***************************************************************************** Virtual Karts Playable DEMO 12/12/95 Version 1.0 ***************************************************************************** Thank you for downloading the Virtual Karts Demo. The following information should provide you with all the information you need to get the demo up and running. If you have any problems please contact us by e-mail at "support@microprose.com" Make sure you have unzipped the files with the "-d" option. Type "VKARTS" to run the demo. Virtual Karts requires: 8 Mb RAM (Will take advantage of more if you have it) 486 66Mhz (Pentium Recommended) Super VGA VESA driver Mouse 100k free on drive "C:" Supports the following sound cards: Pro Audio Spectrum 16 ESS AudioDrive Ensoniq SoundScape I/O Magic Tempo NewMedia WAVJammer Gravis UltraSound Microsoft Sound System Sound Blaster 16 Sound Blaster Pro Sound Blaster Keyboard Commands: F1: Left View F2: Virtual View F3: Right View F4: Reverse View F5: Low View F6: Behind Camera View F7: Reverse Camera View F8: Director View F9: Resolution Select (4 options, including 320 X 200 ) [ESC]: Quit [-]: Shrink Screen [+]: Enlarge Screen [8]: Head Up (Numeric Keypad) [2]: Head Down (Numeric Keypad) DOS ------------ 1. For those of you with an 8Mb system running DOS, you have two options. You can still set up a 512Kb smartdrv disk cache, which will speed up loading times considerably. (NOTE: smartdrv defaults normally to a 2Mb disk cache; you will need to change this if you are running an 8Mb system. The other option, is to remove smartdrv from your autoexec.bat or config.sys (thus freeing the amount of memory that smartdrv requires). Windows 95 ------------ 1. You still need a VESA driver to run Virtual Karts (yes, even under Windows 95). Some video cards come equiped with the VESA drivers on the card, so you may not need to load a VESA driver. If you do not have a VESA driver, you can either call the manufacturer of your video card and request a VESA driver, or you can use the shareware VESA driver that we have provided on the CD. The shareware UniVBE software is made by SciTech and is good for a free 21 day trial period. Please register with SciTech if you choose to use this product. In the UniVBE directory, there is a zip file that contains a shareware VESA driver. You can unzip this file to your hard drive and follow the directions contained within readme.txt provided with UniVBE. 2. We have supplied a .pif file for your convenience. You may need to change the command line and working directory in the program properties depending on the drive letter of your CD-ROM. The file attributes of the .pif files are set to read only. If you copy these files to your hard disk, you will need to change the file attribute to read and write (this can be done in the Win95 Explorer). 3. Virtual Karts MUST BE RUN IN FULL-SCREEN mode. It will not run in window mode (Use ALT-ENTER to go to full-screen mode.) Sound Notes ------------ 1. The Ensoniq SoundScape and Win95: We have encountered problems with this card running from a "DOS box" in Win95. It was fixed by getting rid of the old Win 3.1 and DOS drivers and replacing them with native Win95 drivers from Ensoniq. These drivers can be downloaded from Ensoniq's Web site or BBS. 2. Gravis Ultra Max: There is a problem with this card using 16-bit DMA channels on some systems. Selecting an 8-bit DMA (0,1,3) will solve the problem. We've also had trouble getting stereo to work, therefore only mono support is offered at this time. 3. SoundBlaster Pro and DOS\Win95: Auto-Dectection will not recognize this card. This card will work properly if you manually change the sound parameters in the configuration menu (manually set the sound card to SoundBlaster Pro). 4. If the auto-detection displays a card different from what you know is in the system, check to see if the installed card is compatible with what auto-detection is reporting. We've been surprised to see auto-detect reporting a Microsoft Sound System on some computers when we thought we had SoundBlasters. In many cases, auto-detect will report the best option available. However, you can still change the selection manually if you're not satisfied. 5. If you have problems with your sound card under Win95, make sure that you are using the latest drivers for that sound card. We have seen Win 3.1 sound drivers, not work under Win95. Check with the manufacturer of your sound card for the most recent (Win95) sound drivers. 6. It is possible that sound auto-detection will lock-up or "hang" on some systems. If the auto-detection does not work properly, please use the manual sound configuration. Manual sound configuration is done by clicking on the sound buttons in the sound configuration menu. Please make sure you set the proper Sound Board, Address, IRQ, and DMA. Controllers ------------ 1. CH Pro Pedals should be set to plane mode. Network Play ------------ 1. This game requires that you have an IPX driver loaded to run in network play. You do not actually have to be logged into a network to run the game in network mode. 2. Shifter Karts can not be chosen in network mode. Virtual Karts is now available at your local retailer or may be ordered directly by calling MPS Direct at 1-800-879-PLAY.