bleem!(TM) FULL VERSION bleem! is Copyright (c)1998-2000 bleem, LLC. bleem! is a trademark of bleem, LLC. All rights reserved worldwide. ================================== Release Notes: bleem! version 1.5 FULL VERSION -- 10/25/99 NOTE! THERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT TECH. TIPS AT THE END! What's Changed (since v1.4a): GENERAL CHANGES =============== * Optimized Internal Emulation Logic * Rewrote All Speed Limiter Logic (... again) * Miscellaneous Bug Fixes * Added Installer / UnInstaller Program * Game Database now uses an external file "bleem!.ini" * Window Title Bar now displays game title * Changed Menu "EJECT" Option to "NEW GAME" (ALT-SHIFT-N) * Added Menu "EJECT" Option (ALT-SHIFT-D) Speed Limiter Note: ------------------- With the rewriting of the speed limiter logic, it is likely that some games that may have previously played either too slowly or too quickly in v1.4 will now operate correctly, and importantly, more consistently now with bleem! v1.5! If you've become accustomed to playing games at hyper-warp speed, or at a snail's pace, v1.5 may take a little readjustment before you get used to the new, consistent speed operation! CDROM/DVDROM ============ * Optimized CDROM Access Logic (Less Stuttering with many CDROM and DVDROM drives) * Added "Access Speed" slider (Adjusts performance on slow, or high latency CDROM/DVDROM drives) * Improved speed when muting streamed background music * Corrected CD-DA bug (Some games didn't play all audio tracks) IMPORTANT! bleem!'s performance with certain games can be greatly affected when using backup copies of your original game discs! Due to the various differences between backup discs and original discs, some movies and background music may stutter, skip or sound scratchy. For the best performance and compatibility with bleem!, we strongly recommend the use of original discs only! If your sound is stuttery, skipping or sounds scratchy, be sure to read the Tech Tips at the end of this document for help on configuring your system correctly! CONTROLLERS / JOYSTICKS ======================= * Added NegCon Controller Support * Added JogCon Controller Support * Added L3/R3 Button Support * Adjusted DeadZone for Erratic Controllers * Added AutoConfig for Gravis GamePad Pro * Added AutoConfig for Gravis GamePad Pro USB * Added AutoConfig for Microsoft SideWinder FF Pro * Added AutoConfig for Microsoft SideWinder Precision Pro * Added AutoConfig for Microsoft SideWinder Freestyle (Sensor) * Added AutoConfig for ThrustMaster Fusion USB * Added AutoConfig for USB PSX JOYDAPTER * Added AutoConfig for Microsoft SideWinder GamePad Pro * Added AutoConfig for Logitech WingMan GamePad * Added AutoConfig for Logitech WingMan Interceptor * Added POV Support to Mouse Emulation (POV can emulate Mouse) * Added Axis Support to Mouse Emulation (Joystick can emulate Mouse) * Added POV Support to Analog Emulation (POV can emulate Analog Axes) * Added POV Support to NegCon Emulation (POV can emulate NegCon Axes) * Added POV Support to JogCon Emulation (POV can emulate JogCon Axes) * Redesigned Analog Controller Panel (fits all buttons better) SOUND AND MUSIC =============== * Adjusted Sound Timing Logic (better synchronization with many games) * Added New Sampling Rate Selections (for higher-end sound cards) 3D HARDWARE ACCELERATION ======================== * Added Texel Alignment Option to D3D Configuration Panel (fixes many of the little "cracks" between graphics) * Added Error Message for V1/V2/Rush chipsets in Window Mode GRAPHICS FIXES ============== Final Fantasy 8 Battle Menus (Software Only) Descent Maximum DOOM (Software Only) Final DOOM (Software Only) MonsterSeed (Text Boxes in Direct3D) Star Ocean: The Second Story (Main Menu) MEMORY CARD FIXES ================= Baseball 2000 Batman & Robin Brave Fencer Musashi Castlevania Driver Einhander Eliminator Final Fantasy Tactics Final Fantasy 8 J Final Fantasy 8 U/C G.Darius Monster Rancher Moto Racer Namco Museum Vol 3 Ray Tracers ReLoaded Riven Slam N` Jam 96 U/C Slam N` Jam 96 PAL Star Gladiator Star Ocean: The Second Story Street Racer Street Fighter EX+ Alpha Tarzan WWF:Attitude MULTI-DISC GAME FIXES ===================== Parasite Eve Heart of Darkness NEWLY WORKING GAMES =================== Andretti Racing Baseball 2000 Brave Fencer Musashi Brigandine Bugs Bunny Lost in Time Colony Wars Contra: Legacy of War Descent Maximum Destruction Derby 2 Dino Crisis U/C Dino Crisis J DOOM Eliminator Final DOOM G-Police Hi-Octane Knockout Kings Lemmings & Oh No! More Lemmings Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero Nascar 99 Need for Speed II NFL GameDay 98 NFL GameDay 99 Ninja: Shadow of Darkness Omega Boost J Pandemonium! Rascal Resident Evil 3 Road Rash Road Rash 3D Sentient Shipwreckers! Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi Tomb Raider (Greatest Hits) Tomb Raider 2 IMPROVED GAMES ============== Contender Diablo Die Hard Trilogy Felony 11-79 U/C Felony 11-79 PAL Metal Gear Solid Perfect Weapon Porsche Challenge Resident Evil Resident Evil: Director's Cut Revolution X Tomb Raider Twisted Metal III QUICK TECHNICAL TIPS and TROUBLESHOOTING COMMON PROBLEMS ======================================================== Wow, you found it! If you are having problems running bleem!, we have several tips and hints to hopefully help you get up and running quickly! The first, and most important one, is to always check our webpage at http://www.bleem.com under the HELP icon! Second, by far the easiest (and fastest) way to get help running bleem! is to visit our online Message Boards (click the "Thumb Tack" icon on our website). Finally, you can always use the "Contact" link that's located on our website to fill out an online help request form -- it takes a bit longer, but we'll get back to you as quickly as we can! In the mean-time, however, here's a few of the most common problems, and a number of solutions and suggestions to correct them right away! I get a "KERNEL32.DLL" crash when running bleem! ================================================ The GamePort on the AudioPCI 64D Sound Card has a conflict with bleem! and a few other titles. This particular sound card is very often found in many Gateway and Compaq computer systems. Our previous recommendation was to disable the gameport, and use the USB port instead... ... however, we've done more research and it seems that the only time a problem occurs is when there is no Game Controller properly configured in the Windows Game Controllers Control Panel. Here's what to do: 1. Click on the Start Button 2. Select the "Settings" menu 3. Select the "Control Panel" option 4. Double click on the "Game Controllers" icon. 5. Click on the "Add" button. 6. If your controller is shown in the list that appears, click on it, and then click on "OK." If your controller is NOT shown in the list, click on "Add Other" and then select it from the full list. If your controller doesn't appear in the full list, insert the disk that came with your controller and click on "Have Disk" to install it. A small number of controllers must be installed directly from the disk included with the controller and can not be installed through the Game Controller Control Panel -- in this case, install the game controller using it's supplied installer software and then complete these steps. 7. After you click on OK, make sure that your controller is now listed in the big box in the middle, and that under "status" it now says "OK." If your controller shows as "Not connected", make sure your gameport is enabled (in your Windows System Control Panel), and that the controller is connected to the gameport correctly. 8. If you already have your controller listed correctly, try removing it first, then rebooting your computer, and then finally add the controller back by following the steps above. bleem! doesn't see my controller! ================================= Actually, it probably does -- It's just kind of goofy in the way it works (Yes, we're already working on simplifying the interface for a future bleem! version!) In the mean time, launch bleem! and select the bleem! Controller Settings from the Menus. If your controller isn't listed under the AutoConfigure options, that doesn't mean that bleem! can't see, or use it -- it just means that bleem! doesn't know how to automatically configure your controller yet! To manually configure your controller, here's what to do: 1. Launch bleem! and then select "Controllers" from the Menus. 2. Click on the "Controller 1" Tab. 3. A list of "inputs", or "buttons" that are available on the original console game controllers appears, along with a number of boxes that bleem! uses to "map", or "translate" them to the PC joysticks and gamepads. 4. For each of the "buttons", for example the "START" or "SELECT" buttons, simply select the pull-down list to the right of the button to display a list of all the controllers that are capable of "translating" that button. For example, since the "START" button represents an actual push- type button, and not an axis, like a mouse would have, your joystick and keyboard devices should appear when you select the pull-down list. Simply select the joystick device to tell bleem! that you want that particular button to be associated with your joystick. 4. Now, select the pull-down list to the right of that one to display a list of all the various buttons and input "types" that your particular joystick or gamepad has. Many joysticks number their buttons, starting with 0 or 1, for example "Button 0", "Button 1", and so on. Other devices may use letters such as "Button A", "Button B" and so on. Simply select the correct choice from the list and bleem! will now "know" that the "START" button is "translated" to the "Joystick" "Button A" on your PC! Most joysticks and game controllers usually include a custom "setup application" that is installed when you first set up your joystick on your system. This special "setup application" usually lists the names of all the different "types" of buttons and axes that your controller supports. For example, the Microsoft SideWinder products place an application in your System Tray that tells you all about your controller and defines which buttons are which. 5. Some of the buttons you'll need to configure are really "axes", and not really "buttons" at all... For example, pressing "up" or "down" on a PC joystick handle doesn't really act like a "button" -- the PC thinks of the joystick as having an "axis" that has many different positions between the "down" and "up" positions. Almost all joystick devices refer to vertical movement (up and down) as the "Y" axis, and horizontal movement (left and right) as the "X" axis. "Up" and "Left" are usually indicated with a "(-)", and "Down" and "Right" are usually indicated with a "(+)". When you configure the Up, Down, Left, and Right buttons in bleem!, usually all you need to do is to set the "Up" to "Y Axis (-)", set "Down" to "Y Axis (+)", "Left" to "X Axis (-)", and Right to "X Axis (+)". If you press Up, and your game actually moves your character Down, simply switch the (-) and (+) selections to correct it! bleem! just gives me a black screen! ==================================== There are a few things that may cause this, but most important is having the latest version of DirectX installed correctly on your system. If you're not sure what version of DirectX is installed, simply reinstall DirectX from your bleem! Key CD (or download it from Microsoft directly at www.microsoft.com/directx). The bleem! DirectX installer only updates your system if it is required, so newer versions of DirectX aren't overwritten! 1. Some older video cards don't support all the various resolutions and modes that the particular game was originally designed for. If you're running in a Full Screen (not in a window), try letting bleem! pick the best resolution by click that option in the bleem! Full Screen Graphics Settings. You can also try selecting "Always use this display mode" and then choosing a video mode that your video card supports fully. For example, all video cards support 640x480x16 bit. 2. Some older 3D accelerator cards don't support 3D graphics in a window (Voodoo 1, Voodoo 2, Voodoo Rush and earlier Voodoo chipsets from 3dfx) These video cards require you to always run 3D graphics in Full Screen mode by pressing and holding ALT and then pressing ENTER. To get back to a Window display, simply repeat the ALT-ENTER key sequence. 3. Some older 3D accelerator cards don't work in 24- or 32- bit modes. (Voodoo 1, Voodoo 2, Voodoo Rush, Voodoo Banshee, Voodoo 3 chipsets) These video cards will only accelerate 3D graphics in 16bit modes -- they do NOT operate in 24- or 32-bit modes for 3D graphics. You can still use these graphics cards in Software Mode, or in 16bit color modes, but not in 24- or 32-bit modes. If you're running bleem! in a Window, check to make sure that your desktop is set to a 16-bit mode and not a 24- or 32-bit mode. If you're using bleem! in Full Screen mode, select "Always use this display mode" in bleem! and choose a 16-bit mode that your video card supports. bleem! doesn't work with this game! =================================== Unfortunately, that's quite possible -- bleem! doesn't work with ALL games. bleem! isn't an exact duplicate of the original console, nor is it a "replacement" or a "substitute" for one! On the other hand, we're constantly working hard to improve bleem!'s speed, compatibility, and features, and we offer frequent free updates as bleem! gets better and better. If you find a game that doesn't operate correctly, please visit our website at www.bleem.com and fill out a Compatibility Report form! Also, be sure to visit the website to get the latest bleem! software and game compatibility information. bleem! shows white patches where there should be graphics! ========================================================== This only happens when you're using a 3D accelerator card instead of bleem!'s built-in software mode. For best operation with bleem!, you'll need a video card that has a minumum of 16 Megabytes of Video Ram (VRAM). Cards with less VRAM will still operate, but some games may show white (or grey) patches instead of textured graphics. If your card support "Paletted Textures", be sure to enable that option in bleem!'s Graphics 3D Hardware Settings -- that option saves lots of VRAM memory! bleem! sounds all scratchy and stuttery! ======================================== IMPORTANT! bleem!'s performance with certain games can be greatly affected when using backup copies of your original game discs! Due to the various differences between backup discs and original discs, some movies and background music may stutter, skip or sound scratchy. For the best performance and compatibility with bleem!, we strongly recommend the use of original discs only! If you notice that your movies and/or background music stutters or sounds scratchy, it usually means your CDROM/DVDROM drive settings need adjustment. Unfortunately, the differences between PC CDROM/DVDROM units and those on the original game consoles, means there's no "quick" and "easy" solution to properly configuring the drive. Since there are so many systems with so many different combinations of CDROM/DVDROM drives, it's impossible to say exactly which settings to use to get the optimal performance on your particular hardware. Here's some tips to make it relatively painless, however: 1. From your desktop right click on My Computer and choose Properties. 2. Click on the Performance tab. 3. Click on the File System button. 4. Click on "CD-ROM". 5. There are two options, "Optimize access pattern for" (which may also be shown as "Read Ahead"), and "Supplemental cache size" Most drives operate best with one of the following two settings: A) "Optimize..." set to "No read-ahead" and "Supplemental cache" set to "Small." B) "Optimize..." set to "Quad-speed or higher", and "Supplemental cache" set to "Large." 6. Don't forget to click "OK" to accept the new settings! 7. Now, click on the "Device Manager" tab 8. Click on the "+" next to the CDROM icon. 9. Select your CDROM/DVDROM drive and then click "Properties" 10. Click the "Settings" tab. 11. If the "DMA" checkbox is disabled (grayed out), that means your drive does NOT support DMA operations (faster data transfers). If the "DMA" checkbox is already checked, that means that your drive DOES support DMA. If the checkbox is cleared, enable DMA by checking the box. 12. Click "OK" and allow Windows to accept the settings and reboot your computer. Once the computer reboots, go back in and check the DMA checkbox again -- if it turned back off, that means your CDROM/DVDROM drive does NOT support DMA, and Windows automatically turned it off. 14. Now, launch bleem! and select "CDROM" from the Settings Menu. 15. Set the "Access Speed" slider by the following guidelines, although you may need to adjust it for your particular computer. For drives that support DMA operations, set it near the right. For drives that do NOT support DMA, set it near the left.