Project Reality Detailed Installation Guide

[[R-DEV]Gaz]

Project Reality: A modification of Battlefield 2


Section 1: BEFORE YOU START...

*note* Uninstall all previous versions of PR (including any previous Open or Closed Beta builds) before continuing with this guide, using your Windows Add and Remove Programs. If you wish to play PR Single Player, you may be required to rename your old 'pr' folder in "C/Program Files/EA Games/mods/" instead of uninstalling. The latest 'current build' MUST be installed to this directory and will then 'take over' the 'pr' folder. Please see the Single Player section for more details. As long as you have renamed the older folder or uninstalled the older build, you can proceed.

Also, reboot your machine and then manually check your "C/Program Files/EA Games/mods/" folder and ensure that the "pr" file is deleted and emptied from the recycle bin.

*note2* VISTA USERS: If you have recently upgraded to Vista, for some reason certain maps can lag\delay so badly that it cannot be played. It is not the the server, the problem is with the operating system. The solution is to run BF2 and PR in Windows XP SP2 Compatibility Mode and as Administrator.

*note3* VISTA USERS: Microsoft have recently released a standalone hotfix that seems to fix crashes for games, and PR. As this is not included in Microsoft's usual patch release yet, the info is below to be manually added by the user until it's incorporated automatically in Vista. You can read about it on Microsft's KnowledgeBase Article

Direct Download Links:

32Bit Vista patch
64 Bit Vista patch

You can request the hotfix here if the direct links are invalid


Installation timeline

1) BF2
-----------------
BF2:SF Expansion |
BF2:EF Expansion |--- If you have expansion packs, this is when they should be installed
BF2:AF Expansion |
----------------
2) Latest Full BF2 Patch (Currently: 1.41)
3) Latest PR Build (Currently: 0.756)

Section 2: INSTALLATION GUIDE

*NOTE*: There are sometimes problems encountered if you install into a different path from the default install path dictated by the BF2 and PR installers. For ease of use, we recommend installing BOTH BF2 and the PR install into the default paths denoted in each installer.


1) Ensure your system meets or exceeds the minimum specifications to play Battlefield 2:

Minimum Specification:
CPU: 1.7 GHz
RAM: 512 MB
Video Card: nVidia GeForce FX 5700, ATI Radeon 8500 or ATI Radeon 9500 with 128 MB of RAM

Recommended Specification for Project Reality:
CPU: 2.4 GHz
RAM: 2GB
Video Card with at least 256 MB of RAM

Supported Video Cards:

Radeon X700 (PCI-E)
Radeon X600 (PCI-E)
GeForce 6600 (PCI-E)
GeForce PCX 5900 (PCI-Ee)
GeForce 5800 Series (AGP)
ATI Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition
ATI Radeon X800 PRO
ATI Radeon 9800 Series
ATI Radeon 9600 Series
ATI Radeon 9550 (RV350LX)
ATI Radeon 9500 / 9700 Series
ATI Radeon 8500 Series
ATI Radeon X300 Series
nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra
nVidia GeForce 6800 GT
nVidia GeForce 6800
nVidia GeForce FX 5950 Series
nVidia GeForce FX 5900 Series
nVidia GeForce FX 5700 Series

*note1*: the above specifications and supported video cards are listed by EA as the minimum specs. Other components of a lower or higher specification may or may not work also.

*note2*: The above minimum specifications are Battlefield 2 specific. Although the Project Reality mod is based upon the BF2 engine, recent features in PR tend to be harsher on computer components. We can no longer realistically expect the min specs to play standard BF2 to be the same as Project Reality. Therefore do not be surprised if you have to turn down your graphics settings a notch or two to get a smoother gameplay experience.

2) Ensure that you have the Battlefield 2 '1.41 patch' installed correctly.
Full Installer:
http://largedownloads.ea.com/pub/pat...Patch_1.41.exe


3) If nessessary, ensure that you have uninstalled any previously installed versions of PR. This can easily be done via the Windows Control Panel 'Add and Remove Programs' icon, under "Project Reality 0.x".*


4) Download the TWO seperate Project Reality 0.756 Client Installers from your preferred URL/torrent from the realitymod.com Files Page
The two installers are listed as CORE and LEVELS.


5) Run the CORE installer, following the on-screen prompts to accept the licence agreement and path of install. Unless you have installed BF2 in a custom folder (ie - not the default path), you will not need to choose a different path other than the one listed in the installer. We recommend changing the 'CUSTOM INSTALL' to 'COMPLETE INSTALL'. Choose if you want to have a desktop icon installed, then click 'Finish'.*


6) Run the LEVELS installer, following the on-screen prompts to accept the licence agreement and path of install. Unless you have installed BF2 in a custom folder (ie - not the default path), you will not need to choose a different path other than the one listed in the installer. We recommend changing the 'CUSTOM INSTALL' to 'COMPLETE INSTALL'. Choose if you want to have a desktop icon installed, then click 'Finish'.*
* It is recommended that you restart your system after you install/uninstall programs to ensure all installed components, files and registry entries are correctly installed or removed.


7) Enjoy the mod! We hope you enjoy playing the mod as much as we enjoy creating and playing it!

Section 3: IN-GAME SERVER BROWSER GUIDE

Ensure your in-game server browser is setup with the following filter options:

*note1* PR servers should have a note saying ''v0.756'' in their title. If you Crash To Desktop (CTD) when trying to join a server in the early days of a release, please note that this usually means that the server you are trying to join is running an older server build.

Section 4: SOUND AND PROJECT REALITY

In order to have the best possible experience with Project Reality it is very important that you enable EAX in your BF2 sound options.

Just about all onboard and aftermarket sound cards support some version of EAX and your PR experience will be greatly enhanced by enabling EAX support.

Section 5: FORCING WIDESCREEN IN BF2/PR

You can use David Rudie's Widescreen Fixer to 'force' true widescreen on BF2, and Project Reality. You can find the 3rd party installer and readme's here

NOTE: You MUST ONLY use v1.32 of the Widescreen Fxer for BF2/PR, as this is the only build that is officially 'cleared' with PunkBuster and EA as safe to use.

NOTE 2: The Project Reality Team do not offer support or take any responsibility for the affects of this application on your system or applications. It has been included in this guide after community recommendations only.

Section 6: PROJECT REALITY SINGLE PLAYER

The Single Player element of the Project Reality mod is not incorporated within the mod. Project Reality is primarily a multiplayer game, singleplayer is an addon that you have to download and setup seperately.This can frustrate users because this leads to Crashes to the Desktop (known as CTDs).

Check the PR SinglePlayer forum for download links and installation instructions.

Section 7: PROJECT REALITY USER GUIDE

We are always adding the new features and content to our Project Reality User Guide. When you first install the mod, you will find that there are 2 shortcuts auto-installed to your desktop to the PR Wiki Guide, and also the 'Project Reality Manual' Adobe PDF file. We strongly encourage all new players to have a read through the information. It can be difficult to fully enjoy PR before understanding at least the core basics of how the mod plays.