Games Tips & Tricks/GAMESTIPSUNDTRICKS.mdf/hilfen/gabnight/gkts.txt

Text File | 1995-11-17 | 20KB | 443 lines

GABRIEL KNIGHT TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION 1 - HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
SECTION 2 - INSTALLATION PROCEDURES
SECTION 3 - COMMON INSTALLATION PROBLEMS
SECTION 4 - WINDOWS AND DOS ISSUES
SECTION 5 - COMMON DOS PROBLEMS
SECTION 6 - COMMON WINDOWS PROBLEMS
SECTION 7 - SOUND ISSUES AND SOUND CARD SETTINGS
SECTION 8 - DOS SOUND ISSUES
SECTION 9 - WINDOWS SOUND ISSUES
SECTION 10- OBTAINING A SIERRA PATCH DISK
SECTION 11- DOS BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS
SECTION 12- WINDOWS BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Floppy disk (3.5) version:

REQUIRED
386SX
4MB RAM
20MB hard drive space  (compressed 40MB)
MS-DOS 5.0 or higher
VGA (256 color)
Mouse

RECOMMENDED FOR BEST PERFORMANCE
486DX
8MB
MS-DOS 5.0 or higher


CD ROM version

REQUIRED
386SX
4MB RAM
CD ROM drive
Small Install: 1MB hard drive space  (compressed 2MB)
Medium Install: 20MB hard drive space  (compressed 40MB)
Full Install: 33MB hard drive space  (compressed 66MB)
MS-DOS 5.0 or higher
VGA (256 colors)
Mouse


RECOMMENDED FOR BEST PERFORMANCE:
486DX
8MB RAM
MS-DOS 5.0 or higher
Double speed CD ROM

INSTALLING THE GAME

INSTALLATION PROCEDURES:

DOS:
Insert Disk 1 and switch to the floppy disk prompt by typing A: or B:. If
you are playing the CD version, insert the CD and switch to the CD drive
by typing the drive letter followed by a colon. Ex: D:.  Then type
INSTALL to begin the installation program.  Follow the on-screen
prompts to complete the installation.

WINDOWS:
Insert Disk 1 or the CD into the appropriate drive.  From Program
Manager, click on File, then Run.  In the Command Line field, type the
letter of the drive followed by \SETUP.  Ex: B:\SETUP, D:\SETUP.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.

COMMON INSTALLATION PROBLEMS

DOS:
Problem:  After typing INSTALL, a row of dots goes across the screen and
stops.  The computer is locked up with this row of dots appearing on the
screen.
Solution:  The dots indicate the hardware detection portion of the
installation program.  You can bypass the hardware detection (and
therefore the lockup) by typing INSTALL /M.  If this entry doesn't work,
try INSTALL /F.  One of these entries should get you past the lockup.


WINDOWS:
Problem:  During installation, you receive an error message saying "You
do not have a 256 color driver loaded in Windows."
Solution:  Sierra's Windows games require that Windows is running in 256
color mode.  Even though your monitor and video card may be capable of
displaying 256 colors, Windows may not be set up to use this resolution.
To check, double-click on Windows Setup in the Main program group.  If
the Display line reads "VGA" or "16 color", you will need to change to a
driver that supports 256 colors.  ("VGA" is a default Windows video
driver that only supports 16 colors and will not work with Sierra's
Windows games.)  To change video drivers, select Options, then Change
System Settings.  Open the Display box to see the list of video drivers that
are currently available.   You should check your video card documentation
for information on what 256 color driver to select.

Warning: Be careful when changing video drivers!  If you choose one that
is not designed for your particular video card, Windows will not display
properly.  If this occurs, change to your Windows directory, type: SETUP,
and choose the "VGA" driver again.  You should contact your video card
manufacturer for the correct driver.

WINDOWS AND DOS ISSUES:

This section contains issues that occur in both the DOS and Windows
versions of Gabriel Knight.  DOS and Windows-specific issues follow.

Problem:  When starting the game, you get an "Out of rect list room" error
message.
Solution:  This is an incompatibility with Logitech's MouseWare v6.4.
Upgrading to v6.41 will correct the problem.  Logitech provides upgrades
free of charge to registered users.  Their Technical Support phone number
is 510-795-0801 and their BBS is 510-795-0408.

Problem:  When restoring a game, you get the error message "This game
was saved under a different interpreter".
Solution:  You need the Gabriel Knight patch disk (GKPAT for the floppy
version, GKCDPAT for the CD version).  See the section "Obtaining a
Sierra Patch Disk" later in this document.

Problem:  Saved games take 5-10 minutes to restore.
Solution:   You need the Gabriel Knight patch disk (GKPAT for the floppy
version, GKCDPAT for the CD version).  See the section "Obtaining a
Sierra Patch Disk" later in this document.

Problem:  (Disk version only.)  Text messages sometimes stay on the
screen even when the character has stopped speaking.
Solution:  You need the Gabriel Knight patch disk (GKPAT for the floppy
version, GKCDPAT for the CD version).  See the section "Obtaining a
Sierra Patch Disk" later in this document.

Problem:  Game displays a "Fatal - Not An Object" error message after
interrogating a character.
Solution:  You need the Gabriel Knight patch disk (GKPAT for the floppy
version, GKCDPAT for the CD version).  See the section "Obtaining a
Sierra Patch Disk" later in this document.

Problem:  Game text remains on the screen after character has stopped
speaking or game text seems to be missing.
Solution:   You need the Gabriel Knight patch disk (GKPAT for the floppy
version, GKCDPAT for the CD version).  See the section "Obtaining a
Sierra Patch Disk" later in this document.


COMMON DOS PROBLEMS:

PLEASE NOTE:  Unless otherwise stated, these problems and solutions
apply to both the 3.5 disk and the CD ROM version of Gabriel Knight.

Problem:  You get an "insufficient memory" message when attempting to
run the game - even though you have lots of conventional memory
available.  (This usually happens on 4 meg systems, but can occasionally
occur on computers with more RAM.)
Solution: The Gabriel Knight program uses a "DOS extender" which
allows the game to use very little conventional memory (less than 400k)
and access your computer's upper memory directly.  If this upper memory
is being used by TSR's loaded high - your mouse or CD ROM drivers, for
example - you can get this error message.  To correct this, run the game
with a boot disk.  To create a boot disk re-run the INSTALL program and
choose "Make Bootable Floppy" from the Installation Options menu.

Problem:  You get a "DOS 4GW Professional Error" when starting the
game.
Solution:  This error message indicated that memory is low or
inaccessible.  If you have less than 4 megs (the minimum memory
requirement), you will get this error message.  Gabriel Knight will not run
on computers with less than 4 meg.  If you have 4 megs of RAM, run the
game with a boot disk.  To create a boot disk re-run the INSTALL
program and choose "Make Bootable Floppy" from the Installation
Options menu.

Problem:  When starting the game, you get an error message "Memory
Allocation Error, cannot load command. System halted."
Solution:  Locate and run the VESA driver for your video card.  This will
change the computer's memory allocation and prevent this error.  Contact
your video card manufacturer or consult your video card documentation
for information on obtaining and installing the VESA driver for your video
card.

Problem: When starting program, game locks up or crashes with the
message "Unexpected Interrupt".
Solution:   There are several factors which can cause this problem.
1. Run the game under a boot disk environment.  To create a boot disk re-
run the INSTALL program and choose "Make Bootable Floppy" from the
Installation Options menu.
2. There could be a sound card conflict. Re-run the INSTALL program
and choose PC speaker for Music and No Audio/Voice Card for Audio.  If
the game starts fine without the sound card activated, check the sound card
settings.  See the "Sound Card Settings" section of this document.
3.  You may need the Gabriel Knight patch disk.  (GKPAT for the floppy
version, GKCDPAT for the CD version).  The patch will correct some
lockups and Unexpected Interrupts.  See the section "Obtaining a Sierra
Patch Disk" later in this document.

Problem: When starting the game, an error message is displayed, "Fatal -
Screen item does not exist in list: plane.cpp(367) Script 64937/$226
Solution: Gabriel Knight requires a mouse.  If a mouse driver is not
installed, the above error message will occur after the introduction.  Make
sure a Microsoft compatible mouse driver is loaded before starting the
game.

Problem:  Game crashes with large (mode 40) text on the screen.  Text
may contain the words "crash address".  May happen when program is
started or randomly within the game.
Solution:  Run the game under a boot disk environment.  To create a boot
disk re-run the INSTALL program and choose "Make Bootable Floppy"
from the Installation Options menu

Problem: Game locks up at the "Day 1" screen when paper boy throws
paper.
Solution: Your I/O address is probably set to something other than 220.  If
changing the I/O address is not an option, Sierra has developed a new
Soundblaster driver that will allow for I/O addresses other than 220.  This
driver is called SBSCI32.  See the section "Obtaining a Sierra Patch Disk"
later in this document for information on getting this driver.

Problem:  Game displays an error message "316.SND, 803.SND, or
916.SND Not Found" message.
Solution:
316.SND (CD version only).  At the C:\SIERRA\GKCD prompt type
COPY D:\PATCHES\227.SND C:\SIERRA\GKCD\316.SND. When you
rerun the program the error will not appear.
803.SND and 916.SND (Disk version only). If you get one of these error
messages, you are likely to get the other, so type the following two entries:
COPY 303.SND 803.SND and COPY 895.SND 916.SND at the
C:\SIERRA\GABRIEL prompt.  Rerun the program and the error will not
appear.

Problem:    Mouse cursor jumps over items or acts like it's on an invisible
"grid".  (CD version only.)  This may cause you to be unable to pick up
the magnifying glass in St. George's Bookshop or select destinations from
the map screen.
Solution:  Some mouse drivers do not work well with SVGA graphics
modes.   The easiest way to correct this is to rerun the INSTALL program
and change the Display setting from VESA to VGA.  This will cause the
icons, maps and character faces (in conversation mode) to display at
320x200 instead of 640x480.  Running the game in this mode should not
conflict with the mouse. You can also use another mouse driver.  Sierra
recommends Microsoft mouse driver 8.x.  If neither of these solutions is
an option for you, you can run the game in Windows to avoid the mouse
problem.

Problem:  Random lockups during the game using the Gravis Ultrasound
card.
Solution:  Sierra and Gravis have developed new drivers for use with the
GUS card and our 32-bit programs.  You can download these drivers

Problem:  Game displays an "out of low memory" message during the
game.
Solution:  There are two possible solutions to this memory issue.  First, try
making a boot disk and running the game under the boot disk
environment.   You can use the boot disk instructions found at the end of
this document or re-run the INSTALL program and choose "Make
Bootable Floppy" from the Installation Options menu.  If you make the
boot disk through the INSTALL program, add the following lines to the
CONFIG.SYS:

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH

If the boot disk does not help, you need the Gabriel Knight patch disk
(GKPAT for the floppy version, GKCDPAT for the CD version).  See the
section "Obtaining a Sierra Patch Disk" later in this document.

 Problem:  Game locks up at the beginning of Day 5.  A cursor appears
and the game halts, but you can still exit the game normally.
Solution:  At the end of Day 4, turn the speed setting all the way up and
the detail setting all the way down.  Then, create a boot disk and run the
game with the boot disk.  You can use the boot disk instructions found at
the end of this document or re-run the INSTALL program and choose
"Make Bootable Floppy" from the Installation Options menu.  If use a
boot disk made through the INSTALL program, add the following lines to
the CONFIG.SYS:

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH

This should get you past the lockup.


COMMON WINDOWS PROBLEMS

Problem:  When you double-click on the Gabriel Knight icon, you get an
error message "Watcom Win386 - Not running on a 386 DPMI
implementation"
Solution:  Windows is probably in Standard mode.  Exit to DOS and
restart Windows by typing WIN /3.  When you are back in Windows,
check your swap file settings under Virtual Memory in the 386Enhanced
section of Control Panel.  You should have a permanent swap file of 5-10
megs set up.

Problem:  When starting the game, you receive an error message "Gabriel
Knight requires support for 256 colors".
Solution:  Sierra's Windows games require that Windows is running in 256
color mode.  Even though your monitor and video card may be capable of
displaying 256 colors, Windows may not be set up to use this resolution.
To check, double-click on Windows Setup in the Main program group.  If
the Display line reads "VGA" or "16 color", you will need to change to a
driver that supports 256 colors.  ("VGA" is a default Windows video
driver that only supports 16 colors and will not work with Sierra's
Windows games.)  To change video drivers, select Options, then Change
System Settings.  Open the Display box to see the list of video drivers that
are currently available.   You should check your video card documentation
for information on what 256 color driver to select.

Warning: Be careful when changing video drivers!  If you choose one that
is not designed for your particular video card, Windows will not display
properly.  If this occurs, change to your Windows directory, type: SETUP,
and choose the "VGA" driver again.  You should contact your video card
manufacturer for the correct driver.

Problem:  The "Intro" to the game will not play, however the game itself
plays fine. (CD version only.)
Solution:  Some computers will not play the intro from within the game.
You can watch the intro by double-clicking on INTRO.AVI in the AVI
directory on the CD.

Problem:  When starting the game, Windows displays "Insufficient
memory.  Close one or more applications and try again."
Solution:  First, make sure you are not running any other programs in
Windows.  Disable all screen savers, virus scans, IconHearIt, etc.  Then,
make sure your swap file is at 5-10 megs permanent. You can  change the
swap file through the Virtual Memory Setting in the 386 Enhances section
of Control Panel.  In addition, if you're using an alternate Windows
desktop like Norton or PCTools, use plain Program Manager instead.  You
can also make a Windows boot disk.  Windows boot disk instructions are
included at the end of this document.

Problem:  The Gabriel Knight window does not fill the whole screen..
Solution:  You are running Windows in a resolution higher than 640x480.
In 800x600 and 1024x768, the game window will be smaller than the
screen.  Switching to 640x480 will cause the window to fill the whole
screen.

Problem:  The game suddenly crashes to a black screen.  There may be a
blinking white cursor in one corner.
Solution:  There are two possible solution to this problem.  First, you may
need updated video drivers.  You should contact your video card
manufacturer to obtain the latest version of their Windows drivers.
Second, you may need the Gabriel Knight patch disk.  See the "Obtaining
a Sierra Patch Disk" section of this document.

SOUND ISSUES

SOUND CARD SETTINGS:

In DOS, the best sound card settings for a SoundBlaster compatible card
are I/O 220, DMA 1 and IRQ 5 or 7.  If you're using a ProAudio card, the
best settings are I/O 220, DMA 3 and IRQ 5 for the ProAudio portion of
the card, set the SoundBlaster portion of the card to DMA 1 and IRQ 7.
Make sure that the Soundblaster and ProAudio portions do not share the
same DMA!  Settings outside these parameters can cause lockups and/or
choppy, repeating or garbled speech.   Most sound cards have test utilities
that will tell you what settings you are using.  Check your sound card
documentation for more information.

In Windows, you can use almost any sound card settings.  Settings like
IRQ 2 or 10 that will not work in DOS will work in Windows.  You
should check your sound card documentation for information on setting up
your Windows sound card drivers.


DOS SOUND ISSUES

Problem:  The game locks up when a character speaks (CD version only)
or when the "scoring" bell rings (floppy and CD versions).
Solution:  This usually happens with SoundBlaster 16 and compatible
cards.  To fix it, re-run the INSTALL program, change Music to
SoundBlaster/Adlib and Audio to Thunderboard.  Also, check the sound
card settings; see the Sound Card Settings section of this document.

Problem:  Choppy, repeating or garbled speech.  (CD version only.)
Solution:  See the above section "Sound Card Settings".

Problem:  Speech or music cuts out occasionally.
Solution:   This usually happens with SoundBlaster 16 and compatible
cards.  To fix it, re-run the INSTALL program, change Music to
SoundBlaster/Adlib and Audio to Thunderboard.  If this does not help,
edit the RESOURCE.CFG file in the game directory and change the
"audiosize=xx" line to "audiosize=64".  You may have to experiment with
the audiosize value; you can set it as high as 127.  You should also check
your sound card settings.  See the above section "Sound Card Settings".

Problem:  Using a Reveal sound card, the music sounds great, but the
voices are barely audible.
Solution:  Create a boot disk using the boot disk instructions at the end of
this document.  Add the following lines to the AUTOEXEC.BAT:

C:
CD\MMP16P\UTILITY
SETMODE /MSS
SG16MIX
SG16MIX /Q
CD\

Then, reinstall the game and choose Microsoft Windows Sound System
for both Audio and Music.  Reboot the computer with the boot disk and
the voices should be fine.


WINDOWS SOUND ISSUES

Problem:  When starting the game, you get a "Wave Out Open" error
message.
Solution:  This error is caused by two programs trying to use the sound
card at the same time.  If you are using any sound-related Windows
programs like screen savers, IconHearIt, Wired for Sound, etc., you should
disable them before you start the game.   Packard Bell's Navigator will
also cause this problem; you should turn Navigator off before you start the
game.  (You can prevent Navigator from loading automatically by
dragging its icon from the Startup group to the Accessories group and
restarting Windows.)

Problem:  Music and voices cut out.
Solution:  Edit the RESOURCE.WIN file in the game directory and
change the "winAudioSize=20" to "winAudioSize=40".  If this doesn't
help, try increasing it, but don't set it higher than 127.


OBTAINING A SIERRA PATCH DISK

The patches available for Gabriel Knight are:

GKPAT - This patch corrects some fatal errors and lockups within the
game. Floppy version ONLY.
GKCDPAT - Same as GKPAT, but for the CD version only.
GUS32 - New Gravis drivers for Sierra's 32-bit DOS games.
SBSCI32 - New SoundBlaster driver to allow for I/O addresses other than
220.  (This is the ONLY function of this driver.)

The fastest way to obtain a Sierra patch disk is to download it from one of
the following on-line services:  the Sierra BBS (206-644-0112),
CompuServe (GO GAMAPUB) or America OnLine (KEYWORD
SIERRA).   You can also request a patch disk be mailed to you by calling
Sierra Customer Service at 1-800-SIERRA5 or writing to Sierra On-Line
Patch Disks, Dept. 10, PO Box 485, Coarsegold, CA  93614-0485.