the inside should be done by a qualified technician. You may easily damage the delicate circuitry
inside if you attempt to do this yourself. |
