Total Mania Readme.Txt file
Version 1.0.2 7/6/06
Contents:
Preface
1] Playing the Game
2] Installation
3] Reducing the Hard Drive space requirement
4] Running the game directly from CD
5] Cinematic Cut Scenes
6] CD-Quality Audio
7] Video Card Compatibility
8] Sound Card Compatibility
9] Modem Play
10] On-Line services
11] Screenshots
12] Hints & Tips
13] Q&A Section
Preface:
Domark and Cinematix would like to thank you for purchasing Total Mania. TM runs under Windows 3.1
and Win 95, with the expected performance boost that Win 95 gives you. Win 3.1 users will not be able to
view the cut movies, but this is the only impact of gameplay they can expect. Win 3.1 users are also urged to
not run any other programs while running TM. Some users have experienced difficulties in getting the sound
working in Win 3.1, but it was always tracked down to another program using the sound system. Sometimes
users have 'missed' some programs that may be conflicting, such as Icon-Hearit(tm) , or other multi-media
programs.
1] Playing the Game:
When the Total Mania disk is loaded in Windows, you will be presented with an option of how you want
to play the game. You can install the game to your Hard Disk, or play the movies directly from CD, with either
Hi-Resolution Movie playback (recommended for fast CD-ROM drives), or Lower Resolution (for double or triple
speed CD-ROMS).
There are two ways to play Total Mania, directly from the CD or from your Hard Drive. Each
has it's own advantages and disadvantages. Playing from the CD will save you considerable disk space,
but will result in slower load times. While just the opposite is true if you install the game onto your hard
drive.
2] Installation:
To install Total Mania in Windows 95, simply click on the My Computer Icon and then click
on the CD-ROM drive. Find the file "Setup.EXE" and double click on it. You will then be prompted
where
you want to install Total Mania. This choice will default to the Mania directory. You will also be asked
if you want to install the movies to you hard disk. The Hi-Res movies are designed for Pentium computers, while
486 users will want to install the Lo-res movies for increased video performance.
To install from Windows 3.1, you need to click on File in Program Manager, and then Run.
Click Browse until you find the Setup.exe on your CD Drive. Click on that, then click OK to select it, and
OK again to run it. You will then be prompted where you want to install Total Mania. The default will
be a directory called Mania. You will be asked what options you wish to install. Win 3.1 users need not install the movies, as they are not supported in that Operating System.
In the installed directory, you will find a Settings.EXE program that enables you to set up the following options:
* Change the path where the movies are played from. This enables you to play the movies from CD, and not be forced to install them to your hard disk.
* Utitlize one of two alternate executables for Total Mania. The first one, NO H SCROLL, should be used if you get the following error when running the game: Can't Initialize VESA Mode 100. If this does work try the next option instead.
* The other option, USE640X480, should be used if your video is screwed up when you run the game (multiple windows, no monitor sync, etc.).
* You can also switch off the videos from playing completely. This is useful on some cards which can't support the proper video modes.
3] Reducing the Hard Drive space requirement:
If you are playing TM on a Win 95 machine and find that you need Hard Disk space, you can
delete the following files:
OPENSEQH.RPL (The opening sequence in 640x400 resolution)
OPENSEQ.RPL (The opening sequence in 320x200 resolution)
MISSTRTH.RPL (The begin mission sequence)
MISCOMPH.RPL (The mission complete sequence)
Do not delete any other files or your game may not work properly.
4] Running the game directly from CD:
Total Mania runs perfectly fine from the CD. The game does need to create a folder where it
can place it's save games. Total Mania will start searching your drives, starting with C:, for enough
space to create the directory. The directory is called "MANIA.SAV", and stores your configurations
and saved games.
5] Cinematic Cut Scenes:
Slower CD-ROM drives may experience some sync problems when playing the cut-scenes. Running them
at lower resolutions will solve the problem, or installing them to your hard drive.
Double Speed CD: Low Res
Triple Speed CD: Low Res
Quad Speed CD: Low Res/Hi Res (depends on video card)
6 Speed or greater: Hi Res
Hard Drive, fragmented, 8meg machine: Low Res
Hard Drive, defragmented, 8meg machine: Hi Res
Hard Drive, fragmented, 16meg machine: Low/Hi Res (depends on depth of fragmentation)
Hard Drive, defragmented, 16meg machine: Hi Res
6] CD-Quality Audio:
Total Mania contains 6 tracks of music by Ronny Moorings of the music group Xymox. During
the game, these will play directly from the CD. Should you wish to play your own CD music during the
game, you must install Total Mania fully onto the Hard Drive. Then, whenever you begin a mission, the
game will randomly select a track from your CD to play.
7] Video Card Compatibility:
Total Mania uses SciTech's UNIVBE video driver to enhance a card's hardware scrolling
routines. Some video cards that do not support Hardware Scrolling (such as the Diamond Edge 3D)
or the Diamond Viper VLB will not work with Total Mania straight out of the box and give an error of "Failed to initialize VESA mode 100". Total Mania may also be incompatible with several newer cards that have come on the market recently. If you experience an incompatibility problem, check the
Domark WWW site (www.domark.com) for updated video drivers, or try downloading Scitech Software's
end user VESA drivers at www.scitechsoft.com.
You may also wish to see if your card's built in VESA can handle Total Mania. This can be
done by using the Run option in the Start Menu (or Run from File Manager in Win 3.1), and adding the
command line switch "USEOLDVBE" to the end of the Mania executable.
EX: Your Run line should look like this for a single player game:
D:\MANIA\MANIA.EXE USEOLDVBE
Or this for a Multi-Player game:
D:\MANIA\MANIA.EXE NETWORK USEOLDVBE
If you find that your video card is still not responding, you can use either of the following switches:
D:\MANIA\MANIA.EXE NOHSCROLL
This stands for No Hardware Scrolling. This simulates Hardware Scrolling in software and memory, and will get the game to run on cards like the Diamond Edge 3D. If your computer has more than 8 megs of ram, you will not notice any reduction in speed, but 8 megs machines may have a slight impairment.
D:\MANIA\MANIA.EXE USE640X480
This forces Total Mania to use the more common 640X480 video mode other than it's native 640x400 video mode. We have found that some monitors and/or video cards are incapable of displaying the 640x400 mode, and this switch fixes that problem. The screen may look scrunched, but you will soon get used to it.
8] Sound Card Compatibility:
Total Mania uses the HMI sound driver for Windows. If your Windows program is properly
configured for sound, there should be no problem with sound card compatibility. If you experience
popping, sound breakup, etc. you may want to manually set your soundcard parameters by running
SOUNDSET.EXE. SOUNDSET.EXE is located in the MANIA directory on the CD, or in your
MANIA directory on your hard drive. With SOUNDSET.EXE you can manually set the soundcard,
port, irq, and DMA address of your sound card, allowing you to override the settings found by the
sound card detection routines. If you experience problems with the settings you chose in SOUNDSET,
simply return the settings to AUTO DETECT, and the system will use the auto sound card detection
again.
9] On-Line services:
In the near future Total Mania will be available to play on many various on-line networks. To
see what services you can play Total Mania on, check Domark's website at http://www.domark.com/
10] Modem Play:
Sometimes the Modem will fail to initialize when you first click on the Modem Setup in the Net
Wizard. Should this happen, close the Wizard and try it again.
The player who is going to Answer needs to create the session to play, and the other player will
choose the Dial option in the Wizard.
10] Screenshots:
To take a screen grab at any time, press CRTL-S. This will save a .BMP file in your savegame
directory, or the MANIA directory if you have the game fully installed.
11] Hints & Tips:
* A major point to the game is the Fail-safe Keys that are required to destroy the main computers
controlling the planet. These keys are VITAL to the completion of the game. If you destroy one of these
keys, or accidentally leave on behind on a mission (this can happen if a soldier carrying the key dies and
you do not pick it up), you will get a Mission Failed. You will be required to replay the mission again
To use the Fail-safe keys, you need to find the Control Center on the level specified. In the control
center will be several pedestals, all of different colors. You must physically move the Fail-safes from your
inventory and onto the pedestal by right click and holding on the key itself and dragging the key onto it.
* The CONTINUE GAME option at the main title screen does not load your last saved game. Instead it
loads the very last state you were in before you exited. Ex: If you come back from mission 6 and
immediately save your game, then go into the armory and buy miniguns for the entire group with ammo,
and then exit the game entirely, clicking on Continue Game will put you at the state of just purchasing the
miniguns and ammo, not the state of the pre-buying spree Saved Game.
* If you find your soldiers are not responding completely to the orders you issue, especially movement
orders, try issuing movement orders in smaller increments. Because of the complex nature of the 3D
maps in TOTAL MANIA, soldiers respond better to movement orders that are within their Line Of
Sight.
* The Multi-Player game the Proximity Mines are invisible to all players except the player who laid them
This makes for some nasty traps and defensive positions. There are Mine Detector Goggles on all Multi-
Player levels that work for 90 seconds to reveal the locations of all opposing player's mines, which you
can destroy with a high powered weapon. All the mines you lay are destroyed automatically when you die
however.
* If you find yourself stuck with no possible solution to a level, check every wall for hidden buttons by
passing the cursor over the wall sections. If the cursor changes to the Hand Cursor, there is a button or
switch on that wall that may be the answer to your problems. Playing the game in Zoomed In mode (the Z
key) also helps you spot these hidden buttons better.
* If you find yourself COMPLETELY stuck on a level, you can email Domark Software for hints on
passing a specific level. Please email [email protected], or [email protected] with what level you
are stuck on, and we will send you in the right direction.
* If you ever find yourself not able to see your soldiers (maybe just the numbers, or nothing at all), click
on the Soldier Status Window at the bottom of the screen, this will select that character, while centering the
view on the soldier, and switch the hieght to teh proper level.
* You can play Multi-Player Total Mania with just one copy of the game by doing a full install on every
machine. See section 3 for a tip on reducing Hard Disk Space. Please use multiple copies of the game only
for Multi-Player.
* In the unlikely event that a Patch is required to fix video card compatibility problems/bugs, you can find
it, and tons of other info at Domark's web page, at http://www.domark.com/ or http://www.eidos.com/
* For general technical issues in running Mania, email [email protected], or [email protected].
Q&A Section:
Q] I get a "Failed to initialize VESA mode 100" whenever I run the game, and can't play, HELP!
A] Try using the following switches in a run-line after the MANIA executable:
USEOLDVESA (This will attempt to use the video card's VESA driver and not the Scitech driver)
NOHSCROLL (This will disable any attempt at using hardware scrolling)
USE640X480 (This will force the game into a higher res mode)
Q] How do I make the game use those switches?
A] In Windows 3.1x, you need to go to RUN on the File menu, and Browse to find the Mania.EXE that you use. Select it, and then physically type at the end of the line the switch that you want to use.
A] In Windows 95, right click and drag the Mania icon onto your desktop and select "create Shortcut here". Next right click on the shortcut and then select the properties tab. Add the switch to the MANIA.EXE line. (Outside the quotes if there are any). Click on Apply and then OK.
Q] Sometimes I get a "Mission Failed" for no apparent reason, what happened?
A] Occasionally retrieving an item is vital to the completion of the level. If you or an enemy should
accidentally destroy a vital item, the game will automatically fail the mission to save you wasting time
trying to complete a level that you can not complete.
Q] Why did some of my soldiers gain negative experience?
A] Whenever you lose a soldier, your entire squad loses experience, if a soldier did not contribute much to
a mission and you lost another soldier, then he will gain negative experience. NOTE: Soldiers can not get
demoted.
Q] I am playing level (X) and some objectives do not show up on the map.
A] Although the resistance intelligence gathering net is good, they sometimes only can tell you that a
specific objective is located "somewhere" in the vicinity. You must seek out the location of this objective
yourself.
Q] I get no cinematic cut scenes when I run Total Mania on Windows 3.1.
A] The Eidos Software Codec, the compression routine used to play back the movies, is a 32-bit
application, and will not run properly on the 16 bit OS of Windows 3.1. Domark is working on a 16 bit
player for the movies, and when one is finished, it will be made available to all users.
Q] How can I play Network Games in Windows 3.1
A] Total Mania supports the DirectPlay drivers written specifically for Windows 95 for it's network
play. The Network option will not work in Windows 3.1
Q] I'm playing a network game and my soldiers seem to jump around on the screen.
How can I fix this?
A] Some networks support both the IPX and TCP/IP protocols. Try to run MANIA
with the protocol that's native for your network (i.e. if you know you have a
Novell or Microsoft server, use IPX, or if you have a Unix server, run TCP/IP).
Q] I picked up a weapon, but I can't select it. Why?
A] You have no ammo for that weapon. Trade the weapon to someone who has ammo
for it.
Q] It says "So and so is out of power" and now he won't move or fire. What do
I do?
A] Click on the status bar picture of the guy in trouble (he'll be the one
without any yellow bar). Next click on the Battery icon in his inventory for a
recharge. If he has no batteries, trade one from a soldier who does.
Q] I can't open this door at (various location). Why?
A] The door most likely requires a color coded key. Check the panel on the
door for the color of key you need to open it, and then, while standing in
front of the door, click on that color key in your inventory. If you don't
have that color key yet, you have to either find the key on the level, or
find another way in (hint, hint).
Q] How do I run a multiplayer game from my Hard Drive?
A] If a shortcut is not in the Mania directory, create one, and add to the execution line in the
Properties section the word Network.
EX: C:\MANIA\MANIA.EXE NETWORK
This will run the network wizard for Total Mania.
Q] How many players are supported in Multi-Player?
A] At the time of it's release, Total Mania supports 6-players in a network game. Future additions
should see that number raised to 8 or higher.
Domark and Cinematix would like to thank you for purchasing Total Mania, we hope you enjoy it. If
you have any comments and/or suggestions, you can email [email protected] (Ben Cooley) or
[email protected] (Matthew Miller). We'd love to hear from you!
Ben Cooley
Matthew Miller