How to: Update BF2 Audio version

[=98=]

This guide is intended to fix problems, not add features.

I had a little help from a member over at EA's official forums, but here is a little guide on how to manually update BF2's Audio.

1: BF2 uses OpenAL.dll sound. The file BF2 specifically uses is called BF2OpenAL.dll located at C:\Program Files (x86)\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2 (32bit operating systems will not have the (x86) part). Find that file, and cut and paste it to another safe location (in case things go wrong).

2: Download the latest "OpenAL Installer for Windows" from here. The file should be called "oalinst.zip" although later versions may change this. Inside, run the "oalinst.exe" application.

3: Navigate to the following locations:

32bit: C:\Windows\System32
64 bit: C:\Windows\SysWOW64

Find the file called "wrap_oal.dll" and copy it to your BF2 installation location (where you cut bf2openal.dll from). Once copied, rename it "bf2openal.dll" (without quotations).

4: Done.

Why do this?

I found that my soundcard had issues with the older version of OpenAL causing sound to corrupt when set to hardware or X-Fi mode. This guide is intended to fix problems, not add features.

[Leopardi]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

It'll be updated in 1.5 automatically

[=98=]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

Yup, but the same should apply to post 1.5 in case of compatibility issues

[RangerXML]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

I remember this from years ago when audigy/x-fi cards were released, I think this was already posted back then and is lost in forum archive limbo hell.I actually still remember and do this, but only know about it for 32bit. Now if there were only a way to enable true extra high textures (not just the settings that don't really do anything extra).

[=98=]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

I remember this from years ago when audigy/x-fi cards were released, I think this was already posted back then and is lost in forum archive limbo hell.I actually still remember and do this, but only know about it for 32bit. Now if there were only a way to enable true extra high textures (not just the settings that don't really do anything extra).

There isn't... because the HD textures don't actually exist...

I believe the stuff you see in game is the full quality (in terms of what's in the program files).

[RangerXML]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

There isn't... because the HD textures don't actually exist...

I believe the stuff you see in game is the full quality (in terms of what's in the program files).

That's what I meant with "true", I remember the mess that stirred up here.

[Minmaster]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

wow, this latest openal update actually fixed the static/crackling x-fi mode for me in BF2. i noticed BF2142 uses the same BF2OpenAL.dll file so i tried the same thing but unfortunately the audio still went crazy during orbital strikes. at least its fixed for BF2, i was never able to use x-fi mode because audio went haywire everytime i tried.

creative did something obviously which fixed BF2's x-fi, hopefully they figure it out and fix the same issue for BF2142.

[RangerXML]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

wow, this latest openal update actually fixed the static/crackling x-fi mode for me in BF2. i noticed BF2142 uses the same BF2OpenAL.dll file so i tried the same thing but unfortunately the audio still went crazy during orbital strikes. at least its fixed for BF2, i was never able to use x-fi mode because audio went haywire everytime i tried.

creative did something obviously which fixed BF2's x-fi, hopefully they figure it out and fix the same issue for BF2142.

First off, EAX does not work in Vista, period, no matter what emulation Creative pushes. So any special features that x-fi or the likes pushes does not matter.

Second off, this does not resolve the crackling. It will come back, trust me. The only way to get rid of the crackling is to put the x-fi card into creation/music making mode which disables all special features of the card (mainly for use with monitor speakers), the game and Windows will do the rest.

Creative Soundblaster does not play friendly with UAA which is part of Vista, Windows 7 and has been a part of Windows XP since SP3. Unless people stop buying Creative sound cards they will never fix the underlying problems with this old technology and stop lying to us. Realtek HD sounds just as good as the X-Fi cards and comes installed on most our mobo.

[Stormy{CAN}]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

First off, EAX does not work in Vista, period, no matter what emulation Creative pushes. So any special features that x-fi or the likes pushes does not matter.

Wrong. As long as a game uses OpenAL, then EAX is unaffected in any game that uses it.

[RangerXML]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

Wrong. As long as a game uses OpenAL, then EAX is unaffected in any game that uses it.

Without Alchemy installed turn it off (Vista or Windows 7) and tell me you can tell the difference and also what was the last game released that still had EAX or for that fact X-Fi mode or support? The last game were in the Vista/XP in between time within the first year of Vista's release.

[Minmaster]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

over at creative forums, they had a mega thread about the x-fi crackling/popping problem with BF games and it ended with the guy from creative locking the thread and basically declaring it wasn't their fault and is nvidia's fault. funny i don't have a nvidia mobo and still have this problem.

here is the last page of that 122 page mega thread:

http://forums.creative.com/t5/Sound-Blaster/Follow-up-X-Fi-Crackling-Popping-Noises-thread/td-p/251993/page/122

Hello everyone, I do have an update as to what we have found, as promised:

Further to the reported cases of crackling issues reported by owners of Sound Blaster X-Fi cards, we have extensively tested both Creative and non-Creative audio cards on motherboards where the issues were reported in an effort to isolate the root cause.

The findings indicate that circumstances causing these audio glitches only arise on Nvidias nForce 4 range of motherboards, with the exception of the newest n590 board which does not exhibit this issue.

The Sound Blaster X-Fi card was designed to meet PCI bus standards and tolerances and this is the only range of motherboards that operate in this manner.

A full technical description is detailed below, but in brief, the PCI bus data requests are not being serviced leading to "gaps" in the audio, resulting in sudden dropouts to no audio and back again which gives rise to what is perceived as crackling.

We appreciate the time taken by several of our forum members in assisting us isolate the root causes to date and appreciate the frustration expressed by several posters, but would like to assure you that we have been following the issue closely in an effort to seek resolution from the early stages. As we have identified the resolution of this issue to be beyond our control, we would advise customers experiencing this issue to escalate their concerns to Nvidia in an effort to seek a possible solution.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

We have observed through direct observation of the PCI bus on the nVidia nForce 4 motherboards that when the crackle symptoms are occuring, the Soundblaster X-Fi card PCI bus master memory requests for audio data are being held off (not serviced) for very long intervals.

We have observed peak holdoffs of up to 2 milliseconds in some cases. This is unusual chipset behavior that is beyond the ability of a hardware audio accelerator to compensate for in its internal buffering. The SoundBlaster X-Fi tolerance for these PCI holdoffs is approximately 120 microseconds peak holdoff, with a 1 microsecond average holdoff.

These design tolerances are based on observation of real PCI bus behavior on leading motherboards over a period of many motherboard hardware generations.

The nForce 4 motherboard is the first motherboard on which these extremely long PCI service holdoffs have been observed by Creative, where another PCI device in the system was not causing the holdoff.

Dale
Forum Moderator
Creative Labs

so this issue seems to be resolved in BF2 with updates from creative, so it was on their end (since BF didn't get any patches during that time). the question is why isn't it not resolved for 2142.

funny how everyone keeps blaming each other for this problem. who's at fault here? creative? dice? nvidia? i wouldn't have had such a beef about this if DICE/EA launched both BF2 and 2142 touting its X-Fi enhanced audio capabilities.

[RangerXML]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

I've resolved the crackling sound issue a couple of times and eventually (meaning not right away) it comes back. The only lasting solution, mind you the sound quality hasn't gone down any, was to put it into "Audio Creation Mode". Before that I had been switching back and forth from "Entertainment Mode" to "Gaming Mode", but as always eventually the crackling would start up again. I have a Intel x38 chipset, not an nVidia chipset and yeah I had Creative tell me over the phone that it was an nVidia chipset issue and that because of that reason they did not support it. I have a special sort of spite for Creative.

[Minmaster]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

what card are you using? cuz you're wrong. the x-fi mode is the only thing that causes the crackling problem. even if you have a x-fi card, if you set it to hardware mode (not x-fi, not software), then the problem goes away. no need to change to entertainment or audio creation. i leave it on gaming mode, but select hardware with high quality instead of x-fi within ingame options.

and yes, there is an obvious difference when you set the game to x-fi and very high quality (meaning 2x the # of channels). this makes a very noticeable improvement for me but i can't use it due to the crackling during orbital strikes. so to answer your question, yes, using x-fi mode which allows you to use the very high quality makes everything sound so much better and is worlds apart from hardware mode on high. trust me.

either you have xtreme music card (not true x-fi card) or you got it all wrong.

[Leopardi]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

I've never had any crackling in BF2/BF2142. X-Fi Fatal1ty w/ 64MB X-ram.

[RangerXML]

Re: How to: Update BF2 Audio version

X-Fi Platinum (no 64mb, but has front face plate), crackle galore during normal everyday tasks and no crackling since setting it to audio creation more.