7th Level Inc., Readme Notes Welcome to Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time. INSTALLING THE COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME PROGRAM To install Complete Waste of Time, select the File menu and choose Run from the Program Manager. Type D:\SETUP (if necessary, replace D: with the letter that represents your CD-ROM drive) in the Command Line and press ENTER. Follow the instructions given in the installation program. To start Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time, double click the Monty Python icon, which was created for you by the installation program. THE SECRET TO INTERGALACTIC SUCCESS If you have solved the secret to Intergalactic Success, IMMEDIATELY copy the 7THLEVEL.INI file (located in your Windows directory) onto a 3.5" diskette. Print your name and address on a label and securely affix the label to the diskette. Send the completed entry form, found in the product box, and diskette in an envelope with the appropriate postage to: The Secret to Intergalactic Success, 7th Level, Inc., P.O. Box 832190, Richardson, TX 75081-2190. Complete contest rules and entry form are included in the product box. Please check the contest rules or the bottom of the product box for contest entry deadlines. Once you have copied the 7THLEVEL.INI file to a diskette you can continue to enjoy the Monty Python program Note: The Reset button in the Stage is designed to reset the entire game. If you wish to enter the secret to Intergalactic Success Contest, do not press the Reset button until you have completed the game and copied your 7THLEVEL.INI file to a diskette to mail with your entry form. After pressing the Reset button, the game state settings for the previous game are stored in the 7THLEVEL.000 file. A new file will be saved when you press the Reset button, with the number of the file increasing incrementally with each reset. (For example, 7THLEVEL.001, 7THELEVEL.002, etc.) To restore one of these previous games, replace the 7THLEVEL.INI file with the numbered file. WARNING Changing the values in the 7THLEVEL.INI file will reset all entries and thus reset the last game state. Tampering with the section of the 7THLEVEL.INI file that pertains to the game or contest may disqualify you from entering the contest. PROGRAM NOTES Wherever you think you see the word Exploratorium in the product documentation, you are really seeing the word Loonatorium. That's what we meant to say. You can run the Desktop Pythonizer from within the Monty Python program by clicking the Pythonizer lobe in the brain, or you can run it as a standalone application by double clicking the Desktop Pythonizer icon. To access Help for the Desktop Pythonizer from within the Monty Python program, press F1 from the Pythonizer's main window. To access Help if you are running the Pythonizer as a standalone application, click the word Help in the Pythonizer's main window. Using the Desktop Pythonizer, you can change Program Manager icons. However, you may not be able to change icons from within other Windows shell programs. When Living Wallpaper, Application Commentary or Keyboard Sounds are turned on, the Pythonizer must be open (it can be minimized or hidden) for these items to be activated. If you have Living Wallpaper, Application Commentary or Keyboard Sounds turned on, the Pythonizer's program name is added to the load= statement in the WIN.INI so that the Pythonizer will automatically start the next time you start Windows. If you are running the standalone version of the Pythonizer, start the Pythonizer automatically when Windows starts by minimizing the program, clicking the icon once, and then selecting Start When Windows Starts. You can deselect this option by selecting it again. If you have selected a Living Wallpaper or have assigned Application Commentary or Keyboard Sounds, the program will automatically toggle this option On so that your wallpaper and sounds will be activated. KEYBOARD FUNCTIONS The + and - keys provide a convenient means for raising and lowering the volume. Some sound boards do not support volume control, so these keys may not function in all cases. The following key combinations can be used to replace mouse movements for certain activities and functions. Shift + Esc Exits Complete Waste of Time Esc Takes you back to the Brain from any scene Shift B Takes you to the Chicken Game Shift C Takes you to the Corridor Shift D Takes you to the Pythonizer Shift L Takes you to the Loonatorium Shift G Takes you to the Gallery Shift P Takes you to the Pig Game Shift S Takes you to the Stage Shift T Takes you to the TV Room Shift W Takes you to the Gopher Game Shift Z Takes you to the Brain Ctrl R Toggles on/off restricted mode Ctrl S Slows down the ball in the Pin Ball Game Ctrl F Speeds up the ball in the Pin Ball Game COMMON PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS Problem: The program seems to run slow and the video seems choppy in places. Solution: As with any program running under Windows, the speed and the smoothness of the Monty Python program is dependent on the speed of the hardware that it is running on. Hardware configurations that affect performance are: the amount of memory and the speed of the video card, the processor type, the amount of real memory and the transfer rate of the CD-ROM drive. While the minimum system configuration required to run the Monty Python program is a 486 25 MHz computer with 4 MB of RAM, a video card capable of running 256 colors and a single-speed CD-ROM drive, the recommended system configuration is a 486 33 MHz computer with 8 MB of RAM, a video card with at least 256 colors, and a double-speed CD-ROM drive. You may be able to increase the performance of the program by upgrading one or all of these elements of your computer system, depending on what you already have. Problem: When I try to run the Monty Python program, I get a "Not enough memory" message. Solution: On a 4 MB system the Monty Python program requires 5 to 10 MB of virtual memory. For instructions on setting virtual memory, please consult your Windows documentation. Problem: Resetting the game causes me to start over from the beginning of the title. Solution: The Reset button in the Stage is designed to reset the entire game. After pressing the Reset button, the game state settings for the previous game are stored in the 7THLEVEL.000 file. A new file will be saved when you press the Reset button, with the number of the file increasing incrementally with each reset. (For example, 7THLEVEL.001, 7THELEVEL.002, etc.) To restore one of these previous games, replace the 7THLEVEL.INI file with the numbered file. WARNING Changing the values in the 7THLEVEL.INI file will reset all entries and thus reset the last game state. Tampering with the section of the 7THLEVEL.INI file that pertains to the game or contest may disqualify you from entering the contest. Problem: The program does not display properly. Solution: Make sure you have an SVGA display running in 640x480 or 800x600 mode with 256 colors. Also, make sure that you have the proper display driver installed. A display with more colors or running at a higher resolution also will work with the Monty Python program, although fades between scenes will not be as smooth. Problem: The program is working, but you don't hear any sound. Solution: Make sure your sound card is installed and working properly. You can check the sound from your sound board by using the Sound utility in the Control Panel. Choose one of the WAV files in the Windows directory and click Test. Problem: The sound or video skips during the program. Solution: Make sure you have at least 4 MB of RAM. Also, make sure that an expanded memory manager (such as EMM386, QEMM or 386MAX) is not reserving memory that Windows and the Monty Python program will need to run correctly. Problem: The sound and video are not synchronized properly. Solution: Make sure that you are running the Monty Python program on a 486 25 MHz or better IBM-compatible computer with at least 4 MB of RAM. Problem: The sound breaks up or has a lot of static. Solution: You may need to change the DMA setting on your sound card. Please check the documentation for your sound card for the proper settings and how to change the settings. Problem: The volume is too low or too high. Solution: You can adjust the volume using the + and - keys within the Monty Python program. Problem: The program seems to run extremely slow. Solution: Make sure that you have a permanent swap file set up in Windows. Please consult your Windows documentation for instructions regarding your swap file settings. Problem: OLE animations are not playing correctly in some applications. Solution: OLE animations from the Monty Python program may not play correctly in some applications. This is due to variations in how OLE has been implemented in these applications. Please consult the documentation of the application in which you are placing the OLE animation for specific instructions or information. Problem: Enabling system sounds, with Keyboard Sounds set in the Pythonizer, causes two sounds to play at once. Solution: Disable the system sounds from the Windows control panel or from the Noisy Bits dialog box in the Pythonizer when you have Keyboard Sounds set in the Pythonizer. Problem: The Keyboard Sounds take up a lot of memory. Solution: The Keyboard Sounds are for entertainment purposes. It is not recommended that you enable Keyboard Sounds while trying to get real work done. HELP WITH YOUR HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE QUESTIONS If you have questions about your computer's hardware or other software applications, please contact the manufacturer before contacting 7th Level Technical Support. The manufacturer will be able to answer any questions you may have on the installation and specific settings for your needs. Listed below are the Technical Support and BBS phone numbers for several manufacturers. Manufacturer Technical Support Fax Number BBS Number ATI Technologies 905-882-2626 none 416-764-9404 Creative Labs 405-742-6622 405-742-6633 405-742-6660 NEC 1-800-388-8888 none none Orchid Technology 510-683-0323 none 510-683-0327 Media Vision 1-800-638-2807 510-252-4430 510-770-0527 Roland Corp. 213-685-5141 x770 213-722-0911 none Turtle Beach Systems 717-767-0279 717-767-6033 717-767-5934 Ensoniq 610-647-3930 610-647-8908 none Tseng 215-968-0502 215-860-7713 215-579-7536 Philips LMS 1-800-777-5674 719-593-4597 719-593-4081