Hardcore Gamer Resource Kit/Hardcore Gamer Resource Kit - Disc 2.iso/Pc/K_O/LOTR103C.ZIP/LORDS.LZH/TECHTIPS.TXT

Text File | 1994-10-12 | 20KB | 455 lines

TECHNICAL TIPS

We have found that many of the common problems our customers
experience with their machines have simple answers.  If you
are having one of the problems listed below, the solution
provided should be tried first before you search any further
for answers.


1. WHY DOES IT SAY "ABNORMAL PROGRAM TERMINATION" WHEN I
TYPE IN THE GAME COMMAND?
The "ABNORMAL PROGRAM TERMINATION" error usually indicates
that a program cannot run because the system has not been
configured to free up enough conventional memory. Under DOS,
conventional memory is limited to 640 Kilobytes (K) total
(regardless of how much RAM is installed in the machine) and
is reduced by DOS and various Terminate and Stay Resident
(TSR) programs.  Most of our games will comfortably run with
585K or better of free conventional memory, though some
configurations might need more.

To find out which version of DOS you are using, type
"VER<enter>" at any DOS prompt;  this will return a message
that says "MS-DOS version n.nn" where "n.nn" refers to some
number, "6.20" for example.

To find out how much conventional memory is free:
Type "CHKDSK<enter>" and find the value of "BYTES FREE".
If  the free memory value is less than 585k, the system
configuration needs to be changed to increase the free
conventional memory.

Three methods to increase free conventional memory:
a.  For DOS 6.0 or higher, run MEMMAKER (If the drive is
compressed in some way, make sure the device driver is
loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file so that it can be properly
placed in upper memory).  If this doesn't free up enough
memory, create a boot disk, as described below.
b.  Alter your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files to load
DOS, device drivers and other TSRs into upper memory at boot
up (consult your DOS manual for specifics on how this is
done).
c.  Create a Game/Boot Disk.  If you don't know how to do
this, consult the following Tech section on making a
Game/Boot Disk.


2. HOW DO I MAKE A GAME/BOOT DISK?
These instructions will work best with an 80386 or better
computer with two megabytes or more of total system memory
running DOS version 5.0 or better.  If the CPU, memory or
DOS version recommendations are not met, the instructions
below should still work, but will most likely result in
error messages that can, for the purposes of a game/boot
disk, be ignored.

Creating a boot disk from DOS:
Format a floppy disk in drive A:  by placing a blank disk
into A: and typing "FORMAT A: /S"; follow the instructions
onscreen;  if an error message is encountered, be sure the
disk is the correct density for the drive (high density is
necessary for current machines).  If further errors are
encountered, try another disk.  Leave the formatted floppy
in drive A:.

At the DOS prompt, type "C:" then press the <enter> key,
then type "CD \" and again hit the <enter> key (assume when
the following text says "<enter>" that you should hit this
key).  The prompt should now read: "C:\>".

Start your text editor by typing "EDIT C:\CONFIG.SYS<enter>"
(the example used in this case is the MS-DOS EDIT utility
that comes with MS-DOS 5.0 or later;  the command to run the
editor and the commands to save and exit may be different
depending on what program you use, the important thing is to
open the editor with the file named after the example EDIT
command).  You should now see the editor screen, which is a
blue screen that says  "FILE EDIT SEARCH OPTIONS" in the
upper left corner of the screen.  "CONFIG.SYS" should be
displayed in the center top of the screen.

Find the line in the file that loads in your CD-ROM device
driver.  It probably starts with something like:
"DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDSTUFF\MYCD.SYS" (this will not be the
actual name of the path and filename, you need to either
figure these things out or consult the technician or
documentation for your CD drive to find the name and syntax
of this device driver) and may include more text on the
line.  Copy the whole line down on a piece of paper,
including any other text that comes after the .SYS filename;
if possible, print the file out and underline the
appropriate text.  Exit out of the EDIT utility (you can do
this by holding down the <alt> key and typing "f", then when
the file menu drops down, type "x" or, if your mouse is
working, just click on "File" in the upper left hand corner,
and then "Exit" in the file menu).

Now open your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, by typing "EDIT
C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT<enter>".

Find the line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file that contains the
following letters "MSCDEX";  Again there will probably be
more information on the line than just the program location
and name.  Either write it down, letter for letter, or print
it out.  Exit the editor and return to DOS.

Change the current drive to  drive A: by typing "A:
<enter>".  The prompt should now look like: "A:\>".  Open
your editor by typing "EDIT A:\CONFIG.SYS".   Type in the
following file ignoring the stuff between parentheses  ("("
and ")"):

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
DOS=HIGH
DOS=UMB
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDSTUFF\MYCD.SYS /D:drivername
  (Replace this line with whatever the CD-ROM driver line
  is in your C:\CONFIG.SYS file and remember to include
  all the information that comes AFTER the SYS filename
  on the line.  If any other information is found between
  the "DEVICEHIGH" and the "=", it should be ignored;  you
  may not encounter this, so don't worry if you don't.)

If the hard drive is configured with auto-compression
software, such as Stacker or DoubleSpace, refer to that
package's manual for instructions on loading the driver into
upper memory and include the appropriate line before the CD
driver in this file (Note: device drivers cannot be loaded
into upper memory unless the CPU is a 386 or better).

Once the file is finished, save it and exit the editor.  (To
save a file in the MS-DOS editor, either use the mouse, if
working, to choose the "File" menu, then "Save", or hold
down the <alt> key, type "f" to drop the menu, then "s" to
choose "Save").

Start up the editor again from the A: drive by typing: "EDIT
A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT".  Type in the following file:

PROMPT $P$G
PATH C:\DOS
LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE  /D:drivername
  (you must remember to change the driver name according to
  the one you wrote down from your C:AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and
  include all the other letters and numbers that come after
  it on this line)
LH C:\DOS\SMARTDRV
LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM
  (alter this line depending on the path and name of your
  mouse driver *.COM file.  If you have DOS 5.0 or higher,
  you can type "LOADHIGH" and a space before this line.
  If there is already an "LH" (or "LOADHIGH") and slashes,
  numbers and letters between the "LH"  and the "C:\..."
  you should ignore the slashes, numbers and letters,
  replacing them with only a space.  Refer to the
  following section on "Why doesn't my mouse work?" for
  more information.)
C:

Save the file and exit the editor.

To boot from this floppy disk, leave it in drive A: and
restart the computer.  Change to the directory that holds
the game, then type in the command appropriate to run the
program (then have fun).


3. WHY DOESN'T MY MOUSE WORK?
If your mouse does not work at all:
-Is the mouse installed for DOS?  Windows uses its own
drivers, and therefore works without a properly installed
DOS mouse driver, so you cannot assume that because a mouse
works with a Windows system that a mouse driver for DOS
programs is currently installed.

To find out whether or not such a driver is installed:
-enter a DOS application that supports a mouse, such as the
EDIT utility (DOS 5.0 or later) or a DOS word processor (or
anything else, besides Windows, that loads from the DOS
prompt and uses a mouse).  If the mouse does not respond at
all in such a program, then the DOS driver is not properly
loaded.  Check the disk or manual that came with your mouse
for instructions on how to install it.

-Do you have enough conventional memory free?  Some programs
incrementally sacrifice sound or mouse functionality when
sufficient memory resources are not available.  Refer to
your DOS manual for instructions on how to increase free
conventional memory.

If the mouse works sporadically (jumping around, not
clicking properly, etc.):
-You may not have a 100% Microsoft compatible mouse driver
(This has nothing to do with hardware, only software).
Check your hard disk for a file called MOUSE.COM, as some
upgrade versions of DOS include this Microsoft mouse driver
(type "dir mouse.com /s<enter>" at the C:\ root directory
prompt).  If not already on your system, such a driver can
be obtained from either the vendor or manufacturer of your
computer.


4. HOW DO I SET UP MY SOUND CARD?
Setting sound card parameters:
To use a sound card with an Impressions program, it is
sometimes necessary to set a number of parameters using the
setup utility located in the game directory.

The significant values are the I/O Address, the Interrupt
Request Channel (IRQ) and the Direct Memory Access (DMA)
values of the relevant sound card.  These can sometimes be
found on a line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, which is found in
the root directory of the main hard disk (C:\);  if, for
example, you own a Sound Blaster or compatible the line
might begin with something like: "SET BLASTER"  (if the card
is something other than a Sound Blaster, it might be
something else, "SET PROAUDIO" for example) followed by a
sequence of letter/number combinations including: Annn, In,
Dn (where n represents a numerical digit);  Annn is the
address, In is the IRQ and Dn is the DMA value.

The setup program allows for specification of the type of
sound card as well as the Address and IRQ values of the
installed card (DMA is usually assumed to be 1 which usually
cannot be changed in the setup utility);  If any of these
are incorrectly set, sound will not work with the program.

If no SET BLASTER, or similar, line is found in the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file, consult either the sound card manual or
the technician who installed the device to obtain the
Address, IRQ and DMA values.

Sound card emulation:
If you are using a card that is not listed as an option in
the setup program, it probably emulates something else.  It
is usually a good idea to use the oldest version of whatever
card your system is emulating (ie. choose SoundBlaster over
SoundBlaster pro), as the older cards are usually better
documented so that emulation of those works better.


5. MEMORY MANAGERS
Third party memory managers, such as QEMM, 386Max, etc.
sometimes cause problems.  They make certain assumptions
about memory use which are not true of many high performance
graphics intensive programs.  If you are using one of these
memory managers and encounter graphics distortions, try
temporarily disabling third party memory managers.

To temporarily disable third party memory managers:
Boot up from a system disk whose CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT
files load only the memory management utilities included
with MS-DOS (HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE).  To free
conventional memory use the DEVICEHIGH and LH instructions,
with the DOS memory managers, to load TSRs and device
drivers into upper memory.

If you don't know how to create a system disk, consult
either your DOS manual or the previous Tech section on
making a Game/Boot Disk.


6. WHY IS MY CD-ROM GAME RUNNING SO SLOWLY?
CD-ROM drives are much slower than hard drives.  When
running a program from a CD-ROM, if you don't run a disk
caching utility, the program will probably run slowly.  A
disk cache program sits between the physical disk drive and
the program, reserving an area of memory that stores the
information most recently read from, or sometimes written
to, the drive.  This speeds the system by keeping data, that
a program might need to look at more than once, in memory
instead of on the disk;  for a computer, looking at memory
is much faster than looking at the disk.

Some CD drives come packaged with caching software, but the
most common such utility is MS-DOS Smartdrive
(C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE), which also caches other disk drives.
All versions of Smartdrive that come with or after MS-DOS
version 6.2 (file date 9/30/93) can cache CD-ROM disks.

MSCDEX (C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE) is a program that comes with DOS
and is packaged with some CD-interface or drive hardware.
Along with a properly loaded CD-ROM device driver, it lets
DOS see the CD as a disk drive;  without MSCDEX, you cannot
access a CD-ROM drive through DOS or Windows.

To make sure Smartdrive and MSCDEX are set up properly,
check your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  So long as your CD drive has
been properly installed, there should be a line that loads
in MSCDEX and possibly a line that loads in Smartdrive, or
some other cache program that might have come with your
drive.  Make sure the line that loads in the caching program
comes after the line that loads in MSCDEX;  if you don't do
this, the caching software will not work.

The line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file that loads MSCDEX looks
something like: "C:\DOS\MSCDEX...", and usually includes
other things after the "MSCDEX" such as the DOS name of the
CD device and a number of other things;  assume all these
things after the "MSCDEX" are necessary if you are going to
cut and paste between configuration files.  The line that
loads in Smartdrive should look something like:
"C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE".  If using a version of DOS later than
5.0, you should add "LOADHIGH" and a space at the beginning
of the line

If you have changed or moved lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or
CONFIG.SYS files you should rerun MEMMAKER, and be sure to
specify no EMS when asked about it.  If running DoubleSpace
or Stacker with DOS 6.0 or higher, always be sure that a
DEVICE or DEVICEHIGH line loads it in the CONFIG.SYS file or
MEMMAKER will ignore it and it will certainly load low,
wasting valuable conventional memory.


7. IÆVE FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS IN STEP #6, BUT MY VIDEO
STILL RUNS SLOWLY.  WHAT CAN I DO?
You can boost the speed of the animations by copying them
over to your hard drive; however, this will require an
additional 34 megabytes of storage space on your hard drive.

To copy the animations, access the drive from which you
installed this game, and type COPYVIDS <ENTER>.


STILL HAVING PROBLEMS? BEFORE YOU CALL...
In order to allow us to help you more effectively, please
try to follow the suggestions below before you call for
help.  This will assist us in finding the answer to your
problem as quickly as possible so that you can begin playing
and enjoying your new game.


1. READ AT LEAST THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS OF YOUR DOS MANUAL.
The more you know about the operating system your machine is
running the easier it will be for any technical support to
help you solve any problems.  You should at least be
familiar with how DOS commands work, what disk files and
directories are and what utilities are available on your
machine for editing text files.


2. FIND OUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT HOW YOUR MACHINE IS
CONFIGURED.  What version of what brand operating system is
running on the machine?  (At the command prompt, type "VER"
and hit enter to find out what version of DOS is running)
What kind of chip is running your machine? ('486? '386?
'286? 8086?)  How much memory is in the system?  How much
conventional memory is free?  (Free conventional memory
should be above 590k or so)  How much hard disk space is
free?  What kind of video card is in your machine?  (SVGA?
VGA? EGA? Brand name?)  What kind of sound card, if any, is
in your system?  Do you have a CD-ROM drive?  Are you using
Stacker, Doublespace or some other kind of disk compression?
Are you using QEMM or some other third party memory manager?
If Windows 3.1 is installed on the machine, you can run
Microsoft Diagnostics to find out some of these things, if
you do not already know about them (type "MSD", then hit
<enter> at the command prompt).  If necessary, call whomever
it was that originally configured your system to answer
these questions.  It's also a good idea to print out your
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files (usually in the root
directory of C:) and keep the printouts handy.


3. SET UP THE COMPUTER NEAR THE PHONE WITH THE PROGRAM
INSTALLED ON THE HARD DRIVE.  It is very difficult for
technical support to troubleshoot a computer problem over
the phone without having access to the machine in question
while it is running.  If this is not an option, list every
detail about the occurance of the problem, including all
pertinent system configuration information (such as that
described in the previous paragraph), and keep this list
handy when calling tech support.


4. DEFRAG YOUR HARD DISK.  Non-contiguous files on a hard
disk can sometimes cause strange and mysterious things to
occur.  While in the game directory, type "CHKDSK *.*", then
hit <enter> at the DOS prompt to find out if all the game
files are contiguous or not.  A hard disk can be
defragmented, or defragged, by using a disk utility program
such as SPEEDISK, which is packaged with Norton Utilities,
or DEFRAG, a program included with MS-DOS version 6.0 or
above.  This reorders disk space, making stored files
contiguous.  If a hard drive has not been defragged for more
than a month, and has been used even moderately, it is
likely that many of the files on the disk have become non-
contiguous.


5. CHECK FOR VIRUSES.  Viruses can mess up even the most
carefully configured system.  Use a memory-resident virus
checker (such as VSAFE, a utility that comes with MS-DOS
version 6.0 and above) whenever you insert new disks into
your machine, and run an anti-virus utility (such as MSAV,
another utility that comes with MS-DOS v.6.0 and above)
before you call.


TECHNICAL SUPPORT

If you have difficulties with this game and cannot find the
solution in this booklet, please call our Technical Support
Line at  [phone], 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. EST, Monday
through Thursday, and 9am-5pm EST on Friday, and a member of
our support staff will assist you.  We will be best able to
help you if you are at your computer when you call.

Impressions Software also supports a  BBS system to provide
the latest product information, software updates, and
software patches.  If you have a modem, you can reach our
bulletin board at [phone].

Information about Impressions can be found on several of the
major on-line services.  General information about
Impressions games can be found in the following places:

CompuServe: Type "GO GAMEPUB" and look for the Impressions
section.

Genie: Type "M805;1" and watch Category 9 ("Strategy and War
Games") for the IMPRESSIONS topic.

Prodigy: JUMP to "GAMES BB" and look in the "Strategy/War
Games" topic.


Impressions can also be contacted directly through the
following addresses:

CompuServe: 71333,463
Genie: IMPRESSIONS
Prodigy: BCFP34A

If you are not a member of any of these services, and are
interested in obtaining more information, please contact:

CompuServe: Dial 1 [phone] and ask for operator #417
to receive a free introductory membership, $15 usage credit,
and a month's worth of basic services free.

Genie: Dial 1 [phone] for a service representative
from 8 a.m. to 12 midnight Monday through Friday, and from
12 noon to 8 p.m. weekends.
  or Use your modem between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. to connect
  directly to GEnie at 1 [phone].

Prodigy: Dial 1 [phone] and ask for extension 518.
Technical Supplement and Tutorial Copyright (c) 1994
Impressions