Sierra Technical Support PO Box 85006 Bellevue, WA 98015-8506 Phone: (206) 644-4343 Fax: (206) 644-7697 America Online: Keyword SIERRA Compuserve: Go SIERRA Email: support@sierra.com WWW: http://www.sierra.com Front Page Sports: Football '97 Troubleshooting Guide revised 2/7/97 Sierra Technical Support provides this documentation as a reference to Sierra customers using Sierra software products. Sierra Technical Support makes reasonable efforts to ensure that the information contained in this documentation is accurate. However, Sierra makes no warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy, effectiveness, or completeness of the information contained in this documentation. SIERRA ON-LINE, INC. DOES NOT WARRANTY OR PROMISE THAT THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL WORK WITH ANY OR ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS. SIERRA DOES NOT ASSUME ANY LIABILITY, EITHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, FOR THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN, INCLUDING ANY AND ALL DAMAGE TO OR LOST USE OF COMPUTER HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS, LOSS OF WARRANTIES, OR LOST DATA BY THE CUSTOMER OR ANY THIRD PARTY. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY SIERRA, ITS EMPLOYEES, DISTRIBUTORS, DEALER OR AGENTS SHALL CHANGE THE RESTRICTION OF LIABILITY OR CREATE ANY NEW WARRANTIES. IN NO CASE SHALL SIERRA'S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE SIERRA SOFTWARE PRODUCT. TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 - HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS SECTION 2 - INSTALLATION PROCEDURES SECTION 3 - COMMON INSTALLATION PROBLEMS SECTION 4 - COMMON GAME PROBLEMS SECTION 5 - SOUND ISSUES SECTION 6 - GAME PLAY TIPS SECTION 7 - OBTAINING A SIERRA PATCH DISK SECTION 8 - FOOTBALL PRO `97 BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS FOR WINDOWS 95 SECTION 9 - CONTACTING SIERRA FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE SECTION 1 - HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS REQUIRED: 486 DX2 66 Mhz 8MB RAM 270mb Hard drive space (full install) 124mb Hard drive space (medium install) 30mb Hard drive space (minimum install) Double Speed CD ROM drive Windows 95 SVGA (640x480x256 colors) RECOMMENDED FOR BEST PERFORMANCE: Pentium or Better 16MB RAM Quad speed or faster CD ROM 14.4 bps modem TCP/IP Network Play (Coaching mode only) SECTION 2 - INSTALLATION PROCEDURES If you are in Windows 95, insert the CD and Autoplay will ask if you wish to install Football Pro '97. Respond by clicking on "Yes". Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation. If you do not have AUTOPLAY enabled, or if this option does not appear, click on your START button, then select RUN. In the box, type your CD ROM drive letter followed by a colon, then a backslash, and "SETUP". Ex: D:\SETUP. Finally hit . SECTION 3 - COMMON INSTALLATION PROBLEMS Problem: Your computer fails the Sound Card test; you cannot hear the voice and fanfare in the Wave and MIDI tests. Solution: Your sound card may be incorrectly configured for DAC (Audio) or your sound card drivers may not be properly installed or configured for Windows 95. Make sure your speakers are turned on and run the Windows mixer program for your sound card so you can increase its volume levels for MIDI (music) and DAC (Audio). You should consult your sound card documentation or the manufacturer for information regarding the correct configuration of your sound card in Windows 95. Problem: Your computer fails the Display test because you are not running in 256 colors, or your video card does not meet the Pixels-per- second second Speed requirement for the game. Solution: First make sure you are running Windows in 256 colors. Even though your monitor and video card may be capable of displaying 256 colors, Windows may not be set up to use this resolution. Click on the Start button, select Settings, then Control Panel. Double-click the Display icon. You will see four tabs: Background, Screen Saver, Appearance, and Settings. Click on Settings. In the box under Color Palette, it should say 256 Color. If it does not, click on the down arrow next to the window to view a list of choices, and select the one that says 256 Color. You will also notice a slider bar under Desktop Area for adjusting resolution from 640 by 480 pixels (the lowest setting) upwards. If your video card failed the initial speed test, try adjusting the resolution to 640 by 480 pixels. This will decrease the screen resolution but may improve the speed of your video card. Problem: Your computer fails the Memory test; you get a message stating you do not have enough memory to run Football Pro `97 Season. Solution: Football Pro `97 Season requires a computer with a minimum of 8 MB (8192k) of physical RAM to run, of which 7168k must be free. To free up memory in Windows 95, close any and all Windows programs (including screen savers, wallpaper, virus detection programs, shell programs like Norton Desktop or Packard Bell Navigator, etc.) that may be running. On your Taskbar, right-click on the program tab for the program you wish to shut down, and select Close. Then run Football Pro's Setup program again and try the memory test. If your system still fails the test, consult the boot disk instructions at the end of this document and create a Windows 95 boot disk for your system. Then boot up with the boot disk, disable any and all other Windows programs, and start the Setup program again. These steps should give you enough memory to run the program. Problem: You get a message that says your system does not have enough disk space to install Microsoft SDK. Solution: Click on the Start button, select Run. In the text line type X:\directx\dxsetup (replace X with the letter of your cdrom drive) and then click on OK. From the directx setup window select Reinstall DirectX. When DirectX is through installing it will want to restart your computer. After your system restarts, proceed with the normal installation procedure and the game will install normally. SECTION 4 - COMMON GAME PROBLEMS Problem: I can't use the joystick to call plays. Solution: When in the play calling screen, hold down button 2 on your joystick or gamepad and then move the joystick to call the play. The selection arrow will not respond without holding down button 2. Problem: I can't use 2 joysticks at same time to play head to head. Solution: This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: I can't play in arcade mode when playing over a modem or network. Solution:. This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: The game can't find the CD when my CD drive is greater than H: Solution: This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: My mouse flickers making it difficult to see. Solution: There are a couple of ways to help this problem. 1. Switch your mouse pointer settings to the WINDOWS STANDARD pointer selection in the mouse control panel settings 2. Change your display at 640X480 (256 colors). Problem: When playing FBPro97 in Windows 95, you get a message "Please put the CD in the CD-ROM drive" going into a football game and the CD is in the drive. Solution: This will only happen with a large installation of the game. If you eject the CD and then replace the disk in the drive, select RETRY and the game will usually start. If this doesn't allow the game to run, you may need an updated CD-ROM driver for Windows 95. Problem: The OLDPRO and NEWPRO commands are not working to change the camera views as the manual states. Solution: This is an error in the manual. You cannot automatically change the camera views to the old settings. The only way to change camera views is by using F9 while running a game. Problem: Slow game play. Solution: The graphics in Football `97 require more computer resources than earlier Football games. Therefore, by reducing graphics detail you can usually increase game speed. Change the field from grass to turf. You can also turn off the end-zone graphics and the sound effects to help the game move faster. You should also run the game with a Windows 95 Systems disk to make as much memory available to the game as possible. Problem: After calibrating joystick in the Windows 95 control panel, the joystick is still not recognized by the game. Solution: Sierra and most major joystick manufacturers recommend a dedicated joystick card that can be calibrated to the speed of your computer. CH Products, Thrustmaster and Gravis all make excellent speed-adjustable joystick cards. You can find these cards at your local software or hardware dealer. Dedicated joystick cards are relatively inexpensive ($20-$40) and will usually solve this kind of problem. If you use a dedicated joystick card already, you should make sure that all other joystick ports are disabled. Other joystick ports can be found on your sound card, game port or multi-I/O card. Check your hardware documentation for more information on disabling joystick ports. Problem: The Pro Bowl rosters are mixed up and the teams have the wrong colors. Solution: This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: The game won't let me print the Pro Bowl rosters, the Hall of Fame, or the Awards. Solution: This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: The stats and roster screens are too hard to read. Solution: This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: When I copy an existing league to a new league it doesn't retain all of the attributes. Solution: This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: My printer is having problems printing the play diagrams in the Play Editor. Solution: This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: The game doesn't always register a double click when I'm trying to choose a play. Solution: This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: The plays don't highlight when I'm trying to select them Solution:. This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. Note: The game will not highlight your play if you are playing a multi-player game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: The rain is a black "acid rain." Solution: This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. Problem: The screen doesn't take up the full screen, and I don't want to switch to a resolution of 640x480. Solution: This issue is addressed in version 1.3 of the game. SECTION 7 contains information on obtaining the version 1.3 update. The arcade can now be set to run in full screen mode. When full screen mode is enabled the game will automatically stretch the onfield display to fit the current windows resolution. In higher resolutions (1024x768 and up) you may experience some loss in game performance. Higher color settings (more than 256) will also negatively impact game performance. We recommend that you set windows to 256 color mode prior to playing Football Pro '97. To enable full screen mode edit the setup.ini file found in SIERRA\FBPRO97. Under [Arcade], add the following line: Screen=Full NOTE: The SETUP.INI file is case sensitive so you MUST type the line in exactly as it is shown above. General Troubleshooting Steps If you do not see your specific problem listed above, these standard troubleshooting procedures correct most problems running Football '97: Step 1 - Boot with a clean system disk before running the game. A systems disk is a tool that can be used to resolve most conflicts. A system disk will free up more system resources and memory for your games. The systems disk also creates an environment that is "cleaner" or free of extra TSR and utilities that can sometimes cause conflicts. System disk instructions are included in Sections 8 of this document. Step 2 - Check for corrupted files. Run SCANDISK to detect and correct any hard drive errors and corrupted files ( Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Scandisk). If you find any errors such as cross-linked or truncated files or lost allocation units, correct them, then delete and reinstall Football Pro `97. Step 4 - Reinstall the game in a clean boot environment. Lockups and other technical problems can be caused by corrupted game files. No program will run correctly if the data or executable files are corrupted. These corruptions will occur during the installation of the game and are usually due to conflicts with TSRs or other utilities during the installation. Reinstalling the game in the same environment will usually result in the same corrupted data. You should install the game in a "clean" boot environment. Step 5 - Create a clean Windows environment Make sure that all screen savers, virus scans, sound-related programs (IconHear It, Wired for Sound, etc.) and other Windows programs are disabled before starting the game. In addition, if you are using an alternate Windows desktop like Norton Desktop or PCTools, use the default Windows desktop instead. In Windows 95, make sure that your virtual memory is enabled. Step 6 - Check your drivers. Outdated or incompatible video or sound drivers can also cause lockups and errors in Windows. Sierra recommends you check with your sound and video card manufacturers to make sure you have the latest versions of these drivers. Some manufacturers update their drivers several times a year, so it's easy to get behind. SECTION 5 - SOUND ISSUES To make sure that your sound card is configured correctly in Windows 95, check the Audio and MIDI settings in the Multimedia section of Control Panel. The Audio setting defines what driver will be used to produce digitized sound (DAC). Speech and sound effects in a game are usually DAC sounds. The MIDI setting indicates what driver is being used for music playback. The following examples are for the SoundBlaster 16: AUDIO: SB16 Wave Out MIDI: MIDI for Internal OPL2/OPL3 FM Synthesis The names of the Audio and MIDI drivers will vary, depending on your sound card. However, they should be similar to these SoundBlaster 16 drivers. For complete information (including driver names and installation instructions) on Windows 95 drivers for your sound card, contact your sound card manufacturer. Problem: You hear no sound during the game Solution: This usually occurs when your sound card's Windows 95 drivers are not installed correctly. See the above paragraphs for information on checking your Windows 95 sound card drivers. SECTION 6 - GAME PLAY TIPS Technical Support has limited information on Football `97 strategy and game-play hints. This section contains answers to some frequently- asked questions. For additional game-play information, Sierra recommends the Football `97 manual and on-line forums that address sports simulations. CompuServe and America On-Line have active forums where you can obtain valuable information from your fellow football fans! In addition, there is a good tutorial on page 15 of the manual. Question: How do I create a league using the NFL Teams and Rosters? Answer: From the main menu, take these steps: 1. Click on League Play. 2. Click on League Data. 3. Click on New League. 4. Choose Career or Single Season. 5. Choose the desired League Size. 6. Click the Select Team button. 7. If a league appears other than a NFLPA or NFLPI roster in the windows on the gray box, choose the load league button. 8. Find the NFLPA or NFLPI roster you want to use and double click on it. 9. Find the team you want and double click on it, which should highlight it in red. 10. Click the Select Team button. 11. Locate the team in this window and double click on it. Note: You need to repeat step 9 through 11 for each team in your league. 12. Once you have selected every team click on Return. 13. If you select the "Draft all players" option, all players will be released from their current teams to a draft pool for you to select from. 14. Now, click on the Ground Rules section and set up your leagues rules. Note: These rules cannot be changed once you have saved your league. 15. You now want to go to the manage teams screen and make your selections. 16. You have created your league! Give your league a name and save it. Question: How do I choose the team I want to play as? Answer: From the main menu, take the following steps: 1. Click on League play. 2. Click on Teams and Standings. 3. Double click on the name of the team you want to control. 4. Go to the Team Data button. 5. Click on the window next to ownership. Enter your password and confirm it. 6. You are now the owner and manager of that team. Question: I do not like the new camera angles. How can I change them? Answer: From the play field screen, take these steps: 1. Press F9 on the playing field. 2. You will have the option to setup any camera angle you like. 3. Click on the camera controls buttons at the top of the screen to get the desired camera position. 4. Once you have positioned the camera press the red square next to the MODE window. 5. The VIEW ASSIGNMENT Window will then appear showing all of the current view assignments. 6. You can now press on any one of the buttons marked 1-0 and it will program that number of the keyboard to switch to this angle. Pages 73 - 74 in your manual explains this in detail. Question: I want to back up my league files but I don't know which ones to back up. Answer: The game has a utility to a back up leagues: BAKLEG.BAT. This batch file will allow you to make a back-up of any league(s) you choose, and copy them to a target drive and/or directory. To use this utility, you must first be in the FBPro97 game directory, then follow the syntax below: BAKLEG [league-name] [drive] [directory] If you do not specify a drive and/or directory, your league will be copied to the BACKUP directory under the installed FBPro '97's game directory. For further reference on this feature refer to page 200 in your game manual. Question: I can snap the ball but after I do this the computer takes control of the game. What can I do? Answer: The computer only takes over if you are in the Basic action mode. You should set the game to either Advanced or Standard mode. You can make the change by pressing F7 while on the playing field. Question: How come when I go to call a play it only says "Run Right", "Pass Middle", etc.? Why can't I see where my receivers are going? Answer: You are in the Basic play calling mode. You need to select Standard play calling mode to see the plays. You can make the change by pressing F7 while on the playing field. Question: I want to know how many first downs I have so far, but I am only 1 minute into the second quarter of the game. Can I see these or do I have to wait until halftime? Answer: You can view your stats at anytime during the game by pressing the F2 button while on the playing field. Question: Another team has offered me three different people for one of my players, I want all three but I am only allowed to select one of these offers. Answer: You can only make one for one trades in Football `97. You will want to select wisely when this occurs. Question: How can I use the Play Wizard to create a play and save it so I can add it to a game plan. Answer: From the Play Editor, take these steps: 1. Select Game Plan. 2. Select Play Wizard. 3. Then select Offense or Defense. 4. Then proceed through the steps of the play wizard selecting Next until finally your play is complete. 5. Once your play is completed, select Play Editor and select Save 6. You may then add your play to an existing game plan. Question: How do I import my stock plays from FBPro96? Answer: You can't import the stock plays to FBPro97 as they are. You need to enter the play editor in FBPro96 and load the stock play that you want to transfer to FBPro97. Once you have it loaded, click on the save button and retitle the play. You now have this play saved as a custom play and it can be imported into FBPro97. Once you have renamed your play, copy it into the \Sierra\FBPro97\Custom folder in you Windows Explorer. When you go to load your custom plays in FBPro97, you will be able to select your new play. Whenever you make changes to a play, plan or profile, make sure that you rename the file after you have made the changes. If you save the changes and do not retitle it, then you have lost the original format of the item you changed. The only way to restore this is to reinstall the game. Question: I am in the roster screen and cannot change the depth slot of my player. How can I do this? Answer: You need to turn to the position rosters instead of the full offense or defense roster. Once you have turned to the specified position roster then you can move the players depth. SECTION 7 - OBTAINING A SIERRA PATCH DISK There are currently three updates available for Front Page Sports: Football Pro 97. The latest update available will update the game to version 1.3. Depending on what version of the game you currently have, you will need one of the following patches to update to version 1.3: To upgrade from: Use: Version 1.0 FB97130.EXE Version 1.1 FB97131.EXE Version 1.2 (beta) FB97132.EXE If you are not sure what version of the game you are currently using, open the README.TXT file and read the opening lines. These lines will indicate what version of the game you are playing. For more information on what the patch changes and how to apply it, please read the README.TXT file included with the patch. The fastest way to obtain a Sierra patch disk is to download it from one of the following on-line services: the Sierra BBS (206-644-0112), CompuServe (GO SIERRA) or America OnLine (KEYWORD SIERRA) or Sierra website (http://www.sierra.com). You can also request a patch disk be mailed to you by contacting Sierra Technical Support. Our contact information appears later in this document. SECTION 8 - FOOTBALL PRO `97 BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS FOR WINDOWS 95 IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read all instructions before beginning this procedure. STEP 1 - FORMATTING THE DISK To make a boot disk, you must "system" format a high density diskette in the A: drive. This procedure will transfer the "system files" to the disk and allow the computer to boot up correctly. The disk must be in the A: drive; the computer will not boot from the B: drive. To format a disk in Windows 95, put the disk in the drive, open My Computer, then right click on the A: icon. From the pop-up menu, select Format. Under "Format type" select Full; under "Other options", choose Copy system files. Click on Start. After the disk is formatted, you must copy the MSDOS.SYS file from the hard drive to the floppy disk. To do this, leave the floppy disk in the drive, click on Start, Find, Files or Folders. In the "Named" box, type in: MSDOS.SYS. Click on "Find Now". Right click on the highlighted file name at the bottom of the window, then select Send to from the pop- up menu. Send the file to the A: drive. STEP 2 - REBOOT THE COMPUTER AND START THE GAME Restart the computer with the disk in the A: drive by clicking Start, Shut Down, Restart the computer. Follow the instructions in the game manual and start Football Pro `97. SECTION 9: CONTACTING SIERRA FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE Sierra On-Line has a full library of help documents available electronically. You can download them from the following sources: America On-Line: Use keyword SIERRA and choose "Software Libraries", then "Troubleshooting Guides & FAQ's" CompuServe: Use go SIERRA, choose "The Sierra On-Line Forum", then search the "Help Documents" library. Go to our home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.sierra.com and follow the on-screen information. Additionally, you can get your document via our automated faxback service. Call (206) 644-4343, choose to use the automated technical support system and follow the voice instructions provided. You will be faxed a catalog of all of the documents that we have to offer and you will then be able to get the documents you need. If you prefer, you can also fax us at (206) 644-7697 with your document request. If you prefer to get assistance from a technician, Sierra Technical Support will be happy to assist you. All of the online services listed above are staffed by Sierra technicians. Additionally, you can send e- mail to support@sierra.com. Additionally, a Sierra Technical Support Support request form has been enclosed in case you wish to contact us via fax or U.S. mail. Simply fill it out and return it to us. Our fax number is (206) 644-7697 and our mailing address is: Sierra On-Line Technical Support PO Box 85006 Bellevue, WA 98015-8506 For phone assistance, you can reach Sierra Technical Support at (206) 644-4343 between 8:00 am and 4:45 pm, Monday through Friday. Please try to be at your system or have a copy of a Microsoft Diagnostics (MSD) report from it when you call. If you are in Europe, please contact our office in England. The Customer Service number is (0118) 9209111, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The fax number is (0118) 987-5603. Customer Service can also be reached at the following address: Sierra On-Line Limited 2 Beacontree Plaza Gillette Way Reading, Berkshire RG2 0BS UNITED KINGDOM Thanks for choosing Sierra! SIERRA ON-LINE TECHNICAL SUPPORT REQUEST FORM (for IBM PC's & Compatibles) If you decide to write or fax, please provide the following information so that Sierra Technical Support can assist you as efficiently as possible. Please provide as much of the information requested below as possible. Attach additional pages if necessary. Please Print clearly. Name : Full Mailing Address : FAX Number: Phone Number: Email Address: Name/Description of Program: Description of Problem (Please be as specific an detailed as possible.) How are you running the program? * As a DOS Application in DOS * As a Windows Application in Windows * As a DOS application in or through Windows Computer Brand: Computer Model: Operating System (DOS 5.0, Windows 95, etc.): CPU Brand (Intel, Cyrix, etc.): CPU Type (486DX2, Pentium, etc.): CPU Speed (66 mhz, 133 mhz, etc): Total RAM installed in the system in MB (4 MB, 8 MB, etc.): Total Hard Drive Space (in MB): Free Hard Drive Space after installing the Program (in MB): CD ROM Brand/Model: CD ROM Speed (2x,4x, etc.): Video Card (Diamond Stealth, Matrox Millenium, etc.): Video Memory (in MB): Screen resolution you are using in Windows currently: Color Depth you are using in Windows currently: Sound Card Brand/Model/Description/hardward settings: Disk Compression Software (if applicable): Please note any steps below which you have tried: -SCANDISK, Delete & Re-install program -A DOS & Windows installation (for programs supporting both) -Boot Disk -Disk or CD replacement -Patch Disk (If applicable) Name of patch: -Updated Drivers -Temporarily disabling Sound card/Sound in Program -Other: