Gathering of Developers Bonus CD - Demos & Movies/GoD Bonus CD Demos and Movies.iso/demos/rt2/README.TXT

Text File | 1999-10-10 | 6KB | 152 lines

                            Railroad Tycoon II Demo
                       Readme File - 12 January 1999
                               Version 1.04



       TABLE OF CONTENTS

       1 System Requirements
       2 Troubleshooting





-----------------------
(1) SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-----------------------
  Pentium(tm) computer, 133 Mhz processor or better
  16 MB RAM
  Win95/98/NT4.0
  1024 x 768 capable monitor and video card
  4x CD-ROM drive
  135 MB free hard disk space
  Direct X 5.0 or higher

**** You must have Direct X 5.0 installed to play the game - this demo will not install it
for you.  If you're running Windows 98, or you've installed any game released after Fall of
1997, you've almost certainly got it.  If you don't have it, you can get it from
http://www.microsoft.com/directx/download.asp


-------------------
(2) TROUBLESHOOTING
-------------------
The following are some of the more common problems you might have, and
recommended solutions:

A) Program displays 'Unable to set up video mode' message when I try to
run it...

   This is usually because you're video card is incapable of displaying
   in 1024 x 768 mode.  Virtually all desktop PCs sold since Fall of
   1996 (and most since 1994) are capable of this, but a few aren't,
   and many laptops aren't capable of this resolution, including newer
   models.  To determine if your machine is capable of this resolution,
   Right-Click on any empty area of the Windows desktop, click
   'Properties', then 'Settings', then adjust your screen area to be at
   least 1024 x 768, and hit 'OK'.  If your monitor is unable to display
   that resolution, then you won't be able to play Railroad Tycoon II.


B) The screen is all garbled as soon as I run the game, or as soon as the
opening video is over.

   This probably means that although your video card supports 1024 x 768,
   your monitor does not.  Try the procedure for A) above to test it.


C) I get an error message in 'DDRAW.DLL' and the game quits.

   The game is having some kind of problem interacting with your video
   card's drivers.  The first thing to do is see if you have the latest
   drivers for your video card.  You may contact your video card or
   computer manufacturer directly, or through their website.
   Alternatively, you can go to www.drivershq.com, a central point where
   the newest video and sound drivers from virtually all manufacturers
   are available.

   If a new driver doesn't seem to clear up the problem, try changing the
   'Hardware Acceleration' settings for your video card.  To do this,
   Right-Click on any open area of the desktop, select 'Properties',
   then 'Settings', click the 'Advanced' button, and select 'Performance'.
   You'll see a slider labeled 'Hardware Acceleration'.  Try both lower
   and higher settings.  Some drivers work better with no acceleration,
   and some work better with the maximum acceleration.


D) The game loads, and I can see the opening screen, but the colors are
badly garbled.

   Once again, this is probably a video card driver issus.  Follow the
   steps for C) above.


E) I get no sound.

   First, check all your connections between your speakers and your
   computer.  Make sure your speakers are turned on, if they have an on
   switch.  Make sure the volume is not turned down all the way.  It
   is also possible to turn the volume down or off from within Windows.
   Double click on the little speaker icon in the bottom right corner
   of the main Windows desktop (next to the time).  Make sure you have
   the volume on.  Try another program to see if any of your programs
   are producing sound.  Make sure you haven't turned the sound off in
   the game.  You can change sound and music volume in the 'Game Options'
   window.  Finally, try downloading the newest sound drivers from your
   manufacturer or from www.drivershq.com


F) When I move the mouse around the screen, bits of the screen or black
boxes pop up under my mouse cursor.

   Go into 'Game Options' and select 'Color Mouse Cursor'.


G) The screen scrolls sluggishly - overall performance seems slow.

   Go into 'Game Options', and in the 'Graphics' section, lower
   the detail settings.


H) I'm having difficulty getting the game to run under Windows NT 4.0.

   While Railroad Tycoon II has been successfully tested under standard
   NT 4.0, many updates made with Service Pack 3 enhance NT's
   compatibility with games.  If you have not upgraded to Service Pack 3
   and experience difficulty running Railroad Tycoon II, we recommend
   installing Service Pack 3.



I) The game crashes on me sporadically as I play, for no apparent reason.

   Some users of Sound Blaster Awe 64 cards report relatively frequent
   crashes.  Early versions of the drivers for this card had problems.
   The best solution is to get the latest drivers from www.creativelabs.com.
   If this doesn't work, you can also turn the sound volume to 0 within
   the game's options panel (Not in Windows, but rather in the game itself).
   This will disable sound and prevent any problems.

J) I can see the opening screen, but the colors are all scrambled

   A few video cards incorrectly report their color formats to the game,
   and there's nothing that the game can do about it directly.  There are
   3 solutions:

   1) Run the game in 8 bit color (Press <F3> to toggle).
   2) Update your video card drivers.
   3) Adjust your video hardware acceleration.  Go to
      Start - Settings - Control Panel /
      then Display - Settings - Advanced - Performance
      Adjust the performance slider up or down (some cards do better at
      a low setting, some do better at a high setting), then restart
      the game.