DirectX 5.0 increases the performance of games played under Windows(r) 95. Using DirectX, Sub Culture has instant access to your PC's hardware allowing vast improvements in graphics, sound and video.
DirectX 5.0, however, is a relatively new program and not all manufacturers have adapted their video cards to run with the new software. To solve this problem, the majority of manufacturers are releasing updated drivers that support DirectX 5.0.
Before installing DirectX 5.0 you should check whether your hardware
supports the new software. To do this, use the " find " option from the Start bar. Select " Files or Folders ". Enter the letter for the CD-ROM drive e.g. D: then type DXSETUP.EXE in the " Named " box and press enter.
When the file appears in the " Name " box double left-click on it to run it. If more than one file appears click on the one that has a small PC icon next to it.
You will be presented with a list of drivers currently supported by DirectX 5.0. If there is a blank space in the third column for one of the components (see examples below) this may mean that you will need to obtain an updated driver from your manufacturer.
Some of the manufacturers have their own version of DirectX drivers which will not show up but may still work perfectly.
Blank with no driver version listed
The performance and stability of this type of certification is essentially unknown. It is recommended that you check with the hardware manufacturer for any updated drivers that may be available.
Blank with Driver version listed
The driver has DirectX 5.0 support but was not included with the version of
DirectX that is currently on your system. These drivers will usually
function correctly, however some problems may occur. It is recommended that you contact your hardware retailer for any updated drivers (try running the game before obtaining new drivers).
No Hardware Support
The driver does not support DirectX 5.0 so hardware emulation will be
performed. This may work fine, but game performance may suffer as
processor power is used to make up for the deficiency. It is recommended
that you contact your hardware vendor for updated drivers that may
be available.
If your computer does not have drivers that have been tested with DirectX 5.0 you will see the following message during installation:
Setup has detected drivers that have not been tested with DirectX 5.0. To get the best game performance, setup can replace your existing drivers. Do you want setup to replace the drivers?
If you receive this message we DO NOT recommend replacing the drivers. Contact your manufacturer and ask them to send you drivers for your components that support DirectX 5.0. Alternatively, you could install the game without installing DirectX 5.0 which should allow you to run the game, however you will experience some problems with your audio and video, e.g. slow frame rate, jumpy sound, etc. If your existing drivers display an error message or simply refuse to run the game contact your manufacturer for compatible drivers.
INSTALLATION
Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive (usually D).
There are 5 versions of Sub Culture available to install (all of which are on this CD). If you don't have a 3D accelerator card, then install the Windows(r)95 version.
Otherwise, there is a version optimized for each of the following chipsets:
3Dfx Voodoo
PowerVR
Rendition Verite
The D3D version supports other high specification 3D cards with at least 4Mb of on-card memory.
The CD should autorun when put in the drive. If not, then click on AUTORUN.EXE in the root directory of the CD. The game will take up approx. 80 Mbytes of hard disk space if installed without the FMVs. In this case the FMVs will be read off the CD. If the FMVs are installed the game will take up approximately. 200 Mbytes of hard disk space.
Running Sub Culture
Once installed, run the game by selecting the Start button on the Windows(r) toolbar, then Programs and then Sub Culture in the Criterion Studios folder (assuming you didn't change the name of the folder during installation).
The Sub Culture CD-ROM must be in your CD-ROM drive to start playing the game.
Support
If you are having trouble installing Sub Culture, call (514) 490-0887.
PROLOGUE
Out in the depths of the oceans exist many life forms undiscovered by man.
Among these life forms is a race similar to man in almost every respect:
bad breath, antisocial behavior and trash television? The BIG difference is size: no taller than a centimeter they are colonizing the shallows, heading inland?
Bubba Kosh never had a break. Out in the deep, prospecting for Thorium can be a hard business with long hours and not much of a social life. If you hit it big, though, you can retire young. Then, all the hard work will seem worthwhile! Even when Ore is scarce, salvage work can provide you with a comfortable lifestyle.
Bubba was about to have the worst day of his life! He had just invested his last bit of cash in a generator for his home and a small ore processor. It was everything a growing prospector needs. All of this drastically changed when enough salvageable metal to feed him for a year just landed on his home, crushing it to a pulp. With his equipment smashed he'd just have to leave it behind. Where would he go from here?
In the shallows are the colonies, a place for the desperate. It's not exactly an ecological showcase. Debris from the human world litters these parts but it keeps prospectors in business. It's profitable but it's also a double-edged sword. These are dangerous lands with civil war having split the colonists into factions, the Procha and the Bohine. Each has an axe to grind. When life style ideologies clash with survival needs, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that all hell can break loose! This suits Bubba fine. Let them bicker! When trading and prospecting are looking thin there'll always be work as a freelance mercenary. If only he can just figure out how to avoid the Pirates?
Quick Start
The game begins just outside the city of Touka Reef. You can dock here or seek out one of the other cities. It's up to you. When docked in a city you can select missions, trade tools and weapons or just checkout the latest news and gossip about this entrancing underwater world. You can also begin the game prospecting for ore, metal and pearls, which will bring good money if taken to the refinery. You can also trade the ore with any of the cities for other commodities.
CONTROLS
Views:
F1 Inside View
F2 Chase-cam
F3 Toggles map with down camera
F4 Toggles map with rear-view camera
F5 When ROV is operational shows ROV view
F6 Briefing screen for missions and map (mouse moves
map, arrow keys control text)
F7 Message History screen
F8 Toggle all panels on/off
F9 Dumps a screen shot as a .BMP file in the Sub Culture root directory.
F10 Swap screen resolutions (320x200 - 640x480
software only version)
F11 Decrease Brightness (Gamma correction down)
F12 Increase Brightness (Gamma correction up)
Esc. In Interface Exit to previous screen
In game Go to configuration screens
When docking Quick dock (skips docking sequence)
During FMV Skips FMV
Maneuvering
Depending on your setup, some of these controls will be assigned to your control device of choice (joystick, mouse, etc.).
Moving
A Forward
Z Reverse
S Thrust up
X Thrust down
Turning
Left Arrow Turn left
Right Arrow Turn right
Up arrow Pitch up
Down arrow Pitch down
Weapons
There are several types of weapons you can attach to your sub. They are selected and fired as follows:
- Backwards through current attached weapons
+ Forwards through current attached weapons
SPACE Fire current weapon
Tools
There are several types of tools you can attach to your sub. They are selected and fired as follows:
[ Backwards through current attached tools
] Forwards through current attached tools
CTRL Activate current tool
Dismounting items
Clicking on an icon will un-mount that item and place it in the hold.
Mounting Items
Select an item in the hold by clicking on it so that a bullet point appears next to it. Now click on the sub diagram or on an empty slot.
Swap Items
To mount an item occupied by another item, select the item in the hold by clicking on it so that a bullet point appears next to it. Now click on the item you want to swap it with. Note: You can only swap items that use the same mounting position on the sub as indicated on the sub diagrams.
Selling
Select an item in the " Hold " field on the right of the screen (a bullet should appear and the offer price that the city is willing to pay for that item will appear at the bottom of the field). If you agree to the price, then click the sell button.
Commodities
There are many factors that affect the price of items. Each city has an
optimal need for each commodity. This is the amount that they want to maintain at all times. The amount they are willing to pay for a
commodity and the price that they sell commodities for depends on the following factors:
* The amount of surplus of a product that they have: the more the surplus the cheaper the commodity can be bought.
* The amount of deficit: the more of an item that they need, the more they are willing to pay for it.
* The importance of an item, a large deficit of oxygen needs to be made up faster than a large deficit of pearls. The more important an item is, the more the city is willing to pay for it.
* Forecast: if the city is expecting a delivery of a commodity they will pay less for it from someone else.
* Other traders are competing with you! They can fulfill needs of the cities causing yet more price fluctuation.
Opportunities to make a lot of cash can be fleeting so the fast trader will usually be more successful.
This screen describes the state of the commodities market: a list of
commodities being traded, the selling price, the asking price and the quantity the player has in the hold of the sub.
Once you click on an item, a bullet indicates that it is the currently selected and will be affected by the Buy, Sell and Info buttons.
FRONTIER GUIDE
General
The shallows: close to the world above the surface, the world of humans?.
The debris of " civilization " litters the sea floor.
The Procha and the Bohine continue their civil war. Politically they're oil and water. Both need to survive. The pollution pumped into the sea around these parts is choking the fish population. Basic needs such as food, oxygen and fuel are barely fulfilled. The war rages louder with every passing season!
The Procha Empire
Technologists to a man, these guys are on the cutting edge. They have the
fastest subs, the coolest hardware? You'll see them in the aquadrome every
morning doing high impact popmobility. Trouble is they spend so
much time designing lifestyle technologies and labor saving devices that they don't have the free time to enjoy them. It's a good thing
their technology is so efficient otherwise their basic needs wouldn't be fulfilled.
The capital city is Velcova station, a hotbed for designer wet suits, enlarged foreheads and pattern baldness. Also worth a look is the pearlescent architecture and the Imperial guard (ever present on every corner). The Emperor lives a reclusive life in the imperial palace but has eyes everywhere. The loyalty of the guard and the constant surveillance have led to rumors of the Emperors omnipotence. A small fish such as a prospector can slip through with little hassle. Watch out though, their laws and customs can be harsh, awash with red tape and the ever present threat of litigation.
The Tryton Institute is where the most impressive research is done. The military gives funding to a wide variety of programs here, but much of the development is allowed to develop according to its own path. This freedom is granted because they always deliver. Project 13, a plan veiled in secrecy, may be the edge they need in the war with the Bohine.
The Bohine
If the Procha seem a little hard-line for you, there's always the Bohine!
On the surface, the Bohine seem like a laid-back, happy-go-lucky bunch. In reality, they have a healthy disregard for technology. If it's broke, use it for something else! Style isn't a strong point in the Bohine cities which are full of slums and ghettos. These are dangerous grounds if you're not familiar with the layout of the pipe network. Repairs to your craft may be a little cheaper at the Bohine cities but beware; sometimes you'll have more things broken than fixed!
Street crime is more prevalent here due to the overstretched policing resources, but at least black market commodities may be a little more forthcoming!
Beluga basin is an active port with much of the Bohine fishing fleet operating from this base. There's often work on the docks if you need quick cash.
Refinery
The refinery is run by the Brotherhood, a mysterious religious sect. They are impartial to the squabbles of Procha and Bohine. Their only contact with the outside world is through trade. The importance of the refinery to both sides cannot be stressed enough. The ore the cities need to generate oxygen and power is refined here. No ore means no colony. Attempts to bribe the refinery to gain an upper hand in the war have gone unheeded. Whatever their agenda, you can be sure it will remain secret until they want it known.
Pirates
The pirates are just as you would expect. Like the workers at the refinery, they are impartial to the war. They are slightly less helpful than the Brotherhood. They offer nothing and take what they want. They don't feel pity. They show no mercy. They operate according to a Spartan code-young pirates are not fed by their parents. If the young do survive, they steal food from friends and relatives. The pirates appear to not have a base, at least none that anyone has found and returned from alive! Nevertheless they are a force to be reckoned with.
Criterion Studios
Concept Jonathan Small
Game Design Marcus Lynn, Steve McCrea, Luc Van den Borre, Mike Williamson
Lead Programmer/Team Leader Marcus Lynn
Programming Steve McCrea, Luc Van den Borre
Lead Artist Mark Rendle
Graphics Jo Robins, Mike Williamson
Storyline Mike Williamson
Audio/Visual Engineering Gail Cooper
Graphics Engine Jonathan Small
Original Music Versatile
Additional Programming Shaun Don, Paul Ross, Damian Scallan, Rob Withey
Additional Artwork Ed Hayden, Peter Lake, Nik Thomas
Game Testing Andrew Anscombe, David Bryder, Calum Hall, Mark Iremonger
Marketing Maria Johnson and Sarah Bincliffe
Producer Jamie Macdonald
A big thank you to Bob Churchill and Craig Sullivan for absolutely nothing!
Ubi Soft Entertainment
Producer GΘrard Guillemot
Head of 3rd Party Development Vincent MinouΘ
International Marketing Director Larry Wiesler
International Marketing Manager Vera Shah
US Marketing Manager Leighton Webb
Project Manager Zigor Hernandorena
Game Design James Sutherland
Package and Manual Design Gregory Harsh, Beeline Group
