BF2 on Steam and wanna play FH2?

[Rawhide]

Here's how you do it if you bought BF2 on Steam and wanna play Forgotten Hope 2

1 ) Make sure you have BF2 in your games list
- Link to product on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/24860/

2 ) Start it up and check that it works by joining a server and just playing

3 ) Download Forgotten Hope 2
- Link to main page: http://forgottenhope.warumdarum.de/

4 ) Install Forgotten Hope 2 and make sure you got the latest version installed

5 ) When BF2 and FH2 is installed, go in to the Steam/Steamapps/Common/BF2/Mods/FH2 and copy the shaders_client file and just copy it into Steam/Steamapps/Common/BF2/Mods/BF2

6 ) Open Steam, go to settings and click on "In-game" tab and make sure the Steam Community (Shift+Tab) is not active. Steam, Punkbuster and the overlay community function will not work in BF2/FH2. So if you wanna play FH2, you gotta click the box so it's not active or else PB will kick you within five minutes.

Also check the Downloads+Cloud tab and remove the Steam Cloud function

- Now we have removed two things that would fuck up Punkbuster while hunting town evil Tigers on St.Lo breakthrough

7 ) Manually update Punkbuster. Use PBsetup and just add Battlefield 2 and check for updates. Great way if PB starts giving you the trouble.

Can be found here: http://www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=pbsetup.php

8 ) Start Battlefield 2, log in, click on community and custom games. Activate Forgotten Hope 2. BF2 will close and FH2 will start.

8.1 ) You can also add FH2 directly to Steam's my games list via the "add non Steam game" at "add game" menu.

9 ) Join a server, have fun and lets us know if it doesn't work!

[Rawhide]

If my list doesn't work, try Die Happy's

now what you need to do is a bit "complicated" but ive done it a few times and it works.

here is what you need to do:
install bf2 via steam
run the game once
create a gamespy account
load any map in bf2 (online or offline)
make your config
install FH2
now comes the tricky part.
make a backup (rename) of the shader_client.zip file in the steam/.../Battlefield 2/mods/bf2 folder
now copy the shader_client.zip form the battlefield2/mods/fh2 folder into the Battlefield 2/mods/bf2 folder. (this is basically what the FH2.exe does but the steam version cant run & handle this so you have to do this manually)

now the following is HOW TO START FH2 on STEAM (you need to do this every time until we find a better way)
now start BF2 via steam > open the community menu > select custom games an start FH2.
Bf2 will restart with FH2 running. now you can join the servers and the shader issues should be solved.

IF you ever want to play BF2 or any other mod besides FH2 you have to restore the original shader_client.zip file in the steam/.../battlefield2/mods/bf2 folder. !!!

[Atkins]

I would add that check out Steam's forums if you encounter problems not described above, like the CD-Key not Valid-problem which seems to be quite common.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=733

Also, I got BF2 out of Steam by talking to EA support chat and they gave me new cd-key that worked in EA Download Manager (EADM).

[githma]

5 ) When BF2 and FH2 is installed, go in to the Steam/Steamapps/Common/BF2/Mods/FH2 and copy the shaders_client file and just copy it into Steam/Steamapps/Common/BF2/Mods/BF2

Im not sure what you meen by this.  I don't have a BF2 folder in "Steam/Steamapps/Common/BF2/Mods/"  only a FH2.  Do you want me to make one? pleas elaborate.

also im logging into the game and im not seeing any option for community and custom games.  please help

[githma]

nevermind im an idiot.  doh! im so mad at myself.  i have battlefield bad company 2.  didnt realize they were 2 different games.......

[kellywh0]

I copied the shaders over but it still doesnt work. All that comes up is a screen saying. You must stat FH2 by using a fh2.exe not bf2.exe. But i do use the fh2.exe
edit: every once in awhile i get the message failded to move mods/fh2/shaders_cliant.zip to mods/bf2/shaders_cliant.zip. The process cannot access the file because its being used by another process.

[DLFReporter]

Sounds like a access rights problem under Win7.
Have you tried turning off the Win UAC feature?

[Schneider8]

Sounds like a access rights problem under Win7.
Have you tried turning off the Win UAC feature?

I have the same problem. I played for few weeks without error. Then I clicked on BFHQ and clicked a slider button right next to United States Army. I was just curious. Right after the click, it got me on windows screen with error: FH2 crashed. do you want to report it to FH2 team?
Since this, every time I turn in FH2, I get 2 errors after clicking FH2 shortcut.
They say: failded to move mods/fh2/shaders_cliant.zip to mods/bf2/shaders_cliant.zip. The process cannot access the file because its being used by another process.
It worked with two errors and I played properly for few days. But today when I started, I had 2 more errors and while I was playing, I tryed to aim with a gun and it was black and white.
(btw: I have Win7 and UAC turned off. No firewall and other stuff. I have original copy of a game)

[DLFReporter]

Ah that's an easy one to fix, just search for "failded to move mods/fh2/shaders_cliant.zip to mods/bf2/shaders_cliant.zip" in this subforum and you'll find a solution. Cheers

[Schneider8]

I did all the stuff that he said and still get errors and blac and white aim screen.
-I deleted cache folders (both from mods/BF2 and mods/FH2)
-There weren't zips, so I downloaded them and renamed to ...backup.zip
-I also noticed that when I start FH2 now, in task manager/processes, it shows only FH2.exe and BF2 exe is missing. It showed it before, I'm 100% sure.

Any ideas?

[Schneider8]

clean reinstall and it works fine...
but now I get PB error. I installed all, played for few minutes (15 I think) and then PB kicked me out of server end gave me error like: unable to update punkbuster
...so I downloaded pbsvc.exe and reinstalled PB. It didn't help. Any ideas? 

[sheikyerbouti]

 punkbuster is weird sometimes, I recommend that you try manual update a few times to see if one of them will stick.

 you're almost there buddy, good luck and see you on the battlefield

[DLFReporter]

Check your taskmanager and see if both PunkbusterA.exe and B are running, other than that follow sheiks lead and you will soon be joining us again.

[Schneider8]

I reinstalled 2 more times and didn't help.
+both PBA and PBB are running.
I still get the same error

[kummitus]

you've tried pbsetup.exe?

http://www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=pbsetup.php