PC Gamer 3.2/1997-05_Disc_3.2.iso/MDK/README.TXT

Text File | 1997-02-10 | 15KB | 293 lines

Contents:
1)  System Requirements
2)  Installation
3)  Main Menu Screen
4)  Controls
5)  Troubleshooting
6)  Game Play Tips



System Requirements
--------------------
Pentium 60 or better
16 Megs RAM required
SVGA Video Card
100% Sound Blaster compatible Sound Card
14 Megs of Free Hard Disk Space



Installation
------------

Win95
Once you have extracted the files, if you allowed it, a program group will be made on
the Window95 Start Menu. Select MDK Demo 95 to start the Win95 version,or select the
MDK Demo DOS to start the DOS version.  If you select the DOS version, you will
need to setup your sound card.  You can do this in the 'Options' menu.

**IF YOU DO NOT HAVE DIRECTX 3.0 OR LATER FROM MICROSOFT, MDK WILL NOT RUN UNDER WINDOWS95.
YOU CAN DOWLOAD DIRECTX 3 DIRECTLY FROM MICROSOFT FOR NO CHARGE.


Windows 3.1 & DOS
Exit windows to get to the DOS prompt.  Change to the directory that you decompressed
MDK into.  Now type 'MDKdemo' to start the game.

**YOU WILL NEED TO SET UP YOUR SOUND CARD IN THE OPTIONS MENU IN ORDER FOR THE DEMO TO
PLAY MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS.  TO LET THE SETUP PROGRAM FIND YOUR SOUND CARD FOR YOU,
CHOOSE 'AUTO DETECT ALL'.  YOU CAN MANUALLY CHANGE THE CONFIGURATION IF THE PROGRAM
INACCURATELY DETECTS YOUR SOUND CARD.
**DIRECT X IS NOT REQUIRED TO RUN MDK IN DOS MODE.

Main Menu Screen
----------------

All menus can be accessed by using the mouse or arrow keys.

New Game
By selecting this you will immediately enter the MDK universe

Options
Help
All the default keyboard controls are listed here.  During gameplay, if you need help at
any time pressing the F1 key will bring up this help menu.

Sound Setup - DOS
Select the æDetect All' to find your particular sound card.   You can manually set the
sound cardÆs configuration.  If the game locks up or crashes when you test the sound,
please refer to the troubleshooting section at the end of this guide for some helpful
hints.  You can change your soundcard settings (IRQ and DMA channels) manually if the
autodetection process did not find your soundcard.  You should hear sound when you select
the æTestÆ option, if not, your sound card has been improperly set up.

Joystick
MDK can be played using a joystick or joypad (that has 4 buttons - delete this).  You
must select the æEnable JoystickÆ option to use a joystick.  You can then arrange the
button configuration to your prefernce.  To return to the standard setup, select æDefault
ButtonsÆ.
Buttons can be assigned multiple actions.  For instance, your secondary joystick button
may be assigned 'Zoom In' and 'Jump' without conflicting.  The zoom feature is only used
in sniper mode, and the jump action is only active outside of sniper mode.  Just highlight
the joystick button box (1-4 in DOS, up to 8 in Windows95) that you want a particular
action assigned to.

Keyboard
You can change the function of most keys and customize the controls to your preferences
by highlighting the action and then pressing the key you would like to assign to this
function.  To save your preferences, select æQuitÆ when you are satisfied with your
control options.  To return to the default keyboard configuration, select that option.

Mouse
The mouse can be configured any way you prefer.  MDK can utilize all 4 buttons on some
mice, and each button can be assigned multiple actions.  (See Joystick above for how to
assign actions to the mouse)

Performance
Selecting this option, MDK will perform a hardware test of your system and compare it
to some standard systems.  Your system may vary from the benchmark systems due to
several factors, including type of RAM used (SRAM or standard), video card and video
RAM available, CD-ROM speed, 32-bit Disk access enabled or disabled, etc.  Do not be
concerned if your system performs below the benchmark level.  This program is helpful
to reveal hardware that may limit your experience with MDK.

Skill
There are 3 settings available, æEasyÆ, æNormalÆ, and æDifficultÆ.  Select whichever skill
level is appropriate for your ability.

Display
Seclects the screen brightness.  This option can also be changed during the game by
pressing the F11 key at any time.
To increase the frame rate if you are experiencing any slowdown in the performance of MDK,
you can turn the detail level to 'LowÆ, which should help.



Controls
--------

Arrow keys - will move Kurt in that direction.  Also controls aiming in sniper mode.
Space Bar - Toggle in/out of Sniper mode
A/Z - Zoom in/Zoom out in Sniper mode.  In normal mode, it shifts the camera to look
up or down.
Control key - Fires selected weapon
Alt key - Jump.  While in mid-air pressing the alt key a second time will activate the
ribbon chute.
Enter key - will use/activate the selected pickup
0-9 - select specific pickup item
[ and ] - Toggle left and right through different ammunition and pickup items
Shift key - selects turbo mode which speeds up KurtÆs running and turning speed
Caps Lock - keeps turbo mode on
X - when used with the left and right arrow keys will make Kurt sidestep
, and . - will cause Kurt to sidestep left and right.  (Same function as X + the arrow keys)
Esc - Quit game

Function Keys
F1 - brings up the help menu which gives all the keyboard controls
F10 - Quit game.
F11 - Adjust brightness
F12 - Brings up the Options screen.

Additional Information

BONES AIRSTRIKE - While in sniper mode, the center of the targeting display will
change to white when aimed at an area that Bones can hit.   Simply press the fire button
to call Bones in to bomb the area.


Trouble Shooting
----------------
Q: Help!  I canÆt get MDK to run!
A: MDK requires 16 Megs of RAM to run and a Pentium processor.  If you do not have this, MDK
   will either not run, or may crash during gameplay.

Q: I canÆt select any of the options in the main menu.
A: If you are in DOS mode, make sure that you have loaded your mouse driver before
   starting MDK.  Although the mouse is not necessary to play MDK, it is needed to select
   some options.

Q: My joystick wonÆt work.  WhatÆs the problem?
A: Check to make sure your joystick is set up correctly.  Then check in the MDK
   æJoystickÆ options to make sure the joystick is enabled.  In DOS mode you may need to
   load your joystickÆs drivers that came with it prior to running MDK.  Please check
   their documentation for further help.

Q: Can I run the game using a keyboard and mouse at the same time?
A: Yes.  You can play MDK using almost limitless control options.  Try several different
   combinations to see which works best for you.  Some people prefer only using the keyboard,
   others use keyboard+mouse or keyboard+joystick.  There are even a few who use the mouse
   with the joystick to play!  We've given you total control over how you can control MDK.

Q: The game is running slowly on my machine, what can I do?
A: MDK will run faster in Win95 or DOS due to your hardware configuration.  Some
   video cards, for example, work best in DOS or only Win95.  Try playing the game in the
   other mode to see if there is an increase in performance.  You will not need to reinstall
   the game, but simply run the other MDK executable (MDKdem95 for Windows95 or
   MDKdemo.exe for the DOS executable) to see which gives you the best performance on your
   machine.

Q: The sound doesnÆt work!
A: ThatÆs not a question.

Q: The sound doesnÆt work on my machine.  Can you help?
A: Sure! First off, weÆll assume that youÆve checked to make sure that the speakers are
   turned on and plugged in correctly to your PC and youÆre running a 100% SoundBlaster
   compatible card.  As a note, not all sound cards are truly 100% compatible, in which case
   you may not be able to get sound from MDK.
     Now, if youÆre running in Win95, check to make sure that your soundcard is operating
   correctly.  Remember that in Win95 you can have a correctly operating soundcard but
   have the sound muted.  Double click on the speaker icon on the task bar to see if the
   sound is set to æmute allÆ.  If you are trying to run the game in DOS, make sure that your
   sound card and mouse drivers are being loaded for your DOS session.  Consult your
   sound card instruction manual on loading the DOS drivers.

Q: In Windows95, if I play the DOS version, the game occasionally quits back out to Windows.
   Why?
A: You're probably hitting one of the shortcut key combinations (like Alt+Enter).  To
   disable this, edit the DOS shortcut.  Go to either My Computer or Windows Explorer and
   get to the ":\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\MDK Demo" directory.  Right click on the MDK
   DOS Shortcut.  Select the 'Misc' tab, and clear all the boxes in the 'Windows Shortcut
   Keys' box.  While you're at it, you may want to clear the 'Allow Screen Saver' box as
   well, because this could cause problems if your screensaver kicks in when the program
   is running, but you're not doing anything.

Q: In Windows95, I keep hitting the Windows key between the Alt and Control keys and I get
   sent back to Windows.  Is there a way to disable the Windows key?
A: There are two known ways to disable the Windows key on your computer.  The first method
   involves a pair of pliers and a screwdriver.  We do not reccomend this method.  The
   second, which we suggest, is from Microsoft.  They have a program called DosWinKey that
   temporarily disables the Windows key.  It can be downloaded from
   http::\\www.microsoft.com\windows\download\doswinkey.exe  along with instructions on how
   to use it.


Game Play Tips & Techniques
---------------------------

Q: Why doesnÆt the Bones Airstrike work in some areas?
A: When you have picked up the Bones airstrike power-up, you must go into sniper
   mode to use it.  Make sure the airstrike power up is the ammunition selected.  The center
   of your targeting system will turn white when it is focused in on an area that Bones can
   bomb.  Bones canÆt 'Deliver Kindness' in enclosed environments or under overhangs
   since heÆs got to fly in to bomb the area.  When you have selected the target, press the
   weapon fire button.  This tells Bones that you have set your target and it is OK for him
   to start his bombing run.

Q: I donÆt know what all the weapons do!  Help!
A: Whenever you pick up an item, the name of the weapon appears.  This should give
   you some clue as to the itemÆs abilities.   You are receiving the new weapons as soon as
   the good doctor invents them, so  thereÆs not a lot of advanced documentation on these
   items.  If you donÆt know what a weapon does, then find a quiet area and fire one off to
   test it.

Q: I'm stuck in the test room!  Help me!
A: That's not a question, but here's the help you're looking for.  You have to use the
   sniper mode to continue through the level.  If you haven't remapped any keyboard functions,
   then hit the 'space' bar to put on your sniper helmet.  You'll see the targets you're
   supposed to hit off in the distance.  Use the 'A' key to zoom in, and the 'Z' key to
   zoom out.  To exit sniper mode, hit the space bar.

Q: Some items don't appear in the lower corner of the screen when I pick them up.  Why not?
A: The weapon upgrades that you have picked up that appear on the screen are activated by
   using the 'Enter' key (unless you have remapped it to another key).  The ones that do
   not appear are special ammunition for sniper mode.  The chart in the lower left corner
   of the sniper mode view shows how many different types of ammunition you have, and also
   the number of rounds.  You can toggle through the ammunition using either the number keys
   or the bracket keys (again, unless you have remapped those commands to other keys).

Q: IÆm having trouble aiming quickly enough in sniper mode. Any suggestions?
A: Keep the zoom level very low when finding targets.  Put the crosshairs on the target
   and then zoom in.  This method is much more effective than zooming in and then trying
   to acquire the target.  You can also use the mouse to aim, with the A + Z keys to zoom
   in and out.

Q: I'm in the ship, now what?
A: Bombs Away!  Use the control key (or whatever you set up as your fire button) to drop
   bombs, and the arrow keys to aim.  To make it really easy, you can even use the mouse
   to aim and drob the bombs. You've got unlimited ammunition so have fun!


Q: Where can I get further technical assistance or ask game play questions?
A: In North America, contact Playmates Interactive Entertainment, Inc.
   In the rest of the world, contact Interplay Productions.
http://www.interplay.com
http://www.playmatestoys.com
http://www.shiny.com

Q: When is the full version of the game due for release?
A: It should be out this spring (1997).  Contact you local software store for exact
   dates.

MDK IS CURRENTLY STILL IN TESTING AND WILL BE FURTHER REFINED, TUNED, AND TWEAKED BEFORE
WE RELEASE THE FULL VERSION.  IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS, PLEASE CONTACT THE CUSTOMER
SERVICE PEOPLE AT INTERPLAY OR PLAYMATES INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT.  BY DOING THIS YOU WILL
HELP US INSURE THAT THE FINAL PRODUCT IS AS BUG FREE AS POSSIBLE.  IF YOU HAVE COMMENTS ON
HOW WE MIGHT IMPROVE THE GAME IN THE TIME REMAINING, WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
THANK YOU, AND WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED PLAYING MDK AS MUCH AS WE HAVE CREATING IT.

SOFTWARE USE LIMITATIONS AND LIMITED LICENSE

The Software, including, without limitation, all code, data structures,
characters, images, sounds, text, screens, game play, derivative works and all other
elements of the Software may not be copied (except as provided below), resold, rented,
leased, distributed (electronically or otherwise), used on  pay-per-play, coin-op or other
for-charge basis,  or for any commercial purpose. You may make copies of the Software
for your personal noncommercial home entertainment use and to give to friends and
acquaintances on a no cost noncommercial basis.  This limited right to copy the Software
expressly excludes any copying or distribution of the Software on a commercial basis,
including, without limitation, bundling the product with any other product or service and
any give away of the Software in connection with another product or service. Any
permissions granted herein are provided on a temporary basis and can be withdrawn at any time.  All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

Acceptance of License Terms.  By downloading or acquiring and then retaining this
Software, you assent to the terms and restrictions of this limited license.  If you acquired
the Software and do not accept the terms of this limited license, you must return the
Software together with all packaging, manuals and other material contained therein to the
store where you acquired the Software for a full refund and if you downloaded the
Software, you must delete it.

MDK and all related characters/artwork (c) 1997 Shiny Entertainment, Inc.  ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED.  For information: http://www.shiny.com