It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Become a Tri-System Confederation legend!

Privateer 2: The Darkening, an epic-scaled space trade and combat sim from the cult-classic Wing Commander series, with full motion video sequences starring Christopher Walken, John Hurt, and Clive Owen, is available on GOG.com, for only $5.99. At the same time, we offer you a chance to expand your collection of Wing Commander titles, with our special 48-hour [url=http://www.gog.com/promo/wing_commander_series_promo_190913 ]Wing Commander Series Promo[/url]!

This was not a pleasant reality to wake up to. They told you you've survived a crash which totaled your spacecraft. You can't really remember anything. You're not even quite sure if you belong in the Tri-System. All you have, is the feeling that this isn't the first time you've bounced back from falling to the bottom. You still have just enough currency to afford some flying rust-bucket. It'll do. As long as you have wings, you'll manage, somehow. There always are business opportunities for skilled pilots--dirty jobs that bring good money. A few runs and you'll be able to afford some upgrades, or maybe even a better ship. You'll gain recognition. Fame, even. Somehow, it feels like this all isn't happening for the first time. If only you could recall what dangers await bold pilots in this corner of Universe...

Privateer 2: The Darkening isn't a direct sequel to Wing Commander: Privateer, but rather a completely different adventure in a remote part of the universe governed by the Tri-System Confederation. In fact, there are some hints that both games take place in roughly the same time period, but the different settings give each of them its unique feeling. Originally released in 1996, the game offers solid open-ended space trade and combat mechanics, multitude of original missions to take on, an involving story, and full motion video cut-scenes featuring a cast of a-grade actors. If you long for the sensation of piloting your own star ship and living the space-privateer life on your own terms, make sure not to miss this classic title!

Set your helm for the Tri-System and experience a space adventure of yet another lifetime in Privateer 2: The Darkening, for only $5.99 on GOG.com! Don't forget about the [url=http://www.gog.com/promo/wing_commander_series_promo_190913 ]Wing Commander Series Promo[/url], as well, because it lasts only until Saturday, September 21, at 9:59AM GMT.
avatar
timppu: With DOSBox, probably. It cures cancer, takes care of global warming and causes eternal world peace, among other things.
So it seems :-) And it works fine.

Hey... did anyone notice that we FINALLY got shortcut to sound settings? And for the first time (for me at last) GOG set GM as a default midi music. A truly exceptional release :-D

EDIT: Correction - I see GOG included sound setup shortcut already in WC Academy. Anyway - thumbs up for this change, GOG!
Post edited September 20, 2013 by tburger
I remember the first Privateer with much affection. The second game, while enjoyable, was not up to the very high standards of the first. My clearest memory is of loud music drowning out a lot of the conversation during FMV scenes.

While the FMV that Origin implemented in the later Wing Commander games was very much a "wow" factor, in retrospect the game play sometimes suffered because of the changed directorial focus. Although the stories were often very enjoyable.
Hey, there are a significant number of complaints in the Wing Commander forum about slowdown of this game. Should we pester GOG for the Win95 patch, or let this thread take care of that?

http://www.gog.com/forum/wing_commander_series/privateer_2_slowdown

http://www.gog.com/forum/wing_commander_series/privateer_2_slowdown_fix_and_better_fmvs
Bought it instantly with Arcanum from promo. Thank you CDP/GOG/EA :)
avatar
JudasIscariot: Ours is the DOS version :)
avatar
ZivilSword: Hm, I could not get my (German) version of Privateer 2 running properly. Either the fights were too slow (or get slow when too much action is on screen), or the fights are fine but the menu system runs like the devil and is quite unusable. You can’t provide me with your DOSBox config by chance, can you?
My Windows version runs fine.

Also I’m curious if the video sequences still use the interlaced black lines or someone patched the game to display no black lines but double height lines instead? The latter would be way more good looking on today’s LCD monitors. AFAIK most WC games have a patch against this crap but P2 did not. If you made this possible, I would definitely buy this, even if I already own the German version.

It’s a pity that there are many movie minutes with Clive Owen und John Hurt, but we cannot see them in standard TV resolution. Not even VGA. And not even properly in 320x480 because of those black lines. :(
______

I'm using the GoG version I bought about a week ago.

The normal video resolution isn't correct (no matter which GoG video setup you try in the Launch Graphic Mode Setup program). It seems like Dosbox just can't output the correct video like you could in a true dos environment. It just doesn't have enough video cards emulated apparently.

Also, just launching off the first planet in empty space is great .... until you simply turn around and face the planet then that is already enough to make the video drag to almost unplayable. This is as far as I got. I have a hard time playing something that isn't running at the correct color palette and poor video performance with no apparent way to fix it.

Yeah the video clips are also almost unrecognizable in this state....nothing like the original.

Shame to charge people money for an almost but not quite working copy of the game. I've attached a screenshot with a couple areas circled to show the horrible graphic resolution that just can't seem to be fixed using the Graphic Mode Setup program or manually via the dosbox_privateer2.conf file.
Attachments:
avatar
talenvar: I'm using the GoG version I bought about a week ago.

The normal video resolution isn't correct (no matter which GoG video setup you try in the Launch Graphic Mode Setup program). It seems like Dosbox just can't output the correct video like you could in a true dos environment. It just doesn't have enough video cards emulated apparently.
You could try the Windows version. There is a patch for that. It’s the one I used for my DOS version to get it running properly on Win7. You don’t really have to burn a patched CD but can use ImageBurn (for creating an image) and then mount the image in a virtual CD drive (e.g. with Virtual CloneDrive).