Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa – Windows Readme – English
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Type
Readme
Platform
Windows
Language
English
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15.67 KB
Filename
madagascar-escape-2-africa_win_readme_en_hg1.txt
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ README
Last updated: July 29, 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
INSTALLATION AND SETUP
Minimum and Recommended System Requirements
Minimum System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows® XP
Minimum System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows VISTA™
Recommended System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows® XP
Recommended System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows VISTA™
Autoplay
DirectX® Detection and Installation
VIDEO ISSUES
Monitors
In-game and Desktop Resolutions
Video Settings and Button Prompts
GENERAL ISSUES
General DVD Read Problems
Administrator Privileges
Options for Lower End Systems
General Audio Problems
If you are experiencing crashes...
How to Delete the Save Game File
Uninstalling with Antivirus Software Enabled
Patches and Updates
INTRODUCTION
Refer to this document if you encounter difficulties with one or more aspects of installation or running Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™. Many of the most commonly encountered issues are covered here.
If you encounter any problems not covered in this document, please contact Activision Customer Support. A list of contact information for all supported worldwide territories can be found by:
1. Click the Start button, and navigate to Programs – Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ – Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ Help - Customer Support
or
Open My Computer, and navigate to C:\Program Files\Activision\Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa(TM)\Docs\CS\customer_support.htm. ("C:\Program Files" is the default root directory for installation; if you chose to install the game to a different directory, navigate there, to the Activision folder, then follow the path as described.)
INSTALLATION AND SETUP
1. Minimum and Recommended System Requirements
Please note that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ does not support Microsoft® Windows® 2000.
Minimum System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows® XP:
3D hardware accelerator card required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant 128 MB video card and drivers*
Microsoft® Windows® XP
Pentium® 4 1.7GHz or Athlon AMD™ 2100 or higher processor
512 MB of RAM
8000 MB of uncompressed hard disk space (plus 400 MB for the Windows® swap file and 12 KB free for saved games)
A 100% Windows® XP-compatible computer system including:
DirectX® 9.0c (Included)
100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant true 16-bit sound card and drivers
100% Windows® XP-compatible mouse, keyboard and drivers
100% Windows® XP-compatible 6x speed DVD-ROM drive (600 K/sec sustained transfer rate) and drivers
*Supported Chipsets for Windows® XP
All NVIDIA® GeForce® FX 6600 128 MB RAM and better chipsets
All ATI® Radeon® X1300 128 MB RAM and better chipsets
Motherboard integrated video chipsets not supported
Minimum System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows VISTA™:
3D hardware accelerator card required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant 128 MB video card and drivers*
Microsoft® Windows VISTA™
Pentium® 4 1.7GHz or Athlon AMD™ 2100 or higher processor
1024MB RAM
8000 MB of uncompressed hard disk space (plus 400 MB for the Windows® swap file and 12 KB free for saved games)
A 100% Windows VISTA™-compatible computer system including:
DirectX® 9.0c (Included)
100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant true 16-bit sound card and drivers
100% Windows VISTA™-compatible mouse, keyboard and drivers
100% Windows VISTA™-compatible 6x speed DVD-ROM drive (600 K/sec sustained transfer rate) and drivers
*Supported Chipsets for Windows VISTA™
All NVIDIA® GeForce® 6600 128 MB RAM and better chipsets
All ATI® Radeon® X1300 128 MB RAM and better chipsets
Motherboard integrated video chipsets not supported
Recommended System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows® XP:
3D hardware accelerator card required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant 256 MB video card and drivers*
Microsoft® Windows® XP
Intel® Core 2 Duo E4300 or Athlon64 ™ 3800+ or higher processor
1024 MB of RAM
8000 MB of uncompressed hard disk space (plus 400 MB for the Windows® swap file and 12 KB free for saved games)
A 100% Windows® XP-compatible computer system including:
DirectX® 9.0c (Included)
100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant true 16-bit sound card and drivers
100% Windows® XP-compatible mouse, keyboard and drivers
100% Windows® XP-compatible 6x speed DVD-ROM drive (600 K/sec sustained transfer rate) and drivers
*Recommended Chipsets for Windows® XP
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7900GS 256 MB RAM and better chipsets
ATI® Radeon® X1800XT 256 MB RAM and better chipsets
Recommended System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows VISTA™:
3D hardware accelerator card required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant 256 MB video card and drivers*
Microsoft® Windows VISTA™
Intel® Core 2 Duo E4300 or Athlon64 ™ 3800+ or higher processor
1536 MB of RAM
8000 MB of uncompressed hard disk space (plus 400 MB for the Windows® swap file and 12 KB free for saved games)
A 100% Windows VISTA™-compatible computer system including:
DirectX® 9.0c (Included)
100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant true 16-bit sound card and drivers
100% Windows VISTA™-compatible mouse, keyboard and drivers
100% Windows VISTA™-compatible 6x speed DVD-ROM drive (600 K/sec sustained transfer rate) and drivers
*Recommended Chipsets for Windows VISTA™
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7900GS 256 MB RAM and better chipsets
ATI® Radeon® X1800XT 256 MB RAM and better chipsets
*Important Note: Some 3D accelerator cards with the chipsets listed here may not be compatible with the 3D acceleration features utilized by Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™. Please refer to your hardware manufacturer for 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatibility.
2. Autoplay
If the Windows Autoplay feature is enabled on your computer, the installer will begin when you insert Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ DVD into your DVD-ROM drive. Follow the on-screen instructions to continue the installation. If the game is already installed on your system, the Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ Game Launch screen will appear.
If the Autoplay feature is disabled, you can begin the installation by doing the following:
a) Go to the Start Menu and select Run.
b) Type D:\SETUP.EXE (assuming D is your DVD-ROM drive letter) and press Enter.
-or-
a) Double-click on My Computer
b) Double-Click your DVD-ROM drive icon.
-or-
a) Navigate to your DVD-ROM drive with Windows Explorer
b) Double-click on SETUP.EXE
3. DirectX® Detection & Installation
You will need to have DirectX® 9.0c and the latest runtime updates installed on your computer for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ to run properly.
At the end of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ install setup, the installer will automatically install DirectX 9.0c and all required runtime updates on your computer. If you already have other Windows XP games on your computer, chances are you already have a version of DirectX installed. In this case, the Microsoft installer will detect it and will not overwrite any files. You will not need to restart your computer after installation in order to run Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™. If, however, you do not already have DirectX 9.0c installed the Microsoft installer will detect and overwrite any previous versions with DirectX 9.0c. At that point, you will need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
You can also manually install it later. To do so, use the following instructions:
1. Place your Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ disk in the DVD-ROM drive. The Launch screen should appear. (See the AutoPlay section above if it does not appear.)
2. Click on the "Extras" button.
3. Click on "DirectX" and follow the installation process. When DirectX installation finishes, you will need to restart your computer for the new drivers to work.
If you encounter the following error message, then you have tried to start the game without the correct version of DirectX installed on your computer:
"DirectX 9.0c is not installed on this computer. Install it and try again."
You will need to follow the directions above to install DirectX before starting the game.
VIDEO ISSUES
1. Monitors
- Please make sure your monitor supports the game resolution you are trying to play in. To check what resolutions your monitor supports, do the following:
a) Open up My Computer
b) Double-click on Control Panel
c) Find the Display icon and open it
d) Choose the Settings tab
e) Locate the resolution pointer in the Desktop or Screen Area box and drag it to the far right
The resolution choice shown is the maximum resolution your monitor is capable of displaying. If you do not want to change to this resolution now, select cancel. Your Desktop Area should be set to the game resolution you are trying to play in or higher.
NOTE: Please make sure your monitor type is properly specified to insure correct reporting of available video resolutions.
2. In-game and Desktop resolutions
In most cases, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ should choose the proper resolution for your system based on your processor, system memory, and video card. Changing the game resolution may result in decreased performance or visual quality.
3. Video Settings and Button Prompts
Some of the challenges within Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ require the player to complete timing-based button prompt challenges. It’s been found that when lower-end systems set their graphical settings too high, the game’s reduced framerate may throw off the timing of these challenges. If you are experiencing difficulty passing one of these challenges, try turning your graphical settings down.
General Issues
1. General DVD Read Problems
There are a few things that could be wrong with DVD read problems, as such, we have a few things for you try.
First, try holding down the left shift key when inserting the game disc. This should prevent the AutoPlay splash screen to come up.
Next, try another DVD disk in the same drive to make sure that Windows® can properly read this other disk.
Additionally, if you have burning software Alcohol 120%® installed you may need to turn off all of the emulation options.
Go to File > Options.
Click on Emulation in the menu to the left.
Uncheck all options in the window to the right.
2. Administrator Privileges
If you are experiencing the following error:
“Please login with administrator privilege and try again”
The game must be installed by an account with administrator privileges. Please re-install the game. Run the game the FIRST TIME within an account with Admin or Power User privileges. The program must install Windows XP/VISTA™ drivers onto the system, which requires administrator privileges. Subsequent plays are allowed from any account level.
3. Options for Lower End Systems
On lower end systems, it is advised to close any and all programs (including anti-virus software) that are running in the background, followed by choosing the lowest resolution in the Options Menu. If the game runs well at these settings, then slowly increment the quality with a single resolution change to a higher setting. If the game continues to perform well under the new circumstances, then continue this process until it performs at the best visual quality, without any loss or effect to gameplay.
4. General Audio Problems
If audio corruption issues are experienced, it may be related to using higher than recommended settings for your computer specifications. It is recommended that you first try a lower resolution setting to fix the issue (i.e. 800x600). Turning off any and all anti-virus software that is running in Windows in the background is also recommended. Finally, any and all unnecessary software that is running in the background should also be exited.
Most sound issues are remedied by installing the latest version of DirectX®, or obtaining newer sound card drivers. Sound issues can include corrupted or distorted sound or even choppy game play. Generally updated drivers can usually be found on the manufacturers website. Updating drivers is highly recommended and easy to do. If choppy game play is your problem, please make sure your system meets the Minimum System Requirements. Any deviation from these may cause problems with the game and its overall performance. If you have questions about your sound cards DirectX 9.0c compatibility or for information about which drivers are right for your hardware, you should contact your sound cards manufacturer for details. Please note that DirectX 9.0c and all necessary runtime updates are included on the game disk, you may want to consult the DirectX section of this help system for more information. IMPORTANT NOTE: You may encounter distorted sound and/or choppy game play if your sound card is not 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible. You may want to contact your sound card manufacturer to see if your card is 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible.
5. If you are experiencing crashes...
First you need to make sure you computer meets the minimum system requirements.
You also need to make sure you have the latest drivers for your video and sound cards and in some cases updated motherboard drivers. You can generally find these on your manufacturer's website, refer to your hardware documentation for further instructions on updating your hardware drivers.
Also check to make sure the 3D hardware acceleration is turned all the way up.
For Windows XP:
Click on the Start button > Settings > Control Panel.
Double-click the Display icon.
Click the Settings tab.
Click the Advanced button.
Click the Troubleshoot tab.
Make sure the acceleration slider is set to Full.
For Windows VISTA™:
Click on the Start button > Control Panel.
Select Personalization > Display Settings.
Choose Advanced Settings > Select the Troubleshoot Tab.
Make sure the acceleration slider is set to Full.
You can also try setting your desktop to a resolution of 800x600, 32 bit True Color.
For Windows XP:
Right-click on your desktop and select Properties.
Click the Settings tab.
Set your screen area to 800x600.
Set the colors to 32 Bit (True Color).
Click Apply and OK.
For Windows VISTA™:
Right-click on your desktop and select Personalize.
Select Display Settings.
Set your screen area to 800x600.
Set the colors to 32 bit (True Color).
Click Apply and Ok.
6. How to Delete the Save Game File
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ creates up to 4 game files per user account, each corresponding to an in-game save slot. If any of these files are removed all progression will be lost. During the uninstall process Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ will give the player the option to remove the save game files for the user that uninstalls the game. Any other user's save game will remain. If the user wants to manually move this file, the save game file is named "Save_Game#" (where the # is the number of the save file) and is located here:
- Go to My Documents
- Navigate to the Activision folder, then the Madagascar 2.
7. Uninstalling with Antivirus Software Enabled
The uninstallation process may take more time if antivirus software (like Norton Utilities™ or McAfee®) is currently running, even if the antivirus software is running in the background. Although Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ will still uninstall correctly with this software running, disabling any antivirus program will make this process run faster. You will be able to uninstall Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ normally.
8. Patches and Updates
For updates and patches (if available) for this game, please check:
www.activision.com