PC PowerPlay 31/CDPowerplay31.iso/GAMES/ds/data1.cab/Program_Executable_Files/DS ReadMe.txt

Text File | 1998-09-29 | 19.2 KB | 440 lines

    ==================================
         Dominant Species Demo
    Readme for Version 0.5    9/29/98
    ==================================

=========================
From the Development Team
=========================

Thank you for trying the Dominant Species Demo! We hope you have as much fun playing the
game as we did creating it. Please be sure to read this text file, as it contains important
information regarding gameplay in Dominant Species.


============
Known Issues
============

If you experience problems installing Dominant Species, please shut down all programs
and retry. Dominant Species installs certain dll's that may be in use by other programs,
and can cause the install to halt before completion.

If you receive the following error message while installing Dominant Species:
Error during move data process: -113 In file POZ Format.txt
You are currently using DOS drivers for your CD-ROM drive. You can correct this by updating
your CD-ROM drivers to the current Win95/98 version.

There is an error in our documentation. Holding down the Ctrl key and right or left
arrow keys do not cause the camera to strafe. This is how it is supposed to work.

Dominant Species does not support the Windows key, the Alt-Tab key, or other keyboard
shortcuts for switching applications. Programs running in the background can cause Dominant
Species to stop responding or crash. We advise that you shut down all other applications
before running Dominant Species.

Do not map key commands to the alpha numeric keys on the keypad to the right of the
keyboard.

If you have a Matrox G200, there is a known issue with the Matrox drivers. The drivers do
not support antialiasing. You can correct this by opening the DominantSpecies.ini file
in your Windows directory and change AntiAlias=1 to AntiAlias=0. The problem should be fixed
when Matrox releases a new set of Drivers for the G200.

It has also been noticed that certain Matrox 2-D cards such as the Millenium II can
have improved visual performance by disabling antialiasing. This is true even if the 2-D
card is running in conjunction with a separate 3-D accelerator card. You can disable
antialiasing by opening the DominantSpecies.ini file in your Windows directory
and change AntiAlias=1 to AntiAlias=0.

If you have a Verite 2100 chip on your video card, you will notice lines on the terrain.
This can be corrected by opening the DominantSpecies.ini file in your Windows directory
and change AntiAlias=1 to AntiAlias=0.

If the terrain has white patches on it, and several objects in the game also have the
same white patches, you have run out of texture memory. This will only happen if you
are running the game with 3-D hardware acceleration.  You can confirm this by running
Dominant Species in software mode. If all the textures are present, then the problem is
that the video card is running out of texture memory. This problem is most prevalent on
S3 Virge cards with less than 2 MB of texture memory.  The system requirements require
that the video card have at least 4 Megs of RAM on board.  If it has less, then the card
is not supported.

If there are black patches behind all of the Special Effects, the video card is not using
Alpha Blending. When Dominant Species first runs, it checks to see if your video card has
a flag set that normally indicates if it is capable of handling alpha blending.  In some
cases, cards do handle alpha blending, but do not have this flag set.  If this is the case
with your card, then go into the graphics options menu, and set the alpha blending option
to true. When you save the changes to your settings, the black patches should go away.

If you have a three button Logitech mouse with Logitech mouse driver version 8.01, the
center button may not initially function with Dominant Species. You can correct this by
selecting the mouse properties under the control panel and choosing the button tab. Under
the button tab select options. Select the autoscroll tab and check the box that reads,
"Use Office 97 Compatibility Scroll Only"


=============
General Notes
=============

If you receive the message "unable to load default game" when trying to start Dominant
Species, verify that DirectX5.0 or higher is installed, if not, the program will not run.

If your mouse has three buttons, the center button (flywheel) should always perform the
clear selection function.

The space bar will also perform the clear selection function. Clear selection can be
remapped to a different key under customize unit controls.

If Dominant Species is running slowly on your system, there are several steps you can take
to improve performance (frame-rate).  Under graphics options, there is a setting called
Detail Level. You can trade visual quality for increases in speed by adjusting the detail
level down. You can also customize detail level by toggling detail level till it says
custom. Once in custom graphics, you can adjust the following options individually. We
recommend using the order listed below.

* Switch fog off
* Adjust model detail to low
* Adjust terrain detail to a lower setting
* Adjust special effects to a lower setting
* Switch clouds off
* Switch terrain shadows off
* Turn off model shadows
* Adjust water detail to low

These two setting are found under graphics options. Once you adjust the following setting,
you may want to readjust the detail level or custom graphics for the game.

* Making you screen size smaller
* Switch the resolution to 320x240

An additional feature not listed in the manual is the ability to turn off ambient sounds.
Turning off ambient sounds can cause an increase in game performance.


================
Networking Notes
================

The game may suffer lag in a network game as you create more and more creatures. This is
because all objects in Dominant Species are truly 3-D, and each object requires bandwidth
for sending around information such as orientation and animation.

If you are the server, you can adjust the number of updates sent to the clients. The greater
the frequency of updates results in the clients being more in sync with the server. Under
multiplayer options there is an option called net update speed. The higher the number
results in more updates being sent to the clients. The default is set to 1. If you are
serving the game over a fast modem connection or LAN, you may want to adjust this setting.

If your computer has both a LAN connection and a modem connection, you need to read the
following section.

If you are dialed out on the modem, the game will default to it for sending and receiving
information. You cannot connect to a LAN game with an active modem connection. Attempting
to connect to a LAN game or doing a search for LAN games while the modem is connected will
have no results.

Trying to play Dominant Species over a modem with a disconnected network card (not
currently hooked up to your LAN) will result in an inability to connect over the modem to
the network that your card is configured for. You will be able to connect to all other
networks. To correct this, run WINIPCFG.EXE and release the IP address for the network card.


===========
Video Notes
===========

Dominant Species requires at least 2 megabytes of texture memory to run properly with
hardware acceleration. On cards with less memory the textures will be reduced to fit the
available space. This may result in an unacceptable degradation of image quality. You can
force the game to render in software mode (which will use full resolution textures) by
setting the 3D hardware option to False in the graphics options.

Please see the Known Issues section above for problems related to the Matrox G200 and
video cards with the Verite 2100 chip set.

Chipsets supported by Dominant Species:
Voodoo
Voodoo Rush
Voodoo II
Matrox G200
Verite 2100
Verite 2200
Riva 128
Rage Pro
Rage II
Rage II+

Ensure that the latest drivers are downloaded from your card's manufacturer
Diamond        www.diamondmm.com
Matrox        www.matrox.com
Creative Labs    www.soundblaster.com
ATI        www.atitech.com
Hercules    www.hercules.com
STB        www.stb.com

Please note that if your video card came with the computer, you may have to go to your
computer manufacturer's website to update its drivers.

For a complete list of supported hardware cards, please check our website at
http://www.redstorm.com.


======================
Hardware Compatibility
======================

Dominant Species does run on computers using Cyrix or AMD processors. However, performance
on computers using these processors may be noticeably slower.


============================
Customer Support Information
============================

Please make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements before
contacting us as our Support representatives can not help customers whose computers
do not meet the minimum requirements.

Whenever you contact Technical Support please make sure you include the following
information:

Complete Product Title (including version number)
Exact error message reported (if any) and a brief description of the problem
Processor speed and manufacturer
Amount of RAM
CD-ROM drive
Specific Sound and Video card
Operating system
Specific type of modem you are using (for problems involving multiplayer gaming)

Contact us on the Web:

Our website contains the most up-to-date Technical Support information available. We
keep the Support pages updated daily so please check here first for solutions to your
problems.

http://www.redstorm.com/gamershq/support.html

Contact us by Email:

You can also email our Support Department directly at [e-mail]. E-mail support
can take 24-72 hours depending on the volume of messages.

Contact us by Phone:

This number is for technical assistance only. Hints and tips will not be given out over
the Technical Support line. When calling our Technical Support line please make sure
you are in front of your computer and have all the necessary information on hand.

[phone]

Our Support representatives are available to help you :

Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

-Red Storm Entertainment's Tip Line-

All the hints, tricks, and Cheats! Under 18, please have you parents' permission.
Touchtone phones only.

1-900-288-CLUE (2583) $.95/min

Red Storm Entertainment's Website
http://www.redstorm.com


=================
Legal Information
=================

DOMINANT SPECIES
LIMITED USE SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT

This Limited Use Software License Agreement (the "Agreement") is a legal agreement
between you, the end-user, and Red Storm Entertainment Inc. (LICENSOR). By continuing
the installation of this game program, by loading or running the game, or by placing
or copying the game program onto your computer hard drive, you are agreeing to be bound
by the terms of this Agreement.

SOFTWARE LICENSE

1.      Grant of License.  LICENSOR grants to you the limited right to
use one (1) copy of the enclosed or foregoing game program (the
"Software"). For purposes of this section, "use" means loading the Software
into RAM, as well as installation on a hard disk or other storage device.
You agree that the Software will not be shipped, transferred or exported
into any country in violation of the U.S. Export Administration Act (or
any other law governing such matters) and that you will not utilize, in
any other manner, the Software in violation of any applicable law. The
Software is copyrighted and licensed (not sold);  the LICENSOR does
not transfer title to the Software to you.  The Software is licensed to
you, the end user alone; you agree not to transfer the software to others.
You agree to destroy all copies of the Software within three months
after license termination, although you may keep a single copy in your
archives for recordkeeping purposes.

2.      Commercial Use is Prohibited.  Under no circumstances shall
you, the end-user, be permitted, allowed or authorized to commercially
exploit the Software, or any portion thereof, such as a screen display or
a screenshot.

Neither you nor anyone at your direction shall do any of the following
acts:

    a.      Rent the Software;

    b.      Sell the Software;

    c.      Lease or lend the Software;

    d.      Offer the Software on a pay-per-play basis;

    e.      Distribute the Software; or

    f.      In any other manner and through any medium
whatsoever commercially exploit the Software or use the Software for
any commercial purpose.

3.      Additional Prohibited Uses.  Neither you, nor anyone at your
direction, shall take the following action in regard to the Software, or
any portion thereof, such as a screen display or a screenshot:

    a.      Modify, disassemble, reverse engineer or decompile the
Software;

    b.      Translate the Software;

    c.      Reproduce the Software;

    d.      Publicly display the Software; or

    e.      Prepare derivative works based upon the Software.

4.    Use of Other Material is Prohibited.  Use, in any manner, of
the trademarks, logos, symbols, art work, images, screen displays or
screenshots, sound effects, and other such material contained within,
generated by, or relating to the Software is prohibited.

5.      Restrictions Apply to Third Parties.  The prohibitions and
restrictions described herein apply to anyone in possession of the
Software.

6.      Copyright. The Software is owned by LICENSOR and its
licensors and is protected by United States copyright laws and
international treaty provisions. You must treat the Software like any
other copyrighted material.
You may not charge or receive any consideration from any other person
for the receipt or use of the Software. You agree to use your best efforts
to see that any user of the Software licensed hereunder complies with
this Agreement.

7.      Limited Warranty. LICENSOR warrants that if properly installed
and operated on a computer for which it is designed, the Software will
perform substantially in accordance with its designed purpose for a
period of ninety (90) days from the date the Software is first obtained
by an end-user. LICENSOR'S entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall
be, at LICENSOR'S option, either (a) return of the retail price paid, if any,
or (b) repair or replacement of the Software that does not meet
LICENSOR'S Limited Warranty. To make a warranty claim, return the
Software to the point of purchase, accompanied by proof of purchase,
your name, your address, and a statement of defect, or return the
Software with the above information to LICENSOR (2000 Aerial
Center Suite 110 Morrisville NC 27560). This Limited Warranty is
void if failure of the Software has resulted in whole or in part from
accident, abuse, misapplication or violation of this Agreement.
Any replacement Software will be warranted for the remainder of the
original warranty period or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer. This
warranty allocates risks of product failure between Licensee and
LICENSOR. LICENSOR'S product pricing reflects this allocation of
risk and the limitations of liability contained in this warranty.

8.      NO OTHER WARRANTIES. LICENSOR DISCLAIMS ALL
OTHER WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE SOFTWARE AND THE
ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS, IF ANY. THIS
LIMITED WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS.
YOU MAY HAVE OTHERS WHICH VARY FROM JURISDICTION
TO JURISDICTION.  LICENSOR DOES NOT WARRANT THAT
THE OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE WILL BE
UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR FREE OR MEET LICENSEE'S
SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS.  THE WARRANTY SET FORTH
ABOVE IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER EXPRESS WARRANTIES
WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN. THE AGENTS, EMPLOYEES,
DISTRIBUTORS, AND DEALERS OF LICENSOR ARE NOT
AUTHORIZED TO MAKE MODIFICATIONS TO THIS
WARRANTY, OR ADDITIONAL WARRANTIES ON BEHALF OF
LICENSOR. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS SUCH AS DEALER
ADVERTISING OR PRESENTATIONS, WHETHER ORAL OR
WRITTEN, DO NOT CONSTITUTE WARRANTIES BY LICENSOR
AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON.

9.      Limitation of Liabilities. LICENSOR SHALL NOT BE LIABLE
FOR LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS,
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR
OTHER SIMILAR DAMAGES ARISING FROM BREACH OF
WARRANTY, BREACH OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, OR
OTHER LEGAL THEORY EVEN IF LICENSOR OR ITS AGENT
HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental
or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not
apply to you. The limitations of liability described in this section also
apply to any third party supplier of Redistributable Code. LICENSOR and its
third party suppliers' limitations of liability are not cumulative. Each third
party supplier is an intended beneficiary of this section.

10.     General Provisions. Neither this Agreement nor any part or
portion of the Software maybe assigned or sublicensed, except as
described herein. Should any provision of this Agreement be held to be void,
invalid, unenforceable or illegal by a court, the validity and enforceability
of the other provisions shall not be affected thereby. If any provision is
determined to be unenforceable, you agree to a modification of such
provision to provide for enforcement of the provision's intent, to the
extent permitted by applicable law. Failure of a party to enforce any
provision of this Agreement shall not constitute or be construed as a
waiver of such provision or of the right to enforce such provision. If
you fail to comply with any terms of this Agreement, YOUR LICENSE
IS AUTOMATICALLY TERMINATED. Note to United States government users -
the Software is subject to restrictions and provided with restricted rights.

11.    YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS
AGREEMENT, YOU UNDERSTAND THIS AGREEMENT, AND
UNDERSTAND THAT BY CONTINUING THE INSTALLATION
OF THE SOFTWARE, BY LOADING OR RUNNING THE
SOFTWARE, OR BY PLACING OR COPYING THE SOFTWARE
ONTO YOUR COMPUTER HARD DRIVE, YOU AGREE TO BE
BOUND BY THIS AGREEMENT'S TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT, EXCEPT FOR ANY WRITTEN
SEPARATE AGREEMENTS BETWEEN LICENSOR AND YOU,
THIS AGREEMENT IS A COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE
STATEMENT OF THE RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES OF THE
PARTIES. THIS AGREEMENT SUPERSEDES ANY AND ALL
PRIOR ORAL AGREEMENTS, PROPOSALS OR
UNDERSTANDINGS, AND ANY OTHER COMMUNICATIONS
BETWEEN LICENSOR AND YOU RELATING TO THE SUBJECT
MATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT.


=====================
Copyright Information
=====================
Dominant Species (c) 1998 by Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.

Dominant Species, Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. and the Red Storm Entertainment Logo are
trademarks of Red Storm Entertainment. Windows(r) 95 is a registered trademark of Microsoft
Corporation. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.

We hope you enjoy playing Dominant Species!