NHL 2004
From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Developers | |
---|---|
EA Black Box | |
Publishers | |
EA Sports | |
Release dates | |
Windows | September 22, 2003 |
Reception | |
Metacritic | 87 |
Taxonomy | |
Monetization | One-time game purchase |
Modes | Singleplayer, Multiplayer |
Pacing | Real-time |
Perspectives | Bird's-eye view |
Controls | Direct control, Multiple select |
Genres | Sports |
Sports | Hockey |
Themes | Contemporary |
Series | NHL |
⤏ Go to series page | |
NHL Hockey (NHL '94) | 1993 |
NHL 95 | 1994 |
NHL 96 | 1995 |
NHL 97 | 1996 |
NHL 98 | 1997 |
NHL 99 | 1998 |
NHL 2000 | 1999 |
NHL 2001 | 2000 |
NHL 2002 | 2001 |
NHL 2003 | 2002 |
NHL 2004 | 2003 |
NHL 2005 | 2004 |
NHL 06 | 2005 |
NHL 07 | 2006 |
NHL 08 | 2007 |
NHL 09 | 2008 |
Warnings
- SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see Availability for affected versions).
NHL 2004 is a singleplayer and multiplayer bird's-eye view sports game in the NHL series.
The game requires unofficial modifications to run properly on modern systems, as it relies on obsolete integration with Microsoft Internet Explorer to display the menus, and all community projects include workarounds.
General information
- NHL04 Rebuilt - the game's modding community
Availability
Essential improvements
Official patch
- The latest official patch is 1.04, but was only distributed on the EA Sports Online (EASO) server that has been shut down. The full official distribution has been lost - only an RTP library was preserved.
- All community mods include a modified 1.04 executable.
Unofficial patches and mods
- On modern systems, it is impossible to run the game without significant modifications due to the reliance of the main menu interface on obsolete Internet Explorer hooking.
- The community is actively working on modifications which work around the compatibility problems.
- 04 Launcher v2 - unofficial launcher which provides multiple compatibility tweaks, various quality-of-life improvements, and new features for modders. Many of its features are modular and open to community contributions.
It has to be used with either the Vanilla Rebuilt mod (North American rosters from the game's "native" 2003/2004 season) or one of the other various roster mods (vary from historical to present rosters).
All modifications include modified menu interfaces which work better with the 04 Launcher's compatibility tweaks. - The 04 Launcher is open-source: main repository, scripts, mods, download repository.
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | %USERPROFILE%\Documents\NHL 2004 |
Save game data location
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | %USERPROFILE%\Documents\NHL 2004 |
Video
Graphics feature | State | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Widescreen resolution | Using any community-made mods will incorporate widescreen options. Menus are still in a hardcoded resolution. | ||
Multi-monitor | |||
Ultra-widescreen | |||
4K Ultra HD | Use the 04 Launcher | ||
Field of view (FOV) | Use the 04 Launcher and download the 'Cutscene FOV' mod. | ||
Windowed | Use the 04 Launcher | ||
Borderless fullscreen windowed | Use the 04 Launcher | ||
Anisotropic filtering (AF) | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | ||
Anti-aliasing (AA) | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | ||
High-fidelity upscaling | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | ||
Vertical sync (Vsync) | Use the 04 Launcher | ||
60 FPS and 120+ FPS | |||
High dynamic range display (HDR) |
Input
Keyboard and mouse | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Remapping | ||
Mouse acceleration | ||
Mouse sensitivity | ||
Mouse input in menus | ||
Mouse Y-axis inversion | ||
Controller | ||
Controller support | ||
Full controller support | Main menu can only be accessed with the mouse. | |
Controller remapping | ||
Controller sensitivity | ||
Controller Y-axis inversion |
Controller types |
---|
XInput-compatible controllers | Use the 04 Launcher and download the XInput mod. | |
---|---|---|
Xbox button prompts | Generic prompts only. | |
Impulse Trigger vibration |
PlayStation controllers | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. |
---|
Generic/other controllers | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. |
---|
Additional information | ||
---|---|---|
Controller hotplugging | ||
Haptic feedback | ||
Digital movement supported | ||
Simultaneous controller+KB/M | Each peripheral (including the keyboard) belongs to a different player. |
Audio
Audio feature | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Separate volume controls | Music, sound effects, crowd, commentary, rink speech. | |
Surround sound | 2 and 4 speaker settings. | |
Subtitles | ||
Closed captions | ||
Mute on focus lost | ||
Royalty free audio | All music is licensed (various artists) |
Localizations
Language | UI | Audio | Sub | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
English | ||||
Finnish | ||||
French | ||||
German | ||||
Swedish |
Network
Multiplayer types
Type | Native | Players | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Local play | 6 | |||
LAN play | 12 | |||
Online play | 12 | Official servers have been shut down. |
Connection types
Type | Native | Notes |
---|---|---|
Matchmaking | ||
Peer-to-peer | ||
Dedicated | ||
Self-hosting | ||
Direct IP |
Issues unresolved
- The game crashes on startup if the user has wireless peripherals (headsets, mice...), either with a white screen or with an error message reporting the process stopping. Before the game is run, the USB dongle needs to be unplugged, and only plugged back in when the game's intro/menu is shown.[3]
Other information
API
Technical specs | Supported | Notes |
---|---|---|
Direct3D | 8.1 |
Executable | 32-bit | 64-bit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Windows |
Middleware
Middleware | Notes | |
---|---|---|
Interface | Internet Explorer | The main menu explicitly requires Internet Explorer 5-8. See Essential improvements. |
System requirements
Windows | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | Recommended | |
Operating system (OS) | 98, ME, 2000 | XP |
Processor (CPU) | Intel Pentium III 700 MHz | Intel Pentium 4 1.4 GHz |
System memory (RAM) | 128 MB | 256 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 750 MB | 1.4 GB |
Video card (GPU) | 3D accelerator 32 MB of VRAM DirectX 8.1 compatible | 64 MB of VRAM |
Notes
References
- ↑ Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16
- ↑ Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2022-11-20
- Confirmed with the Logitech G533 wireless headset.