Secret Service 44b/SSERVCD_44B.bin/demos/oddbalz/readme.txt

Text File | 1996-11-26 | 16KB | 334 lines

ODDBALLZ, Your Wacky Computer Petz (tm)
by PF.Magic.

Welcome to Oddballz - Digital life at its wackiest!

Also available in the Computer Petz line from PF.Magic: Dogz and Catz!
Dogz (tm) are the very first Petz to live on your computer, giving you the
joys of owning a dog without needing a pooper scooper!  Dogz live on your
desktop where they can scamper across applications, play games like keep away,
fetch and chase, or nap in the corner of your screen while you're working.

Catz (tm) are the next in line of Your Computer Petz, following in the
pawprints of Dogz.  Catz live on your desktop and they don't mind sharing it
with you.  Your Catz enjoy being petted and groomed.  You can play with them
and watch them stalk the Mouse across your documents.  In the screen saver mode,
they also enjoy taking CatNapz.

Catz, Dogz and Oddballz can all be installed on your computer, but you can
only have one active at a time.

The full versions of Oddballz, Catz and Dogz PC CD-ROM Windows 95/3.1 and Mac CD
are available from your local software retailer RRP ú14.99 or alternatively through
Hallmark Consumer Services priced ú14.99 plus ú1.50 postage and packing - Please
telephone [phone] with your credit card details.  If you would like further
details please contact Mindscape on 01444 246333.

For more information on Oddballz, Catz or Dogz and other fun stuff, visit the
Web Site at: www.mindscapeuk.com.


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

486DX, 66 MHz or higher
Windows 3.1 Enhanced Mode or WinÆ95
33 MB hard disk space, 8 MB RAM
256 color video card and monitor required
Windows-compatible sound card and speakers recommended

To install Oddballz to your hard drive:
- Run SETUP.EXE.
- This will install a copy of Oddballz to your hard drive.


ODDBALLZ QUICK START

Getting Started
  - After you install Oddballz, you'll see an "Oddballz" icon in a Windows
    Program Group (or under the "Programs" item of the START menu in
    Windows '95) named "Yourname's Oddballz" (where "yourname" is your
    first name).
  - Start Oddballz by double-clicking on the icon named "Oddballz" (or simply
    selecting the "Oddballz" item in the Start menu under Windows '95).
  - This will open the Oddballz Playpen.
  - Grab any of the seven Oddballz Eggz from the Oddballz Incubator, release
    it onto your desktop to watch it hatch, and begin playing with your new Petz.

All seven Oddballz included in the retail collection have their
own distinct personalities and their own sets of tricks.  Try using the
different toys with all of the Oddballz to find out what makes them tick...
or sing...or dance...or fly...or explode.

Oddballz like to show off, and the Screen Saver is your chance to let them.
It is also a great way to display all the pictures you've taken of your Oddballz!
Be sure to turn the lights out if you want to catch your Oddballz in a
compromising position.

If you have the Starter Kit demo version, you will only have one character.
a few of the toys, and limited features to play with - until you purchase
the full retail version.


SOME TIPS TO GET STARTED...

Playing With Your Oddballz
  - Click on an Egg in the Incubator and drag an Oddballz out to the Playpen.
    When you let go of the Egg, the Oddballz will hatch and you can begin playing
    with your new Petz.

Petting and Tickling Your Oddballz
  - To pet or tickle your Petz, simply click and hold the left mouse button
    while the cursor is anywhere over them.
  - Move the cursor over your Oddballz while holding down the left mouse button.
  - If you tickle your Petz long enough and in the right spots, you might
    discover some surprising results.

Training Your Oddballz
  - Hold a Grubz in front of your Oddballz to get them to perform tricks.
  - Shake the Grubz to get your Oddballz to move on to the next trick,
    or drop the treat immediately to reward your Petz for a trick you like.
  - This teaches them to do it again.
  - Repeat this procedure until your Oddballz performs the appropriate trick
    as soon as you pull out the Grubz.
  - Be patient, Oddballz have a wide variety of tricks to show you.

Picking up Your Oddballz
  - To pick up Oddballz and move them to a new location, click the right
    mouse button while the cursor is anywhere over your Petz.
  - Don't worry - this won't hurt them. In fact, they enjoy it.
    Releasing the mouse button will drop your Oddballz safely to the desktop.
  - To play with a different Petz, drop the current Oddballz into the
    Funnel at the top of the Incubator and grab a new Egg
    from the container.  Use the arrow buttons atop the Incubator to scroll
    through and choose from your Oddballz collection.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
  - In Fullscreen mode, Oddballz love to roam wild on your computer screen.
  - Let your Oddballz loose on the screen by left-clicking on the Fullscreen
    /Playpen Toggle button, located in the top center of the Oddballz Toy
    Module.  You will not be able to click on any other application until you...

    1)  Return Oddballz to Playpen mode, or
    2)  Quit Oddballz, or
    3)  Press ALT-TAB to switch to another application.


AUTOMATICALLY LAUNCHING ODDBALLZ AT STARTUP (Windows '95)
  - If you follow these steps, Oddballz will automatically launch every time
    you start your computer:
        1)  Open the Oddballz directory so you can see the Oddballz program
            icon (Oddballz.exe).
        2)  Click on the Oddballz program icon with the right mouse button,
            and choose "Create Shortcut".
        3)  Leave this window open and visible on your desktop.
            In a separate window, open the following directory:
            c:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp.
    4)  Drag the shortcut of Oddballz from Step 2 into the StartUp window.
    5)  The next time you restart your machine, your Oddballz will be
            there to greet you!


COLLECTING ODDBALLZ

More Oddballz are appearing all the time on the World Wide Web.  Collect them all!
Both the Oddballz retail package and the Oddballz Starter Kit allow you to add
Oddballz to your collection simply by finding and downloading new Oddballz Eggz
into your existing program.

    TO ADD AN EGG TO YOUR COLLECTION
    Quit out of your Oddballz application if you havenÆt already.
    Download or copy the Egg file onto your hard drive.
    Double-click on the Oddballz Eggz Installer and follow the
    instructions to install the Egg into your Oddballz application.

Your new Egg will automatically appear in your Incubator the next time you run
Oddballz.  You must be sure to Quit Oddballz before installing a new Egg.

Oddballz Eggz can be found in the following two ways:

    1)  Visit the PF.Magic Oddballz Web site at www.oddballz.com.
            Here you will find the latest tips and info. about your Oddballz
            characters, including the newest downloadable Eggz for
            you to install into your Oddballz application.  The site
            will also link you to other Oddballz Host sites featuring
            different collectable characters.

        In addition to the latest Eggz, you will find a downloadable
            Oddballz Starter Kit featuring one of the first seven characters
            included in the retail version of Oddballz.  To add Eggz to
            your Starter Kit, download and install as you would for the
            retail version.  Remember, your Oddballz will have limited toys
            and features in the Starter Kit!

            Give a Starter Kit to a friend so they too can discover
            Oddballz!

        To receive e-mail updates regarding available Oddballz Eggz and
            other news, register with PF.Magic Online Registration.

        2)  Trade with a friend.
        Oddballz Eggz files can easily be copied onto one floppy disk
            and used by anyone with the Full Retail or Starter Kit versions
            of Oddballz.  Just copy the Egg file onto their hard drive and
            follow the instructions above:  "To Add an Egg to Your
            Collection."


Remember, each Oddballz is a member of a group of 12, and each group appears in
its own tray in the Incubator.  When you install a new Egg and relaunch the
program, the Incubator will display the tray that holds the Egg you have just
added.  To see the rest of your collection, use the Scroll Buttons above the Eggz
display.


ODDBALLZ STARTER KIT

Click the Create Starter Kit button on the Toy Module to make an Oddballz Starter
Kit for a friend.  Follow the instructions in the dialog boxes and it will be
done in no time.  The Starter Kit fits onto 2 1.44MB floppy disks and includes one
Oddballz character and a limited number of toys for your Petz to play with.
You can also Create a Starter Kit by choosing "Create Starter Kit" from the File
menu.

To add Eggz to your Starter Kit, simply download or copy the Egg onto your hard
drive.  Double-click on the Oddballz Eggz' Installer and it will automatically
decompress the new Egg into the Incubator.  To learn more about collecting and
adding Eggz to your Oddballz collection, read the above section on Collecting
Oddballz.

To download an Oddballz Starter Kit featuring one of the first seven Oddballz
included in the retail version of Oddballz, visit the Oddballz Web Site at:
www.oddballz.com.


KNOWN MISBEHAVIORS ("TROUBLESHOOTING")

"IÆM HAVING TROUBLE PUTTING ODDBALLZ BACK INTO THEIR INCUBATOR."
  - Make sure your hand cursor is positioned over the Funnel when you drop the
    Oddballz back into their Incubator.

"MY ODDBALLZ DISAPPEAR FROM THE SCREEN."
  - Like a real pet, your Oddballz will sometimes be busy with their own agenda.
  - Try double-clicking the mouse to call your Oddballz back (it won't be long before
    they're back on screen).
  - If your Oddballz completely refuses to come when it is called, try pressing the
    ESC key; this adds extra emphasis to your plea, and your Oddballz should come
    back on screen in no time.

 "MY ODDBALLZ SOMETIMES SLOW DOWN ON THE SCREEN."
  - Oddballz are mindful of other applications that may be running at the same time.
    If an important application needs to control your computer for a few seconds,
    your Oddballz will hold still until that application lets go.  It's nothing to
    worry about!

"THE ODDBALLZ PLAYPEN WINDOW HAS CHANGED COLORS."
  - If you change your Display resolution or color palette while Oddballz is running,
    your Oddballz colors may shift undesirably.  To fix this, simply quit and
    relaunch Oddballz.
  - Also, when running on a system with only 256 colors, opening or selecting another
    application can sometimes cause Oddballz colors to change (the programs are
    competing for the same palette colors).  If your Oddballz turns black, changes
    colors in an unexpected way, or the Playpen background colors become distorted,
    try minimizing the Playpen window and re-opening it.
  - If this does not work, close and relaunch Oddballz and the problem should go away.

"THE ODDBALLZ SCREEN SAVER REQUIRES A PASSWORD, BUT I DID NOT SET ONE!"
  - If you had already set a password for another Screen Saver, you may find that this
    password is still required for Oddballz.

"IÆM NOT HEARING ANY SOUNDS!"
  - To hear your Oddballz, you need a SoundBlaster(TM)-compatible sound card and
    speakers installed.
  - Remember that if Oddballz is ever minimized or another application is opened on
    top of Oddballz, your Oddballz will keep quiet.  Only when Oddballz is the
    foreground application will sounds be heard.
  - If sounds disappear for any reason, you can always close Oddballz and then
    relaunch it; sounds should return.

"THE POP BOX SONGS I ADDED DON'T PLAY ALL OF THE WAY THROUGH."
  - If you have added a .wav file to your Pop Box "Songs" folder, the Pop Box may
    not be able to play the file all of the way through.  We suggest you keep the
    length of your .wav files under 4 seconds for best results.

"MY ODDBALLZ EGGZ ARE NOT SHOWING UP IN THE INCUBATOR."
  - Before installing a new Egg, make sure you quit Oddballz.  Follow the instructions
    in the "Collecting Oddballz" section.  Relaunch Oddballz.  If your Egg still does
    not show up in the Incubator, you may have run into a copying or downloading
    error, and you should try recopying or downloading a fresh file.
  - If you have renamed any of the Oddballz folders found in the "Eggz" folder located
    at the root directory of your Oddballz application, the program will not recognize
    these new folder names and you will no longer have those Eggz (and Oddballz)
    available to play with in the Incubator.  To make the Eggz available, simply
    rename the folders back to their original breed-specific names.
  - If you have more than one copy of Oddballz installed on your computer, any
    downloaded Eggz will automatically be added to the copy of Oddballz that was most
    recently launched.  To copy an Egg to another copy of Oddballz, launch that copy
    of Oddballz, Quit Oddballz, then reinstall the Egg.  An alternative to
    reinstalling the Egg is simply copying the folder of the new Egg to the other copy
    of Oddballz.

"DOES INSTALLING ODDBALLZ AFFECT MY SYSTEM FILES?"
  - The files that come with PF.Magic Oddballz are as system-friendly as possible.
    Oddballz does not affect or change your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files.

"WINDOWS OR ODDBALLZ PUTS UP AN ERROR MESSAGE SAYING æFILE NOT FOUNDÆ OR æCANNOT LOADÆ."
  - This is probably because the file really isn't there.  Verify that the file in
    question exists.  If it is truly missing, reinstall Oddballz.
  - This could be the result of an error occurring during installation.  If you had an
    error during installation, try reinstalling Oddballz.
  - Often, Windows will display this message if you are low on memory.  Try quitting
    applications and/or restarting your computer to free up memory.
  - If none of the above work, and the file is present, the missing file may in turn
    require additional files to be loaded.  If the latter are not present, Windows
    will complain about the former.  This situation is difficult to diagnose because
    there's no indication as to what is the missing file.  Try reinstalling Oddballz.

"LOAD ERROR:  ODDBALLZ CANNOT RUN BECAUSE IT CANNOT LOAD OR FIND THE FILE ODDBALLZ.WAD."
  - This may occur if you install Oddballz, and before you ever launch Oddballz to
    play with it, you go into the Windows Settings and select the Oddballz Screen
    Saver, causing your computer to try to launch the Screen Saver.
  - Launching Oddballz should prevent this from happening again.


TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Should you experience problems with this software, such as it failing to operate,
please contact our Technical Services Department.

ADDRESS

Technical services, Mindscape, Priority House, Charles Avenue, Maltings Park, Burgess
Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9TQ, England.

Telephone form inside the UK
01444 239600

Telephone from outside the UK
(International code) ([phone]

Fax from inside the UK
01444 248996

Fax from outside the UK
(International code) ([phone]

Mindscape UK Web site
http://www.mindscapeuk.com

Hours of business
09:30 to 13:00hrs and 14:00 to 16:30hrs Monday to Friday

We regret that we cannot offer game hints and tips, as the service is provided for
resolving technical difficulties only.



ò No animals were harmed in the making of this product. ò

ò Dance Fever. ò

Oddballz, Dogz, Catz, and Your Computer Petz are trademarks, and PF.Magic is a
registered trademark of PF.Magic, Inc.  Copyright 1996, PF.Magic, Inc.  All Rights
Reserved.