Spec Ops: The Line

Spec Ops
Spec Ops: Rangers Lead the Way	1998
Spec Ops II: Green Berets	1999
Spec Ops: The Line	2012

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

Spec Ops: The Line is a singleplayer and multiplayer third-person action, tactical shooter and TPS game in the Spec Ops series.

General information

Official forums

Spec Ops Wiki - A wiki for the series

GOG.com Community Discussions

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Premium Edition also available.
Amazon.co.uk
GamersGate

GOG.com		Singleplayer only.
Green Man Gaming
Humble Store
Steam

A faithful, higher quality icon can be found on this wiki's community site.

Monetization

Microtransactions

Type	Notes
No microtransactions	Spec Ops: The Line has no microtransactions.

Demo

A free Windows-only demo can be installed on Steam by using a direct link (allow Steam popup): steam://install/204980.

Version differences

Premium Edition content includes:

FUBAR pack for multiplayer
Double XP for a week
AK-47 at Rank 1
Clan Accesories: Exclusive Skins/Accessories for all classes and Unique and Visually Distinct items

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Set launch options^[1]
Use the `-nostartupmovies` command line argument.

Skip the splash screen

Set launch options^{[citation needed]}

Use the -nosplash command line argument.

There is no splash screen under OS X ^{[citation needed]} and Linux ports.^[1]

Skip the update search

At startup the game spends quite some time searching for updates.

Prevent game from connecting with online servers Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security Create a new outbound rule Block `SpecOpsTheLine.exe`

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\SpecOps-TheLine\SRGame\Config\
macOS (OS X)	$HOME/Library/Application Support/Spec Ops The Line/GameDocuments/My Games/SpecOps-TheLine/SRGame/Config/
Linux	$XDG_DATA_HOME/yager/specops/GameDocuments/My Games/SpecOps-TheLine/SRGame/Config/

This game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

Configuration files are encrypted in the Windows version of the game. (The Linux and Apple OS X Steam port configuration files are not encrypted.)

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\SpecOps-TheLine\SRGame\SaveData\
Steam	<Steam-folder>/userdata/<user-id>/50300/remote/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents* folder in OneDrive on all computers.*
Steam Cloud

Video

In-game video settings.

In-game brightness settings.
Available filters are Default, Vintage, and Vibrant.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		Non-16:9 resolutions are anamorphic; use Flawless Widescreen to remove.^[2]
Multi-monitor		Use Flawless Widescreen
Ultra-widescreen		Use Flawless Widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)	Default FOV is 72°. See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed	Set in options or use `-windowed` parameter.
Borderless fullscreen windowed	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)	Default is 4x. See Anisotropic filtering (AF).
Anti-aliasing (AA)	Nvidia users can force MSAA and TrSSSGAA in Nvidia Profile Inspector with the Antialiasing Compatibility flag 0x080102C1. AMD users can force AA through AMD Control Center.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS	Some cutscenes are pre-rendered at 30 FPS.
120+ FPS	See Helicopter Run en FUBAR mode is imposible.
High dynamic range display (HDR)	See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Field of view (FOV)

Flawless Widescreen can set the FOV up to 92° by default.

Change max FOV for Flawless Widescreen^{[citation needed]}

Download and run Flawless Widescreen.
Install the Spec Ops: The Line plugin.
Exit Flawless Widescreen.
Open the folder where Flawless Widescreen is installed.
Go into PluginCache\FWS_Plugins\Modules\SpecOpsTheLine\Dependencies\Scripts\.
Edit SpecOpsTheLine.lua with a text editor.
Find the line fAdditionalFOV = Sender:GetScaledFloat(5).
Change (5) to (2) and save the file.
Launch Flawless Widescreen and adjust the slider.

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

Changing anisotropic filtering level^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file location. Decrypt `SREngine.ini`. Change `MaxAnisotropy=4` to `MaxAnisotropy=16`. Save and re-encrypt `SREngine.ini`.

Frame rate (FPS)

Limit frame rate^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file location. Decrypt `SREngine.ini`. Look for `[Engine.Engine]` class and edit `MaxSmoothedFrameRate=` to your preference. Save and re-encrypt `SREngine.ini`.

Disable motion blur

Disable motion blur^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file location. Decrypt `SREngine.ini`. Change `MotionBlur=True` to `MotionBlur=False`. Save and re-encrypt `SREngine.ini`.

Input

In-game keyboard/mouse settings.

In-game gamepad settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration		See Mouse acceleration.
Mouse sensitivity		See Mouse sensitivity to fine-tune.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

DualShock 4 controllers

Generic/other controllers

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

Mouse acceleration

Disable mouse acceleration^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file location. Decrypt `SRInput.ini`. Find `m_viewAccelEnabled=true` change it to `false`. Save and re-encrypt `SRInput.ini`.

Mouse sensitivity

Change general sensitivity^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file location. Decrypt `SRInput.ini`. Find `MouseSensitivity=60.0` and change it to a different value according to your preferences. Save and re-encrypt `SRInput.ini`.

Change aim sensitivity^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file location. Decrypt `SRInput.ini`. Find `m_targetingModeMouseViewScalePct=0.6` change it to `1.0`. That way it will only scale with FOV which is good for muscle memory. Save and re-encrypt `SRInput.ini`.

Mouse smoothing

Disable mouse smoothing^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file location. Decrypt `SRInput.ini`. Find `bEnableMouseSmoothing=true` change it to `false`. Save and re-encrypt `SRInput.ini`.

Audio

In-game audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, Speech, SFX, Voice chat.
Surround sound		Up to 7.1 output.^[3]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation; download.
Russian
Spanish
Turkish				Fan translation, download
Polish				Fan translation, download

Most languages have the in-game option to select English audio.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Players	Notes
Local play	8	Versus, Co-op Use Nucleus Co-op. Co-op 2 players
LAN play	8	Versus, Co-op Co-op 2 players
Online play	8	Versus, Co-op Co-op 2 players

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

VR support

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

Issues fixed

Xbox button prompts always displayed

Disable XInput controller for the game^{[citation needed]}

Download NoX360.
Extract the contents to <path-to-game>\Binaries\Win32\.

OR

Unplug all controllers from your computer.

D3DERR_INVALIDCALL error

Launch the game in windowed mode^[4]

Helicopter Run en FUBAR mode is impossible

At high fps, the section where the helicopter appears and you have to run is almost impossible to pass at high fps.

Limiting the frame rate to 60fps
See Frame Rate (FPS)

Enable Vsync and set refresh rate on 60hz^[5]

No sound during cutscenes

Fix binkw32.dll^[6]
Download the Bink Video 1.99r DLL. Extract the contents to `<path-to-game>\Binaries\Win32`

Disable HDMI output^[7]
Go into "control panel" → "hardware and sound" → "device manager" Search under "audio, video and game controller" for the graphics card's audio device for AMD: "AMD High Definition Audio Device")-> open the properties → open the "driver" tab → deactivate the device

Set stereo sound^[6]
Open Windows audio panel (right click on the speaker icon on the bottom right of the screen) Configure your playback device Set 2 channels

Crashing and low frame rate

Install Nvidia PhysX^{[citation needed]}
Install the latest Nvidia PhysX System Software. Right click Spec Ops: The Line in the Steam games list. Click on Properties. Under Local Files, select Verify Integrity of Game Cache.

Reset configuration files^{[citation needed]}

Launch the game at least once.
Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\.
Delete the SpecOps-TheLine folder.

This will reset all game settings, but save games will preserved.

White/Black screen after launching game

Launch game in windowed mode through Steam^[8]
Right click the game on Steam. Click Properties. Select Set Launch Options... Type in -windowed. Go to options and then select a screen resolution that is compatible with the monitor used. Can now select fullscreen in game options if setting is desired. Can now remove -windowed option from Set Launch Options...

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c
OpenGL	2.0	OS X and Linux only.
Shader Model support	3

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)			This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work* on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.*
Linux

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	PhysX	v2.8.3.14
Audio	FMOD	v0.4.32.4
Cutscenes	Bink Video	v1.9.99.0
Multiplayer	Steamworks

Edit encrypted configuration files

Use Rick's tools^[9]
Download the decrypter. Unzip it in a handy folder. Such as `%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\SpecOps-TheLine\SRGame\Config\`. Open the file you need to edit with `Gibbed.SpecOpsTheLine.IniDecrypt.exe` (drag-and-drop). Make the changes you want in the now unencrypted file. Save the file. Open the modified file with `Gibbed.SpecOpsTheLine.IniEncrypt.exe`, thus re-encrypting it.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP SP3	Vista, 7
Processor (CPU)	AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz	2.4 GHz Quad Core
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	3 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	6 GB	10 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATI Radeon HD 2600XT Nvidia GeForce 8600 256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	ATI Radeon HD 4850 Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX 512 MB of VRAM

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Verified by User:Faalagorn on 2021-05-30
↑ wsgf (@wsgf) | Twitter
↑ PC Gaming Surround Sound Round-up - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Game crashes on startup - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
↑ [missing title] - last accessed on May 8, 2022
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 No Sound in Cutscenes - Page 3 - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
↑ Fix for no sound in cutscenes - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
↑ Black screen at launch? :: Spec Ops: The Line General Discussion - last accessed on 2013-5-5
↑ Spec Ops: The Line encrypted ini files • XeNTaX forums - last accessed on 9 June 2023

[refcheck_Faalagorn-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Verified by User:Faalagorn on 2021-05-30

[2] wsgf (@wsgf) | Twitter

[3] PC Gaming Surround Sound Round-up - last accessed on May 2023

[4] Game crashes on startup - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)

[5] [missing title] - last accessed on May 8, 2022

[sound-6] 6.0 ^6.1 No Sound in Cutscenes - Page 3 - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)

[7] Fix for no sound in cutscenes - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)

[8] Black screen at launch? :: Spec Ops: The Line General Discussion - last accessed on 2013-5-5

[9] Spec Ops: The Line encrypted ini files • XeNTaX forums - last accessed on 9 June 2023

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Developers

	Yager Development
Multiplayer	Darkside Game Studios
macOS (OS X)	Virtual Programming
Linux	Virtual Programming
Publishers
	2K Games
	Missing Link Games
OS X	Digital Tribe
Engines
	Unreal Engine 3
Release dates
Windows	June 26, 2012
macOS (OS X)	November 7, 2013
Linux	May 14, 2015
Reception
Metacritic	76
IGDB	77
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Action, Tactical shooter, TPS
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Contemporary, Middle East
Series	Spec Ops