System Requirements

Blood II will run on a variety of system configurations.  However, we strongly recommend running with a 3D Hardware Accelerator for the best overall performance and game experience.

•	Pentium 166 or equivalent (Pentium II Recommended)

•	Pentium II 233 or equivalent for software rendering

•	Windows 95/98

•	32MB System RAM

•	Available Hard Disk Space:

Minimum Install: 175MB

Full Install: 450MB

•	4X CD-ROM Drive

•	100% DirectSound Compatible Sound Card

•	DirectX 6 (included with Blood II)

•	4MB (or greater) D3D compatible hardware accelerator recommended


Installation

Just insert the CD in your CD-ROM drive and follow the onscreen prompts.  If the install program does not start automatically, follow these instructions.

1.	Place the CD in your CD-ROM drive (typically drive D:)

2.	Double-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop

3.	Double-click on the icon for your CD-ROM drive

4.	Double-click the SETUP icon to start the installation program

5.	Follow the on-screen prompts

Once Blood II is installed and you have restarted your computer, from your desktop, select:

Start

Programs

Monolith Games

Blood2

Blood2 Icon

The Blood II Launcher will appear.  You can start Blood II by using the launcher application.

CD Required

The Blood II CD must be in your CD-ROM drive in order to play Blood II.

Reinstallation

If you need to re-install Blood II, you can do so by double clicking the Setup.exe from the Blood II CD.

More information on:

DirectX6

Blood II Launcher

3D Hardware


DirectX6

DirectX6, a Microsoft game-related component for Windows 95/98, is required and will be installed automatically during a Normal or Minimum install of Blood II. You can also choose to install DirectX6 through the Custom install option.

In most cases DX6 will install new video and audio drivers for your system.  If you have not updated your drivers for your video or hardware recently, we strongly suggest that you update your drivers, regardless of the DX6 recommendations during installation.

Although you may not be prompted for a restart after installing DX6, we HIGHLY recommend that you restart your computer anyway.

For the most up to date information on driver support for DirectX6 and Blood II, see the section on 3D Video Hardware, or visit the Blood II drivers site at:

http://drivers.lith.com


Blood II Launcher

To access the Blood II Launcher, from your desktop, select:

Start

Programs

Monolith Games

Blood2

Blood2 Icon

There are several buttons on the Blood II Launcher that will help you configure Blood II for optimal performance:

Launch Button

Multiplayer Button

Display Button

Customize Button

Advanced Button

More Games Button

Help Button

Quit Button


Launch Button

Click Launch to start Blood II: The Chosen. The first time you run Blood II: The Chosen, you will be prompted to select a detail level. This detail setting will scale the content in Blood II: The Chosen to increase performance or increase visual quality. You can change this detail setting at any time during the game by selecting Options . . . Display from the in-game menu. Medium detail is the default setting, and is also a good choice for most systems with 3D hardware.  The detail settings are explained in depth in Display Detail Settings .


Multiplayer Button

Blood II: The Chosen supports deathmatch style BloodBath multiplayer gaming via TCP/IP, IPX and Modem Play via DirectPlay.

Use the Blood II: The Chosen Multiplayer Wizard to set up a multiplayer game. To access the Multiplayer Wizard, choose Multiplayer from the in-game menu, or, from the Blood II: The Chosen launcher, click the Multiplayer button. Follow the on-screen prompts to host or join a multiplayer game.

NOTE: You must be connected to your internet service provider in order to play a multiplayer game over the internet.

See Multiplayer for more information.


Display Button

The first time you run Blood II: The Chosen, we strongly suggest that you click the Display button in the Blood II: The Chosen launch box. This will test your video drivers to ensure DirectX6 compatibility. When the Display button is clicked, Blood II: The Chosen checks the DirectX compatibility of your video card(s). Blood II: The Chosen uses the same routine to initialize your video card when you click launch, but by clicking Display you can see the results.

If you encounter problems after clicking Display (this is rare) please see Trouble Shooting .

Choose Your Video Card

Display allows you to choose your display device (e.g., the video card) that you want to use to play Blood II: The Chosen. Only DirectX6 compatible devices will be displayed in the display window. You can also switch your display at any time during the game by choosing Options...Display Properties...Change Mode.

LithTech Direct3D Renderer

To use 3D hardware acceleration (If you have a D3D compatible 3D video card installed in your computer), choose LithTech Direct3D Renderer in the Renderers window, and then choose your display driver (your video card) in the Displays window.

If you are running a 2D/3D video card such as a Riva 128, your card will show up as “Primary Display Driver”. If you are running a pass-through card such as a 3DFX-based card, it will be listed below Primary Display Driver as something similar to 3DFX Interactive Voodoo.

Not all video cards support 3D hardware acceleration. If you are uncertain about whether your video card has 3D hardware acceleration features, please refer to your card’s documentation.

For more information about a specifc 3D video card, see 3D Video Hardware .

LithTech Software Renderer

To run Blood II: The Chosen without 3D hardware acceleration, choose your video card in the Displays window. If you are running the LithTech software renderer on a system with multiple video cards, we strongly suggest choosing your Primary Display Driver (your 2D card) in the Displays window.

Resolution

You can also set your resolution screen size in the Blood II Display Settings. The default resolution for Blood II is 640x480 16bit.  Selecting lower resolutions (512x384) may increase performance at the expense of detail.  Selecting higher resolutions (800x600, 1024x768) may decrease performance, but may look better.

If you are running the LithTech Software Renderer, we suggest running a low resolution (320x200) first to test the performance on your computer.

You can also change the resolution at any time during the game by choosing Options...Display Properties...Change Mode.


Customize Button

Use Customize to add-in additional resources and levels for modifications, patches and multiplayer. Please visit the Blood II website www.the-chosen.com for the most up to date customization information.


Advanced Button

The Advanced Options are designed for advanced users and trouble-shooting only. Some of the advanced options may not be compatible with all hardware.

Mixing and matching some advanced options may cause unpredictable results. For the most up to date Advanced Options details, check out the Blood II website www.the-chosen.com.

3D Cards…

This button is at the bottom of the advanced options in the Blood II Launcher.  You can check this button to view recommended settings for your 3D video card.  This information is also contained in the 3D Video Hardware in this help file.

Disable Sound

This will disable all sound fx in Blood II.

Disable music

This will disable Blood II's Interactive Music Architecture, or IMA.

Some sound cards may have incompatibilities with IMA. Use for

troubleshooting only.

Disable movies

Disables the Monolith Logo and Blood II Intro movies from playing every time.

Disable light mapping

Turns off light mapping (a shadow-lighting effect) in all display detail settings. This option is also available through the in-game menus.

Disable fog

Disables all atmospheric (not clipping plane) fog. No performance increase or decrease.  Strictly subjective, although may be useful on cards that "almost" support table fog.

Disable line systems

Disables all line systems in Blood II.  Line systems are used for tracer fire on many enemy weapons. Unlikely to provide any performance increase, but useful as a troubleshooting item.

Disable model full brights

Some textures/models in Blood II use a palette technique that makes certain colors always bright, regardless of the surrounding light conditions (e.g., making them "fully bright"). This option is also available through the in-game menus, and is disabled in medium detail mode.

Disable DirectX6 commands

Use only for troubleshooting.  Probably doesn't do what you think it does.

Disable joysticks

Use this for trouble shooting only.  This will disable all joysticks/gamepads in Blood II.

Enable optimized surfaces

Optimizes the way 2D surfaces (e.g., ammo, health, armor) are drawn. Checking this on AGP cards may provide a performance increase, especially on Intel i740 based cards.  This option may cause problems on some 3DFX cards, depending on which drivers are installed.

Enable poly gap fixing

Fixes noticeable gapping between polygons on some 3D video cards. A MUST for Riva 128 video cards.  May slow performance on low-end/older 3D video cards.  Not a significant performance decrease on fast 3D cards. Makes everything look "nicer".

Enable triple buffering

Enables a feature on some video cards that can improve performance. Most AGP video cards benefit from this feature being enabled. However, this may cause lock-ups on some PCI video cards.

Enable mipmap sharpening

Sharpens the mipmaps for some ATI cards.  Not really useful for anything other than making the textures look strange on most cards.

Enable pixel doubling--LithTech Software Renderer ONLY

Check this option only when using the LithTech Software Renderer. Useful for simulating low resolutions (320x200, 320x240) on 2D video cards that don't support low resolutions in 16-bit color. If you check this option and have 640x480 16bit selected as your resolution, Blood II will simulate 320x240.  Can provide noticable performance increases at the expense of visual quality.

Restore factory default settings

This restores all configuration settings to the original factory defaults. Resets key configuration, detail level and sound. Useful if you're mucking around with detail settings and you just want things back the way they were.

Command-Line

Really advanced users only.  For more information on this feature, visit the Blood II website at www.the-chosen.com.

Always specify these command-line parameters

Checking this box will save anything you type into the command line box, and will also force Blood II to always use the commands specified on the command line.


More Games Button

Click the More Games button to access demos and movies of other Monolith titles.  All Monolith titles are available at your local software retailer.

There is also a demo version of PowerSlide from GT on the Blood II CD.  This demo is in the \PwrSlide folder on the CD.


Help Button

Click the Help button to access the Blood II Online Manual (you’re already here!  Note to self--wake up!)


Quit Button

If you really don’t know what this button means, you will never, ever be able to play Blood II.  Ever.  In a million years.  Just stand up and slowly walk away from the computer (the thing in front of you with all the pretty pictures and words on it).  Please.  Before you hurt someone.


Controlling the Action

Becoming comfortable with the movement controls is the key to success in Blood II: The Chosen. These are the functions you should master if you hope to defeat Gideon. Our default controls are listed below, but you are free to customize your controllers to suit your playing style.

Note that Blood 2 supports keyboard, mouse and joystick.

MOUSE

Button 1	Fire the selected weapon’s primary fire
Button 2	Walk forward
Button 3	Fire the selected weapon’s alt fire

JOYSTICK

Direction	Movement
Button 1	Fire the selected weapon’s primary fire
Button 2	Strafe
Button 3	Fire the selected weapon’s alt fire
Button 4	Jump

KEYBOARD

1 thru 0	Weapon selections
Arrows	Movement
Spacebar	Use items or open doors Restart Level after player death. Respawn in multiplay This is the “use” key
Tab	Frag Bar (multiplayer only)
Shift	Run
Caps Lock	Auto run
Alt	Strafe
,	Strafe left
.	Strafe right
Ctrl	Fire the selected weapon’s primary fire
X	Fire the selected weapon’s alternate fire
A	Jump
Z	Crouch
Backspace	Turn around
[ and ]	Cycle through inventory items
Enter	Use selected inventory item
PgUp	Look Up
PgDown	Look Down
Delete	Drop Weapon
U	Mouse look toggle
I	Crosshair toggle
Shift – I	Scrolls thru crosshair options
=	Increase screen size
-	Decrease screen size
‘	Next Weapon
;	Previous Weapon
G	Grab
T	Message
Y	Taunt
P	Proximity Bombs
B	Normal Bombs
R	Remote Bombs
F1	Level Info
Tab	Frag Bar
F5	Quick Save
F6	Quick Load
Shift F1 thru Shift F12	Multiplayer message macros


From The Cabal Archives

A little background…

Blood II: The Chosen begins in the year 2028, 100 years after the original events in Blood. Caleb, Blood’s undead anti-hero, has walked the Earth this entire time, mostly minding his own business, trying to get through day to day life, and going on the occasional mindless rampage when the mood strikes him.

The Cabal, the cult dedicated to the worship of the Dark God Tchernobog (Caleb's nemesis in Blood), has changed drastically over the years. No longer content to remain a disjointed army of fanatics, they have organized a corporation to front their activities. Cabalco, as it is called, has grown to hold global interests in every major economic market. The Cabal's operations extend throughout this entire corporation, even to the point of recruiting its members from Cabalco employees. Some join willingly, some not so willingly. They are everywhere, and they consider Caleb and the other Chosen to be The Great Betrayers, those that destroyed the 16th incarnation of Tchernobog. The Cabal has dedicated itself to stopping Caleb. Gideon, the current leader of the Cabal, referred to by his followers as “The Word,” has been raised from childhood to lead, and views the conflict between himself and Caleb as being very personal.

Unfortunately for Caleb, there is more to him than just being a pissed-off dealer of death and destruction. He is a living conduit of the power of every individual he’s killed, including the Cabal’s Dark God. Gideon and his Cabal will not rest until they restore Tchernobog. To achieve their goals they will hound Caleb to the ends of the Earth, they’ll destroy entire dimensions and bring the world to its knees.

Welcome to the world of Blood. You’re Caleb.

Blood History

They promised many things.

"Faith is the key," they said. "Faith will show you the way." And I believed them because I wanted to believe.

But faith must be proven. I learned that the first time I wrapped my fingers around the haft of the ritual dagger to demonstrate my devotion to the One that Binds. They had not told me about Him, but there would be many lessons in the weeks to come. Unthinkable lessons. And a name to carry like a thorn in my conscience, a name never to be spoken aloud lest He hear me: Tchernobog.

All I've earned by my labor and my sacrifices are more and greater promises. I've carved my soul to shreds in service of the Cabal. What little humanity I retain is corrupted by the Beast, which has grown stronger with every life I've taken. Well, the time has come to sate its appetite and bite the hand that feeds.

Vengeance lies at the end of a long, bloody road through the very estates of the damned. Pity only that I have no greater weapon than this old pitchfork with which to still the rustling of leathery wings and douse the gleam of the eyes in the darkness. But I will exact blood for blood from my adversaries and send them back into the shadows between the world of the living and the land of the dead. This I vow."

Tchernobog History

Tchernobog was depicted as an evil God in Blood. This is not entirely accurate. In actuality, he is a necessary force in the universe. He is as old as time, and serves as the force that separates the dimensions from one another. Without him all the dimensions would intermingle, and ultimately destroy one another. This force cannot be destroyed. However, in order to perform its duties it must inhabit a physical form that is vulnerable to destruction. Its original form was destroyed several millennia ago, and since then it has possessed physical bodies it has come across in order to continue to perform its functions.

This need for hosts was one of the incentives for the creation of the Cabal. The force that is Tchernobog is not an evil one, and actually is morally ambiguous. Usually its will supersedes that of the physical creature it inhabits, but there have been exceptions. The 5th incarnation was a Buddhist high priest that altered Tchernobog’s personality to include his religious regimen. The 16th incarnation was a bitter and evil man whose hatred colored Tchernobog as well. Currently, the Tchernobog force resides in Caleb, who ignores it’s existence, and refuses to use it. In Blood 2, this fact has devastating effects on this reality. The One That Binds refers to the Bindings Tchernobog creates to separate various dimensions.

Cabal History

The Cabal is an ancient organization dedicated to furthering the wishes of Tchernobog, The One That Binds, The Sleeping God. Its beginnings date back beyond recorded history, yet it has always managed to stay relatively hidden . The Cabal has gone through radical changes throughout its history. These changes are dependent on the state of Tchernobog. During the 5th incarnation of Tchernobog the Cabal receded to a state where only the pure were allowed to remain as its members, holed up in temples where they practiced docile rituals of patience and control. During the 16th and most recent incarnation the Cabal bent itself towards evil, and swelled in size to the point that it was to act as Tchernobog’s army on Earth. The Cabal has always been about power--political and social power mainly. It is not necessarily an evil organization so much as an amoral one, although most people would define its members’ actions as evil.

Members are aggressively recruited, and once you are in you stay in under the fear of torture or death. The few people who have revealed the Cult’s existence over time have been swiftly and painfully executed along with those who received the information. Its members have always tended to lean towards darker paths, and this is directly affected by Tchernobog’s incarnation at the time. In Blood, the Cabal is an evil-obsessed cult following a God bent on world domination. In Blood 2, the Cabal has morphed into a world economic power in the form of a mega-corporation. Their goal is no more than to stop Caleb and bring about the 17th incarnation of Tchernobog by providing the leader of the Cabal as the physical incarnation, and then using the power received as an instrument for world domination.

Throughout the history of the Cabal its leadership has been hereditary, unless there is no heir alive, at which time the new leader is chosen from the top ranks of the Cabal. Leadership of the Cabal has no gender requirement, and the leader is referred to by Cabal followers as “The Word,” representing the power they hold, that they can order any Cabal follower to any action without question. The purpose of the Cabal leader depends on Tchernobog. Often the Cabal leader is the conduit through which Tchernobog speaks to the Cabal, but more often they have used the power to dominate those around them. A few of the leaders have been called upon to become the physical incarnation of Tchernobog, and whenever Tchernobog has no body, the Cabal leader prepares him/herself for this sacred duty. During the time period in which Blood occurred the Cabal had no leader due to Tchernobog’s direct and active influence over the Cabal.

Cabal Language

The Cabal Language has presumably existed as long as the Cabal. It is a secret means of communication used amongst the members of the Cabal to hide their intentions, and keep their existence a secret. It is also the language of their magical rituals. All of Cabal history is recorded using this language, and many of its members prefer its use, or have adapted it to their particular needs. For example, the Fanatics use it as a form of inter-squad communication and to intimidate their target.

Gideon

Gideon is the current leader of the Cabal. The purpose of the Cabal leader depends on the Dark God the Cabal worships, Tchernobog. Often the Cabal leader is the conduit with which Tchernobog speaks to the Cabal. A few of the leaders have been called upon to become the physical incarnation of Tchernobog, and whenever Tchernobog has no body, the Cabal leader prepares him/herself for this sacred duty.

Gideon is an extremely intelligent and ruthless man. The Cabal is his life. He has been groomed since childhood for his position, and he is utterly obsessed with the preservation of the Cabal and its functions. He has single-handedly led the Cabal into the modern world by pulling it out of the shadows and building an empire around it. Under his hand the Cabal has become more powerful than ever before, controlling the economic tides of many major nations and poised on the brink of world control. And the Cabal has achieved all of this without overt bloodshed or widespread public knowledge, by simply suppressing the will of the public through economic and social depression.

Despite these significant achievements, Gideon is unsatisfied. As long as The Great Betrayer, Caleb, lives Gideon feels unworthy of his position. He has dedicated himself and his pride towards finding and destroying Caleb, and the other Chosen. To do so, he'll go to almost any end including selling the Cabal and his soul to the darkest of threats, the most evil of evils. He will plunge to depths unknown, and achieve power unimaginable, all to put an end to the Chosen.


The Chosen

In a time of turmoil and decay, a dark organization with a dark purpose casts its shadow over the world. As their cause begins to reach fruition, an even greater evil pushes its twisted being at the bindings of reality. But across a century of pain, through an army built on hate and fear, and over the bodies of those he loved, Death has never died.

In 1998, Caleb returns. And this time he's not alone.

Caleb

"Too stubborn to quit, too stupid to die." This was how a Lieutenant of the Cabal once described Caleb, and he wasn't too far off. Driven by his quick wits and the sheer force of his vicious nature, Caleb has become an unstoppable force of malice and spraying bullets. Using his good mix of speed and toughness along with his familiarity with a wide variety of weapons, Caleb is the brawler, the kind of person who runs into a room with guns blazing, getting chewed up by everything the enemy can throw at him. But his utterly ruthless style guarantees that when he enters a fight, no one gets out alive. These traits have made him the recognized leader of the Chosen.

Ophelia

A cold and cunning woman, Ophelia is the hand at work behind every situation. Those who join her find themselves curiously doing what she wants whether they planned to or not, and those that oppose her have a tendency to disappear. In a fight she is fast, quiet, and versatile.  No need to face dead-on what you can take out at 300 yards with a sniper rifle.

Resurrected into a futureless world that is disgusted with the undead creature that she has become, Ophelia is desperately searching for a way out. She'll do whatever it takes to escape from a world gone mad, a body she no longer knows, and the love of a man she's grown to despise.

Ishmael

A man of few words and violent, decisive action, Ishmael's keen mind and emotionless personality make him a dangerous man to cross. His command of the dark arts is greater than any of the other Chosen, and he uses that power and knowledge to decimate anyone who opposes him. His enemies die suddenly, and horrifically, usually having little or no chance to fight back. Those who do resist find that Ishmael has the distinct ability to counter almost any attack. If he has a weakness, it is his dependence on his magic, which has caused many of his other skills to atrophy.

Gifted with extreme intelligence and a oneness with the very fabric of reality, Ishmael is in the unique position of understanding the implications of everything that the Chosen do, and have done. But would they recognize his silent warnings?

What forbidden knowledge gleams in the back of Ishmael's evil stare? And what is he holding back? How long will a man of such power and intelligence follow the desires of others?

Gabriella

Gabriella is a warrior in the truest sense of the word. Born out of vengeance with a past steeped in war, ritual, and tradition, Gabriella has been groomed for battle since she was a child. She is the ultimate walking weapon. She lives for death, and thirsts for power. Easily the strongest of the Chosen, she towers above even Caleb in size. She has forsaken her practice in the dark arts due to the defensive nature that magic sometimes takes. She relies on her incredible strength, endurance, and heavy weaponry to get the job done. Her thick battle armor and heavy weapons slow her down significantly, but she is invaluable to the Chosen as the anchor in any heavy firefight.

Will the Chosen offer her the opportunity for power that she craves, and are they enough to contain this raging warrior? Or will Gabriella's hunger for death engulf the other Chosen?


Enemies from the Cabal

Cultists

The lowest designation of Cabal soldier, the role of the Cultist has changed with time. Once the wheels of the Cabal army, in the modern world it has become necessary to adapt the role of Cultists so that they could move freely though society. They are followers of the Cabal, early initiates who are recruited, or brainwashed, into service from inside the Cabalco Corporation. They dress in official corporate attire so that their presence will not be obtrusive, allowing them to integrate into any aspect of normal society.

Their training consists of little more than a psyche profile and a possible brain wipe to assure that they will be adequately dedicated to the Cabal. For that reason they are not suited to heavy combat, but are adequately imposing to be used as security, for missions of lesser importance, or simply to intimidate the general populace. Cultists are generally of average to low intelligence, or they would have risen to a higher rank in the Cabal. They are only trained in a limited arsenal of weapons, mostly handguns, and in combat situations their lack of training prevents them from working effectively together.

Fanatics

These are the special forces of the Cabal.  They’re better equipped and more experienced, and they possess a slightly faster reaction time.  They still don’t pose much of a threat.  Watch them, though.  Occasionally, when you think you’ve put one down, he’ll go berserk, but will continue to encourage your death.

Zealots

Only a select few Cabal members get chosen to undergo the process that will transform them into a Zealot, and even fewer survive the ritual that follows with their sanity intact. Zealots are an invaluable resource in the Cabal army, as they are the only members of the Cabal with mastery of the Dark Arts. These abilities give them extremely effective offensive abilities, but they are generally too valuable to be used as grunts. Zealots usually accompany a group of lesser Cabal members like Fanatics. They provide backup by using their magic to defend, heal, and generally strengthen the performance of an attack group.

Prophets

Prophets are highly intelligent, highly trained Cultists.  Their purpose is to protect the Cabal’s most precious commodities.  They are heavily armored and resistant to damage.  Prophets represent the best the Cabal has to offer.

Mad Scientist

Leading Cabalco research, scientific and otherwise, the Cabal scientist actually prefers to be referred to as "mad." To improve his production, the Cabal scientist underwent surgery to alter his eyes, replacing them with microscopic lens implants and analysis tools. His hands have been replaced with mechanical versions that increase his ability and speed in interfacing with the various Cabalco computer systems and devices. Finally, the alterations he made to his brain are too numerous to mention and replace many "unnecessary" functions. The process has left him quite insane and, as a nice side effect, quite dedicated to the Cabal. The scientist has no military or combat training, and in a combat situation will generally cower from, or sometimes foolishly ridicule, an aggressor. It should be noted, however, that the Cabal scientist sees almost every situation as a chance to experiment. Often turning an uncooperative individual over to his greedy hands is the most effective way to extract needed information, or support. The scientist's laboratory is a dangerous place to be.


Otherworld Creatures

Bone Leech

The Bone Leech is a small, worm-like parasite. A fairly weak creature, its power comes from its ability to infest and take over other creatures, providing it with a means of protection, a more effective way to attack, nourishment as it grows, and most importantly, a breeding ground for more Bone Leeches.

Soul Drudge

The Soul Drudge is a human who has been infested by the Bone Leech. It burrows into the chest of a normal human, and comes to rest on the upper spinal column of the infected person. From there it takes over the nervous system, circumventing the victim's brain for voluntary functions, but leaving the brain intact so that it will continue to handle involuntary functions. This allows the Bone Leech to control all movement of the victim, although its control is crude in the beginning, making the Soul Drudge a slow and clumsy creature. It makes up for this by being able to withstand a lot more damage than a normal human ever could, since as long as the Bone Leech is intact it can continue to manipulate the body. The Soul Drudge can lose limbs and still keep coming. It is believed that the victim is still completely aware, and can feel everything that happens to them, they just can't control their body. They can, however, control their speech. As a result, Soul Drudges often emit the wailing and torment of the infected victim. To minimize this the Soul Drudge sews its mouth shut and gouges out its eyes to make the victim more docile. The Soul Drudge will generally attack anything that gets too close to it, most likely out of self-defense, although packs of Soul Drudges have been seen hunting prey, presumably looking for hosts for more Bone Leeches.

Drudge Lord

The Drudge Lord is basically a more developed version of the Soul Drudge. The Bone Leech has grown, and now pierces the arms of the victim with large, hooked, limbs to allow it better control. The victim is either no longer aware, dead, or too far gone to react at this point. The Drudge Lord is larger, tougher and deadlier than the Soul Drudge, and has metal plates that it has bolted to its chest to protect the bone leech embryos inside. The Drudge Lord will attack almost any living creature, and do so spitefully. They have an extremely hostile and ill-tempered disposition, and little or no fear. Drudge Lords are not often seen working together, presumably due to their poor temperament, but they often have Soul Drudges acting as their servants.

Drudge Priest

The Drudge Priest is the most advanced version of the Bone Leech parasite that has been encountered. It is a big creature with fully developed magic abilities. The body that was once its host is nothing more than a bag that hangs from the Drudge Priest, acting as a breeding ground for new Bone Leech parasites. The Drudge Lord no longer walks, but rather hovers silently. Little is known about this creature. Only a handful of Cabal operatives have survived an encounter with it. The Drudge Priest seems to hunt only to infest new victims, and will often have a host of other Drudge creatures doing its bidding. Attacks on this creature will often cause the breeding sack that is its stomach to spill dozens of Bone Leeches down on the unsuspecting attacker.

Shikari

The Skikari is a pure predator.  It hunts in packs or alone, and has excellent tracking and sensing abilities. When it reaches its prey, it rips and devours in a ferocious frenzy, paying no attention to any other activity.  If something gets too close, it will attack viciously to protect its kill until the meal is complete.

Thief

Small, stealthy, spider-like creature that attacks from behind attaching to the base of the skull, injecting a poison that slowly destroys the victim's nervous system until death occurs.  If the poison does not immediately cause death it will cause extreme disorientation.

Death Shroud

A terrifying creature that kills everything it runs into except other Death Shrouds.  Anything it kills will eventually turn into a Death Shroud.  It moves at a fairly decent speed by floating where it wants to go, and it attacks by outstretching its limbs slowly, and then directing a concentrated blast of energy directly into the targets being.  Merely being in its presence when it is charging its attack causes burn damage in a certain radius.

The Hand

The corpses that the minions of Tchernobog use to make zombies aren’t always in the best of shape.  Sometime, only a limb is salvageable.  Usually, the Cabal’s surgeons can fashion various bits and pieces into a serviceable undead soldier, but certain leftover parts can be effective all on their own.  If one of these horrors gets hold of you, you’ve got to push it off before you can kill it.


Conventional Weapons

Knife

Melee weapons are used in close combat only. The melee weapons are ritualistic knives, tailored to each Chosen member separately. In addition to being quiet weapons they become more powerful the more they are used.

9mm Automatic Pistol

A small, hand-held, vector-based weapon.  It has a good rate of fire, medium range and accuracy, and low damage.  An introductory weapon that is light enough that anyone can use it. This weapon can be fired dual-handed.  In multiplay, this weapon will always be akimbo.

Mac-10 Sub Machine Gun

A step up from the pistol, this is a light, vector-based weapon.  It has a much higher firing rate than the pistol since it can go full auto, but is very inaccurate.  It can be fired dual-handed. The alt fire in single-handed mode allows the player to fire short, three-round bursts with increased accuracy by using the stock.  There is no dual-handed alt fire. In multiplay, this weapon will always be akimbo.

Sawed-off Shotgun

The Sawed-off Shotgun packs a big punch but at a short range.  Its rate of fire is slow.  Its primary firing mode is one barrel at a time, while its alternate fire mode is both barrels at once. In multiplay, this weapon will always be akimbo.

.50 BMG Sniper Rifle

This high-caliber weapon is ideal for hitting targets at long range.  Aided by the scope (accessed by toggling the alt-fire) this weapon can hit targets at an extreme range for good damage.  The damage this weapon does is very dependent on where it hits.  Hitting the head or torso does major damage, whereas nicking the torso or hitting a limb does significantly less damage.

M-16 Assault Rifle

This long range, fast-firing and extremely damaging weapon is the ideal choice for urban pacification and security enforcement.  This versatile piece is also the perfect platform for custom upgrades.  It’s amazing what you can do with drain pipe and duct tape these days!  Try the Alt-fire to find out.

Howitzer

This weapon is basically a portable artillery piece. It fires a large shell at a slow rate of fire that does instantaneous, massive damage.

Minigun

Potentially the most powerful weapon in the game, this gun combines an insanely high rate of fire with great range, and great damage.


Demolitions:  explosive and flame weapons

Napalm Launcher

Large, heavy, and exceptionally brutal, this weapon fires flaming blasts of incendiary napalm.  Activating the alt fire releases a cascading series of bouncing explosions lovingly referred to by those in the business as "rolling thunder".  Make sure you don't set this baby off in close quarters, or you'll end up the main course in your own private weenie roast.

Flare Gun

The flare gun is a special weapon that fires off flare-like projectiles that stick into targets and burn them over time. It has a medium rate of fire, and its projectiles move fairly quickly.  The alt fire shoots a flare that bursts into a star pattern.  The star flares explode on contact with objects, assigning immediate burn to anything they hit.  This weapon is available dual handed, and in multiplayer will always be akimbo.


Energy Weapons

TW-X59 Tesla Cannon

Cabalco has finally solved the mystery of ball lightning and put its power to good use in one of the world’s most deadly anti-personnel weapons. Activate the alt fire to create an electrical explosion that will flash fry ANYTHING within its range . . . including you! Cabalco never rests on its laurels; you used to have to go to prison for a good electrocution—now you can have one anywhere!

Death Ray

From the Cabalco’s advanced weapons division comes the next step in urban warfare, the Cabalco Death Ray. This weapon delivers on its promise, firing beams of pure energy that reflect off of most surfaces so you can get that “around the corner” kill.

Insect-A-Cutioner

Representing the finest tool in the modern exterminating arsenal. The Insect-A-Cutioner uses Cabalco brand “Die, Bug, Die!” industrial bug spray. This spray is extremely toxic, and should not be exposed to skin. In the event of skin exposure, consult a mortician. It is also extremely flammable, and should be kept at room temperature at all times.

Singularity Generator

A highly experimental weapon currently under development by Cabalco Industries, the Singularity Generator is designed to create a small, localized singularity, or black hole. This black hole will suck in and destroy almost anything in its vicinity. This incredibly powerful weapon remains in the prototyping stages due to problems with maintaining the fabric of reality when it is used, but as they say, you must break a few eggs to make an omelete.


Dark magic

Voodoo Doll

The voodoo doll is a vector-based weapon that inflicts a magical spell of overall damage to its target.  When the player fires the primary fire it will randomly stick the pin in several places all over the doll.  The Alt-fire creates a mystical destruction so rapid, it’s almost painless.

The Orb

The Cabal's nasty take on the In-the-Egg-Scrambler seeks out enemy skulls and drills straight to their deepest thoughts.  Accuracy isn't all-important since the Orb detects motion and can even give chase if enemies see it coming.  The alt fire gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Be the ball."  Switch in to Orb's-eye view to hunt down your enemies personally.  Just remember that your own carcass sits vulnerable where you left it, so don't be surprised if you're dead when you get back.

Life Leech

The Life Leech projects wide bursts of life-stealing Eldritch Fire that can sear the flesh of your enemies from great distances. Striking the staff on the ground activates this weapon’s alt fire, radiating a mystical shockwave that violently hurls opponents back. The Life Leech is the ultimate in arcane “crowd control” but using it near high ledges or acid pools may prove unsafe (wink-wink) for your enemies. The Life Leech is fueled by user focus, so characters with an aptitude for the dark arts will find that it serves them well.


Ammo

Bullets

Bullets are the basic ammo for all slug-throwing weapons.  Weapons that use bullets are the pistols, sub-machine gun, assault rifle, and the mini-gun.  Bullets come in boxes of 100.  Bullets can also be found in any bullet-using weapon laying around.

Shotgun Shells

Shells are the ammo for the sawed-off shotgun.  They come in boxes of 20, and can be picked up from any shotgun.

.50 BMG Rounds

Used by the Sniper rifle, they come in boxes of 10.

Fuel Tanks

Used by the Napalm Launcher, they give you 5 shots per can.

Flares

Flares are used only in the flare gun.  They are found in boxes of 20.

Chemical Batteries

Chemical Batteries charge all of the energy weapons including the Death Ray, Tesla Cannon, and Singularity Generator.  They come in 40 round charges or can be picked up in any weapon that uses batteries.


Talismans (Power-ups)

Life Essence

Health restores 25 points of the player’s health up to their maximum.

Life Seed

Megahealth adds 100 health to the player’s current health total.  This can increase the player’s health above the normal maximum, but no higher than 250 (300 for those with the Constitution Binding).

Ward

This Talisman adds to the player’s Defense value.  It adds 25 points to the armor value up to the player’s maximum.

Necroward

This Talisman adds 100 points to the player’s Defense value, up to a maximum of value of 200.

Willpower

This Talisman reduces all damage by a value of 95%, making the player almost invulnerable to attacks.  This Talisman lasts for 30 seconds.  Visual and audio signatures warn other players that the player is invulnerable.

Stealth

This Talisman makes the player almost completely undetectable for 30 seconds.

The Anger

This power-up increases the damage the player does by a factor of 3 for 30 seconds.  Visual and audio signatures warn other players that the player has triple damage.


Inventory Items

Flashlight

The flashlight is a good general use item that casts light directly in front of the player so they can see into those dark corners.  The flashlight has the disadvantage of making the player stick out like a sore thumb.  The flashlight can be used at the player’s discretion, but does slowly lose it’s charge.  So, don’t forget to turn it off.

Med-kit

The Med-kit is a portable first aid kit.  It starts off with 100 points which can be used to restore health.  Once the player starts using the kit it is automatically replenished whenever the player picks up excess health power-ups.

Night Vision Goggles

Night Vision Goggles amplify all the light in the area, allowing the player to see in the dark.  The disadvantage is that once the player steps into bright light they go almost completely blind.  Like the flashlight, the player can use this item is often as they want until the power is depleted.

All-seeing Eye

The All-seeing Eye looks like a normal human eye (dislodged from someone’s head, of course).  The player can drop it anywhere, or throw it by holding down on its hot key.  Once the eye is in place the player can look through it and see what it sees by pressing its hot key a second time. The eye is easily destroyed, and if the player is looking through it when this happens they are blinded for several seconds.  Once the eye is destroyed it will automatically return to the player’s inventory.

Binoculars

Binoculars, when activated, allow the player to see for long distances.  Because this item does not use batteries, it can be used at the player’s discretion.

Proximity Bomb

Proximity Bombs are small motion detectors connected to a wad of plastique.  The player uses it by first selecting it with the hotkey/inventory use key, and then throwing it by holding the fire key, or dropping it by pressing the alt fire key. It will arm a few seconds later and then stay armed until someone approaches it, at which point it will explode.  The player can carry up to 10 Proximity Bombs.

Remote Bomb

Remote Bombs are similar to Proximity Bombs in how they are used, but the player detonates them remotely. Selecting it from the inventory brings up the bomb and the detonator. The player can throw a bomb by holding down and releasing the fire key, detonate the bomb by hitting the fire key a second time, or select a new bomb to place by hitting the alt fire key. The player can also drop a selected bomb by hitting the alt fire key.  Once the player has used all the remote bombs in their inventory the detonator remains on the hotkey and in the inventory so the player can select it and detonate any bombs that may be around.  The player can carry up to 10 Remote Bombs.

Time Bomb

The time bomb is similar to the Remote and Proximity Bomb, except that it is equipped with a timer, and has a larger, more damaging yield.  Selecting it brings it up, at which point the player can hold down on the alt fire key to increase the amount of time on the bomb (visible in the message section) up to 1 minute.  The player then taps the fire key to drop the bomb, or holds down on the fire key to throw it.  The minimum time on the bomb is 5 seconds.


Direct3D

Blood II supports Microsoft's Direct3D 3D Hardware API. Direct3D provides excellent performance and hardware support for most 3D video cards.  However, you may need to install the most recent video drivers for your 2D/3D hardware to get the best performance from Blood II.

For links to the most recent video/audio drivers, please visit the Monolith drivers page at http://drivers.lith.com


3D Video Hardware

This section contains specifics on 3D video cards, recommended Blood II settings, and driver information.

For the most up to date information on "Blood II Certified" drivers, please visit our driver website at:

http://drivers.lith.com

Click below for more information about a specific 3D Video Card.

3DLabs Permedia2

3DFX VooDoo2

3DFX Banshee

3DFX VooDoo Graphics (Voodoo1)

ATI Rage Pro

Intel i740

Matrox G200 Millenium and Mystique

Matrox MGA-1064 (Millenium II and Mystique)

Matrox M3D

nVidia Riva 128/128ZX

nVidia Riva TNT

NEC PowerVR

Rendition V1000

Rendition V2100/V2200

S3 Savage

S3 Virge


Sound Cards and IMA

Blood II uses a new Interactive Music Architecture for music playback. Because this music system uses DLS, you may experience problems with certain sound cards and music playback.  Upgrading to the most recent drivers for your sound card usually solves the problem.

For specific information about problems you might be having with your sound card, see Trouble Shooting .

For the most up to date information on sound card driver combinations and settings, please visit:

http://drivers.lith.com


Display Detail Settings

Blood II contains several detail settings that will affect performance. You can change these detail settings through the in-game menus by choosing Options...Display...Detail Level.

Switching detail settings while in the game will result in a restart of Blood II's renderer, which may take several seconds.

LOW

A good choice for systems near or at the minimum system requirements. Uses the least amount of texture memory.  Turns off just about every detail option available in Blood II.  Also the best choice when using the LithTech Software Renderer.

MEDIUM

A good choice for most systems.  Uses less texture memory than high, but keeps most other special effects in place.

HIGH

Turns up everything in terms of visual look. Recommended only for high-end systems with fast 3D video cards.  Uses the most texture memory, but looks the best.


Performance Tuning

Game speed and performance are dependent on several different hardware factors. The 3 major factors that affect performance in Blood II: CPU, 3D Video Card, and memory.

If you are experiencing slow performance on your system, first try setting the Detail Level under Options...Display to LOW.  This setting will have the biggest single impact on performance.

Turning Music to OFF under Options...Audio may also increase performance slightly.  If you've turned everything else off and you're still looking for a couple of extra frames-per-second, set Music to Off.

Model FullBrights and Environment mapping can have a large impact on slower systems.  These options are both set to ON when HIGH is selected, but are set to OFF in MEDIUM and LOW.

Lightmapping can also slow some systems down.  The Intel i740, for example, will see a large performance increase just by setting Lightmapping to OFF.

For the most recent updates on performance tuning, go to the Blood II website at http://www.the-chosen.com


Trouble Shooting

For the most up to date Trouble Shooting information, please check out the Blood II website at:

http://www.the-chosen.com

Q:	Many of the sounds in Blood II seem to be garbled.  What's wrong?

A:	If you are running Blood II on a 3DFX card, your driver may be stealing some cycles from the bus.  Install the latest 3DFX reference drivers located on the Blood II CD.  This should cure the problem.

Q:	I installed DirectX6 during the Blood II installation, but now I can't use my 3D video card to run Blood II.

A:	This is likely the result of non-DirectX6 compliant video drivers.  Please visit drivers.lith.com for the most recent information on drivers for your card.

Q:	When I click the Display button in the Blood II launcher, it pauses for a long time, and then nothing happens.  What gives?

A:	Make sure that you have installed DirectX6.  If you installed DirectX6, you may not have updated your video drivers.  Reinstall DirectX6 and update your drivers when prompted.

Q:	I have a joystick plugged into my computer, but Blood II won't recognize 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:	Some video resolutions are displayed under the Display button in the launcher and in the Change Mode option under the in-game Display menu, but I can't switch to these resolutions.

A:	Blood II uses DirectX to query your card about display resolutions.  Your driver may be reporting to DirectX that it can display at a certain resolution, even though the hardware does not support it.  This is common on many 2D cards when running in software.

Q:	I can't get my 3D card to work with Blood II no matter what I try.

A:	Try running the DirectX diagnostic that is installed when you install DX6 during a Blood II installation.  You can access this diagnostic tool in Program Files....directx...setup....dxdiag.exe.  Please refer to the help file that accompanies dxdiag.exe for more information on using it.

Q:	The movies play really choppy on my system.  What can I do?

A:	If you have a Riva TNT card, try turning on triple buffering in the advanced options.  You can also try disabling the auto-insert notification in Windows for your CD-ROM drive as this can also cause problems with movie playback.  If all else fails, you can install the movies to your hard drive under the Custom install option.


Technical Support

Please refer to the printed documentation that accompanied Blood II: The Chosen for detailed technical support, warranty and return information.

Tech Support via the World Wide Web

http://www.gtisonline.com

Tech Support via phone for US and Canada:

7:30am – 7:30pm Monday through Friday PST

425-398-3074 (phone)

425-806-0480 (fax)


Multiplayer

Blood II supports death-match style multiplayer gaming via TCP/IP, IPX and Modem Play via DirectPlay.

Use the Blood II Multiplayer Wizard to set up a multiplayer game. You will be prompted to make your choices during the wizard setup.

Blood II Serv

Blood II includes a standalone server application for running and managing Multiplayer games.

To start a Blood II server, click Start…Programs…Monolith Games…Blood II Server.  Running a Blood II server on a standalone machine will provide the best multiplayer performance for a large number of players.

For the most up to date information on multiplayer patches and availability, check out the Blood II website at:

http://www.the-chosen.com


Options

Display

Use the Display option to change your detail settings, resolution, texture quality (8-bit vs 16-bit) and renderer. See Display Detail Settings for more information.

Audio

Use the Audio menu to change the sound fx and music volume in Blood II.

Music—turns Blood II’s Interactive Music on and off.

Sound—Turns sound on/off

Volume sliders—these will adjust the volume for each component

Controls

Use the Controls menu option to customize your controls.  See Controlling the Action for information on the default controls.

Mouse

Use the Mouse menu option to set up your mouse.  See Controlling the Action for information on the default controls.

Joystick

Use the Joystick menu option to set up your joystick.  See Controlling the Action for information on the default controls.

Keyboard

Use the Keyboard menu option to set the turning speed of your keyboard.  This is useful if you think that the turning speed on the keyboard is too fast or too slow by default.


Monolith Credits

Blood 2: The Chosen is powered by LithTech

Game Concept and Design

Monolith Productions

Lead Designer

Jay Wilson

Product Manager

Karen Burger

Lead Engineer

Greg Kettell

Lead Level Designer

Bill Vandervoort

Lead Artist

Kevin Kilstrom

Lead LithTech Engineer

Mike Dussault

Game Design

Eric Kohler

Bill Vandervoort

Storyline

Jay Wilson

Concept Art

Eric Kohler

3D Art Engineer

Brian Waite

Blood 2 Engineering

Scott Schlegel

Andrew Mattingly

Paul Lord

Level Design

Jay Wilson

Ben Coleman

David Kelvin

3D Art

Kevin Kilstrom

Eric Kohler

2D Art

Kevin Kilstrom

Eric Kohler

Scripted Scenes

Nathan Hendrickson

C. Wes Saulsberry III

Bill Vandervoort

Ben Coleman

Music Composition

Guy Whitmore

Daniel Bernstein

Matt Allen

Interactive Music Arrangement

Guy Whitmore

Daniel Bernstein

Sound Design

James Ackley

Cassano Thruston

Boyd Post

Business Production

Matt Saettler

Additional LithTech Engineering

Brad Pendleton

Scott Schlegel

Scott H. Pultz

Bryan Bouwman

Add’l Blood 2 Engineering

Jeremy Blackman

Bryan Bouwman

Brian Goble

Scott H. Pultz

Kevin Stephens

Additional Level Design

Darren Korman

Mark Brown

Craig Hubbard

C. Wes Saulsberry III

Nathan Hendrickson

Additional 3D Art

Akika Tanaka

Oscar Nebres

Rick Winter

Aaron Carlson

Aaron Rose

Cole Drumb

Dan Davis

Edmon Carreon

Jason Calhoun

Additional 2D Art

C. Wes Saulsberry

Matt Allen

Voice Talent

Stephan Weyte. . . . . . Caleb

Lani Minella	. . . . . . . Ophelia and Gabriella

Ted D’Arms	. . . . . . . Gideon

Mike Shapiro. . . . . . . Ishmael

Jason Hall 	 . . . . . . .The Voice

Chris Wickland

Scott Burns

Kathy Levin

Henry Dardenne

Drake Collier

Chris Wickland

Krisha Fairchild

David White

John Armstrong

Lynn Rott

Additional Voice

Mike Madeoy

Writing

Jay Wilson

Nathan Hendrickson

Motion Capture Specialists

Simon Wong

Bill Cass

Motion Capture Actor

Israel Evans

Quality Assurance Manager

Jonathan Stein

Quality Assurance

Ryan Mattson

Ben Dobbs

Steve Allen

Jordan Minkove

Isaac Marshall

Ben Chamberlain

Kelly Kristek

Benny Kee

Bob Givnin

Manual

Karen Burger

Jay Wilson

Akika Tanaka

John L. Jack

Technical Support

Benny Kee

Bob Givnin

Marketing Direction

Jenni Gant

Blood II:  The Chosen logo

John Dames

Blood II: The Chosen internet site:

    (www.the-chosen.com)

Spencer Maiers

Paul Butterfield

Joel Reiff

Adam Ketola

Information Systems

Jim Totaro

Eric Minimoto

Special Thanks

Nick Newhard – original Blood concept

Steven Mitchell Studios

Gareth Von Kallenbach

Andreas Rylander

Glen Maydom

Peter Susfal – DeathMatch level contribution

Arthur Lee Williams III – DeathMatch level

A sincere thank you to all the friends and families of those so deeply involved in this production.  You’ve been neglected over the past number of months, and your endless support is greatly appreciated.


Blood 2 One Liner contest winners:

•	Glen Maydom “When you get to hell, tell them I sent you.  You can get a group discount.”

•	Josh Cheney  “If you run, you’re only gonna die tired.”

•	Chris Brown  “If I’m going to miss getting into Heaven. . . why miss it by inches?”

•	David Goldstein  “Every night it’s get revenge this and get revenge that - what about MY needs?”

•	Michael Hogan   “Hope you weren’t a procrastinator - you just ran out of tomorrows.”

•	Dave Hunter  “And me without a spoon . . . “


Blood 2 Suicide/Kill Line contest winners

Actual lines used in game have been modified

•	Anthony Beeman  “severe case of anal leakage”

•	Janto Gildenhuys  “performed a Kevorkian on himself”

•	Ron Bauerle  “interned at White House”

•	Jason Kimball  “time to go bye bye”

•	J. Perkins  “demonstrates the ankle grab”


Smacker Credits

RAD Tools

Portions of Blood II: The Chosen were created using RAD Game Tools technology.

Uses Smacker Video Technology.  Copyright 1994-1997 by RAD Game Tools, Inc.


Permedia2

3DLabs - http://www.3dlabs.com/drivers

Works well, although no lightmapping.

Recommended Display Settings:

LOW or MEDIUM (lightmapping will automatically be turned off on this card)

Turning on Shadows or Model FullBrights may cause texture corruption/flickering.

Recommended Advanced Settings:

NONE


Rendition V1000

http://www.rendition.com

An older card, but should work properly with Blood II.

Recommended Display Settings:

LOW.  512x384

Recommended Advanced Settings:

NONE


Rendition V2100/V2200

http://www.rendition.com

Works well, supports all features in Blood II.

Recommended Display Settings:

LOW, or MEDIUM with Light Mapping set to off for best performance

Recommended Advanced Settings:

NONE


3DFX VooDoo2

http://www.3dfx.com

In order to get the best performance from any 3DFX-based card, we STRONGLY recommend that you upgrade to the latest 3DFX reference drivers.

We have found that the latest 3DFX Voodoo2 reference drivers work fairly well under DX6. As of this version of Blood II, the latest 3DFX Voodoo2 DX6 Reference Drivers should be available from 3DFX or your card manufacturer.  There are also older 3DFX reference drivers contained in a \3DFX directory on the Blood II CD.

Recommended Display Settings:

HIGH

Recommended Advanced Settings:

Check "Enable poly gap fixing" in Advanced Launcher for increased visual quality with minimal decrease in performance

DO NOT CHECK OPTIMIZED SURFACES OR TRIPLE BUFFERING ON THIS CARD.


3DFX Banshee

http://www.3dfx.com

In order to get the best performance from any 3DFX-based card, we STRONGLY recommend that you upgrade to the latest 3DFX reference drivers.

Recommended Display Settings:

HIGH

Recommended Advanced Settings:

Check "Enable poly gap fixing" in Advanced Launcher for increased visual quality with minimal decrease in performance


3DFX VooDoo Graphics (Voodoo1)

http://www.3dfx.com

In order to get the best performance from any 3DFX-based card, we STRONGLY recommend that you upgrade to the latest 3DFX reference drivers.

You can get the most recent reference drivers from the 3DFX website, or you card manufacturer's site. There are also 3DFX Voodoo-1 Reference Drivers contained in a \3DFX directory on the Blood II CD.

Recommended Display Settings:

Medium

Recommended Advanced Settings:

NONE


Riva 128/128ZX

http://www.nVidia.com

Be sure to upgrade to the most recent drivers from nVidia for these cards.

Recommended Display Settings:

With drivers released after 9-15-98, MEDIUM

With drivers released before 9-15-98, LOW

Running in HIGH or MEDIUM or enabling LightMapping with the currently drivers released before 9-15-98 will result in gray-shaded world polygons. Disabling lightmapping fixes this problem.

Recommended Advanced Settings:

Check "Enable poly gap fixing" in Advanced Launcher options for all versions of drivers.  THIS IS A MUST FOR THIS CARD to remove all polygon seaming issues.

Check "Enable optimized surfaces" for a slight performance increase


Riva TNT

http://www.nVidia.com

Be sure to upgrade to the most recent drivers for all TNT cards.  Check your card manufacturer's site or the nVidia site for details.

Recommended Display Settings:

HIGH, 16-bit textures

Recommended Advanced Settings:

Check "Enable poly gap fixing" in Advanced Launcher for increased visual quality with minimal decrease in performance

Check "Enable Triple Buffer" to make the intro movies run smoother, and for a slight performance increase.

Check "Enable optimized surfaces" for a slight performance increase.


Matrox G200

http://www.matrox.com/mgaweb/drivers

Millenium and Mystique

Please check the Matrox website for drivers.lith.com for the most recently released drivers for all Matrox products.  D3D driver support is generally good.

Recommended Display Settings:

MEDIUM, or HIGH on high-end Pentium II

Recommended Advanced Settings:

Check "Enable Triple Buffer" for a decent performance increase

Check "Enable Optimized Surfaces" for a slight performance increase


Matrox MGA-1064

http://www.matrox.com/mgaweb/drivers

Millenium II and Mystique

Please check the Matrox website for drivers.lith.com for the most recently released drivers for all Matrox products.  D3D driver support is generally good.

Recommended Display Settings:

LOW, 8-bit textures

Recommended Advanced Settings:

NONE


Matrox M3D

http://www.matrox.com/mgaweb/drivers

Please check the Matrox website for drivers.lith.com for the most recently released drivers for all Matrox products.  D3D driver support is generally good.

This card is based on a version of the NEC PowerVR chipset.

You may need to update your drivers through device manager instead of the setup program that comes with the driver set

Blood II detects that this card can't do LightMapping or "light add poly" and disables both

May experience texture mipmapping glitches

Chromed models are REALLY slow, so enabling Environment Mapping through the menus is not recommended

Some textures with alpha (4444) draw with alpha blending even if the alphablendenable state is off

Recommended Display Settings:

LOW, 8-bit textures

Recommended Advanced Settings:

NONE (Blood II detects this card automatically)


NEC PowerVR

http://www.powervr.com

Blood II detects that this card can't do LightMapping or "light add poly" and disables both

May experience texture mipmapping glitches

Chromed models are REALLY slow, so enabling Environment Mapping through the menus is not recommended

Some textures with alpha (4444) draw with alpha blending even if the alphablendenable state is off

Recommended Display Settings:

LOW, 8-bit textures

Recommended Advanced Settings:

NONE (Blood II detects this card automatically)


Intel i740

http://drivers.lith.com

ENABLE OPTIMIZED SURFACES!  We have experienced instability on this card when Enable Optimized Surfaces is unchecked.  We have also experienced some problems with drivers from various board manufacturers who use the i740 chipset. The Intel Reference Drivers appear to be the most stable of the bunch.  However, Intel does not recommend end-users install these drivers.  Check with your card manufacturer for the most recent certified drivers.

Recommended Display Settings:

LOW or MEDIUM, 8-bit textures

Recommended Advanced Settings:

You must check "Enable Optimized Surfaces" on this card to avoid potential lockups

Check "Enable Triple Buffer" for a decent performance increase

LightMapping slows down this card big time.  Disable it for a nice performance boost.


S3 Savage

http://www.s3.com

DISABLE FOG!  There may be problems with this card and the fog settings in Blood II.  Disabling fog will not provide a performance increase or decrease.

Recommended Display Settings:

HIGH

Recommended Advanced Settings:

Check "Disable Fog" in the advanced options.


S3 Virge

Diamond Stealth 3D Pro 2000, IMagic 3D

http://www.s3.com

Get the most recent drivers from the S3 site.  This board was an OEM video card in many, many PC's.  The 3D hardware performance is questionable, but D3D will recognize this card as a 3D hardware accelerator.

Runs decent in 320x240.

Lightmapping and screen flash not supported.

Recommended Display Settings:

LOW, 320x240

Recommended Advanced Settings:

NONE


ATI Rage Pro

http://support.atitech.ca/drivers

Please check the ATI website for the most up to date drivers avaiable.  This chipset was used and is used on many, many ATI cards.

Doesn't bilinear filter the alpha channel so stuff with alpha looks all pixelated even though the RGB is all pixelated.

Recommended Display Settings:

LOW

Recommended Advanced Settings:

Check "Enable mipmap sharpening" to cure the blurriness of textures