Re: Shift 2 unleashed : Missing content on limited edition

by rcgldr
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Original Post

Shift 2 unleashed : Missing content on limited edition

[ Edited ]
★ Novice

Hello everybody,

Sorry to disturb but I have an issue that could not even be answered by the EA technical team.

Actually, I bought Shift 2 unleashed limited edition with the DLCs on Origin like one or 2 years ago, and for a time it went fine.

But recently, having  changed and upgraded my machine I wanted to stick with it again.
I could download it again, install it again, and after a few issues (nVidia PhysX driver issue), play with it again.

Anyway, I tried to start with old saves which were working except for the Autolog that was failing about the password.

So I started a new game, and tried my usual which was to use the Nissan Silvia S15 Spec Aero... except it was not available anymore.

So I did a lot of stuff. Trying to remove the game again, trying to remove Origin and clean up the registry.
I contacted the EA support, which proposed me solutions, like cleaning up the registry, start the game as admin, flush dns cache and clean boot, but nothing worked so far.

Wanted to investigate a little bit more, I can say that the data files for the Silvia S15 are available in the cars directory, and that I got available in game the speedhunter cars like the RX7 FC, the Mercedes Speedhunters, the McLaren and Lamborghini, if I remember correctly. So it seems that I can access parts of the DLC.

About the setup, I run on a Ryzen 1700X, 16GB DDR4, Asus Prime B350M-A, M2 storage, Asus Radeon RX580 8GB.

System is up to date, with a Windows 10 enterprise 64 bit, latest drivers for video and system, mostly latest BIOS if not the latest but 2018 in any case.

Please note that my game and the Origin software are not installed at the default location, but instead placed on the D drive with D:\origin and D:\Program files(x86)\Origin...\Shift2unleashed

I would be really grateful if somebody could have an idea or a solution on this one, since I'm now a bit bone dry on ideas.
I stay at your disposal if somebody needs additional information.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Message 1 of 15 (5,713 Views)

Re: Shift 2 unleashed : Missing content on limited edition

[ Edited ]
★ Guide

I updated this answer. Previously, when logging in for the first time with a new save, you would immediately get notified of any additional content, but now I have confirmed that this is now broken. Logging in no longer enables any extra content (cars or events). I posted another answer with more detail below.

 

 

 

Message 2 of 15 (5,656 Views)

Re: Shift 2 unleashed : Missing content on limited edition

★ Novice

Hello,

 

Thank you for your reply, but I don't really understand it.

 

At least allow me to give back the process I go through

- I clean my games in the document folder

- I start up a new game and I login to Autolog

- I do the first race using the GTR

- At the moment to buy my first car, the Nissan Silvia S15 is not available, when it was before.

- Even if I go to the car shop it is not available.

 

Actually I notice that because it was nice getting it since the price was 0.

Does this information make sense, or did you mean something else ?

If so, could you give a bit more details ?

 

See you,

---

Olivier

Message 3 of 15 (5,633 Views)

Re: Shift 2 unleashed : Missing content on limited edition

[ Edited ]
★ Guide

I've since confirmed that this is now broken. When you first login with a new save, you should get  notified of any additional content you paid for at the time of login, but this no longer happens and the additional content is no longer added to the game, even though you've paid for it. This also affects content from special promotional deals, like the Dr Pepper Camaro.

 

In addition to deleting profile\default.sav and starting with a new game, I also have over 80 career mode saves I made before I ever logged in. In the past if I ever logged in with any of these career mode saves, I would get immediate notification of the additional cars and events that were related to my buying the limited edition of Shift 2 and the Dr Pepper Camaro. Now it no longer works.

 

I also have saves after I logged in which do include the additional content and they still work, except that the password for these saves is invalid, and I can't change it, because the password I used doesn't follow the new rules for passwords. You used to be able to change the password if it was invalid, but EA changed this so that also no longer works.

 

Another bug that I and other players have is that some of the events crash to desktop if the PC is connected to the internet. This has been reported at Steam and other forums.

 

Message 4 of 15 (5,598 Views)

Shift 2 Unleashed - limited edition or bonus content is now broken

[ Edited ]
★ Guide

Follow up:

 

Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition has been removed from the list of games available at Origin and Steam, which only sell the standard version, although online retailers like Amazon still sell EA's original DVD version of Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition. Apparently the side effect of Origin and Steam no longer selling the Limited Edition is that EA servers no longer unlock the limited edition content, affecting players that buy a new copy from an online retailer, or players that reinstall the game and start with a new game, for example, after buying a new computer.

 

In addition, I have the Dr Pepper Camaro from a promotional code, and it no longer unlocks either, although that promotion was for both standard and limited edition versions of the game. 

 

Message 5 of 15 (5,594 Views)

Re: Shift 2 Unleashed - limited edition or bonus content is now broken

[ Edited ]
★ Guide

I called EA support on the phone, and they are looking into fixing this problem. The problem is what I suspected, Shift 2 Unleashed and other Origin games use a "unlock" system for "DLC" instead of actually downloading DLC. For these games, the EA server should be sending "unlock" messages during game login for any "DLC" content the user has purchased or otherwise received on their Origin account for games like Shift 2 Unleashed that use the "unlock" method. The problem is that EA servers are no longer sending these "unlock" messages at game login. EA is now working on fixing this problem. I assume I'll get an email if and when this problem gets fixed. 

 

Message 6 of 15 (5,557 Views)

Re: Shift 2 Unleashed - limited edition or bonus content is now broken

[ Edited ]
★ Guide

I tried this again and it's still not working. If I start with no save, or one of the saves I made before I logged in, the Limited Edition content is not unlocked, this includes 3 cars: Lamborghini LP640, Alpha Romeo Giulietta, NIsan Silvia, and 3 events: manufacture showdown, old versus new, single type. I asked for EA support to call  back and when they did, they claimed that they don't offer support for old games like Shift 2 Unleashed, even though Origin and Steam are still selling it. I tried chat the next day and at least they claimed they would report this problem to others on the support team.

 

Note that the SpeedHunters DLC is handled differently, and since it was changed to a free download for the old EA version, before the Origin version was released, so any Origin version will include the SpeedHunters DLC. I think career mode starts off with 3 of the SpeedHunters cars, and more are added as you level up. This information is in one of the xml files, and you could edit that xml file to unlock all SpeedHunters cars at the start of career. However, enabling the Limited Edition content is handled differently and normally requires that when you log in from the game, that the Origin server send the messages to the game that you have the Limited Edition version, and when you first log in, you should see multiple pop up windows showing the cars and events that are unlocked for having Limited Edition.

 

The Silvia is nice, but the main car you want from Limited Edition is the LP640, which is the fastest car for circuit and 1/4 mile drag.

 

Similar to you, I have the Limited Edition content in a set of saves, but I can't login due to the password issue, and I can't restart career mode with the Limited Edition content.

 

 

Message 7 of 15 (5,378 Views)

Re: Shift 2 Unleashed - limited edition or bonus content is now broken

[ Edited ]
★ Guide

Yet another way this problem shows up. A friend of mine had a hard drive crash a while back and is in the process of reinstalling everything on a new hard drive. He has the EA DVD version of Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition.  When installing from the DVD, before it actually starts the installation, it prompts for an activation code to be entered. The EA Store download version of Shift 2 also uses an activation code, but I don't recall if it required the player to manually enter the code or if the code was automatically entered. Both versions have a de-authentication and re-authentication process. If uninstalling Shift 2, the first step is to do a de-authentication so that Shift 2 can be installed on another system. I seem to recall a limit of 5 authentication cycles, perhaps based on the time between cycles (if enough time has passed, then the count may get reset back to 5).

 

Other than a different sequence for authentication, it seems that EA DVD and EA Store download versions are the same, and now both versions are no longer able to unlock the Limited Edition content unless a player backed up a save with the Limited Edition content. I also have a Dr Pepper Camaro from a promotion, and it also no longer gets unlocked, but I have backups of saves with the Camaro and Limited Edition content.

 

 

 

Message 8 of 15 (5,346 Views)

Re: Shift 2 Unleashed - limited edition or bonus content is now broken

[ Edited ]
★ Guide

I have now tried uninstalling Shift 2 and Origin, cleaning and/or deleting related folders, then doing a download and install of Origin, followed by an Origin download and install of Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition, which I have on my Origin account. This did not fix the issue with the missing Limited Edition content, nor did it fix the issue with the missing Dr Pepper Camaro.  Worse, the Origin version crashes without explanation on the prologue 2 lap practice run, making it unplayable, but this is because the Origin version needs nvidia/geforce physx installed, even if you don't have an nvidia/geforce video card. Downloading and installing physx fixed the game crash, but I'm still stuck with the missing Limited Edition content (3 cars, 3 events), and the Dr Pepper Camaro.

 

I reported this to EA support again (last time was back in June 2018). I don't know if anyone from EA reads the stuff here at Answers HQ and reports this stuff back the studio people that might be able to fix these problems.

 

What I don't understand is that the origin version of Shift 2 is significantly different, (size is 11MB versus EA size of 23MB), with what appears to be significantly enough changes that EA could have just defaulted to including all special content like Limited Edition, promotional stuff (like Dr Pepper Camaro), and loyalty stuff as part of the Limited Edition or just including this stuff in the standard edition, since it's an old and cheap ($20) game.

 

 

 

Message 9 of 15 (5,307 Views)

Re: Shift 2 unleashed : Missing content on limited edition

★★★ Newbie

I just bought the game (new DVD-ROM version of Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition) 4 days ago from Ebay and I am having the same problem. I tried install from DVD-ROM, and when that didn't work, I used the key to add the game to my Origin account, then downloaded Origin app and the Origin version of Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition, but that didn't work either.

 

EA chat support said they will tell the "studio team" about this problem and there might be a fix, but then mentioned it's an old game that isn't supported, but also mentioned that Origin is still selling the game, which didn't make sense to me. If Origin is still selling the game, then why isn't it supported?

 

 

 

 

Message 10 of 15 (5,272 Views)