NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 Release Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 19, 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS
In-game keyboard commands..............
Common questions and answers...........
Installation notes.....................
Hardware acceleration notes............
- 3Dfx
- Rendition Verite
- Matrox
- PowerVR
- S3 Virge
- 3D Labs
- ATI
- nVidia
- Number 9
- Cirrus Logic
CD-ROM notes...........................
MMX SOUND..............................
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IN-GAME KEYBOARD COMMANDS
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'8' - Enable solid fill rendering
'9' - Enable wire-frame rendering
'0' - Enable point rendering (hardware only)
'M' - Toggle ice texture
'N' - Toggle player name/number
'O' - Toggle player shadows
'Q' - Toggle crowd
'W' - Toggle glass
'E' - Toggle bench
'Y' - Toggle crowd/glass/bench together
'S' - Toggle in-game sprite overlays
'U' - Toggle replay sprite overlays
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COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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============================================================================
What is the difference between "Software", and "Hardware" rendering?
Hardware rendering is when the functions of a 3D accelerator card are being
used to generate the display. Software rendering does not take advantage of
any 3D hardware present (nor does it require it). Generally, hardware
rendering results in better graphics and smoother gameplay (but not always).
The 3D configuration dialog that is displayed before the game is loaded
allows software rendering, or hardware rendering (if available) to be
selected.
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What is AutoPlay?
AutoPlay is an ability of Windows 95 to automatically startup a program from
the CD-ROM. If after inserting the CD, you do not see a start up box,
ensure that you do not have "Auto Insert Notification" disabled under
the CD-ROM System Properties dialog. Also check with your CD-ROM manufacturer
to ensure that your hardware is AutoPlay compatible and that you are using
the latest Windows 95 drivers.
============================================================================
What is Microsoft DirectX?
DirectX is a set of Windows libraries that allow a game access to various
aspects of a PC hardware (sound, video, networking). NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98
uses DirectX for graphics, sound effects, and input.
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What is Microsoft Direct3D?
Direct3D is a component of DirectX which addresses the rendering of 3D
graphics. NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 uses Direct3D when 3D acceleration is
present.
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What is the most optimal resolution I should play the game when using the
"Software" rendering mode?
If supported by your video card, 512x384 often is a good balance between
resolution, and speed. Faster machines (Pentium 200 MHz+) can use a
resolution of 640x480 or higher with good results. In software, the
game will allow any supported resolution up to 1024x768.
============================================================================
What is the most optimal resolution I should play the game when using my
hardware accelerator card?
A good resolution is 640x480, although this will depend on your hardware
accelerator. Many newer cards can run NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 at 800x600, or
even 1024x768 at a good speed. Note that only cards with at least 4
megabytes of video memory are supported by NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98.
============================================================================
Why do the choices on playing resolutions vary from computer to computer?
This varies due to differences in the video hardware, and driver versions
from one computer to the next. The amount of memory on the video card
limits the maximum resolution that NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 can play.
============================================================================
What is Perspective Correction?
Perspective Correction enhances the visual accuracy of the rendering.
Without it, the rink textures can appear to warp when the camera is near to
the ice. Perspective correction removes this artifact at the cost of some
frame-rate when software rendering is used. On hardware accelerators,
perspective correction can be enabled with no decrease in performance.
============================================================================
What is MMX?
MMX is an extension of the Pentium processor which provides additional
capabilities tailored towards multimedia applications. NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98
will automatically detect a computer with MMX support and utilize MMX features
to improve the game's performance.
============================================================================
What can I do to help game performance?
System
- run the game from a freshly booted machine
- close all non-essential programs and tasks
- run in the suggested resolutions best suited to your system configuration
- ensure that virtual memory is enabled
Rendering Options
- select a lower resolution
- disable ice textures
- disable other rendering features (boards, crowd, shadows, etc.)
- disable perspective correction
Sound
- reduce the sound quality
- move the sound files from the CD to the hard drive (via the setup utility)
============================================================================
When I play the game the controls feel unresponsive. What can I do?
Refer to the "What can I do to increase game performance?"
============================================================================
The sound is very low quality. Is there something wrong?
Adjust the sound settings using the configuration program to improve the
sound quality.
Get the latest drivers for your sound card.
Get the latest video drivers for your video card. Some video cards conflict
with sound cards resulting in a "warbling" noise. The latest drivers can
often fix this problem.
============================================================================
There are no sound effects during the game or during the movies. What can
I do?
Check for the following:
1. the sound effect volume during the game is set properly
2. the Windows sound volume is not low or muted
3. the speakers are hooked up properly
4. speaker volume is at the right level
============================================================================
The movies don't play back smoothly. What can I do?
If you are playing the movies from the CD-ROM, ensure that you have obtained
the latest CD-ROM drivers from the manufacturer.
Disable the built-in Windows 95 Read-Ahead cache for the CD-ROM.
Here's how to do this:
1. Bring up the Control Panel from the Start Menu.
2. Double-click on the System applet.
3. Select the Performance tab.
4. Under "Advanced settings", select the "File System Option."
5. Select the CD-ROM tab.
6. Select the "No Read Ahead" option under the "Optimize access pattern
for.." pull down box.
7. Press OK to exit the "File System Option" dialog.
8. Press OK to exit the System dialog.
9. Restart the computer.
============================================================================
The game has suddenly become very slow and choppy. What can I do?
Quit the current game, exit back to Windows and restart the system. The next
time PowerPlay '98 is launched, the game should run properly.
============================================================================
Will NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 take advantage of my 3D accelerator?
NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 is designed to utilize the features of a 3D accelerator
through the Microsoft Direct3D interface. Most cards that have Direct3D
drivers with a few exceptions. As Direct3D is a somewhat ill-defined standard,
compatibility problems are bound to occur. See the section on "Hardware
Acceleration" for details on specific cards. Often many problems can be
fixed by acquiring the latest video drivers from the video card company.
If all else fails, software rendering can be enabled.
============================================================================
NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 doesn't allow hardware acceleration on my video card
with 2MB of memory. Why not?
There is not be enough memory on a 2MB card to support the game's texture
maps. A minimum of 4MB is required to play NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 under
hardware acceleration. Note that software rendering is available on 2MB
video cards.
Card Memory Maximum Hardware Resolution Maximum Software Resolution
2MB Not supported 1024x768
4MB 800x600 1024x768
8MB 1024x768 1024x768
============================================================================
Why can't I run NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 in a window when 3D hardware rendering
is selected?
The game can run in a window only when software rendering is selected. When
hardware rendering is selected, the game takes over the entire display to
insure that enough video memory is available to load all of the game's
texture maps.
============================================================================
I am using 3D acceleration, but the game runs slowly. What's wrong?
Not all 3D cards are built alike. Some cards may actually exhibit lower
performance than the software rendering. Try adjusting some of the graphics
detail and sound settings and see if there is an improvement in frame-rate.
If all else fails, use the software driver. Some cards may exhibit a
large performance decrease when ice texture or player shadows are
enabled. To toggle player shadows during a game press 'O'. To toggle
ice texture, press 'M'. Use these keys to examine the performance
impact of various rendering options on a particular machine.
============================================================================
There are strange texturing artifacts on the screen when using 3D acceleration.
What's happening?
Some cards exhibit problems when using older Direct3D drivers. Contact your
manufacturer of your video card for the latest drivers. If problems persist,
look at the above notes for information about particular accelerators. If
all else fails, disable the 3D acceleration, and use software rendering.
============================================================================
I have a machine with a MMX processor. Will NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 take
advantage of it?
Yes. NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 is optimized for a processor with MMX extensions
and will automatically make use of MMX if available. MMX extensions are
available on newer Pentium, Pentium II, AMD K6, and Cyrix 686MX (M2)
processors.
============================================================================
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INSTALLATION NOTES
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After installing NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98, you are allowed to install again at
any time. However, you must install in the same directory of your first
install. You might want to install a second time to ADD some game components
that might improve the performance of the game. In the CUSTOM installation
dialog, you will notice that there are four options to choose from. Installing
these options will have various effects:
1) Front-End Screens
The Front-End screens are the screens in the game where you can select
different game options. Installing this component will speed up moving from
one screen to the next, since accessing each screen from the CD-ROM is slower
than off your hard drive.
2) Player Data and Photos
Installing this option will speed up loading the players' photos at certain
points in the Front-End. It will also help speed up loading the game.
3) Game Art
Installing this option will speed up loading the game. When you start a game
of NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98, you will notice a progress bar that indicates how
long it will take before you can play the game. Installing the game art will
speed up this process.
4) Sound Samples
This will help reduce possible stalls in the game that might be caused by a
slow CD-ROM. Sound and music that are accessed during the game can be
accessed off the CD, or your hard drive. Accessing sound off your hard drive
is faster than your CD-ROM, so installing sound files is the most recommended
option of these four. If you have done a "typical" install most of the
in-game sound effects have already been installed on your hard drive. So if
you are considering installing the sound samples and you haven't installed
using a "typical" install, you should re-run the setup program and select
"typical" if the you are low on hard drive space (sound samples are in
total around 100+ MB!).
============================================================================
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HARDWARE ACCELERATION NOTES
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NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 has been designed to take advantage of the
acceleration features of many currently available 3D graphics cards. This
following section gives details about specific manufacturers' cards.
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3Dfx Voodoo, Voodoo Rush (Orchid Righteous 3D, Diamond Monster 3D,
Hercules Stingray 128)
When using these cards, sound and music may sound broken and not smooth.
New drivers to fix this problem are available. Contact the manufacturer for
the latest drivers. Even with new drivers, the sound may still break up
when running the game at 800x600. If this is the case, run the game at
640x480. 3Dfx is currently working to fix this problem.
============================================================================
Rendition Verite 1000, 2100, 2200 (3D Blaster, Intergraph Reactor, Canopus
Total 3D, Diamond Stealth II)
Rendering the ice texture, and player shadows may cause a significant
decrease in performance on some Verite 1000 based cards. If the game runs
slowly, try adjusting these rendering options.
============================================================================
Matrox Mystique, Mystique 220, Millenium II
Very early versions of the Mystique driver have problems with applications
that use a large number of texture maps under Direct3D. If there are
problems loading the game with hardware acceleration under the Mystique,
contact Matrox to acquire a driver update that will fix the problem.
Video cards equipped with 2MB of video memory do not have enough RAM to run
NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 with hardware acceleration. On 2MB cards, only
software rendering will be available.
Translucent objects, such as glass will have a "dotty" appearance. This is
the result of how the Mystique implements translucency, and is normal
behavior.
For best performance, make sure that the "Use bus mastering" field is
checked in the Matrox PowerDesk performance settings from the display
Control Panel applet.
For a small increase in performance, it may be desirable to enable the
"Page flip during vertical blank" option from the Matrox PowerDesk
performance settings Control Panel applet. This may produce some "tearing"
artifacts, but can increase the frame rate.
============================================================================
NEC Power-VR PCX1, PCX2 (Videologic Apocalypse 3D)
The latest version of the Power-VR drivers must be installed to operate
correctly.
With some versions of the Power-VR drivers, a black rectangle may appear
around the rink lines and player shadows. If this happens, enable the
"Ice Texture" rendering option. This will fix the rendering artifact, and
should have little impact on the game's performance. The ice texture
can be toggled on and off during the game by pressing the 'M' key.
Enabling the "auto mip mapping" feature of the PCX2 may cause rendering
artifacts in the game. If this is the case, disable the feature from the
Control Panel.
The 3D configuration screen will give results similar to "Your system is:
4861169" if the user is using a Cyrix microprocessor. In some cases, the
configuration will inform the user to switch to a lower resolution and to
disable almost all of the display and audio options. This is despite the
fact that the game will run properly on many systems with all of the display
and audio options selected.
The NEC Power-VR series of 3D accelerator cards will not support PP98
unless it's control panel (in display menu) is selected to "Maximum
Performance" and NOT "Maximum Compatibility." If the game still fails
to recognize the 3D hardware, it may require the user to select between
"Maximum Compatibility" and "Maximum Performance" several times before
attempting to run the game again. If the user attempts to run PP98
with 3D acceleration while the Power-VR control is set to "Maximum
Compatibility," the user may experience system crashes.
============================================================================
3D Labs Permedia/Delta, Permedia 2
Ensure that the "Disable Direct3D HAL" option is not checked in the PERMEDIA
Direct3D Control Panel applet.
For a small increase in performance, it may be desirable to enable the
"No VBlank Wait" option from the PERMEDIA Direct3D Control Panel applet.
This may produce some "tearing" artifacts, but can increase frame rate.
============================================================================
S3 Virge (Diamond Stealth 3D 2000, #9 Reality 332)
Playing NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 on older versions of the Virge chipset with
Direct3D rendering may exhibit rendering artifacts, or slow performance.
If this is the case, select "software" rendering from the 3D configuration
dialog. Newer Virge chipsets (GX2 and higher) might have better success
running the game (as always, get the latest drivers for your video card).
Video cards equipped with 2MB of video memory do not have enough texture
memory to run the game at 640x480 resolution. On 2 MB cards, only
resolutions of 640x400 and below will be available.
============================================================================
ATI Rage, Rage II, Rage II+, Rage III (Graphics 3D Xpression, 3D Pro Turbo,
Rage Pro AGP)
Playing NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 on older versions of the Rage chipset with
Direct3D rendering may exhibit rendering artifacts, or slow performance.
If this is the case, select "software" rendering from the 3D configuration
dialog. Newer versions of the Rage chipset (Rage Pro and higher) should
have fewer problems running the game.
Video cards equipped with 2 MB of video memory do not have enough texture
memory to run the game at 640x480 resolution. On 2 MB cards, only
resolutions of 640x400 and below will be available.
============================================================================
NVidia Riva 128 (Diamond Viper 330)
The "auto mip mapping" feature of this card may interfere with the rink,
and referee artwork in PowerPlay '98. If problems are seen, attempt to
disable "auto mip mapping" from the video Control Panel applet for the
video card. Some drivers may not provide the ability to disable this
feature. In this case, contact the card manufacturer for details.
In some cases, rendering player shadows may cause a significant decrease
in performance on the Riva 128. If this is the case, disable player
shadow rendering (this can be done in-game with the 'O' key).
============================================================================
Number 9 Revolution 3D
This card does not support alpha-blending, so glass will be rendered opaque
on this device. On this card, glass rendering should be turned off from the
3D configuration dialog.
============================================================================
Cirrus Logic 546x (Laguna 3D)
Early versions of the drivers for the 546x based cards report the
amount of free video memory on the card incorrectly. For example,
1024x768 resolution may be available for selection on a 4 megabyte card
even though the card doesn't have enough memory to play at that
resolution. The game may crash if a resolution is selected that is too
high for the amount of memory on the card. If this happens, select a lower
resolution. A 4 megabyte card should be able to run PowerPlay '98 up to
800x600.
Some versions of the Cirrus Logic 546x drivers will crash the machine if
player shadows are enabled. To fix this game, disable player shadows
from either the 3D configuration dialog, or from the pre-game front end.
============================================================================
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CD-ROM NOTES
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Do not attempt to eject the PowerPlay '98 CD from the CD-ROM drive at any
time during gameplay or the installation process. An ejected CD during
gameplay or installation may result in system crashes or lockups, requiring
the user to reset the system. This may also result in the loss of data
accumulated from the time of the last saved game or roster.
For users of the Toshiba 12x CD-ROM drives:
Users of high-speed CD-ROM drives (such as the Toshiba XM5302 and XM5702)
that "spin down" after periods of inactivity might encounter brief pauses
in gameplay and/or overlapping announcer sound samples. What happens is
NHL POWERPLAY (TM) 98 has to wait for the CD-ROM drive to spin up to
operating speed every time it accesses a sound sample. CD-ROM drives like
the Toshiba 12x have very short time-outs before they spin down, thus
increasing the frequency they are forced to spin up again.
There is a shareware utility available that allows you to lengthen the
spindown time-out and minimize spin up accesses. Spindown by Jim McLaughlin
is available at http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aa571/.
============================================================================
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MMX SOUND
**********************************
1) MMX sound driver options: Since MMX is a new technology, not all sound
cards will have proper MMX drivers. If this is the case, and a new one
isn't available yet from your sound card vendor, you can disable the MMX
sound driver by copying the file "MMXoff.con" from your PP98 CD "SOUND\"
directory into your "SOUNDTMP\" directory where you installed PP98 on
your hard-drive. This will disable the MMX driver.
2) There are some new sound cards that claim to fully support DirectX but
sometimes these cards are not fully compatible. If a new sound driver
is not available from your sound card vendor, try putting your sound card
into SoundBlaster (tm) emulation mode (most sound cards have this mode).
3) Sound quality: You should always attempt to have the highest sound
quality for PP98. The Recommendation Engine does a good job of determining
your system's capabilities but don't be afraid to try a higher sound
quality, and switch it back if you find that it is affecting the game's
performance.
4) You might want to shut off the MMX driver if you notice a lot of "skipping"
in the music in the front end. Some MMX drivers aren't behaving well with
non-MMX CD drivers.