Boot Disc 7/boot-disc-1997-03.iso/LinksLS/README.TXT

Text File | 1996-10-17 | 16KB | 278 lines

README             Links LS 1997 Edition 1.10
                Shareware Version
                           10/17/96

The following features of LINKS LS are not included in this version:

   - Full 18 holes play and practice. (This version will only play or
     practice the front 9 at Latrobe C.C.)
   - Kapalua Plantation and Village courses from the Kapalua Resort
     in Maui.
   - Some of the video presentations of the Kapalua Resort
   - Some of the video or Arnold Palmer and Latrobe Country Club.
   - 2 additional golfers. (young man, and young woman)
   - Support for add-on Links LS courses. (You can only play Latrobe)
   - Support for all 17 previous Links SVGA courses.

To purchase the full version of Links LS on 3 CDs, see your favorite
retailer or Call Toll Free   1-800-800-4880    24 hrs - 7days
                             or visit www.accesssoftware.com

------------------------------------------------------------
Refer to the sections below for information on the following subjects:

1.    Installation.
2.    Running under Win 95.
3.    Running in 'MS-DOS Mode' under Win 95.
4.    Running under DOS.
5.    Technical support for Links LS.
6.    Automatic Crash Recovery.
7.    Application startup sound (Crash).
8.    DOS Error:    "DOS 16m....Involuntary Switch To Real Mode"
9.    Network or Modem game out of sync.
10.   Video distorted - images shifted to upper right.
11.   Video distorted - partial image seen through wavy lines.
12.   STB video card problems (VESA Local Bus Version).
13.   How to force a Reconfiguration of Links LS.
14.   Diamond 2000 3D Video card problems.
15.   Number Nine video card problems.
16.   Use UNIVESA if possible.
17.   Changes and fixes in Links LS version 1.10.


1.  INSTALLATION:  The following installation options are
available with either SETUP (Win 95) or INSTALL (DOS):

Full:     Requires 82 MB of hard drive space and includes:
    Program files-                     30 MB
    Latrobe C.C. copied to the HD-            10 MB
        2 golfer animation sets in 30fps Jumbo size-    42 MB

Med:    Requires 62 MB of hard drive space and includes:
    Program files-                     30 MB
    Latrobe C.C. remains on the CD-             0 MB
        2 golfer animation sets in 30fps Large size-    32 MB

Min:    Requires 40 MB of hard drive space and includes:
    Program files-                      30 MB
    Latrobe C.C. remains on the CD-             0 MB
    2 golfer animation sets in 30fps minimum size-  10 MB

If you want to CUSTOMIZE your installation, install Links LS using one of
the options above, and then make changes within the game.  For instructions
on how to customize, go to the On-Line Help system in Links LS and
SEARCH for CUSTOM INSTALLATION.


2.   RUNNING UNDER WIN 95
Install the Links LS Preview by running SETUP.EXE from the CD.  After the
program files have been installed, you will enter the configuration phase of
the setup.  Here you can choose to try running under Win 95 or in 'MS-DOS
mode' under Win 95.  We suggest you try Win 95 first.  This mode uses the
Windows device drivers and operates very similar to a native Windows
application. If this mode works, it will provide the fastest launch of Links LS
and the quickest return to the Windows desktop, however it does use about 2
MB of your RAM for Windows overhead.  If the system locks up or fails to
function correctly for some reason, you should try different video and sound
configurations in an attempt to make it work.  The configuration phase of the
setup will try to inform you as to which part of the system is not working
correctly.  Be sure to read the warning and message dialogs carefully.  If you
are unable to get the game working under Win 95, you will have to try
entering MS-DOS mode.  See below for instructions on how to do this.


3.   RUNNING IN MS-DOS MODE UNDER WIN 95
Install Links LS as described above but choose 'MS-DOS mode' during the
configuration phase of the setup.  This mode partially exits Windows and sets
up DOS 7.  For Links LS to function properly in MS-DOS mode, the CD-
ROM drive and mouse will have to be operational.  Some computers set up
these devices automatically for MS-DOS mode, while others leave this task to
the user.  Links LS will check to see if the CD-ROM and mouse are available
before it attempts to configure itself for play in MS-DOS mode.  If they are
not available, you will have to set them up if you want Links LS to have full
functionality.  There is a way to run Links LS in MS-DOS mode without a
CD-ROM drive, although you will not have access to flybys, tours, or
anything which requires the CD.  See RUNNING IN MS-DOS MODE
WITHOUT A CD-ROM DRIVE below for instructions on how to do this.


4.   RUNNING UNDER DOS
Install Links LS by running INSTALL.EXE (on the CD) from the
DOS prompt.  YOU CANNOT RUN LINKS LS FROM WINDOWS 3.X.


5.   TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR LINKS LS
If you are having PROBLEMS WITH LINKS LS, please use the On-Line Help
before calling our technical support department. We have tried to cover
a broad range of potential questions and problems.  Try the HINTS and TIPS
section, the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS section, and the
TROUBLE SHOOTING and TECHNICAL SUPPORT section. If you can't get to the
On-Line Help, call us at the number below:

    Technical Support:
       [phone] (Mon-Fri, 7:30am to 8:30pm Mountain Time)
    Updates:  www.accesssoftware.com

6.  AUTOMATIC CRASH RECOVERY
Links LS is designed to run with DOS and, if possible, with Windows 95.  To
make sure that any crash is fully recoverable, Links LS has a built-in
Automatic (Emergency) Save feature.  The last two games you were playing,
whether terminated normally or not, are saved as LASTGAME and
OLDLAST.  You can resume either of these games by simply clicking on
the RESUME button at the bottom of the Links LS main menu screen.  If a
crash occurs, simply restart Links LS as usual.  When the game starts, it will
recognize that an abnormal termination occurred and will ask you if you want
to resume the previous game.  If you say YES, it will automatically resume
LASTGAME.  If you say NO, you can   still re-enter the game later by
clicking the RESUME button and then selecting LASTGAME from the list of
saved games.  Of course, if you start a new game, it will take the place of
LASTGAME and LASTGAME will take the place of OLDLAST.  The
previous version of OLDLAST will be erased.

If you're running under Win 95 and resuming your LASTGAME continues to
crash, try restarting Windows.

7.  APPLICATION STARTUP SOUND CRASH with an AZTEC sound card.
Under WIN95, you can set up a .wav file to play whenever you start an
application.  If you have assigned a long .wav file as this startup sound and
the sound is still playing when the game starts, it can crash the program.

8.  DOS ERROR:  "DOS 16M....Involuntary Switch To Real Mode"
Some cloaked mouse drivers can cause this error.  To solve the problem you
will have to remove the CLOAK.EXE entry in your AUTOEXEC.BAT.

9.  NETWORK OR MODEM GAME OUT OF SYNC
It is possible for a network or modem game to get out of sync, especially
when using a recorded player.  If this happens, you can 're-sync' by ending
the game, clicking on RESUME, and then selecting LASTGAME from the list of
saved games.

10.  VIDEO DISTORTED - IMAGES SHIFTED TO UPPER RIGHT
Some Video cards with S3 chips will configure correctly during setup, but
will later malfunction and produce distorted or shifted video.  To correct the
problem, first delete the LINKSLS.INI file in the Links LS directory (folder).
This will force a reconfigure of the video system.  Then run Links LS as
usual.  You will immediately enter the Video Configuration module.  When
you come to the screen which says TRIAL #1, press 'S' to skip to the next
trial.  Keep skipping until you get to TRIAL #7, then press the space bar to
perform this test.  This will use a special 'Jump mode' which should correct
the problem.  If TRIAL #7 does not appear, it means that the mode associated
with that trial is not available on your card.  You will have to perform the
above procedure for each available trial number until you find one that works
consistently.  There are 9 possible trials for both the UniVESA BIOS and the
On-Board/TSR BIOS for a total of 18.

11.  VIDEO DISTORTED - PARTIAL IMAGE SEEN THRU WAVY LINES
If your video card frequencies and your monitor frequencies are not in sync,
your video may be slightly to very distorted.  If your card has 2 MB or more
of video RAM, you can try selecting different resolutions (i.e. 1024x768).
To check which resolutions are compatible with your monitor, go into the
Windows display setup and set the resolution to match the one you are having
problems with in Links LS.  If it works well in windows, then something else
is causing the problem.  If the video is also distorted in Windows at the same
resolution, then you may have to get a new video card or a new monitor.

12.  STB VIDEO CARD PROBLEMS (VESA LOCAL BUS VERSION)
Some STB (VESA local bus) video cards in 486 or Pentium machines may
crash during video setup in either Win 95 or MS-DOS mode. If this happens,
try the following video configuration sequence:
  1)  Double click the RECONFIGURE icon in the Links LS program group.
  2)  Start Links LS as usual by double clicking on the LINKS LS icon.
  3)  At the 'Configuring the UniVESA BIOS' screen, press 'S' to skip.
  4)  When the screen says 'Ready to set high resolution mode', press the 'S'
key to skip trial #1. Then read the trial number and press 'S' again. (Note:
Some trial numbers do not exist for this card so watch the trial numbers
carefully.) When you are ready to perform trial #9, press the space bar to
execute this trial. You should see the Links LS screen. If you do, click the
OK button within 10 seconds to confirm the test.  You will now be able to
finish the setup procedure and play the game in this resolution which is
1024x768 - 65K colors - windowed mode.  If you try to switch to 800x600
resolution, you will probably crash although you should safely return to
1024x768 upon reboot.

13.  HOW TO FORCE A RECONFIGURATION OF LINKS LS
To force a reconfiguration of the video, sound and auxiliary systems, double
click on the RECONFIGURE icon in the Links LS program group.  You can
use this option if you are having problems setting up Links LS and would like
to reset the configuration (start over) without re-installing the game. You
may also want to use the RECONFIGURE option to switch back and forth between
Win 95 and MS-DOS modes to see which mode gives the best performance.

14.  DIAMOND 2000-3D VIDEO CARD PROBLEMS.
If you are experiencing display problems with the Diamond 2000-3D card, try
using the UniVESA BIOS.  Refer to 'DISPLAY SETUP' on pages 38 and 39 in the
manual for more information.

15.  NUMBER NINE-IMAGINE 128 VIDEO CARD PROBLEMS.
The On-board VESA BIOS for this card is nearly worthless.  It only supports
6 graphics modes (regardless of how much video memory it has), and none of
the modes have color depths greater than 256 colors.  An additional problem
is that the card incorrectly reports the amount of video memory.  The card
we tested reported 512K of memory even though it was a 4MB card. The UniVESA
BIOS version 5.2 (used in Links LS version 1.0) does not work with this card.
We have changed to UniVESA v5.3 in Links LS v1.1 specifically to solve this
problem and also force a bypass of the low video memory test.  If you have
a Number Nine - Imagine 128 card, upgrading to Links LS version 1.1 should
solve your problems.  NOTE: If you are using a memory manager such as EMM386,
you may have to exclude C800-DFFF.  If you are still experiencing problems
after upgrading to Links LS v1.1, please call our tech support department.

16.  USE UNIVESA IF POSSIBLE.
During video configuration, the program goes through the following steps:
   A.  It first generates the UniVESA driver for use later (if needed).
   B.  It sets up the card's on-board (or TSR) BIOS if it exists.
   C.  It then tests (one at a time) the nine most compatible video modes for
       the on-board BIOS.
   D.  If the card does not have an on-board or TSR BIOS or if all the tests
       (from step C) failed (or were skipped), then the program will load the
       UniVESA BIOS (from step A) and repeat the tests.

Typically, the user should click 'OK' to select the first successful mode.
This will begin the game with a base mode of either 800x600 or 1024x768 in
32k or 65k colors.  The user can then change the resolution, color depth, video
BIOS, and address modes from within the game by simply right clicking on the
Links LS main screen.  Refer to 'DISPLAY SETUP' on pages 38 and 39 in the
manual for more information.

We recommend using the UniVESA BIOS if possible.  In most cases Links LS will
run better and faster using the UniVESA BIOS rather than the OnBoard/TSR BIOS.

17.  CHANGES AND FIXES IN LINKS LS VERSION 1.1
      - Fixed various bugs when removing players.
      - Fixed a bug with some video cards continuously doing initial setup.
      - Fixed various statistical bugs.
      - Fixed a bug which disallowed commas and asterisks during modem dialing.
      - Fixed a bug which caused bogus object collisions.
      - Fixed a bug associated with left and right clicking while aiming.
      - Fixed a bug associated with verifying and converting Links386 courses.
      - Fixed a bug during verify/convert of a Links386 course from drive B.
      - Fixed a bug associated with waggle and full swing animations.
      - Fixed a bug with wave file extraction in sound scripts.
      - Fixed a bug in the championship level mishit penalty.
      - Change to allow OS/2 users to continue after bogus CPU check.
      - Change to automatically close flybys at completion.
      - Change to tracer button's tool tip to show on/off state.
      - Changed to Sci-tech's UniVESA version 5.3.
      - Updated the HELP system.
      - Added IPX Network compatibility.  This addition will allow network
        play without requiring a shared directory and will also allow play
        over the internet through an IPX compatible server such as KALI.
        Refer to the updated HELP system for more information.
      - Added wind state to recorded games.
      - Added a new "Recorded Players" dialog to allow the review of all
        recorded games. To access this dialog, click the RECORDED PLAYERS
        button on Options, Course Selection, or the Player Selection screen.
        Refer to the updated Help system for more information on this new
        dialog and how to determine if a recorded game is compatible with
        your version of Links LS.  (See the Note below.)
      - Adjusted ball dynamics to dis-allow extra long rolls and to produce
        more realistic flight conditions out of the rough and sand.

        NOTE: This change in the ball dynamics invalidates all previous
              recorded games.  A new dialog has been added to help players
              review data for all recorded games and determine whether the
              games are compatible.  To access this dialog, click the
              RECORDED PLAYERS button on Options, Course Selection, or the
              Player Selection screen.