Microsoft® Midtown Madness® 2 Readme (Trial version)

November 2000 
Ó 1998-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Welcome to Microsoft Midtown Madness 2
This document contains important information specific to the Trial version of Midtown Madness 2 that is not included in online Help.

To experience the real ‘Madness’ and mayhem of urban driving excitement in San Francisco AND London, be sure to pick up a copy of the game which features the following:

•	Two new cities to race and explore. Midtown Madness 2 features two new fully-living and interactive cities, each with accurate street maps and articulately rendered landmarks:
-	London. You can tear across Hyde Park and take a snapshot of Buckingham Palace as they race in the twisting streets of ol’ London town. Or you can dash their car into the Tube to take a shortcut, but you better watch out for trains!
-	San Francisco. Lombard Street and Union Square ain’t seen nothing yet as your cars leap from hill to hill in San Francisco’s suspension-bustin’ streets. And you’d best watch out for streetcars!
•	Ten all-new vehicles to smash and crash. Midtown Madness 2 puts you in the driver’s seat of ten all-new campy urban roadsters ranging from an authentic London taxi cab to a cherry-red Freightliner fire truck to the class and raw muscle of the Aston Martin DB7 Vantage. These are in addition to the madcap assortment of cars and trucks from the original game, including the new VW Beetle and the Ford Mustang GT.
•	New Crash Course Mission mode. You can jump in the driver’s seat as either a Hollywood stunt driver on location in San Francisco or as an aspiring cab driver just entering the hallowed halls of the Imperial Cabbie Academy in London. A series of skill-building scenarios lets you master the challenges of Midtown Madness 2 driving in addition to unlocking cool new races, vehicles and Easter eggs galore.
•	Improved driving and racing performance. Midtown Madness 2 builds upon the groundbreaking physics engine of the original by providing you with all new racing challenges like racing on two wheels, mastering the hand brake, power slides and more. In addition, damage modeling has been improved, allowing breakaway parts and even better damage detail.
•	Same great racing excitement cures the commuting blues. Midtown Madness 2 features the same great racing modes as the original, including Blitz, Check-Point, Circuit and Multiplayer Capture-the-Gold, in two new cities with ten fabulous new urban racers.
•	Improved multiplayer and community features. Midtown Madness 2 is optimized for full LAN and Internet-based multiplayer gaming via the MSN™ Gaming Zone for stable and competitive multi-play for up to eight racers. 

Other sources of information about Midtown Madness 2:
The Midtown Madness jewelcase booklet describes important game controls and includes maps The online Help system for Midtown Madness 2 includes information about playing the game and maximizing your performance. To get Help, click the Question Mark (?) icon in the upper right corner of all game screens.

For Microsoft Product Support Services Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Midtown Madness 2, go here: http://support.microsoft.com/support/games/midtown/faq/2/default.asp

For the latest information on the game, visit the Midtown Madness 2 World Wide Web site at:
http://www.microsoft.com/games/midtown2/

Contents 
1. Installation and Operating System Notes
2. Tips for Improving Graphics
3. Graphics, Display, and 3D Card Troubleshooting
4. Audio Notes and Troubleshooting
5. Game Performance Tips and Troubleshooting
6. Game Controller and Hardware Troubleshooting
7. Multiplayer Notes and Troubleshooting
8. 3D Card Manufacturer Web Sites

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1. Installation and Operating System Notes

1.01 System Requirements
To play Microsoft Midtown Madness 2, you need:
•	Pentium II 266 with 32 MB RAM (64 MB is recommended) or Pentium II 233 with 32MB RAM (64 MB is recommended) and 8 MB or better Direct 3D compatible video card for hardware acceleration 
•	Windows 95 operating system or higher (including Windows 2000 and Windows Me-Millennium Edition)
•	DirectX 7.0a API (included on CD)
•	Quad-speed or faster CD ROM 
•	Hard drive free disk space – 250 MB for minimum install option and 400 MB for typical install option
•	Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device 
•	Sound board with speakers or headphones to hear audio 
•	DirectSound compatible 3D sound board to hear 3D audio 
•	28.8 Kbps modem for Internet play (Note: Internet play also requires 64 MB RAM and an existing Internet connection) 

Compatibles: 
•	Supports force-feedback hardware compatible with Microsoft DirectInput® (Windows 95)
•	Supports MMX™ and AGP technology
•	Graphics accelerator card compatible with Microsoft Direct3D™ (on Windows 95)

1.01	Windows 95 Gold or OSR2 operating systems – Reinstall DirectX 7.0a
If you are running the Windows 95 Gold or OSR2 operating systems, a message may be displayed when you start the game for the first time. If you encounter this message, follow the steps in Section 1.02 below to reinstall DirectX 7.0a.

1.02 Reinstalling DirectX 7.0a
To reinstall DirectX 7.0a, you can insert the Midtown Madness 2 CD, double-click My Computer, right-click on the Midtown2 item, and then click Install DirectX 7a (Win95_Win98).

1.03 Choppy audio when running on Windows 2000 or Windows Me (Millennium Edition) operating systems.
If you notice that the audio in Midtown Madness 2 is choppy on a computer running the Windows 2000 or Windows Me (Millennium Edition) operating systems, upgrading your audio drivers to the latest available from your sound card’s OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) may solve the problem. See Section 1.04 below for additional information if you are using a Soundblaster AWE 64 audio card.

1.04 Upgrading drivers when running on Windows Me (Millennium Edition) with a Soundblaster AWE 64 audio card.
If you are running Windows Me (Millennium Edition) with a Soundblaster AWE 64 audio card and the frame rate is slow when you start the game, overriding the audio drivers for that Windows Me installs for this card may solve the problem. Follow these steps to upgrade to the correct drivers when running Windows Me:
1.  Download the latest drivers for the AWE 64 from http://www.soundblaster.com/.
2.  Run the driver utility in the folder where you downloaded the drivers.
3.  Right click My Computer.
4.  Click Properties.
5.  Click the Device Manager tab
6.  Scroll down to Sound, Video and Game Controllers.
7.  Click the plus symbol next to Sound, Video and Game Controllers.
8.  Click the Creative AWE64 16-bit Audio.
9.  Click Properties.
10.  Click the Driver tab.
11.  Click Update Driver.
12.  Click Specify the Location of the Driver and click Next.
13.  Click Display a List of All the Drivers in a Specific Location and click Next.
14.  Click Have Disk
15.  Browse to the folder where you downloaded the drivers and click OK.
16.  Click OK again.
17.  Click OK when the Models box is displayed.
18.  When the update warning is displayed, click Yes.
19.  Click Next on the Update Device Driver Wizard.
20.  On the Digital Signature Notification, click Advanced
21.  Select Warn When Installing Unsigned Devices and click OK.
22.  Click Yes and click OK.
23.  Click Finish.

1.05 Installing a new video card or video drivers - When running Windows 2000
If you install a new video card or update your video card drivers and are running Windows 2000, follow these steps: close the game, open the folder where you installed Midtown Madness 2, and run the Redetect Video utility (located in the folder where you installed Midtown Madness 2). This will redetect the new video card and launch the game.

1.06 Windows 2000 with a 3dfx Voodoo3 video card – corrupted sky textures and invisible trees
If you are running Windows 2000 and using a 3dFx Voodoo3 video card, you may encounter corrupted sky textures or invisible trees. If you encounter this problem, update to the latest driver from the 3dfx web site (http://www.3dfx.com/).

1.07 Windows 2000 and video cards with NVIDIA-based chipsets – Hardware mode unavailable
If you are using the latest driver for a video card using an NVIDIA-based chipset (including the Diamond Viper V770 video card) on Windows 2000, Hardware mode may not be available as an option in the Renderer list on the Graphics Options screen. If you encounter this problem, update to the latest driver for this card from NVIDIA, the chipset manufacturer for these cards (http://www.nvidia.com/).

1.08 Windows 2000 with an Elsa Gladiac GeForce2 – Game hangs
When using the retail drivers for the Elsa Gladiac GeForce2 video card on Windows 2000, you may notice that the game stops responding. If you encounter this problem, update to the latest driver from NVIDIA, the chipset manufacturer for this card (http://www.nvidia.com/).

1.09 Video card with the NVIDIA GeForce 256 chipset when running Windows 2000 – Blue box obscures the game screens.
If you are using a video card using the NVIDIA GeForce 256 chipset with the Windows 2000 operating system, you may notice a blue box that obscures the game screens. If you encounter this problem, update to the latest driver from NVIDIA (http://www.nvidia.com/).

1.10 Windows 98 with NVIDIA video cards – Fatal exception OE
When using a video card with the NVIDIA (TNT, TNT2 and GeForce) chipset on Windows 98, you may encounter a fatal exception OE when running multiplayer games.  If you encounter this problem, please update to the latest video driver for your card from the NVIDIA web site (http://www.nvidia.com/).

2. Tips for Improving Graphics
Midtown Madness 2 is designed to deliver great graphics and outstanding racing action whether or not you have a 3D-accelerated video card. However, because every system is different, you may occasionally encounter graphics problems. Usually there is a simple solution for getting the graphics to look good. See Section 3 for issues affecting specific 3D cards.

2.01 Upgrade your 3D card drivers
Most 3D card manufacturers provide updated drivers on their Web sites that fix known issues (see Section 3 for issues affecting Midtown Madness 2). 
•	If you don't know what kind of 3D card you have, in Windows 95 and 98, right-click on My Computer and click Properties. Click the Device Manager tab. Your 3D card should be listed under Display Adapters. Right-click on the card name and select Properties to find the manufacturer name. In Windows 2000 and Windows Me (Millennium Edition), right-click on My Computer and click Properties. Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager. Your 3D card should be listed under Display Adapters. Right-click on the card name and select Properties to find the manufacturer name.
•	For a partial list of card manufacturer Web sites, see the section at the bottom of this document.
•	Retail vs. reference drivers. This document includes references to “retail” and “reference” drivers. 

Reference drivers are drivers that are released by the manufacturers of specific chipsets used by specific cards (i.e., NVIDIA releases reference drivers for video cards using the NVIDIA GeForce 256 chipset).

Retail drivers are drivers released by the video and audio card manufacturers who use a specific chipset in their card (i.e., Creative Labs releases drivers for the Annihilator Pro video card, which uses the NVIDIA GeForce 256 chipset).

So, how do you determine whether to update your drivers, and which ones to update them to?

Keeping in mind that drivers are constantly being updated and improved (even as new bugs may potentially be introduced), it’s usually a good idea to try the most recently released reference driver from your card’s chipset manufacturer if you are encountering problems using the drivers supplied by the card’s manufacturer.

Often, the chipset manufacturers “lead the way” with improvements in reference drivers that are later incorporated by the card manufacturer drivers.

In many cases, in Section 3 of this document, we make specific recommendations about which driver to update to, but checking your card’s chipset manufacturer’s web-site for the latest updated reference driver is also often a good idea.

2.02 Common graphics problems and solutions
If you see any of these graphics issues during a game, try the suggested solutions:
•	Graphics are too bright or pale and washed out -- With the game closed, right-click on your Windows desktop, click Properties, and then click the Settings tab. If there is a tab for your 3D card in the Display Properties dialog box, select it, or click Advanced. Some video cards allow you to change color settings (the option may be called gamma correction). Adjust the color control to your preferred setting.
•	Screen display is off-center -- If you encounter this, there are several possible solutions: 
1) Make sure you have selected the correct monitor that is connected to your system. To check your monitor, right-click on the Windows desktop, click Properties, and then select the Settings tab. Click Advanced and select Monitor. 
2) Adjust the controls available on the front of your monitor. 
3) Change your adapter's refresh rate or change your screen resolution. To do this, right-click on the Windows desktop, click Properties, and then select the Settings tab. Click Advanced and select Adapter. Under refresh rate, select Adapter Default. 
4) Change your screen resolution. To do this, right-click on the Windows desktop, click Properties, and then select the Settings tab. Under Screen Area, change the setting to 800x600. Click OK to accept the change and make sure your screen is centered on your monitor. Use your monitor controls to change if necessary.

2.03 Try running without hardware acceleration
If you've updated your 3D card drivers and still have graphics problems, you can run the game without using 3D hardware acceleration. To do so, click the Options button (in the upper right corner of all game screens), and then click Graphics. In the Renderer list, choose Software Only (no 3D video card), and then click Done. You can also run the Midtown2 Safe Mode utility (located in the folder where you installed Midtown Madness 2) to switch to Software Only mode.

3. Graphics, Display, and 3D Video Card Troubleshooting

3.01 If you encounter graphics or video card-related problems, updating to the latest driver from the card or chipset manufacturer’s web site may solve the problem.

3.02 Troubleshooting document opens when restarting Midtown Madness 2 after encountering problems
If Midtown Madness 2 crashes or stops responding while you are playing the game, a troubleshooting document automatically opens when you restart the game. This document includes suggestions on how to ensure that the game runs correctly on your machine.

3.03 Game crashes after switching Renderer to Software
Depending on the video card you are using, you may notice that the game crashes on the loading screen if you change your Renderer setting to Software Only (No video card) on the Graphics Options screen. If you encounter this problem, close and then restart Midtown Madness 2 after changing your Renderer setting.

3.04 If you cannot enable 3D hardware acceleration on your video board…
You can run the Redetect Video utility (located in the folder where you installed Midtown Madness 2). In some cases, Midtown Madness 2 disables hardware acceleration if you have an outdated video driver (the game also displays a warning message when it detects the problem).

3.05 Installing a new video card or video drivers - When running Windows 2000
If you install a new video card or update your video card drivers and are running Windows 2000, you will need to close the game, open the folder where you installed Midtown Madness 2, and run the the Redetect Video utility (located in the folder where you installed Midtown Madness 2). This will redetect the new video card and launch the game.

3.06 Vehicles can stick in ground near San Francisco docks
If you drive a vehicle under the archways on the San Francisco docks, you may notice that the ground is mushy (wet cement!) and your vehicle can stick in the ground. This problem is less likely to occur at high speeds. There is no known workaround at this time.

4. Audio Notes and Troubleshooting

4.01 Microsoft SideWinder Game Voice Share software available on Midtown CD
Included on the Midtown Madness 2 CD is Game Voice Share, a free, chat-only version of the Microsoft SideWinder Game Voice software.

SideWinder Game Voice is a communications suite that comes with hardware (including a headset and microphone) and offers a more robust feature set than Game Voice Share. It features a headset with microphone to maximize your online gaming experience, a control pad for placing contacts into easy-to-manage teams, and voice command capabilities within your games.

When you host a chat with Game Voice Share, you can invite up to three other people who have Game Voice Share to be in your chat. If you want to invite more players, you need to invite someone using the full version of SideWinder Game Voice. For every three players running Game Voice Share, you need one person using the full version of SideWinder Game Voice.

For more information on Game Voice, see http://www.gamevoice.com/

Windows 95 and 98 installation instructions:
To install Game Voice Share, open the Goodies folder on the Midtown Madness 2 CD, and then double-click the GVS_ENG.exe and Gvupdate.exe utilities.

Windows 2000 and Windows Me (Millennium Edition) installation instructions:
To install Game Voice Share, open the Goodies folder on the Midtown Madness 2 CD, and then double-click the GVS_ENG.exe utility.

4.02 Windows 98 with a Creative Sound Blaster PCI sound card – correct audio device is not listed in Audio Options by default.
If you are running Windows 98 and are using a Creative Sound Blaster PCI sound card, you may notice that the audio device listed in Audio Options is not the Creative SBPCI. If this occurs,  select the correct audio device from the Device drop-down list on the Audio Options screen.

4.03 Diamond Monster MX300 and Turtle Beach Montego II PCI audio cards when running Windows 2000 – Audio Distorted
If you are using either of the above listed cards and you are running Windows 2000, you may notice that some sound effects are distorted when you are playing the game. If you encounter this problem, turning down your audio playback hardware acceleration setting may help. To do so: Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. Double-click Sounds and Multimedia. Click the Audio tab, and then, under Sound Playback, click the Advanced button. Click the Performance tab, and then drag the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left by two settings. Click OK to confirm and close the dialog box.

5. Game Performance Tips and Troubleshooting
If your computer hardware meets the system requirements for running Midtown Madness 2 and performance is poor, try the following:

•	Update your 3D video and audio card drivers. See Sections 2 and 3 of this document for details.
•	Close all other applications before starting Midtown Madness 2.
•	Defragment your hard disk drive (a good thing to do before installing new software, and on a regular basis). Use the Disk Defragmenter tool (Click Start, point to Programs, Accessories, and then Systems Tools. Double-click Disk Defragmenter.
•	Make changes to your Graphics Options settings (click Options in the upper right corner of any game screen, and then click Graphics. Click Done to confirm your changes). Specifically, try the following:
o	Turn off the Textured Sky, Vehicle Reflections, and Show Pedestrians checkboxes.
o	Confirm that your 3D video card is selected in the Renderer list (it should be listed as Hardware).
o	Choose a lower setting from the Resolution dropdown list.
o	Choose a lower setting on the Visibility and Lighting Quality sliders.
o	In the Texture Quality, Object Detail and Cloud Shadows dropdown lists, choose Low or None.

6. Game Controller and Hardware Troubleshooting

6.01 List of available controls inaccurate after installing Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad Pro
If you install a Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad Pro on your computer after you have already installed Midtown Madness 2, the list of available controllers in the Controllers list on the Controls Options screen may be inaccurate (listing joystick and steering wheel even though they may not be installed). If you encounter this problem, do not choose a controller that you do not have installed on your computer.

6.02 Multiple controllers connected to your computer
If you have more than one game controller plugged into your computer (one plugged into a gameport and the other to a USB port), Midtown Madness 2 will only recognize the gameport controller. In order for Midtown Madness 2 to recognize the USB controller, you must disconnect the other controller from the gameport, delete it from the list of devices in the Game Controllers applet (Control Panel), and then assign the USB controller Controller ID #1.

6.03 Unable to map throttle control to Z-Axis on the Microsoft SideWinder Precision Pro joystick.
If you are using a Microsoft SideWinder Precision Pro joystick and attempt to map the throttle control to the Z-Axis, the game will assign the throttle control to the R-Axis. There is no known workaround at this time.

6.04 Problems with acceleration when using a Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback steering wheel and a preconfigured profile from Microsoft SideWinder 4.0 software.
If you have installed the Microsoft SideWinder 4.0 software and are using a preconfigured Midtown Madness profile and the Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback steering wheel, you may notice that your throttle controls are switched (i.e., when you release the gas pedal, your car accelerates in reverse). If you encounter this problem, changing the axis properties of the wheel in the profile may help. To change the axis properties, click Start, point to Settings, click Game Controllers. Click the SideWinder steering wheel. Choose the Midtown Madness 2 profile, and then change the Axis assignment to Combined. Click OK to confirm your changes.

6.05 Problems with acceleration when using a Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback steering wheel when running Windows 2000 or Windows Me (Millennium Edition) operating systems.
If you are using a Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback steering wheel when running Windows 2000 or Windows Me (Millennium Edition), you may notice that your car accelerates in reverse without you touching the pedals. If you encounter this problem, assigning the brake control to a button may help. To customize your control assignments, click the Options button (in the upper right corner of all game screens), and then click Graphics. Click Customize Controls, and then click Brakes in the list. Press the button on your controller that you want to assign the brake to, and then click Done.

7. Multiplayer Notes and Troubleshooting

7.01 Playing Midtown Madness 2 on the MSN Gaming Zone.
You can use the Midtown Madness 2 game lobbies on the MSN Gaming Zone web site to find opponents for multiplayer races.

Go to http: //www.zone.com/midtown2 to find the lobbies for Midtown Madness 2.

7.02 Some participants sent to Multiplayer Sessions screen when host launches race during Zone-based games
If you are using the MSN Gaming Zone to meet and race against other human opponents, some participants may be sent to the main game screen when the host starts the race. There is no known workaround at this time, but it is possible that DirectX 8.0 may solve the problem when it is released.

7.03 Notes on using the Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature.
You can use the Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature to host and join Midtown Madness 2 Multiplayer games on the MSN Gaming Zone under the following conditions:
•	All computers connected to the home Local Area Network must be running the Windows Me (Millennium Edition) operating system and DirectX 8. 

7.04 Video cards with the NVIDIA GeForce 256 chipset and a specific driver – Internet-based multiplayer connection problems
If you are using a video card using the NVIDIA GeForce 256 chipset and are also using the Detonator 3 drivers from NVIDIA (driver version #6.18), you may encounter problems when attempting to run Internet-based multiplayer games. Previous driver versions for this card do not display this behavior. Switching to Software Only mode may also solve the problem. To do so, click the Options button (in the upper right corner of all game screens), and then click Graphics. In the Renderer list, choose Software Only (no 3D video card), and then click Done.

7.05 An error message may be displayed if 11 multiplayer sessions are hosted on a single LAN (Local Area Network).
An error message may be displayed if more than 10 multiplayer sessions are hosted on a single LAN. To avoid the problem, limit the total number of multiplayer sessions on your LAN to no more than 10.

7.06 Hangs in multiplayer cruise mode
If you are participating in a multiplayer cruise, the game may hang.  If you experience this problem, having the host turn down pedestrian density all the way may solve the problem.

8. 3D Card Manufacturer Web Sites
You may be able to obtain updated drivers from your 3D card manufacturer's Web site.
ASUS  http://www.asus.com/
ATI  http://www.atitech.com/
Creative Labs  http://www.soundblaster.com/
Diamond Multimedia (includes S3)  http://www.diamondmm.com/
Guillemot (includes Hercules)  http://www.guillemot.com/
Intense3D  http://www.intense3D.com/
Matrox  http://www.matrox.com/
NEC PowerVR  http://www.videologic.com/
Number Nine  http://www.nine.com/
NVIDIA  http://www.nvidia.com/
Rendition  http://www.rendition.com/
3DFX (includes STB)  http://www.3dfx.com/
3DLabs  http://www.3dlabs.com/
Trident Microsystems  http://www.tridentmicro.com/
VideoLogic  http://www.videologic.com/

Computer Manufacturer Web Sites
If your video card was pre-installed when you purchased your computer, you may need to check with the computer manufacturer for new drivers. Here is a list of popular computer manufacturer Web sites.
Acer  http://www.acer.com/
Compaq  http://www.compaq.com/
Dell  http://www.dell.com/
Gateway  http://www.gateway.com/
Hewlett-Packard  http://www.hp.com/
IBM  http://www.ibm.com/
Packard Bell  http://www.packardbell.com/
Sony  http://www.sony.com/
Toshiba  http://www.toshiba.com/