Grand Prix 3 Season 2000 – Windows Readme – English
Details
Type
Readme
Platform
Windows
Language
English
Size
13.29 KB
Filename
grand-prix-3-season-2000_win_readme_en_n8t.txt
Grand Prix 3 2000 Season
************************
Readme File (English)
V1.00
19 April, 2001
Contents
********
1. Video cards successfully tested on & supported
2. Video Card Drivers
3. Advanced Graphics configuration
4. Sound Card drivers
5. Processors successfully tested on & supported
6. 3D performance
7. Networked play
8. Keyboard Shortcuts
9. Amendments & Additions
10. Web Site
11. Credits
1. Video cards successfully tested on & supported
*************************************************
3Dfx Voodoo2
3Dfx Voodoo3 3000 AGP
3Dfx Voodoo3 3500 AGP
3Dfx Voodoo3 3000 PCI
3Dfx Voodoo3 2000 PCI
3Dfx Voodoo5 5500 AGP
3Dfx Voodoo Banshee
ATI Rage 128
ATI Rage Pro AGP 2x (Software)
ATI Rage Fury
ATI Rage Fury Maxx
NVidia GeForce256
NVidia GeForce256 DDR
NVidia GeForce 2 GTS
NVidia Riva TNT
NVidia Riva TNT2 & Ultra
NVidia Riva TNT2 M64
Matrox Millenium G200
Matrox Millenium G400 Dualhead
Matrox Millenium G400 MAX
3DLabs Permedia3 Create!
PowerVR Series2 (Neon250)
Impact Video + MPEG2 Decoder 6Mb (Software)
TSeng Labs ET6000 2Mb (Software)
3D Image 9750 4Mb (Software)
Creative Exxtreme (Permedia 2) 8Mb (Software)
Cirrus Logic 5464 (Laguna3D) 1Mb (Software)
S3 Virge DX 375 4Mb (Software)
Grand Prix 3 2000 Season requires the latest video drivers, available from your
hardware manufacturer's web site. Please see below for internet links to hardware
manufacturers web sites.
2. Video Card Drivers
*********************
You can download these drivers from the Internet. If you are experiencing
problems with Grand Prix 3 2000 Season, look for your video card below to find the Web
address where you can download the appropriate drivers.
Creative Graphics Blaster RIVA TNT
Creative Graphics Blaster RIVA TNT2 & Ultra
Creative Graphics Blaster Annihilator & DDR
http://support.soundblaster.com/files/download.asp
Guillemot MAXI Gamer 2
Guillemot MAXI Gamer Xentor / MAXI Gamer Xentor 32
Guillemot 3D Prophet & DDR
http://www.guillemot.com/
Matrox MGA Millennium series
Matrox MGA Mystique series
Matrox Millennium G400 & G400 Max
http://www.matrox.com/mga/drivers/latest_drivers/home.htm
ATI 3D Rage Pro
ATI Rage II
ATI Rage II+
ATI 3D Rage 128
ATI 3D Rage Fury Maxx
http://support.atitech.ca/drivers/drivers.html
Orchid Righteous 3D 2
http://www.orchid.com/support/driverlist.html
Diamond Monster 3D 2
Diamond Monster Fusion
Diamond Viper series
http://www.diamondmm.com/
PowerVR Series 2 (Neon250)
http://www.videologic.com/
3Dfx reference drivers (for all Voodoo cards - recommended)
http://www.3dfxgamers.com/
NVidia reference drivers (for all NVidia chipset based cards - recommended)
http://www.nvidia.com/
3. Advanced Graphics configuration
**********************************
*** This information is intended for advanced users only. It is recommended that you ***
*** back-up the file "cards.txt" before making any changes. ***
GP3 2000 Season creates a file named "cards.txt" in the root of the installation directory when the
game graphics are first calibrated. This is a .ini style file which lets you override
certain Direct3D specific settings at run-time. It will not affect the software 3d.
The file will have an entry for each 3d card in your system (usually only one) in the
following format:-
[Video card make and model]
There will also be a [general] entry - this is unused at present and can be safely ignored.
The following is a list of the current flags you can set. Simply type the required flag
beneath the card which you want to affect. The defaults for each flag are listed in the
examples below.
FLAG EXPLANATION
++++ +++++++++++
lorestextures=0 Forces the use of lower resolution textures. This defaults
to on on cards with 8M or less of VRAM.
bilinear=1 Force filtering on or off
reflections=1 Force the wet weather reflections on or off (they don't
work on some cards).
loresclouds=0 Similar to lorestextures, but for the clouds only.
altmirrors=0 Some cards need a different technique for the mirrors.
alphawithck=1 Alpha with color key. Some cards can't do it. If you have
shadow problems, try setting this flag to zero.
liverynumbers=1 If you get corrupted car graphics, try setting this flag
to zero.
detailmap=1 Some cards can't do detail mapping on the track. Set flag
to zero if the track appears corrupt.
altcolorkey=0 If you get bright cyan around masked objects, try turning
this off.
altrain=0 Different rain code for some cards.
altsoftware3d=0 Currently only used by Voodoo5 in software. May help if
your card has problems displaying software 3D.
slivoodoo2=0 This flag MUST be changed manually if you system is
running with Voodoo2 cards in an SLI configuration.
alticons=0 Fixes a problem with the latest NVidia Detonator2 drivers
fixmissingwheels=1 Fixes various graphical problems such as missing wheels on cards which use Videologic chipsets such as the Kyro 2 chipset.
4. Sound Card Drivers
*********************
4.1 Known Driver Issues
-----------------------
As with all drivers you should ensure you have the latest available. This will usually fix any problems associated with older drivers. When you install new drivers please remember to re-calibrate the audio from within the audio menu to get the suggested audio settings.
We have found issues with the following sound cards and drivers:-
-- Creative Labs SBLive -- (All HW Versions)
If you have older drivers (eg EMU10K1.VXD is version 4.05.1026 or earlier) you will not be able to use EAX or multi-speaker surround in the game. Updating to the latest drivers will enable EAX and multi-speaker 3D in the game's audio menu.
-- Guillemot Maxi Sound 64 Dynamic 3D --
Some versions of this card may fail or hang when the audio calibration is run. This happens at three places: 1) in the installation program 2)When the game is first run and 3) When a manual calibration is performed from the Audio Menu within the game.
-- Santa Cruz Turtle Beach --
Please ensure you have Direct Sound Acceleration selected from your audio control panel for full audio support.
4.2 Internet Driver Links
-------------------------
You can download these drivers from the Internet. If you are experiencing
problems with Grand Prix 3 2000 Season, look for your sound card below to find the Web
address where you can download the appropriate drivers. Please see below for internet links to hardware manufacturers web sites.
Creative Soundblaster Live
Creative Soundblaster PCI 512
Creative Soundblaster PCI 128
Creative Soundblaster PCI 64
Creative Soundblaster AWE 64
Creative Soundblaster 16 PCI
http://www.soundblaster.com/drivers/
Videologic SonicFury
Videologic SonicVortex2
Videologic SonicStorm
Videologic SonicStorm Pro
http://www.videologic.com/Support/SupportFrame.asp
All Yamaha branded Soundcards
http://www.yamaha.com/lsi/support/downloads.htm
Guillemot Maxi Studio ISIS
Guillemot Maxi Sound
http://uk.guillemot.com/brand/ind-gamme.html
Diamond Monster Sound
Diamond Sonic Sound
Diamond Sonic Impact
Diamond Sonic Vibes
http://www.diamondmm.com/
Aztech Labs Aztech
Aztech Labs Sound Galaxy
Aztech Labs waverider
http://www.aztechca.com/support/soundcard.htm
Voyetra Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
Voyetra Turtle Beach Montego II
http://www.voyetra-turtle-beach.com/site/sales_support/sales_support.asp]
5. Processors successfully tested on & supported
************************************************
Intel Pentium II
Intel Pentium III
Intel Pentium IV
Intel Celeron
AMD K6-2 3DNow! (via DirectX7)
AMD K6-3 3DNow! (via DirectX7)
AMD K7/Athlon 3DNow! (via DirectX7)
6. 3D performance
*****************
The game's 3D performance will vary from configuration to configuration, but
there are many options available in-game to allow the user to get the best
compromise between performance and gameplay.
During a race, you can find out your "Processor Occupancy" rating by pressing
the "O" key.
This figure is given as a percentage. It is important that this figure is kept
as close to (or below) the 100% mark as possible - anything higher and the game
physics will be compromised and gameplay will suffer. Here are some tips for
lowering the occupancy:-
- Run the game in a lower resolution
- Switch off some of the textures used in-game, starting with the mirrors
- Turn off some of the trackside objects
- Lower the frame rate setting
- Use GP3 sound
- Reduce the size of your replay buffer in the Graphics Detail Menu
If you are trying to run in 3D hardware mode, some video cards may not perform
as well as others, so it is recommended that you try running in software 3D mode,
as performance may be improved.
7. Networked play
*****************
Network play is supported for up to six players simultaneously via a Local Area
Network. It is possible to play with up to 22 players, but this is not supported
due to current hardware limitations, and the need for high-spec systems to be able
to run such large network games. The following points should be noted for larger
network games:-
1. The game will run at the same speed on all machines. This means that if you
have one slow machine on the network, then everybody's game performance will suffer.
The problem machines should lower the detail/frame rate settings to improve overall
performance. You can trace problem machines using the Processor Occupancy button
("O").
2. The game can support 22 players, but only if all players are running on high
specification machines. This is to future proof the game. It is not possible
at this time to have a large network game using minimum specification machines.
3. TCP/IP play over the internet via analog modems is not currently supported
due to the low transfer rates.
8. Keyboard Shortcuts
*********************
<shift>+Q - Jump to pits (Practise and qualifying session)
<shift>+U - Jump all players to multiplayer lobby screen (multiplayer only)
O - Show processor occupancy
9. Amendments & Additions
*************************
We have included some default control sets for many popular control devices which
should help beginners get set-up with Grand Prix 3 2000 Season. These control sets can be loaded from the Grand Prix 3 CD-ROM, and are located in the \extras\control sets\ directory.
These should be used as a basis for the controllers - further tweaking of settings
may be required according to individual preference.
The GPaedia is best viewed using Microsoft Explorer 5 or above. If problems are experienced playing the videos, then try installing the latest version of Media Player for your Operating System from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/en/download/default.asp
10. Web Site
************
At MicroProse, it is a priority to ensure that you have everything you need to get the best
out of your product. In fact, our web sites are designed to enhance your playing or
learning experience and not just be there to help if you have a problem. Therefore,
MicroProse has a full and exciting web site dedicated to ensuring you can see the latest
information, obtain technical support, download the latest upgrade, read the latest hints
and tips and a great deal more.
You can reach the site at:
http://www.grandprixgames.com
11. Credits
***********
For Simergy
Game Design & Programming
Geoff Crammond
Performance Analysis & Test Driving
David Surplus
Circuit Topography
Norman Surplus
For MicroProse
Lead Programmer
Nick Thompson
Additional Programming
Jason Turner
Gareth Jones
Jeremy Sallis
Duncan Rooth
Neil Alford
Simon Michael
Adrian Scotney
Lead Artist
Andy Cook
Artists
Pete Austin
Paul Ayliffe
Carl Edwards
Maff Evans
Eddie Garnier
Lisa Godwin
Jeffrey Miranda
Greg Shill
David Smith
Paul Truss
Music & Sound Producer
John Broomhall
Audio Systems & Programming
Nigel Brown
Sound Programming
Geoff Crammond
Pete Cooke
Additional Music Production
Adrian Rickards for X-Mark Productions
Lead Guitar
Keith Thompson
Additional Sound Design
Darren Lambourne
Additional Field Recording
Pete Guppy
Producer
Phil Gilbert
Executive Producer
Nick Court
GPaedia Video Production
Featuring
Mark Hemsworth
Script
Mark Hemsworth
Ossi Oikarinen
Andy Cook
Sound & Original Music
John Broomhall
Camera
Matthew Grant
Editing
Matthew Grant
Andy Grierson
Producer
Phil Gilbert
Executive Producer
Nick Court
Directed by
John Broomhall
Andy Cook
Thank you...
AutoSport Magazine
John Cook
Laura McNamara
Sutton Motorsport Images
Bridgestone Corporation Motorsport Branch (UK)
Steinberg Software for audio production systems
Jemlar
Special Thanks go to the Orange Arrows Formula One Team for all their help during the development of this product
Support Services
QA Manager
Andrew Luckett
Lead Testers
Daniel Luton
Matt Nation
Testers
Chris Knaggs
Steve Powell-Waddell
Darren Kirby
Robert Ward
Tim Stokes
Jamie Toghill
Dan Waldron
Joel Langton
Hardware Compatibility Testing
Alan Clark
Office Manager
Christine Upham
Administration Assistants
Laurence Benton
Pat Edwards
Davina Whyte