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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Revision as of 01:29, 12 January 2020 by 45.126.47.195 (talk) (→‎Stretched UI on widescreen resolutions: I fully completed the game using the widescreen mod and a controller. It does not break the controller support.)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords cover
Developers
Obsidian Entertainment
Maintenance Aspyr Media
macOS (OS X) Aspyr Media
Linux Aspyr Media
Publishers
LucasArts
Disney Interactive Studios
OS X, Linux Aspyr Media
Engines
Odyssey
Release dates
Windows February 8, 2005
macOS (OS X) July 21, 2015[1]
Linux July 21, 2015[1]
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords guide on StrategyWiki
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords on MobyGames
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords on Wikipedia
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Subseries of Star Wars
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2003
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords 2005
Star Wars: The Old Republic 2011
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake TBA

Key points

Retail version (2012) re-released in a bundle with the first game and made compatible with recent operating systems.
Steam version (2015) updated to support OS X and Linux, add Steamworks features and many other great improvements, including Steam Workshop support.[1]

General information

Aspyr Media support page
GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
GOG.com Support Page
Obsidian Forum
Steam Community Discussions
Modding guide for Steam version.

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
SecuROM 5 DRM disc check (1.0)
SecuROM 7 DRM disc check (1.0b/1.02b)
Windows
GamersGate
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
Sold by Disney Interactive Studios.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
Sold by Aspyr Media.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
GOG.com
DRM-free
Not up to date (is version 2.1.0.0)
Windows
Green Man Gaming
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Humble Store
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Mac App Store
Icon overlay.png
Same as Steam version.
macOS (OS X)
Origin
Origin
Included with EA Play.
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Native widescreen and 4K resolution support, full controller support
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
The soundtrack is stored in MP3 format, however junk data at the beginning of each file prevents them from being played back in media players. Run this script[Note 1] from the game's music directory[Note 2] to create standard music files that can be played back in most media players.[3]

Version differences

Knights of the Old Republic Collection includes both Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords.
The Steam version was updated in 2015 with many improvements not available in the other releases.[1]

Essential improvements

Patches

1.0b is the latest patch for the retail version (Steam release is newer).

Skip intro videos

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Movies
  2. Delete or rename leclogo.bik, ObsidianEnt.bik, and Legal.bik (and aspyr.bik if applicable).

Restored Content Mod

Also available on Steam Workshop.
Highly recommended to restore content that was cut from the game.
Version 1.8.2 now supports M4-78 Enhancement Project which restores droid planet content.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\swkotor2.ini[Note 3]
macOS (OS X)
Linux $XDG_DATA_HOME/aspyr-media/kotor2/

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\Saves\[Note 3]
macOS (OS X) ~/Application Support/Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II/saves/
Linux $XDG_DATA_HOME/aspyr-media/kotor2/saves/
This game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Origin
Steam Cloud

Video settings

Template:Video settings

TweakGuides has created a comprehensive guide for fixing issues in this game. It can be found here.

Widescreen resolution

Not necessary for Steam version.
Widescreen fixes will break the minimap location reporting, which can be solved using the UI fixes.[4]
Widescreen fixes resolutions of 1366x768 and under will not display dialogue option text correctly and are unplayable.[5]
Video tutorial for widescreen available here
This uses a slightly older version of the game with some bugs (not necessary for the GOG.com version).[6]
Make necessary changes[citation needed]
  1. Apply the latest Patches (retail versions only).
  2. Download this file (skip this step if you're using the GOG.com version).
  3. Extract to the installation folder.
  4. Run the game as an admin, then change your resolution to anything else.
  5. Download and run the Universal Widescreen patcher.
  6. Locate your game, set your custom resolution and then patch it.
  7. Go to the installation folder.
  8. Open swkotor2.ini, then delete swkotor.undo1.
  9. Change the following lines in order to set your custom resolution.
[Display Options]
Width=2048
Height=1152
 
[Graphics Options]
Height=1152
Width=2048

Notes

If the custom resolution isn't working bear in mind that the values for the width and height are inverted.

Ultra-widescreen resolution

Ultra-Widescreen fixes will break the minimap location reporting, which can be solved using the UI fixes (instructions included below).
Apply the following instructions
  1. Download and run the Flawless Widescreen application.
  2. In Flawless Widescreen, search and install the "STAR WARS : KOTOR II" plugin.
  3. Download the updated Widescreen UI Fix by Achilles.
  4. Extract the contents to a folder other than Override folder (i.e. your desktop).
  5. Select 1920x1080 for 21:9 and copy the contents of the selected folder into Override.

Notes

Unfortunately there are no 2560x1080 (21:9) version files, but the 1920x1080 (16:9) version works and displays just fine.
The Flawless Widescreen application must be up and running every time before launching the game.

Windowed

Windowed[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Edit swkotor2.ini.
  3. Add AllowWindowedMode=1 under [Graphics Options].
  4. Change FullScreen=1 to FullScreen=0.

Full Screen Movies

This method does not work on latest game version.
Guide located here (it is not necessary to edit your .bik files)
Requires the No-CD cracked executable, used in the above Widescreen fix.
Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Open swkotor2.exe with a hex editor such as HxD.
  2. Determine your desired movie resolution expressed in hexadecimal notation, and reverse the order of the bytes. Each byte is two hexadecimal characters, so you want to make sure that you're not entering the hexidecimal string backwards but are instead separating it into bytes (2 character chunks) and then reversing the byte order (the reversal has to do with the order data is stored in and read from memory, which is called endianness). For example, 1920 in decimal notation is 0780 in hexadecimal notation, which is 8007 with the bytes reversed. 1080 in dec is 0438 in hex, which becomes 3804 with reversed bytes.
  3. Replace 80 02 with your desired width and E0 01 with your desired height in the following two places (search for these hex sequences):
80 02 00 00 75 15 81 3D E8 C1 80 00 E0 01
.
.
.
80 02 00 00 C7 44 24 10 E0 01 

The resulting hex sequences should look like this, for a 1920x1080 resolution:

80 07 00 00 75 15 81 3D E8 C1 80 00 38 04 
.
.
.
80 07 00 00 C7 44 24 10 38 04 

Recommended graphical mods (Steam)

This section may require cleanup to meet basic quality standards. The specific problem is: Needs descriptions for the individual mods. You can help by modifying the article. The discussion page may contain useful suggestions.
Mod list

Input settings

Template:Input settings

Audio settings

Template:Audio settings

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Polish
A Polish fan patch is available here.
Spanish
Updated Steam version comes with Spanish UI elements. For subtitles, use The Sith Lords Restored Content Modification (TSLRCM).
Russian
1) Fan translation, text and video or Steam Workshop page.
2) Fan translation + translation Restored Content (TSLRCM).

Issues fixed

"Stopped working"

Error fixable by going into windowed mode or by changing Nvidia Control Panel settings.
Error fixable by going into windowed mode or by changing Nvidia Control Panel settings.
Error occurs after the company logos and before the main menu, or after clicking on 'Load Game' from the main menu.
Full error message: 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords has stopped working'.
Switch to windowed mode[7]

Switching to windowed mode sometimes fixes this issue..

Activate discrete graphics card[8]

Make sure non-Intel graphics card is being used. Intel integrated graphics seems to work for the Steam version but not the retail version in some cases.

Change Nvidia Control Panel settings[9]

If you have a newer Nvidia GPU and your game keeps crashing when you click 'Load Game' from the main menu, a detailed solution for this can be found here.[10] The critical detail seems to be changing Threaded Optimization in the Nvidia Control Panel to OFF

Disable "Frame Buffer Effects"[citation needed]

If the game crashes after initial character creation and you own an AMD/ATI video card, disabling Frame Buffer Effects in the game's Advanced Graphics Options may fix the issue.

atioglxx.dll from AMD Catalyst 14.4 may allow "Frame Buffer Effects" to work with AMD/ATI cards as described here

Disable "Shadows" setting[citation needed]

If the game crashes unexpectedly from time to time, this is the only way to fix it now. For ex. the crash may be at the Ebon Hawk, on the Prologue level, when you approach the Quadlaser turret.

Stuttering or freezing after combat

This can be fixed by limiting maximum frame rate.[11]
Apply Vsync[citation needed]
Multi-core fix[citation needed]
If using a multi-core computer, you will need to set CPU single core affinity.
  1. Right click on the shortcut and select 'Properties'. In the target box, type in: cmd /C start "SWKOTOR2" /D "C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\SWKotOR2\" /high /affinity 1 "C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\SWKotOR2\swkotor2.exe"
  2. Replace C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\SWKotOR2\ with where your game install is located. E.g. If you're running 32bit it will be just C:\Program Files\....

Unable to move your character

This is a known issue with running the game at a refresh rate higher than 72 Hz.
Unable to move your character[citation needed]
  1. Hold down both the right and the left mouse button.
  2. Press the quicksave button and keep both mouse buttons pressed during the whole saving process.
  3. Once the saving process is completed your can release both mouse buttons. The character should control normally again.
  • If you encounter recurring issues with being unable to move your character, enabling Vertical Sync will greatly reduce the occurrences of this problem.

Low performance

Disable Vsync[12]
Disable frame buffer effects[12]
Low Frame Rate[13]
The Steam version has by default the wrong syntax in the swkotor2.ini for enabling this OpenGL method for storing vertex data in video memory.
  1. Go to the installation folder.
  2. Locate file swkotor2.ini
  3. Edit and change DisableVertexBufferObjects=1 under "[Graphics Options]" to Disable Vertex Buffer Objects=1

Retail installation for Windows 7

All steps should be done with an administrator account.
Working on Windows 7 x64 bit.
Retail installation instructions[14]
  1. Install the DirectX End-User Runtimes.
  2. Insert the game disc, and ignore any auto play screens.
  3. Open the Start menu and click on 'Computer'. Right click on the disc drive that has the game disc and select 'Explore'.
  4. Right click on setup.exe and select 'Properties'. Click on 'Compatibility' and select the options 'Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)' and 'Run as Administrator'.
  5. Run setup.exe and install the game as normal. The path where the game is normally installed is C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\SWKotOR2\
  6. Apply the retail patches. Once the patches are downloaded, right click on the files, select 'Properties', and follow the same compatibility settings as was done on setup.exe.
  7. Explore the hard drive and find the folder where you installed the game. Right click on the folder, select 'Properties', un-check 'Read-Only', then click 'Apply'.
  8. Right click on every .exe file in the installation folders and set the compatibility modes to the same as in step 4.
  9. Right click on the kotor2.exe and select 'Create shortcut'. Move the shortcuts to your desktop.
  10. This shortcut needs to be set to 'Run as Administrator'. To change the icon to the shortcut, click on 'Properties' and then 'Change icon'. A new box will open. Find the installation folder and select the game .exe. To prevent the command window from popping up briefly while launching, under the shortcut properties change the 'Run' mode to 'Minimized'.
  11. TSL Windows Vista Fix needs to be downloaded.
  12. Extract TSL Windows Vista Fix and place the mss32.dll file in the installation folder, overwriting the file of the same name.

Stretched UI on widescreen resolutions

After applying a widescreen resolution, the HUD elements will be stretched
Steam[15]

Subscribe to Widescreen UI (stretch fix)

Notes

16:9 only
Retail[citation needed]
  1. Download the updated Widescreen UI Fix by Achilles.
  2. Extract content to a folder other than Override folder(i.e. your desktop).
  3. Select EITHER 1920x1080 for 16:9 OR 1680x1050 for 16:10 (but not both).
  4. Copy the contents of the selected folder to Override.

Dialogue options will not display on vertical resolutions of 1366x768 or below

Increase resolution to 1366x785[16]
This causes some of the screen to be cut off at the top.
  1. Using the widescreen resolution method, set the resolution to 1366x785.
  2. Check swkotor.ini has the desired resolution (under the [Display Options] and [Graphics Options] headers):
[Display Options]
Width=1366
Height=795

[Graphics Options]
Height=795
Width=1366

The game crashes on Intel HD Graphics (Linux, Wine)

The reason of all problems is that game uses very old OpenGL that is not compatible with modern drivers. These steps also fix various graphical bugs.

  1. Install Iris Mesa Driver. It's also available from Oibaf ppa or you can download extracted driver from here. Run
    MESA_LOADER_DRIVER_OVERRIDE=iris glxinfo
    to check if driver works correctly.
  2. Make a script in the game directory with following parameters.
#!/bin/sh

export MESA_LOADER_DRIVER_OVERRIDE=iris
export MESA_EXTENSION_MAX_YEAR=2001

wine swkotor2.exe

MESA_EXTENSION_MAX_YEAR variable is required to fix graphical issues during playing. Disabling shadows can resolve some graphical issues too.

VR support

3D modes State Notes
vorpX
G3D
User created game profile, see vorpx forum profile introduction for important notes.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
OpenGL 1.4
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio Miles Sound System 6.5h[17]
Cutscenes Bink Video

Higher quality media

Not required for GOG.com, Steam, or the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Collection 2 DVD re-release.
Higher quality movies install instructions[citation needed]

Install Movie Update Patch - 1135 MB

Notes

LucasArts released replacement upscaled cutscene videos.
Only benefits resolutions of 1600x1200 or higher, otherwise it defaults back to 640x480.[18]
Higher quality music install instructions[citation needed]

Install Music Update Patch - 145 MB

Notes

Pre-installed audio's sample rate is 11,025Hz. This patch comes with CD-quality audio resolution with 44,100Hz sample rate.

KOTOR and TSL Save Game Editor

KOTOR and TSL Save Game Editor (English Language Only) (3.3.4), also known as the 'KSE'
Save game editor (cheat) works for both KOTOR 1 and 2
The save game editor doesn't automatically detect the Steam version of KotOR2
Choosing game location inside the KSE program[citation needed]
  1. Right click the name of the game you want to edit (The Sith Lords).
  2. Go to the installation folder.
  3. Click OK.
Steam registry[citation needed]
  1. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\LucasArts\KotOR2
  2. Add a string value named Path.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98, 2000, ME, XP
Processor (CPU) 1 GHz
System memory (RAM) 128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 4 GB
Video card (GPU) 32 MB of VRAM
macOS (OS X)
Minimum
Operating system (OS) 10.9.5, 10.10
Processor (CPU) Intel Core i3 Dual Core 2.2 GHz
System memory (RAM) 4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 10 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce GT 330M
ATI Radeon HD 3870
Intel HD 3000
256 MB of VRAM
Linux
Minimum
Operating system (OS) SteamOS, Ubuntu 14.04
Processor (CPU) Intel Core i3 Dual Core 2.2 GHz
AMD A10 Series
System memory (RAM) 4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 10 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce GT 440
ATI Radeon HD 5450
Intel HD 4400
256 MB of VRAM

Notes

  1. If using Windows, install Git for Windows to enable Bash scripts.[2]
  2. It may be necessary to copy the music directory to your desktop.[2]
  3. 3.0 3.1 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