Connection Lost: A Theory (Works for me so far)

[ReallyBadPilot]

Instead of writing a batch file....

Start BF2

Once it starts immediately alt-tab out of it

ctrl-alt-delete

select processes tab

right click

set priority - below normal or low...or medium...just not high

There...no batch file required to TEST if this works. This might limit the confusion for the guys who have never written batch files. If it does work, then proceed to edit your command lines.

[buglenutsman]

fantastic!!! it works great, i also find that using disk cleanup and defragging every day or so helps the initial stutter out as well....smooooooth as a buttah!

[-X$B-Trivium]

tactical, i have windows xp..i went to internet explorer and under tools but cant find folder options..i clicked internet options because thats the one closest to it..and i cant see the "view" tab anywhere..and before de-selecting the check box that im supposed to do is the text document file only a clipboard looking icon and when i open it it only has what u said to copy and paste...is this right? am i doing it right?

[Tactical_Marksman]

[QUOTE=Tactical_Marksman]Well, the first point of confusion is over 'explorer.' You can access the files on your computer by using "Explorer" which is basically the GUI (Graphic User Interface) for windows file management, and has been for over a decade at this point I think. The options it has are different from what you'll find by running "Internet Explorer." For future reference, you can find explorer at the following location: C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe

Now, then, the easiest way to get there in XP is to just double-click "My Computer." This is, as I understand it, just explorer with a few visual/formating differences. From here follow the above instructions just as listed. Personally, I like the clean look of simple 'explorer.exe' in "Classic mode" settings with nothing hidden. I like knowing everything about everything on my pc, and this is a good way to see it without the extra fluff.

I'm not sure how the mods will feel about this, but I'm going to go ahead and upload a batch file for you guys to use. Just download this file into your Battlefield 2 directory and click it to get into the game (or create a shortcut of it and move that to the desktop). It's basically what Gunny posted, with my forced resolution settings tacked on. I'm going to show you the file's contents, which you can of course observe yourself by using 'edit,' but as a general rule ALWAYS virus scan any executable or .bat file you download. I'm telling you this file is totally clean and not malicious, but as Ronald Reagan once said "Trust, but verify."

The file simply contains this one line of code:
start /belownormal bf2.exe +menu 1 +fullscreen 1 +szx 1280 +szy 1024

'start' calls the program, '/belownormal' specifies a lower processor/memory priority, bf2.exe is the main executable for the game which you'd run anyway, and everything that follows forces the game to run in 1280x1024 resolution which is not available in the games graphic settings menu. If you don't like the forced higher-resolution right click on the batch file, select edit, delete everything after the .exe and save.

Batch File Below, simply delete the .txt extension and drop it in your Battlefield 2 directory.

[Tactical_Marksman]

OH! This is posted in another thread by somebody else, which I've lost, but I find it's a nice performance trick.

Go into your C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2\mods\bf2\movies folder and create a new folder inside, I called mine "Movies Hidden." Drag and drop all the *.bik files in the movie folder into the new folder you just created.

Presto, no more annoying EA games and Dice movies at startup, no intro movie, and no background movies to run behind the menu. When you go to start BF2 now, you will go STRAIGHT to the login screen without loading 261mb of movie files into memory. When the program can't find the movie files, it just ignores them, so we get a nice clean, quick boot.

While I was formulationg my 'theory' (read: Troubleshooting the hell out of it) I had to restart BF2 very, very often. This makes loading BF2 and getting into games a lot quicker and easier, not to mention reduces the load on your system's memory.

[agentprovocateur]

Fix Doesn't Work

Hi,

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this fix doesn't work for me. I did a clean install of BF2, updated PunkBuster with pbweb.exe, and then executed BF2 with below normal priority. I was disconnected from the first server I joined in about 12 seconds. "Your Connection To The Server Has Been Lost." I tried setting the priority to low afterwards and managed to kill someone before I got the dreaded message. I suppose I'm not as upset about this issue as I am upset with EA for not taking responsibility for it. This game has been out for a long time, and I just bought it today, and I can't even play it. The situation is completely unacceptable, especially for a $50 game.

System Specs:
AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+
NVIDIA GeForce 7800GTX
2Gb DDR400 RAM
Abit AN8-Ultra
SATA II Drives

Thanks,
agentprovocateur

[Tactical_Marksman]

Thank you for your post, though I'm sorry you're still having trouble. I really appreciate you giving us your input on this, we really need to know who it works for and who it doesn't.

As I've said several times on these boards, I strongly believe we are the beta-testers and troubleshooters for EA. It's clear they released this product before it was ready and it upsets me that they are shooting for an expansion pack (more money) instead of trying to get the job done RIGHT in the first place.

The only other thing I can think of is to try to lower your AGP apature. I have no idea why this would work, but someone claimed it worked for them. I can't see how it would hurt your system, so it might be worth a shot.

If that doesn't work, maybe we should start a petition for all of us here to receive paychecks from EA for doing them the service of troubleshooting their game for them.

Can you believe they charge 95 cents per minute for phone tech-support? I did the email route and I ended up sending THEM the solution, as what they sent me had nothing to do with my problem. Charged once for a game, yeah, charged again for help... eh, if it's really worth it, but charged again to provide THEM with ways to make THEIR product work? That ain't capitalism.

[Fysme]

I must say thank you for the you solved a big problem for me! I am really Grateful!

[imported_Chubz]

OH! This is posted in another thread by somebody else, which I've lost, but I find it's a nice performance trick.

Go into your C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2\mods\bf2\movies folder and create a new folder inside, I called mine "Movies Hidden." Drag and drop all the *.bik files in the movie folder into the new folder you just created.

Presto, no more annoying EA games and Dice movies at startup, no intro movie, and no background movies to run behind the menu. When you go to start BF2 now, you will go STRAIGHT to the login screen without loading 261mb of movie files into memory. When the program can't find the movie files, it just ignores them, so we get a nice clean, quick boot.

While I was formulationg my 'theory' (read: Troubleshooting the hell out of it) I had to restart BF2 very, very often. This makes loading BF2 and getting into games a lot quicker and easier, not to mention reduces the load on your system's memory.

This was actually one of the first tweaks I'd ever performed on BF2 ... in fact, this is exactly what I did on the demo.

I'd recommend any of you who HAVEN'T YET to do exactly as he says, because without having to wait for the movies at startup, etc., it makes things go by alot quicker.

This is a great thread... even found some cool tweaks and such that I never knew about. (The Smartclose program helped me out alot; thanks to whoever posted about it).

[-X$B-Trivium]

tactical, i forget who said to go into your system folder and change program to background services and below that program to system cache..i tried that and restarted my computer.. got on a bf2 server and it was laggy as hell..when i tried to turn around and walk it would skip everywhere and be all choppy. So that didn't work for me..ill try your batch file and see how everything goes.

[-X$B-Trivium]

[QUOTE]Batch File Below, simply delete the .txt extension and drop it in your Battlefield 2 directory

i dont get this..what .txt extension? and how? please help thx.

[-X$B-Trivium]

sorry i dont know how to use the quotes...

[imported_Chubz]

sorry i dont know how to use the quotes...

Be sure to use the EDIT button beside the quote button to add more to your messages if you'd like... you can even delete unwanted posts.

Like, you can go to your 2nd post, copy it, delete it, and then edit your first post and PASTE what you copied into it.

That way you don't have to triple-post to say what you need to say!

[-X$B-Trivium]

thanks chubz..i forgot to mention to u guys that i got a new dell 19 inch flat panel lcd monitor..i hooked it up and once i started playing online i STARTED to get the connection problems..does my connection problems have to do with my monitor or was it just a coinsidence?

[agentprovocateur]

Follow Up

Just following up. I left my computer off overnight, and when I turned it on I was able to play BF2 all morning without a hitch. While this doesn't offer much explaination to the problem, it offers a little insight. My conclusion is that the problem is sporatic and also effects the most up-to-date versions of PunkBuster and Battlefield 2. There must be some kind of condition that is required to cause the disconnects, and once that environment is realized, "Your Connection To The Server Has Been Lost." What those conditions are still remains a mystery.

Thanks,
agentprovocateur