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README.TXT
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1999-03-17
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LiveWire! ReadMe
PLEASE READ
1st ENGLISH
2nd FRANCAIS
3rd DEUTSCH
4th ITALIANO
5th ESPANOL
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ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH
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This document contains valuable information about running LiveWire!
on your PC hardware.It also contains the latest information about
the game that is not contained in the manual and the most up to date
trouble shooting guide.
******************************************************************
1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
2. DIRECTX5+
3. GAME LAUNCHER
4. TROUBLESHOOTING
5. KNOWN PROBLEMS
6. QA REPORT ON D3D SUPPORT AND PERFORMANCE
7. 3D CARD SUPPORT SITES
8. CONTACT
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1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Software Mode (320 x 200 or 640x480x65536 stretched High Colour)
- Intel Pentium 133Mhz CPU or equivalent
- 16MB RAM
- Windows 95/98
- DirectX 5+ supported Graphics Card with 2Mb RAM
- 20MB hard drive space
- DirectX 5+ supported soundcard
- 4 x Speed CD-ROM
Hardware accelerated mode (640x480 High Colour)
- Intel Pentium 133Mhz CPU or equivalent
- 16MB RAM
- Windows 95/98
- DirectX 5+ supported D3D Graphics Card with 4Mb RAM (D3D performance will
vary from card to card)
- 20MB hard drive space
- DirectX 5+ supported soundcard
- 4 x Speed CD-ROM
******************************************************************
2. DIRECTX5+
LiveWire! has been optimised for DirectX, in order to take advantage of this
optimisation you are strongly advised to install DirecX6 when prompted to.
DirectX6 will install new video and audio drivers to your system where
appropriate.
Hardware Acceleration
LiveWire! runs in Direct 3D, this ensures that the game provides the best
performance on the widest range of 3D video cards.
******************************************************************
3. GAME LAUNCHER
When the game starts it looks at the hardware in your PC and tries to work
out the best graphics mode to run in. The launcher will default to Direct 3D
if it detects a 3D accelerator card.
If no suitable 3D card is detected or there is a hardware/driver problem the
launcher will default to Software mode.
You may need to install the latest video drivers for your particular card to
secure the best performance from the game. These drivers are normally
available from your card manufacturer or they may be downloaded from the
Internet. (See the 3D CARD SUPPORT SITES below)
It is possible to override the options the launcher selects but we recommend
playing the game in whatever default mode is initially presented before
selecting any alternate modes.
Livewire! will support multi-monitor systems possible under Windows98.
To play the game on a specific monitor you must choose the driver associated
with that monitor in the launcher. These will be listed under the 'Advanced'
settings of the launcher.
The launcher provides the following advanced options:-
LINEAR FILTERING:- *
This option causes your 3D card to lessen the 'blockiness' of any texture
on screen. Some early 3D cards will not support this ability, notibly early
Matrox cards such as the Mystique and Millenium.
TEXTURE DITHERING:- *
This option will again, help to remove the the 'blockiness' of textures on
screen. Just about all 3D cards will support this function.
SPEED OPTIMIZATIONS:- **
This option should be set if you find that Livewire! does not run at a
respectable speed. It turns off various advanced settings within the game at
the expense of quality and will help slow machines run the game slightly
faster.
ZBUFFERING:- *
This option will prevent much of the 'bleedthrough' of triangles close
to each other on screen. Switching off zbuffering will free up a large
amount of video memory on some 3D cards and can be disabled to help prevent
a loss of texture memory (see below in TROUBLESHOOTING). This option will
normally be disabled by default.
TEXTURE COMPRESSION:-
This option will reduce the amount of video memory required by the textures
in the game at the expense of quality. It should ONLY be enabled if you experience
a loss of textures in the game (see below in TROUBLESHOOTING). This option
will normally be disabled by default.
ANTI ALIAS:- *
This option will 'smoothen' the edges of all polygons drawn by your 3D card.
If your card supports this option, it will increase the quality of the game.
We have noted some strange effects on cards with this option enabled.
This option will normally be disabled by default.
GOURAUD TRIANGLES:- *
This option will enable or disable gouraud shading in the game. Some early
3D cards will not perform gouraud shading and on those cards, this option
will default to off.
If you experience speed problems with your 3D card, you my like to try to
disable all features marked * above and enable features marked **. Some
features require extra processing by the 3D card and disabling them can
increase the rendering speed.
******************************************************************
4. TROUBLE SHOOTING
Q: I know I have a 3D card installed but the launcher isn't picking it up
and offering me that option as a default.
A: Ensure you have the latest DirectX6 compatible drivers for your 3D card.
Check the card manufacturer's web site for the latest drivers.
Q: I have a joystick plugged into my computer, but LiveWire! doesn't
recognise it.
A: Check the joystick configuration in Windows.
Go to Settings...Control Panel...Game Controllers and check to make sure
that your joystick is configured correctly.
Q: Parts of the menu and objects that should be transparent within the game
appear dithered (speckled or dotty) instead.
A: A minority of older 3D cards do not support the effects that LiveWire!
uses for transparent objects in the game. To support these cards we have
implemented the 'next best' option creating the effect you are seeing.
Unfortunately any other solutions are limited by the 3D hardware you are
using.
Q: During a game my controls stop working and a message
"Task Switched - Running in Background" appears.
A: You have pressed either the 'Windows' key on your keyboard or the
'Alt - Tab' key. Consequently Windows thinks that LiveWire is no longer
the uppermost Window on your desktop. Using the 'Alt Tab' key sequence
should restore the game.
Q: The music is too loud or quiet.
A: Adjust the CD audio balance in the windows volume control.
Q: I get no sound effects or at maximum volume (in game settings)
the sound is very low.
A: Adjust the Wave ouput balance in the windows volume control.
Ensure you have the latest DirectX6 compatible drivers for your Sound card.
Check the card manufacturer's web site for the latest drivers.
Q: I get lots of white objects on screen.
A: Your 3D card has run out of texture memory. Livewire! should be able to
avoid this problem but if it does occur, try disabling ZBuffering and/or
enabling texture compression in the 'Advanced' options on the launcher.
Q: The game runs very slow on my computer.
A: Your computer may have quite an old 3D accelerator card which is not as
fast as more modern cards. Try disabling different features in the
'Advanced' options in the launcher or using the LiveWire! fast software
renderer (see above in GAME LAUNCHER).
Q: When playing a network game I get different results from my opponents.
A: Install the very latest drivers for your network card.
Q: When I minimize/maximize the game returns with white objects
A: Install the lastest drivers for you 3d card
*****