PC Gamer 2.11/PCGAMER Disc 2.11 DEC 1996.iso/SC3DEMO/README.TXT

Text File | 1996-09-13 | 19KB | 516 lines

Star Control 3 CD Demo README.TXT                   September 13, 1996

**********************************
*** Use the UP and DOWN arrow  ***
*** keys to scroll this text   ***
*** file and ESC key to return ***
*** to the menu.               ***
**********************************




                    STAR CONTROL 3 (TM) CD Demo README
                    ----------------------------------

For instructions on how to play the Star Control 3 CD Demo, please
consult the MANUAL.TXT file. For more detailed technical help, or
information on installing and running Star Control 3, please consult
the HELP.ME file.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
                          TABLE OF CONTENTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I.    Introduction
II.   Quick Start
III.  Running Star Control 3
   A. Installing The Game
   B. Setting Up Sound
   C. Running The Game
IV.   Viewing the Manual
V.    HyperMelee Remote Play Notes
   A. Network Games
   B. Modem Games
   C. Serial Games
   D. Remote Play Tips
VI.   Technical Tips
VII.  Known Bugs
VIII. Technical Support
IX.   Legal Stuff


----------------------------------------------------------------------
                          INTRODUCTION
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Accolade is pleased to present the STAR CONTROL 3 CD Demo.


*What is STAR CONTROL?

STAR CONTROL is simply the coolest Space-Action-Adventure-Strategy
game ever made. Some time after the 20th Century, the vicious,
caterpillar-like Ur-Quan showed up in our solar system, and things
haven't been the same since.


*Is there even more STAR CONTROL?

If you haven't already got one, you can get ready to learn the rest of
the STAR CONTROL story by running out to the store and buying your
copy of Accolade's STAR CONTROL Collection available now at almost any
computer store anywhere. STAR CONTROL Collection contains STAR CONTROL
and STAR CONTROL II. STAR CONTROL Collection--it's value-priced and
wholesome!

While you are at the Mall, buy the STAR CONTROL novel, INTERBELLUM,
now available at finer book stores everywhere, or you can contact
Prima Publishing at 800-531-2343 to place an order.

Coming soon: the STAR CONTROL 3 Strategy Guide available from Prima
Publishing. To order call 800-531-2343.

Haven't had enough STAR CONTROL? Check us out at our Web site:
http://www.accolade.com/


* What does this mean: <key>?

In this Readme file, there are numerous references to <key>. This
means that in order to get a response from the computer, press the key
on your keyboard listed in between the carets < >.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
                         QUICK START
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Insert the Star Control 3 disc into the CD-ROM drive. After the CD has
been recognized, run the INSTALL program and the SETSOUND utility from
the SC3DEMO subdirectory. Go to the path you have installed the game
under and run SC3DEMO. For more detailed instructions, check out the
RUNNING STAR CONTROL 3 section.

To get help on how to use the game, press F1 from almost any screen.
To get a hint on how to proceed in the adventure game, press F5 and
ask ICOM. To find out what something is called, hold the pointer over
an item or icon for a moment without pressing any buttons. For more
detailed instructions, check out MANUAL.TXT. Have fun!


----------------------------------------------------------------------
                      RUNNING STAR CONTROL 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------

INSTALLING THE GAME
-------------------------------

Star Control 3 comes with its own installation program that must be
run before you can play the game. The most common configuration for
machines at the time of this document is one or two floppy drives, a
single hard drive, and a single CD-ROM drive, so that a reference to:

A: refers to the floppy drive that will boot your machine if a system
   disk is present in the drive when the machine is turned on

C: refers to your hard drive

D: refers to your CD-ROM drive

If the drive specifications are different on your machine, then use
the appropriate equivalent drive as necessary. If you are reading this
thirty years in the future, and drive devices have been replaced by
magneto-neural interfaces, then we cannot help you.

From DOS:

Insert the CD with the Star Control 3 Demo into the CD-ROM tray and
change drive designations to access the SC3DEMO subdirectory of the
CD-ROM drive.

Example: D: <Enter>
         CD \SC3DEMO <Enter>

Type: INSTALL <Enter>

Follow the on-screen instructions.

From Windows 95:

Once Windows 95 has loaded, and is operating normally, insert the CD
with the Star Control 3 Demo into your CD-ROM drive. Give the CD a few
seconds to read.

If the disc does not autoplay, click on the START icon from the
Windows 95 desktop and select 'Run' from the START menu. Select
'Browse' and access the SC3DEMO subdirectory of the CD-ROM drive.

Type: INSTALL <Enter>

Follow the on-screen instructions.


SETTING UP SOUND
-------------------------------

After the game is installed, SETSOUND will run automatically. Use
SETSOUND to install the correct sound and music drivers for your
system.

Using the arrow keys, move the highlight over the "Select and
configure MIDI music driver" option, then press <Enter>.

Using the arrow keys, move the highlight over the correct sound driver
for your sound card, then press <Enter>.

Using the arrow keys, move the highlight over the "Attempt to
configure sound driver automatically" option, then press <Enter>.

If the sound driver does not configure automatically, you will have to
return to this screen and choose the "Skip auto-detection and
configure sound driver manually" option.

Once you have returned to the main SETSOUND screen, using the arrow
keys, move the highlight over the "Select and configure digital audio
driver" option, then press <Enter>.

Using the arrow keys, move the highlight over the correct sound driver
for your sound card, then press <Enter>.

Using the arrow keys, move the highlight over the "Attempt to
configure sound driver automatically" option, then press <Enter>.

If the sound driver does not configure automatically, you will have to
return to this screen and choose the "Skip auto-detection and
configure sound driver manually" option.

When you are done and have returned to the main SETSOUND screen, using
the arrow keys, move the highlight over the "Done" option, then press
<Enter>.

If you wish to change these options in the future, go to the DOS
prompt and type:

C:\PROGRAMF\ACCOLADE\SC3DEMO\SETSOUND <Enter>

(assuming you installed Star Control to the default directory)


RUNNING THE GAME
-------------------------------
From DOS:

Insert the CD with the Star Control 3 Demo into the CD-ROM tray and
change drive designations to access the hard drive.

Example: C:\ <Enter>

Type: CD PROGRAMF\ACCOLADE\SC3DEMO

(assuming you installed Star Control to the default directory)

Type: SC3DEMO <Enter>

From Windows 95:

Once Windows 95 has loaded, and is operating normally, insert the CD
with the Star Control 3 Demo into your CD-ROM drive. Give the CD a
few seconds to read.

If the disc does not autoplay, click on the START icon from the
Windows 95 desktop and select 'Run' from the START menu. Select
'Browse' and access the SC3DEMO subdirectory of the hard drive.

For example: C:\PROGRAMF\ACCOLADE\SC3DEMO

(assuming you installed Star Control 3 to the default directory, and
where C: is your hard drive).

Type: SC3DEMO <Enter>


NOTE: If you have problems getting Star Control 3 to run, please
consult the HELP.ME file.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
                     VIEWING THE MANUAL
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The MANUAL.TXT, README.TXT, and HELP.ME files are text files. You can
view them from within the INSTALL program, the DOS EDIT program, or
the Windows 95 NOTEPAD program. The printed and on-line manuals in the
full version of the game include additional information on the various
races and star ships in Star Control 3.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
                  HYPERMELEE REMOTE PLAY NOTES
----------------------------------------------------------------------

NETWORK GAME NOTES:
------------------
1.  Both machines must be on the same IPX-compatible network in order
    for a network game to work properly.
2.  It is not possible to manually choose a network node. The game
    simply finds the first open node, then grabs the next Player who
    tries to play a network game. So, if you set up a network game
    and are waiting for your friend Ernie to hook up, but Agnus
    (who also wants to play a network game) hooks up before Ernie,
    then you have to play with Agnus.
3.  If you are running IPX over an Ethernet network, are running
    Windows(R) 95, and your mail service works, but you cannot setup a
    network game, try going into Control Panels/Network/IPX/SPX
    Compatible Protocols/Properties/Advanced and see if your frame
    type is set to AUTO. If it is, try setting your Ethernet Frame
    Values to match your opponent's (both with Ethernet 802.2 or both
    with Ethernet 802.3).

MODEM GAME NOTES:
----------------
1.  Some modem compatibility problems depend on which modem
    makes the call and which modem receives the call. If you have
    problems making a modem connection with another person's
    computer, try having the other person call you,
    instead of you calling them.

SERIAL GAME NOTES:
-----------------
1.  If having cable troubles in Windows 95, click on the START
    icon in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, click on
    SETTINGS, then go to the Control Panel, then open the SYSTEM icon.
    Click on the DEVICE MANAGER tab. Under ports, make sure that you
    can see that you have a COM 1 port and a COM 2 Port. Make sure
    that neither have a conflict indicator (black exclamation mark in
    a yellow circle). If you do have a conflict, you need to contact
    your hardware vendor in order to correct this problem.

NOTE: certain cards conflict with COM ports (such as a network card
set on IRQ 3 when your COM port 2 is also set on IRQ 3).


REMOTE PLAY TIPS
-----------------
The following tips can make your remote play sessions play better.

1.  Player 2 will always be the remote player on both machines.
2.  Do not press <Pause>.
3.  Do not try to start "Lightning Mode".

Make sure that both players in remote melee have the same sound and
music settings (both on, one on and one off, or both off) or the
game can become unstable.

Try having both users play the game from the overhead view (Press F5
to switch views). Not only can this improve your frame rate, but it is
easier to aim!

If you have problems establishing a modem connection after using other
communications software, try power cycling your modem to reset it to
its default settings. If you have an internal modem this may require
powering down your computer. Some communications programs can leave
your modem in a non-standard configuration which can interfere with
the game establishing a modem connection.

Try having both players click on the Fight icon at about the same
time. Having one computer "on hold" for a long time, waiting for a
connection or a node, can reduce the chance of establishing a remote
connection.

In remote melee, the two users can occasionally go out of synch. The
game will try to recover by bringing the ships back into the melee. If
this fails several times, both ships will be destroyed and both
players pick new ships and go on. This can result from high network
traffic, "dirty" phone lines, or an uncertain serial connection.
If the game gets out of synch repeatedly, try exiting from the game,
restarting and re-establishing communications.

Pressing the <Pause> or <Escape> key in remote melee may cause the
games to go out of synch.

Hitting the planet in remote melee may cause the games to go out of
synch. You should try not to hit the planet anyway!


----------------------------------------------------------------------
                       TECHNICAL TIPS
----------------------------------------------------------------------

LOW FRAME RATE IN MELEE
-----------------
In melee, your frame rate depends upon the speed of your CPU and your
video card. If you are getting slow melee performance, try switching
to the overhead view (press F5 to switch views in melee). This view
requires less processing and should have a higher frame rate on slow
systems.

SOUND FOR CUT SCENES
-----------------
While it is possible to run Star Control 3 without sound and view
the alien dialog text instead of listening to it, you will not be
able to hear the narration during cut scenes. There is no text
narration during cut scenes. In order to hear the cut scene
narration you must have sound turned on. Please read the HELP.ME
file for further information.

JOYSTICKS
-----------------
If you find that Player 2's joystick is not as responsive as player
1's, try turning off the music in melee. The music and sound controls
are in the Control screen of the adventure game. Under some
circumstances, this can improve the responsiveness of Player 2's
joystick.

If you are using 2 Gravis Game pads on a "Y" splitter, make sure both
pads are in 2 button mode. Otherwise, the pads will interfere with
each other.

Hint Line
-----------------

For Star Control 3 Hints & Tips, call Accolade Direct

     1-900-454-HINT

$.99/minute - If you are under 18 get your parents' permission
before making this call.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
                           KNOWN BUGS
----------------------------------------------------------------------

On some keyboards, some key combinations cancel each other out. If
Player 1 and Player 2 key combinations are canceling each other
out, choose different key configurations.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
                          TECHNICAL SUPPORT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You can contact Accolade for technical support from the following
places:

World Wide Web: http://www.accolade.com/

Internet:       [e-mail]

America Online: Keyword: Accolade

CompuServe:     Game Publishers A Forum (GO GAMAPUB)

Phone:          [phone] (Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm Pacific)

Fax:            [phone]

Mail:           Accolade Customer Support
                5300 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Suite 500
                San Jose, California 95129

For Star Control 3 Hints & Tips, call Accolade Direct

     1-900-454-HINT

$.99/minute - If you are under 18 get your parents permission
before making this call.


If you are having problems with the game, we can best help you if:
1) You are at your computer when you call.
2) You have the following information handy:

Date and size of the game executable file (SC3DEMO.EXE)
Your computer's brand and model
Your computer's BIOS brand and version number
Processor Type and Speed
Total RAM installed in your computer
Name and version number of your operating system
 (such as MS-DOS or Windows 95)
Name and version number of your memory manager
 (such as QEMM, EMM386 or 386Max)
CD-ROM brand and model name
Video card brand and model name
Mouse brand and version number of mouse driver
Sound card brand and model name
Contents of AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files
At the DOS prompt (or if you're running Windows 95, select
 "Run" from the Start menu), type "MEM /C [Enter]" and copy down
 the on-screen listing

When sending Tech support e-mail, cut and paste the following into
 your e-mail message and fill in the blanks:

Date:
Name:
Phone number:
E-mail address:
Game Title:
Date and size of the game executable file (SC3DEMO.EXE)
Your computer's brand and model:
BIOS date:
BIOS version:
Processor type:
Processor speed:
Operating system:
Name and version number of your memory manager:
CD-ROM brand and model name:
Video card brand and model name:
Mouse brand and version number of mouse driver:
Sound card brand and model name:
Contents of AUTOEXEC.BAT:
Contents CONFIG.SYS:
Results of MEM /C:
Please state the problem you encountered:
Please state how to reproduce the problem:

If the program crashed with nasty indecipherable techno-garbage,
please look for the hex number which comes after "Adjusted Crash
Address" and write it down here:


----------------------------------------------------------------------
                           LEGAL STUFF
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Accolade and STAR CONTROL 3 are registered trademarks of Accolade,
Inc. Copyright 1996, Accolade, Inc. All rights reserved. Created by
Legend Entertainment and based upon characters created by and used
under license from Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford.

Prima Publishing is a trademark of Prima Communications, Inc.

Edit is Copyright (c) Microsoft Corp. 1995.

Notepad is Copyright (c) 1981-1995 Microsoft Corp.

Microsoft, Windows, and MS-DOS are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries.

DOS4GW Professional used under license agreement with Rational
Systems Inc.

PKUNZIP Reg. U.S. Pat. and TM. Off.

WATCOM C/C++ used under license agreement with WATCOM, Inc.

MSS 3.5 portions of the game code used under license agreement with
Miles Design, Inc.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is Copyright (c) 1987-1995 Adobe Systems
Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, Acrobat, and the Acrobat
logo are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated which may be
registered in certain jurisdictions.

**********************************
*** Use the UP and DOWN arrow  ***
*** keys to scroll this text   ***
*** file and ESC key to return ***
*** to the menu.               ***
**********************************

**********************************************************************