Overview
How to install on windows 7/8, widescreen resolution, widescreen movies, how to install mods such as the restored content mod and the droid planet mod.
Introduction
Hi there, welcome to my ultimate guide to Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2. This guide is intended to be the ultimate tutorial on everything from getting the base game running, to installing mods and changing to a custom resolution. Throughout the guide there will be links to various video tutorials that cover each of the steps in much greater detail.
Before we begin I will introduce myself. I’m Xuul, I make Youtube videos about gaming, modding and tech. For over a year now I have been making video tutorials and spotlights to help people get into the Kotor modding community; so if you think this guide was helpful please consider checking out my Youtube Channel
This guide is essentially a direct port of my original guide that can be found [link]
This guide will be much more up to date and has a section on Recommended mods.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS PLEASE ASK ON THE ORIGINAL GUIDE AS I WILL RESPOND MUCH SOONER.
Installation
The first thing you need to do is install Kotor 2. If you have already installed it and attempted to mod/change the files in any way I would recommend that you do a fresh install. (Uninstall the game, delete all files, and then reinstall). This will help prevent any problems that may arise from residual files.
After that you need to determine two things:
- What version of Kotor 2 do you have?
There are several different versions of Kotor 2 and each has its own problems and advantages. As of writing this guide the most common versions of the game are the 4 Disk Retail Version (Retail), Steam Version, & GoG Version
The main differences in these files are that the Steam Version has an encrypted executable making the widescreen hacks not work correctly, while the retail version requires downloading and installing of several patches before it works.
- What version of windows do you have?
This really comes down to two things (or really 3) What version of windows are you using and if the OS is 32 bit or 64 bit
If you are using a Mac there is actually another, very well written guide >>HERE<< that may aid you with any problems you may have
While the installation of the game itself should be simple it is important to test the game by launching it, creating a new character and entering the world once before continuing. This will help isolate if and crashing / errors that occur later are a result of a mod or from the game itself.
TSLRCM & M4-78EP
I do NOT recommend playing Kotor 2 without using TSLRCM. The game is an unfinished mess without the mod so do yourself a favor and install it. Just remember that some mods will not work with TSLRCM (see the Compatibility List[deadlystream.com] for more info)
M4-78EP (Droid Planet Mod) is optional although I would recommend you give it a try at least once. The mod is not without its flaws and some people prefer to play the game without it. You can take a look at my video review below if you are having trouble deciding.
[link]
Due to the fact that TSLRCM and M4-78 have several custom movie files I recommend installing them before using any widescreen fixes.
- Download TSLRCM >>Link[deadlystream.com]<<
- Run the .exe file
- Select the folder where Kotor 2 is installed and click next, then follow the prompts
- Launch Kotor 2 to confirm if the mod is working
- Download M4-78 EP >>Link[deadlystream.com]<< (Optional)
- Select the folder where Kotor 2 is installed and click next then follow the prompts
If you are having installation issues check out the following videos. Each is very detailed and tailored to specific setups:
Retail/GoG version:
[link]
Steam version:
[link]
Widescreen Resolution
By default Kotor 2 will only run at a 4:3 resolution. Even if the game appears to fill your entire screen it is highly likely that is it merely stretching to fit your monitor.
The method that I recommend requires two files Universal Widescreen[www.wsgf.org] (UniWS) and the UI Fixes[deadlystream.com]. This guide will only work for the Retail and GoG versions of Kotor 2 due to the fact that the Steam version of the game has an encrypted .exe file. If you are using the Steam version of the game I recommend clicking HERE for more information.
- Download all of the required files
- Set the ingame resolution to the second highest available resolution (Ex: 1280*960 on a 16:9 monitor)
- Run UniWS, Under the game dropdown menu select “Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords”
- Click find it for me**
- Set the width and height fields in the patcher to match your monitor (Ex: 1920 & 1080)
- Click Patch
- Go to your Kotor 2 installation folder and open the swkotor2.ini
- Find the entries under [Display options Find the width and height and set them to your resolution of choice[/*]
- Go to the area called [Graphics options in the .ini file and again change the width and height[/*]
- Set V-Sync=1
- Extract the Hud Fix that matches your resolution to the override folder of the game
- Launch the game and enjoy widescreen
**If this step fails something is wrong with your .exe file for Kotor 2. Search for the file manually. If it still fails to work check out the video below for troubleshooting.
HERE is the video I made regarding Kotor 2 in widescreen
It is important to note that if you do NOT see the option for the 1280X960 resolution in your list then simply use the SECOND LARGEST available resolution in its place.
THIS IS OF PARTICULAR NOTE TO USERS OF 16X10 MONITORS!!!!!
Widescreen Movies (Cutscenes)
One problem with changing the game to run at widescreen is that it will cause all of the prerendered movies to play at a very small resolution. This not only looks bad but can actually result in crashes and errors that may cause cutscenes to not work. This method is based off of THIS[www.lucasforums.com] post over on the lucasforums. All credit goes to the author of said post
In order to fix this we are going to use a HeX editor[mh-nexus.de] and video conversion tools[www.radgametools.com] to both resize and upscale the movies to fit your screen. You may also need this Hexadecimal converter[www.mathsisfun.com]
There are several different steps that need to be taken depending on what version of the game you own:
Steam- Due to the encryption of the Kotor 2 .exe in the steam version you will be unable to edit the Hex values. An alternative method is outlined in the video >>Here<<
Retail- This a complicated process. I would Highly recommend following this video guide as it is much more detailed and will walk you through the steps in detail. Make sure you download the HQ Movies Patch[knightsoftheoldrepublic.filefront.com] so you have the higher quality movies
- Ensure TSLRCM and M4-78 EP are installed
- Download the HQ movie patches found >>Here[knightsoftheoldrepublic.filefront.com]<<
- Install all of the HQ movies into the Movies folder. This will overwrite many of your movie files with higher quality ones
- Use the video conversion tools to convert all of the .bik movies into the desired resolution. Convert all of the movies. There will be ~70 with TSLRCM and M4-78 EP installed.
- Select all the movies then click “Bink it!” in the lower left corner of the RAD Video Tools window. Then under “Browse” select an empty folder to output into the desktop
- Under “Input video settings,” enter your desired resolutions.
- Ensure compress audio is selected (unchecking this *may* result in no audio on some configurations)
- Wait for the movies to convert.
- Install the HeX Editor
- Open the swkotor2.exe with the editor
- Find the following hex values and edit them to match your desired resolution (use crtl + F to find the values)
- Follow the steps below
- Ensure the .ini file is correctly set to your desired resolution
The following Hex Strings need to be edited:
- 80 02 00 00 75 15 81 3D E8 C1 80 00 E0 01 & 80 02 00 00 C7 44 24 10 E0 01
The bold HeX values correspond with the width and height respectively. The pairs need to be flipped before they are converted into decimal. Use this Hexadecimal converter[www.mathsisfun.com] to find the values you need.
For example in order to convert the movies into 1920×1080 I would change the following values:
80 02 00 00 75 15 81 3D E8 C1 80 00 E0 01 >>> 80 07 00 00 75 15 81 3D E8 C1 80 00 38 04
80 02 00 00 C7 44 24 10 E0 01 >>> 80 07 00 00 C7 44 24 10 38 04
- Open the Hex calculator and type 1920 (Or any width) in the Decimal field
- Write down the Hexadecimal value as a pair adding 0 to the start as necessary (Ex. 780 >> 0780 >> 07 80)
- Flip the pair (Ex. 07 80 >> 80 70)
- Replace the bold value listed above (The width values) with the new width value (Ex. 80 02 >> 80 07)
- Open the Hex calculator and type 1080 (Or any height) in the Decimal field
- Write down the Hexadecimal value as a pair adding 0 to the start as necessary (Ex. 438 >> 0438 >> 04 38)
- Flip the pair (Ex. 04 38 >> 38 04)
- Replace the underlined value listed above (The height values) with the new width value (Ex. E0 01 >> 38 04)
Installing mods
If you have followed the guide so far you have reached a point where you have a stable “base game”. At this point you can go ahead and play the game with no problems.
Before you begin please read the Compatibility List[deadlystream.com] to ensure that you do not have any conflicts.
If you are like me, you probably want to check out many of the other awesome mods for kotor 2. These mods install differently than the others we have looked at thus far. While it is best to always read the description and follow the authors instructions there is really three main ways to install mods for kotor 2 that I will quickly outline now. The headers link to videos on the topics that are under 2 min long. If you are curious it will only take 90 seconds to see how it is done.
These mods will come in a .zip or .rar archive. Use a tool like WinRar or 7Zip to extract the files into a folder. Drag the contents of the folder (NOT the folder itself) into the “Override” folder located in your Kotor 2 directory.
This method is identical to an override installation; it is often used for texture mods that have flipped textures. If you installed a mod via override and the textures look weird: Use XNVeiw[www.xnview.com]. Extract the mod onto your desktop using 7Zip. Open the folder using XnView and select all of the files. Click batch process. Set the output directory to your override folder and set the filetype to TGA. Set the overwrite to replace. Then press go. After that the textures should work properly.
- TSL Patcher
[/b]
Unlike what the name suggests the TSL patcher is a tool for installing mods for Kotor and Kotor 2. It is preferable to use the patcher instead of copying a mod’s files to the Override, since the Patcher can merge most files. Simply click the TSLpatcher.exe and set the directory to your Kotor 2 directory.
It is still important to read all the directions put forth by mod authors but these instructions should help you if you run into trouble. Before installing any mods make sure you read the description and ensure that there are no incompatibilities and/or conflicts.
FAQ & Troubleshooting
How can I tell if TSLRCM is installed? The main screen is not changed?
Uninstall any/all texture mods. If the main screen remains unchanged then TSLRCM is not installed. Make sure you installed the mod to the correct directory
The widescreen fix won’t work!!!
This will happen for one of two reasons
1) You failed to follow the steps. The most common mistake is not selecting the second largest resolution in game and/or forgetting to edit the ini file. If you need help watch this-
2) You have a resolution of 1366×768 and under. Kotor 2 has issues with this resolution and may either crash or cause the dialogue to be cut off the bottom of the screen
If this is the case set the resolution to 1366×785. Some people have confirmed this to work, but for others it causes a crash. Again some info here:
The dialogue is cut off at the bottom of the screen when I set the game to widescreen
This is likely due to your resolution.You likely have a resolution of 1366×768 and under. Due to an inherent issue with Kotor 2, this will cause the dialouge to be cut off. There are two possible fixes for this and both are not very elegant.
Set the resolution to 1366×785. Some people have confirmed this to work, but for others it causes a crash. More info here:
You can also try changing the actual screen resolution in windows. I have not confirmed either of these fixes personally but have had second hand reports of them either working or causing a CTD
How do i get the game to run on Windows 7/8
Run the game as an administrator if you have issues. Ensure you have DirectX Runtimes[www.microsoft.com] installed.
You can also try the TSL Vista Fix[community.pcgamingwiki.com]
After combat I can’t move
Enable Vsync
I want to record Kotor 2. Why is my FPS so low?
If you have a multicore CPU changing the affinity for kotor 2 may help.
Launch kotor2 then hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete Go to the task manager and select the processes tab then right click on Swkotor2 and set affinity to all cores. You will need to repeat this process any time you launch the game