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Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield cover
Developers
Red Storm Entertainment
Ubisoft Montreal
Athena Sword Ubisoft Milan
Iron Wrath Ubisoft Casablanca
macOS (OS X) i5works[1]
Publishers
Ubisoft
OS X Aspyr Media
Retail re-release Sold Out Software
Engines
Unreal Engine 2
Release dates
Windows March 18, 2003
macOS (OS X) December 19, 2003
Reception
Metacritic 83
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person, Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, FPS, Shooter, Tactical shooter
Art styles Realistic
Themes Contemporary
Series Rainbow Six
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield on HowLongToBeat
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield on IGDB
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield guide on StrategyWiki
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield on MobyGames
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield on Wikipedia
Subseries of Tom Clancy
Rainbow Six 1998
Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear 1999
Rainbow Six: Covert Ops Essentials 2000
Rainbow Six: Take-Down 2001
Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear: Black Thorn 2001
Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield 2003
Rainbow Six: Lockdown 2006
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2006
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 2008
Rainbow Six Siege 2015
Rainbow Six Extraction 2022

Warnings

The Mac OS X version of this game does not work on Mac OS X Lion (version 10.7) or later due to the removal of support for PowerPC apps.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person and third-person action, FPS, shooter and tactical shooter game in the Rainbow Six series.

The official multiplayer service is no longer available.[2] OpenRVS is required to restore online multiplayer functionality for the base game (does not work with expansions Athena Sword or Iron Wrath, which require LAN/VPS based solutions); see below for installation instructions.

General information

ALLR6 All Rainbow Six Community
ALLR6 play guide
Ubisoft game page
Official Forum
Rainbow Six Wiki
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
SafeDisc DRM[Note 1].
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Gold Edition.
Windows
Ubisoft Store
Icon overlay.png
Gold Edition, included with Ubisoft+.
Windows
SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).

Version differences

The Gold Edition comes with the base game and the Athena Sword expansion.
The Complete edition includes the base game and both expansion packs.

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
Athena Sword To access, run RavenShield.exe with the mod=AthenaSword command line argument.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Iron Wrath US version
UK version
Manual installation (Recommended for Steam users)
Windows

Essential improvements

Install Iron Wrath on a non-US/UK version

Edit RavenShield.ini
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\system\RavenShield.ini.
  2. Find the following line, and set it to this value.
  3. [Engine.Engine]
    Language=int
    
  4. Install Iron Wrath. The previous state of the file can be restored now.

OpenRVS

An unofficial patch, that fixes many bugs left by the original developers, allows FoV customization and re-enables multiplayer mode.
Source code is available here.
Server list doesn't work with this patch after 2023. Use this to fix it.

Skip intro videos

Move, delete or rename files[5]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Videos\.
  2. Move, delete or rename Logos.bik and int\RS_Intro.bik.
  3. If Athena Sword is installed, go to <path-to-game>\Mods\AthenaSword\Videos\int and move, delete or rename RS_Intro.bik.

Patches

The latest version for the vanilla game is 1.60, available from Ubisoft's patch server and Patches-Scrolls.
The latest version for the Athena Sword expansion is 1.10, available from Ubisoft's patch server and Patches-Scrolls.

Restore missing sounds in Steam version

Download missing sound files[6]
  1. Download the package containing the missing files from ModDB or MediaFire.
  2. Extract its contents to <path-to-game>.

Notes

Alongside the missing official sounds, this package contains some unofficial sounds used on AllR6 servers.

Game data

In-game general settings.
In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\system\*.ini[Note 2]
<path-to-game>\Save\Profiles\<user-id>.ini[Note 2]
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/19830/pfx/[Note 3]
RavenShield.ini contains general settings.
<user-id>.ini contains profile settings, like camera FOV, mouse, keyboard/controller bindings and other settings.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\Save[Note 2]
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/19830/pfx/[Note 3]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Steam Cloud
Ubisoft Connect
[7]

Video

In-game video settings.
In-game video settings.

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
Menus render in 640x480 only, in-game rendering supports widescreen resolutions, but image is Vert-.
Multi-monitor
Image is Vert-. FOV can be increased to compensate, see Field of view (FOV).
Ultra-widescreen
Image is Vert-. FOV can be increased to compensate, see Field of view (FOV).
4K Ultra HD
Image is Vert-. FOV can be increased to compensate, see Field of view (FOV).
Field of view (FOV)
Default is 90º, although widescreen resolutions effectively reduce it. Can be further adjusted after installing the OpenRVS unofficial patch.
Windowed
Toggle with Alt+ Enter. See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See Screen flickering.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Nvidia users can force SGSSAA using 0x080000C1 compatibility bits in Nvidia Inspector. If this does not work, use dgVoodoo 2 instead.
High-fidelity upscaling
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Triple Buffering.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Field of view (FOV)

Edit ini file[8]
  1. Open <user-id>.ini (Username is inside <path-to-game>/Save/Profiles).
  2. Change the values in the following lines to the preferred ones:
DesiredFOV=90.000000
DefaultFOV=90.000000

Notes

To maintain identical vertical FOV to the 4:3 FOV at 16:9 resolutions, use 106. At 21:9 resolutions, use 121.
Game could start to randomly reset those values. If so, edit those values in <path-to-game>\System\DefUser.ini too.
Weapon FOV stays the same. To change it, use OpenRVS.

Windowed

Edit ini file[9]
  1. Launch the game at least once then close it.
  2. Open RavenShield.ini.
  3. Find the section [WinDrv.WindowsClient].
  4. In that section, find an entry WindowedViewportX= and set its value to your desired window width.
  5. In that section, find an entry WindowedViewportY= and set its value to your desired window height.
  6. Set StartupFullscreen= to False to start the game in windowed mode.

Input

In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.

Mouse smoothing

Edit User.ini[citation needed]
  1. Edit <path-to-game>/Save/Profiles/User.ini (make sure the game is run at least once so it is created).
[Engine.PlayerInput]
MouseSmoothingMode=0

Mouse sensitivity

Edit User.ini[citation needed]
  1. Calculate the mouse sensitivity for Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield on mouse-sensitivity.com.
  2. Edit <path-to-game>\Save\Profiles\User.ini (make sure the game is run at least once so it is created).
[Engine.Input]
W=MoveForward | setsensitivity 0.123456

In game console command: setsensitivity 0.43

Audio

In-game audio settings.
In-game audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
On by default.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support
Royalty free audio

Restore 3D audio and EAX

Use dsoal
  1. Download dsoal from here (Note: download the 32-bit version, even if using a 64-bit OS.)
  2. Place dsound.dll, dsoal-aldrv.dll and alsoft.ini in <path-to-game>\system.
  3. Enable EAX from in-game sound menu.

Additional steps required for Windows 8 and newer[10]

Apply registry fix
  1. Open Regedit.
  2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID.
  3. Create 2 new keys {47D4D946-62E8-11CF-93BC-444553540000} and {3901CC3F-84B5-4FA4-BA35-AA8172B8A09B} (curly brackets must be included).
  4. Create a new subkey for both new key entries named InprocServer32.
  5. Change the (Default) value of InprocServer32 to dsound.dll.
  6. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\CLSID.
  7. Repeat steps 3-5.
  8. Restart the computer.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Traditional Chinese
French
Polish
Retail only. Patch for digital release here and here for Athena Sword.[11][12]
Brazilian Portuguese
Retail only.

Network

In-game multiplayer settings.
In-game multiplayer settings.

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
LAN play
16
Online play
16 Official server browser has been shut down[2]; OpenRVS is required to restore multiplayer functionality. See below. For further information, see this thread or RVSGaming. Note that while ALLR6's patch includes OpenRVS, it is heavily modded to add new fan-made content and is not a vanilla experience.

Connection types

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
UDP 80, 6667, 7777-7787, 8777-8787, 9777, 40000-42000
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes State Notes
vorpX
G3D
User created profile, requires dgVoodoo 2 v2.55.4 or higher, see profile introdution.
Note: Profile may not work with the latest wrapper, in case of issues please report to the vorpx forum.

Issues fixed

Vsync (always on) doesn't work on Windows 8/8.1/10/11

Use crosire's d3d8to9 wrapper
  1. Download d3d8.dll from here.
  2. Place it in <path-to-game>\system.
Use dgVoodoo2

Screen flickering

Use ENBSeries DX8 to DX9 Convertor[citation needed]
  1. Download DX8 to DX9 Converter archive from here.
  2. Extract d3d8.dll and enbconvertor.ini to <path-to-game>\system.
Use crosire's d3d8to9 wrapper
  1. Download d3d8.dll from here.
  2. Place it in <path-to-game>\system.
Windowed Mode[citation needed]
  1. See Windowed.
  2. Run the game, then deploy a squad in any in-game mission.
  3. See Borderless Gaming.

Notes

Avoid setting the game into a borderless mode while in any menus or they will break.

Crashing when turning on MSI Afterburner's overlay

In RivaTuner Statistics Server, set "On-Screen Display rendering mode" to "Vector 2D"
Run the game via dgVoodoo2

Game freezing or stuttering when hosting an online multiplayer game

Use a patched version of R6GameService.dll
  1. Download R6GameServiceFix.
  2. Make a backup copy of the original R6GameService.dll by renaming it to R6GameService.dll.bak.
  3. Copy R6GameService.dll from the .zip to <path-to-game>\system.

Notes

This fix removes a now broken function which repeatedly contacted Ubisoft's now defunct master server, causing the issue.

Low performance on modern machines

Install Optimization Patch[13]
  1. Download Optimization Patch.
  2. Extract Ravenshield.mod to <path-to-game>\Mods\.
  3. Extract DARE.ini and RavenShield.ini to <path-to-game>\System\.
  4. Change in-game internet speed to T3 in the connection settings.

Unable to join or host an online multiplayer game (server did not respond)

Install OpenRVS
  1. Ensure ports 80, 6667, 7777-7787, 8777-8787, 9777, and 40000-42000 are open, and if the server host is behind a router, that these ports are properly port forwarded to the host device.
  2. Download OpenRVS. (There may be more up-to-date versions available after this is written).
  3. Extract OpenRVS.u, R6ClassDefines.ini, openrvs.ini, and Servers.list from the zip archive to <path-to-game>\system. This should be enough for clients to join servers. The steps after this are for those hosting the game server.
  4. For server hosts, open <path-to-game>\Mods\RavenShield.mod in a text editor and add ServerActors=OpenRVS.OpenServer to the bottom of the file.
  5. If N4Admin is not installed for the server, open <path-to-game>\Mods\RavenShield.mod, find ServerActors=IpDrv.UdpBeacon and change it to ServerActors=OpenRVS.OpenBeacon.
  6. Open <path-to-game>\system\RavenShield.ini, and under [URL], set ensure the port is set to 7777 with Port=7777. (This number can be changed, but the default is 7777). Then, under [IpDrv.UdpBeacon] set the server beacon port with ServerBeaconPort=8777 and the beacon port with BeaconPort=9777.
  7. If the host is behind a router (i.e., if the host has to forward ports) open <path-to-game>\system\Server.ini and add the line ServerBehindNAT=True under Engine.R6ServerInfo.
  8. To ensure clients with widescreen displays and a high field of view will render the first person gun correctly, copy OpenRenderFix.utx from the OpenRVS zip archive to <path-to-game>\textures. Then add the lines ServerPackages=OpenRenderFix and ServerActors=OpenRenderFix.OpenFix to the bottom of Ravenshield.mod.
  9. Have hosts join through the "Join IP" button. Currently, new servers must be added manually to the master server by the operators of RVS Gaming.

Notes

It is recommended to install the patched R6GameService.dll to prevent freezing or stuttering while hosting.
The original instructions and further information can be found in the readme.html file for OpenRVS.
Try setting the connection speed in the multiplayer options to T3, as this may increase performance and solve other issues.

Clients unable to see in-game HUD in multiplayer game

Use the dedicated server option instead of the in-game server
  • As the host, in the "Create Server" menu, under "Options", check "Dedicated Server". When you launch the server, a Command Prompt window will open, and the main game will close. The host can relaunch the main game and join by entering their own IP into the "Join IP" dialog box.

Notes

As this seems to be a server-side issue, clients should not have to do anything on their end.

Can't start or join Athena Sword or Iron Wrath LAN multiplayer game (enter Raven Shield CD key)

Modify game configuration files to disable CD key check and use LAN option, optionally with VPS to emulate LAN connection over Internet connection.[14]
  1. Open <path-to-game>\RavenShield\system\GSRouters.dat in a text editor. Change the line that starts with CDKeyServerIP0= (what follows after the = may vary) to CDKeyServerIP0=eagscdkey-mtl1.ubisoft.com. Save and close the file.
  2. Open <path-to-game>\RavenShield\system\RavenShield.ini. Find the line that starts with m_szUbiRemFileURL= (again, what follows after the = may vary) and edit it to read m_szUbiRemFileURL=http://eagsconnect.ubisoft.com/gsinit.php?user=%s&dp=%s. Save and close the file.
  3. Start or join a LAN game.
  4. Now, when the CD key check window pops up, click the green check mark without entering anything. The first time it is clicked after applying these edits to the game's configuration files may fail, but afterwards it should work after a short wait.

Notes

If the CD key check window reappears after working once before, look for a second copy of RavenShield.ini located at <path-to-game>\staticmeshes and set the same line as the main RavenShield.ini is set to m_szUbiRemFileURL=http://eagsconnect.ubisoft.com/gsinit.php?user=%s&dp=%s. If this does not work, look for any other RavenShield.ini copies that may exist in the game's install directory.
Use a VPS such as ZeroTier or Hamachi as a virtual LAN to play Athena Sword or Iron Wrath multiplayer online through the in-game LAN multiplayer option.
If the game does not appear in the game's LAN server browser and can not be joined via IP address while using the VPS of choice, try modifying the network adapter priority of Windows to prioritize the VPS' virtual network adapter by manually setting the interface metric.[15] Many old games and software, including Raven Shield, expect any LAN games to show up in a network adapter with a much higher priority than a VPS virtual network adapter will typically have (generally at least the third network adapter installed after the Ethernet and wireless LAN adapters).
OpenRVS does not fix the multiplayer or disable the Ubisoft.com login for Athena Sword or Iron Wrath.

Game crashes when using night vision or thermal scope

Run the game executable using compatibility mode for Windows XP Service Pack 2[16]

Other information

Console rcon (remote console server admin) commands[17]

Parameter Description
adminlogin [rcon password] Enter administrator password for access to admin only command
writeserver [filename] Saves the current server setup in the save folder
loadserver [filename] Loads the saved server setup in the save folder
newpassword [new rcon password] Changes the admin password
kick [player name] Kicks the player off server
kickid [player id] Kicks the player off server
restartmatch [explanation text] Ends the current round, resets all statistics to zero, and displays message to all players.
restartround [explanation text] Restarts the current game-round, resets all statistics to what they were at the beginning of the round, and displays message to all players.
map [mapname] Ends the current round immediately, changes the server to the designated map
set [classname] [property] [value] Set property in classname to value
get [classname] [property] Returns value of property in classname
admin pb_sv_enabled Enables PunkBuster
admin pb_sv_disabled Disables PunkBuster

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 8.1
OpenGL
OS X only.
Shader Model support 1.4
ExecutablePPC 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics Karma
Audio OpenAL 0.951 (Wraps to DirectSound3D).
Cutscenes Bink Video 1.5r.
Multiplayer Ubi.com
Anti-cheat PunkBuster

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98
7, 10, 11 (Steam)
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium III 800 MHz
AMD Athlon 800 MHz
System memory (RAM) 128 MB (98, ME, 2000)
256 MB (XP)
Hard disk drive (HDD) 2 GB
Video card (GPU) 32 MB of VRAM
DirectX 8.1 compatible
Sound (audio device) DirectX 8.1 compatible
macOS (OS X)
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 10.2.6
Processor (CPU) 733 MHz
System memory (RAM) 256 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 2 GB
Video card (GPU) 128 MB of VRAM


Notes

  1. SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[3] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[4]
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 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).
  3. 3.0 3.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/19830/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (19830) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References