How to permanently widen FOV

[hozer]

This method is for those who, like me, wish to permanently set a standard first-person shooter FOV in Halo2-Vista, in order to enjoy a better single player experience. It has been tested and works perfectly in H2V, and seemingly in Halo PC as well.



The short version:

• replace all occurrences of 'AA619C3F' with 'CDCCCC3F' in all SP .MAP files.

The detailed version:

• before you do any editing, make sure to BACKUP your entire Halo2\maps directory
• get a decent hex editor (I used hex workshop)
• open your Halo2\maps directory
• for every one of the single player maps (the ones whose filename starts with numbers) do the following:
  • open the .MAP file with hex workshop
  • choose replace in the edit menu
  • in the type box choose: hex values
  • in the 'Find' field type: AA619C3F
  • in the 'Replace' field type: CDCCCC3F, a 32-bit float value which translates into a decent FOV of 1.6 instead of the default 1.22. Use other float values if you prefer.
  • make sure to replace all occurences
  • save the file
  • close the file
• do the exact same procedure for these two other files: single_player_shared.map, shared.map
• you're done, launch the game and enjoy a permanent non-debilitating FOV in Halo2 Vista

Note: due to new FOV, wielded weapons appear slightly oversized.

Edit:
For me, modding this game really pumped some new life into it. I never thought I'd enjoy it so much. I just finished a run through the entire game, for the first time in a PRISTINE fanboy joy. And without the looping music, the game's dramatic atmosphere emerges at last. A huge thanks to lone wolf, for his support, T1xAnton, for his guidance, and grimdoomer for his Gravemind editor, without which this would not have been possible.

Is there any way to zip all of the maps up that you moded for us to download?