How does this game compare in popularity to other multiplayer FPS games? Check the GameSpy stats page.
1. - Patches, troubleshooting, mods, information
1.01 - Where can I discuss the game?
1.02 - Where do I find Gamespy stats?
1.03 - What is my frame rate?
2. - Game setup
2.01 - Can I use a joystick to fly?
2.02 - How do I use the Gamespy in-game Join Game selector?
2.03 - How can I use voice support?
3. - Game Mechanics
3.01 - What are all the keyboard commands?
3.02 - How do I pick a new respawn point?
3.03 - How do I change sides?
3.04 - How do I get healed/get ammo?
3.05 - How do I vote some idiot off?
4. - Tactics
4.01 - I keep dying
5. - Miscellaneous
5.01 - How do I make a screenshot during a session?
5.02 - How do I make a movie of a session?
1. - Patches, troubleshooting, mods, information
Patch v1.11 is out. You can also get it from FilePlanet. It adds a new map, "Tatooine Jabba's Palace". Fixes: Corrects an issue with connecting via GameSpy Arcade. Corrects an issue with losing connection to the host after Task-Switching. Added planet names at Planet Loading Screen.
There are some messages from the dev team with help, additional information, and useful links.
There are some useful documents for troubleshooting that come with the game. When you start it up, you can check the "Help" area and find some bits of info that might help you. Or search for *.rtf files where the program files are stored, i.e. readme.rtf and trouble.rtf. Also check the troubleshooting area of the LucasArts support website. Still stuck? Try the Support Forum area and look over previous posts or ask your question there.
There are additional materials such as maps and mods available on the LucasArts website. For example, there's a Bespin Platforms Unbound map that allows you to fly for more than 3 seconds in a given direction on this map. There's also a Hoth mod that lets you fly the Millenium Falcon. How do you write a mod? Break out your hex editor, for now.
1.01 - Where can I discuss the game?
There is a PC-specific area for the LucasArts' official forum. The game is also discussed on the IGN board.
1.02 - Where do I find Gamespy stats?
These stats are here. You have to be logged into Gamespy during a game to have your statistics recorded, and have to finish the game you're in. If you're not in the top 100, you can click on "[FIND]", to the right of the header word "Player" on the Leaderboard and search for your game nickname (not your Gamespy login username). You can also click on the various factions at the top of the list to get these specialized statistics.
There have definitely been problems with stats getting recorded, so don't be upset if you check yours and find you've had only 2 kills and died 3 times.
Use FRAPS. It's easy to install, you run it and run the game and you'll see in the upper left corner a number that is your frames per second. The framerate lock is set to 20 by default. You can set the values to 15, 20 or 30, but this has a meaning only if you're hosting a game as a server; in multiplayer it's the server that determines what setting is used. To change the settings, go to the main menu and select "Options | Online Options" and then change the "Ticks per second" setting.
There is an excellent, thorough guide to the game option meanings, tweaks you can do, and a lot more, in Koroush Ghazi's guide.
2.01 - Can I use a joystick to fly?
In theory. Me, I haven't had the patience to set up the joystick controls, as it's a touchy system. The idea is that you select a control then move the joystick in the direction that will affect that control. You may need to set your throttle control to a neutral position. Another piece of advice is to immediately move the joystick right after hitting "Enter" to change the control binding.
Yes, the Y axis can be inverted. From the "readme.rtf": The joystick X-Axis and Y-axis may appear to be reversed in the game. If this occurs, check the Controller Options to remap it. Check the + or - symbol in the mapping screen and change it to the opposite of your current setting.
from [CoFR]Keeve: If you're using a joystick for spaceships and you set one of the joystick buttons to switch crew positions, you may find yourself stuck in the copilot position without being able to switch back with your joystick button. This happens because the copilot position is considered a ground vehicle for some reason, and therefore the ground vehicle bindings now apply when you're in this position.
2.02 - How do I use the Gamespy in-game Join Game selector?
First, click on the heading in the upper left of your screen to sort by the number of players in a game; now you need to pay attention to only the first few pages of games. With the v1.01 patch, servers at first show up with a red (terrible) ping. If you highlight the server (which you now can do by clicking on it; double-click to play) you will be shown its real ping.
When you pick a server, a key thing to notice is whether "Team Damage" is on or off. If it's on, be careful with those grenades.
The All-Seeing Eye (ASE) has added this game to their shareware game launcher. With this product you can cull out all the games you don't care about (e.g. passworded, high ping, few players). It is also much faster at getting server status than the in-game browser: on my machine it takes about 5 seconds to check all servers (vs. over a minute with the in-game searcher). Unfortunately, you do still have to wade through a few of the initial screens. Also, currently ASE does not show if friendly fire is on, etc. Finally, some people have had problems ever connecting to SWBF with ASE, and I've noticed it doesn't show all the servers that the in-game viewer does. Your mileage may vary.
How do you filter games using ASE? One way is to check the various filter boxes in the "Modifiers" folder on the left of the screen. Personally I prefer adding my own filter. You can use "Filter | New..." and mess with things, but here's a cut and paste method that will get you what you want. Open the "default.fil" file in "C:\Program Files\The All-Seeing Eye". Add the following lines:
Star Wars Battlefront 1 if servertype != "GS" remove 2 if hostport != "3658" remove 3 if clients < "5" remove 4 if clients == maxclients remove 5 if needpass > "0" remove 6 if pl > "40" remove 7 if ping > "250" removePut a blank line at the end. Now when you start ASE, scroll down to the bottom of the games list and open up "My Filters". Select the "Star Wars Battlefront" filter and hit Refresh. You're now shown all SWBF games where there are 5 or more players but not filled, where no password is needed, where packet loss is 40% or less (more than this and your game will stink), and the ping is 250 ms or less (more than this and you'll be pretty lagged out). Adjust these as you see fit. This filter will save you a huge amount of searching and heartache. You can also filter for various maps, look here.
Note: "GameSpy Arcade" is the in-game browser that comes free with the game. "GameSpy" is the game browser that costs money and lets you have control over what servers you see, etc. I've personally never used the standalone GameSpy, as ASE seemed to be preferred over it.
If you're running GameSpy or ASE, you can avoid the login screen at startup: read about it here.
2.03 - How do I use voice support?
Unfortunately, in-game voice support was dropped for the PC version of this game. However, if you have a second computer (or perhaps a very powerful single computer), you can host a Ventrilo, Teamspeak 2, or Roger Wilco session that will let you and your friends talk to each other while playing. It takes a bit of doing to set up correctly, but is lots of fun to do with friends or make available to all if you run a server.
3.01 - What are all the keyboard commands?
One way to test and practice at just about everything is to create a local LAN game with no AI players or heroes. You can then wander around and try things out at your leisure.
If you're a Battlefield player coming into this game, [RNGD]Tyrant has written a worthwhile quickstart guide, comparing and contrasting the two systems.
Here are some basic commands and combos:
E: Hit this rapidly to enter or exit a vehicle you're next to. Hit it just once! Use the mousewheel or "F" to change position inside the vehicle.
spacebar: jump for troops, takeoff/land for cruisers and jet packs.
A/spacebar and D/spacebar: Hitting spacebar while going sideways makes you go into a roll move. This move lets you move rapidly sideways and protects you (fully? somewhat?).
mousewheel: Pushing it in zooms your rifle, if it can zoom ("Z" also does this). Rolling the wheel (or hitting "F") changes to your other primary weapon.
G: Hit this key to select a different secondary weapon (which is activated with the right mouse button).
C: Hit the key once to crouch; if you hit it again soon after, you'll go prone (or just hit "X" to go prone directly).
Alt-F4: for quickly exiting the game entirely.
A fairly full list of commands is available on the LucasArts site. There are communications messages you can send, listed at the end; these are also in the "readme.rtf" file that came with the game. F5 through F12 are for multiplayer:
Specials for classes and vehicles (and there's even more info here and also here):
Pilots
"G" switches between your fusion cutter and your ability to dole out ammo/health goodies (which you yourself can use). Also, when you see a square pad with a holographic gun floating over it use your fusion cutter (first secondary weapon) to build a turret. You can use the fusion cutter to repair destroyed turrets and droids, as well as repair vehicles and fighters. There are also positions where turrets can be built; look for a square platform on the ground with a wrench icon. (last sentence from [RNGD]Tyrant)
Rebel Marksman/Scout Trooper/Clone Sharpshooter/Droid Sniper
The recon droid is used by hitting "G" (change secondary weapon), then hitting your right mouse button to deploy it. You're now a recon droid (and make sure your character is hiding, as he's now not moving). Move the droid where you want the strike. Hit the right mouse button to call it in (you can also hit the left mouse to shoot things). The recon droid and anything nearby gets nuked and you return to your character. Hit "G" again to set your grenades back as your secondary weapon.
Dark Trooper
Tap the spacebar twice to jump very high.
Jet Trooper
Tap the spacebar twice to fly with your jetpack. Point in the direction you want to fly (you can fly up quite high). Hit it again to turn it off, or wait until it runs out of fuel.
Droideka
The "E" key turns you into a roller and turns it off. Right mouse button deploys your shields (which cannot be used while rolling).
Wookiee Smuggler
The Wookiee time bomb can blow up an AT-ST by sticking it to a foot. The Wookiee bowcaster allows you to hold down the fire button to charge up your shot (which costs additional time and ammo), then let go to fire it. Holding down the button using a grenade launcher will delay the detonation of the grenade. (from [RNGD]Tyrant)
DN Bolt Caster
Hold down the fire button to charge it up.
Heavy Weapons
Your missiles actually home in on your target: zoom to aim, fire when red. Your mines will not hurt your friends. When targetting a vehicle (with any weapon) there is a red indicator in the upper right part of the screen that shows you its remaining strength. (from [RNGD]Tyrant)
Larger Vehicles
The vehicles with more than one position usually have the stronger weapon in the passenger position than the driver, so pick people up. (from [RNGD]Tyrant)
Starfighters, Snow Speeders
Normally these craft zoom forward by default. You can make them almost stand still by holding the "S" (move backwards) key. You can also turn rapidly in place while nearly stopped. Physics be darned! (from DarthNewb)
Starfighters, Snow Speeders
Normally these craft zoom forward by default. You can make them almost stand still by holding the "S" (move backwards) key. You can also turn rapidly in place while nearly stopped. Physics be darned! (from DarthNewb)
Snow Speeder
To launch the tow cable (to wrap around AT-AT legs): Be in the back seat. Aim for the legs of the AT-AT. Fire by pressing the left-mouse button. To successfully rope one of these dogies: Approach the AT-AT from the front, and fly towards the legs, about knee level. Even out and slow down using the method described above. Once you are just past the AT-AT your gunner should fire the tow cable. Now comes the tricky part, as the camera view changes to make it "easier". After the camera change, keep tapping the keyboard key towards the AT-AT. For example, if you are flying in a counterclockwise direction (AT-AT on the left) press "A". Do not hold it for too long or you will crash into the legs. Vice versa, not tapping it will make the cable break. Keep her steady at knee level: once level, let go of the mouse to make it easier. Keep tapping the keyboard turn key, and make loops. That AT-AT is going down after 3 loops.
3.02 - How do I pick a new spawn point?
When you're on the soldier selection screen, click on any green spawn point on the map on the right before clicking on "Spawn". Note that while you're spawning you can see the view for various parts of the map by clicking the mouse. Hitting "Escape" is a quick way to go back to the spawn screen (vs. moving the mouse to hit "Back").
Click on the animated red floating faction icon on the Spawn screen to switch factions in the game. Note that the server has to have team auto-selection off for you to see and use this icon.
If you want to kill yourself for some reason, hit "Esc" and select "Respawn".
3.04 - How do I get healed/get ammo?
The tall droids with arms heal you if you stand close, the R2D2s heal vehicles, the little walking trashcan droids give you ammo. Note that all of these can be destroyed, but respawn. When someone dies, they leave behind a little health container you can claim by moving over. Pilots repair the ship they're in automatically. Their arc welder secondary weapon also repairs anything. They can also dispense health and ammo containers. They do this by changing secondary weapon (hit "G"), then right click. Pilots can get more containers from ammo droids.
3.05 - How do I vote some idiot off?
To begin a vote to kick someone off an online server press ESC to bring up the in-game options screen, then select Player List. From there you can highlight the name of the player, and select the 'Vote to Boot' option at the bottom of the screen to start a vote or confirm a vote. (from Koroush Ghazi)
To vote, press Tab, click the name, click vote, and press Tab to return to the game.
That said, no one in the history of the world has been voted off of this game, because almost no one knows how to vote.
There are a number of FAQs available that have a lot of solid information on game tactics.
The FAQ thread on the official forum is worth checking out. Some of the key bits in all these FAQs are distilled here and in the previous section.
Prima's official game guide is available. Is it any good? No clue yet.
The first tactic here is to keep moving, zig and zag. With lag and server processing, you want your enemies to shot where you were, not where you are. Stand still and these are one and the same place. Similarly, lead your target more than you would expect in "real life" to hit your enemy.
Shooting the head is the most effective way to take a trooper down.
Experiment with the "Q" perspective change and note the effect on visibility.
For many classes you can hold down the left mouse button to shoot multiple shots or charge up the weapon.
5.01 - How do I make a screenshot during a session?
First get some reasonable (free) graphics viewer such as Irfanview. While playing, hit the "P" key. A Targa (.tga) file will appear in "C:\Program Files\LucasArts\Star Wars Battlefront\GameData\screenshots".
5.02 - How do I make a movie of a BF 1942 session?
FRAPS is shareware, simple, and works well.
Some quick definitions of abbreviations and terms often encountered:
Camper - Someone who stays or waits at a location because of some advantage, e.g. people camp at some locations to kill people spawning or to wait for some vehicle to appear.
Clan - A group of people on the same team that play together. You'll often see the clan name as the first part of their screen name, in brackets.
gg - "good game."
lol - Laughing out loud.
Noob, Newbie - New player who is learning the ropes.
rofl - Rolling on floor, laughing.
SWBF - Star Wars: Battlefront.
TK - Team-Kill. Someone who kills his teammates or otherwise plays against his own side. Usually banned from the server if he's caught.
wth, wtf - What the hell? What the fark?
Credits: Bits of this FAQ come from the FAQ thread and other places. I don't claim discovery of any of this info, I'm just collecting it all in one place. Hats off to edm3579, Akkin Fett, Falcon IceHole, [CoFR]Keeve, slashnburn, chrisarnold, CorinthianBlue, darthnewb, AgentCross, RobbieSan, jedimikeSIXTYTWO, Koroush Ghazi, [RNGD]Tyrant, Bill Hellier.
Last change: December 11, 2004