################################################### # # # TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK # # # # ** README FILE 12/4/96 ** # # # ################################################### IMPORTANT NOTE: This document contains the latest game installation information and Customer Service info. It should answer many of your TEN- and game-related questions. Please read this document in its entirety before calling our Customer Service department. Thanks! TABLE OF CONTENTS 0.0 OVERVIEW 1.0 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 2.0 GAME INSTALLATION 3.0 CONNECTING TO TEN 4.0 SELECTING A CONNECTION METHOD 5.0 CUSTOMER SERVICE 0.0 OVERVIEW "When gamers read documentation, the sows will have goiter." -- Kazakhswanan proverb If you're reading this, something's probably wrong. Because if you're reading this, then you're not playing multiplayer games over the Internet through TEN. And if you're not on TEN, you're not happy, we're not happy, and the sows will require a painful series of out-patient operations. In this document, we'll do our best to get you back on track and in the gaming Arenas. Here you'll find basic installation and sign on information, and contact info for our happy Customer Service elves. There are other sources of help and information as well. There's an up-to-the-minute list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Web at www.ten.net/html/ten_faq.html. There's a TEN Help file accessible from within TEN (click on the fire extinguishers). And, again, there are TEN Customer Service people who get no greater pleasure in life than in helping you out. 1.0 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS To play on the Total Entertainment Network, you must have the following minimum system setup: - 486DX 66MHz - Windows 95 - SVGA video card - 14.4 modem or better (or direct Internet connection) Each game on TEN also has additional system requirements. You'll notice that these requirements tend to be higher than the requirements for the game in single-player mode due to the fact that the TEN software and the game software must run at the same time. COMMAND & CONQUER - 486 66MHz - 12MB RAM - VESA Local Bus (VLB) or PCI SVGA video card COMMAND & CONQUER: RED ALERT - Pentium 75MHz - 16MB RAM - 1MB VLB or PCI SVGA video card DARK SUN: CRIMSON SANDS - 486 66MHz - 8MB RAM - VLB or PCI SVGA video card DEADLOCK - 486 66MHz - 8MB RAM - VLB or PCI SVGA video card DUKE NUKEM 3D ATOMIC EDITION (Plutonium Pak) - Pentium 60MHz - 12MB RAM - VLB or PCI SVGA video card DUKE NUKEM 3D (shareware and full retail) - Pentium 60MHz - 12MB RAM - VLB or PCI SVGA video card MASTER OF ORION II - 486DX 100MHz (Pentium recommended) - 16MB RAM - 1MB VLB or PCI SVGA video card (with DirectX 2 drivers) NECRODOME (shareware and full retail) - Pentium 60MHz - 12MB RAM PANZER GENERAL ONLINE - 486 66MHz - 8MB RAM QUAKE - Pentium 90MHz - 16MB RAM WARCRAFT - Pentium 60MHz - 8MB RAM (16MB recommended) 2.0 GAME INSTALLATION To play games on TEN, you must either buy or download the supported versions of the game, and install the game to your hard drive as per the game publisher's instructions. Special installation notes for each game are listed below. Most game files and patches are available in the Support area of TEN. From the TEN Game Selector screen, choose SUPPORT and select DOWNLOAD FILES. If you can't find what you need in here, maybe it doesn't exist. Uh, just kidding, but there are a lot of patches here. Files can also be found on our DataSpheres at www.ten.net/gamesel. Choose a game and go! WATCH OUT! It's a very bad idea to install games under the TEN directory, C:\PROGRAM FILES\TEN. All files under the TEN directory are subject to deletion during a TEN upgrade. COMMAND & CONQUER First off, you must have the retail version of Command & Conquer already installed on your hard drive. You'll also need to download the CCTEN.EXE file from either the Support area or at the Command & Conquer DataSphere and put the CCTEN.EXE file in your Command & Conquer directory. In addition, you'll also need to have a Command & Conquer CD in your CD-ROM drive. After that, you can hit the ground running. (When you're first asked to locate the executable file for Command & Conquer, choose the CCTEN.EXE file.) COMMAND & CONQUER: RED ALERT To begin with, you must have the retail version of Command & Conquer: Red Alert already installed on your hard drive. You'll also need to download either the RATEN.EXE file (for the DOS version) or RA95TEN.EXE (for the Windows 95 version) from either the Support area or the Command & Conquer: Red Alert DataSphere and place the appropriate file in your Red Alert directory. Additionally, you'll need to have a Command & Conquer: Red Alert CD in your CD-ROM drive. Once you have these things in order, you're ready to go. (When you're first asked to locate the executable file for Command & Conquer: Red Alert, choose the RATEN.EXE file for the DOS version or RA95TEN.EXE for the Windows 95 version.) DARK SUN: CRIMSON SANDS Dark Sun: Crimson Sands is a fantasy role-playing game set in TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons world of Dark Sun. This game is a TEN-only exclusive. You can purchase the game at your local software store (you'll get some extra nifty stuff in the package). You can also download the latest version from the Support area or the Dark Sun DataSphere. Watch out, it's HUGE (18 MB huge) and can take a lot of time to download, especially if you have a 14.4 modem. DUKE NUKEM 3D ATOMIC EDITION (Plutonium Pak) Duke Nukem 3D Atomic Edition is an enhanced version of regular Duke with a new weapon, new levels and some new baddies. To play in the Duke Plutonium/Atomic Arenas on TEN, you'll need to purchase either the Duke Nukem 3D Atomic Edition or the original Duke Nukem 3D *PLUS* the Duke Nukem 3D: Plutonium Pak. (The Plutonium Pak is an upgrade to original Duke Nukem 3D that converts the original Duke Nukem 3D to the Atomic Edition.) You'll then need to install either Atomic or Original Duke + Plutonium to your hard drive. NOTE: Duke Atomic and original Duke are incompatible with each other. You'll need two separate installations of Duke Atomic and original Duke if you want to play in both the Plutonium/Atomic Arenas and the Retail or Shareware Arenas. DUKE NUKEM 3D (shareware version) To play the shareware version of Duke Nukem 3D on TEN, you must have the latest shareware version installed on your hard drive. You can find shareware Duke in our Support area, on the Duke Nukem 3D DataSphere or at www.3drealms.com. After you've downloaded the self-extracting archive, run it to extract the game to your hard drive. You'll need to run the SETUP.EXE program to configure the sound and control options. DUKE NUKEM 3D (full retail version) You'll need the full retail version of Duke Nukem 3D installed on your hard drive if you want to play it on TEN. You can buy the retail version at your favorite software store. MASTER OF ORION II In order to play Master of Orion II on TEN, you'll need to have the latest version of the game (version 1.2) installed on your hard drive and the MoO II CD in your CD-ROM drive. You can buy Master of Orion II at your local software retailer. NECRODOME To play Necrodome on TEN, you'll first need to either download the latest shareware version or purchase the full retail version and install the respective game to your hard drive. (You can grab the shareware version from the Support area or from the Necrodome DataSphere. Download the files and run the self-extracting file to install the game to your hard drive.) Necrodome also requires the DirectX 2 drivers, which can be found in the Support area or the Necrodome DataSphere. PANZER GENERAL ONLINE You can download a TEN-only verison of Panzer General Online from our Support area or from the Panzer General Online DataSphere. If you don't have the DirectX 2 drivers, you'll need to download those as well. Don't forget the Panzer General manual if you don't have the Official one from the retail game. QUAKE To play the shareware version of Quake, you must first download the latest version and install it to your hard drive. You can find it in the Support area or on the Quake DataSphere. The full retail version of the game allows you to play all four episodes. If you don't have the full retail version, you can purchase it at your favorite software store. (Shareware and full retail folks can play in the same game, as long as they play in the first episode.) Once you install either the full retail or the shareware version of Quake to your hard drive, you'll also need to download the QUAKETEN.EXE file (from our Support area or the Quake DataSphere) and place the file in your Quake directory. (When TEN asks you to locate the game's executable file, choose the QUAKETEN.EXE file.) WARCRAFT While you don't need to buy a retail version of Warcraft, you must download a special TEN version to play the game on TEN. The file can be found in our Support area or on the Warcraft DataSphere. After you've downloaded the self-extracting archive, run it to extract the game to your hard drive. You'll need to run the SETUP.EXE program to configure the sound and control options. SPECIAL INSTALLATION NOTES The first time you join or create a game on TEN, you will be asked to locate the game's executable file (.EXE). The Windows 95 file browser will then come up on your screen--use it to locate the game's directory, and then click on the .EXE of your game. If you should ever move the game's files or directories, or install a new version of the game, you'll have to update the path to the game executable. To do this, click on the "Create" or "Join" buttons in the TEN game Arena while holding down the control key (CTRL). This will call up the Windows 95 file browser and allow you to point TEN to the location of the new game executable (.EXE) file. 3.0 CONNECTING TO TEN Once you've installed the TEN software, you can launch TEN in two ways: You can 1) select the TEN icon (TEN.exe) located in the TEN directory on your hard drive. The default location for the TEN files is C:\PROGRAM FILES\TEN. Or 2) you can launch TEN by selecting the TEN icon in your Windows 95 START menu (usually in the lower left corner of your screen). The default path in the START menu is Start-->Programs-->TEN. Once the TEN software has been launched, you will see the TEN registration screen. Select the NEW USER button to register for a new TEN account. When registering, you will need to provide Name and Address information, and a valid credit card number. After you have created an account, you will be taken to the sign on screen. If you have any problems connecting to TEN, you can contact the friendly TEN Customer Support elves for help. See the end of this file for TEN's Customer Support contact information. If you have questions about TEN once you've signed on to the service, you can access the TEN online Help file by clicking the various Help fire extinguishers and Help buttons littered about the service. The Help file can also be viewed off-line by clicking on the "ten" help icon in the TEN directory (the icon looks like a purple book). 4.0 SELECTING A CONNECTION METHOD There are three ways to access the TEN service: 1) a TEN local access number, 2) an Internet connection provide by an Internet Service Provider (ISP), 3) or a direct connection to the Internet via your office or school. TEN LOCAL ACCESS NUMBER: If you do not already have access to the Internet through an ISP, you can use your modem to call one of our local access numbers (provided by Concentric Network). TEN has local access numbers spread across North America, so it's likely there is an access number near you. To use one of these numbers, install TEN, run the TEN software, and select the SETTINGS button from the sign on screen. Next, select the "Select one of TEN's local access numbers" option, click "OK," and then choose the local access number nearest you. (Note: Toll charges may apply if the number is long distance for you.) YOUR OWN INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER: An alternate way to access TEN is through your own Internet Service Provider (ISP). You do this by 1) logging on to your ISP, 2) running the TEN software, 3) selecting the SETTINGS button on the TEN sign on screen, and 4) choosing the "Use my direct Internet connection" option. (TEN supports the Windows 95 32-bit Winsock. If your ISP doesn't support Winsock32, you may need to take additional steps to connect to TEN.) If you use your own ISP, pay careful attention to what Mr. Bandwidth (the funny looking guy on the Arena screen) has to say about your connection quality. Some ISPs do not provide a good enough connection to play fast-action games like Duke Nukem 3D over the Internet. If Mr. Bandwidth says that your connection is not up to snuff, you'll want to try signing on through one of TEN's local access numbers. (Note that you can still play games like Deadlock and Warcraft with slower connections.) DIRECT CONNECTION AT THE OFFICE OR SCHOOL Another way to access TEN is through a direct connection to the Internet provided by your office or school. Simply run the TEN software and choose "Use my direct Internet connection" after clicking the SETTINGS button on the sign on screen. This option is only available when your boss isn't looking or you've finished all your Calculus homework. 5.0 CUSTOMER SERVICE Support for TEN is available via phone, fax, the Web and electronic mail. PHONE: 1-800-8040-TEN o TENFONE (Computer) - Automated voice response - Includes general and technical information - Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week o TENFAX - Automated faxback service - Includes general and technical information - Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week o Customer Support (Humans!) - Billing questions and account information - Available between 6 AM and 6 PM, Pacific Time, 7 days a week o Technical Support (More humans!) - Connection problems, bugs and the like - Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week REGULAR FAX: (415) 778-3514 WORLD WIDE WEB: o TEN Home Page: www.ten.net - General info and corporate stuff o TEN DataSpheres: www.ten.net/gamesel - News, hints, tips and game files o TEN Customer Service: www.ten.net/html/ten_customer_support.html - Frequently Asked Questions and e-mail addresses o File Factory: www.filefactory.com - Tons of patches, shareware and upgrades for your fav games ELECTRONIC MAIL (24-hour turnaround): o General Assistance: customerservice@ten.net o Technical Assistance: technicalsupport@ten.net o Billing Issues: billing@ten.net o Bug Issues/Reports: bugs@ten.net o Suggestions: suggestions@ten.net o Complaints: complaints@ten.net o Compliments: kudos@ten.net -10-