PC Gamer 1/1994-12_-_Disc_1.iso/patches/fixt7g.exe/VREADME.TXT

Text File | 1994-03-08 | 38KB | 885 lines

        V R E A D M E . T X T        (Rev. 1.1)

    This is the latest VREADME.TXT file. All changes to it were added
at the end of the file for the sake of those who already read ver. 1.0.

    This file contains some suggestions for getting The Seventh Guest
to run on your computer. It is intended to be the definitive guide for
solving problems with The Seventh Guest (T7G.) This file was written by the
programmers at Trilobyte (The company that developed T7G.) We will do our
best to keep this file updated to include any fixes and or workarounds that
we discover or that are brought to our attention. Before using these
suggestions, please note the following:

            LEGAL DISCLAIMER

    The suggestions below are accurate to the best of our
    knowledge at the time that this was written. However,
    some of the suggestions below involve modifications to
    the hardware of your computer. If you are not familiar
    with the procedures suggested below, we recommend
    that you do not perform them, or have someone who is
    familiar with them perform them. There is always some
    risk when making changes to the hardware of a computer.
    In no event shall either Trilobyte or Virgin Interactive
    Entertainment be responsible for any damages whatsoever
    (including, but not limited to, damage to equipment,
    loss of data, loss of profits, business interruption,
    or other pecuniary loss) resulting from following the
    suggestions in this file, or the use of the utility
    programs bundled with this file. Have a nice day.

    First of all, this text file came with the latest version of
V.EXE, the executable file for The Seventh Guest. You should copy V.EXE
and the other files that came with this file to the C:\ID\T7G directory
and replace the previous version of that file. This new version of V.EXE
requires only about 470 K bytes of conventional memory. (more on memory
problems and solutions later.) It also solves a whole host of other
problems that have occurred with some computer configurations. After
loading the new version of V.EXE, try running T7G and see if that
solves your problems. If not, you can download updated drivers, or...

    ****************************************************
    *  Backup your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files!  *
    ****************************************************

    Whenever you are going to make changes to your AUTOEXEC.BAT or
your CONFIG.SYS files it is a good practice to make copies of these files
before you alter them. Then, should you have problems, you can always
restore the original versions.
    After backing up your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files try to
eliminate all unnecessary drivers from your CONFIG.SYS file, and
also eliminate any unnecessary Terminate and Stay Resident programs (TSR's)
from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The best way to do this is to type "REM  "
in front of the DEVICE= of unnecessary device drivers in your CONFIG.SYS
file and in front of unnecessary  TSR's in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This will
"remark" them out, while making it easy to undo the changes. With earlier
versions of DOS, putting "REM  " in front of lines in the CONFIG.SYS file
causes DOS to complain of an error, but it still works because the line is
ignored.

    One of the biggest problems with getting T7G to work occurs when
there are IRQ conflicts and DMA conflicts. If you have unused COM ports,
you can disable these in order to free up their IRQ's. COM 1 is usually
associated with IRQ 4 and COM 2 is usually associated with IRQ 3. The IRQ's
for the disabled COM ports can then be reassigned to your sound card or SCSI
interface card. Microsoft's MSD.EXE program can be used to detect IRQ usage.
This program is shipped with later versions of MS-DOS and Windows.

    The program that runs T7G can also be used to diagnose and help
solve some problems. From your \ID\T7G directory type "V ?" at the command
line. You should see something like this:


C:\ID\T7G>V ?
GROOVIE Player (c) 1993 Trilobyte
Version 1.31: 08/10/93 @ 12:43:45

VESA compatible video card

Mouse driver installed

Running on an 80486DX CPU
(running in virtual mode, you may experience problems with PCM sound)

XMS driver version 2.0 installed
 -  2,048 KBytes largest free XMS block

16,384 bytes for DMA transfer
   300 ticks per second internal clock

C:\ID\T7G>_


    Note the Version number on the second line. If yours does not say
"Version 1.31: 08/10/93...."   then you have not loaded the new version of
V.EXE and should do so. If the line after that does not say
"VESA compatible video card installed" then you would be well advised to
get and install a VESA driver for your video card. You will probably have
to do this, even if you have a VESA local bus video card. There are drivers
for many of the popular cards on the market located on CD-ROM #2 of T7G.
Look in the VESA subdirectory for a subdirectory with the name of your video
card. You should also find a text file to tell you about that driver.
For instance, many of the popular video cards use Tseng    Labs ET4000 chip,
or its predecessor the ET3000 chip. (Take a close look at the integrated
circuit chips on your video card to see if one of them is a Tseng chip.) If
you have one of these cards, you would look on CD-ROM #2 in the \VESA\TSENG
directory, and copy the file TLIVESA.COM to a directory in your path (for
example, you could copy it to your C:\DOS directory.) You would then put the
line "C:\DOS\TLIVESA" in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If you cannot find a VESA
driver for your board on CD-ROM #2, try contacting your board manufacturer
or the company that sold you the equipment to see if they can get you a
VESA driver. If your video card came with a drivers or utilities floppy then
you may find a VESA driver on that floppy.

    **************************************************
     *    EMS, XMS, EMM386, QEMM, AND ETC. ETC.     *
    **************************************************

    This section deals with conventional, extended, and expanded
memory usage. In the example of "V ?" above, the line after "Running
on an 80486DX CPU" says that the computer is:
"running in virtual mode, you may experience problems with PCM sound" This
is usually due to the presence of memory managers such as the EMM386.EXE.
The "PCM sound" that is referred to is the sound mode that is usually used
with the actor's voices.
    If you are able to avoid using the EMM386.EXE driver (or other memory
managers) altogether, then T7G will run faster, and problems with chopped up
voices will (hopefully) disappear. THIS IS THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY TO RUN T7G.
As long as you are able to load the drivers for running T7G into conventional
memory and still have 470 K of memory free, then you should not use any
memory managers (such as EMM386, QEMM, or 386MAX.) The 470 K of memory that
T7G uses is the OPTIMAL amount. That is to say that if you are able to use a
memory manager, load device drivers and TSR's into upper memory, and free up
620 K of conventional memory, T7G is still only going to use 470 K of it. The
remainder of the conventional memory will not be used. The easiest way to see
what device drivers and TSR's are loaded and how much conventional memory is
available to you is by typing "MEM /C | MORE" at the command line.
    In any event, you should ALWAYS load the XMS driver (HIMEM.SYS or its
equivalent) so that T7G can access your extended memory. As a bare minimum,
you should have AT LEAST 1024 K (1 Meg.) of extended memory available in
order for T7G to run.  Performance will be greatly improved if you can
provide 2048 K of extended memory or more. There is not an upper limit
to the amount of XMS memory that T7G can use. T7G will use as much XMS
memory as you can give it.
    The Seventh Guest does NOT use expanded memory at all, HOWEVER,
the MSCDEX program can make use of expanded memory to store sector buffers
if you add the /E switch to the MSCDEX command line (usually located in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.) This will mean using EMM386.EXE or its equivalent to get
the expanded memory. Using expanded memory in this way can help solve
problems with T7G. The MSCDEX command line should also contain the parameter
/M:20 which sets up how many sector buffers to allocate. (Use the /M:20
switch even if you do not use the /E switch.) Another switch to add to your
MSCDEX command line is the /V switch. The /V switch causes MSCDEX to print
extra information about the configuration at load time. You may be using a
version of MSCDEX that is in some directory other than the DOS directory.
This is not a problem so long as the version that you are using is the most
up to date. If you are having problems, you might try using the version that
came with DOS (if indeed your version of DOS came with an MSCDEX.EXE file.)
You can verify the parameter settings in the DOS version by typing
"HELP MSCDEX" at the DOS command line.
    If you are unable to avoid using EMM386.EXE, then adding the
parameter "D=128" might help with running T7G. Using D=128 in the EMM386
command sets DOS's DMA buffer size to 128K. You can check this parameter
by typing "HELP EMM386.EXE" from the DOS command line to see if your
version of DOS supports the "D=" parameter.

    *************************************************
    *    U P D A T E D    D R I V E R S        *
    *************************************************

    If after trying the suggestions above, you are still having problems,
then you might benefit from obtaining an updated set of device drivers. These
can be downloaded from Compuserve, America Online, or Genie. The name of the
driver file is T7GF3A.ZIP (You can upload it to your favorite BBS and share
it with your favorite retailer with our blessings and thanks if you like.)

    The T7GF3A.ZIP file contains drivers for many cards including:

        Pro Audio Studio 16
        Pro Audio Studio 16 (alternate driver)
        Pro Audio Spectrum Plus/16
        Pro Audio Spectrum 16 (alternate driver)
        Pro Audio Spectrum
        Pro Audio Spectrum (alternate driver)
        Sound Blaster ASP/16
        Sound Blaster Pro 2
        Sound Blaster Pro 1
        Sound Blaster Pro (alternate driver)
        Sound Blaster or compatibles
        Sound Blaster (alternate driver)
        General Midi
        Roland MT-32 or LAPC/1
        Adlib Gold
        Adlib Gold (alternate driver)
        Adlib
        Aria
        Tandy Sensation
        Microsoft Windows Sound System
        ATI Stereo FX
        Covox Sound Master II

    T7GF3A.ZIP also contains the 1.31 version of V.EXE that is included
with this file. Unzip the T7GF3A.ZIP file and put the unzipped files in the
\ID\T7G directory. Then try running T7G and see if the new drivers fix your
problems. If not, try running the (new) install program in the \ID\T7G
directory. If this doesn't fix it then you may want to retry some of
the suggestions mentioned earlier in this file.

    ***********************************************************
    *    H A R D W A R E    M O D I F I C A T I O N S      *
    ***********************************************************

It may be that you have a card loaded in one of the slots of your computer that
is slowing you down and causing problems with T7G. This can happen with serial
cards, modems, network cards, etc. As a last resort, you might try pulling all
unnecessary cards out of your computer to see if one of them might be
interfering with T7G. (Please note the legal disclaimer above.) Whenever you
are going to remove any cards from your computer, there are a couple of rules
to follow that will protect both you and your computer. First of all, UNPLUG
YOUR COMPUTER FROM ALL POWER SOURCES. Also unplug any peripherals such as
printers, external CD-ROMS, external modems, etc. from their sources of power.
You not only want to remove all sources of power, from the computer and its
connected peripherals, but you also want to disconnect any grounds before
opening the computer's case.

     When working inside the case of the computer, the greatest danger
comes from STATIC ELECTRICITY. Static electricity can instantly destroy
the integrated circuits in your computer, transforming your powerful
personal computer into an attractive, if not somewhat heavy, PAPERWEIGHT.
The amount of static electricity that it takes to destroy an integrated
circuit is so small that you can destroy an integrated circuit without
even feeling the static spark. BE CAREFUL!!!! Before you touch any circuit
board or other electrical component, touch the metallic case of the computer
or its power supply to bleed off any static charge that you might be
carrying. It is then safe to touch the cards in your computer. After removing
the screw, gently lift the card from its connector, taking care not to bend
or twist the card or the motherboard (from which you are removing the card.)
If you need to hand a card to someone, first touch their hand with your hand,
and then give them the card. Before setting a card down, touch the surface
onto which you will be laying the card and then lay the card down. Before
picking a card up, touch the surface that the card is lying on before touching
the card. WORK SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY. When inserting a card into the computer,
use gentle pressure, and never force the card. Sometimes wiggling the card a
bit and readjusting it will align it so that it can slip right into the
socket. Some materials (like styrofoam and fuzzy sweaters) tend to create a
great deal of static electricity and should be kept away from your work area.
If you are not in a great hurry (and you shouldn't be,) boil some water to
raise the humidity in the air and thereby reduce the potential for static
electricity. (Enjoy a nice cup of tea in a ceramic cup before you start to
work.) If you don't have time to boil water, get a plant sprayer, adjust it
to a fine mist, and mist the area around your workstation.
    If after removing some peripherals, you are able to make T7G work
correctly, then reinsert the peripherals one by one until you find the
offending peripheral.

        *****************************************
        *     T U R T L E     B E A C H    *
        *****************************************

    The Turtle Beach sound cards will work in FM mode only.

    *********************************************************
    *    P R O     A U D I O     S P E C T R U M     *
    *********************************************************

    There are several workarounds for PAS user who are having problems.
First, try not loading the SoundBlaster emulation driver (by putting a "REM  "
in front of it in your CONFIG.SYS file as mentioned above.) This should also
reduce the amount of conventional memory that you use which might in turn
enable you to eliminate your memory manager (such as EMM386.EXE.) as mentioned
previously.
    If that does not fix your problems, then try running the new install
program and tell it that you have a SoundBlaster card. You will, of course,
have to re-enable your SoundBlaster emulation driver, and also run SB_ON.COM
or whatever equivalent program that you have for turning SoundBlaster mode on.

        *************************************************
        *        M A K E    L I F E    E A S I E R        *
        *************************************************

    If you have MS-DOS 6.0 or above you can make things easier on
yourself by creating a CONFIG.SYS menu system. This will make it much easier
for you to run T7G. Along with the V.EXE program you will find files named
AUTOEXEC.60 and CONFIG.60. These are template files. Copy them onto the root
directory of your boot drive, and then type "COPY AUTOEXEC.60+AUTOEXEC.BAT"
from your root directory. this will append a copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file
to the AUTOEXEC.60 file. Then type EDIT AUTOEXEC.60 and cut and paste the
copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file into the section after the line that says,
"rem copy the contents of your original AUTOEXEC.BAT file below this line"
Save this file, exit the editor, make a backup copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file,
and then type "COPY AUTOEXEC.60 AUTOEXEC.BAT".
    Follow the same procedure to copy your CONFIG.SYS file into the
CONFIG.60 file and then rename CONFIG.60 to CONFIG.SYS (after moving the
contents of your file into the designated space.) When you reboot, your
computer it will come up with a menu that enables you to select NORMAL
boot up or T7G boot up. If you do not make a choice within 10 seconds it
will default to NORMAL boot up. If you want to, you can add other menu
choices by following the example of the "T7G" sections.
    If you have a copy of DOS that does not support CONFIG.SYS menuing
(such as MS-DOS 5.0 or below,) you can use the RUNT7G.BAT file that is
enclosed to start T7G, but first you will have to copy CONFIG.T7G,
AUTOEXEC.T7G, and RESETT7G.BAT to your C:\ID\T7G directory. REBOOT.COM can
be copied to either the C:\ID\T7G directory or somewhere else in your path.
Then edit CONFIG.T7G as if it was the CONFIG.SYS file that you will use to run
T7G, and edit AUTOEXEC.T7G so that it contains the TSR's and commands that you
need to run T7G. Executing the RUNT7G.BAT file will then do the following:

1) It will place a copy of your original CONFIG.SYS file in C:\ID\T7G.

2) It will then copy the file C:\ID\T7G\CONFIG.T7G to C:\CONFIG.SYS,
     thus overwriting your original CONFIG.SYS file.

3) Then it will place a copy of your original AUTOEXEC.BAT file
     in C:\ID\T7G

4) After which it will copy the file C:\ID\T7G\AUTOEXEC.T7G to
     C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT, thus overwriting your original AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

5) It will then execute the REBOOT.COM file which will reboot your computer
      with the ".T7G" versions of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT.

6) After the AUTOEXEC.BAT file loads the TSR's to run T7G it will run the
     file C:\ID\T7G\RESETT7G.BAT.

7) RESETT7G.BAT will copy the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files from
     C:\ID\T7G  thus returning your boot up files to their normal condition.

8) RESETT7G.BAT will pause, and then run T7G, after which it will reboot
     the computer, thus restoring the system to normal operation.

    This method of starting T7G has the added benefit of automatically
backing up your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files each time you play T7G.
    The enclosed programs REBOOT.COM and COLDBOOT.COM perform a warm and
a cold boot of your computer when executed. We hope you find them useful.

        *************************************************
        *     From README.TXT file in T7GF3A.ZIP    *
        *************************************************

Windows 3.1 sound drivers
--------------------------

If you have been running Windows, and using a Windows sound driver, it is
recommended that you reboot your machine before playing The Seventh Guest,
these drivers sometimes leave the sound card in an unstable state.

General MIDI devices
---------------------

Please reset your General Midi device before starting The Seventh Guest.

Pro Audio Spectrum 16 devices
------------------------------

Before playing The Seventh Guest, please adjust your mixer settings using the
PAS program, the best way of doing this is to type "PAS *".

No sound during introduction
-----------------------------

Sound is playing throughout the introduction, but it is playing from the
CD drive itself.  Make sure that your CD-ROM drive is hooked up for sound
as well as your sound card(s).

Using IBM OS/2 or Microsoft Windows NT
---------------------------------------

Under OS/2 2.1 it is possible to play The Seventh Guest, although it is
recommended that you use MS-DOS.  If you are experiencing problems running
under OS/2, try booting DOS before calling Virgin Games Customer Service.

Windows NT is not compatible at this time with The Seventh Guest.

Aborted Games are saved
------------------------

If your game should for some reason abort (playing from a Windows shell for
instance), the game will save a file called "save.z".  Rename this file to
save.0 through save.9 (just one) and you will be able to load back your
current game.  This may not always work, so save often anyway.

Open House!
------------

Once you have completed The Seventh Guest, it will save a special game in
your save game zero (0) slot.  This saved game will be called "OPEN HOUSE"
it allows you to roam the house freely and play all the puzzles as many times
as you want.

        A D D I T I O N S    S I N C E    1 . 0
        ---------------------------------------

Getting past the INTRO
---------------------

    Many people have reported problems with their computers locking up
during the intro. Obviously, it would be best to get the computer working
correctly so that the game plays normally, without any problems whatsoever.
    In the mean time though, it would be nice to have a quick fix that
would get you past the place where the computer locks up, and into the game.
Here's how to do just that:
    Included in this executable file is a file named save.9. Whenever you
save your game, T7G writes it out as a SAVE.#  file (Where # is a number from
0 to 9.) The number of the extension is the number that you choose when you
save a game, and it is the number that you choose when you reload a saved game.
The SAVE.9 file is a file that I made by saving the game at the very beginning,
just at the end of the intro video. When the SPHINX board first comes up, You
can choose LOAD instead of NEW GAME, and then select #9 from the next SPHINX
screen. This should put you into the game, just past the intro, and the only
thing you will have missed is a couple of minutes of intro video that explains
what a nasty guy Stauf is. You will still have the approximately 11 hours of
game play (on average) still in front of you.


Bug report concerning V.EXE 1.31
--------------------------------

    We have  confirmed one known bug with V.EXE version 1.31. It occurs
inside the microscope puzzle, and involves video breaking up and locking with
some video boards. If this happens to you, we recommend switching back to an
earlier version of V.EXE in order to get through the microscope puzzle, and
then switching back to version 1.31 when you are past that puzzle. (You can
find an earlier version of V.EXE on CD-ROM #2 in the \T7G\INSTALL dir.) If
using an earlier version of V.EXE doesn't work for you, then you can go to the
library 3 times and skip the puzzle. (Don't worry you won't miss anything, and
the door with the gears, racks and pinions won't open, even if you solve the
puzzle the first time you try it.)
    In the mean time, we are working to get the bug fixed and will post a
new version of V.EXE as soon as we have it. We are sorry for the inconvenience
and thank you for your patience.
    While there is a known bug in V.EXE 1.31, it never-the-less fixes a
number of more serious bugs, and so should be used in favor of the earlier
versions.

Troubleshooting without audio
-----------------------------

    When troubleshooting a problem, it is helpful to eliminate as many
potential causes as you can, thus zeroing in on the actual cause of the
problem. One of the potential trouble makers is the audio card. The following
proceedure will cause T7G to run without any audio (silently). If you do the
following proceedure and the problem remains, then the problem is unrelated to
your audio card. If you do this and the problem goes away, then you need to
pay attention to your audio card, and maybe look for possible IRQ and DMA
conflicts. In any event, it will help narrow the problems down.

1) Make a backup copy of the GROOVIE.INI file that is located in the \ID\T7G
   directory of your hard drive. (You will restore from the backup copy later.)

2) Use a TEXT EDITOR  (not a word processor!) to edit the GROOVIE.INI file and
   make the following changes:

3) Locate the line that says "midi=XXXXXXXX" (where XXXXXXXX is the name of
   your sound card) and change it to say "midi=None".

4) Then locate the line that says "pcm=XXXXXXXXX" and change it to say
   "pcm=None".

5) Now save the new version of GROOVIE.INI after MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE A
   BACKUP OF THE ORIGINAL GROOVIE.INI FILE.

6) Try running T7G now and see if the game runs correctly (though silently).

7) If there are still problems, try REMarking out the lines in your CONFIG.SYS
   file and AUTOEXEC.BAT file that load the sound drivers. (Don't rem out the
   ones that load your SCSI drivers though.)

8) Then see if the video of T7G runs normally.

9) after this test is complete, unREMark the drivers in your CONFIG.SYS and
   AUTOEXEC.BAT files and restore GROOVIE.INI from the backup that you made.


The LATEST VESA drivers
-----------------------
    Some problems can be solved by making sure that you have the latest
VESA driver installed when you start seventh guest. Objectionably slow video
is one of the problems that can sometimes be solved with the latest VESA
driver. If the VESA drivers on the CD-ROM (mentioned previously) don't fix
the problem, then locating newer VESA drivers might help. If you are have a
Compuserve account, you can try typing GO VESA which will take you to the IBM
programming forum that has a VESA library section (LIB # 12) with all kinds of
VESA drivers. If you cannot find a driver for your board, you might try
downloading the universal VESA driver from SciTech Software (of Melbourne
Australia) and trying that version to see if it will work for you. It is in
LIB 12 and the file name for it is UVBE42.ZIP. However, be advised that this
product is Shareware, so you can try it to see if it works, but if it works
and you want to continue to use it, you will need to register your copy.
(Read the documents that come in the UVBE42.ZIP file for more details).
    Another means of getting the latest driver is to call the manufacturer
of your video card and see if they have a BBS from which you can download the
latest driver. Names and addresses of many of the video card manufacturers are
listed at the end of this file.

Diamond Viper
-------------
    If your video card is the Diamond Viper, you will need to load the
VESA driver by typing "VPRMODE VESA" at the command line prior to running
T7G. You will also want to make sure that you are using the latest VESA
driver available.

Older S3 Video Cards
--------------------
    Older S3 video cards with earlier versions of the S3 chip (especially
the 911 series) can run very slowly. To fix this, (again) make sure that you
have and are properly loading the latest VESA driver in addition to using
ver. 1.31 of V.EXE. With some of these cards you may need to run in MCGA mode.

Video Testing during Installation
---------------------------------
    Some people report that the video test says that their card is 100%
and yet the game runs slowly. This is probably because the video test that
is in the installation program performs all of its tests in MCGA mode. If you
got 100% rating and it still drags, you may need to run in MCGA mode. (Sorry!)

Running T7G from within Windows
-------------------------------
    Some people who are having problems with the audio have reported that
if they run T7G from a DOS shell in Windows, then their audio problems go
away, and everything works well. The reason that this works for some people
is that Windows virtualizes the DMA chip, and this virtualized DMA chip works
better FOR SOME PEOPLE (This won't work for everyone, but it is certainly
worth a try).

Cirrus Logic VLB
----------------
    We have had complaints about problems with Cirrus Logic VLB cards.
Cirrus Logic has said that these problems have been solved by using
version 1.24 of V.EXE. They would not send us any cards with which to test
and verify that version 1.24 of V.EXE solves their problems, so we will
take their word on this. If you have a Cirrus Logic VLB card and version
1.31 of V.EXE does not fix your problems, you can download the file
V124.ZIP and try it, but be advised that you will probably still need
570 K of conventional memory free (unlike ver. 1.31.)

Miscellaneous Tips
------------------
    If you remove the EMM386.EXE from your CONFIG.SYS file, or remark it
out, you will also need to make sure that you change all of the DEVICEHIGH=
commands into DEVICE= commands in your CONFIG.SYS file, and you will need to
remove the LH  (loadhigh's) from in front of the TSR's in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file. Some of these commands (especially when setup with MEMMAKER.EXE) can
contain other characters that need to be removed, such as the "/L:nnnn,nnnn"
(where the nnnn's are numbers) These appear in after the LH or DEVICEHIGH, and
before the TSR's filename or device drivers filename. Don't remove extra
characters that appear after the filenames.


Miscellaneous Tips (Cont.)
--------------------------
    One of the peripheral devices that can slow the game down a great deal
is a secondary monitor and video card (such as a monochrome monitor and card
used for debugging.) Removing the secondary monitor and video card may fix you
right up.

    Check with the manufacturer of your video and/or sound card. We try to
keep as current as we can on these, but sometimes the manufacturers may know
a trick or a tip that we have missed. If you learn any such tips and or tricks,
please tell us about them, and we, in turn, will pass them on. THANK YOU!

How to get help online
----------------------
    Under Trilobyte's agreement with  Virgin, Virgin is supposed to provide
technical support for T7G. Consequently Trilobyte does not have any full-time
technical support people. Those who are providing support are doing so in
addition to their regular duties of getting the latest Trilobyte products
written and out the door. And while all of us here are glad when we can get a
problem resolved for a customer, we don't often have the time to hold peoples
hands and solve their problems for them without their having to take an active
role in the troubleshooting process. The active part that we would like you to
take is to carefully read the preceding file and try all of the suggestions in
it that are applicable to your situation. If after trying all of the
suggestions above, you are still not able to solve the problem, THEN WE VERY
MUCH WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU, and we will try our best to help you through your
particular problem. If you send us a message online, you should first of all let
us know that you have read this VREADME.TXT file version 1.1 and which of
the suggestions in it you have tried, and what happened when you disabled the
audio. When your message starts by telling us these things, we will respond
personally to your problem and do our best to help you. If you don't start by
telling us that you read this file, we may send you back a form letter in
response to your message asking that you read this file before proceeding.
(This is the only way that we are going to get our next product out anywhere
near to its deadline.)

    In order to make it easier for all of us, we have numbered the fixes
suggested in this file, and you can refer to them as follows:

    1) Copied the new V.EXE into your ID\T7G dir and VERIFIED the
       new version number with the V ? command.

    2) Removed all unnecessary device drivers from the CONFIG.SYS file.

    3) Removed all unnecessary TSR's from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

    4) Downloaded and installed the revised drivers in T7GF3A.ZIP.

    5) Ran the new version of the INSTALL.EXE program from T7GF3A.ZIP.

    6) Disabled all unnecessary COM ports and LPT's.

    7) Checked that there were no IRQ conflicts or DMA conflicts.

    8) Checked your video card's VESA compatibility with the V ? command.

    9) Obtained and loaded the newest VESA driver for your video card.

    10) Checked with the manufacturer of video and audio cards for tips
        or tricks (and pass them on to all of us.)

    11) Verified that you have a sufficient amount of EXTENDED memory.

    12) Verified that you have enough conventional memory available.

    13) Tried eliminating your memory manager (such as EMM386.EXE.)

    14) Used the /E switch with MSCDEX.EXE if you have any expanded memory.

    15) Added the /M:20 switch to MSCDEX.EXE (or increased the /M: to 20)

    16) Made sure that you were using the best MSCDEX.EXE available to you.

    17) Added the "D=128" line to EMM386.EXE (if used.)

    18) Removed all unnecessary peripheral devices from your computer.

    19) Made sure that you are not trying to run T7G after exiting Windows.

    20) Made sure that the audio channels of your CD-ROM drive were
        connected to the appropriate inputs on your sound card.

    21) Used a DOS based audio mixer to set voice and music levels before
        starting T7G.

    22) Bypassed the intro using a saved game.

    23) Disabled audio in T7G to narrow problem's down.

   When you send us messages, Please try to start them out something like this:

"I have read all of VREADME.TXT ver. 1.1 and have tried all of the fixes except
for 13 and 16, When I disabled the audio my problem...... etc." or words to that
effect. Once we read that, we will take your problem VERY SERIOUSLY and do our
best to help you fix it. Thank you for your cooperation.

Video card makers phone numbers
-------------------------------

Actix Systems Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
        408-986-1625
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Advanced Integration Research Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
        408-428-0800
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Ahead Systems
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:    ???
BBS:    510-623-0961

American Megatrends Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
        404-263-8181
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Appian Technology Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
        408-730-5400
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

ATI Technologies Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:    416-764-9404
Email:  [e-mail]

Boca Research
Tel:    [phone] (Tech Support)
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:    407-241-1601

Cardinal Technologies Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Chips and Technologies
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:
BBS:

Cirrus Logic
Tel:    [phone]
        510-226-2300
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:    510-440-9080
        415-623-8300

CRYSTAL Semiconductor Corporation
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Diamond Computer Systems
Tel:    [phone] (Tech Support)
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:    408-730-1100

Elitegroup Computer Systems
Tel:    [phone]
        510-226-7333
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

ELSA America Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
        415-615-7799
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Everex Microsystems
Tel:    [phone] (Customer Services)
        415-498-1115 (Tech Support)
Fax:    ???
BBS:    510-438-4650

Focus Information Systems Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
        510-657-2845
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Genoa
Tel:    [phone] (Tech Support)
Fax:
BBS:    408-943-1231

Headland Technology
Tel:    [phone] (Tech Support)
        415-623-7857
Fax:
BBS:    415-656-0503

Hercules Computer Technologies
Tel:    [phone] (Tech Support)
        510-623-6050 (Tech Support)
        510-623-6030 (which one of the last two is correct?)
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:    510-623-7449 (14400 bps)
        510-623-7034 (9600 bps)
        510-623-7142 (2400 bps)
        [phone] (V.32bis) [a "mailbox" in Germany with files only]
Email:  [e-mail]  (Hercules Support, Dylan Rhodes)
Compuserve: GO HERCULES

Matrox Electronic Technology Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
        514-685-2630
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Metheus Corp.
Tel:    [phone]
        503-690-1550
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Micro-Labs Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

National Design Inc
Tel:    [phone]
        800-253-8831
Fax:    ?
BBS:    512-329-6327

NCR Corporation
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:
BBS:

Nth Graphics Ltd.
Tel:    [phone]
        512-832-1944
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Number Nine Computer Corp.
Tel:    [phone]
        617-674-0009
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Oak Technologies
Tel:
Fax:
BBS:    510-657-9451

Orchid Technlogy
Tel:    [phone]
        510-683-0323 (Tech Support)
        510-683-0300
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:    510-683-0327

RealTek
Tel:    [phone]
        215-387-6055
Fax:
BBS:

S3 Incorporated
Tel:    [phone]
        408-980-5400
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Sigma Designs Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
        510-770-0100
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

SPiDER Graphics Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

STB Systems Inc
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:    ???
BBS:    214-437-9615

Tseng Labs
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:    ???
BBS:    215-579-7536


Trident Microsystems Inc
Tel:    [phone]
Fax:    ???
BBS:    415-691-1016

VidTech Microsystems Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
        612-780-8033
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Volante Inc.
Tel:    [phone]
        512-329-5055
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

Western Digital Imaging (Paradise)
Tel:    [phone] (Tech Support)
        415-960-3360
        714-932-4900 (Tech Support)
        44-372-360387 (UK)
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:    714-753-1068 (9600 bps)
        714-753-1234 (2400 bps)
        331-69-85-3914 (France)
        49-89-922006-60 (Germany)

Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA)
Ph:    408-435-0333
Fax:    [phone]
BBS:

The preceding list of vendors was excerpted from a list that was uploaded
by Kendall Bennett (of SciTech Software). The complete list is in LIB 12
(The VESA Lib) of the IBM Programming forum and it is named VFAQ1.ZIP.