Installation

In order to play The 4th Coming (T4C), you need a special program that runs on your computer called the T4C Client software. You also need to connect to a T4C Server, which is run by a company in your area or over the internet (more on this in Choosing Your Server below).

Getting the T4C Client

The T4C Client can be found in one of several places. If you have already chosen your T4C Server (also called "provider"), visit that provider's website and follow instructions on how to download their T4C Client. All T4C providers make the client available through their web page. Because the T4C Client is a rather large file (40+ Mb), it can be rather long to download. What you need to do is get from your provider a small program called T4CSETUP.EXE and start it. It will connect to your provider's server and download the complete T4C Client. After that, you need to double-click on T4CINSTALL.EXE and let the process run its course.

Not everyone will feel like downloading that 40 Mb Client, however. Some T4C providers have chosen to burn some CDs with the T4C Client on it. Ask your T4C provider to know if those CDs are available. Those CDs also include additional software (browsers, Worldgroup client, ICQ, etc.), so they could save you a lot of download time.

System Requirements

• Pentium 90 (200 with music)
• Windows 95/98 or NT4 w/SP3
• 32 Megs RAM
• Appx. 150 megs of hard disk space
• 2-button mouse

You will also have to download and install the latest version of DirectX that is provided freely by Microsoft Corp. If you do not have these drivers, The 4th Coming will simply not run. If you are using Windows NT, you will need to install SP3, or T4C will not work.

Installing T4C

Installing The 4th Coming is very simple. You will need to download and execute the T4CInstall.EXE installation file. The screen will go black, the Vircom logo will appear, then the Welcome screen will pop up:

• Click on Next to move on. The Select Destination Directory screen will appear:

• The default installation directory is C:. Use the Browse button to select another destination directory. When you are done, click on Next.

• You are now Ready to Install! If you skipped the previous screen (Select Destination Directory) too fast, this is your chance to go Back. Click on Next (again) when you are ready. The installation will then proceed by copying all the necessary files in the directory you have selected. It will look something like this:

• After the installation, the program will ask you if you want to install a shortcut to the user's manual on your desktop. Once you have clicked on Yes or No, it will then display the latest release notes for the T4C Client. You should read them for any updates about the functionalities of T4C. Finally, the Installation Completed! screen will appear.

• Click on Finish to end the installation process.

Uninstalling T4C

• From the Start menu, find the T4C directory and choose the Uninstall option. (You can also go into your T4C directory in DOS and type uninstall.) The following screen will appear.

• Once you have chosen your uninstall method (we recommend Automatic), click on Next. The Perform Uninstall screen will appear.

• If you have changed your mind and want to change your uninstall method, click on Back. If you are ready to uninstall T4C, click on Finish. If you simply want to cancell the uninstall process, click on Cancel.

Choosing and Connecting to Your Server

The 4th Coming can be played on dozens of independent servers all over the world. In order to play on any one of those servers, you must visit their web page and create an account with them. Vircom maintains a list of all T4C servers. Once that is done, you can start T4C by double-clicking on the T4C shortcut on your desktop. You can also start T4C by going into your T4C directory in DOS and typing (not surprisingly) T4C.

Note: The first time you run T4C, the program will decompress the game music. This is an operation that requires a good deal of hard disk space and can take up to ten minutes.

• In the Name field, enter your account name. In the Password field, enter your account password. It will appear as a series of asterisks (*), so type it carefully. If you want your password to be saved (so you don't have to retype it next time you want to play), check the Save box. There will be a message of the day (MOTD) in the large box below. Read it often since it contains information which the T4C provider may want you to be aware of. When you are ready to play the game, click on Enter (if you've changed your mind, click on Cancel). This will take you into the game.

Setting Up a Proxy

A proxy is roughly defined as a "middleman" machine that reroutes packets from external sources to individual internal machines. If you don't know what it is, odds are you don't need one and should skip this section. If you're connecting off a LAN and are experiencing problems connecting to T4C, you should consult your network administrator for assistance.

In order to set up your T4C client to go through a proxy, you need to the correct information in the connect box that pops up when you start the game:

In the Server field, enter the name of the server you want to connect to. If you are indeed behind a proxy, click on the I'm behind a Proxy box. This will unlock the Patch field, in which you can enter the name of the patch server. These names should be provided to you by your T4C service provider. The ports for the proxy are 11677 and 11678 (server) and 11679 (patch server). If you need further assistance in setting up your proxy, contact your T4C service provider.

What To Do in Case of Problems

Due to the numerous hardware combinations that exist, you may experience problems while installing T4C. The first thing to do is always to contact your T4C provider for assistance.

Here are a few of the most common problems that may occur while installing or playing T4C.

Once I have successfully downloaded the client software and executed it, I receive an error message stating that the file is not a Win32 executable. This is usually a serious case of file corruption because it means that even Windows does not recognize the file as a valid executable. In most cases of file corruption, the error usually happened when transferring the file with the File Transfer Protocol (FTP for short) in ASCII mode. You need to set your FTP client into BINARY mode to successfully download an executable file. Your FTP's client instruction manual should be able to tell you how to do that.

Once the installation has been started, the install program freezes before the process bar is completed and it claims that the file is corrupted. Either a bad download or external sources such as a virus has somehow corrupted data in your installation package. It might also be possible that you do not have enough hard disk space available on your hard drive where is located Windows's temporary directory. If this error repeats itself even after you have re-downloaded the entire package, you should contact your T4C service provider for more information. Their version may have been corrupted.

The client requires a file named DINPUT.DLL or DDRAW.DLL. You will have to download and install the latest version of DirectX. It can be downloaded for free from Microsoft. If you are using Windows NT, you must install SP3.

Whenever I switch to another window while the T4C client is running in background, I will get bumped and lose my connection when I re-enter in the client. Also, the desktop is resized in 640x480 in 256 colors. We are aware of this problem and there isn't really a solution. You must avoid using alt-tab, ctrl-esc or the Window button because this has not been fully implemented yet.

I have a 3D video acceleration card such as a Stingray 128 for example and I found out that the T4C client is behaving in a peculiar manner. You should disable the 3D hardware acceleration option in your DirectX setup.

I have a Genius NetMouse PS/2 and I am unable to use it in the T4C client. Our tests with the Genius NetMouse showed that it worked perfectly with the T4C client on our computers. We recommend that you download and install the latest drivers available from Genius.

I was forced to delete the entire T4C client directory without using the supplied uninstaller. This caused useless icons on the desktop and a now useless group under Programs. I am aware that this was not the right way to uninstall the client, but now I would like to ensure that there is no files left on my hard disk. If you have deleted the T4C directory, it makes the task a little bit more difficult to remove everything. The Beaulieux font has been installed on your computer in your usual Fonts directory, you might want to remove it manually. The exact filename is BE______.TTF and you should find it in WINDOWS\FONTS You can easily delete the icons on the desktop by clicking on them and pressing the DEL key. Finally, to delete the group you have created for the client, right-click on the Start button, select Open and click on Programs. Now, click on the group name T4C (or any other group name you have chosen) and press the DEL key.

The client seems to make too much disk access for no apparent reason. The first possibility is that you are running low on memory. The T4C client requires 32 Megs of memory. If you do have the recommended amount of memory, you should close any useless programs running in the background. Finally, you should also consider doing regular defragmentations of your hard disk especially if more than 2% of its contents is fragmented.