Difference between revisions of "Privateer 2: The Darkening"

Latest revision as of 10:36, 13 August 2023


⤏ Go to series page
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

Privateer 2: The Darkening is a singleplayer first-person and third-person action, business, simulation and vehicle combat game in the Wing Commander series.

Use the Enhancement Patch to remove FMV interlacing and improve stability.

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		DOS (original) or Windows (Deluxe).
GOG.com		DOS version pre-packaged with DOSBox.^[2]

A free demo version is available from Archive.org.

Essential improvements

Patches

The latest official patch 17.0e (Buffalo Wings, English DOS version only) is available at soggi.org.

The GOG.com and Windows versions are already patched.

Unofficial patch

The unofficial Enhancement Patch 3 is also available at soggi.org.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
DOS	<path-to-game>\DARK.CFG
Windows	<path-to-game>\DARK.CFG^{[Note 1]}

Settings for the Enhancement Patch are stored in <path-to-game>\DARK.FIX.

Save game data location

System	Location
DOS	<path-to-game>\GAME0*.IFF
Windows	<path-to-game>\GAME0*.IFF^{[Note 1]}

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy

Video

General settings.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		640x480 only. Use the Privateer 2 Enhancement 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	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
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

Keyboard and mouse	State	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`).

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers

PlayStation controllers

Generic/other controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		On/off only.
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		For DOSBox change the `priority` background value in the DOSBox configuration file.
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
German
Spanish

Issues fixed

No music during space flight (Windows)

The Windows version only plays music when running in compatibility mode.

Install Enhancement Patch^[3]
Install the Privateer 2 Enhancement Patch.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
DOS video modes

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

System requirements

DOS
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	5
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 60 MHz	Intel Pentium 90 MHz
System memory (RAM)	8 MB	12 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)
Video card (GPU)	1 MB of VRAM

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

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

References

↑ Release: Privateer 2: The Darkening - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023
↑ List of GOG games using DOSBox, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023
↑ New Privateer 2 Patch Adds Deinterlace Feature & Makes Numerous Improvements (October 1, 2013) | Page 3 | Wing Commander CIC

[gamedir-3] 1.0 ^1.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

[1] Release: Privateer 2: The Darkening - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023

[2] List of GOG games using DOSBox, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023

[4] New Privateer 2 Patch Adds Deinterlace Feature & Makes Numerous Improvements (October 1, 2013) | Page 3 | Wing Commander CIC

[1]

[2]

[Note 1]

[3]

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 {{Infobox game/row/date|DOS|December 9, 1996}}
 {{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|November 4, 1997}}
-{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|September 19, 2013|wrapper=DOSBox|ref=<ref>[https://www.gog.com/news/release_privateer_the_darkening Release: Privateer 2: The Darkening - GOG.com]</ref>}}
+{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|September 19, 2013|wrapper=DOSBox|ref=<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/news/release_privateer_the_darkening|title=Release: Privateer 2: The Darkening - GOG.com|date=May 2023}}</ref>}}
+|taxonomy     =
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase }}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/microtransactions | }}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/modes             | Singleplayer }}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/pacing            | Real-time }}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/perspectives      | First-person, Third-person }}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/controls          | Direct control, Menu-based}}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/genres            | Action, Business, Simulation, Vehicle combat}}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/sports            | }}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/vehicles          | Space flight }}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/art styles        | Realistic }}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/themes            | Sci-fi, Space, Piracy}}
+{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series            | Wing Commander }}
 |steam appid  =
 |gogcom id    = 1207659613
+|hltb         = 7315
+|igdb         = privateer-2-the-darkening
 |strategywiki =
-|mobygames    = privateer-2-the-darkening
+|mobygames    = 363
 |wikipedia    = Wing Commander (franchise)#Privateer 2: The Darkening
 |winehq       = 485
 |license      = commercial
 }}
-{{Series|Wing Commander}}
-'''Key points'''
+{{Introduction
-{{++}} Use the [[#Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch|Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch]] to remove {{term|FMV}} interlacing and improve stability.
+|introduction      =
+|release history   =
+|current state     = Use the [[#Unofficial patch|Enhancement Patch]] to remove {{term|FMV}} interlacing and improve stability.
+}}
 '''General information'''
@@ Line 29: / Line 48: @@
 {{Availability|
 {{Availability/row| Retail | | unknown |DOS (original) or Windows (Deluxe). | | DOS, Windows }}
-{{Availability/row| GOG.com | privateer_2_the_darkening | DRM-free |DOS version pre-packaged with [[DOSBox]].<ref>[https://www.gog.com/forum/general/list_of_gog_games_using_dosbox/page1 List of GOG games using DOSBox, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com]</ref> | | Windows }}
+{{Availability/row| GOG.com | privateer_2_the_darkening | DRM-free |DOS version pre-packaged with [[DOSBox]].<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/forum/general/list_of_gog_games_using_dosbox/page1|title=List of GOG games using DOSBox, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com|date=May 2023}}</ref> | | Windows }}
 }}
+{{ii}} A free demo version is available from [https://archive.org/details/P2DEMO_201407 Archive.org].
 ==Essential improvements==
 ===Patches===
-====Version 17.0e (Buffalo Wings) patch (DOS)====
+{{ii}} The latest official patch 17.0e (Buffalo Wings, English DOS version only) is available at [https://soggi.org/misc/game-patches.htm soggi.org].
-The [ftp://ftp.ea.com/pub/origin/patches/priv2/p2patch.exe Version 17.0e (Buffalo Wings) patch] updates the DOS version with fixes and improvements. The GOG.com and Windows versions are already patched.
+{{ii}} The GOG.com and Windows versions are already patched.
-====Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch====
+===Unofficial patch===
-{{++}} The [http://www.wcnews.com/chatzone/threads/new-privateer-2-patch-adds-deinterlace-feature-makes-numerous-improvements-october-1-2013.27100/page-3#post-385748 Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch] removes video interlacing and fixes many other issues.
+{{ii}} The unofficial '''Enhancement Patch 3''' is also available at [https://soggi.org/misc/game-patches.htm soggi.org].
-{{Fixbox|description=Set up Unofficial Patch|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-# Download the [http://www.wcnews.com/chatzone/threads/new-privateer-2-patch-adds-deinterlace-feature-makes-numerous-improvements-october-1-2013.27100/ Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch].
-# Extract into the installation folder.
-# Right-click <code>DARKFIX.EXE</code> in the installation folder and choose Properties.
-# Click Compatibility and select the Run in Compatibility Mode check box. Select Windows 95.
-# Click OK to save your changes.
-# If you are using an original CD version you need to copy the files from all three CDs into the installation folder.
-# If your game is not installed on your C: drive you have to edit the <code>DARK.FIX</code> file and change the first two lines in order to match with your installation folder (e.g. <code>C:.</code> -> <code>D:.</code>)
-# Use <code>DARKFIX.EXE</code> to run the game from now on.
-}}
 ==Game data==
@@ Line 57: / Line 66: @@
 {{Game data/config|Windows|{{p|game}}\DARK.CFG}}
 }}
-{{ii}} Settings for the [[#Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch|Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch]] are stored in <code>{{p|game}}\DARK.FIX</code>.
+{{ii}} Settings for the [[#Unofficial patch|Enhancement Patch]] are stored in {{file|{{p|game}}\DARK.FIX}}.
 ===Save game data location===
@@ Line 67: / Line 76: @@
 ===[[Glossary:Save game cloud syncing|Save game cloud syncing]]===
 {{Save game cloud syncing
-|discord                =
+|discord                   =
-|discord notes          =
+|discord notes             =
-|epic games store       =
+|epic games launcher       =
-|epic games store notes =
+|epic games launcher notes =
-|gog galaxy             = true
+|gog galaxy                = true
-|gog galaxy notes       =
+|gog galaxy notes          =
-|origin                 =
+|origin                    =
-|origin notes           =
+|origin notes              =
-|steam cloud            =
+|steam cloud               =
-|steam cloud notes      =
+|steam cloud notes         =
-|uplay                  =
+|ubisoft connect           =
-|uplay notes            =
+|ubisoft connect notes     =
-|xbox cloud             =
+|xbox cloud                =
-|xbox cloud notes       =
+|xbox cloud notes          =
 }}
-==Video settings==
+==Video==
 {{Image|Privateer 2 The Darkening settings.png|General settings.}}
-{{Video settings
+{{Video
 |wsgf link                  = https://www.wsgf.org/dr/privateer-2-darkening/en
 |widescreen wsgf award      = unsupported
@@ Line 92: / Line 101: @@
 |4k ultra hd wsgf award     = unsupported
 |widescreen resolution      = false
-|widescreen resolution notes= 640x480 only. Use the [[#Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch|Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch]] for pillarboxed.
+|widescreen resolution notes= 640x480 only. Use the Privateer 2 Enhancement Patch for pillarboxed.
 |multimonitor               = false
 |multimonitor notes         =
@@ Line 109: / Line 118: @@
 |antialiasing               = false
 |antialiasing notes         =
+|upscaling                  = unknown
+|upscaling tech             =
+|upscaling notes            =
 |vsync                      = false
 |vsync notes                =
@@ Line 121: / Line 133: @@
 }}
-==Input settings==
+==Input==
-{{Input settings
+{{Input
 |key remap                 = false
 |key remap notes           =
@@ Line 185: / Line 197: @@
 }}
-==Audio settings==
+==Audio==
-{{Audio settings
+{{Audio
 |separate volume          = false
 |separate volume notes    = On/off only.
@@ Line 199: / Line 211: @@
 |eax support              =
 |eax support notes        =
+|royalty free audio       = always on
+|royalty free audio notes =
+|red book cd audio        =
+|red book cd audio notes  =
 }}
@@ Line 215: / Line 231: @@
   |audio     = unknown
   |subtitles = unknown
+ |notes     =
+ |fan       =
+}}
+{{L10n/switch
+ |language  = Spanish
+ |interface = true
+ |audio     = true
+ |subtitles = true
   |notes     =
   |fan       =
@@ Line 224: / Line 248: @@
 {{ii}} The Windows version only plays music when running in compatibility mode.
-{{Fixbox|description=Install Unofficial Patch|ref=<ref>[http://www.wcnews.com/chatzone/threads/new-privateer-2-patch-adds-deinterlace-feature-makes-numerous-improvements-october-1-2013.27100/page-3#post-385748 New Privateer 2 Patch Adds Deinterlace Feature & Makes Numerous Improvements (October 1, 2013) | Page 3 | Wing Commander CIC]</ref>|fix=
+{{Fixbox|description=Install Enhancement Patch|ref=<ref>[http://www.wcnews.com/chatzone/threads/new-privateer-2-patch-adds-deinterlace-feature-makes-numerous-improvements-october-1-2013.27100/page-3#post-385748 New Privateer 2 Patch Adds Deinterlace Feature & Makes Numerous Improvements (October 1, 2013) | Page 3 | Wing Commander CIC]</ref>|fix=
-Install the [[#Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch|Privateer 2 Unofficial Patch]].
+Install the Privateer 2 Enhancement Patch.
 }}
@@ Line 253: / Line 277: @@
 |windows 32-bit exe     = true
 |windows 64-bit exe     = false
+|windows arm app        = unknown
 |windows exe notes      =
-|macos 32-bit app       =
+|macos intel 32-bit app =
-|macos 64-bit app       =
+|macos intel 64-bit app =
+|macos arm app          = unknown
 |macos app notes        =
 |linux 32-bit executable=
 |linux 64-bit executable=
+|linux arm app          = unknown
 |linux executable notes =
 }}
 ==System requirements==
+{{System requirements
+|OSfamily = DOS
+|minOS    = 5
+|minCPU   = Intel Pentium 60 MHz
+|minRAM   = 8 MB
+|minGPU   =
+|minVRAM  = 1 MB
+|minDX    =
+|recCPU   = Intel Pentium 90 MHz
+|recRAM   = 12 MB
+|recGPU   =
+|recDX    =
+}}
 {{System requirements
 |OSfamily = Windows

Developers

	Origin Systems
Publishers
	Electronic Arts
Release dates
DOS	December 9, 1996
Windows	November 4, 1997
Windows (DOSBox)	September 19, 2013^[1]
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person, Third-person
Controls	Direct control, Menu-based
Genres	Action, Business, Simulation, Vehicle combat
Vehicles	Space flight
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Sci-fi, Space, Piracy
Series	Wing Commander