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- Baldur's Gate Interactive Demo
- Readme File
-
-
- Baldur's Gate (tm)
- Demo Version 1.0.0
-
- Contents
- 1. Getting Started
- a. System Requirements
- b. Installation
- c. Running the Baldur's Gate Demo
- d. Configuration Program - Baldur's Gate Config
- e. Visit the Baldur's Gate Web Site
- f. Revision History
- 2. How to Play
- a. Creating a Character
- b. General Controls
- c. Tweaking Performance
- d. Known Problems
- 3. Information
- a. Ordering: North America
- b. Ordering: Europe
- c. Customer Service: North America
- d. Customer Service: Europe
- 4. Legal Information
-
- Version Limitations:
- *This demo version of Baldur's Gate is much smaller and is only
- designed to give a flavor for the whole game. We have not
- included any major quests or much of the storyline. Rather, it
- is designed to introduce you to the interface, combat, and the
- system of Baldur's Gate - not to introduce you to the entire
- experience that is the full product.
- *Games saved with the demo are not compatible with the full version
- of Baldur's Gate.
- *Multiplayer is completely disabled.
- *Import/export of characters is completely disabled.
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 1. Getting Started
-
- 1a. System Requirements
-
- Required:
- Pentium (or compatible) 166 MHz
- 16 MB RAM
- *32 MB RAM for multiplayer
- Windows 95 with DirectX 5.0 or later
- 320 MB of Hard Drive Space
- *380 MB of Hard Drive Space for multiplayer
- 4X or faster CD-ROM
- DirectX Certified Video Card with at least 2 MB of video RAM
- DirectX Certified Sound Card
- Keyboard, Mouse
-
- *Multiplayer functionality is not included in this demo version.
-
- Recommended:
- Pentium (or compatible) 200 MHz with MMX
- 32 MB RAM
- 570 MB (or more) of Hard Drive Space
- 8X (or faster) CD-ROM
- DirectX certified Video Card with at least 4 MB of video RAM
-
- Notes on Video Cards:
- While you can still run Baldur's Gate with a 1 meg video card, we highly
- recommend against it - performance will be very poor. To check if your
- video card is 2 meg, go to the Display folder in the Control Panel and
- choose Settings. If your video card can display 800x600 resolution at
- 24-bit color depth, then it is capable of running Baldur's Gate. We do
- recommend that you obtain the latest DirectX drivers for your video
- card, direct from the video card company that makes your card.
-
- WINDOWS NT 4.0:
- Although Windows NT 4.0 is not supported in an official capacity, Baldur's
- Gate can be run correctly under Windows NT 4.0 if the following conditions
- are met: You will need at least 32 MB of RAM and must have NT 4.0 Service
- Pack 3 installed. If you wish to run multiplayer, then Service Pack 4 is
- required. Slow downs during gameplay have been reported under NT. These
- are due to the way that Direct Sound and the System Timers interact. This
- may be corrected in future versions of NT.
-
-
- 1b. Installation
-
- Insert the CD-ROM containing the Baldur's Gate Demo into your CD-ROM drive
- and follow the onscreen instructions. If your autorun is disabled, find
- the autorun.exe application in the root of the CD and double click to
- launch the Installer.
-
- To install DirectX 6.0, open the folder on the CD entitled DirectX. Then
- select the item, DXSetup.exe. Follow the onscreen prompts. If you obtain
- a newer version of DirectX, it is recommended that you use that.
-
- Later versions of DirectX often have driver updates which will make
- Baldur's Gate run better on your system. However, Baldur's Gate only
- requires v 5.0.
-
- Minimum install versus recommended install:
- A minimum install represents the base information required to be on the
- hard drive to play. A recommended install includes more information that
- would otherwise have to be loaded each time - for example, there are more
- custom sound sets available for use by your created characters and there is
- more music available in the recommended install. You must leave the CD in
- the drive at all times when playing with a Minimum Install.
-
-
- 1c. Running the Baldur's Gate Demo
-
- If you use the default installation settings for the Baldur's Gate Demo, it
- will be installed in a 'Black Isle' Program Group in your Start menu.
-
-
- 1d. Baldur's Gate Config
-
- One program of note in your Program Group is the Baldur's Gate Config
- program. This application will allow you to set the various hotkeys for
- the game as well as set up several other options. The various options are
- contained within four tabs. The various Shortcut tabs allow you to modify
- the different 'hotkeys' for the game. Refer to your Game Manual for
- information about these. The Options tab contains various game settings:
- 1. Region: This setting is used for Gamespy connections
- *This does nothing in this demo version.
- 2. Cache Size: The Cache is Hard Disk space that is reserved by Baldur's
- Gate for storing area data. The more cache you make available to the
- title, the less loading you will have to do when returning to areas
- in the game.
- 3. Game Speed: The Game Speed setting allows you to speed up EVERYTHING
- in the game. Because Baldur's Gate is real time, allowing running
- unbalances the game. The Game Speed option allows the user to speed
- up the overall play of the game. This option is not officially
- supported and could cause problems, especially in multiplayer. The
- default setting is 30 AI Updates/Second.
- Note: this will result in a performance hit on any machine because the
- game is attempting to process all data at a higher speed. This will
- cause more slowdown in various places in the game.
-
-
- 1e. Baldur's Gate Web Page
-
- If there is anything that are having problems with or cannot find in the
- manual, stop by the Baldur's Gate Web Page at http://www.interplay.com.
- Aside from cool game materials and errata, you may be able to find an
- answer for whatever question you might have.
-
-
- 1f. Revision History
-
- 1.0.0
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 2. How to Play the Demo
-
- 2a. Creating a Character
-
- When you begin the game you will first need to create a character.
- Select New Game and the Character Creation screen will come up.
- Click on Gender to start the process. After choosing Male or Female
- move down the catagories to select Race, Class, Alignment, Abilities,
- Skills, Appearance, and Name. Each of these items will be explained
- in the text box at the bottom of the window that comes up for each.
-
- After you have created your character, click on Accept and the demo
- will begin.
-
- 2b. General Controls
-
- Character Selection: You can select any single character by clicking
- on his/her base in the main game screen. You can select multiple
- characters by holding the left mouse button and dragging a box across
- the main game screen. All characters within the box will be selected.
- You can also select characters by left clicking the character portraits
- that are displayed on the right side of the screen. SHIFT clicking and
- CTRL clicking also work to select specific members of your party.
- If you have all of the characters selected, you will be offered options
- that apply to the entire party rather than to a specific character.
- To select specific actions for any given character, you need to select
- that character first by left clicking on the character's base or by
- clicking the character portrait. After that character is selected
- (denoted by a brighter green box only around the specified character),
- you can choose specific actions for that character.
-
- Basic Actions: Baldur's Gate will determine for you a default action in
- the main game screen based on what you are attempting to interact
- with. For example, if you wish to interact with a neutral creature in
- the game, the cursor that comes up will be of two faces facing each
- other, or the 'TALK' cursor. If that creature is hostile, then the
- cursor that will come up is the sword which means 'ATTACK'. For
- searching, the most common cursor that will come up is the 'GET ITEM'
- cursor, which shows the hand holding a ring. Other common cursors are
- the 'DOOR' cursor, which indicates that you either wish to open or
- travel though a door. Note that to go through an unlocked, closed
- door, you will need to have one of your characters first open the
- door, and then select all of your party members to travel through the
- door.
-
- Available actions for a single character are shown while that character
- is selected. These actions are depicted by icons at the bottom of the
- screen. If you have only one character selected, the options that come
- up at the bottom of the screen will depend entirely on the class of the
- character selected. The first several buttons will be reserved for
- quick weapons and the last few reserved for quick items. Between those
- two will be class specific buttons. For a Thief, the buttons will be
- stealth and thieving, a Mage will have slots for quick spells. A
- cleric will have icons for quick spells and turning undead. If a
- character has no special abilities, like a Fighter, then those slots
- will be available for more quick weapons and more quick items --
- reflecting a Fighters ability to respond with items and combat in a
- tight situation.
-
- Configure the quick item buttons on the inventory page and select them
- for use with a left click on the main game GUI.
-
- Pop-Up Help: If you are confused about what an icon in the game is,
- or about a creature or anything else, just position the cursor over
- it. Windows tool tip pop-up help will appear after a few
- seconds. This will show what the icon stands for, or who or what the
- item is.
- Note: if you have not identified an item, it will bring up a generic
- description.
-
- Pausing the Game: Baldur's Gate uses a real-time engine. At any time
- during play, you can pause by tapping the space bar or clicking on
- the clock in the bottom left of the game screen. While the game is
- paused, you are free to give actions to any of your party members.
- When you un-pause the game, your characters will use the orders given
- to them last.
-
- Note that if you enter the inventory screen, the game will un-pause.
- This is not a bug. This is intentional and is meant to keep players
- from trading items and equipping items in the middle of combat. For
- all intents and purposes, the player should have the characters fully
- equipped before entering a battle.
-
- Traveling from one area to another: when you want to leave an area, you
- must travel to the edge of that area. When you are at the edge of that
- area there will be a cursor which depicts a wheel. This cursor
- indicates that you are at the edge of the area and wish to travel to a
- different area.
-
- When you have decided to leave one area, you must gather up your entire
- party to venture forth. If all of the party members are not present,
- you must locate the party members that are missing and get them to join
- up with you.
-
- Inventory, Spells, and other interface screens: the buttons on the left
- side of the screen lead to the various interface screens for your
- characters and game options. The buttons from top to bottom are as
- follows:
- Skull: returns you to the main game screen.
- Map: shows the map for the area you are currently in. Once on the Area
- map you can view the world map by clicking the 'globe' button in the
- top right.
- Journal: the journal will record notes of your travels.
- Inventory: the inventory allows you to equip your character(s) and
- manage the items they currently possess. Dragging and dropping of
- items is the easiest way to move things around in your inventory.
- Character Record: the record sheet displays information about your
- characters.
- Spell Book/Priest Scroll: the spell book and priest scroll both work
- the same way. Known spells are shown on the right, memorized spells
- on the left. You can move spells back and forth between the two sides
- by clicking on the icons for the spells. When spells are selected to
- be memorized, they will be dithered, which means you must rest before
- you can use the spell. Right clicking on the spells will bring up
- descriptions of them.
- Game Options: the game options button allows you to change a lot of
- stuff in the game such as graphics and sound settings. From this menu
- you can also save and load the game.
-
- Resting: the majority of resting should be done in an Inn if possible.
- However, if you are in the wilds and wish to rest, click the button
- which comes up in the bottom right of the screen when you are in any
- of the interface screens.
- Resting takes 8 hours and will heal your characters some based on the
- conditions where they are resting. Resting allows your characters to
- memorize their spells. Resting outside or in unsafe places could make
- your party vulnerable to random creatures wandering the area.
-
-
- 2c. Tweaking Performance
-
- Increasing Performance:
-
- 1. Weather. In the options menu under 'GamePlay', turn off Weather. The
- graphic effects that rain and snow use can cause large performance
- drops on lower end machines. This does not affect gameplay in any way.
- 2. Translucent Shadows. In the options menu under 'Graphics', turn off
- translucent shadows. Turning this off will cause all shadows to appear
- solid, rather than blending a dark shadow onto the background.
- 3. Character Movement Sounds. In the options menu under 'Sound/Character
- Sound', turn off Character Movement Sounds.
- 4. Other Audio. Turning off any of the audio may result in a performance
- increase. Moving the sliders in the options menu under 'Sound' all the
- way to the left will completely disable the playing of these sounds.
- 5. Virtual Memory. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND ADJUSTING YOUR VIRTUAL MEMORY.
- Baldur's Gate will eagerly use up any Virtual Memory (hard drive) and
- non-Virtual Memory (RAM) you allocate to it. If you choose to add more
- memory to your system, or increase the size of your Windows swap file,
- the game speed MAY increase. However, as you increase your Virtual
- Memory, expect longer clearing times to remove this 'Virtual Memory'
- from the hard drive after the game is terminated.
-
- Things that will Decrease Performance:
-
- 1. Brightness/Contrast. Adjusting the default settings for these options
- (located in the options menu under 'Graphics') will result in a
- performance hit. If you find the game is too dark, we suggest
- adjusting your monitor's brightness.
- 2. DirectX Hardware Calls. In the options menu under 'Graphics' there are
- three toggles for various 'BLTS'. Enabling these will result in a
- (sometimes drastic) performance hit. We recommend enabling these only
- if you have graphics glitches that you have been unable to resolve.
- 3. Running the game in Windowed Mode.
- Running the game in a Window on your desktop will decrease the
- overall game performance.
-
- Pathing Performance:
-
- To increase the path searching AI, the following entry can be modified
- in the baldur.ini file that is installed in the root of the installation
- directory:
-
- [Program Options]
- Path Search Nodes=4000
-
- To increase or decrease the AI, vary the number of Nodes (4000 above).
- The range can vary from 2000 to 32000.
- Increases the number above will increase the number of nodes in path
- searching at the expense of responsiveness to movement commands. Note
- that unless your machine is slower than a P2 you can probably set the
- value to 32000 and not notice any speed difference. This will help
- fix getting stuck on terrain obstacles.
-
-
- 2d. Known Problems
-
- * Graphic Errors
- Some video cards may experience graphics glitches while playing the
- game. These problems are caused by DirectX Hardware Calls to your
- video card that are not functioning. We have written software renders
- for all of these calls to allow people to play even with drivers that
- are not 100% compatible with the DirectX standards. You can enable a
- software render for these calls if you have the most recent drivers
- for your video card and are still experiencing problems. Using the
- software render will probably fix the graphic glitches, but WILL
- result in a performance hit.
-
- IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE GRAPHICAL DISPLAY OF BALDUR'S
- GATE, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE LATEST VERSION OF YOUR VIDEO
- DRIVERS. DRIVER UPDATES ARE AVAILABLE AT MOST (if not all) HARDWARE
- MANUFACTURERS AND CHIPSET MANUFACTURERS SITES ON THE INTERNET.
-
- You may also try installing DirectX 6.0+ if you are experiencing
- graphical problems.
-
- If you have the most recent drivers for your video card, and you are
- still experiencing problems, you can enable software renders for these
- calls. The options are available in the options menu under 'Graphics'.
- The following list describes the known graphics glitches and which Call
- should be disabled to fix them. If in doubt, try different
- combinations and this may help. You can always turn off all software
- renders to return to the default settings.
- ------------------------------------------------------------
- Glitch Disable
- ------------------------------------------------------------
- -green boxes surrounding Software Transparent BLT
- any object in the game
- -box surrounding mouse cursor
-
- -animations appearing Software Mirror BLT
- 'reversed'
- -Fog-of-War appears in
- a 'semi-checkerboard'
- pattern
- -fog-of-War has edges
- that look 'spiky'
-
- -vertical lines down Software Standard BLT
- the main game screen
- -the game Cursor is
- leaving 'artifacts' of
- itself on the game screen
- -any other non-resolved
- graphics problem
-
- Specific Video Cards and Fixes
- ------------------------------------------------------------
- Matrox Millenium (1) : Enable Software Mirror and Software
- Transparent BLTs.
- Permidia : Enable Software Standard BLT.
-
- * Minimizing Baldur's Gate
- If you minimize Baldur's Gate using either Alt-Enter or Alt-Tab (and
- then bring it back up by left clicking on the minimized application),
- the sound effects for the game will stutter, loop, and skip. This is
- caused by a lack of resources available to Baldur's Gate after you
- go from full screen to a minimized screen, and it will correct itself
- after a short period of time.
- If you minimize Baldur's Gate and then bring it back up, the game may
- run more slowly for a time. This is caused by the game re-accessing
- resources that become tied up by minimization.
- Running the game in a window may result in lower performance overall.
- * NT 4.0: Screen-Saver
- While running under Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3, we have
- experienced intermittent problems with Screen Savers. We recommend
- disabling your Screen Saver while playing Baldur's Gate.
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 3. Information
-
- Baldur's Gate is available now! Baldur's Gate was released worldwide in
- December 1998. Visit your local retailer or check out the information
- below to get your copy.
-
- Features:
- Huge game world - Five CD set filled with over 10,000 scrolling game screens
- Gripping non-linear adventure that spans seven chapters and dozens of subplots.
- Transparent interface can be modified to play in turn based or real time mode,
- and makes it possible to play without knowing AD&D« rules.
- Set in TSR's best-selling Forgotten Realms« campaign setting, the most popular
- and longest running of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons« roleplaying game
- worlds.
- Full multiplayer capabilities - up to six players via modem, LAN, and TCP/IP,
- including support for GameSpy and HeatNet.
-
-
- 3a. Ordering info: United States and Canada
-
- Call 1-800 INTERPLAY to order by credit card, and remember to mention the
- code BGE2. Or visit your favorite game software retailer.
-
- Visit the website at www.interplay.com/bgate
-
- 3b. Ordering info: Europe
-
- Mail order is not available at present in the UK.
- For distribution details, please call Interplay Productions, Ltd.
- in the UK on: +44 (0) 1628 423666.
- You may also fax to: +44 (0) 1628 423777
-
- Or see your local software retailer for this and other great Interplay
- titles.
-
-
- 3c. Customer Service Information for North America
-
- This information is only valid in North America.
-
- TECHNICAL SUPPORT TROUBLESHOOTING DOCUMENTS ONLINE!
- Interplay Productions Technical Support now offers troubleshooting guides
- with complete installation and setup instructions as well as information
- that will help you overcome the most common difficulties. If you have
- access to the World Wide Web, you can find these at:
-
- www.interplay.com/support/
-
- Here you will find troubleshooting information on as well as information
- on regular system maintenance and performance.
-
- DirectX www.interplay.com/support/directx/
- Joysticks www.interplay.com/support/joystick/
- Modems and Networks www.interplay.com/support/modem/
-
- (For game-specific information and additional troubleshooting, visit our
- main page at www.interplay.com)
-
- If you have questions about the program, our Technical Support Department
- can help. Our web site contains up-to-date information on the most common
- difficulties with our products, and this information is the same as that
- used by our product support technicians. We keep the product support pages
- updated on a regular basis, so please check here first for no-wait
- solutions:
-
- www.interplay.com/support/
-
- If you are unable to find the information you need on our web site, please
- feel free to contact Technical Support via e-mail, phone, fax, or letter.
- Please be sure to include the following information in your e-mail message,
- fax, or letter:
- Title of Game
- Computer manufacturer
- * Operating system (Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 98, etc.)
- CPU type and speed in MHz
- Amount of RAM
- Sound card type and settings (address, IRQ, DMA)
- Video card
- CD-ROM
- Mouse driver and version
- Joystick and game card (if any)
- A copy of the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files from your hard drive
- A description of the problem you're having
- If you need to talk to someone immediately, call us at (949) 553-6678
- Monday through Friday between 8:00AM-5: 45PM, Pacific Standard Time with
- 24 hours, 7 days a week support available through the use of our automated
- wizard. Please have the above information ready when you call. This will
- help us answer your question in the shortest possible time. When you call
- you will initially be connected with our automated wizard. For
- information pertaining to your specific title, press "1" on the main menu
- and listen carefully to all prompts. All titles are listed alphabetically.
- After you have selected your title, the most common difficulties will be
- listed. If the difficulty you are having is not listed or you need
- additional assistance, you may press "0" on your games main menu, and you
- will be transferred to a Technical Support Representative. No hints or
- codes are available from this line. You must call Interplay's HINT Line
- for hints, tips, or codes at 1-900-370-PLAY (1-900-451-6869 $1.25 in
- Canada only). You must be 18 years +, have a touch-tone phone, and the
- cost is $0.95 per minute.
-
- Interplay Productions Support Fax: (949) 252-2820
- Interplay Productions Technical Support
- 16815 Von Karman Avenue
- Irvine, CA 92606
- HOW TO REACH US ONLINE
- INTERNET E-MAIL: support@interplay.com
- WORLD WIDE WEB: www.interplay.com
- FTP: ftp.interplay.com
-
-
- 3d. Customer Service Information for Europe
-
- This information is not valid in North America.
-
- Write to: Customer Support
- Interplay Productions, Ltd.
- Harleyford Manor
- Harleyford
- Henley Road
- Marlow
- Buckinghamshire
- SL7 2DX
- ENGLAND
-
- tel: +44 (0) 1628 423723
- Fax: +44 (0) 1628 423777
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 4. Legal Information
-
- Software Use Limitations and Limited License
- This special preview version of Baldur's Gate (the "Software") is
- intended solely for your personal noncommercial home entertainment use.
- You may not decompile, reverse engineer, or disassemble the Software,
- except as permitted by law. Interplay Productions and Bioware Corp retain
- all rights and title in the Software including all intellectual property
- rights embodied therein and derivatives thereof. You are granted a revocable,
- nonassignable limited license to create derivative works of this Software
- solely for your own personal noncommercial home entertainment use and may
- publicly display such derivative works to the extent specifically authorized
- by Interplay in writing. A copy of this authorization, if any, will be
- provided on InterplayÆs World Wide Web site, located at
- http://www.interplay.com, or by contacting the legal department of Interplay
- Productions in the US at +(949) 553-6655. 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 by Interplay Productions 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.
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- BALDUR'S GATE: Developed and (c)1998 BioWare Corp. All Rights Reserved.
- Baldur's Gate, Forgotten Realms, the Forgotten Realms logo, Advanced Dungeons
- & Dragons, the AD&D logo, and the TSR logo are trademarks of TSR, Inc., a
- subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and are used by Interplay under
- license. All Rights Reserved. BioWare, the BioWare logo and The BioWare
- Infinity Engine are the trademarks of Bioware Corp. All Rights Reserved.
- Interplay, the Interplay logo, Black Isle Studios, the Black Isle Studios
- logo, and "By Gamers. For Gamers." are trademarks of Interplay Productions.
- All Rights Reserved. Exclusively licensed and distributed by Interplay
- Productions. All other trademarks and copyrights are property of their
- respective owners.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- EOF
-
-
-