The development team behind the popular Project Reality modification for Battlefield 2 have announced a patch that allows fans to continue playing despite EA’s decision to terminate online gameplay hosting for the game.
The shutdown of EA's GameSpy service threatened to make the modification unplayable. But in a post made on May 25 the team says it developed a workaround. A new master server, managed by the Project Reality team, will completely replace the GameSpy servers. “As a result,” writes project manager AncientMan, “it allows players to continue enjoying Project Reality.”
In April EA announced a list of 50 games which would no longer be hosted when their GameSpy Technology service is shutdown later this month. While some developers have been proactive about letting their community know about how their titles are being impacted, other communities have had to hunt for workarounds ahead of the termination of the service on May 31.
Project Reality is a near total conversion of the more than 9-year old Battlefield 2 with the goal of to being “the most realistic and demanding virtual combat environment for PC gamers possible.” It supports combined arms warfare on a scale well beyond the original game. While there is a single-player game, the bulk of the content rests in the multiplayer component, including modes that support hundreds of players at once.
The 1.2 patch, available for download now, also features 3 new maps and a new playable Dutch Forces faction. You can read the full announcement here.
The Project Reality team is currently working on a new standalone version of the mod, called Project Reality 2.
