View manual text
Gangsters 2
README file
16/05/01 Version 1.00
Part 1: Things You Should Know
Please read through the DirectX section of this document. This section has information that is vital to
successfully running Gangsters 2 on your system.
1.1
DirectX
This game is optimised for Microsoft's DirectX 7. In order for you to play the game, you must have DirectX
7-compliant drivers for your video card and sound card. Please note that although DirectX 7 is installed with
the game, your video and sound card drivers will not be upgraded to DirectX 7 drivers.
You will need to obtain the latest DirectX 7 drivers from your card manufacturer.
1.2
Memory and Performance
While the game will run fine in 64 Mb of RAM, your playing experience will be smoother if you have at least
128 Mb.
Regardless of how much memory you have, you can maximize your available memory and increase the
overall performance of the game engine by doing the following:
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Closing any open windows
Shutting down all other programs, including menu-bar programs like ICQ
Defragmenting your hard drive
Eidos recommends that you have no other programs running at all while playing Gangsters 2.
1.3
Known Issues
Video memory reporting – System checker
The Gangsters 2 system checker may misreport your graphic cards available memory status where DirectX
considers Video Ram & Texture Ram separately, however this will not stop the user installing and playing
the game normally as long as the card is within the minimum specification required.
Setting up Gangsters 2 for a firewall
Connection
Initial TCP Connection
Subsequent Inbound TCP Connections
Subsequent Outbound TCP Connections
Subsequent Inbound UDP Connections
Subsequent Outbound UDP Connections
Client configuration
47624 Outbound
2300-2400
2300-2400
2300-2400
2300-2400
Host configuration
47624 Inbound
2300-2400
2300-2400
2300-2400
2300-2400
Setting up Hothouse Rankings for firewall
TCP port 3000 (Outbound)
UDP port 3001 (Outbound)
ZoneAlarm
With the advent of broadband internet and personal protection from `hackers` software such as ZoneAlarm
is becoming very popular. If user is running ZoneAlarm (or any other firewall software) when first launching
Gangsters 2 they may experience the game `appearing` to stop on the loading screen for a very long time
with no disk access, this is caused by ZoneAalarm requesting that Gangsters 2 be `authorised` with it in the
background. Simply pressing the acknowledge key (Y in the case of ZoneAlarm) will continue the game.
Users will be asked for authorisation every time they launch the game, unless they go into the configuration
for ZoneAlarm and set Gangsters2 permissions to be permanent.
If the user wishes to play internet games and uses ZoneAlarm, they must set permissions within ZoneAlarm
for Gangsters2 to `Allow Connect/Server`(see ZoneAlarm help for details on how to do this).
User may also be requested to `authorise` Microsoft DirectPlay Server via ZoneAlarm. This is also to
enable internet play for Gangsters2.
GameSpy
GameSpy doesn't set the IP flag in dial up networking, so if autodisconnect is not switched off then the
phone line will drop after 10 minutes.
Gameplay
The Business Specialist
All business specialists are paid $100 per hour. Distillers and brewers with higher skill ratings increase the
income of stills and breweries at the site itself by selling liquor and beer direct to the public (a five star
specialist will be able to offset the running costs of the site completely).
Hothouse Creations and Eidos Interactive is committed to providing customer support for our games on a
continuing basis. In that spirit, there may be a patch for Gangsters 2 forthcoming; visit the Eidos web site for
more information.
http://www.eidos.com/
Part 2: Manual Errata
Multiplayer Gameplay
Once you have started a Multiplayer game, you will want to open the “Recruiting and Equipping” menu by
clicking on the button (with a picture of a pistol) in the lower-left part of the screen. Once you have clicked
on the “Recruiting and Equipping” button, you will see three sub-menus - Hire Gangster, Gangster Details,
and Resources.
Hiring Gangsters
To hire a Gangster, use the sub-menu on the far-left with the heading “Hire Gangster”. You can select from
an Assassin, Bomber, Getaway Driver, or Gangster. You have the option of hiring each type of Gangster
with little experience (1 star), medium experience (3 star), or a full-fledged thug (5 star). The more
experience, the more money it will cost you. Don’t worry about the numbers, you will never run out of
Gangsters to hire, just cash to pay them with.
Once you have made your choice, you will see details about the new hire in the Gangster Details sub-menu.
If you ever need to get rid of a Gangster, use the “Sack” button in this menu.
Equipping your Gangsters
To equip your Gangsters with Muscle, Guns, and Vehicles, select the appropriate Gangster by left-clicking
in the Gangster’s window at the top of the screen. In the Resources sub-menu to the far-right, you will see
three tabs – Hire Muscle, Buy Weapons, and Buy Vehicles.
To hire Muscle, click the Hire Muscle tab, then click on the button with a picture of a gun in hand. Each
Muscle will cost you $100. To the right of this button you will see a gold button with “x 4” on it. Clicking on
this button will buy you 4 Muscle all at once.
To buy Weapons, click the Buy Weapons tab and pick your poison. All Gangsters come equipped with a
pistol, but you’ll want to buy them some better fire-power like a Tommy Gun for $700. You’ll have an
endless supply of weapons, but not money to buy them with so choose wisely. The Gold “x 5” buttons will
buy you 5 of that weapon all at once.
To buy a Vehicle, click on the Buy Vehicles tab, then select from (top to bottom in the menu) a Sedan,
Truck, Roadster, or Bullet-proof Car. Don’t forget that when Getaway Drivers are behind the wheel, you’ll
get your Gangsters there quicker.
One last thing – If you are in a pinch and running low on cash, you can always sell back any of the items you
bought for each Gangster by using the silver buttons in the Gangster Details sub-menu. These buttons
appear next to each item associated with the selected Gangster.
Part 3: Technical Issues
3.1
Installation & Set-up
System Requirements
The minimum system requirements are as follows:
COMPUTER:
IBM PC or 100% compatible
OPERATING SYSTEM:
Microsoft Windows 98, ME
CPU:
PII 266mhz or equivilant
RAM:
64 Mb
GRAPHICS:
100% DirectX 7-compatible 4 Mb Graphics Card
SOUND:
Windows 98, ME-compatible sound card (100% DirectX 7-compatible)
CD-ROM:
Quad-speed (4x) CD-ROM drive
HARD DRIVE:
650 Mb free disk space
INPUT DEVICES:
100% Windows 98, ME-compatible mouse and keyboard
The recommended system requirements are as follows:
CPU:
Athlon / PIII processor
RAM:
128 Mb
GRAPHICS:
16 Mb Graphics Card -100% DirectX 7-compatible
SOUND:
Windows 98, ME-compatible sound card (100% DirectX 7-compatible)
CD-ROM:
Eight-speed (8x) CD-ROM drive or faster
HARD DRIVE:
650 Mb free disk space
Preparing Your Hard Drive
To ensure that your installation is trouble free, you should check to see that your hard drive and file system
are both tuned for optimum performance. Windows 98 comes with two utility programs that find and fix any
errors and optimise your hard drive performance. The first of these programs is called scandisk. Scandisk
will check your hard drive for problems and can fix any that it finds. You can run scandisk by clicking on the
Start button from the Windows Taskbar, followed by Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools,
and finally scandisk.
Once scandisk has finished running, you should next optimise your hard drive's performance by running a
program called Disk Defragmenter.. You can run Disk Defragmenter by clicking on the Start button from
the Windows 98 desktop, followed by Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and finally Disk
Defragmenter.
Installing Gangsters 2
Installing Gangsters 2 is easy. Simply insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. After a few seconds, the
Launch Panel will appear.
This program will guide you through the remaining process via onscreen prompts. If at any time you are
instructed to restart your computer, do so.
In the event the Launch Panel does not appear when you insert the CD:
Double-click on the My Computer icon, then double-click on the CD-ROM icon, and lastly double-click on
the Setup.exe file to bring up the Launch Panel OR:
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Click on the Start button.
Choose Run from the pop-up menu.
Type d:\setup in the box provided (where d: designates your CD-ROM drive letter).
Click on the OK button to begin the install program.
You will be prompted to select the path and directory to which you wish to install the game on your hard
drive. The default is
C:\Program Files\Eidos Interactive\Hothouse Creations\Gangsters 2
You may change this if you wish to.
At some point, the Microsoft DirectX 7install prompt will appear if you do not have it on your system already.
Please read the on-screen information before selecting an option. You may either choose to install or not
install at this time. If the Gangsters 2 installer detects an active version of DirectX 7 on your system, we
encourage you to not reinstall DirectX. If the installer does not detect DirectX 7, you must install it before
you are able to play Gangsters 2 (please refer to the next section of this guide before proceeding).
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Click on the Modify Installation button to uninstall the game.
Click on the Update to upgrade Gangsters 2
Click on Play Gangsters 2 to play the game.
Click on the Exit button to exit the Launch Panel.
If you are going to play the game at a later time insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive. After a few seconds,
the Gangsters 2 Launch panel should appear on the screen via the AutoPlay feature. Now click on the Run
button to start the game. There is also a button present to Exit.
In the event the AutoPlay feature does not work, you may click on the My Computer icon and then click on
the CD-ROM icon to bring up the Launch Panel.
OR
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❑
Click on the Start button.
Choose Programs from the pop-up menu.
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Drag your mouse to the right and click on Gangsters 2 from the list.
Click on Gangsters 2 from the ensuing pop-up menu.
Uninstalling Gangsters 2
If you need to UNINSTALL Gangsters 2, you may do any of the following three things:
Insert the Gangsters 2 CD into the CD-ROM drive to activate the AutoPlay feature. This will bring up the
Launch Panel. Click on the Modify Installation button, Select Remove from the ensuing pop-up panel to
uninstall the program
OR
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Click on the Start button.
Choose Programs from the pop-up menu.
Drag your mouse to the right and click on Gangsters 2 from the list.
Click on UnInstallShield from the ensuing pop-up menu and follow the onscreen instructions.
OR
Go to the Control Panel and choose Add/Remove Programs. Click on Gangsters 2 from the pop-up panel
to follow, select the Add/Remove button, and follow the onscreen prompts.
3.2
CD-ROM Problems
Gangsters 2 requires at least a Quad-Speed CD-ROM drive with 32-bit Windows 98, ME drivers.
I receive a "xxxxxx.xxx not found" error message when installing or running Gangsters 2
This error message is usually the result of your computer using MS-DOS (16 bit) drivers instead of Windows
(32 bit) drivers for your CD-ROM drive. You can easily check to see if this is causing problems by opening
the Control Panel (either click on the My Computer icon or click on the Start button followed by Settings,
then Control Panel).
In the Control Panel window, double-click on the System icon then click on the Performance tab. You
should now see a summary of the performance status of your computer. One of the lines should say “File
System: 32-bit” and the last line should say "Your system is configured for optimal performance." If you see
a message saying "Drive X is using MS-DOS compatibility mode," then you will need to contact your system
vendor to obtain and install 32-bit drivers for your CD-ROM drive.
AutoPlay Issues
Why doesn't the AutoPlay feature come up when I insert the Gangsters 2 CD into the CD-ROM
drive?
This is usually a configuration issue. There are many different ways to enable the AutoPlay functions of
Windows. The standard method is described below:
1) Enter the Control Panel from the desktop by clicking on the Start button, followed by Settings, and
then Control Panel.
2) Double-click the icon labelled System, usually located alphabetically towards the bottom of the Control
Panel window, to bring up the System Properties panel.
3) Click on the tab at the top labelled Device Manager and when the new panel appears, locate the
section labelled CD-ROM and click the Plus (+) sign in front of it. (If there is a minus sign in front, don't
click it.)
4) Now double-click the CD-ROM drive revealed and the CD-ROM Properties panel will appear.
5) Click on the Settings tab at the top.
6) Towards the middle of the panel, you should see a few checkboxes within the Options section. At the
bottom of that section, you should see a checkbox labelled Auto insert notification.
7) Make sure there is a check mark in the box provided and click on the OK button to complete the
process.
If the game Auto Plays multiple times:
Some CD ROM drives cause Gangsters 2 to AutoPlay multiple times, which also may result in lack of
control within the game. To remedy this problem click on the CD ROM properties in the System Properties
panel and under settings turn off Auto Notification.
3.3
Crashes and Lock-Ups
When I start Gangsters 2, my mouse cursor disappears and my computer locks-up.
Chances are your installed audio card drivers are not compatible with DirectX. The only solution is to get a
DirectX 7-compatible driver from your audio card manufacturer.
When I start Gangsters 2, I receive the following error message:
"The application Gangsters 2.exe referenced memory at address xxxx:xxxx that can't be read from."
Chances are your installed video card drivers are not compatible with DirectX. The only solution is to get a
DirectX 7-compatible driver from your video card manufacturer.
The Installer keeps stopping when a certain percentage is complete.
There are three likely causes:
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You may have run out of free space on your hard drive. Please remove unwanted programs to free
up additional space for the game, and then reinstall Gangsters 2.
Files are possibly being copied to a corrupted area of your hard drive. If this is so, you'll need to run
the scandisk program and make sure to use the Thorough option (see previous). After scandisk
has finished running and has informed you that your drive is free of errors, try to re-install.
There may be dirt or fingerprints on the CD-ROM disc itself. Examine the bottom of the disc; if you
see any fingerprints or dirt, carefully clean the disc using a clean, soft, lint-free cloth by wiping from
the centre of the disc (near the hole) towards the outer edge in a straight line.
Gangsters 2 is crashing to the desktop with no error messages.
This problem can be caused by several different things. Here's a list of the most common culprits
associated with these crashes:
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Make sure the CD-ROM is clean (check for both scratches and smudges on the reading surface of
the CD).
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Make sure the game has been installed properly.
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Make sure DirectX 7 has been installed properly.
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Make sure you have the latest drivers for your video card and that they are DirectX 7-compatible.
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Make sure you have the latest drivers for your sound card and that they are DirectX 7-compatible.
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Make sure Virtual Memory is enabled on your system.
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Run Scandisk.
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Run Disk Defragmenter.
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Clean out old temp (.TMP) files from the C:\WINDOWS\TEMP or C:\WINx\TEMP directory on your
hard drive (from Windows Explorer).
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Make sure you do not have any Anti-Virus utilities (like Norton's AntiVirus) running resident prior to
playing Gangsters 2.
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Make sure you do not have any 3rd party Windows memory management utilities (like
QuarterDeck's QEMM 8.0 for Windows 95) running resident prior to playing Gangsters 2.
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Make sure you do not have any 3rd party Windows disk caching utilities running resident prior to
playing Gangsters 2.
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Make sure you do not have Norton's Crash Protector running resident prior to playing Gangsters 2.
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Try uninstalling and then reinstalling the game.
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Try exiting the game, rebooting your machine, and re-entering the game.
Note that if your system crashes to the desktop while playing Gangsters 2, you should probably reboot
your computer before starting a new play session. Otherwise, DirectDraw or DirectSound may be in a
locked state, and the game will be unable to use your sound or video hardware.
3.4
DirectX-Related Questions
DirectX has become the new standard in Windows application development. Nearly all high-performance
software will be geared around this technology, so we do not normally recommend that customers attempt
to alter its installation on their system
Undoing Changes To Your System
Help! Gangsters 2 has caused my system to become unstable, and I suspect that DirectX is the
culprit. How can I restore my original drivers?
Unfortunately, there are some systems or hardware devices that just don't work with DirectX yet, and
installing DirectX on these systems might cause driver-related problems. You cannot remove DirectX from
your system, but you can restore the original audio and video drivers which the installation of DirectX will
have replaced.
If you currently have DirectX 7 installed either by Gangsters 2 or previously installed, you should be able to
restore the original drivers by going to the Add/Remove Programs section in the Control Panel.
If you enter the Control Panel and click on the Add/Remove Programs icon, you should see a list of all of
the programs that are registered with Windows in the Add/Remove Programs Properties panel.
If you see a listing for "DirectX Drivers", double-click it to open the DirectX Set-up panel. At the bottom of
this panel, there should be a button labelled Restore Display Drivers. Clicking on this button should
restore the original video drivers.. After that, click on the other button labelled Restore Audio drivers.
Though DirectX will remain on your system, the restoration of the older drivers may then allow you to run the
program. If not, you may want to consider contacting your system vendor for 100% DirectX-compatible
drivers for your video and/or sound cards OR visit the web site of the respective hardware manufacturer[s].
Can I Run Without DirectX?
I cannot use DirectX on my computer! Is there any other way to run Gangsters 2?
If you do not have DirectX installed on your computer, you will not be able to run Gangsters 2.
3.5
Technical Support
If you need further technical assistance after reading the Readme file please do not hesitate to contact us.
When contacting us, please be sure to provide us with as much information as possible. Make sure to note
the exact type of hardware that you are using in your system, including: your sound card, CD-ROM drive,
amount of RAM present, speed and manufacturer of your processor. Also, make sure to include the title
and version of the game, and a detailed description of the problem.
It will also help if you prepare by creating a “DXDiag” diagnostic file in Windows before you call us. Simply
follow these instructions:
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Click on Start
Click on Run
Type dxdiag
Click on OK
Click on the Save Information button and save the file to your computer.
When you call our Technical Support line either have this file open or have a printed copy. If you send an
e-mail query you may attach the file to the e-mail.
Technical Support Contact Details (United Kingdom)
Address
E-Mail
Phone
Web
Unit 2
Holford Way
Birmingham
B6 7AX.
[email protected]
0121 356 0831
http://www.eidosinteractive.co.uk/support/index.html
Technical Support Contact Details (United States of America)
Address
E-Mail
Phone
Fax
Web
Eidos Customer Services
651 Brannan Street
San Francisco
CA 94107
[email protected]
415 615-6220
415 547-1201
http://www.eidosinteractive.com/support/index.html
Technical Support Contact Details (Australia)
Web
http://www.ozisoft.com/extra/help.asp
NOTE: Hints and tips will not be given out over the Technical Support lines.
Alternatively, you may find help with hardware problems on one of the websites maintained by the supplier,
some of which are listed below:
3DFX:
3D labs:
ATI Technologies:
Creative Labs:
Diamond Multimedia / S3:
Hercules:
Matrox:
nVIDIA:
Terratec:
www.3dfx.com
www.3dlabs.com
www.atitech.com
www.creaf.com
www.diamondmm.com
www.hercules.com
www.matrox.com
www.nvidia.com
www.terratec.net
Eidos Interactive maintains a web page with links to all major video and audio card manufacturers, which is
a good first stop if you are looking to upgrade your drivers. You can reach this page at:
UK:
US:
AUS:
http://www.eidosinteractive.co.uk/support/index.html
http://www.eidosinteractive.com/support/techsupport.html
http://www.ozisoft.com/extra/help.asp
Archived by OldGamesDownload.com on 28th November, 2019