-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interplay Productions Tech Support: 714-553-6678 email: support@interplay.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Non Tech Support Questions/Comments send e-mail to max@interplay.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- M.A.X RELEASE NOTES v.1.0 TABLE of CONTENTS (1) System Requirements (2) M.A.X. under Win95 (3) Keyboard Reference (3a) Advanced Hotkeys (3b) Additional Features (4) Troubleshooting (5) Credits (6) Customer Support (7) Interplay's WEB site (8) Warranty Information -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) System Requirements -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REQUIRED: - IBM PC compatible 486-66 or faster - 8 MB RAM - DOS 5.0 or later - Microsoft compatible mouse - Minimum 20 Megs Hard Drive Space for Minimum Installation - Minimum 12 Megs Hard Drive Space free for Virtual Memory RECOMMENDED: - Pentium processor - 16 MB RAM - stereo 16-bit soundcard - 20 Megs Hard Drive Space free for Virtual Memory SUPPORTS: - Sound cards: Soundblaster Pro/16/AWE32/compatibles, ProAudio Spectrum Plus/16/Studio, Gravis Ultrasound/Max. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (2) M.A.X. under Win95 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- M.A.X. will run under Win95, and may been installed Windows by using the autorun feature. If your computer is set up to use the autorun feature, simply insert the MAX CD into your CD drive, and the Max install program will start automatically. Multitasking, Screen Savers, or simply switching back to Windows while M.A.X. is running can cause M.A.X. to lock up on some systems. It is recommended that you exit M.A.X. before switching back into Windows if you experience this problem. If you must switch back into Windows while M.A.X. is running, be sure to pause the game first. If you experience problems running any of the M.A.X. movies, check the Windows 95 CD ROM settings. If these are not correct for your CD-ROM the M.A.X. movies may skip or have other difficulties. Your CD-ROM settings may be changed by clicking on the START button, selecting SETTINGS, and then selecting CONTROL PANEL. From the Control Panel select the SYSTEM icon. From the System Menu, select PERFORMANCE. Then click on FILE SYSTEM Button. From the FILE SYSTEM select the CD Tab. Insure that the information displayed on the CD Tab is correct for your system. If you are experiencing any other problems running M.A.X. under Win95 (sound, netgame difficulties, etc.) try running M.A.X in DOS mode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (3) Keyboard Reference -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Following is the full keyboard command reference list for M.A.X. D Activates the DONE button for the selected unit. E Enter (used to Enter Depots, Hangars or Docks) F Find Selected Unit. Currently selected unit will be centered on screen. -,+ Zoom In, Out G Turns on Grid Display F1 Centers on Tagged Unit Arrow Keys: Scrolls the map ALT-L Opens the Load Game Menu ALT-S Opens the Save Game Menu ALT-X Exits the Game to the Main Menu ALT-F5, ALT-F6, ALT-F7, ALT-F8 Saves the current window position F5, F6, F7, F8 Jumps to a previously saved window position /,? Initiates HELP mode. The cursor changes to a question mark, clicking on screen items will display help text. ALT-C Saves a screen shot of the game in PCX format. Shift Hold the Shift key while selecting units to create groups. Space Bar, Enter or ESC cancels the self running demo. ENTER End Turn Shift-DONE Holding the shift key while clicking the DONE button on the M.A.X. control panel will cause all units to execute any outstanding orders. Shift-Click Test Path. If you are unsure about the path a unit will take when it is given a movement order, hold the SHIFT-KEY down while you click the mouse to give the MOVE order. The path the unit will take will then be displayed, but the unit will not move. Simply release the SHIFT key and click again if the path is satisfactory. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3a. Advanced Hot Keys -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many commands can be given using the 0-9 keys on your keyboard. The function of these keys depend on the Unit that is currently selected. For instance, hitting the 1 key will activate the BUILD command when a Constructor is selected, but will issue the AUTO-SURVEY command if a Surveyor is selected. Hot keys for unit commands: Press 1 (or the first letter of the word) for these functions: ...Activate ...Allocate ...Auto-Survey ...Build ...Buy Upgrade ...Disable ...Place Mines ...Reload ...Repair ...Research Press 2 (or the first letter of the word) for these functions: ...Load ...Start ...Steal Press 3 (or the first letter of the word) for these functions: ...Attack ...Transfer Press 4 (or the first letter of the word) for the Manual function. Press 5 (or the first letter of the word) for these functions: ...Enter ...Upgrade Press 6 (or the first letter of the word) for the Upgrade All function. Press 7 (or the first letter of the word) for the Stop function. Press 8 (or the first letter of the word) for the Sentry function. Press 9 (or the first letter of the word) for the Done function. Press 0 (or the first letter of the word) for the Remove function. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (3b) Additional Features -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shots Display: When the status button is clicked, units capable of firing may display small icons of a bullet along their path markers. These icons let you know how far the unit can move and still be able to fire a shot. Some units, like the Scout, can move all their movement for a turn and still be able to fire. Others, like the Missile Crawler, lose the ability to shoot in that turn if they move at all. Still other units, like the Tank and Assault Gun, can move a short distance and still be able to shoot in the same turn. The Shots Display can be used to gauge your firepower when advancing on the enemy. Halt when enemy sighted: By default, units will automatically stop when they see an enemy unit. This option can be changed in the PREFERENCES MENU. Auto Survey: An "AUTO" button has been added to the Surveyor Unit. When Auto is On, the Surveyor will automatically search the map for resources. Alien Units: Alien Units are sometimes found in the Campaign and Stand Alone Missions, and can optionally be added to Custom Games if desired. When first found, Alien units do not belong to any team, and must be captured by an Infiltrator before they can be used. Computer Opponent: The settings for Computer Player level affects only the intelligence and tactics of the computer opponent. In all other respects, it is not a standard difficulty level setting. Hint: If you are having trouble winning a particular mission, look beyond the more obvious tactics, or brute force attacks. There may be a simple trick which will gain you the advantage required to emerge victorious. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (4) Troubleshooting -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Multitasking, Screen Savers, or simply switching back to Windows while M.A.X. is running can cause M.A.X. to lock up on some systems. It is recommended that you exit M.A.X. before switching back into Windows if you experience this problem. If you are experiencing any other problems running M.A.X. under Win95 (sound, netgame difficulties, etc.) try running M.A.X in DOS mode. If you use the Minimum or Medium Install, the M.A.X. sound files will not be copied off the CD to your hard drive. This may slow down game play on some systems. If you experience this problem, go to the Preferences Menu and turn Music off. If the game still runs too slow, turn off the Animate Effects option in the Preferences Menu. If you get an "Out of Environment Space" message when running M.A.X., add the following line to your CONFIG.SYS: shell=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /e:512 /p The FILES statement in your CONFIG.SYS should read 25 or more: ex. FILES=25 M.A.X. doesn't support some brands of Sound Cards. If you experience problems try running under Sound Blaster Emulation. M.A.X. has a built-in check to ensure all network game stay in sync. If a game goes out of sync, a message will be displayed. At this point you will be given the option to Quit or Restart the game. Restarting should allow you to continue without further problems. However, if you continue to experience problems, select the QUIT option and reload the AUTO-SAVE game. CD-PATH If the path to your CD ROM drive changes after you have installed MAX, the game will not be able to run until you tell it the new drive letter of your CD. To do this, edit the MAXRUN.BAT file and change the path to the new location. Example: (MAXRUN.BAT) Maxrun.exe -sD:\MAX In the example above, the CD drive is listed as D: To change, simply replace with the correct drive letter, leaving the rest of the text alone. In the following example, the CD drive letter has been changed to drive E: Maxrun.exe -sE:\MAX Once you have made your changes, save the file and run M.A.X. again. If you recieve a message stating "Not enough memory for buffers" you'll need to free up some disk space. M.A.X. makes use of Virtual Memory, and must have at least 12 megs of free disk space available for the Virtual Memory function to work properly. 20 megs free disk space is recommended. If you have problems running the Movies included with M.A.X. try the following: Movies Slow or choppy: Edit the MAX.INI file and change the movie_play=0 parameter to read movie_play=1 Movies won't play at all: Some video cards are unable to display the special resolution used by the M.A.X. movies. If the movies will not play on your system, edit the MAX.INI file and change alt_movie_res=0 to alt_movie_res=1. This will set the movie resolution to the standard 640x480 mode which can be displayed by all SVGA video cards. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (5) CREDITS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Project Leader: Ali Atabek Producers: Ali Atabek Paul Kellner Game Design: Ali Atabek Paul Kellner Gus Smedstad Lead Programmer: Dave Boulanger AI Design and Programming: Gus Smedstad Network Support: Dave Boulanger Bernie Weir Additional Programming: Darren Monahan 2D Artists: Tony Postma Arlene C. Somers 3D Artists: Chris Regalado Mark Bergo Arlene C. Somers Mike Dean Visual Concepts and Storyboards: Tony Postma Original World Design: Cheryl Austin World Creation: Arlene C. Somers Head Writer: Steve Perrin Writers: Paul Kellner Amy Mitchell Laura Mitchell Editor: Kelly Newcomb Manual Design: Patrizia Scharli Box Cover Design: Tony Postma Director Of Quality Assurance: Chad Allison Assistant Director of Quality Assurance: Colin Totman Lead Tester: Cory Nelson Testers: Amy Mitchell Chris Peak Quinn Summers Tony Bland Doug Avery Steve McLafferty Erick Lujan Steve Victory James Dunn Henry Kahng Bill Field Steve Reed John Stavros Steve Baldoni Richard Barker Jon Atabek Larry Smith Scot Humphreys Daniel Huffman Charles Crail Rene Hakiki Anthony Taylor I.S. Technicians: Bill Delk Aaron J. Meyers Director of Compatibility: John Werner Compatibility Technicians: Dan Forsyth John Parker Aaron Olaiz Derek Gibbs Phuong Nguyen Marc Duran Video Compression and Playback Technology: Paul Allen Edelstein Video Compression: Bill Stoudt Audio Director: Charles Deenan Game Music: Brian Luzietti Voices: Nicole Pelerine Brian Cummings VO Director: Charles Deenan VO Supervision: Chris Borders VO Mastering: Craig Duman VO Editing: Sergio Bustamante Craig Duman Chris Borders Doug Rappaport Music Mastering: Digital Brothers Gameplay Sound Effects: Gregory R. Allen Larry Peacock Sound Effects Mastering: Craig Duman Intro Movie: James Doyle, Apples Animation Cinematics Music: Albert Lloyd Olsen for Four Bars Entertainment Cinematics Sound Design: David Farmer Cinematics Mixers: Ken Teaney Marshall Garlington Cinematics Sound Supervision: Charles Deenen Cinematics Ambient Voices: Doug Rappaport Cinematic Voice Processing: Doug Rappaport Sergio Bustamante Mixed in Dolby Surround at EFX Systems, Burbank, CA. QA Cell Leader (Europe): David Kinsella Testers (Europe): Daniel Kingdom Ben Pettifer Gareth Glover Mark Lugli Game Guru (Europe): Shaun Devine. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Thanks to Tim Cain for GNW, Jay Patel for Technical Assistance, Newtek, Inc. for Lightwave 3D, Sanjay Bala-Krishnan for his support, and James Thomas for Story Elements and assorted inspirations M.A.X. is Dedicated to the memory of Amanda Froistad. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (6) Customer Support -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are experiencing problems, Interplay Technical Support is available 24 hours a day through our Automated Customer Service system, with human representatives available during normal business hours at (714) 553-6678. Please have your system information available, or better yet, try to be at your computer. The more detailed information you can provide our support personnel, the better service we can provide you. Other ways to get help: Interplay Productions attn: Customer Service 16815 Von Karman Avenue Irvine, CA 92606 In the UK, write to: Customer Support UK telephone: +44 (0) 1628 423723 Harleyford Manor UK FAX: +44 (0) 1628 487752 Harleyford Henley Road Marlow Buckinghamshire SL72DX England Japan: Customer Service via Electronic Arts Victor at: Japan Phone: 03.5421.3815 Japan FAX: 03.5421.3722 Hintline If you need a hint about game play, you can call our hintline at 1-900-370-PLAY (1-900-451-6869 in Canada). The charge for this service is $1.25 for the first minute and $.75 for each additional minute. For Canada, these charges will be in Canadian dollars. All hint questions must be directed to this 900 service. No hints will be given on our Customer Service lines. You must have a touchtone phone to use this service. The hintline is open 24 hours a day. All long distance charges are included in these prices. Callers under the age of 18 must get parental permission before calling the hintline. The hintline is only available in the U.S. and Canada. Charges subject to change without notice. If you have a modem, you can reach us at the following: The Interplay BBS: We have a 24-hour, 7-day a week multiline BBS available for customer questions, support and fixes. The number is 714-252-2822. Modem settings are 300-28.8k Baud, V.32bis, V.42bis, 8-N-1. You also may contact our BBS over the Internet. Telnet to bbs.interplay.com. This is a free service. (Excluding toll charges.) America Online: You can E-mail Interplay Customer Support at IPTECH. To reach our Customer Support board in the Industry Connection, press CTRL-K for "Go To Keyword." Then type INTERPLAY in the Keyword window. In addition to reading and leaving messages, you can download fixes and demos from the Software Libraries. CompuServe: We are available for IBM and compatible on-line support. We are located in the Game Publishers B Forum, type GO GAMBPUB at any "!" prompt. Then select "Section 4" for Interplay Productions. You can leave technical support questions there. You can also download fixes and demos from Library 4 in GAMBPUB. The best place for game play hints about our games is in the GAMERS forum. If you are not already a CompuServe member, you can call CompuServe toll-free at 1-800-524-3388 and ask Representative #354 for a free introductory membership and a $15 usage credit. For game play hints look in the Gamer's Forum (GO GAMERS). Besides technical support for Interplay products, CompuServe offers many other services, including communications, reference libraries, hardware and software support, travel, games and much more. PRODIGY Interactive Personal Service: You may send mail directly to us. Our ID is "PLAY99B". Internet: You can reach Interplay by sending Internet E-mail to support@interplay.com . Many Interplay demos and patches are available at Internet FTP sites. To visit our World Wide Web site, point your browser to: http://www.interplay.com - or you may ftp to ftp.interplay.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (7) Interplay's WEB site: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the Interplay Web! As a company dedicated to providing innovative, high-quality interactive entertainment software, we are always striving to stay as close as possible to the leading edge of technology. This Web site is the latest example of our ongoing effort to provide a wealth of information and opportunities to you. As a company of fanatic gamers, we love the idea of gamers all over the world tapping into cyberspace to see, touch and feel our latest games. No hype, no marketing campaign; just great games. To make it work, our goal is to keep this site fresh and new, to make it a place where you can tell US what you like about our games... and what you don't like about them. So use the feedback options on these pages and sound off. Enjoy your visit in our Web site, explore all the different areas we have to offer, and come back soon. Check us out in the weeks and months ahead; we will be introducing new and exciting areas for you to experience. Once again, Welcome! Brian Fargo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (8) Limited Warranty -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERPLAY LIMITED 90-DAY WARRANTY Interplay warrants to the original purchaser of this Interplay Productions product that the compact disc or floppy disk(s) on which the software programs are recorded will be free from defects in material and workmanship for 90 days from the date of purchase. If the compact disc or floppy disk(s) is found defective within 90 days of original purchase, Interplay agrees to replace, free of charge, any product discovered to be defective within such period upon receipt at its factory service center of the product, postage paid, with proof of the date of purchase. This warranty is limited to the compact disc or floppy disk(s) containing the software program originally provided by Interplay and is not applicable to normal wear and tear. This shall be void if the defect has arisen through abuse, mistreatment, or neglect. Any implied warranties applicable to this product, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are disclaimed. Interplay disclaims all responsibility for incidental or consequential damages. Some states do not allow limitations as to how long an implied warranty lasts and/or exclusions or limitations of incidental or consequential damages so the above limitations and/or exclusions or liability may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. Lifetime Warranty If the compact disc or floppy disk(s) should fail after the original 90-day warranty period has expired, you may return the software program to Interplay at the address noted below with a check or money order for $5.00 (U.S. currency), which includes postage and handling, and Interplay will mail a replacement to you. To receive a replacement, you need to enclose the original defective compact disc or floppy disk(s) in protective packaging accompanied by: (1) a $5.00 check or money order, (2) a brief statement describing the defect, and (3) your return address. If you have a problem with your software, you may wish to call us first at (714) 553-6678. If your compact disc is defective and a replacement is necessary, U.P.S. or registered mail is recommended for returns. Please send the defective disc(s) only (not the box) with a description of the problem and $5.00 to: Warranty Replacements Interplay Productions 16815 Von Karman Avenue Irvine, CA 92606 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copying Prohibited -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This software product and the manual are copyrighted and all rights are reserved by Interplay Productions and are protected by the copyright laws that pertain to computer software. You may not copy the software except that you may make one copy of the software solely for backup or archival purposes. You may not loan, sell, rent, lease, give, sub license, or otherwise transfer the software (or any copy). You may not modify, adapt, translate, create derivative works, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise reverse engineer or derive source code from, all or any portion of the software or anything incorporated therein or permit or encourage any third party to do so. NOTICE: Interplay reserves the right to make modifications or improvements to the product described in this manual at any time and without notice. SOFTWARE USE LIMITATIONS AND LIMITED LICENSE General Product License. This copy of M.A.X. (the "Software") is intended solely for your personal noncommercial home entertainment use. You may not decompile, reverse engineer, or disassemble the Software, except as permitted by law. Interplay Productions retains all right, title and interest in the Software including all intellectual property rights embodied therein and derivatives thereof. The Software, including, without limitation, all code, data structures, characters, images, sounds, text, screens, game play, derivative works and all other elements of the Software may not be copied, resold, rented, leased, distributed (electronically or otherwise), used on pay-per-play, coin-op or other for-charge basis, or for any commercial purpose. Any permissions granted herein are provided on a temporary basis and can be withdrawn by Interplay Productions at any time. All rights not expressly granted are reserved. Modem and Network Play. If the Software contains modem or network play, you may play the Software via modem transmission with another person or persons directly without transmission through a third party service or indirectly through a third party service only if such service is an authorized licensee of Interplay. For the purposes of this license, a "third party service" refers to any third party service which provides a connection between two or more users of the Software, manages, organizes, or facilitates game play, translates protocols, or otherwise provides a service which commercially exploits the Software, but does not include a third party service which merely provides a telephonic connection (and nothing more) for modem or network play. Authorized licensee services are listed on the Interplay Productions World Wide Web Site located at http://www.interplay.com. This limited right to transmit the Software expressly excludes any transmission of the Software or any data streams thereof on a commercial basis, including, without limitation, transmitting the Software by way of a commercial service (excepting those specific commercial services licensed by Interplay) which translates the protocols or manages or organizes game play sessions. If you would like information about obtaining a pay-for-play or commercial license to the Software, please call Interplay Productions at (714) 553-6655. Acceptance of License Terms. By acquiring and retaining this Software, you assent to the terms and restrictions of this limited license. If you do not accept the terms of this limited license, you must return the Software together with all packaging, manuals and other material contained therein to the store where you acquired the Software for a full refund. M.A.X. COPYRIGHT (C) 1996 INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS IS THE EXCLUSIVE LICENSEE AND DISTRIBUTOR. Non Tech Support Questions/Comments send e-mail to max@interplay.com Thanks for Playing M.A.X.! --EOF--