Warlords(tm) III: Darklords Rising(tm) Demo (US Version) 2.04d ReadMe Windows(R) 95 May 8, 1998 Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Installation III. Requirements IV. Recommendations V. Questions and Answers VI. Copyright Information I. Introduction Warlords III: Darklords Rising (Darklords) was developed in response to the thousands of requests to expand the gaming system in Reign of Heroes(tm). More than just new campaigns, maps, and units, Darklords has a greatly enhanced Artificial Intelligence computer player, customizable computer AI with human handicapping system, more detailed game setup, a full Campaign editor, and a full Scenario editor. This demo includes a fully playable 4 player map. All game options are enabled and there are no time limits in the demo. The demo includes free game matching on both Red Orb Zone(tm) and Mplayer(tm). We encourage all of you to try the new Capture the Flag game option. This is one of the 7 new games in Darklords Rising! II. Installation At the startup window, click Install. Or, you can install the program manually: 1. Click the start button on the taskbar and choose Run. 2. Type D:\SETUP.EXE in the line labeled Open. (If your CD-ROM drive uses a letter other than D, substitute that letter for D.) 3. Click the OK button and follow the on-screen instructions. 4. You will be asked a location to install the demo to. Select a location and the demo will install into the directory you designated. You will also be asked whether you would like Red Orb Entertainment's free game matching site called Red Orb Zone in order to play others online. If you don't install ROZ, you may install ROZ at a later time by running Setup in the "Rozsetup" directory. III. Requirements* WINDOWS 95 75MHz Pentium(R) or faster required 16MB of RAM Minimum 50MB hard disk space; 80MB free during installation 4X CD-ROM drive or faster required 640x480, 800x600, or 1024x768, display, 256 colors Video and Sound cards compatible with DirectX 5.0a or higher Full Multiplayer Support*** 8 Player support via Local Area Network connection 4 Player support via 28.8Kbps or faster connection to the Internet 2 Player support via 28.8Kbps or faster modem and null modem cable (4 player Demo and full product support on Mplayer Coming Soon!) *System Configuration: May require minor adjustments to the configuration of your operating system and/or updates to the hardware component drivers. **If you experience problems with the installation or compatibility of DirectX on your machine, please consult the hardware manufacturers of your video or sound card for the latest drivers compatible with DirectX. You may also want to check Microsoft's Web page for more information. ***User is responsible for all Internet access fees and phone charges. IV. Recommendations 1) The host of all multiplayer games should have at least a Pentium 133MHz machine. 2) For Red Orb Zone or TCP/IP games with three or four players, each player's machine should be at least a Pentium 100 MHz machine. Check http://www.warlords3.com for latest information on Warlords III updates and FAQs. Note: The Internet is not perfect at delivering information consistently, nor is it perfect at delivering information in a timely fashion. Please do not call Red Orb Entertainment or Strategic Studies Group for technical support on problems with performance or stability of multiplayer games. We continue to vigorously test Darklords Rising and will provide free updates. Most problems will stem from performance and limitations of the Internet so, we will NOT be able to provide any help for player exits or performance problems in multiplayer games on the Internet. V. Questions & Answers Q. I have installed the demo but it will not run. A. Make sure that you have a current version of DirectX installed on your system. We are not providing DirectX with this demo. Q. How do I select the Capture the Flag game option? A. Just click on where it says Last Warlord Standing on the Side Selection screen. Q. Why can't I edit my side? A. We had to limit the amount of assets we cound include in the demo to keep the demo small. Q. I can only set the game to 40 turns. Why is that? A. We had to build in a limit to the number of turns that can be played. Q. I am encountering Updating Data messages three or more times per ten turns and/or I am consistently exiting in multiplayer games. What can I do? A. It is normal to have up to two Updating Data messages every ten turns. The first thing to check is that each player is using a 28.8Kbps modem or faster and that each player is connecting to the Internet at faster than 26Kbps (26000 or higher). If you are not connecting at this minimum speed, you should contact your Internet Service Provider to inquire about better performance options or try connecting at a different time. The second possibility is that the Internet itself may be having performance and stability problems. This can be caused by overuse (e.g., Friday or Saturday evening, special events such as the Olympics, or a software release such as a new version of Netscape(tm)), some key servers having a brown or blackout; or your particular ISP having problems. Red Orb Technical Support cannot help you with any of these situations. These are limitations of the Internet. Note: Mpath and Red Orb Entertainment reserve the right to adjust the payment plan for Warlords III on Mplayer. Please check Mplayer at http://www.mpath.com for the latest information on Warlords III. Q. I am running into problems with graphics, such as graphic glitches, palette flashes, desktop corruption, or the game hanging upon exit. How can I fix this? A. These are all issues related to DirectX and/or hardware specific drivers. You should contact your video card manufacturer and Microsoft for the latest drivers and compatibility information. Red Orb Entertainment does not supply drivers or information for hardware. Q. I am the host of a multiplayer game. I was killed during a game. Can I leave the game without causing problems? A. No. Although there is some code in the game which tries to recover when a host leaves the game, Darklords Rising primarily uses a client/server model of communication. If the host leaves the game, this may result in player exits. In addition, anytime the host is minimized because another program is running, such as power management software/hardware, backup software, or other programs, there is a good chance there will be a player exit. We highly recommend that Darklords Rising be the only program running. Note: All players should turn off power management software, backup programs, screen savers, or other programs while running Warlords III multiplayer games. Note2: The game recovers more frequently if all players refrain from any action for one turn after a player quits. Q. I pressed Ctrl+Alt+Delete to try to exit or restart the machine, but nothing happened. What is going on? A. Darklords Rising does not support the Windows convention of pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete to close an application or restart a machine. You may use Alt+F4 to exit the application. VI. Copyright Information Copyright (c)1998 Strategic Studies Group. All Rights Reserved. Warlords is a trademark of Strategic Studies Group. Reign of Heroes, Darklords Rising, Red Orb Entertainment, Red Orb Zone, and Broderbund are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Broderbund Software, Inc. Red Orb Entertainment is a division of Broderbund Software, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, Inc. Mplayer and Mpath are trademarks of Mpath Interactive, Inc. All other company and/or product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers. End of ReadMe