Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2/Installation
This is the recommended way to install Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 on a modern Windows PC.
For more information, see PCGamingWiki's article on Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2.
Running the installer
1) Insert your game disc or mount ISO. Run setup.exe (as an administrator) and click Install. Enter your CD key, choose your directory, and install. (Note that 2 players with the same CD key cannot play online together). Do not install GameSpy Arcade.
2) Copy the following files from your disc or ISO to your game directory:
- actors
- AI
- Audio
- Cars
- Movies
- Particle
- Tracks
3) Install a no-cd cracked executable file (which cannot be shared here). To play online, you will need an exe that is OpenSpy patched, or you can patch it yourself (see section below on playing online). Choose either a 2.40 or 2.42 exe (see below).
Version 2.42 vs. 2.40
2.42 is the latest patch for the game, which adds online multiplayer encryption and better compatibility for force-feedback devices. However, it cannot be played online against players using version 2.40. Some users choose to play on version 2.40 instead. Note that this version is not supported by the Widescreen Fix and cannot be played online with version 2.42.
Resolution fixes (Widescreen Patch or dgVoodoo)
Widescreen Patch (2.42 only)
It is recommended to play on version 2.42 and use Xan's Widescreen Patch. Read the ReadMe on the GitHub page for installation/usage instructions.
Note that intro cutscenes are broken with this mod. They can be bypassed by launching the game with the argument -nofrustration or -nomovie.
dgVoodoo (2.40 or 2.42)
Download dgVoodoo 2 and extract the archive, then copy dgVoodooCpl.exe, dgVoodoo.conf and D3D8.dll from the MS\x86 folder into your NFS HP2 installation directory.
Run dgVoodoCpl.exe to configure graphics settings.
Essential Mods
- NFS HP2 HD Font Pack
- Better car reflections (can just edit reflections.ini in the cars folder of your HP2 installation directory without downloading this mod, which does the same thing. Set
cubeface_dimensionandenviromap_dimensionto 1024. - Car selection screen lighting fix
Executable launch parameters
Some of these parameters were tested by SkyFire, and results were shared by Meteor in the Hot Pursuit 2 Modding Discord Server.
| Parameter | Usage | Tested? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| nowin2khook | |||
| DisableFileCache | |||
| IMEDebug | |||
| debugfog | |||
| helicoptersOnly | |||
| helipaths | |||
| ignoreexitquads | |||
| maxdamage | Works | ||
| aidebugcops | |||
| doBench | |||
| recordBench | |||
| uimem | |||
| aidumppaths | |||
| money | +money [amount] | Works | |
| nolangkey | |||
| testbed | |||
| caminfo | |||
| boxes | |||
| opentree | Works | ||
| texview | |||
| aibest | |||
| graceperiod | |||
| editrender | |||
| aicarsnochase | |||
| playercop | |||
| aicopswin | Works | ||
| splitscreen | |||
| nomipmap | |||
| e3_demo | |||
| aimap | |||
| aidraw | |||
| aicops | Works | Disables cops | |
| noparticles | |||
| enableStdOut | |||
| aicars | |||
| screenshots | Works | Press Ctrl+P to take screenshot (will be placed in game folder) | |
| stats | |||
| damagefx | |||
| dedsvrinstance | Works | Same as -server | |
| savedata | |||
| nofrustration | Works | ||
| gameport | +gameport [port] | Works | |
| gsbasequeryport | |||
| nocdkeyauth | |||
| cdkey | |||
| dedicated | ? | ||
| clientname | +clientname [name] | Works | No spaces |
| join | +join [IP] | Works | BUG: player profile is not loaded |
| nographics | |||
| IamDrew | |||
| relectioncube | |||
| relectionsphere | |||
| reflectionoff | |||
| gedit | |||
| specsdump | |||
| fullscreen | Works | ||
| hp | |||
| ghost | Works | Disables P2P collisions | |
| minfront | |||
| nofrontend | Works | ||
| nomovie | Works | ||
| nomusic | Works | ||
| noreverb | Works | ||
| aidebugout | |||
| aidebug | |||
| nosnd | Works | ||
| accrecord | |||
| aiprint | |||
| +password | |||
| +name | +name ["name"] | Works | Can use spaces |
| +gameport | |||
| +connect | +connect [IP] | ||
| +host | Works | Same as -server |