Flying Saucer Read Me (Version 1.05) 11.11.97 PostLinear Entertainment CONTENTS 1 - GAME REQUIREMENTS 2 - ADDED FEATURES IN THIS VERSION 3 - DIRECT X 4 - TROUBLESHOOTING 5 - NETWORKING 6 - CONTACTING POSTLINEAR ENTERTAINMENT 1 - GAME REQUIREMENTS To play Flying Saucer, you will first need a PC with Windows 95. Flying Saucer does not support Windows 3.1, or Windows NT. The system requirements for Flying Saucer are as follows: *****Required***** Pentium 100 16 MB RAM Windows 95 compatible Sound Card 2x CD-ROM Drive VGA card with 1 MB VRAM Windows 95 Microsoft Direct X 5.0 *****Recommended***** Pentium 166 32 MB RAM Windows 95 compatible Sound Card 4x CD-ROM Drive SVGA card with 2 MB VRAM Windows 95 Microsoft Direct X 5.0 2 - ADDED FEATURES IN THIS VERSION Version 1.05 is the final release of Flying Saucer. Changes in this build are as follows: - Installation sizes enlarged - Game tree logic bug fixed - Read me updated 3 - DIRECT X 5.0 Flying Saucer requires Microsoft Direct X 5.0 to run properly. Running Flying Saucer with a previous version of Direct X *does not* ensure that the game will run properly. For more information on Direct X 5.0 (including support), please visit the Microsoft web site at http://www.microsoft.com. 4 - TROUBLESHOOTING Here are some of the more common problems that users encounter with Flying Saucer: *Problem* Flying Saucer won't start up *Potential Solution* Did you install Direct X 5.0? Direct X 5.0 is necessary for Flying Saucer to be able to run properly. If you've already installed Flying Saucer but didn't install Direct X 5.0, you can still install it from the Flying Saucer CD-ROM. Right click on your CD-ROM icon from your Windows 95 desktop, and then select Open. Look for the DirectX folder, and then open that folder. Run Setup.exe from within the DirectX folder to install Direct X 5.0. *Problem* Flying Saucer won't start up *Potential Solution* Are you letting Windows manage your Virtual Memory? Regardless of whether or not you have enough memory to run Flying Saucer, Direct X 5.0 requires Virtual Memory be engaged in order to work properly. To activate Virtual Memory, select the Settings > Control Panel from the Windows 95 Start Menu. Then select System. Select the Performance tab. Click on the Virtual Memory button. Select "Let Windows manage my virtual memory." Click O.K.. *Problem* The game appears to be running REALLY slow. *Potential Solution* This could be a couple of things. First, if you have a slower machine, such as a P100, then you really should run the game in Low Resolution. That will definitely speed it up. However, if you've got a fast machine, and the game is still running slowly, then it could be your video card. Direct X 5.0 has some problems running non-accelerated video cards when the Windows Advanced Graphics Settings are set to Full Acceleration. To fix this problem, select the Settings > Control Panel from the Windows 95 Start Menu. Then select System. Select the Performance tab. Click on the Graphics button. Move the Hardware Acceleration slider bar from whatever it's at to none, and then restart your system. That may take care of the problem. *Problem* I'm turning the saucer, but it isn't moving *Potential Solution* Are you really turning the saucer? Using the arrow keys or the joystick only changes the view POD, not the actual direction of the saucer. To change the saucer's direction, you must hit the Ctrl key, or use either the Shift or Alt keys in conjunction with the arrows or the joystick. *Problem* No music or sounds are playing in the game *Potential Solution* Check the Game Settings screen. It includes options for turning the music on and off, as well as the sound effects and the voice overs. These switches can also be engaged in the game by using the F10, F11 and F12 keys, respectively. *Problem* No cutscenes are playing *Potential Solution* This option can also be set in the Game Settings Screen. In addition, though, if you are playing the game in Low Resolution (320 x 240), the cutscenes won't play at all. All of the cut scenes can only be played in a 640 x 480 window. When playing in Low Resolution, you can view cut scenes after the mission is over by going to the Movie Archive and viewing them there. *Problem* I can't seem to abduct anything *Potential Solution* To abduct the contents of a building, or a boat or any other object in the world, that object must first have something in it which can be abducted. You can tell whether an object has something that can be abducted by switching to Electromagnetic or Biomass sensor modes when you have an object targeted. If a green or blue dot appears within your target indicator on either of those sensors, then you can abduct something from that object. To abduct make sure you're within 500 meters of the object, and then hit the O key to abduct it's contents. *Problem* The Flying Saucer install aborts, even though I have enough disk space. *Potential Solution* To install Flying Saucer, the installer needs more than the actual disk space for the game in order to extract the compressed files before we write them to the disk. To be safe, you should always have double the install size available on your hard drive in order to install the game. Once the game is installed, though, it uses only as much disk space as is specified in the installer. *Problem* I finished all my primary mission objectives, but the mission doesn't exit. *Potential Solution* You have to leave a mission manually in order for it to be finished. The reason for this is so that you can continue to explore the world and pick up Convertible Matter for the saucer. Once you've completed all the primary mission objectives, hit the ESC key, and press 1 to return to the cockpit. *Problem* I played a mission and completed it, but no new missions opened up. *Potential Solution* Not every mission opens a new mission. Because Flying Saucer has a non-linear game structure, you will have a variety of missions to chose from. Not all of them will open new missions when they are completed. 6 - NETWORKING There is no Network play for this version of Flying Saucer. 6 - CONTACT INFORMATION **** Updates, Patches, and Troubleshooting **** ---Website http://www.postlinear.com **** Feedback **** ---Mail PostLinear Entertainment Inc. 2650 18th Street San Francisco, CA 94110 ---Phone 415.487.1100 ---Fax 415.487.1180 ---E-mail saucer@postlinear.com