Thank you for your purchase of Official Formula 1 Racing. This readme file contains troubleshooting and last minute gameplay information.
NOTICE: We do not support gameplay on Windows NT, compressed hard drives or Windows emulators. Though the game will sometimes play, its performance and stability will be erratic.
Minimum specification:
P90
Windows 95/98
16 MB RAM
1MB Direct X 6 Compatible Graphics Card
Direct X 6 Compatible Soundcard
4X CD ROM
Recommended specification:
P200
Windows 95/98
32 MB RAM
2MB Direct X 6 Compatible Graphics Card
Direct X 6 Compatible Soundcard
4X CD ROM
INSTALLATION
In order to ensure that you machine is running at its cleanest you may wish
to follow these simple maintenance instructions before you install the game. (Note. You do so at your own risk)
- Scandisk your hard drive
- Defragment your hard drive
- Reclaim hard drive space by deleting unnecessary files (look in your
windows\temp file for prime candidates)
- Verify that you have at least 100MB of free hard drive space (after game
install) for Windows swap file
Now you can install your Official Formula 1 Racing onto your hard drive.
GRAPHICAL OPTIONS
Official Formula 1 Racing offers three modes of 3D graphical display:
- Software: you do not need a 3D graphical accelerator.
- D3D: you need a D3D compatible 3D accelerator with at least 8Mb.
- GLIDE: you need a 3DFX chip based graphical accelerator.
COMPATIBILITY
Official Formula 1 Racing was run through our compatibility labs. However, due to the myriad PC specifications in the consumer market, we cannot guarantee full compatibility with your system.
Some tips to improve compatibility:
1. Update your video and soundcards with the latest drivers. Contact the
vendor of your card. (Using Beta listed drivers is not recommended)
2. Verify that your system is not running in compatibility mode. Click on
the START MENU, then click on the SETTINGS option, then click on the
CONTROL PANEL. Here select the SYSTEM settings. Then select the
PERFORMANCE tab. In the list, both File System and Virtual Memory
should read 32 bit. If not, there is a driver or system conflict that
you need to address. In this same dialog box, click the DEVICE MANAGER
tab. Here any hardware device with a red "X" or yellow "!" is causing
the problem.
3. During installation and operation of the game, we recommend that you
disable any virus checker or screen saver program.
4. Do not play on a below minimum specification system
5. DO NOT overclock your CPU or Videocard
6. Verify you have 150MB of free hard drive storage after install
7. Purchase system hardware that is well rated and recognized for game
playing
FUTURE OFFICIAL FORMULA 1 RELEASES
Visit the Eidos Interactive website for updates after release. Shortcuts to the relevent websites can be found on the Startmenu within the weblinks directory of the Official Formula 1 Racing directory.
TROUBLESHOOTING
INSTALLATION
PROBLEM
The installation program runs very slowly.
SOLUTION
It is strongly recommended that all virus scan software is disabled when running the installation. Some programs will continuously scan the CD-Rom
for a virus while the installation program runs.
VIDEO PROBLEMS
PROBLEM
When running the game through Direct 3D and on Voodoo1 3DFX boards game performance is slow.
SOLUTION
In order to increase the speed of the game it is suggested that the player refrains from running the game with screen overlay options switched on. This should improve performance dramatically. The options that should be switched off are;
Mirrors - F6 Key
Race Information - F8 Key
TV Banners - F9 Key
Map - F10 Key
PROBLEM
I have a 3D accelerator and when I play the game, the system locks or the graphics are corrupted. What is the problem?
SOLUTION
Visit the website or contact the video card manufacturer. Get the latest certified drivers for the card. Install these drivers. If the problem persists, check that your Windows desktop is set at 16bit colors. Then disable any tweaks you may have to accelerate the videocards (if you overclock your card, it may become unstable).
SOUND PROBLEMS
PROBLEM
Why do I hear static or popping during the game?
SOLUTION
Two things may cause this problem. You may simply have the volume set too loud. Double click on the speaker icon on your desktop and move the slider of the "Wave" and "Midi" volume to the half way point. There may also be a DMA conflict with your sound card and another device on your computer. To check this click on Start>Settings>Control panel>System. When you have
System Properties displayed click on the Device Manager tab; if you see any '!' or red 'X's you have a conflict. You need to use the Windows Hardware Conflict Wizard to resolve the problem. If you cannot resolve the problem or you are unsure how to fix this problem, you will need to contact your computer manufacturer.
PROBLEM
I do not hear sound, even though my speakers are plugged in and operating?
SOLUTION
Verify that in Windows that the soundcard volume is up to mid-level for all sound reproduction. (Click on the volume systray icon) Next, in the Control Panel, click on Multimedia and verify that your soundcard is active and the PREFERED device for playback.
Finally, check the SYSTEM control panel and verify NO conflicts with the soundcard are present. INSTALL the latest drivers for your soundcard.
CD ROM
PROBLEM
The video files stutter when the play, the CD spins up for a long time, or the game installation takes a very long time.
SOLUTION
Certain CD ROM models (usually IDE 32X or 40X) have poorer seek and data transfer rates when transferring data. This is usually a limitation of the
CD ROM. You can also verify that the CD ROM has enough Windows cache (at
least 1MB), your are using the latest drivers or correct CD Drivers for your model, and that you are not running the CD ROM in compatibility mode. Also, enable DMA support (if available) for the CD ROM in Device Manager. Finally, make sure you have the CD ROM connected directly to the second IDE controller on your motherboard and not as a slave with your CD ROM drive.
STEERING WHEELS
PROBLEM
In the CONTROL sub-menu, the steering wheel is not identified has a steering wheel but as a joystick.
SOLUTION
Certain steering wheel drivers do not identify themself to DirectInput as
steering wheels but as joysticks. In that occurence the menu displays a JOYSTICK picture.
Since the game applies different control methods to joysticks and steering wheels, it is important, for taking the most of your game, that the steering wheel should be identified as such.
In the CONTROL sub-menu, when the cursor is positioned on the port with a steering wheel attached press key "W" to change from a joystick to a steering wheel.
This information is kept in the player's profile so that this identification is no longer necessary each time the game is run.
If later, you connect a joystick to that port and the steering wheel picture remains, you'll have to press "W" again to revert to the joystick picture.
PLAYER FILE
QUESTION
I encounter a situation where the game will crash systematically when run.
SOLUTION
The file " F1Player.plr " in the game sub-directory "PLR" contains the profile of the last player who played the game. The information contained in this file is valid for the game to initialise properly. If Windows was not properly shutdown, or the computer has been switched off whilst in the game, this file might of become corrupted and this results in the game crashing when being run.
In this occurrence, delete the file and recreate your player in the game.
WINDOW BASED MODE
The game is activated by default in full screen mode. After it has loaded and reached the first menu, it can be put in a window and back in full screen by entering "ATL Enter".
