Front Page Sports: Golf – Windows Readme – English
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Readme
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Windows
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English
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front-page-sports-golf_win_readme_en_a3y.txt
Front Page Sports: Golf
5/2/97
Readme File
Thank you for purchasing Front Page Sports: Golf. This document includes information about general questions you may have concerning the game or your computer. Should you experience any problems with Front Page Sports: Golf, please refer to this file for additional help on answering questions about the game and solving technical difficulties.
***********************************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
II. INSTALLATION
III. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
IV. GENERAL GAME ISSUES
V. CREATING A BOOTDISK
VI. CONTACTING SIERRA
I. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-----------------------
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Windows 95
Pentium 60 processor
16MB RAM
2X CD ROM
30MB Free Hard Disk Space (not including DirectX drivers)
SVGA, 256 colors
PREFERRED
Pentium 90
32MB RAM
4X CD ROM
800x600, 16bit Color
Sound card with DAC
II. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
------------------------------
1. Start Windows 95.
2. Insert the Front Page Sports: Golf CD.
3. When the Front Page Sports: Golf AutoPlay screen comes up, follow the on-screen instructions.
NOTE: If AutoPlay isn't active on your system, to manually install Front Page Sports: Golf:
1. Start Windows 95.
2. Insert the Front Page Sports: Golf CD.
3. Select run from the START menu.
4. Type D:\SETUP (If D: is the letter of the CD drive, please correct as necessary).
5. Select INSTALL.
6. Follow the on-screen prompts.
DirectX 3 must be installed on your computer for Front Page Sports: Golf to run correctly. If Setup skipped the installation of DirectX and you do not have the latest DirectX installed on your computer, complete the
following instructions:
1. With the Front Page Sports: Golf CD in the CD drive, double-click My Computer on your desktop.
2. Highlight the CD drive (usually D: or E:).
3. From the File menu, select Open.
4. Open the DirectX folder.
5. Find and open/launch the DXSETUP.EXE file (double-click on it).
6. Select REINSTALL DIRECTX and follow the on-screen prompts.
III. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
-----------------------------
Please refer to the On-Line Manual, or section IV for specific game or technical questions. For information on accessing the On-Line Manual, see section IV.
INSTALLATION PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Problem: Errors like "Not Ready Reading Drive X:", "General Failure Reading Drive X:" or "CDR 101 - Abort, Retry, Fail".
Solution: These problems mean that the computer cannot read the installation disk or CD properly. Check the shiny surface of the CD. If you see any smudging or debris, clean it off gently with a soft, lint-free cloth. Finally, check with your system manufacturer to assure that the driver software that your CD drive uses is up-to-date as outdated CD drivers can have difficulties reading newer CD's.
If you need a replacement disk or CD, Sierra will gladly do so for you. If your request is within the first 90 days of purchase, replacement is free of charge. After this warranty period, there is a $10.00 processing charge. Send disk or CD #1, along with a note with your name, mailing address, daytime phone and a copy of the sales receipt dated within the last 90 days or a check or money order to Sierra On-Line for $10.00 back to us. Our address is:
Sierra On Line Fulfillment
PO Box 485
Coarsegold, CA 93614
Problem: Your computer fails the Sound Card test under the Windows setup; you cannot hear the voice in the wave test. Solution: Your sound card may be incorrectly configured for Windows, assuming that your system has one. Front Page Sports: Golf does not require a sound card, and will run perfectly without one. However if your system does have a sound card, you may want to contact your computer or sound card manufacturer for assistance.
Problem: Your computer fails the Display test under the Windows setup; you get a message saying "Your video display supports 16 colors...."
Solutions: Sierra's Windows games require that Windows is running in 256 or better color mode. Even though your monitor and video card may be capable of displaying 256 colors, Windows may not be set up to use this resolution. Front Page Sports: Golf plays best in 800x600 at 16bit High Color. To check this, right click your screens background, go to properties. When the Display Properties box appears, click on settings. Here you will see what mode you are running in, 16 colors, 256 colors, etc..(Color palette) and what screen size, 640x480 , 800x600 , etc...(Desktop area). After changing to the correct Color and Desktop size, click on the Apply box. You will get a "...you must restart your computer..." dialog box. Click O.K. Your system will reboot and when it comes back into Windows 95 your settings should be set to what Front Page Sports: Golf needs to properly run. Or you will see a "Windows will now resize your desktop..." dialog box. Follow the dialog boxes and Confirm the default choices of O.K.
Problem: Your video card does not meet the pixels-per-second speed requirement for Front Page Sports: Golf.
Solution:
#1: Try running the game anyway to see how well it works. Many testers find the video test fails but the game works well. Other factors besides video performance will help the game run better, such as a faster CD-ROM drive or a faster CPU MHz speed.
#2: Try setting your Display to 640x480, 256 colors. This may speed up the video performance.
Question: Why is the tested MHz number different than your computer's marked MHz number?
Explanation: These numbers should be close to each other. Our tests indicate that is the actual speed of the CPU when we ran our tests, not the rated speed. Any difference between these numbers will not affect gameplay.
Note: On brand new processors, such as the Pentium Pro, the CPU type may be misidentified as a 386. For NextGen processor users, you can contact AMD/NEXGEN for utilities which may report more accurate processor speeds. This will have no effect on gameplay. Ignore this CPU report, if you feel it tested lower than it should have. Again, this is mainly used for tech-support reference only.
DirectX INFORMATION
Front Page Sports: Golf is designed to use Microsoft's DirectX 3 software. Specifically, Front Page Sports: Golf utilizes the DirectSound3D, DirectSound, and DirectPlay components of DirectX. Because of this YOU MUST have DirectX installed in order to play Front Page Sports: Golf.
NOTE: Not all sound and video cards support DirectX, but most do. It is recommended that you refer to your hardware manufacturers to find out if your components are compatible with DirectX before installing it. In addition, some older modems might not work reliably with DirectPlay's modem features.
GENERAL TIPS
SYSTEM MEMORY INFORMATION
Despite having sufficient RAM installed on your system to run the Sierra product that you purchased, you may find that you experience errors such as "Out of Movable Memory" or "Insufficient Memory" or other symptoms of low system resources such as slow performance. Sierra products are not designed to multitask and will operate best when given all possible free system resources. Here are the best ways to maximize available resources:
Make a boot disk. A boot disk is a diskette that your system uses to restart with a minimal, standardized memory configuration. This configuration helps to assure that as much of the system's resources are available for your Front Page Sports: Golf as possible. Additionally, the boot disk allows you to make changes to the memory environment that are strictly temporary in nature. See section V for instructions on creating a bootdisk.
Shut down all active Windows programs in the Task List. Windows tends to load many utilities and programs automatically when it starts. To see a list of these, press <Ctrl-Alt-Del> on your keyboard. The only program that is required is Explorer. For all other tasks, highlight them individually and click on the "End Task" button.
Disable alternate Windows desktop shells. There are many alternate Windows desktops available for computer systems; many of them come pre-installed. These included Norton Desktop for Windows, PC Desktop, Tabworks, Navigator and others. Disabling these will free up system resources. Specific instructions to disable them will vary by product, so you will need to check the desktop's documentation.
Check virtual memory settings. Windows 95 creates a swap file to use hard drive space as a replacement for RAM memory. By default, the system handles these settings internally; however, if they are manually set problems can occur. To check the virtual memory settings, go to the Start menu, choose Settings and then Control Panel. Choose the System icon and the Performance tab. Select Virtual Memory and make sure that "Let Windows manage my virtual memory." is checked. If not, check it and click on Apply. Also, make sure that you have plenty of hard drive space as the swap file can be extremely large. To check how much hard drive space you have free, double click on "My Computer" on your Desktop and right-click on the drive Windows is running from (usually your C Drive). Select "Properties" and make sure
that your Free Space is at least 20,000,000 Bytes (20 MegaBytes). For optimal performance, try to keep at least 40 MB available on your C:\ drive. This space is needed AFTER the game has been installed to the hard drive.
Disable wallpaper on the desktop. The default Windows wallpaper selections take up a minimal amount of memory. On the other hand, custom pictures used as wallpaper are very memory-intensive. To disable them, go to the Start menu, choose Settings, Control Panel and then Display. Click on the Appearance tab and then set the Background option to (none). Click on Apply and then OK.
DISPLAY SETTINGS:
This game was designed and optimized for 16 bit Color and a resolution of 800x600. If you wish to play the game 256 colors or 640x480, you will lose some of the graphic quality and detail, however, the program should run without any problem.
Some older graphics cards may not be able to run the game in High or True color. If your mouse cursor becomes very large and you aren't able to select anything after launching the game, or if the game runs very slowly or will not load at all, you are experiencing this problem. To correct this, go to your CONTROL PANEL, choose "Display" and click the Settings tab to change your color palette to 256 colors.
Cursor Problems:
If your cursor flashes or behaves erratically, you may not be using the standard Windows mouse settings.
To verify this:
1. Click on Start, Settings, then select Control Panel
2. Double-click on the Mouse icon.
3. Click on the Pointers tab.
4. Set the Scheme to Windows Standard.
5. Click on the Motion tab.
6. Make sure that Show Pointer Trails is not checked.
7. Click on Apply, then OK.
This will set Windows to using the standard mouse configuration.
Disk Fragmentation:
If your hard drive is highly fragmented, you may experience poor sound quality or performance in the game. If you find this is the case, defragging your hard drive with Win95's "Disk Defragmenter" should fix the problem.
Copy Protection:
You must have the game CD ROM in your drive to run the game.
Network Support:
Both the TCP and IPX network protocols are supported by the game.
Modem Support:
Head-to-Head modem play is supported through Microsoft's DirectX DirectPlay component. However, some older modems may not work reliably with this feature. Common symptoms are an inability to see or participate in a game after a connection is established.
If you are having trouble connecting, check the modem settings from within DirectX and make sure that both modems have the same settings. If you are trying to connect at high speeds, try dropping down to a slower one. It is also recommended that you disable Error Correction and Data Compression. If none of these suggestions help, contact your modem manufacturer about DirectX compatibility.
IV. GENERAL GAME ISSUES
----------------------------
The on-line manual contains useful information about Front Page Sports: Golf, and can be accessed from the Start Menu or from within the game.
To access it from the Start Menu;
1. Select Start from the Taskbar
2. Select Programs
3. Select Sierra
4. Select the Front Page Sports: Golf Help option.
Please refer to the on-line manual for tips on how to play the game, how to configure the game to allow it to perform well on your system, as well as for trouble-shooting tips.
You may also access the on-line manual by clicking on On-Line Help when AutoPlay initializes, or by browsing your CD ROM drive through Windows Explorer, double-clicking on the SIM folder, then double click on FPSGOLF.HLP.
This will allow you to access the help file, even if Front Page Sports: Golf is not installed to your hard drive.
-----------------------------IMPORTANT-----------------------------
When controlling a player using TrueSwing(tm), it is important that the player be calibrated to best suit your style of mouse control. We have provided two ready-made players --one with the TrueSwing(tm) control, the other with the conventional Tri-click. Prior to starting a game with the TrueSwing(tm) player, we recommend that you calibrate your swing.
(Please refer to the on-line manual on how to calibrate your swing.)
The Swing Power setting for the provided TrueSwing(tm) player is 50. Increasing the Swing Power setting makes it easier to hit the ball further, but it will be more difficult to hit the close, "touch" shots (especially close putts).
The first time you create a TrueSwing(tm) player you will be forced to calibrate your swing to establish a default Swing Power value.
------------------------------PERFORMANCE----------------------------
COURSE FILE SIZE
As you play the game, the program copies course information to your hard drive. The size of the permanent course file is determined by the Course Size setting from the Game Options dialog. With a larger file (e.g., "Unlimited" or "20 Mb"), less information needs to be loaded from the CD the next time you run the game (it will take up more room on your hard drive, however).
With a small file (or none at all), more information will need to be loaded from the CD when you attempt to play a game, resulting in longer load times. (When you first attempt to play a game, you'll see a "Please Wait... This may take a few minutes" message box; this happens when there is no course file created on the hard drive yet.)
How large to set your Course Sizes is primarily dependent on how much available hard drive space you want to reserve for the game. In general, the larger the size, the less load time you'll need in future sessions of the game.
Note: The install size options from Setup will set the default Course Sizes settings (e.g., a Large install will set the Course Sizes to Unlimited; a Small install will set the Course Sizes to 0 Mb). These settings can later be changed from within the game, on the Course tab of the Game Options dialog.
DETAIL SETTINGS
Performance can also be improved by lowering the course detail settings, also found on the Course tab of the Game Options dialog.
V. CREATING A WINDOWS 95 BOOTDISK
----------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read the entire instructions prior to starting at Step 1.
STEP 1: FORMATTING THE DISK
Place a high-density diskette that you do not have any information on in your A: drive. Then, open My Computer from the desktop and highlight the icon for Drive A:. Right-click on the icon and choose Format. In the resulting dialog box, make sure that checks are in the boxes for "Full" and "Copy System Files". Click on OK to start the process.
STEP 2: COPYING THE MSDOS.SYS FILE
While still in My Computer, double-click on the icon for the C: drive to open it. Look for the file called MSDOS.SYS in the list of files. If you cannot find it, click on the View menu, choose Options and then the View tab. Make sure that "Show all files" is checked and that "Hide MS DOS file extensions…" is NOT checked. Once you've found the file, right-click on it and choose Send To 3 ½ Floppy (A). You will be prompted to replace an existing file - click on OK.
NOTE: Try your boot disk at this point by going to the Start menu and choosing Shutdown and Restart the Computer with the disk in your A: drive. If your computer has Windows '95 drivers for all of your hardware, it should work fine. Otherwise, continue this process.
STEP 3: LOCATING THE CD ROM DEVICE DRIVER (Skip if you can access your CD when using the boot disk.)
The CD ROM drive requires a device driver loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file if it does not have native Windows '95 support. To make sure that the device driver loads correctly on the boot disk, look at the CONFIG.SYS on the hard drive and copy the driver line from there. To display the CONFIG.SYS, go to the Start menu, choose Run, type in NOTEPAD C:\CONFIG.SYS and press <Enter>. The CONFIG.SYS file will display on the screen. Look for the line that loads the CD ROM device driver. The line should look something like this:
DEVICE=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220
The device driver in your CONFIG.SYS may differ somewhat from those listed above. Carefully write down the line for use in your boot disk.
STEP 4: LOCATING THE SOUND CARD DRIVERS (Skip if sound works properly when using the boot disk.)
Some sound cards have drivers or initialization lines that must be loaded in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS. The attached Sound Card Configuration supplement contains the sound card lines for many common sound cards If your sound card is on this list, you will need to add the appropriate lines to the AUTOEXEC.BAT and/or CONFIG.SYS on your boot disk. If your sound card is not listed, you should check your documentation for information on what needs to load in the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS.
STEP 5: CREATING THE CONFIG.SYS FILE
To create the CONFIG.SYS file on the boot disk, go to the Start menu. Choose Run, type in NOTEPAD A:\CONFIG.SYS and press <Enter>. Enter the CD ROM and/or sound card driver lines that you have written down in Notepad. When done, choose <File>, <Exit> and <Save>.
STEP 6: CREATING THE AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE
To create the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the boot disk, go to the Start menu. Choose Run, type in NOTEPAD A:\ AUTOEXEC.BAT and press <Enter>.
If you need to run any sound card initialization programs or load any drivers, copy them from the "Sound Cards" section now.
Finally, if you are loading a CD ROM driver in the CONFIG.SYS file, you will need to load the MSCDEX DOS CD ROM extension. You will need to know the /D: parameter on the CD ROM driver; the /D: parameter on the example in Step 2 is italicized. Add the following line:
C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 /M:12
When done, choose <File>, <Exit> and <Save>.
STEP 7: REBOOT THE SYSTEM AND START WINDOWS
Restart your system with the disk in drive A:. Go to the Start menu, select Shut Down and then check Restart The Computer? and click OK.
STEP 8: CREATE A CLEAN WINDOWS ENVIRONMENT
Make sure there are not any non-essential tasks running before starting the game. Press <Ctrl-Alt-Del> to bring up a Close Windows dialog box. Explorer is mandatory. For all other items, highlight them and click on End Task. Repeat the process until all are disabled. Now you can use your product!
VI. CONTACTING SIERRA
-----------------------------
If you experience any problems, or if you have any questions concerning any of the above steps, our Technical Support Team will be more than happy to assist you.
Please call (425) 644-4343 between 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
We can be reached by Fax at (425) 644-7697, or by mail at the following address:
Sierra On-Line
P.O. BOX 85006
Bellevue, WA 98015-8506
Attention: Technical Support
You can also reach our Technical Support Team on one of the following
services:
CompuServe GO SIERRA
America Online Keyword: Sierra
Internet [email protected] or http://www.sierra.com
Please outline the problems along with the specific information about your computer system, and we will gladly respond to your letter, fax, or BBS message as soon as possible. When contacting us by fax or BBS please allow 24-48 hours for turnaround. During weekends or holidays, there may be some delays.
To better serve our European customers with technical problems and disk replacements, Sierra U.K Customer Support or Coktel Customer Support can be reached at the following address:
Sierra On-Line Limited
2 Beacontree Plaza,
Gillette Way,
Reading,
RG2 0BS.
UK.
Customer Service Tel : +(44) 118 9209111
Customer Service Fax : +(44) 118 9875603
Customer Service BBS : +(44) 118 9875643
World Wide Web : WWW.SIERRA-ONLINE.CO.UK
CompuServe : GO UKSIERRA.
Coktel Vision
Parc Tertiaire de Meudon
Immeuble "Le Newton"
25 rue Jeanne Braconnier
92366 Meudon La Forêt Cedex
France
Main: (33) 1-46-01-4650
Fax : (33) 1-46-31-7172
LIMITED WARANTY
Sierra warrants the CD ROM(s) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 90 days from the date of purchase. Sierra On-Line's entire liability and your exclusive remedy will be replacement of the disk .
SIERRA ON-LINE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
This limited warranty gives you specific legal rights; you may have others which may vary from state to state. Some states do not allow the exclusion of incidental or consequential damages, or the limitation on how long an implied warranty lasts, so some of the above may not apply to you.
SIERRA DISCLAIMER
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SIERRA ON-LINE, INC. DOES NOT WARRANTY OR PROMISE THAT THE INFORMATION
HEREIN WILL WORK WITH ANY OR ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS. SIERRA DOES NOT
ASSUME ANY LIABILITY, EITHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, FOR THE USE
OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN, INCLUDING ANY AND ALL DAMAGE TO OR LOST USE
OF COMPUTER HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS, LOSS OF WARRANTIES, OR LOST
DATA BY THE CUSTOMER OR ANY THIRD PARTY. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION
OR ADVICE GIVEN BY SIERRA, ITS EMPLOYEES, DISTRIBUTORS, DEALER OR AGENTS
SHALL CHANGE THE RESTRICTION OF LIABILITY OR CREATE ANY NEW WARRANTIES.
IN NO CASE SHALL SIERRA'S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE
SIERRA SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
BY USING THIS SOFTWARE, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE.
Sierra On-Line End User License Agreement
This software is copyrighted. This software and documentation is licensed to you by Sierra On-Line. You may copy it onto a computer for your own personal use and you may make back up copies of the software to protect your software against loss. This software may be used by more than one person, and may be freely moved from one computer location to another provided that there is no possibility of the software being used at one location or on one computer while it is being used at another. The software can not legally be used by two different people in different places at the same time. You may not modify, network, rent, lease, loan, distribute the software or create derivative works based upon the software in whole or in part, and you may not electronically transmit the software from one computer to another or over a network.
MICROSOFT SDK LICENSE AGREEMENT
This End User License Agreement grants you a limited license to use the Redistributable Code licensed to Sierra On-Line, Inc. by Microsoft Corporation, Inc. together with Microsoft operating system products. All intellectual property rights in Microsoft's Redistributable Code contained in this product belong exclusively to Microsoft Corporation, Inc.
Copyright Sierra On-line 1997