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JDRGaming Battlefield 2 server

BF2 server reverted to Hard Justice

Due to some technical issues with recent versions of Forgotten Hope 2, the JDRGaming Battlefield 2 server has switched back to the Hard Justice mod.

Hopefully at some point the issues with FH2 will be resolved and we can go back to running it regularly.

BF2 server now running Forgotten Hope 2 version 2.61

I finally decided to upgrade the FH2 server. Before August 8, it was still running FH2 2.57.

I held off upgrading because there wasn't a lot of useful information about how to upgrade, or how the upgrades would affect co-operative play. That, and the server files were not available on the FH2 web site for a while.

FH2 2.61 has a ton of changes, many of which are immediately visible in the client. The in-game user interface has had an overhaul: various elements have been moved and/or changed in their appearance. For example, instead of Axis/Allies ticket numbers, there's a graph with a blue line for Allies and a red line for Axis.

Despite some initial problems making everything work (and lots of CTDs), the server seems to be working fine now. In case such things are of interest, we're now running the 64-bit version of the Linux FH2 server; previously we were running the 32-bit version.

However: as is usual with FH2 updates, some maps that previously worked fine in coop mode may now crash when loading, or if bots do certain things in-game. I will gradually test all the available maps, removing any that are not stable, or crash the server, or crash the client when attempting to play on them in coop mode. I will add any maps not currently in the server's map list, and will test those as well.

If you play on the JDRGaming FH2 server, and you notice the server or your client crashing when you try to join, please do let me know which map it was on, and when it happened. Click 'About/contact' at the top of this page for details on how to reach me.

BF2 server now running Forgotten Hope 2 version 2.57

Released on July 6, Forgotten Hope 2 version 2.57 addresses several issues discovered after the release of FH2 2.56 earlier this year. The release notes for FH2 2.57 list all the changes.

The JDRGaming Battlefield 2 server is now running FH2 2.57.

If you notice any problems with the new server version, please let me know: use the About/contact link in the top menu of this site.

BF2 server now running FH2 2.56

I've just finished upgrading the BF2 server, and it's now running FH2 version 2.56, the latest version of that mod.

I apologize for the delay in getting the server upgraded, but as you know, shit happens.

If you notice any problems with the new version, please let me know. See About/Contact in the top menu for contact details.

Game server outage and TPU stats

You may have noticed that all the JDRGaming game servers, as well as this web site, were offline yesterday (July 3) for a while.

The server hosting the game servers was due for a Linux upgrade, which was completed yesterday by 9am. The individual game servers came back online gradually thorughout the day as I performed various tests and fixed the inevitable issues.

There's just one major issue left to resolve: the TPU stats. Stats for rounds completed on TPU are still being recorded, but the web page that shows the stats is not working. I have to dig into the (rather old) PHP code and retrofit it for the version of PHP now running on the server. That could take a while.

Please let me know if you notice anything unusual with any of the game servers, or with this web site. Click the About/contact item in the menu above.

Forgotten Hope 2.54

Forgotten Hope 2 version 2.54 was released on October 25. Rather than re-test all the maps individually before upgrading the server, I've decided to rely on players to report any issues they encounter. So the JDRGaming BF2 server is now running Forgotten Hope 2 2.54.

Players should use the Forgotten Hope 2 launcher to update their game client to FH2 2.54. It will offer to upgrade when you run it.

Several release announcements describe the changes in 2.54: part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4. There are some new Russian units and weapons, as well as a few tweaks to eastern front maps. Text fonts used in the game have been updated and now work better at all resolutions.

As always, please let me know if you encounter any crashing or freezing problems with any of the FH2 maps. Click About/contact in the top menu on jdrgaming.com for contact details. If I get reports of reproduceable problems on a map, I'll remove it from the regular rotation.

JDRGaming BF2 server now running FH2 2.53

Version 2.53 of Forgotten Hope 2 was released on May 25, 2018. The release announcement describes some of the more interesting changes, and there's a change log that has additional details.

New FH2 releases tend to have problems with co-op and single-player modes, so I wanted to wait for fixes before upgrading the JDRGaming BF2 server, but decided to go ahead with the upgrade on July 21.

You'll need to upgrade your FH2 client to play on the JDRGaming FH2 server. The easiest way to upgrade is to run the FH2 launcher, which will detect the new version and ask whether to proceed with the upgrade.

Please let me know if you encounter any crashing or freezing problems with any of the FH2 maps. Click About/contact in the top menu on jdrgaming.com for contact details. If I get reports of reproduceable problems on a map, I'll remove it from the regular rotation.

IP address changed

There's bad news, and good news. The bad news is that the IP address for all JDRGaming servers has changed again. As of 2018May12, the IP address is 184.71.170.154.

If you're having trouble joining TPU, please refer to this post for assistance.

The good news is that we're finally on a business Internet plan, which has several advantages. The IP address is static, which means it's much less likely to change randomly. And the available bandwidth has increased from 25 Mbps download / 2.5 Mbps upload to 75 Mbps download / 15 Mbps upload. The increase in upload bandwidth in particular should mean less lag and connection problems when there are a lot of players.

Revive Network shuts down after warning from EA

This is somewhat old news, as it was first reported in October 2017. However, I just found out about it, and it affects my plans for a JDRGaming modern combat server.

Up until a few days ago, I had planned to start running a modern combat server, using the ReviveBF2 client/launcher/server. The idea was to run the server on a trial basis and hopefully attract some interest from fans of my other servers.

Then I learned the Revive Network folks had received a warning letter from EA, which owns the rights to the Battlefield games. EA's main complaint was that Revive Network was distributing Battlefield game client software to anyone who cared to download it.

Background: when Gamespy shuttered in 2015, playing Battlefield 2 online with the official client software became effectively impossible. Enterprising folks found ways to modify the client (and server) software to use new, unofficial master server browsers, and once again online play was possible. Three basic approaches were used to accomplish this: create a new client based on the original (e.g. Forgotten Hope 2); develop patches that modify Battlefield client software (e.g. BF2Hub); or modify the original client and make that available to users. Revive Network chose the latter approach, and that's what earned them EA's letter.

Leaving aside any arguments about rights associated with abandoned software like Battlefield 2, it seems to me that Revive Network could have resolved this issue by simply doing what EA asked: stop making Battlefield game client software available from their site. They could have just switched to the patching approach, so that people with Battlefield clients could modify them to work with the new unofficial master servers. Instead, Revive Network chose to shut down.

With ReviveBF2 and the associated master server no longer available, I started looking for alternatives, and found BF2Hub. It's a free launcher for BF2 that works with most available mods, and automates the process of patching your BF2 client to work with BF2Hub's master server.

My tests with BF2Hub were a complete success. As a result, BF2Hub is now the launcher of choice for all JDRGaming BF2 servers except for Forgotten Hope 2, which has its own launcher. The two launchers don't interfere with each other at all. I've posted the BF2Hub launcher on the JDRGaming Files page.

I am currently testing the Hard Justice BF2 mod for use with BF2Hub. You may notice HJ running on the BF2 server occasionally over the coming weeks. Forgotten Hope 2 is still the default mod for the JDRGaming BF2 server, but I'm considering designating one day per week for modern combat, and Hard Justice is looking like the best option available.

See you on the battlefield!

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