As well as bringing one new map, changes, fixes and balance tweaks, Patch 1.50--in public beta since April--will make BF2's previously-$10 booster packs 'Euro Forces' and 'Armored Fury' free, granting their maps, vehicles and weapons to all players.

We'll have the 2GB patch up for you on FileShack as soon as it's released, but for now here's the patch's list of changes. Thanks to Shacker onji for the tip.

Features

• Additional support for Windows Vista.
• Added Highway Tampa as a required map.
• Added a new map called Operation Blue Pearl.
• Added Euro Force and Armored Fury as free to play content for all Battlefield 2 players.
• Added Widescreen support
• Allowed BF2.exe to use more than 2Gb RAM
• Added support for the Novint Falcon controller (www.novint.com).

Gameplay Tweaks

• Changes made to both the J10 and F35B to make them more balanced.
• AA targeting tweaked to make it more effective.
• Added checks to prevent "runway grieving".
• Various changes made to prevent cheating.
• Tweaked the hit detection, hits will be more accurate to the model.
• Occasional connection drops after being on a server a couple of minutes - Fixed
• Prevented use of mouse wheel to provide speed boost to vehicles
• Prevented use of mouse wheel to exploit parachutes
• Players can now pass claymores by going prone
• Update the HUD on TV Guided missiles to increase visibility on maps like Dragon Valley
• Added Battlefield 2142 style prone deviation (going prone will now cause reduced accuracy for a brief period)

Bug Fixes

• Fixed the issue where picking up a players kit would cause CTD
• Updated BF2OpenAL.dll from version 1.1.1.0 to version 2.1.8.1
• Updated ch_gas_station collision mesh on Dragon Valley to be consistent with other gas station buildings
• Fixed the issue where MEC artillery piece on Operation Clean Sweep changes to the USMC's control when they capture the Airfield flag
• Updated the Challenger2 HUD to show the correct icon instead of the M1A2 HUD icon
• Changed a PLA FAV to MEC FAV on Road to Jalalabad
• Tweaked the artillery respawn time on Dragon Valley for to 360 seconds as other artillery uses
• Included a delay after weapon switch for the Bizon (PP-19) to 0.666
• Updated the F35B's lock delay to 1 second instead of 1.5 seconds to match other aircraft
• Changed the Humvee camo on Taraba Quarry to be the correct design
• Increased the splash damage of the UH-60 (Black Hawk) guns from 0.25 to 1.5
• Updated the G36E HUD to react the same as other weapons during sprint