Copyright: Copyright © 1996 by Interactive Magic


100 Meter Dash

The 100 Meter Dash is the first event of the first day of the Decathlon.  You will see two views of the race, an overhead view in the small window (see Viewing Options), where your athlete will be represented by a yellow dot, and a main view in the main window.  You can also see which lane your athlete and his opponents are in by passing your cursor over the athlete and reviewing the information displayed on the status bar.  In the Practice Mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes), there will only be one athlete, your athlete.

To start the race click on the Start Button.  You will see a starting gun displayed and hear a count down to the start.  Start your athlete when the gun fires by clicking and holding down your left mouse button.  If you or any of your opponents jump the gun a foul start will be called and the race will start again.  You will be disqualified on you third foul.

To initially accelerate and then maintain your speed you need to hold down your left mouse button.  Up to a point (The Wall) this will not cost you any endurance.  But once you hit the wall you will start burning up your endurance if you maintain your sprinting rate by holding down the left mouse button.  You can watch your endurance diminish in the endurance meter in the small overhead view window (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  The point at which your athlete hits the wall depends upon what skills you created him with in the locker room (see Building the Athletes).  How much endurance you decide to burn up in this event after hitting the wall is a function of how well you want to do in this event and how much endurance you want to keep for later events that day.

You can gain a little extra time at the finish by clicking your right mouse button to lean your athlete towards the tape.  Doing so will cost you a little endurance.  After the last human competitor's race has ended the Scoreboard will come up in the Single Decathlon and Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) to let you know how many points you and your opponents gained in this race (see Monitoring the Scores).

If you don't want to play this event but just want to see the results, you can do so by checking the appropriate button in the Tools Set Play Methods menu command (see Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event).

If you are playing one or more human opponents (see Playing Another Person), each human competitor will get his own heat to compete in, as indicated by the text in the top left of the main screen.

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Long Jump

Shot Put

High Jump

400 Meter Race

110 Meter Hurdles

Discus

Pole Vault

Javelin

1500 Meter Race

Getting Started


110 Meter Hurdles

The 110 Meter Hurdles is the first event of the second day of the Decathlon.  You will see two views of the race, an overhead view in the small window (see Viewing Options), where your athlete will be represented by a yellow dot, and a main view in the main window.  You can also see which lane your athlete and his opponents are in by passing your cursor over the athlete and reviewing the information displayed on the status bar.  In the Practice Mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes), there will only be one athlete, your athlete.

To start the race click on the Start Button.  You will see a starting gun displayed and hear a counting down to the start.  Start your athlete when the gun fires by clicking and holding down your left mouse button.  If you or any of your opponents jump the gun a foul start will be called and the race will start again.  You will be disqualified on your third foul.

To initially accelerate and then maintain your athlete's speed you need to hold down your left mouse button.  Up to a point (The Wall) this will not cost your athlete any endurance.  But once your athlete hits his wall he will start burning his endurance if you maintain his sprinting rate by holding down the left mouse button.  You can watch his endurance diminish in the endurance meter in the small overhead view window (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  The point at which your athlete hits the wall depends upon what skills you created him with in the locker room (see Building the Athletes).  How much endurance you decide to burn up in this event after hitting the wall is a function of how well you want to do in this event and how much endurance you want to keep for later events that day.

You also need to jump the hurdles by clicking your right mouse button.  Failure to do so will slow you down dramatically.

Finally, you can gain a little extra time at the finish by clicking your right mouse button to lean your athlete towards the tape.  Doing so will cost your athlete a little endurance.  After the last human competitor's race has ended the Scoreboard will come up in the Single Decathlon and Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) to let you know how many points you and your opponents gained in this race (see Monitoring the Scores).

If you don't want to play this event but just want to see the results, you can do so by checking the appropriate button in the Tools Set Play Methods menu command (see Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event).

If you are playing one or more human opponents (see Playing Another Person), each human competitor will get his own heat to compete in, as indicated by the text in the top left of the main screen.

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

100 Meter Dash

Long Jump

Shot Put

High Jump

400 Meter Race

Discus

Pole Vault

Javelin

1500 Meter Race

Getting Started


1500 Meter Race

The 1500 Meter Race is the fifth and last event of the second day of the Decathlon.  You will see two views of the race, an overhead view in the small window (see Viewing Options) where your athlete will be represented by a yellow dot, and a main view in the main window.  You can also see which lane your athlete and his opponents are in by passing your cursor over each athlete and reviewing the information displayed on the status bar.  In the Practice Mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes), there will only be one athlete, your athlete.

To start the race click on the start button.  An animation of a starting gun will come up and a voice will count down to the firing of the gun.  When the gun fires, click and hold down your left mouse button to start and accelerate your athlete.  If you or any of your opponents jump the gun a foul start will be called and the race will start again.  You will be disqualified on your third foul.

To first accelerate and then maintain your speed, you need to repeatedly click, hold and release your left mouse button.  These actions will control your stride rate, as displayed in the Stride Meter in the top left of your screen.  The faster your stride, the faster you will go and the quicker you will burn up your endurance.  You can watch your endurance diminish in the Endurance Meter in the small overhead view window (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  In general, you need to keep the Stride Meter full at all times.  As the bar empties you will slow down and have to spend more endurance to bring your pace back up to it's optimum level.  If you have lots of endurance left, you can afford to speed up your stride rate.  If you don't you need to slow your stride rate.  If you run out of endurance before the end of the race, your running speed will diminish dramatically.

After you have rounded the first bend, your athlete will move towards the inner lane.  You can then change lanes using your right mouse button, which you will need to do on occasion to pass athletes blocking your lane.

 After the last human competitor's race has ended the Scoreboard will come up in the Single Decathlon and Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) to let you know how many points you and your opponents gained in this race (see Monitoring the Scores).

If you don't want to play this event but just want to see the results, you can do so by checking the appropriate button in the Tools Set Play Methods menu command (see Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event).

If you are playing one or more human opponents (see Playing Another Person), each human competitor will get his own heat to compete in, as indicated by the text in the top left of the main screen.

Tips on the 1500 Meters Race

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

100 Meter Dash

Long Jump

Shot Put

High Jump

400 Meter Race

110 Meter Hurdles

Discus

Pole Vault

Javelin

Getting Started


400 Meter Race

The 400 Meter Race is the fifth and last event of the first day of the Decathlon.  You will see two views of the race, an overhead view in the small window (see Viewing Options) where your athlete will be represented by a yellow dot, and a main view in the main window.  You can also see which lane your athlete and his opponents are in by passing your cursor over each athlete and reviewing the information displayed on the status bar.  In the Practice Mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes), there will only be one athlete, your athlete.

To start the race click on the Start Button.  You will see a starting gun displayed and hear a counting down to the start.  Start your athlete when the gun fires by clicking and holding down your left mouse button.  If you or any of your opponents jump the gun a foul start will be called and the race will start again.  You will be disqualified on your third foul.

To first accelerate and then maintain your speed, you need to repeatedly click, hold and release your left mouse button.  These actions will control your stride rate, as displayed in the Stride Meter in the top left of your screen.  The faster your stride, the faster you will go and the quicker you will burn up your endurance.  You can watch your endurance diminish in the Endurance Meter in the small overhead view window (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  In general, you need to keep the Stride Meter in the middle for the most optimum use of your endurance.  If you have lots of endurance left, you can afford to speed up your stride rate.  If you don't, you need to slow your stride rate.  If you run out of endurance before the end of the race, your running speed will collapse dramatically.

After the last human competitor's race has ended the Scoreboard will come up in the Single Decathlon and Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) to let you know how many points you and your opponents gained in this race (see Monitoring the Scores).

If you don't want to play this event but just want to see the results, you can do so by checking the appropriate button in the Tools Set Play Methods menu command (see Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event).

If you are playing one or more human opponents (see Playing Another Person), each human competitor will get his own heat to compete in, as indicated by the text in the top left of the main screen.

Tips on the 400 Meter Race

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

100 Meter Dash

Long Jump

Shot Put

High Jump

110 Meter Hurdles

Discus

Pole Vault

Javelin

1500 Meter Race

Getting Started


ATI Technologies

Telephone numbers:

(905) 882-2600 . . . . . Head Office, Sales and Marketing

(905) 882-2620 . . . . . Corporate fax

(905) 882-2626 . . . . . Customer Support (voice)

(905) 882-0546 . . . . . Customer Support (fax)

(905) 764-9404 . . . . . ATI DOWNLOAD BBS (8N1)

Customer Support 74740.667@compuserve.com

Problems & Solutions


Actix Systems

Telephone (408) 986-1625

Problems & Solutions


Allocating Skill Points

As explained in Building the Athletes you can custom create both your own athlete and those you are competing against.  To do so you enter a locker and click on the Create button, bringing up the Create Decathlon Athlete dialog box.  You have a certain number of Skill Points available to you, which you can use up by increasing either of your Sprinting, Middle Distance, Weight Throwing, Jumping and Coordination Skills.  In general Sprinting will help you in the 100 Meter Dash and the 110 Meter Hurdles, Middle Distance in the 400 Meter and 1500 Meter Races, Weight Throwing in the Shot Put, Discus and Javelin, Jumping in the Long Jump, High Jump and Pole Vault, and Coordination will help you in every event.  All events, however, require some combination of different skills.  For example, the 110 Meter Hurdles will also require some jumping skills and coordination as well as sprinting skills.

Skill points that you do not allocate to specific skill categories such as Sprinting and Middle Distance are made available to your athlete as endurance points, as shown in the endurance points window.  So you shouldn't necessarily allocate all of your skill points to specific categories if you want your athlete to have enough endurance to complete the decathlon (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  Your maximum endurance level is 100 points, if you don't allocate any skill points at all to specific categories.  You may want to start off your athlete with 50 endurance points or so, and then experiment to see what happens.

Selecting Athlete Difficulty Levels

Choosing Glide or Rotation for The Shot Put

Training Your Athlete

Trading Athlete Files with Other Players

Reviewing Athlete Performance

Hints & Tips


Boca Research

Http://www.boca.org/support/ftpmain.htm

Problems & Solutions


Building the Athletes

The names and skills of all eight decathlon athletes are contained within the eight lockers in the locker room.  You can check the name of each athlete currently loaded in each locker by passing your cursor over the locker and noting the name that comes up on the left of the status bar.  If no athlete is loaded the status bar will indicate, “Empty Locker.”  The status bar will also indicate whether the loaded athlete is a computer athlete or a human athlete.  If it's a human athlete you will be responsible for playing him: if it's a computer athlete it will be run by the computer.  If you want to play against one or more real human opponents (see Playing Another Person) you need to load one human athlete for each player, as described below.

When you first load the game, all the lockers will be empty.  On your initial load of the game, a default athlete will be in locker number one so you can go straight to the field and try the events.  Proceed through the Field Door into the stadium.  If you create or load more than one human athlete you can play other human opponents, with each player controlling a human athlete.  If you've selected the Practice Mode using the Game menu commands you will only need one human athlete.  If you've selected the Single Decathlon or Season Modes using the Game menu commands you will need a full roster of eight athletes.  If you haven't already created or loaded eight athletes the game will create default athletes for you in all empty lockers upon entering the Field Door.  The names of these default athletes will be drawn from a database of default athlete names.  You can add to this database by using the Tools Add Names menu command.

To load or create a new athlete in a locker, double click on the locker to open it up.  If you wish you can use Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse instead.  If an athlete is already loaded into the locker you will see both the flag representing the nationality of the athlete and his personal belongings.  To view the skills of this athlete click on the View Button, which will be grayed out if no athlete is loaded.

To load an athlete you have already created and saved, click on the Load Button and select the athlete file you want to retrieve.  To save an athlete you have just created, click on the Save Button.  To return to the Locker Room, click on the Return Button.  To remove the currently loaded athlete, click on the Remove Button.  And to create a new athlete, click on the Create Button.

Clicking on the Create Button brings up the Create Athlete dialog box.  You must first decide if this athlete is to be a human or computer controlled athlete by choosing the appropriate Athlete Type.  You will need to have a human athlete for each player in the decathlon (see Playing Another Person).  You then must choose a name, skin tone and nationality for the athlete and decide on its skill level (see Selecting Athlete Difficulty Levels).  Start with rookie and work your way up.  Then you have to decide on your shot put style, glide or rotation (see Choosing Glide or Rotation for the Shot Put).  Finally, you have to allocate your skill points between the categories of sprinting, middle distance, weight throwing, jumping and coordination (see Allocating Skill Points).  When you are finished, click on the OK Button.

When you are playing in either of the Single Decathlon or Season Modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) you can view the skills allocations for all eight athletes by bringing up the Athlete Information window using the View Athletes menu command.  Clicking on the Details buttons for each athlete in this window will pull up the Personal Bests for each athlete.  If you or any of your friends build and train a really good athlete, you can swap athlete files (see Trading Athlete Files with Other Players).

When you are playing in the Season Mode (see Playing a Season of Decathlons), your human athletes will earn additional skill and endurance points at the end of every decathlon, depending upon their performance in it.  You can allocate skill points to specific skill categories at the end of every decathlon by using the Train button in each human athlete's locker.  If you don't these additional points will only pump up your human athletes' endurance ratings (see Monitoring Your Endurance Rating).  For further advice see Training Your Athlete.

Creating Your Ideal Athlete

The Bulletin Board/Options

The Showers

The Coach Office

Field Door

Getting Started


Cardinal Technologies

To access Cardinal's Bulletin Board System (BBS) - 1-717-293-3074

To send e-mail to a Technical Support Representative - support@cardtech.com

To order Technical Support Faxback documents - 1-717-399-2308

To fax a question to a Technical Support Representative - 1-717-293-3043

To speak with a Technical Support Representative - 1-717-293-3124

http://www.cardtech.com/customer/custinfo.html

Problems & Solutions


Chips & Technologies

http://www.chips.com/chipdrv.htm

Problems & Solutions


Choosing Glide or Rotation for the Shot Put

There are two methods used for the Shot Put, the glide and the rotation methods.  The glide consists of a linear movement across the ring.  The rotation involves a one turn rotation along a straight line.  You can choose which method your athletes use by selecting the appropriate radio button in the Create Decathlon Athlete dialog box (see Building the Athletes).  Each method is equally useful, though, so it shouldn't make any difference to your overall performance.

Selecting Athlete Difficulty Levels

Allocating Skill Points

Training Your Athlete

Trading Athlete Files with Other Players

Reviewing Athlete Performance

Hints & Tips


Choosing the Practice, Single Event or Season Modes
Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

There are three modes for playing the Decathlon, the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes.  When you are in the Locker Room you can select which mode you want to play in by using the Game menu commands.  The Practice mode will allow you to practice single decathlon events of your choosing.  The Single Decathlon mode allows you to compete in one single decathlon.  The Season Mode allows you to compete in a season of decathlons and train your athlete to become better (see Playing a Season of Decathlons).  You can choose how many decathlons comprise a Season, ranging from a minimum of three to a maximum of ten.

When you enter the stadium through the Field Door the mode you selected will be the mode in which you will be competing in the stadium.  The Single Decathlon and Season modes will use competitor athletes that are created and loaded into the empty lockers for you when you enter the Field Door.

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Starting a New Season

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Monitoring Your Endurance

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Saving a Season

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

Playing Another Person


Cirrus Logic

http://www.cirrus.com/support/faq.html

For graphics product support, send email to ui-support@corp.cirrus.com.

Problems & Solutions


Close Down Other Windows Applications
Close Down Other Applications

Windows 95 allows you to run a number of different applications simultaneously, including DOS sessions.  But each application will occupy a certain portion of your memory (RAM) or hard disk swap file and may make demands on your processor, thereby reducing the virtual memory and processor cycles available for this game.  So to maximize game performance, close down all or as many as you can of your other running applications

You may also want to confirm that your swap file is running well to maximize the virtual memory available for this game.  To do so, first check that there is enough free space on your hard disk for your swap file to run in.  Then ensure that, as recommended by Microsoft, your swap file is set to "Let Windows Manage My Virtual Memory Settings"  in the Windows 95 Start: Settings: Control Panel: System: Performance: Virtual Memory dialog box.  For further information on swap files consult the Windows 95 Help File accessible via the Windows 95 Start menu

Update Your Video Drivers

Defragment Your Hard Drive

Problems & Solutions


Compaq

Http://www.compaq.com/support/index.html

Direct your e-mail to Support@Compaq.Com.

Problems & Solutions


Competing in Each Event

100 Meter Dash

Long Jump

Shot Put

High Jump

400 Meter Race

110 Meter Hurdles

Discus

Pole Vault

Javelin

1500 Meter Race

Getting Started


Creating Your Ideal Athlete

Selecting Athlete Difficulty Levels

Choosing Glide or Rotation for The Shot Put

Allocating Skill Points

Training Your Athlete

Trading Athlete Files with Other Players

Reviewing Athlete Performance

Hints & Tips


DFI

Http://www.dfiusa.com/services.htm

E-mail address:<support@dfiusa.com>

Problems & Solutions


Defragment Your Hard Drive

The game's performance may be slowed down by a heavily fragmented hard drive.  To check, and, if necessary, defrag your hard drive, use the Win95 supplied Disk Defragmenter, which you should find in your Program: Accessories: System Tools folder.

Close Down Other Windows Applications

Update Your Video Drivers

Problems & Solutions


Diamond Multimedia Systems

http://www.diamondmm.com/general-info/quick-driver-updates.html

Tel: 408-325-7100

Fax: 408-325-7171

BBS: 408-325-7080 2400 - 14400 baud

BBS: 408-325-7175 9600 - 28800 baud

Email: techsupt@diamondmm.com

Problems & Solutions


Digital Equipment Corporation

http://www.pc.digital.com/

UNITED STATES 1 800 354 9000

AUSTRALIA 008 252 277

AUSTRIA 0222 86630 2000

BELGIUM 02 729 77 44

BRAZIL 021 262 4740

CANADA (English) 1 800 267 5251

CANADA (French) 1 800 267 2603

CHINA (Beijing) 1 849 2266

CHINA (Guangzhou) 20 666 5666

CHINA (Shanghai) 21 545 7465

DENMARK 80 30 10 05

FINLAND 9800 2870

FRANCE 1 69 87 41 23

GERMANY 0 89 95 91 250

GREECE (Thessaloniki) 031 427 261

HUNGARY 11 65 2655

HONG KONG 2805 3388

 ISRAEL 09 59 3300

ITALY1 678 20062

JAPAN 0120 20 6042

KOREA 2 3771 2852

LUXEMBOURG  049 926 243

MALAYSIA 800 3248

MEXICO 91 800 00210

NETHERLANDS 030 83 2888

NEW ZEALAND 0800 801 272

NORTHERN IRELAND 0232 381381

NORWAY 22 76 86 00

PHILIPPINES 811 5028

POLAND 22 48 74 80

PORTUGAL 1 388 9100

PUERTO RICO 800 981 4764

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND  01 381216

RUSSIA 974 76 38

SINGAPORE 336 6129

SOUTH AFRICA 0800 115 339

SPAIN (MADRID) 900 583 4257(BARCELONA) 900 200 084

SWEDEN 08 98 88 35

SWITZERLAND 155 21 61

TAIWAN 2 577 8915

THAILAND 2 312 0280

TURKEY 0 800 261 19 14

UNITED KINGDOM 01 256-57122

VENEZUELA 800-DIGITAL

Problems & Solutions


Discus

The Discus is the second event of the second day of the Decathlon.  You get three attempts at the Discus, but you must remember that a foul counts as an attempt.  A foul consists of stepping on or over the arc delineating the front half of the discus circle (the foul line) before you release the discus.  You will be awarded points for the furthest throw you achieve in the Single Decathlon or Season modes, as shown on the Scoreboard (see Monitoring the Scores).

Before you start the Discus you can decide in advance how much endurance your athlete will use up in each throw by dragging and dropping him in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction.  Moving your athlete clockwise will give him a longer wind-up to the throw.  This action will improve his potential performance, but it will use up more endurance and make it tougher for you to click at the right discus release point.  You can see how much endurance you are using for each throw by monitoring the endurance meter in the small overhead view window (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  Deciding how much endurance you want to commit to each throw is a question of how well you are doing in the event and how much endurance you want to keep in reserve for later events that day.

To start the Discus you must click on the Start Button.  Your athlete will start moving towards the foul line.  Just before he reaches the foul line you must click again to make your athlete release the discus.  You will then see the discus land and be told what distance you achieved.  After completing your throw you must click on the Next Attempt Button to throw again.  After the last human competitor's final throw the Scoreboard will come up in the Single Decathlon or Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) to let you know what score you and your opponents achieved (see Monitoring the Scores).  In the Practice mode you have unlimited attempts at the discus and no scoreboard will come up.

If you don't want to play this event but just want to see the results, you can do so by checking the appropriate button in the Tools Set Play Methods menu command (see Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event).

If you are playing one or more human opponents (see Playing Another Person), each player will consecutively take turns at the discus.  The text in the top left of the main screen will indicate which player's turn it is to throw.

Tips on the Discus

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

100 Meter Dash

Long Jump

Shot Put

High Jump

400 Meter Race

110 Meter Hurdles

Pole Vault

Javelin

1500 Meter Race

Getting Started


Elsa

Write an E-mail to support@elsa.com

GO ELSA in CompuServe

Write us a letter or fax

Only in urgent cases: Call us by phone

Phone: +1-408-935-0350

Phone: 1-800-272-ELSA

Fax: +1-408-935-0370

BBS: +1-408-935-0380

Internet: http://www.elsa.com

Problems & Solutions


Field Door

Clicking on the Field Door in the Locker Room allows you to enter the stadium to compete in the Decathlon in either of three modes.  These are the Practice Mode, the Single Decathlon mode and the Season Mode, which you can select by using your Game menu in the locker room (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes).  The Single Decathlon and Season Modes will also require that an athlete is loaded into every locker (see Building the Athletes).  If you haven't already done this when you enter the Field Door, the game will create defaults for you in every empty locker upon opening the Field Door.

Building the Athletes

The Bulletin Board/Options

The Showers

The Coach Office

Getting Started


Game

You can only use the Game Menu command in the locker room, except for the Game Exit command, which you can use anytime.

You can select the mode you are playing in by choosing either of the Game Practice Mode, Game Single Decathlon Mode, or Game Season Mode, as outlined in Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes.

You can restart the game at any time in the Game Single Decathlon Mode by using the Game Restart command.

If, and only if you have the Game Season Mode turned on, you will be able to use the Game New Season, Game Load Season and Game Save Season menu commands.  The Game New Season menu command starts a new season for you (see Starting a New Season).  The Game Load Season menu command will allow you to open an existing Season, restoring that Season’s roster of athletes and option selections and returning you to where you were when you saved the Season (see Loading an Existing Season).  The Game Save Season menu command allows you both to save your progress in the Season, your option choices and your existing roster of athletes (see Saving a Season).

The Game Exit command causes you to exit the game.  If you exit the game with either the Game Single Decathlon or the Game Season Mode turned on, the game will automatically save your position in the game, your roster of athletes and your option choices and automatically restore it on your re-entry into the game.

Tools

View

Help


Genoa Systems

http://www.genoasys.com/tech1.html

Problems & Solutions


Getting Started

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Starting a New Season

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Monitoring Your Endurance

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Saving a Season

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

Playing Another Person


Help

The Decathlon Help menu command brings up this Help file and the About menu command provides information about this game.

Game

Tools

View


Hercules

http://www.hercules.com/support/

e-mail support@hercules.com

Telephone

Main Office: (510) 623-6030

Fax: (510) 623-1112

US Technical Support: (800) 323-0601 or (510) 623-6050 (Monday-Friday, 6:00am to 6:00pm Pacific)

US Technical Support Fax: (510) 490-6745

Toll-free faxback service: (800) 711-HERC (711-4372)

CompuServe GO HERCULES at any '!' prompt.

Address your posts to Hercules Support 71333,2532

BBS: USA: (510) 623-7449

Anonymous FTP ftp.hercules.com  The best source for the latest and greatest of everything.

Problems & Solutions


High Jump

The High Jump is the fourth event of the first day of the Decathlon.  You can pass on any height by clicking on the Pass Button, which will raise the height of the cross-bar by an amount dependent on how high the bar is already.  You will be disqualified from further jumping after three consecutive failures at any height.  You can forego your second or third attempt at a particular height and still jump at a higher height.  You have failed a jump if you knock over the cross-bar or fail to make the jump.  Provided that you are not disqualified from further jumping, you can continue to jump or pass at successively increasing heights.  You will be awarded points for the highest jump you make in the Single Decathlon or Season modes, as shown on the Scoreboard (see Monitoring the Scores).

Before you start jumping you can decide in advance how much endurance your athlete will use up in the jump by dragging and dropping your athlete in an anti-clockwise or clockwise direction.  Moving your athlete anti-clockwise will give him a longer run-up to the jump-off point.  This action will improve his potential performance, but it will use up more endurance and make it tougher for you to click at the right jump spots.  You can see how much endurance you are using on each jump by monitoring the endurance meter in the small overhead view window (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  Deciding how much endurance you want to commit to each jump is a question of how well you are doing in the event and how much endurance you want to keep in reserve for the 400 Meter Race later that day.  A menu item ( Retire from Event ) can be used to end your attempts in this event.

To start the jump you must click on the Start Button.  Your athlete will start running towards the jump-off point.  Just before the jump-off point you must click again to make your athlete jump.  As he jumps over the cross-bar you must click again to throw his legs up in the air to clear the cross-bar.  After completing your jump you must click on the Next Attempt Button to jump again.  After the last human competitor is disqualified from further jumping the Scoreboard will come up in the Single Decathlon or Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) to let you know what score you and your opponents achieved (see Monitoring the Scores).  In the Practice mode you will have unlimited attempts at the High Jump and no scoreboard will come up.

If you don't want to play this event but just want to see the results, you can do so by checking the appropriate button in the Tools Set Play Methods menu command (see Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event).

If you are playing one or more human opponents (see Playing Another Person), each player will consecutively take turns at the high jump.  The text in the top left of the main screen will indicate which player's turn it is to jump.

Tips on the High Jump

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

100 Meter Dash

Long Jump

Shot Put

400 Meter Race

110 Meter Hurdles

Discus

Pole Vault

Javelin

1500 Meter Race

Getting Started


Hints & Tips

Creating Your Ideal Athlete

Hints for Competing in Events


Hints for Competing in Events

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Long Jump

Tips on the Shot Put

Tips on the High Jump

Tips on the 400 Meter Racee

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the Discus

Tips on the Pole Vault

Tips on the Javelin

Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Hints & Tips


IBM

http://www.pc.ibm.com/monitors/index.html

Problems & Solutions


Javelin

The Javelin is the fourth event of the second day of the Decathlon.  You get three attempts at the Javelin, but you must bear in mind that a foul counts as an attempt.  A foul consists of stepping on or over the foul line before you throw the javelin.  You will be awarded points for the furthest throw you achieve in the Single Decathlon or Season modes, as shown on the Scoreboard (see Monitoring the Scores).

Before each throw of the Javelin you can decide in advance how much endurance your athlete will use up in the throw by dragging and dropping your athlete further away from or closer to the foul line.  Giving your athlete a longer run-up to the foul line will improve his potential performance, but it will use up more endurance and make it tougher for you to click at the right javelin release point before the foul-line.  You can see how much endurance you committing to each throw by monitoring the endurance meter in the small overhead view window (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  Deciding how much endurance you want to commit to each javelin throw is a question of how well you want to do in the event and how much endurance you want to keep in reserve for the 1500 Meter Race later that day.

To start the Javelin you must click on the Start Button.  Your athlete will start running towards the foul line.  Just before the foul line you must click again to make your athlete release the javelin.  You will then see the athlete throw the javelin and be told what distance you achieved.  After completing your throw you must click on the Next Attempt Button to throw again.  After the last human competitor's final throw the Scoreboard will come up in the Single Decathlon or Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) to let you know what score you and your opponents achieved (see Monitoring the Scores).  In the Practice mode you have unlimited attempts at the javelin and no scoreboard will come up.

If you don't want to play this event but just want to see the results, you can do so by checking the appropriate button in the Tools Set Play Methods menu command (see Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event).

If you are playing one or more human opponents (see Playing Another Person), each player will consecutively take turns at the javelin.  The text in the top left of the main screen will indicate which player's turn it is to throw.

Tips on the Javelin

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

100 Meter Dash

Long Jump

Shot Put

High Jump

400 Meter Race

110 Meter Hurdles

Discus

Pole Vault

1500 Meter Race

Getting Started


Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

If you don't have a mouse or don't want to use your mouse, you can use the following keyboard equivalents.

The {Return} or {Space} keys instead of your left mouse button.

The keys {1}, {2}, {3}, {4}, and {5} to set your endurance level in the jumping and throwing events by increasing or decreasing your athlete's run-up to the event.

The keys {1}, {2}, {3}, {4}, {5}, {6}, {7}, and {8} to identify player lane assignments in the running events for display in the status bar

The {Tab (Shift+Tab)} key to cycle forward (backwards) through the windows buttons.

The {Esc} key to cancel any non-interactive video or animation sequences you don't want to watch.

The {Ctrl} key instead of the right mouse button to change lanes in the 1500 Meter Race, to jump the hurdles in the 110 Meter Hurdles, and to lean into the tape at the finish in the 100 Meter Dash and the 110 Meter Hurdles.

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Starting a New Season

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Monitoring Your Endurance

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Saving a Season

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

Playing Another Person


Loading an Existing Season

At the beginning of the Decathlon or at any time during the Decathlon you can load a previously saved season (see Saving a Season) by using the Game Load Season menu command and selecting the previously saved season.  To do this you must be in the Game Season Mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) in the locker room.  Restoring the previously saved season will restore your previous roster of athletes and your previous option selections and return you to the point in the Decathlon where you had previously saved the season.

If you exited the game in Season Mode without saving the season, the game will automatically save the season for you on exiting the game and restore it on re-entry into the game.

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Starting a New Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Monitoring Your Endurance

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Saving a Season

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

Playing Another Person


Locker Room Options

Building the Athletes

The Bulletin Board/Options

The Showers

The Coach Office

Field Door

Getting Started


Long Jump

The Long Jump is the second event of the first day of the Decathlon.  You get three attempts at the Long Jump, but you must remember that a foul counts as an attempt.  You will be awarded points for the longest jump you achieve in the Single Decathlon or Season modes, which you can see on the Scoreboard in the Single Decathlon or Season modes (see Monitoring the Scores).

Before you start jumping you can decide in advance how much endurance your athlete will use up in the jump by dragging and dropping your athlete further away from or closer to the take-off line.  You can see how much endurance you are committing to each jump by monitoring the endurance meter in the small overhead view window (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  Giving your athlete a longer run-up to the take-off line will improve his potential performance, but it will use up more endurance and make it tougher for you to click at the right jump spots.  Deciding how much endurance you want to commit to each jump is a function of how well you are doing in the event and how much endurance you want to keep in reserve for later events that day.

To start the jump you must click on the Start Button.  Your athlete will start running towards the take-off line.  Just before the take-off line you must click again to make your athlete jump.  As he lands in the landing area after jumping you must click again to throw his balance forward and stop him from falling backwards.  After completing your jump you must click on the Next Attempt Button to jump again.  After the last human competitor's final jump the Scoreboard will come up in the Single Decathlon and Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) to let you know what score you and your opponents achieved (see Monitoring the Scores).  In the Practice mode you will have unlimited attempts at the Long Jump and no scoreboard will come up.

If you don't want to play this event but just want to see the results, you can do so by checking the appropriate button in the Tools Set Play Methods menu command (see Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event).

If you are playing one or more human opponents (see Playing Another Person), each player will consecutively take turns at the jump.  The text in the top left of the main screen will indicate which player's turn it is to jump.

Tips on the Long Jump

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

100 Meter Dash

Shot Put

High Jump

400 Meter Race

110 Meter Hurdles

Discus

Pole Vault

Javelin

1500 Meter Race

Getting Started


Matrox Graphics

Http://www.matrox.com/mgaweb/ftp_mw95.htm

Telephone: (514) 685-0270

Fax:(514) 969-6363

Snail mail:1025 St. Regis Blvd. Dorval, QC, Canada H4P 2T4

 ftp:ftp://ftp.matrox.com/pub/mga/

MATFAX (fax-back system):(514) 685-0174

BBS:(514) 685-6008

CompuServe:GO MATROX

e-mail:graphics.techsupport@matrox.com

Problems & Solutions


Monitoring Your Endurance

Monitoring your endurance is a critical part of competing in the Decathlon because, if you use it up prematurely, your athlete's performance will drastically diminish.  At the beginning of the Decathlon each athlete will have a level of endurance available to it between 25 and 100 depending on how it was custom built (see Building the Athletes).  During the first day of the Decathlon (see What is the Decathlon?) the athlete will burn up endurance in each of the first five events, depending upon the player's decisions.  The athlete will rest overnight, restoring his endurance at the beginning of the second day to the initial level on the first day.  But he will then burn up endurance again in each of the five events of the second day, culminating in the very taxing 1500 Meter Race.

The player can view the endurance level of his athlete by making sure first that the Overhead Event View (see Viewing Options) is toggled on using the View Overhead Event View menu command.  The Endurance Meter is located at the bottom of the Overhead Event View window.  The measuring bar will shrink to the left as endurance is used up during the day.  Its color will also change from green for over 75 points to yellow between 25 and 75 points and red for under 25 points.

The player can control how much endurance is used in the running events by controlling how fast the athlete runs and/or accelerates by clicking on the left mouse button (see the 100 Meter Dash, 400 Meter Race, 110 Meter Hurdles and 1500 Meter Race  ).  Additionally, in the 100 Meter Dash and the 110 Meter Hurdles endurance is also expended by clicking the right mouse button to lean towards the tape at the end.  The right mouse button is also used to jump hurdles in the 110 Meter Hurdles.  In the throwing events the amount of endurance spent in each throw is a function of how much run up the athlete has to the throwing point (see Shot Put, Discus and Javelin).  In the jumping events the amount of endurance spent in each jump is a function of how much run up the athlete has to the jumping point (see Long Jump, High Jump and Pole Vault).  In both the jumping and the throwing events the athlete can be physically moved by dragging and dropping to alter the length of the run up and hence the endurance expended.

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Starting a New Season

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Saving a Season

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

Playing Another Person


Monitoring the Scores

There are three modes for playing the Decathlon, the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes).

In the Practice mode, you get to choose the event you want to practice.  The only score you get is your performance after you have completed the event.  Distances and heights will be displayed in metric numbers with the U.S. equivalent displayed in feet and inches.  The number of points according to the point tables will be displayed correspondingly.

In both the Single Decathlon and the Season modes your athlete will competing against seven other athletes in Decathlon competitions, one Decathlon competition only in the case of the Single Decathlon mode, and multiple ones for the Season mode.  On completion of each event in a single Decathlon the Scoreboard will come up to show both the performance achieved by each athlete and the Decathlon points thereby earned.  The Decathlon points are calculated by seeing what point range the athlete's performance falls into on the Decathlon Scoring Table (see What is the Decathlon?).  You can click on the radio buttons to review both the scores in previous events and the overall ranking for the current Decathlon.  You can bring the Scoreboard up at any other time by using the View Scoreboard menu command.

You can also bring up a Athlete Information window using the View Athletes menu command.  This window shows you the skill values for all athletes competing in the current Decathlon (see Building the Athletes).  To view the personal records in each event for each athlete, click on the Details buttons.

There is a View Seasons Results window that is accessible only in the Season mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes).  Use the View Season Results menu command to access this window.  It displays both the Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners and the Decathlon score for each athlete in each of the Decathlons comprising the Season.

Finally, there is an Event Schedule window that can be used to view running lane assignments and jumping and throwing attempt orders for the field events.

For hints as to how you can use your scores to build and train better athletes for yourself, see Reviewing Athlete Performance.

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Starting a New Season

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring Your Endurance

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Saving a Season

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

Playing Another Person


Number Nine Computer

http://www.nine.com/tech/index.html

You can contact the Number Nine Technical Support Team

by one of the following methods

By Phone:

Tech Direct: 617-674-8595

Our phones are setup so that you can wait on hold for the next available representative.

Peak times are from 10:00AM - 4:00PM EST. We are currently available from 8:00AM -

By Fax

Number Nine's Technical Faxback Server - 617-674-8661 (You can fax technical requests

into Number Nine via fax. Please include on the fax your name, company name, fax

number, #9 board type, operating system, and your reason for faxing.)

By CompuServe - Go Nine

We offer technical support via CompuServe Monday - Friday. We are located in the

Graphics C Vendor Forum under the name Number Nine. Shortcut = Go Nine.

BBS - 617-862-7502

We have driver updates available on our BBS. We support up to 28.8 baud rate, and have

16 lines available for downloading (NO Waiting!)

Tech Fax Back - 617-674-8595

You can get a hard copy of our commonly asked questions, and solutions off of our Fax

Back system, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Updated Drivers

You can find updated drivers on the #9BBS, CompuServe, or on our  FTP Server.

Problems & Solutions


Oak Technologies

http://www.oaktech.com/support.html

Technical support at Oak Technology is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Pacific Standard Time by calling (408) 523-6666. You may also contact our technical support staff via

e-mail at tech@oaktech.com.

Problems & Solutions


Optimizing Game Performance

Close Down Other Windows Applications

Update Your Video Drivers

Defragment Your Hard Drive

Problems & Solutions


Orchid Technology

Technical Support:

510-661-3000 (ph)

510-651-6982 (fax)

Monday - Friday 7 a.m - 5 p.m. PST

BBS: 510-651-6837 (maximum 14.4K baud)

CompuServe: Access Orchid support on CompuServe in the multimedia B vendor forum.

Enter GO ORCHID to access the forum.

FAX on Demand: For faxed literature call 510-661-3199.

USA Corporate Headquarters -

Orchid Technology

221 Warren Ave.

Fremont, CA 94539

510-651-2300 (ph)

510-651-6692 (fax)

United Kingdom -

Unit 3/4 Woodlands Business Village

Cornation Road, Basingstoke

Hampshire RG21 4JX

United Kingdom

(44)1-256-479 898 (ph)

(44)1-256-64222 (fax)

France -

c/o Infotrade

45, Rue Delizy

93 692 Pantin France

(33)1-48-10-7550 (ph)

(33)1-48-10-7555 (fax)

(33)1-48-10-7595 (bbs)

Germany -

Wamslerstraße 2

81829 München, Germany

(49)8942-9041 (ph)

(49)8942 9517 (fax)

Problems & Solutions


Playing Another Person

You can play a single decathlon or a season of decathlons (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) with up to seven human opponents.  Each player must have his own human controlled athlete loaded in one of the lockers in the locker room (see Building the Athletes).

In the running events each player will get his own heat to compete in, as indicated by the text in the top left of the main screen.  Once every player has run in a heat, the scoreboard will come up to indicate how each player and the computer controlled opponents did.

In the jumping and throwing events each player will consecutively take turns at the event.  The text in the top left of the main screen will show which player's turn it is.  Once every player has completed the event the scoreboard will come up, as for the running events, to indicate how each player and the computer controlled opponents did.  The order in which players make their attempts can be viewed at any time using the menu item Event Schedule in view.

In the Season Mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes), each player will also get the opportunity to train his athlete after the completion of each Decathlon (see Training Your Athlete).

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Starting a New Season

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Monitoring Your Endurance

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Saving a Season

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event


Playing a Season of Decathlons

You can play a season of Decathlons by selecting the Game Season Mode menu command in the locker room (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes).  The Season Mode allows you to compete in a series of Decathlons (see What is the Decathlon?).  On selecting the Season Mode you will be asked to choose how many Decathlons comprise a season, ranging from a minimum of three to a maximum of ten.  Take notice of the Clean Out Lockers Button.  You may check this box to clean out all the lockers for starting a season with all new competitors or remove the check to continue using the competitors already in the lockers.  The clean out lockers button is also available in Tools under the Options Menu.

When you then enter the stadium through the Field Door you will then be competing in the Season mode.  If you haven't already created or loaded athletes to compete against the computer will create default competitor athletes for you when you enter the Field Door.

You will then start competing in the first decathlon of your season of decathlons.  At any point during the season you can re-enter the locker room and use the Game Save Season menu command to save your progress through the season (see Saving a Season).  You can reload this season again in the locker room by using the Game Load Season menu command (see Loading an Existing Season).  You can also start a new season in the locker room in the middle of an existing season by using the Game New Season menu command (see Starting a New Season).

At the end of each decathlon in the season, your athlete will have additional skill and endurance points made available to it in its locker, the number of these being a function of your athlete's performance in that decathlon.  You can allocate skill points to specific skill categories (see Training Your Athlete) for the next Decathlon(s) in the season by using the Train button in the lockers.  If you don't these additional points will only pump up your endurance rating (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  After multiple decathlon seasons you will have an athlete you can be proud of and that you may want to share with your friends (see Trading Athlete Files with Other Players).

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Starting a New Season

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Monitoring Your Endurance

Saving a Season

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

Playing Another Person


Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

By using the Tools Set Play Methods menu command, you can decide which decathlon events you want to manually play and which you want the computer to simulate for you.  When the computer simulates an event for you it will only display the scoreboard for that event with the event scores, not the event itself.

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Starting a New Season

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Monitoring Your Endurance

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Saving a Season

Playing Another Person


Pole Vault

The Pole Vault is the third event of the second day of the Decathlon.  You can pass on any height by clicking on the Pass Button, which will raise the height of the cross-bar by an amount dependent on how high the bar is already.  You will be disqualified from further pole vaulting after three consecutive failures at any height.  You can forego your second or third attempt at a particular height and still vault at a higher height.  You have failed a pole vault if you knock over the cross-bar or fail to plant the pole in the plant box.  Provided that you are not disqualified from further pole vaulting, you can continue to vault or pass at successively increasing heights.  You will be awarded points for the greatest height that you successfully vault.

Before you start vaulting you can decide in advance how much endurance your athlete will use up in the vault by dragging and dropping your athlete further away from or closer to the take-off point.  Giving your athlete a longer run-up to the take-off point will improve his performance, but it will use up more endurance and make it tougher for you to click at the right pole vaulting spots.  You can see how much endurance you are using for each vault by monitoring the endurance meter in the small overhead view window (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  Deciding how much endurance you want to commit to each vault is a question of how well you are doing in the event and how much endurance you want to keep in reserve for later events that day.  A menu item ( Retire from Event ) can be used to end your attempts in this event.

To start the pole vault you must click on the Start Button.  Your athlete will start running towards the take-off point.  Just before he reaches the take-off point you must click again to make your athlete plant his pole.  As he vaults over the cross-bar you must click again to throw his legs up in the air and clear the cross-bar.  After completing your pole vault you must click on the Next Attempt Button to vault again.  After the last human competitor is disqualified from further pole vaulting the Scoreboard will come up in the Single Decathlon or Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) to let you know what score you and your opponents achieved (see Monitoring the Scores).  In the Practice mode you will have unlimited attempts at the Pole Vault and no scoreboard will come up.

If you don't want to play this event but just want to see the results, you can do so by checking the appropriate button in the Tools Set Play Methods menu command (see Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event).

If you are playing one or more human opponents (see Playing Another Person), each player will consecutively take turns at the vault.  The text in the top left of the main screen will indicate which player's turn it is to vault.

Tips on the Pole Vault

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

100 Meter Dash

Long Jump

Shot Put

High Jump

400 Meter Race

110 Meter Hurdles

Discus

Javelin

1500 Meter Race

Getting Started


Problems & Solutions

My Game Won't Run

First try out all the tips in Optimizing Game Performance.  If that doesn’t work, try re-installing the game.  If that also doesn’t work, contact us for further help: Technical Support.

I Can't Hear Any Sound or Music

First, see if you have toggled off Sound Effects, Music, or Voice Effects via The Bulletin Board/Options in the locker room or the Tool Options menu command.  If this doesn’t work, then see if you can hear any sound or music in another Windows application.  An easy way to check this is to open up Settings: Control Panel on your Start Menu, click on the Sounds icon, and assign a sound to “Close Program”.  Then, if on closing a Win95 program you don’t hear a sound, you have a problem with your sound card or speakers or Win95 sound setup, not with World Class Decathlon.  But if you do hear sounds elsewhere but not in our game, contact us for further help: Technical Support.

My Game Plays Too Slowly

Check out the hints in Optimizing Game Performance.

I Don't Know What to Do in Each Event

You'll find a detailed description of what to do in each event in Competing in Each Event.

How Do I Build an Athlete?

You’ll find a detailed description of what to do in Building the Athletes.

How Can I Track My Performance?

The tracking of your performance in the Decathlon is outlined in Monitoring The Scores.

O.K.  I Know What To Do, But I Want to Improve My Performance

Check out Hints & Tips

How Do I Play Another Person on My Computer?

Check out Playing Another Person

My Monitor is Too Crowded with Different Decathlon Views?

You have three solutions.  First you can try and increase your desktop area by using the Win95 Start:Setup:Control Panel: Display: Settings: Desktop Area command.  Second, if that doesn't work, you can try repositioning the smaller windows to get them out of the way.  Third and finally, you can turn off some of the smaller windows using the View menu command.

Clicking Outside the Game Window Can Make the Game Hesitate in Places

To avoid this, always make sure you click your mouse inside the game windows.


Retire from Event

In the High Jump and the Pole Vault there is a menu item for retiring from the event.  Although you can always save endurance by setting you effort to the lowest level ( see Monitoring Your Endurance ), you can end your attempts early and move on to the next one.


Reviewing Athlete Performance

The key to success in the Game Season mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon, or Season Modes) lies in custom creating and training over a number of decathlons an outstanding athlete.  To achieve this you need to regularly review your athlete's performance to see how it could be improved.

The first area to look at is your athlete's endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  Endurance is what gives your athlete the extra speed, stamina and strength to do better in each event.  It does replenish itself at the end of the first day of the decathlon, ready for the second day, but you could still be running out of it towards the end of either of the two days of a Decathlon competition.  Perhaps you don't have enough of it in the first place, or perhaps you're burning up too much of it in the early events.  You can give yourself more endurance by allocating less skill points to individual skill categories (see Building the Athletes).  Or you can burn up less endurance by, say, accelerating less in the early events such as the 100 Meter Dash on the first day or the 110 Meter Hurdles on the second day.

The second area to look at is how your athlete is doing against its opponents in the Game Season mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon, or Season Modes).  You can do so by looking at the Athlete Information window accessible via the View Athletes menu command.  This window shows you the skill values for all of the competing athletes and allows you to view the personal records for each athlete by clicking the relevant Details button.  By comparing the personal records to the skill values for each athlete you may learn some valuable insights about creating better athletes for yourself.

The third area to look at is the bonus skill points that your athlete earns in the Game Season mode for completing each individual decathlon (see Playing a Season of Decathlons).  Depending upon the results of your analyses in the first and second areas you may want to either let these bonus skill points pump up your endurance level, or enter your locker room to allocate these points to specific skill categories (see Building the Athletes), or some combination of the two.

Selecting Athlete Difficulty Levels

Choosing Glide or Rotation for The Shot Put

Allocating Skill Points

Training Your Athlete

Trading Athlete Files with Other Players

Hints & Tips


S3

http://www.s3.com/support/enduser/swlib.html

Problems & Solutions


STB Systems

http://www.stb.com/

Problems & Solutions


Saving a Season

If you are playing in the Season Mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes), you can save your progress through a season by returning to the locker room and using the Game Save Season menu command.  Restoring your previously saved season using the Game Load Season menu command will restore your progress through the season plus your existing roster of athletes and your option choices (see Loading an Existing Season).

If you exited the game in season mode without saving the season, the game will automatically save the season for you on exiting the game and restore it on re-entry into the game.

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Starting a New Season

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Monitoring Your Endurance

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

Playing Another Person


Selecting Athlete Difficulty Levels

When Building the Athletes you have a choice as to what skill level each athlete should be at: Rookie, Average or Veteran.  This choice affects the points you get for clicking at the right Twitch Points when competing in the decathlon, for example, the discus release point or the long jump point.  A rookie missing a twitch point by "x" amount will get a better score than a veteran who also misses it by the same amount.  However, a veteran will score higher than a rookie if he or she hits the twitch points right on.

If you have really good reflexes start off with veteran.  Otherwise, play it by ear and start off with rookie.  Also, make sure you know where all the twitch points are in all the events by checking out Competing in Each Event.

Choosing Glide or Rotation for The Shot Put

Allocating Skill Points

Training Your Athlete

Trading Athlete Files with Other Players

Reviewing Athlete Performance

Hints & Tips


Shot Put

The Shot Put is the third event of the first day of the Decathlon.  You get three attempts at the Shot Put, but you must remember that a foul counts as an attempt.  A foul consists of stepping on or over the stopboard before you release the shot.  You will be awarded points for the longest put you achieve in the Single Decathlon or Season modes, as shown on the Scoreboard (see Monitoring the Scores).

You have a choice of two methods for throwing the Shot Put, either the glide or the rotation method.  You select which method your athlete will use when you build him (see Building the Athletes).  The implication of your choice is discussed in Choosing Glide or Rotation for the Shot Put.

Before you start the Shot Put you can decide in advance how much endurance your athlete will use up in each put by dragging and dropping him in a clockwise or an anti-clockwise direction.  Moving your athlete clockwise will give him a longer wind-up to the stopboard.  This action will improve his potential performance, but it will use up more endurance and make it tougher for you to click at the right shot put release point.  You can see how much endurance you are using for each put by monitoring the endurance meter in the small overhead view window (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  Deciding how much endurance you want to commit to each put is a function of how well you are doing in the event and how much endurance you want to keep in reserve for later events that day.

To start the Shot Put you must click on the Start Button.  Your athlete will start rotating or gliding forward towards the stopboard.  Just before he reaches the stopboard you must click again to make your athlete release the shot.  You will then see the shot land and be told what distance you achieved.  After completing your put you must click on the Next Attempt Button to put again.  After the last human competitor's final put the Scoreboard will come up in the Single Decathlon or Season modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) to let you know what score you and your opponents achieved (see Monitoring the Scores).  In the Practice mode you will have unlimited attempts at the Shot Put and no scoreboard will come up.

If you don't want to play this event but just want to see the results, you can do so by checking the appropriate button in the Tools Set Play Methods menu command (see Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event).

If you are playing one or more human opponents (see Playing Another Person), each player will consecutively take turns at the shot.  The text in the top left of the main screen will indicate which player's turn it is to put.

Tips on the Shot Put

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

100 Meter Dash

Long Jump

High Jump

400 Meter Race

110 Meter Hurdles

Discus

Pole Vault

Javelin

1500 Meter Race

Getting Started


Shot Put: Glide or Rotation Methods

The glide consists of a linear movement across the ring.  The rotation involves a one turn rotation along a straight line.


Starting a New Season

Of the three modes for playing the Decathlon, the primary mode is the Season Mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes).  This mode allows the player to compete in a player selected number of decathlons ranging from three to ten, during which he can improve the performance of his athlete (see Building the Athletes).  You can select the Season Mode by using the Game menu commands.  You then start the Season by passing through the Field Door.

The Season Mode requires that eight athletes be loaded into the lockers in the locker room.  You will need to manually create your own athlete or load a previously created one before you start a season (see Building the Athletes).  Upon entering the Field Door in the Season Mode if you haven't already manually created your competitor athletes (see Building the Athletes) your competitor athletes will be created for you.

If you are in the middle of an existing season and want to start a new season, you need to return to the locker room and click on the Game New Season menu command.

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Viewing Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Monitoring Your Endurance

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Saving a Season

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

Playing Another Person


Stride Meter

A sectional bar gauge used to monitor endurance efficiency during the 400meter and 1500 meter races.


Technical Support

If you have difficulties with this game and cannot find the solution in this help file or manual, please call our Technical Support Line at (919) 461-0948, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST Monday through Friday, and a member of our support staff will assist you.  We will best be able to help you if you are at your computer when you call.

You may also obtain customer service via the major on-line services or the Internet, as follows.

Internet:	techsupport@imagicgames.com

CompuServe:	75162,1202

America Online:	SSIMAGIC

GEnie:	I-MAGIC

Prodigy:	2BWS92A

Problems & Solutions


TheBulletin Board/Options

Clicking on the bulletin board in the locker room will bring up a dialog box that allows you to toggle on and off the following options:

Sound Effects

Music

Voice Effects

Video

The same options are accessible via the Tools Options menu command.

Building the Athletes

The Showers

The Coach Office

Field Door

Getting Started


The Coach Office

Clicking on the Coach Office door in the Locker Room will take you into the Coach Office.  Here you can click on various items to hear a well known Decathlon personality talk about aspects of his illustrious career as a decathlon hero, some of which will turn you into a better Decathlon player!

Building the Athletes

The Bulletin Board/Options

The Showers

Field Door

Getting Started


The History of The Decathlon

The word Decathlon is derived from classical Greek, where deka equal ten and athlos equals contest.  But surprisingly, in view of this, the Ancient Greek Games did not feature a ten event Decathlon.  The nearest equivalent was a five event Pentathlon featuring a stadium length run, long jump, discus, javelin, and wrestling, which was held during the Ancient Greek Games from 776 B.C. to 384 A.D.  The first competitions similar to the modern ten event Decathlon were held in Ireland in the middle of the 19th Century.  From here the idea was exported to America, where a Decathlon-like contest was included in the program of the A.A.U. Championships in 1884.  The first Decathlon in its present form was a Scandinavian invention (Denmark in 1901), using a scoring table based on the olympian records of the time.

As an olympian sport, the Decathlon dates back to the 1912 Games in Stockholm, where the gold medal was won by the Native American, Jim Thorpe.  Being strictly an amature competition,Thorpe was later disqualified for having played pro baseball in 1910, but nevertheless was voted the greatest athlete of the first half of the century by a 1959 poll of sportswriters taken by the Associated Press.  Since then, the gold has been won nine times by Americans.

Welcome to World Class Decathlon

What is The Decathlon?


The Showers

Clicking on the Showers in the locker room will cause you to exit the game.  You can also exit the game by clicking on the small "x" in the top right corner or by using the Game Exit menu command.  If you exit the game in either of the Single Decathlon or Season Modes (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) without saving your season or position, the game will automatically save the season/position for you (see Saving a Season) and restore it on re-entering the game.  What will be saved is your position in the game, your roster of athletes and your option choices.

Building the Athletes

The Bulletin Board/Options

The Coach Office

Field Door

Getting Started


Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Build an athlete with excellent sprinting skills (see Allocating Skill Points).  But remember that the trade-off could be weaker performance in other events.

Build or develop an athlete with excellent endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance) so that you can hold down your left mouse button for longer and accelerate further into the race.  But remember that tough 400 Meter Race later on today and the endurance that will require.

If you have an athlete with weaker sprinting skills than its competitors (see Reviewing Athlete Performance), you may want to conserve your endurance for other events you are better at.

Try and anticipate the starting gun to get off to a fast start.  Remember, though, that after three false starts you will be disqualified.

Hold down the left mouse button long enough to accelerate ahead of the pack and then release it.

Remember to click your right mouse button at the finish to lean your athlete's body towards the tape and gain a little extra time.

How to compete in the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Long Jump

Tips on the Shot Put

Tips on the High Jump

Tips on the 400 Meter Race

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the Discus

Tips on the Pole Vault

Tips on the Javelin

Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Hints & Tips


Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Build an athlete with excellent sprinting and jumping skills (see Allocating Skill Points).  But remember that the trade-off could be weaker performance in other events.

Build or develop an athlete with excellent endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance) so that you can hold down your left mouse button for longer and accelerate farther into the race.  But remember that tough 1500 Meter Race later on today and the endurance that will need.

If you have an athlete with weaker sprinting and jumping skills than its competitors (see Reviewing Athlete Performance), you may want to conserve your endurance for the four last events of the Decathlon.

Try and anticipate the starting gun to get off to a fast start.  Remember, though, that after three false starts you will be disqualified.

Hold down the left mouse button long enough to accelerate ahead of the pack and then release it.

Remember to click on your right mouse button to jump the hurdles.  The performance penalty for attempting to jump a hurdle and knocking it over is less than that for just running through the hurdle.

Remember to click on your right mouse button at the finish to lean your athlete's body towards the tape and thereby gain a little extra time.

How to compete in the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Long Jump

Tips on the Shot Put

Tips on the High Jump

Tips on the 400m Race

Tips on the Discus

Tips on the Pole Vault

Tips on the Javelin

Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Hints & Tips


Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Build an athlete with excellent middle distance skills (see Allocating Skill Points).  But remember that the trade-off could be weaker performance in other events.

Build or develop an athlete with excellent endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance) so that you can accelerate and maintain your speed for longer by tapping on your left mouse button.

Remember that the 1500 Meters is the last event of the decathlon and your last opportunity to rack up points.  You can therefore burn up all of your endurance.  Study the use of your Stride Meter to see how you can achieve this.

If your athlete has excellent middle distance skills, think about conserving more of your endurance in the four earlier events for this race.

Make sure you don't run out of endurance before the end of the race, otherwise your performance will collapse.

Don't forget to use your right mouse button to change lanes and pass athletes in front of you after you have rounded the first bend.

Listen for the bell indicating you have one  lap remaining to run ( Bell Lap ).

Occasionally look at the decreasing distance number on the status bar to see how much distance you have remaining to run.  This could be very useful in pacing yourself.

How to compete in the 1500 Meter Race

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Long Jump

Tips on the Shot Put

Tips on the High Jump

Tips on the 400 Meter Race

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the Discus

Tips on the Pole Vault

Tips on the Javelin

Hints & Tips


Tips on the 400 Meter Race

Build an athlete with excellent middle distance skills (see Allocating Skill Points).  But remember that the trade-off could be weaker performance in other events.

Build or develop an athlete with excellent endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance) so that you can accelerate and maintain your speed for longer by tapping on your left mouse button.

Remember that the 400 Meters is the last event of the first day of the decathlon.  You can burn up all of your endurance as it will be refreshed to its original starting value tomorrow morning.  Study the use of your Stride Meter to see how you can achieve this.

If your athlete has excellent middle distance skills, think about conserving more of your endurance in the four earlier events for this race.

Make sure you don't run out of endurance before the end of the race, otherwise your performance will collapse.

How to compete in the 400 Meter Race

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Long Jump

Tips on the Shot Put

Tips on the High Jump

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the Discus

Tips on the Pole Vault

Tips on the Javelin

Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Hints & Tips


Tips on the Discus

Build an athlete with excellent weight throwing skills (see Allocating Skill Points).  But remember that the trade-off could be weaker performance in other events.

Give your athlete a longer run-up to the discus circle by dragging and dropping him further away from it.  You'll burn up more endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance) but, potentially, you could throw farther.

If you have an athlete with weaker weight throwing skills than its competitors (see Reviewing Athlete Performance), you may want to conserve your endurance for the last three events of the decathlon.

Try and throw as close to the discus circle as possible.  But remember, after three fouls you'll be disqualified.

Play it safe initially by getting one good throw in at the lowest endurance level to get some points up on the scoreboard.  Throw early before the discus circle to avoid any possibility of fouling.  Then, if you're good at the event, consider allocating more endurance to the two subsequent throws and throwing closer to the stopboard.

How to compete in the Discus

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Long Jump

Tips on the Shot Put

Tips on the High Jump

Tips on the 400 Meter Race

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the Pole Vault

Tips on the Javelin

Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Hints & Tips


Tips on the High Jump

Build an athlete with excellent jumping skills (see Allocating Skill Points).  But remember that the trade-off could be weaker performance in other events.

Give your athlete a longer run-up to the jump-off point by dragging and dropping him further away from it.  You'll burn up more endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance) but, potentially, you could jump higher.

If you have an athlete with weaker jumping skills than its competitors (see Reviewing Athlete Performance), you may want to conserve your endurance for the next event, the 400 Meter Race.

Try and jump as close to the jump-off point line as possible.

Remember also to click again on the left mouse button to lift your athlete's legs over the bar.

Try and rack up some points early on by jumping over an easy height with the lowest endurance level to rack up some scorepoints on the scoreboard.  Then try a higher height you think you can make at the lowest endurance level.  If you have trouble, try more endurance.

Think about limiting the number of jumps you do, as each jump costs you some endurance that you may need in the next event, the 400 Meter Race.  You may want to consider using the menu item Retire from Event if you feel your previous best jump is adaquate.

Remember, once you have fouled three times you are out of the event, as you don't have the opportunity to fall back to an easier height.

How to compete in the High Jump

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Long Jump

Tips on the Shot Put

Tips on the 400 Meter Race

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the Discus

Tips on the Pole Vault

Tips on the Javelin

Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Hints & Tips


Tips on the Javelin

Build an athlete with excellent weight throwing skills (see Allocating Skill Points).  But remember that the trade-off could be weaker performance in other events.

Give your athlete a longer run-up to the foul line by dragging and dropping him further away from it.  You'll burn up more endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance) but, potentially, you could throw farther.

If you have an athlete with weaker weight throwing skills than its competitors (see Reviewing Athlete Performance), you may want to conserve your endurance for the grueling final event of the Decathlon, the 1500 Meter Race.

Try and throw as close to the foul line as possible.  But remember, after three fouls you'll be disqualified.

Note that you have to click on the left mouse button to throw the javelin before you see the foul line.  A shaded area on the run-up lane indicates the throwing zone and will give early warning of the approaching foul line.

Play it safe initially by getting one good throw in at the lowest endurance level to get some points up on the scoreboard.  Throw early before the foul line to avoid any possibility of fouling.  Then, if you're good at the event, consider allocating more endurance to the two subsequent throws and throwing closer to the foul line.

How to compete in the Javelin

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Long Jump

Tips on the Shot Put

Tips on the High Jump

Tips on the 400 Meter Race

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the Discus

Tips on the Pole Vault

Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Hints & Tips


Tips on the Long Jump

Build an athlete with excellent jumping skills (see Allocating Skill Points).  But remember that the trade-off could be weaker performance in other events.

Give your athlete a longer run-up to the take-off line by dragging and dropping him further away from it.  You'll burn up more endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance) but, potentially, you could jump farther.

If you have an athlete with weaker jumping skills than its competitor (see Reviewing Athlete Performance), you may want to conserve your endurance for other events you are better at.

Try and jump as close to the take-off line as possible.

Play it safe initially by getting one good jump in at the lowest endurance level to get some points up on the scoreboard.  Jump early before the take-off line to avoid any possibility of fouling.  Then, if you're good at the event, consider allocating more endurance to subsequent jumps and jumping closer to the take-off line.

Remember to click your left mouse button on landing after jumping to throw your athlete's balance forward and stop him from falling backwards.

How to compete in the Long Jump

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Shot Put

Tips on the High Jump

Tips on the 400 Meter Race

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the Discus

Tips on the Pole Vault

Tips on the Javelin

Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Hints & Tips


Tips on the Pole Vault

Build an athlete with excellent jumping skills (see Allocating Skill Points).  But remember that the trade-off could be weaker performance in other events.

Give your athlete a longer run-up to the take-off point by dragging and dropping him further away from it.  You'll burn up more endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance) but, potentially, you could vault higher.

If you have an athlete with weaker jumping skills than its competitors (see Reviewing Athlete Performance), you may want to conserve your endurance for the final two events of the Decathlon, the Javelin and the 1500 Meter Race.

Try and vault as close to the take-off point line as possible.

Remember also to click again on the left mouse button to lift your athlete's legs over the cross bar.

Try and rack up some points early on by vaulting over an easy height with the lowest endurance level to rack up some scorepoints on the scoreboard.  Then try a higher height you think you can make at the lowest endurance level.  If you have trouble, try more endurance.

Think about limiting the number of vaults you do, as each vault costs you some endurance that you may need in the next two events.  You may want to consider using the menu item Retire from Event if you feel your previous best jump is adaquate.

Remember, once you have missed three times at the same height you are out of the event, as you don't have the opportunity to fall back to an easier height.

How to compete in the Pole Vault

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Long Jump

Tips on the Shot Put

Tips on the High Jump

Tips on the 400 Meter Race

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the Discus

Tips on the Javelin

Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Hints & Tips


Tips on the Shot Put

Build an athlete with excellent weight throwing skills (see Allocating Skill Points).  But remember that the trade-off could be weaker performance in other events.

Give your athlete a longer run-up to the stopboard by dragging and dropping him further away from it.  You'll burn up more endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance) but, potentially, you could throw farther.

If you have an athlete with weaker weight throwing skills than its competitors (see Reviewing Athlete Performance), you may want to conserve your endurance for other events that you are better at.

Try and throw as close to the stopboard as possible.

Play it safe initially by getting one good throw in at the lowest endurance level to get some points up on the scoreboard.  Throw early before the stopboard to avoid any possibility of fouling.  Then, if you're good at the event, consider allocating more endurance to the two subsequent throws and throwing closer to the stopboard.

How to compete in the Shot Put

Tips on the 100 Meter Dash

Tips on the Long Jump

Tips on the High Jump

Tips on the 400 Meter Race

Tips on the 110 Meter Hurdles

Tips on the Discus

Tips on the Pole Vault

Tips on the Javelin

Tips on the 1500 Meter Race

Hints & Tips


Tools

The Tools Add Names menu command allows you to add names to the database of default athlete names.  The computer will randomly draw names from this database when it needs to create default competitors for you in lockers two through eight (see Building the Athletes).

The Tools Set Play Methods menu command allows you to decide which decathlon events you want to manually play and which you want the computer to simulate for you.  When the computer simulates an event for you it will only display the scoreboard for that event with the event scores, not the event itself.

The Tools Options menu command will bring up a dialog box that allows you to toggle on and off the following options:

Sound Effects

Music

Voice Effects

Video

The Tools Clean Out Lockers menu command will empty all the athletes out of all the lockers.  If done in the middle of a single event, it will restart that event from the beginning.  If done in the middle of a season event, it will restart the season.

The same dialog box is accessible via The Bulletin Board/Options in the locker room.

Game

View

Help


Trading Athlete Files with Other Players

As explained in Building the Athletes you can save the athletes you have custom created by clicking on the Save button in the lockers.  You can swap these files with other players to see what impact that has on your performance.  Bear in mind that in the Game Season Mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) your athlete will have additional skill points made available to it in its locker after the successful completion of each decathlon in the season (see Playing a Season of Decathlons).  After multiple decathlon seasons you will have an athlete you can be proud of and want to share with your friends.

Selecting Athlete Difficulty Levels

Choosing Glide or Rotation for The Shot Put

Allocating Skill Points

Training Your Athlete

Reviewing Athlete Performance

Hints & Tips


Training Your Athlete

You can only train an athlete in the Season Mode.  This mode is selected by using the Game Season Mode menu command, which requires you to choose how many decathlons comprise a season, ranging from three to ten.  The more decathlons you have in the season, the more opportunity you have to train your athlete and improve his skills and endurance.

At the end of every decathlon in the season, athletes will earn additional skill points, depending upon their performance.  If you do nothing, these skill points will only enhance the athlete's endurance (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  You do, however, have the option of adding some or all of these additional skill points to any athlete's skill categories of Sprinting, Middle Distance, Weight Throwing, Jumping and Coordination Skills.  You can do this by re-entering the locker room, opening an athlete's locker, and pressing the Train button (see Allocating Skill Points).  Note that you can only add to the athlete's skill categories, you cannot reduce the points already allocated to a skill category.  You can also only train a human controlled athlete: a computer controlled athlete will be trained by the computer.

There are two important questions to be considered in this training of an athlete.  Firstly, what portion of these additional skill points should be allocated to individual skill categories and what should be left on the table as additional endurance for the athlete.  Secondly, how should the portion allocated to individual skill categories be distributed between the different skill categories.  To make these decisions you should take a look at Reviewing Athlete Performance.

If you or any of your friends are successful in training an excellent athlete you should consider Trading Athlete Files with Other Players.

Selecting Athlete Difficulty Levels

Choosing Glide or Rotation for The Shot Put

Allocating Skill Points

Trading Athlete Files with Other Players

Reviewing Athlete Performance

Hints & Tips


Tseng Labs

http://www.tseng.com/

Problems & Solutions


Twitch Points

The various points throughout an event where mouse clicks initiate an athlete's action.


Update Your Video Drivers

Since Windows 95 is still a relatively new operating system, the video card manufacturers are still developing more efficient video drivers to take advantage of the new features of Windows 95.  Consequently, upgrading your video driver to the latest version may dramatically improve the performance of this game, especially if the video driver supports Win95 Direct Draw.  For details on how to contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers, click on your manufacturers name below (we do not guarantee the accuracy of this information, but we are providing it as a service for our customers).

Actix Systems

ATI Technologies

Boca Research

Cardinal Technologies

Chips & Technologies

Cirrus Logic

Compaq

DFI

Diamond Multimedia Systems

Digital Equipment Corporation

Elsa

Genoa Systems

IBM

Hercules

Matrox Graphics

Number Nine Computer

Oak Technologies

Orchid Technology

S3

STB Systems

Tseng Labs

Problems & Solutions


View

Using the menu you can toggle on and off two secondary windows, the Overhead Event View and the Status Bar.  In addition you can temporarily bring up three views over the main window, the Scoreboard, the Athlete Information, the Season Results, and the Event Schedule windows.  See Viewing Options for further information on these windows.

Game

Tools

Help


Viewing Options

There are two additional views you can permanently add to the main Decathlon screen.  These are the Overhead Event View and the Status Bar, which can be toggled on and off using the View menu.  The Overhead View displays both an overhead view of the event with the athletes shown as dots ( in the running events only ) and your athlete shown as a yellow dot, and an Endurance Meter below the overhead view (see Monitoring Your Endurance).  This view can be repositioned and resized in the standard Win95 fashion.  The Status Bar adds a strip to the bottom in which context sensitive textual information such as locker occupant is displayed to the left.

In addition, you can temporarily bring three further views up over the main window.  These are the Scoreboard, the Athlete Information, the Season Results and the Event Schedule windows, which can be accessed via the View Menu.  The Scoreboard shows you the results for all ten events plus the Decathlon standings overall for the current Decathlon.  The Athlete Information window shows you the skill values for all athletes competing in the Decathlon, as well as their personal bests, the latter being accessible via the Details buttons (see Reviewing Athlete Performance).  The Season Results window, accessible only in the Season mode (see Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes) displays both the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners and the Decathlon score for each athlete in each of the Decathlons comprising the Season.  The Event Schedule window displays lane assignments for the running events and attempt orders for the field events.

Choosing the Practice, Single Decathlon or Season Modes

Keyboard Equivalents to the Mouse

Starting a New Season

Loading an Existing Season

Locker Room Options

Competing in Each Event

Monitoring the Scores

Monitoring Your Endurance

Playing a Season of Decathlons

Saving a Season

Playing or Simulating a Decathlon Event

Playing Another Person


Welcome to World Class Decathlon

We have designed World Class Decathlon especially for you, the player.  You will experience what it’s like to be a world class competitor clawing your way to the Gold.  You will build an athlete with skills that match your best idea of all-round athletic performance.  And you will take him out to compete against the best that the rest of world can throw at you.  If you build and train a great athlete, play him well, and plan your strategy through the competition, you may get the opportunity to go one-on-one against a world champion.  So, to get you going on this exciting championship, take a look first at Getting Started.

What is The Decathlon?

The History of The Decathlon


What is The Decathlon?

A Decathlon competition consists of ten track and field events held over a period of two days.  Day one starts with the 100 Meter Dash, followed by the Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, and 400 Meter Race.  Day two starts with the 110 Meter Hurdles followed by the Discus, Pole Vault, Javelin and 1500 Meter Race.  Competitors are ranked by a scoring table (see Monitoring the Scores) that awards an athlete points for the highest level of performance that he achieves in each event, not what competitors he manages to beat.  These tables have been occasionally updated to reflect the continuing improvement in athletic performance.

Welcome to World Class Decathlon

The History of The Decathlon


Dragging and Dropping

Move cursor over the athlete.  Click and hold down left mouse button, move athlete back and forth to where you want him positioned, and release mouse button.  You can also use the keys {1}, {2}, {3}, {4}, and {5} instead to set your endurance level in the jumping and throwing events by increasing or decreasing your athlete's run-up to the event.


Foul Line

A shallow arc that marks out the end of the approach runway.


Jump-off Point

The intersection of the plane of the uprights supporting the cross-bar and the cross-bar with the ground.


Status bar

A long bar at the bottom of the main window in which context sensitive descriptions are displayed to the left.  Can be toggled on or off using the View Status Bar menu command.


Stopboard

An arc shaped board whose inner edge coincides with the inner edge of the front half of the circle.


Take-off Line

A board just before the landing area (usually filled with sand) that indicates where the athlete should jump.


The Wall

The point of diminishing returns.  The point by which further expenditure of endurance becomes disproportional to the expected benefit.