============================================================= OUTWARS TRIAL VERSION Updated: 09 April, 1998 Read Me Notes ============================================================= Thank you for downloading the Outwars Trial version! Leading a team of Dreadnaught Marines takes more than a lethal arsenal and a high-tech battlesuit. Every mission requires that you learn a new skill, adopt a new tactic, learn from the cunning madness of your enemies and change your approach. It will take a sound combat strategy to defeat the hordes of merciless aliens. In the Solo Campaign you will run, jump jet, and gliderwing your way through 26 wildly diverse missions across 5 planets. And just for fun, we've included 11 multiplayer worlds, each with 5 gameplay varieties, so you have 55 ways to waste your buddies. Look for the full version of Outwars, available at retail outlets at the end of this month. ============================================================= OUTWARS TRIAL VERSION SETUP The Outwars Trial version is a self-extracting Zip file. After downloading it, simply double-click on the OWTRIAL.EXE and follow the onscreen directions. Please note that the Outwars Trial version REQUIRES DirectX 5.2. You can download this from http://www.microsoft.com/directx. You will not be able to run the Outwars Trial version without DirectX 5.2. The required minimum configuration to play the Outwars Trial version is: - P133 or higher - Windows 95 - 16 MB of RAM - 25 MB of available hard drive space - Super VGA card supporting 16-bit color - Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device - Sound board plus speakers or headphones to hear audio - 3-D accelerated video (4MB or higher D3D compatible board) for best graphics - 28.8 kbps modem for head-to-head play - Internet access for internet play ============================================================= MULTIPLAYER GAMEPLAY To play a multiplayer game, you must have Direct Play 5.0a or a later version. You can play the Outwars Trial version over the LAN, Modem, Serial Connection, or on the internet on the Internet Gaming Zone (http://www.zone.com) in the Outwars Trial Version Lobby. You must run the Outwars Trial version at least once in order to join or host a game in the Zone. Running the Outwars Trial version will set up some required software. ============================================================= MULTIPLAYER GAMEPLAY AND DIRECTX 5.0 You may experience a long pause if a player is dumped from the game while you are playing in the TCP/IP protocol. This is due to a DirectX 5.0 setting. ============================================================= HOSTING A MULTIPLAYER TCP/IP GAME If you want to host a multiplayer TCP/IP game, you MUST connect to the Internet before starting Outwars. ============================================================= MULTIPLAYER SHELL RESTRICTIONS UPDATE Occasionally, you may be able to select restricted weapons in the multiplayer game shell. You will be reassigned available weapons in the game. ============================================================= ALT-TAB IN MULTIPLAYER SCREENS Alt-Tab is disabled in most multiplayer screens in order to prevent Direct Play timeouts. If you alt-tab from the chat screen in the game shell, you may cause your game to hang. ============================================================= SCREEN MINIMIZATION IN MULTIPLAYER GAMES If, during a multiplayer game, your screen is automatically minimized by another Windows application such as a Schedule + Reminder, you must re-enter the game within 2 minutes or you will be dropped from the game. This is a standard DPlay timeout. ============================================================= OUTWARS AND ADVANCED POWER MANAGEMENT If you have APM (Advanced Power Management) for your monitor, you may want to disable the sleep feature in your control panel before playing Outwars. This minimizes the chance of a crash or disruption when your monitor is automatically powered down. ============================================================= DELAY BETWEEN END OF GAME AND SCORE SCREEN It is normal to experience up to 1 minute of lag time between the end of a multiplayer game and the score screen when playing Outwars on the Internet. This delay is due to Internet latency. ============================================================= OPTIMAL INTERNET MULTIPLAYER GAMEPLAY Outwars multiplayer gameplay will perform best over the Internet with four players or less. You may experience some performance degradation with a greater number of players. ============================================================= JOYSTICK The generic term "joystick" is used to refer to all input gaming devices, including the Microsoft Gamepad, other than a "keyboard" or "mouse." ============================================================= CENTERING JOYSTICK If you have a joystick plugged into your computer's game port, but prefer to use mouse and keyboard for Outwars, you should ensure that the joystick is disabled in the Options\Input Devices menu. If you start the game and your character is running instead of standing still, center your joystick or disable it in the Options\Input Devices menu. Most joysticks have an auto-center function. The Microsoft Force Feedback Sidewinder Pro may require that you center it manually. ============================================================== INTELLIMOUSE SUPPORT The "wheel" button on the Intellimouse is defaulted to be a weapons toggle switch. This is not customizable in the Options\Input Devices menu. ============================================================= ENABLING DIRECT 3D To enable a supported 3D-accelerator card: 1. Click Options in the main menu screen. 2. Click Graphics. 3. Click Direct 3D to highlight the button to green. 4. Use the scroll arrows, located immediately above the Direct 3D button, to select the proper driver. However, if you use Direct 3D, some lighting effects will not work. For example, you will not be able to toggle your helmet light. ============================================================= 3D GRAPHICS HARDWARE Outwars works best with the following 3D chipsets: Riva 128, 3dfx, or Renditions. If you experience problems while using a 3D graphics card, switch to the software version of Outwars (The "Permedia 2 PCI" card is known to have problems running Outwars). You may also experience graphics problems if your drivers are not updated. If you still experience problems after you have upgraded the drivers, contact the hardware vendor. Outwars is designed to run optimally on 3D graphics cards with 4 megs of RAM. If your 3D graphics card has less than 4 megs of RAM, you may experience lower quality graphics. ============================================================= GAMEPLAY IS SLOW/JUMPY If you are experiencing performance problems with Outwars in DDraw or D3D mode during gameplay: 1. Press ESC. 2. Scroll down to Details. 3. Switch fogging off (known to enhance perfromance for the Riva 128 and Rage II chipsets). If performance is still slow: 1. Press ESC. 2. Scroll down to Details. 3. Change detail to Medium or Low. ============================================================= COLLISION AND LOW FRAMERATES If you are experiencing problems with being able to move through solid objects in the game, it may be related to a low framerate. You may be able to increase your performance by lowering your resolution or reducing detail under the \Options\Graphics menu. ============================================================= CHANGING RESOLUTIONS IN GAME On certain configurations, you may experience problems while lowering screen resolution during gameplay. You should be able to lower your resolution in the UI under the Options\Graphics menu without problems. ============================================================= NON-INTEL PROCESSORS Some non-Intel processors may cause occasional performance problems. Please contact your hardware vendor for more information. ============================================================= SOUND PROBLEMS WHILE USING 3D GRAPHICS HARDWARE If the sound in Outwars is distorted or breaks up while using a 3D graphics card, lower the image resolution. ============================================================= SOUND PROBLEMS DURING HEAVY PROCESSING You may experience choppy sound if your computer bogs down during heavy processing. This problem is expected. However, it should occur infrequently if your system meets the minimum requirements. ============================================================= SOUND PROBLEMS DUE TO OUTDATED HARDWARE DRIVERS If you experience sound problems such as sound effects and voices being doubled or not being played smoothly, you may need to upgrade your sound card's drivers. If you still experience problems after you have upgraded the drivers, contact the sound card's vendor. ============================================================= DIRECTX AND VOLUME CONTROL During the DirectX setup phase of installing Outwars, if you do not have volume control installed on your system, you will be prompted to insert your Win95 CD in order to copy these files. ============================================================= INTERNET EXPLORER The Zone requires Internet Explorer. You can install a copy of Internet Explorer from the Microsoft Web site (http://www.microsoft.com). ============================================================= QEMM 8.03 If you run Outwars while Qemm 8.03 is active, you may experience problems such as your computer hanging and your screen going black. ============================================================= GUILLEMOT INTERNATIONAL MAXI SOUND GAME THEATER 64 You may experience sound problems while running Outwars if you use the Guillemot International Maxi Sound Game Theater 64 sound card. To fix, try using the most recent drivers.