Microsoft Golf 3.0 README File September, 1996 © Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1996 ========================================================= This file contains important information that supplements online Help. To get news and product updates for Golf 3.0 or other Microsoft games, check out our World Wide Web sites at http://www.microsoft.com/games/ and http://www.microsoft.com/sports/golf/. For the best readability, maximize this window. ========================================================= CONTENTS ========================================================= A. Hardware and System Requirements > Requirements > Improving Performance on Machines with 8 MB of RAM B. Installation > Troubleshooting Microsoft Golf 3.0 Setup > Installing Microsoft Golf 3.0 on Windows NT > Starting Microsoft Golf 3.0 If You Are Using the PC Tools Desktop C. Game Play Issues D. Audio Troubleshooting E. Video Troubleshooting > Displaying 256 Colors > Resolving Other Video Driver Conflicts F. Multiplayer Troubleshooting ========================================================= A. Hardware and System Requirements ========================================================= Requirements ========================================================= To play Microsoft Golf 3.0, you need: * A 486/66 computer (Pentium 90 computer or better recommended) * Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 or higher operating system (will not run on earlier versions of Windows) * A 2X CD-ROM drive or faster to play from a compact disc * 8 MB of memory (RAM) (16+ MB recommended) * 20 MB of available hard disk space * A sound board plus speakers or headphones to hear audio * 14,400 baud modem for modem play (28,800 baud modem recommended) * A Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device * 256-color Super VGA monitor Note: Golf 3.0 requires Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 or higher. To purchase a Windows upgrade, see your local retailer. Improving Performance on Machines with 8 MB of RAM ================================================== If performance is slow on your computer with 8 MB of RAM, the following tips may help: * Close some of the Golf windows (for example, if both Main View and Green View are displayed, then close Green View). * Reduce the size of Main View. * Modify options in the Display Options dialog box such as: 1. Click No for Draw Shadows. 2. Click No for Texture Terrain. 3. Set the Terrain Details to all minimums. When you turn off Texture Terrain and reduce the Terrain Detail levels, you affect the appearance of the course -- do this only if speed is more important than appearance. Note: On some machines, having all the graphic and sound features turned on may cause a significant delay in task-switching from one application to another. This delay may adversely effect time- critical applications such as communications and e-mail packages. It is highly recommended to close time-critical applications before playing Golf. To improve task-switching from Golf, you can turn off the Background, Ambient, and Commentary Sounds, as well as lower the Terrain/Texture Display settings. ========================================================= B. Installation ========================================================= If you are using a 2x CD-ROM drive, you should do a Typical or Custom installation for better performance. If you are using 16-bit CD-ROM drivers for your CD-ROM, Autorun may not work properly. To manually run setup, double-click on the Setup icon in the Golf 3.0 CD in your CD-ROM drive to start installation. If you are running Windows NT 4.0 a desktop shortcut will not be Created during setup. Troubleshooting Microsoft Golf 3.0 Setup ===================================== Below are the three most common errors encountered while installing Golf. Follow the instructions for each error message you encountered while trying to install Golf, and then run Setup again. **An Intel 486 or higher processor** You must either upgrade to an Intel 486 or higher processor, or switch to a computer with an Intel 486 or higher processor. **Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 or later** You must install Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 or later. To purchase a Windows upgrade, see your local retailer. **A 256-color video driver (minimum 640 x 480 display resolution)** Microsoft Golf high-resolution golf courses require a 256-color video display. In most cases you need only install a 256-color video driver to correct the problem. To change the palette to 256 colors in Windows 95: 1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 2. Double-click the Display icon. 3. Click the Settings tab. 4. Under Color Palette, click 256 color. 5. Click OK. 6. Reinstall Golf. NOTE: If you don't have the necessary 256-color driver, or if you aren't sure that your video card supports 256 colors, contact your video-card manufacturer. To obtain Super VGA drivers: Download the SVGA drivers from the Microsoft Download Service (MSDL). These drivers work correctly on many video cards. The phone number for MSDL is (206) 936-6735. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The highest download speed available is 14,400 bits per second (bps). Each file is a compressed, self-extracting file. To download the file, download the filename SVGA.EXE. After you download the file, run it in an empty directory to extract the files it contains. Installing Microsoft Golf 3.0 on Windows NT ======================================== You must have Windows NT 3.51 or higher to install Golf. If you are using Windows NT 3.5, contact your retailer for an upgrade. Starting Microsoft Golf 3.0 If You Are Using the PC Tools Desktop ============================================================== If you are using PC Tools Desktop as your Windows shell, you will need to restart Windows manually after installing Golf. Just exit Windows and type Win at the prompt. ========================================================= C. Game Play Issues ========================================================= It's recommended that you do not change screen resolutions during gameplay. If for some reason you're having trouble moving the swing control or if it disappears, click the Views menu, then click Layout. Select a layout and click the Use button. If this doesn't work, save your game and restart Golf. Then select a new layout again. Some of the advanced features of the Microsoft Intellipoint 2.0 Mouse software may interfere with the swing control in Golf 3.0. The ClickSaver, Snap To, Focus, Smart Speed, and the Clicklock features should be turned off before playing Golf 3.0. When pausing a recorded player using the onscreen Waiting for Shot alert dialog box, the dialog box will subsequently disappear. To unpause the player, simply click on the Swing Control. Running both Golf 2.0 and Golf 3.0 simultaneously from the same machine will cause neither versions to run correctly. If Harbour Town or Banff Springs disappear from your course selection list, run setup again and select the reinstall option. If ambient background sounds stop during your game, choosing help or running a flyby will usually reset the sound. If not, you can save the game, restart Golf, and resume the game. Setting the aggressiveness of computer players to extreme values (1 or 10) may cause strange behavior by the computer player. You should avoid these settings if possible. ========================================================= D. Audio Troubleshooting ========================================================= If Golf 3.0 does not play sound properly, first verify that: * You've correctly installed the Windows 95 or Windows NT sound drivers. * Your speakers are on and turned up. * The Windows 95 volume control is enabled and turned up, and that the Mute checkbox isn't selected. If Golf 3.0 still doesn't play sound properly, verify that Windows 95 can play .wav files: 1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control panel. 2. Double-click the Sounds icon. 3. Under Events, click an event that has a loudspeaker icon next to it. 4. In the Name text box, be sure that the three-letter file extension is ".wav". 5. Under Preview, click the play button. You should hear a sound. If you don't hear any sound, or if Windows 95 is not able to play a .wav file, check to see that a sound driver is enabled: 1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 2. Double-click the System icon. 3. Click the Device Manager tab. 4. Click the plus sign next to Sound, Video And Game Controllers. 5. If there is no sound, video and game controllers entry, or you have no sound card listed under this entry, contact the manufacturer of the computer or sound card and request help for reinstalling the sound card drivers. Some 8-Bit sound cards may have difficulty playing the advanced sound effects packaged in Golf. Periodic or random freezes may be eliminated by turning off the game's Background, Ambient, or Commentary Sounds. To turn off the Background, Ambient or Commentary sounds, select the More Button on the Welcome Screen, choose the Preferences Option, and select the Sound Button. ========================================================= E. Video Troubleshooting ========================================================= Displaying 256 Colors ========================================================= Your computer must display 256 colors to run Golf 3.0. If you don't have the necessary 256-color driver, or if you aren't sure that your video card supports 256 colors, contact your video card manufacturer. To display 256 colors in Windows 95: 1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 2. Double-click the Display icon. 3. Click the Settings tab. 4. In the Color Palette drop-down list, click 256 Color. 5. Click OK. Resolving Other Video Driver Conflicts ======================================= General Video Driver Notes If you install different video drivers after installing Golf 3.0, it may change the performance of the game. If you experience distorted colors, ghosting or other irregular video problems you should consult the DISPLAY.TXT or README.TXT packaged with Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51/4.0 for hardware specific display problems. Most video issues can be resolved by updating the operating system's display drivers. Consult your OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) for a possible display driver upgrade. Some systems may have display problems when using incorrect or generic Windows video drivers. Be sure you have installed the correct video driver for your video card. Determine which driver is being used by double-clicking Windows Setup in the Main group. Contact your video-card manufacturer for verification of the latest video driver, and for information about obtaining the latest driver. ========================================================= F. Multiplayer Troubleshooting ========================================================= If ambient background sounds or other sounds stop or the startup music continues to play during your multiplayer game, choose help or run a flyby to reset the sound. During the setup of a multiplayer game, if you change your game selection after bringing up the game specific screen (the 3rd screen in the game setup) the game may get confused about the scoring of the game. Restarting the multiplayer game will solve this. If you have problems with modem games, reconfigure your modem as a standard 28,800 baud or 14,400 baud modem instead of any modem- specific configuration you may be using. When the start-up procedure for a Multiplayer game is cancelled for any reason, be sure that all message boxes that may have been displayed are closed before the Host attempts to restart a game. If you are still having difficulty getting connected to a Multiplayer game, close Golf and Multiplayer, restart Golf and then start a new game from Multiplayer. It is recommended that all players in a multiplayer Game have different names. It may cause problems to have more than one player with the same name when saving and playing saved games. Closing and Reopening Connections Dialog Box Cancels Invitations and Requests to Join that haven't been answered. After sending them, leave the Connections dialog box open until all of them have been answered. You can click on the main Multiplayer screen to bring it forward without affecting outstanding invitations or requests to visit. If a host exits Multiplayer while you are accepting his or her invitation, you may remain listed on your Available Games list as a guest of the host. To correct this condition, close Golf and Multiplayer, and then restart Golf. If your network has RAS access servers, you can play with people not on the network if they create a Dial-Up Networking connection to a RAS access server on your network, then specify your network address to make a Multiplayer connection. If you have the Microsoft Internet Explorer installed, and the Internet AutoDialer is operating, it may interfere with Multiplayer connections. To turn off the AutoDialer, click the Windows 95 Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the Internet icon. On the AutoDial tab of the Internet Properties dialog box, click Use AutoDial so the check box is cleared. To make a connection to someone who is on your network but can't be seen in the list on the Players & Places tab of the Connections dialog box, specify their network address by clicking the Address Book button and clicking Network. Multiplayer may display multiple network addresses for your machine in the New Network Address dialog box you can display from the Address Book. To connect using the TCP/IP protocol, the person making the connection can specify either the computer name or the specific TCP/IP address (a four-part number like 157.54.210.237). To connect using the IPX/SPX protocol, you must use the IPX/SPX address (a two- part number/letter combination like 00006602:00AA00A70C17). Multiplayer supports multiple network cards using the TCP/IP protocol. Use of other protocols may result in Multiplayer connection problems. Use of Dial-Up Networking counts as one network card. To disable a conflicting network adapter, click the Windows 95 Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click System. On the Device Manager tab, click Network Adapters, click the adapter you want to remove, and click Remove. If you set the number of Chat messages to be saved to a high number (the default is 20), you may experience several seconds of delay in the display of the main Multiplayer screen.