Read me file. SUPERBIKE 2001 15/08/2000 Please use Word wrap to view this document in the correct format. _________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Installing the game using Autorun a) Installing Superbike 2001 b) If your "Autorun" feature is disabled 2. New options on Install screen after install 3. Direct X a) Installing DirectX directly from CD (if you skipped it during game install) b) DirectX 7 and supported hardware c) DirectX 6.1 4. Uninstalling Superbike 2001 5. Memory requirements a) Memory requirements in Windows 95/98 b) Running the game under stressful Windows 95/98 conditions c) Alt-Tab 6. Improving game speed (frame-rates, etc.) 7. Network 8. Keyboard, joystick and mouse functionality 9. Notes on Video Card Chipsets 10. Notes on D3D Support 11. Notes on Sound and Video Cards 12. Notes on processors 13. Help! 14. Hot off the Press - Additional information. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Installing the game using Autorun ----------------------------------------------------------------- a) Installing Superbike 2001 The easiest method of installing Superbike 2001 is to use the "Autorun" feature in Windows 95/98. Autorun is the install options menu that appears automatically upon inserting the Superbike 2001 CD into your CD-ROM drive. After you select the language you wish to install, the game will bring you to the Superbike 2001 Install Screen. b) If your "Autorun" feature is disabled If for some reason your "Autorun" feature is disabled (it may have been disabled by another program, or the "Auto insert notification" may be disabled on your CD), you can install the program by running AUTORUN.EXE directly from the root directory of the CD. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. New options on Install screen after install ----------------------------------------------------------------- After you've successfully installed the game in Windows 95/98, you may notice that some of the buttons that were visible on the Install screen (the "Install" button, for example) are no longer visible, while others (the "Run" button) are now available. This simply reflects the new options that are available. To Re-Install the game select the uninstall button and follow the on-screen prompts, then select Install from the autorun. See section 4 for details on un-installing. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Direct X ----------------------------------------------------------------- If you try to run the game without DirectX installed, the program will crash. For your convenience, we have included DirectX 7 on the Superbike 2001 CD. a) Installing DirectX directly from CD (if you skipped it during game install) Superbike 2001 comes with DirectX 7 and will prompt you to install it during installation. If you would like to install it manually, make sure the Superbike 2001 CD is in the CD-ROM drive, change to the following folder on your CD-ROM drive: "\Directx7" and double-click on DXSETUP.EXE b) DirectX 7 and supported hardware We recommend that Superbike 2001 be run with DirectX compatible sound boards and video cards. While there is a chance that Superbike 2001 will run with non-DirectX compatible hardware, you may find that: i) Sound quality suffers ii) The game runs slower. iii) The game does not run at all. If your sound card or video card do not support DirectX, please contact your vendor. c) DirectX 6.1. Although the game may run with DirectX 6.1, not all features will be supported. It is recommended that you install DirectX 7 in order that all features work correctly in the game. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Uninstalling Superbike 2001 ----------------------------------------------------------------- The simplest method of uninstalling Superbike 2001 is to use the Uninstall button on the Superbike 2001 Install screen. (This is the Autorun screen that pops up when you insert the Superbike 2001 CD into the CD-ROM drive) You may also use the Uninstall shortcut in the Start Menu. This can be found with the game icon on the Start Menu. (Usually "Start Menu/Programs/EA Sports/Superbike 2001") Windows 95/98 also has an "Add/Remove Programs" Icon in the Control Panel that you can use to uninstall the game. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Memory requirements ----------------------------------------------------------------- a) Memory requirements in Windows 95/98 The Windows 95/98 version of Superbike 2001 requires a minimum of 32MB of RAM to run. If there is more memory available, you should experience better game performance in all areas. b) Running the game under stressful Windows 95/98 conditions At Electronic Arts we strive to bring you the best in graphics, audio and gameplay. We are always pushing the envelope of computer performance. While we have made every effort to ensure that Superbike 2001 multi-tasks with all Windows 95/98 applications, we recommend that you shut down other applications and run Superbike 2001 by itself when possible. c) Superbike 2001 does not fully support the Alt-Tab function to switch between the game and other applications, including Windows. Most of the time, however, the function can be performed without any problems, but with some PC configurations, it may result in a loss of some sounds and graphical corruption when returning to the game. In this case, quit the game and re-load it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Improving game speed (frame-rates etc.) ----------------------------------------------------------------- The frame-rate (speed) at which the game runs is very much dependant on the graphics card in your PC and your PCs processor speed. However, there are ways to improve the frame-rate in the graphics options in the game. Going to the graphics options and pressing the 'start' button will automatically set your graphics options in order to get the best frame-rate, whilst keeping the level of graphical detail as high as possible. If you want to get a better frame-rate, you can turn some of these options down further, although this will result in lower graphical detail. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Network ----------------------------------------------------------------- The game supports TCP/IP LAN & Internet connection only. Due to the complexity of the simulation, there is a vast amount of data being transferred between the host and the clients. Therefore, if you have a slow network connection (your ping time is high (>600ms)), you may experience lagging in the game, which may eventually lead to disconnection from the host. If you are experiencing problems with lag, turn your graphics options down as this will improve processor efficiency. The host is processing the most information and therefore the fastest machine should be used as the host. In order to obtain the best network play, connect to ISPs (your internet service provider) with a high bandwidth connection. It may also be beneficial to play when Internet traffic is low. We recommend that you contact your network administrator if you are experiencing problems. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Keyboard, joystick and mouse functionality ----------------------------------------------------------------- You can use the mouse or keyboard to navigate the game interface. Click on buttons and icons to select modes and options. If using the keyboard, use the cursor keys to move between the buttons, the tab key to move between panels and the 'Return' key to confirm/toggle selections. The keyboard is also available to enter information or send chat messages when playing other users via modem or network. Joysticks/gamepads will not operate until you are in a game, except in the controller select screen. The game will automatically detect the type of device you are using and set up the optimum configuration for it. You can change the controller set-up manually and assign keys or buttons to perform actions. If a key is already in use, assigning that key to another function will swap the keys for both functions. When assigning keys remember, when changing player 1's keys, player 2's keys may also change. Both players cannot use the same keys. To bring up the in-game menu, press the escape key and navigate the menus the same as you would in the Front End of the game. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9. Notes on video card chipsets. ----------------------------------------------------------------- If you are experiencing problems with your video card and Superbike 2001, try updating your video card driver by downloading the latest driver available from the video card manufacturer. If there is no improvement, try using the latest driver provided by the video chipset manufacturer. Your video card chipset is the video processing chip located on your video card. If there is no information in your video card manual or website, check the video card for an identifying chip with the chipset manufacturer's name on it. Some popular video chipset manufacturer's websites are listed below: 3Dfx http://www.3dfx.com/ NVidia http://www.nvidia.com/ 3DLabs http://www.3dlabs.com/ Matrox http://www.matrox.com/ Intel http://www.intel.com/ S3 http://www.s3.com/ Rendition http://www.rendition.com/ Number Nine http://www.nine.com/ ATI http://www.ati.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Notes on D3D Support ----------------------------------------------------------------- Chipsets tested and supported: ATI Radeon ATI RAGE FURY ATI 3D Rage Pro ATI Rage 128 NVidia RIVA TNT NVidia RIVA TNT2 (Ultra) NVidia GeForce NVidia GeForce2 Matrox G200 Matrox G400 Intel i740 3Dlabs Permedia 3 3Dlabs Permedia 2 Rendition Verite V2100/2200 S3 Savage 3D S3 Savage4 Voodoo Banshee Voodoo 2 Voodoo 3 Voodoo 4/5 Note that if you have a Voodoo 2 chipset, this card supports a maximum resolution of 800x600 (unless running two Voodoo 2 cards with the SLI link cable). If available, selecting a higher resolution than this may cause the game to crash. Please do not use a resolution higher than 800x600 in this case. If you experience problems, please contact your card manufacturer or chipset vendor to get the latest drivers. If your card has D3D support and is not one of the chipsets above, the 3D Setup program will default to Software Rendering. In some cases, this may run faster. However, if your D3D card has 4mb of texture memory (or AGP texturing), you can choose D3D support in the graphics options in game. Please note that other cards have not been tested and may not work with Superbike 2001. If you experience problems, please contact your card manufacturer or chipset vendor to get the latest drivers. The Recommended drivers for the TNT and TNT2/TNT2Ultra cards are the Detonator drivers found on www.nvidia.com. Recommended versions are 2.53 or higher. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 11. Notes on Sound and Video Cards ----------------------------------------------------------------- Superbike 2001 defaults to a screen resolution that provides the optimum balance between good graphical detail and a high frame-rate. Superbike 2001 works with most standard DirectX compatible video and sound cards. Below are listed some troubleshooting hints for a few cards that may present some problems. a) Problems when using Matrox G400 with a 3D sound card If using a Matrox G400 in conjunction with a 3D sound card (e.g. Sound Blaster Live!), you may have to adjust a video card setting in Windows before the game will run. To do this, right click on Windows desktop and click on properties in the window that appears. Go to the Settings tab and click on Advanced. Then select the Options tab and uncheck the box next to 'Bus Mastering' in the Performance section. You will have to restart your computer for the setting to take effect. The game will now run, although performance may be slightly affected. b) Yamaha Waveforce XG sound card It is recommended that you update to the latest drivers for this sound card (available form http://www.yamaha.com/). Old drivers for this soundcard play all Superbike 2001 sound at half-speed c) Unsupported features Some video cards don't support some features available in the game. For example, the Intel i740, Permedia 2/3 & ATi Rage Pro don't allow Real Shadows, Rendition Verite 2100/2200 doesn't support sky. These options are greyed out in the graphics options and are therefore unselectable. However, these cards do support normal shadows which are activated by turning Photorealism 'on'. Some sound cards don't support EAX or A3D, these options will also be greyed out. d) Real Shadows On some video cards, Real Shadows may cause graphical corruption. If this is the case, please update your video card drivers available from your card's manufacturer. If this fails to resolve the problem, play with Real Shadows turned off. (Normal shadows will work if Photorealism is turned on in the graphics options). e) Problems with RIVA 128 It is possible that the NVidia Riva 128 video card may have some minor corruption on and around the track. If this is the case, please update your video card drivers available from your card's manufacturer. f) Problems with Verite chipset Rendition v2200 video card may have some graphical corruption in the game engine. If this is the case, please update your video card drivers available from your card's manufacturer. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 12. Notes on processors ----------------------------------------------------------------- Some non-Intel processors may not run equivalent to the processor rating of Intel processors. For example, a non-Intel 266MHz processor may only run at the equivalent of an Intel 200MHz processor, and therefore may cause the game to run slower. Some machines with slower processors may experience black screens as the game loads, whilst it changes between resolutions. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 13. Help! ----------------------------------------------------------------- For any problems that you cannot solve using the information above, please refer to the help file included. This is accessible by using autorun, selecting a language to install and then clicking on the Technical Support button. This opens the Electronic Arts help file which includes information about places to get drivers, troubleshooting information, and how to contact EA Customer Support helplines. In cases where the problem cannot be solved using information provided in the Readme and Help files, please contact the Customer Services office in your country, who are dedicated to helping you to solve your problem with the game. Contact details can be found in the Help file. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 14. Hot off the Press - Additional information - ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sidewinder controller configurations: When changing the controller configuration in the game using the Microsoft Sidewinder series of controllers, you will see that instead of the letter of the button pressed appearing in on the screen, a number is used instead. This is because the game uses Windows to decide on the name of each button, and Windows refers to each button as a number. e.g. if you press the 'A' button on the Microsoft Sidewinder Joypad, it will appear in the game controller configuration screen as the number 1. The letter 'B' will be referenced as number 2 and so on. This causes no problem in the game, although it may be confusing when looking at the controller configuration and deciding which key you have assigned to a particular function. When playing in Split Screen mode, it is not recommended to have player 2 using the keyboard to control the bike if player one is also using the keyboard. This is due to the way that some systems handle keyboard management. If possible, use another control type (e.g. joypad) as one player's control method. In the graphics options, some video cards may allow you to select very high resolutions (1600x1200 & higher) to run the game in. Although the game does support these reolutions, your monitor probably doesn't. Attempting to run the game in these high resolutions may cause your monitor to display a black screen or give the message 'Out of scan range'. It is therefore not recommended to use a resolution higher than 1280x1024 before consulting your monitor's manual or contacting the manufacturer. We do not recommend using Windows multitasking whilst running the game as this may cause graphical corruption. If this occurs, it will be necessary for you to quit the game and re-load it. Automatic Braking in the rider assistance options means that you don't have to worry about braking at all - the computer will do it for you. You may find that it is hard to win a race whilst this is turned on, as you won't be able to out-brake your computer opponents. It is recommended that you use Auto-brake to learn the braking points on the track and turn it off when you're used to the game. However, having rider assist turned on will aid you with your braking if you brake too late and apply extra braking pressure if necessary. We recommend using the latest Detonator 3 drivers for all GeForce cards, older drivers have been found to crash when starting a race on some machines. If you set the Fonts to Large Fonts in Windows, then the Autorun menu will be graphically corrupt. To fix this go to Display properties, select the advanced button, select the General tab, now set Fonts Size to small fonts, you may have to restart your machine before the settings come into effect. When using an ATI 128 chipset based graphics card with drivers: Windows 9x Display Driver build 4.12.6269 or older, resolutions of 1024x768 or above are not supported. If using ATI Rage Pro Turbo AGP 2x, you may experience problems with displaying textures during the rolling demo - please ensure that you are using the latest drivers for your card. Pausing in Multiplayer Multiplayer races do not support game pausing. Pressing ESC in a multiplayer race brings up the Pause menu but does not halt game play. The Pause menu is provided in multiplayer races as a means to quit the race. From the multiplayer pause menu, select End Race to quit the current multiplayer race and return to the Network screen. Proceeding after a Multiplayer Race Upon completion of a multiplayer race you are prompted to "press ESC to proceed". When the Host presses ESC it ends the race for all players and returns everyone to the Network screen. To avoid prematurely ending the race for some users, the Host should wait for all players to finish before proceeding. =================================================================