Copyright: Copyright ®Activision 1997


Before The Installation

- 	Shanghai Dynasty should not be installed to a compressed drive.

- 	Please make sure your computer system is 100% Windows 95-compatible; the game is not compatible with Windows 3.1.

-	For optimum performance, the game requires that your system have the latest Windows 95 32-bit drivers for your CD-ROM drive, sound, and video card. If you have any problems running the program, outdated drivers are the most likely cause.

-	If you need help obtaining the latest sound and video drivers, check out the Vendor List.


Can I listen to the game soundtrack on my audio CD player?

Yes. The game music is streamed from the CD. Starting with track 2, all the music tracks will play on an audio CD player.


Can I run the game without the CD in the drive
Can I run the game without the CD in the drive?

The game CD must remain in the CD-ROM drive while playing. The game accesses files from the CD during gameplay. Therefore, there is no way to play without a CD in the drive.


Color Settings

If you are not sure about your video card or its capabilities, please refer to the section called Check Your Display Type Settings for more information, or contact your Video Card Manufacturer.

To Change Your Color Setting:

If your monitor is set to run at less than 256 colors, then you need to change the Color palette box of the window shown below to at least 256 Color. To go to the Display Properties window to change it, click here.

If you choose to make this change at some other time, you can always return to this Help file and try again, or follow the steps listed below to access these settings.

1.	Place your mouse cursor over an empty area of your desktop and click the right mouse button. At the bottom of the list that appears, click on Properties. This will bring up the Display Properties window. You can also bring this window up by clicking on the Display icon in the Control Panel.

2.	Choose the Settings tab and change the color setting to 256 Color as shown in the Color palette box above.

If you have a video card that supports 256 Color, but you cannot select this as an option, check to see that you have the most updated Windows 95 video driver.


Common Audio Problems

IMPORTANT NOTE: You may encounter choppy gameplay if your sound card is not 16 bit and 100% Windows 95 compatible. 8 bit sound cards are not supported with this game (e.g. Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster PRO). You may want to contact your sound card manufacturer to see if your card is 100% Windows 95 compatible.

Half of the problems with sound cards are remedied by newer sound card drivers. This is highly recommended and is usually free and easy to do. You can contact your sound card manufacturer for details.

Game Specific:

Can I listen to the game soundtrack on my audio CD player?

I have a Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum 16. The sound is choppy. What should I do?

General:

Installing a new sound card.

The sounds are distorted. What can I do?

I just installed a new sound card. How come I’m not getting any sound?

Checking Your Sound Card For Conflicting Settings.

I have only partial or no sound when running the game.

I have a Diamond Telecommander sound/modem card and it does not work with the game. What do I do?

I have a Packard Bell with little and/or no sound when playing the game.

I have an Advanced Gravis UltraSound ACE and I am experiencing severe lock-up problems.

Why is the sound fuzzy on my Sound Blaster Pro 2 sound card?


Common CD-ROM Problems

If you encounter any CD-ROM drive problems, make sure you have the latest 32-bit CD-ROM drivers installed. Most problems are the result of 16-bit CD-ROM drivers. To see if your computer is using 16-bit drivers, follow these steps:

1.	Right mouse click on My Computer.

2.	Choose Properties.

3.	Select the Performance tab.

If File System does not state "32-bit", then you need to update your CD-ROM drivers. Please contact your CD-ROM drive manufacturer for details.


Common Dynasty Online Problems

Internet	- Tips on Internet play.

IPX	- Tips on Network (LAN) play.


Common Video Card Problems

Many of the problems with video cards are remedied by installing newer video card drivers. This is highly recommended and is usually free and easy to do. Contact your video card manufacturer for details.

Game Specific:

When I launch into the game, the screen goes black and freezes.

Why do I have wavy lines across my screen when I play the game?

How do I set my display for 256 Color?

General:

The images are very choppy and slow while playing the game.

I installed a new video card, and the game doesn't look right. What do I do?

Changing the standard Windows 95 cursors causes video corruption.

When I launch the game from the title screen or from the taskbar, my screen stays blank and the game doesn't start. What should I do?

Game graphics are faded and/or strange in appearance.

The fonts are too large and/or extend off the screen.


Customer Support

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this game or any other Activision product, please feel free to contact us. If you are experiencing difficulty playing the game, please consult this help file before contacting Customer Support. The help file contains the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions and may quickly provide a solution to your problem. If, after reviewing the help and readme files, you are still experiencing problems, please feel free to contact us through any of the services listed. So that we can better help you, please be at your computer and have the following information ready:

1.	Complete product title

2.	Exact error message reported (if any) and a brief description of the problem

3.	Your computer's processor type and speed (e.g. Pentium 90MHz)

4.	Video and sound card makes and models (e.g. Diamond Stealth 64 video, Sound Blaster 16 sound...)

Customer Support:

North America

UK and Europe

Australia and Pacific Rim

For Technical Support and Customer Service in areas not listed, please contact your local distributor or Activision via online (please note online support is in English only).

Locations for Updates and Patches:

Where do I go for Game Updates or Patches?


Dynasty Online

We hope you enjoy this new gaming feature. Please remember to look at: www.activision.com for updates to this beta release of Dynasty Online, Activision's multiplayer environment.

Installing Dynasty Online

Uninstalling Dynasty Online

How to Start Dynasty Online

Common Dynasty Online Problems

More Dynasty Online Contents


Electronic Registration

There are three ways to access the electronic registration for Windows 95:

1.	Select Register Now during the installation process.

2.	Insert the CD. From the game's title screen, click on More. Then, click on Electronic Registration.

3.	Right-click on the the game's CD icon with the disc in your CD-ROM drive and select Electronic Registration from the menu.


How to Start Dynasty Online

After installing the game, insert the disc into the CD-ROM drive and wait for Windows 95 to display the splash screen. At the splash screen, click Multiplayer Connect. If this screen does not appear, choose the Start button and select Programs. Click Shanghai Dynasty and choose Shanghai Dynasty Online. Once the title screen appears, click Dynasty Online to launch the game.

Playing over the Internet:

1.	Make sure you are connected to the Internet via dial-up or direct connection.

2.	Click Internet.

3.	Create a New Character or select an existing character.

4.	Click Next.

5.	The Pre-Game Screen will appear.

Playing over IPX (LAN)

1.	Make sure you are connected to an IPX-compatible LAN.

2.	Click IPX.

3.	Create a New Character or select an existing character.

4.	Click Next.

5.	The Pre-Game Screen will appear.


How to Start the Game

After installing the game, insert the disc into the CD-ROM drive and wait for Windows 95 to display the Shanghai Dynasty splash screen. If this screen does not appear, choose the Start button and select Programs. Click on Shanghai Dynasty and choose Shanghai Dynasty. Once the title screen appears, click the Play button to launch Shanghai Dynasty.


I have a Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum 16. The sound and movies are choppy. What should I do?
I have a Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum 16. The sound is choppy. What should I do?

The game requires a 100% Sound Blaster compatible sound card. Your sound card meets the requirement, but is not working properly. Follow these instructions to allow your card to work in 16 bit mode:

(1)	Click on Start · Settings · Control Panel and double-click the Multimedia icon.

(2)	Make sure you are on the Audio tab.

(3)	Within the Playback section change the Preferred Device to "ProAudio Wave Out".

(4)	Click on the tab labeled Advanced.

(5)	Single-click the plus sign in front of "Audio Devices". This should expand the branch.

(6)	Single-click on the phrase "Audio for Sound Blaster Emulation" and click the Properties button.

(7)	Check-mark the boxes for "Do not use audio features on this device" and "Do not map through this device".

(8)	Click the Apply button and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

If you still encounter problems, contact Media Vision for more assistance.


Installing & Uninstalling the Game

Click on a topic for more information.

Before the installation

Installing the Shanghai Dynasty Game & Uninstalling the Shanghai Dynasty game

Installing Dynasty Online & Uninstalling Dynasty Online

Common Installation Problems

Electronically Registering


Installing Dynasty Online

Installing Dynasty Online

After the game installation, the installer will automatically launch the installation of the necessary files for Dynasty Online. This installation will automatically check to see if you have version 1.1.4 or higher of the JRE already installed on your computer. If you do not have the required version of the JRE, the installer will prompt you to install it. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation of the JRE.


Installing the Game

How to Install

1.	Before installing, close all other applications. Also, make sure Virtual Memory (located in your System Control Panel under Performance) is not disabled.

2.	Insert the game disc into your CD-ROM drive and wait a few moments until the title screen appears. (If the title screen does not appear, please refer to the AutoPlay Troubleshooting section.)

3.	Click Play to begin the installation process and follow the on-screen instructions.

4.	You can now run the game by choosing Start · Programs · Shanghai Dynasty · Shanghai Dynasty from the Start menu or by clicking Play on the title screen.

See Also: Installing Dynasty Online


Minimum System Requirements

Operating System:	Microsoft Windows 95 (English language version)

Processor:	Pentium Processor - 90 Mhz, 100% IBM PC-compatible

RAM:	16 MB

CD-ROM Drive:	Double-speed (300K/second sustained transfer rate) Quad-speed required for minimum install size.

Hard Disk Space:	50 MB (uncompressed)

Video/Display:	256-color SVGA (640x480), PCI or VLB video card with 1 MB RAM

Sound:	100% Windows 95-compatible sound card and drivers

Mouse:	100% Windows 95-compatible mouse and driver

Windows 95 Drivers:	Windows 95-compatible 32-bit drivers for CD-ROM, video card, sound card, modem and input devices.

Additional System Requirements for Dynasty Online:

100% Windows 95 compatible 14.4Kpbs (28.8Kbps modem for Internet play)

100% Windows 95 compatible network (LAN)

IPX network (LAN)

TCP/IP network (WAN e.g. Internet)

NOTE:	In order to play the game, either single player or over the Internet, the CD must be in your CD-ROM drive at all times. To join a LAN game, the CD is required in at least one computer.

The game may have trouble working with some 1993 or earlier Matsushita CD-ROM drives. These CD-ROM drives have trouble reading beyond 63 minutes on CDs, and the game uses the full CD. These drives were sold under the names of Panasonic, JVC, Reveal, Creative Labs and Plextor. Gameplay may occasionally slow down and the CD-ROM drive will be accessed constantly. We highly recommend that you upgrade to a newer CD-ROM drive to avoid problems with other programs in the future.

Click here if you have a NexGen compatible processor or click here if you have a Cyrix processor and are receiving a warning message during the installation process.


Multi-Player Setup Screen

The Multi-Player Setup Screen is where you setup and launch a game. From this screen you can also chat with the other player. The following components are available from the Multi-Player Setup Screen:

Players Display

Rooms Display

Games Display

Servers Display (Internet Only)

Chat Display

Options Display

Click Launch when you are ready to play. The game will begin when both players have clicked Launch.


Pre-Game Screen

The Pre-Game Screen is where you can chat with other players in rooms and choose which other rooms or games you would like to join. The following components are available from the Pre-Game Screen:

Players Display

Rooms Display

Games Display

Servers Display (Internet Only)

Chat Display

Options Display


Supported Operating Systems

This game supports Microsoft Windows 95.

The following operating systems are not supported:

Microsoft Windows NT

MS-DOS 6.22

IBM OS/2 (All Varieties)


Table of Contents

NOTE: For your benefit, we have created a Readme.doc file that contains last minute information that could not be included in this on line help file. If information is not found within this on line help file, please view our Readme.doc file.

Minimum System Requirements

Installing & Uninstalling the Game

How to Start the Game

Players Guide - On-line Players Manual.

Dynasty Online

Common Troubleshooting Tips - Where to go when you are having problems with the game.

Vendor List - A directory of hardware/software companies for compatibility issues.

Activision Customer Support - Information about our support services.


Taskbar Always on Top

In order to launch the game, the Windows 95 taskbar cannot have the option Always On Top selected.

For directions on how to turn this option off, please see the Microsoft Help subject on Configuring the Taskbar.


The sounds are distorted and/or the movies are choppy. What can I do?
The sounds are distorted. What can I do?

You may encounter choppy game play if your sound card is not 100% Sound Blaster 16 compatible. 8 bit sound cards are not supported with this game (e.g. Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster PRO compatible). You may want to contact your sound card manufacturer to see if your card is 100% Sound Blaster 16 compatible.

If you are fully confident that your sound card is 16 bit and 100% Windows 95 compatible, you should acquire the most updated sound card drivers available for your card. This is highly recommended and is usually free and easy to do. You can contact your sound card manufacturer for details.


The taskbar hides a portion of the game window. Can I fix this?

This can happen if your taskbar is always on top. You can hide the taskbar by right-clicking on it and selecting Properties. Click Auto Hide and then OK. The taskbar will hide when it is not used. To make the taskbar reappear, place your mouse in the area where the taskbar once was and it will appear.


Troubleshooting

Activision thoroughly tests its games on a variety of systems before they are released, but it is virtually impossible to test on all combinations of software and hardware. Many of the issues you may encounter in Windows 95 are caused by device drivers for video cards, sound cards, and CD-ROM drives that are not fully compatible with the Windows 95 operating system. The following troubleshooting tips are intended to assist you in resolving some of the common issues that occur with the Windows 95 operating system and the game.

Topic Areas

Installation	- This focuses on basic problems that might occur during the installation process.

Autoplay	- Go here if you are encountering problems with the title screen appearing automatically.

Video	- Go here if you are encountering video or graphic related problems.

Audio	- Go here if you are encountering audio related problems.

CD-ROM	- Go here if you are encountering CD-ROM related problems.

Input Devices	- Go here if you are encountering input device related problems (e.g. mouse, joystick, or gamepads).

Common Dynasty Online Problems

Power Saver Functions

Problems & Solutions

Can I run the game on Windows 3.1, Windows NT or OS/2?

Can I run the game without a CD in the drive?

Why does the game sometimes quit to the desktop?

The taskbar hides a portion of the game window. Can I fix this?

My screen saver operates slowly while the game is running. What can I do?

Ctrl-Alt-Del locks up my system.

How can I improve performance?

Where do I go for game updates and/or patches?


Uninstalling Dynasty Online

Uninstalling Dynasty Online

1. Uninstall the Activision Online multiplayer gaming component by using the following steps:

a. From the Start button, go to Settings · Control Panel.

b. Click Add/Remove Programs.

c. Click Activision Dynasty Online.

d. Click Add/Remove.

2. Uninstall the JRE by using the following steps:

a. From the Start button, go to Settings · Control Panel.

b. Click Add/Remove Programs.

c. Click Java Runtime Environment 1.1.

d. Click Add/Remove.


Uninstalling the Game

How to uninstall the game:

The game's Uninstall option allows the game to remove itself completely from your hard drive. From the Start button, go to Programs · Shanghai Dynasty · Shanghai Dynasty Uninstall and follow the Uninstaller instructions.

NOTE: You should always uninstall the game with the Uninstaller provided.

If you remove the game from your hard drive by dragging your Shanghai Dynasty folder to the Recycle Bin, certain files may be left behind causing problems with a later reinstallation of the game. In order to completely remove all Shanghai Dynasty files from your computer, complete the following steps:

1.	Make sure you have deleted the entire directory to which you installed Shanghai Dynasty.

2.	Remove Shanghai Dynasty from the Start menu.

a.	From the Start button, go to Settings · Taskbar.

b.	Select the Start Menu Programs tab.

c.	Click Uninstall Shanghai Dynasty.

d.	Highlight and then delete the entire Shanghai Dynasty entry.

3.	You must also clean up the Windows 95 Registry, in order to be able to reinstall the game again.

a.	Go to the Start menu on your taskbar and select Run.

b.	In the Run dialog box, type REGEDIT and click the OK button.

c.	Once REGEDIT is open, double-click the entry HKEY_LOCAL MACHINE.

d.	Double-click on SOFTWARE. If you have any other Activision programs installed, open the Activision folder and delete only the Shanghai Dynasty folder. Otherwise, delete the entire item called Activision.

See Also: Uninstalling Dynasty Online


When I launch into the game, the screen goes black and freezes.

In most cases you can fix this problem by updating your video card drivers. This is highly recommended and is usually free and easy to do. You can contact your Video Card Manufacturer for details.

Another possible cause could be that the CD is not in the CD-ROM drive. Please insert the CD before you attempt to start the game.


Why do I have wavy lines across my screen when I play the game?

This can be fixed by updating your video card drivers. This is highly recommended and is usually free and easy to do. You can contact your Video Card Manufacturer for details.


Why does the game sometimes quit to the desktop?

Occasionally, the game will suddenly quit to the desktop. This may be a result of a conflict with the EZDesk desktop utility, which is used to organize icons on your desktop. To prevent this, disable EZDesk before playing the game.

The game may also suddenly minimize to the taskbar if you are running an electronic mail program (e.g MS Exchange) in the background.

You should run the game as a stand-alone application.