DOS/V Power Report 1997 March/VPR9703A.ISO/P_AND_A/RAD20SW/HELPME.DOC

Text File | 1996-12-12 | 29KB | 629 lines

=============================================================================
                           Radix: Beyond The Void
                         Shareware Version 2.0 REMIX
                On-Disk Troubleshooting and Technical Support

                    (c) Copyright 1995 Epic MegaGames, Inc.
=============================================================================

To play Radix: Beyond The Void, you'll need at least:

    * 486-33MHz or better CPU.
    * VGA graphics.
    * 4 megabytes of RAM.
    * A 14,400 baud modem for modem play.

Radix also supports:

    * Sound Blaster and 100% compatible sound cards.
    * Gravis Ultrasound.
    * Joystick or Gravis PC Gamepad.
    * Mouse.

We recommend the following to achieve the full Radix experience:

   * Pentium 60 or faster computer
   * Local bus VGA graphics
   * 8+ MB of RAM (more is better)
   * A Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound card
   * Mouse and keyboard controls
   * A 14.4 or faster modem or an IPX network

To play Radix for the first time, you must run the SETUP program.  This is
accomplished by the following:

1. Switch to the drive where the game is installed (C:)
2. Switch to the subdirectory where the game is installed (CD\RADIX)
3. Type SETUP.

Please read the section "HOW TO SETUP RADIX" for exact information on
setting up and configuring the game.  Once you have setup the game, you
can start playing by typing RADIX.

NOTE:  You only need to run the setup program the first time you play, or
anytime you wish to re-configure your settings.

=============================================================================
                             HOW TO SETUP RADIX
=============================================================================

****************************************************************************
NOTE!: All descriptions marked with an asterik (*) are new to version 2.0 or
are different from version 1.0, and are not described in the manual included
with the registered version of this game.
****************************************************************************

Select Sound Card
-----------------
This option allows you to select the digital sound card to hear sound
effects and music with in the game.  You can select from a list of sound
cards.  If you do not have a sound card you can select none.  Otherwise
select the card that you have. If you are unsure what your sound card type is
or it's compatibility, then try selecting SoundBlaster(tm).

Once you have selected the sound card that you have, you must fill in the
base address, IRQ and DMA of our sound card.  The base address is the address
the card is installed on.  Most of the time this will be 220.  The IRQ of
most sound cards is either 7 or 5.  Most newer cards are set to 5, and old
cards at 7.  If you are unsure of the settings try one of these.  The DMA is
which DMA you want your sounds to play through.  Again if you are unsure,
select 1.  Most of the defaults in these menus are set so that they should
work on the majority of standard sound cards.

Gravis Ultrasound(tm) owners should note that if you only have 256k memory
on the GUS, you probably won't get all of the sounds effects.  This is
because all of the sounds and music score can't fit in only 256k.

Set Controller
--------------
When selecting a controller to play Radix, you have several choices.  You
can use just the keyboard, the keyboard and the mouse or the keyboard with
the joystick.  Select which combination you would like to use.  We HIGHLY
recommend using the keyborad/mouse combination.

Configure Controller
--------------------
You can configure each of the three controller types individually.  The
keyboard, mouse and joystick can each be configured to act differently from
their defaults.

Configuring the Keyboard
------------------------
To configure the keyboard you can select which key performs each function.
Certain keys are reserved and cannot be configured, examples are Tab,
function keys, Esc, etc. Simply move down the menu to the function
you want to change, press enter, and then you will be asked to hit the new
key to be assigned to that function. The functions you can change include
ship movement, weapon firing and activation, after burners, back view, the
throttle keys and leveling.

  *NEW* The PGUP and PGDN keys are no longer reserved keys in v2.0.  You
        can use them for whatever function you wish.  The default
        configuration still uses the PAGE keys for the view-size
        changing, however.

Configuring the Mouse
---------------------
Configuring the mouse is similar to configuring the keyboard. You assign
different mouse buttons to perform different functions. Simply move the
cursor down to the function you want to change, press ENTER, and select the
new mouse button to perform that function.  Note that you must have your
mouse driver installed to select new mouse functions. For an explanation of
the "Leveling" and "Reverse Flight Controls" options, see the
sections below labeled "Auto-Leveling" and "Reverse Flight Control"
respectively.

Configuring the Joystick
------------------------
The joystick configuration allows you to assign different buttons to
different functions. It will support joysticks with up to four buttons such
as the Gravis Gamepad(tm). For an explanation of the "Auto Leveling" and
"Reverse Flight Controls" options, see the sections below labeled "Auto
Leveling" and "Reverse Flight Control" respectively.

Auto-Leveling
-------------
In Radix, you can configure the leveling key. This is a key that allows
you to momentarily toggle the auto-leveling of the ship. The default setup is
that the ship will NOT level out unless the leveling key is pressed.
This setup is recommended for mouse and joystick control. There is also an
option called "Auto Leveling," which when set to ON, will reverse the
control so that the plane will always level out, but will NOT do so when
you press the leveling button. This type of setup is recommended for gravis
gamepad and keyboard control. The Auto-Leveling option can be toggled within
the game using the F8 key.

Reverse Flight Controls
-----------------------
For joystick and mouse support, there is an option to reverse the flight
controls from the default flight simulator control (when you pull back on the
joystick, the plane pitch goes up) to the reverse where the plane pitch will
go down when pulling back on the joystick.  We recommend that you leave the
Reverse Flight Controls option off, but it's a matter of personal preference.

Configure Network/Modem
-----------------------
You must select this option if you plan on playing modem/null modem games.
See the sections about Configuring Modem and Configuring Null Modem
respectively.

Configuring the Network
-----------------------
The only option you have under "Setting up Network" is changing the socket
number that the game is running under.  The only reason you might want to
change the socket is if there is a conflict with another network program.
For instance you get an error "Cannot open network socket."  In this case
everyone must go through and change the socket in the setup program.  Any
hexadecimal number between 4000h and 7FFFh is OK.  If you don't know what
hexadecimal is then a number between 4000 and 7999 is fine.  In most cases
you won't have to change this number.

Configuring the Modem
---------------------
First of all you have to fill in which Comm port your modem is on.  If you
don't know, check your modem to see which one it's set to (your modem
documentation should help you do this).  If you have an external modem and
your mouse is on comm 1 then your modem is probably on comm 2 and vice-versa.

Next select which speed you are going to run at.  We suggest running at
38400.  The options you have are 19200 and 38400.  Don't worry about how fast
your modem is, this is how fast your port is going to run.  You should have
at least a 14,400 baud modem.  If you only have 9600 baud you can try with
compression turned off but you may not have enough bandwidth to run Radix.

Most modems are already set correctly, so all you should really require in
the way of an init string is ATZ.  You should turn on Error Correction and
turn Data Compression of,f as doing so will help the game run smoother.

NOTE:   For most modems, ATZ is a sufficient init string.
        For USR Sportsters, AT &K0 seems to work best (data compression off)

        If the standard ATZ init string does not work properly and you don't
        know exactly how to set error correction and data compression, please
        consult your modem's manual.

There are two additional options you can select.  You can change the
address and IRQ of your UART.  The only reason you would want to do this is
if your BIOS does not register them correctly.  Most of the time you would
only need to do this if you are running on COM3 or COM4.  Check your term
program for these settings.

Configuring null modem
----------------------
Null modem setup is very similar to modem setup.  You can select the Comm
port and speed as well as the optional UART address and IRQ.


=============================================================================
                         NOTES ON OPERATING SYSTEMS
=============================================================================

Running with Windows
---------------------
Radix does not work reliably under Windows 3.xx with sound on.  Please run
SETUP from DOS and select "No Sound Card" under setup if you need to run
Radix from Windows.  If you still have problems, exit Windows and run Radix
from DOS.

Radix should work under Windows 95 on most computers.  However, if you
have any problems running under Windows 95, you'll have to run Radix from
MS-DOS Mode instead.

If you are running Radix through Windows, make sure you change the keyboard
configuration in the options menu, so the ALT and Shift keys will not be used.
Windows has specific uses for the Alt key that may interfere with the game.
You may also disable these functions in Windows so that Radix can use these
keys.

Running with OS/2
-----------------
Though Radix may work reliably under OS/2 on some computers, we don't
recommend this because it might result in the game locking up.  Please
run Radix through DOS, instead.

Multiplayer Note
----------------
When playing a multiplayer game of Radix, all players should be running
Radix under the same operating system.  Running under different operating
systems may cause timing conflicts and/or lock-ups.

=============================================================================
              HOW TO BOOT YOUR COMPUTER CLEAN
=============================================================================

If you're having problems running Radix, you might be able to get it
up and running by "Booting your computer clean."  By this, we mean starting
your computer without loading all of the memory managers and device drivers
that might interfere with the game.  It's a relatively simple process, so
please bear with us.

If you have DOS 5.0
-------------------

   Please skip this section if you have DOS 6.0 or later!

   You need to create a "boot disk" to allow you to start your computer
   without loading all the TSR's and memory managers that take away
   memory.  Here's how.

   A. Put a blank disk in your A: drive and format it as a DOS disk.  (Don't
      do this in your B: drive - it won't work!)  To do this, type the
      following command:

      FORMAT A: /S

   B.  Wait while your computer formats the disk.
   C.  Label the disk "Boot Disk" and keep it handy.  You'll need this
       disk whenever you want to start Radix.

   Now, you can reboot your computer and play Radix:

   A.  Put the boot disk in your A: drive.
   B.  Restart your computer,  either by pressing CTRL-ALT-DELETE,  by
       hitting your reset button,  or by turning it on.
   C.  Wait while your computer boots from the boot disk.
   D.  After a little while, your computer will stop and give you the A>
       prompt.
   E.  Now change to your hard disk by typing "C:".
   F.  Go into the Radix directory by typing "CD \RADIX".
   G.  Begin by typing "RADIX".

If you have DOS 6.0 or later
----------------------------

MS-DOS 6.00 and greater has a special built-in function that makes it very
easy to boot your computer clean.  When first booting your computer, MS-DOS
will display the message "Starting MS-DOS...".  When you see this message,
hit your F5 key.  This will bypass your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS thereby
allowing your computer to boot without memory managers and TSRs.

Now change into the RADIX directory and begin the game.


=============================================================================
                        COMMON PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
=============================================================================

General Problems
----------------

If the computer dumps you to the command line and gives you an error message,
see the section below describing these messages.

PROBLEM:  I can't seem to get ANYTHING on the screen.  I type Radix and the
          system "hangs."  What now?
SOLUTION: Make sure you have the system requirements mentioned earlier in
          the manual. If you do, you may have TSR's that conflict with
          Radix. Remove the TSR's and try running Radix with a "clean boot"
          from a DOS diskette.  Also try running Radix without sound, to
          determine if there is a sound-related conflict.

PROBLEM:  Radix runs slowly on my 386 or 486 computer and sometimes gets
          very "choppy."  What can I do?
SOLUTION: Your computer or VGA card isn't as fast as the game would like.
          You can speed up the game by changing the Detail setting to a
          lower value and/or decreasing the view size (for full-screen mode)
          by pressing the PAGE DOWN key.  Note that the Cockpit view causes
          the greatest slowdown, so this view is only recommended on
          fast (486-66 local bus or Pentium) computers.  Also see the
          section near the end of this document called "OPTIMAL RUNNING."

PROBLEM:  I can't find any way to recalibrate my joystick.  How do I do that?
SOLUTION: The joystick will automatically prompt you to recalibrate if the
          calibration is off, or if you do something which invalidates the
          calibration (such as change joysticks from a gamepad to a flight
          stick). If you must recalibrate though, you can hold the joystick
          to one side during Radix's startup procedure - this should
          "invalidate" the current calibration and force you to recalibrate
          the joystick.

PROBLEM:  My computer locks up or times out during modem games.
SOLUTION: Here are a few possible causes and solutions:

        1. Make sure both players are running under the same operating
           system. If you experience problems under Windows, reboot into
           a DOS session.

        2. Make sure that "call waiting" is disabled. If the phone line
           you are using has call waiting and receives an incoming call
           while you are playing, you will be disconnected. To disable
           call waiting, you can type *70 in front of the number you
           are dialing (Note that only the "dialing" person can disable
           call waiting.)

        3. Your modem may not be fast enough to keep Radix in sync. Radix
           requires a 14.4 connection or faster.

PROBLEM:  Radix fails to connect when using my null-modem cable.
SOLUTION: Here is a checklist that may help:

        1. Check the setup for null modem to make sure that the comm port
           is set correctly.

        2. Check to make sure that both players are using the same "port
           speed" in the comm port setup, they must be the same!

        3. If the comm port is on a non-standard IRQ or base address, make
           sure those fields in the setup are filled in.

        4. You can also try to connect in a term program.

         - If you can communicate with the other player properly, then
           you may want to try copying the port, speed, IRQ and base address
           that the term program is using to Radix setup.

         - NOTE: If you receive garbage from the other player, then you are
           probably connected at two different port speeds.


Sound Problems
--------------

PROBLEM:  When I start the game, I hear music for just a short time, but
          then it cuts off.
SOLUTION: You have chosen an incorrect soundcard IRQ.  Please re-run the
          setup program and verify your IRQ setting.  You may want to
          consult that manual that came with your soundcard for information
          on figuring out the correct setting.  The most command IRQ settings
          are 5 and 7.

PROBLEM:  I don't here any sound at all when I play Radix.
SOLUTION: During your sound card selection, you must have chosen an
          incorrect IRQ and/or DMA channel.  Please re-run the setup
          program and select the proper settings.  You may want to consult
          your soundcard manual for details on figuring out the correct
          settings.

PROBLEM:  When I run the program, it does not recognize my soundcard.
SOLUTION: This problem can be caused by 1 of 3 things:

       1. You may have selected the wrong soundcard IO port address.  You
          must re-run the setup program and verify that you have selected
          the proper address.  You may want to consult your soundcard
          manual for details on figuring out the correct base address.
          Also, if you are using a Sound Blaster 16 or Sound Blaster
          compatible card, please ensure that the proper drivers are loaded
          in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.

       2. You have selected the wrong soundcard.  For instance, you may
          have selected a Sound Blaster 16 when you have a Gravis Ultrasound.

       3. If you are using a Sound Blaster clone, you must choose only the
          regular Sound Blaster as your soundcard in the setup program.  If
          this problem persists, your Sound Blaster clone may not be 100%
          register level compatible.

PROBLEM:  I can only hear the sound effects.
SOLUTION: If you are using a Gravis Ultrasound, you must have chosen an
          improper sound card IRQ.  Please, re-run the setup program and
          verify your IRQ.  You may want to consult your soundcard manual
          for information on figuring out the correct settings.

          If you are not using a Gravis Ultrasound, you must have your
          Music Volume turned down too low.  Use the in-game option to
          increase your Music Volume.

PROBLEM:  I hear music, but it skips like a broken record.
SOLUTION: Sometimes this proble occurs on slower systems running in
          Windows 95.  Try rebooting into an MS-DOS MODE to correct the
          problem.

=============================================================================
                 SOUND CARD NOTES
=============================================================================

   Since new models of sound cards are always being manufactured and revised,
   sometimes a new sound card will come out that's not compatible with
   Radix.  To determine whether you are having a sound-related conflict,
   try setting up Radix for "No Sound Card" or run Radix by typing:

        RADIX -NOSOUND

   If Radix works without sound, but locks up with sound on, chances are that
   you are having a sound-related conflict.

   Here's how to contact the top sound card makers for information about
   sound card problems and obtaining the latest driver files.

   Company       Sound Card         Phone        BBS           CompuServe GO
   ------------- ------------------ ------------ ------------  -------------
   Media Vision  Pro Audio Spectrum 800-638-2807 510-770-0527  MultiVen (12)
   Creative Labs Sound Blaster      405-742-6622 405-742-6660  Blaster
   Gravis        Ultrasound         604-431-1708 604-431-5927  PcVenB (14)

=============================================================================
                               ERROR MESSAGES
=============================================================================

Memory Error Messages
---------------------
Here are some common memory error messages and the solutions to resolve
them. Just a quick note about "low memory" situations. Many DOS programs
require you to have a relatively large amount of DOS memory (<640k) available
to run. They also may require EMS to be loaded, etc.  Radix does not
require any memory related drivers to be run.  In fact, if you have DOS 6.00
or greater, you can just hold down the F5 key when booting (see "Booting
Your Computer Clean," above), load your mouse driver and run Radix. See the
section on optimal running of Radix found below.

> Memory Error: (InitMemory) Not enough memory available.

This error is due to the fact that Radix cannot allocate enough memory to
run properly. There are 2 memory sizes printed above this error message: high
memory available and low memory available.  These two must add up to be at
least 1,250,000 bytes to run radix properly.  This does not mean that you can
run Radix with 1.25 Mb of memory; Radix requires 4Mb of RAM, and the values
printed are residual memory available for each level.  To free up more
memory, you can try to create a boot diskette where only those drivers
required to run Radix are loaded in.  See the section on "Booting Clean."

> Memory Error: (Malloc) [###] Failed on allocation of * bytes.

If you encounter an error of this type it most probably means that the
high memory available and low memory available is really close to 1.25 Mb and
that there is not enough memory available in either the low block or the high
block to allocate memory. The solution to this is to free up more memory by
creating a boot diskette with only those drivers required to play radix to be
loaded.  See the section on "Booting Clean."

Common Error Messages
---------------------

>  Error: (InitJoy) Joystick Calibration Failure.

This error is caused by an improper calibration of the joystick.  There may
be a number of causes.  Here is a list of items to check if you encounter
this error.

   1. Make sure your joystick is plugged firmly into the gameport.

   2. Check the vertical/horizontal fine-tuning adjusters found on many
      joysticks. These adjusters should be centered, if they are far off to
      one side, this error will occur.

   3. Make sure you follow the instructions carefully when calibrating the
      joystick.

   4. If you have a Gravis gamepad, make sure that if the "left/right hand"
      switch is in the right hand position, that you are holding the gamepad
      upside-down.

> Error: (LoadGame) CRC Failure!  Level not compatible!

This error occurs when you try to load a game when the level that you have
saved under has changed! This could only occur if you modify the resource
file or add an external resource file. DO NOT phone for technical assistance
if you have modified your resource file or added and external resource file.

Multiplayer Error Messages
--------------------------

> NET ERROR: (Fatal) Cannot open IPX socket.

This error is an indication that the default IPX socket is being used by
another network program. If this occurs, change the socket value in the
setup program.

> Malformed Packet, Bad Checksum, Bad Packet Errors

These are network/modem based errors indicating that there was a problem
with the connection. If you are using a modem connection, try changing your
init string to have error correction on and data compression on.

Resource Error Messages
-----------------------

> Error: (GameInit) Cannot read resource file.

   This error is usually caused by running RADIX.EXE while outside of the
directory containing RADIX.DAT. Change your directory prior to running
RADIX.EXE to the Radix game directory. If this problem persists, see the
comment below.

   If you get an error message starting with "Resource Error:", this usually
means that there is a problem with the RADIX.DAT resource file. If you have
any of these errors and suspect corruption of radix.dat, try running
CHKDSK/F. If any lost clusters or cross-linked entries involved RADIX.DAT,
you should re-install the game.

=============================================================================
                               OPTIMAL RUNNING
=============================================================================

This section discusses the optimum memory/machine configuration for Radix.
Radix uses Rational System's DOS extender, so it is usually not necessary to
free up DOS memory by loading drivers, etc to high memory. If you want to
create a boot diskette, or optimize your system config, here is what you
should consider:

4Mb Machine
-----------
1. Do not run Smartdrv. Running Smartdrv will speed up the loading process of
   the game, but it will steal memory that the game requires. If you have
   more than 4Mb, say 6Mb, you can try a 512K Smartdrv that will increase
   loading time performance dramatically.

2. Do not run EMM386 or QEMM. The expanded memory manager will consume memory
   and will also deteriorate the performance of the game.

3. Load a mouse driver. It does not have to be loaded high.

4. Load any sound drivers required.

8Mb+ Machine
-----------
1. Run at least a 512K smartdrv. This will dramatically improve the loading
   of the game and each level. We have found that a 512K to 1Mb Smartdrv is a
   good balance for an 8 meg machine. On most 8Mb machines, Smartdrv defaults
   to 2Mb. To switch this to 1Mb, change your AUTOEXEC.BAT to have
   SMARTDRV.EXE 1024.

2. The more memory the better! :)

=============================================================================
                               VERSION HISTORY
=============================================================================

Version 1.0  (10/30/95): First public release (registered and shareware)
Version 1.1  (12/25/95): Major upgrade:

        - Some levels modified.
        - Changed some Multi-player (dogfight & Capture the Flag) rules.
        - Tweaked the keyboard and joystick controls (mouse and keyboard
          still recommended).
        - New controls (such as keys for 4-way strafing) and throttle added.
        - The player's ship now has inertia.
        - Made the registered and shareware versions compatible for
          Multiplayer games.
        - New cheat codes.
        - Fixed various minor bugs.

Version 2.0  (10/26/96): "REMIX":

        - Brand new shareware mission 8.
        - Hovering, move backwards.
        - Massive explosion enhancements, including rubble that remains.
        - 2 new weapons, the enhanced and advanced EPC's
        - Tons of new environmental and sprite art added and enhanced.
        - Fixed mouse, joystick and keyboard controls
        - Countless minor changes, tweaks and bug-fixes

Note: For multiplayer games, all players must have the same version number of
Radix (although the shareware and registered versions are now compatible).

=============================================================================
                        CONTACTING EPIC'S TECH SUPPORT
=============================================================================

If you need further assistance, please call our tech support department:

In the USA:      voice: 301-983-9771          fax: [phone]
In the Europe:   voice: [phone]   fax: [phone]
In Germany:      voice: 0130 822887           fax: [phone]

You can also contact us online:

CompuServe:     GO EPIC
WorldWide Web:  http://www.epicgames.com/
Internet Mail:  [e-mail]
Internet FTP:   ftp.uwp.edu/pub/games/epic
Internet News:  We answer questions in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
America Online: We answer questions posted in the PCGames (keyword) area

EXEC-PC BBS
   Contact:     Epic MegaGames
   2400 Baud:   414-789-4210
   14.4K Baud:  414-789-4360

=============================================================================

Epic's Email list:

To subscribe to Epic's email list and receive late-breaking news
from Epic every month or so, just send an Internet message to
[e-mail] with the subject: SUBSCRIBE EPIC

==============================================================================
             That's all.  Enjoy playing Radix: Beyond The Void!
==============================================================================