The Soundblaster Multimedia Experience 3/The Soundblaster Multimedia Experience Vol 3.iso/__data/hocus.txt

Text File | 1994-06-02 | 29KB | 541 lines

            ░░▒▒▓▓██ HOCUS POCUS ON-DISK TECHNICAL SUPPORT ██▓▓▒▒░░

                      Copyright 1994 Apogee Software Ltd.
        P.O. Box 496389 ■ Garland, TX 75049 ■ Hints line: [phone]

                           Game designed by Mike Voss


                              ===================
                              SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
                              ===================

■ Hocus Pocus requires a 386SX computer or higher.  Hocus Pocus will not run
  on a 286 or less computer.  Hocus Pocus requires a VGA graphics card with
  at least 256k of video memory (this is not the same as conventional memory,
  this is video memory.  Check your video card's manual to make sure of how
  much video memory you have).  The game also requires that you have 580k of
  conventional memory available.  Hocus Pocus does not use either extended or
  expanded memory; only conventional memory.


                            ========================
                            BEFORE RUNNING THIS GAME
                            ========================

■ This game is not designed to be run under MicroSoft Windows.  Windows takes
  up far too many system resources that our programs require for efficient and
  proper operation.  When running this program, DO NOT LAUNCH FROM WINDOWS.
  Run it directly from DOS.  If you are in the Windows environment, quit
  Windows and then run the program.  (NOTE: Using the MS/DOS Icon does not exit
  you from Windows.  That is a shell from Windows. You need to completely close
  down the Program Manager to totally exit from Windows.)  We have had reports
  of customers completely ruining their systems by running our games from
  Windows, and we STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you not attempt this.

■ Any kind of menu program such as Dos Shell will most likely cause problems.
  We recommend running our programs completely from the DOS prompt.  To test
  this, enter the word "exit".  If nothing at all happens, then you are
  completely at the dos prompt, and not "shelled" from anything else.  If you
  type exit, and return to another program (such as Windows or the MS/DOS
  Shell), then you need to completely exit the program that you returned to
  before attempting to run Hocus Pocus.


                       =================================
                       ATTENTION GRAVIS ULTRASOUND USERS
                       =================================

   (The information in this section applies only to Gravis Ultrasound owners,
       it does not apply to any other sound card supported in Hocus Pocus.
           If you do not have a GUS card, you can skip this section.

■ In order to play Hocus Pocus on a Gravis UltraSound card, it is required that
  you load the UltraMid TSR that comes with your Gravis Sound Card.  If it did
  not, or you no longer have it, Apogee has gotten permission from Gravis to
  distribute this, and it is enclosed along with this game.  When you run the
  setup program, and select the Gravis UltraSound for your music and sound
  effects, you will be told to run the HOCUSG command.  This is a batch file.
  This batch file will automatically load the UltraMid TSR for you, and then
  unload it when you're done playing the game.  All files that are needed to
  play the game with a Gravis UltraSound are included with the Hocus Pocus
  package as it originally left Apogee Software.  Furthermore, GUS owners will
  have a slightly different method of executing the game.  Please read the next
  section on how to use the setup program for the exact steps.


                          ============================
                          HOW TO USE THE SETUP PROGRAM
                          ============================

Before you run Hocus Pocus, you must run the setup program. This is a separate
program that cannot be called from within Hocus Pocus; so all changes must be
made outside the game.  This program lets you select what type of controller
you wish to use to play the game, and what sound card, etc.

The setup program saves its settings to a file called "HOCUS.SAV" in whatever
directory the SETUP.EXE file is run from.  If you delete this file (HOCUS.SAV),
all your settings will be deleted, and you will need to run the SETUP program
over again in order to play the game.  HOCUS.SAV is a binary file, that is
readable only by the game and the setup program.  It cannot be edited directly,
and any changes you would need to make to this file need to be made from
running the setup program.

Here is a brief explanation of all the options in the setup program for Hocus
Pocus.

■ Select Music Card  » Pick which sound card (if any) you wish to use to
                       hear the background music from.
■ Select Sound FX    » Pick which sound card (if any) you wish to use to
                       hear the game's sound effects from.
■ Select Controller  » Pick which method you wish to play the game from.
                       (Joystick, Mouse, or Keyboard)
■ Controller Config  » Select Options for your selected controller.
■ Save Settings      » Save your selected settings and quit back to DOS.

Once you've made all your selections, you should select "SAVE SETTINGS".  This
will save all your settings, and you'll be ready to play Hocus Pocus!  When you
save your settings, you will be told by the setup program what command you need
to type in order to run the game.  Gravis UltraSound owners will need to enter
the HOCUSG command to play the game, and all other sound card owners will need
to run the HOCUS command.  Don't worry about forgetting these commands, the
setup program will remind you.  If you ever wish to change any of your options
for any reason, you'll need to rerun the setup program.


                         =========================
                         HOCUS POCUS DETAILED HELP
                         =========================

■ Hocus Pocus REQUIRES 580k bytes of free conventional memory in order to
  execute properly.  If you run the game, and get an error that says you do
  not have enough memory to run the game, please see the section on "How do
  I make more memory available?" later on in this document for more help in
  resolving this issue.

  If, however, you are running DR-DOS, then there is a separate issue to be
  addressed.  DR-DOS preallocates 64k of conventional memory to any .EXE file
  that it believes to be compressed.  Since the Main Hocus Pocus executable
  file *IS* compressed, DR-DOS is allocating 64k of conventional memory from
  whatever you have to begin with, almost certainly leaving you with
  insufficient memory in order to play the game.  There is a fix for this
  available from Novell.  You need to contact Novell and obtain "DR-DOS Patch
  326".  This will optionally allow you to eliminate the preallocation that
  DR-DOS is doing.  This patch is available in several places online as well.

   ■ Software Creations BBS -> 1-508-368-7036 with filename DRDOS326.ZIP
   ■ Novell BBS             -> 1-408-649-3443 with filename PATCH326.ZIP
   ■ Internet               -> Email "[e-mail]"
   ■ CompuServe             -> GO NOVLIB, File Area 12, Filename PAT326.EXE
   ■ America Online         -> Do keyword search for "DR-DOS",
                                                and get filename PAT326.ZIP.

■ If you are having lockup problems, or sound problems, check your computer's
  settings and your sound card's settings, and make sure that they match
  precisely to what you've specified in the setup program that came with Hocus
  Pocus.  If these settings are incorrect, then it would explain lockups.

  If you are using a Sound Blaster, or a Sound Blaster compatible sound card
  for your sound effects, it's possible you have a DMA conflict.  To check
  this, turn your digitized sounds off.  If the game plays w/o locking up, then
  you most likely have a DMA conflict.  You'd need to check and make sure if
  you have the SET BLASTER line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  This is what a
  proper SET BLASTER line looks like.  This is an example, and isn't exactly
  what you need to put in your system, make sure to read this whole section.

  SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T3
   |    |      |    | |  |
   |    |      |    | |  |______ Type of Card
   |    |      |    | |_________ DMA Channel
   |    |      |    |___________ Interrupt
   |    |      |________________ Port Address
   |    |_______________________ Environment Variable
   |____________________________ DOS Command

  Now, these may not (most likely not) be the same for your sound card,
  because the Port Address, Interrupt and DMA Channel can be set by adjusting
  "jumpers" on your sound board.  Some newer cards have this information
  controlled by software, please consult your sound card's manual for more
  information on how to set such things as port address, and other sound
  card related settings.

  For PORT ADDRESS, it's almost ALWAYS 220.  That seems to be the
  default for most sound cards out there, and unless you know you've
  switched it away from 220, it's a safe bet it's still there.

  The INTERRUPT is something that varies from system to system.  IRQ2 is
  valid variable here, but 2 is not recommended, since most of the people
  I've run into that use IRQ2 tend to have lots of conflicts.  That's not
  to say it won't run, it will, but I've run into more problems with IRQ2
  than with any other IRQ.

  The DMA CHANNEL is one that causes some people problems.  By default,
  this is almost always set at 1.  Unless you have a specific need to
  change this, it's probably still at 1.  If you're running into lockups
  using digitized sounds with Apogee games, this is probably where your
  problem lies.  If you get lockups with an Apogee game that has
  digitized sounds, and this variable is correct, try turning off the
  digitized sounds, and if the game plays right, you probably have a DMA
  conflict.  Adjust the DMA channel on your sound card, then reflect
  said change in this variable in the SET BLASTER line.

  The TYPE OF CARD is something that is fairly easy to check out.  If
  you're running a non-Creative Labs sound card, then you want this to
  either be 1 or 3, depending on which card it is.  It's usually 1.  For
  a genuine Sound Blaster card, it's one of these...

  1 or 3 for a plain Sound Blaster.  2 or 4 for a Sound Blaster Pro, or
  a 6 for a Sound Blaster 16.  The factor in choosing between the two
  numbers here is the age of the card.  If it's an older card, than
  choose the smaller number (1 or 2).

  I get a lot of questions from people wanting to know why they have to
  use this if they don't have a Sound Blaster.  Well, it's simple.  This
  command has NOTHING to do with what type of sound card you use.  Apogee
  games that use digitized sounds expect these cards to be at specific
  settings.  If they are not, then the game needs to be told this.  The
  way to do this is with the environment variable BLASTER.  That's why
  this is needed.

  Please remember to add this to AUTOEXEC.BAT, save the file back to disk,
  reboot your computer, and make sure to delete the game config file
  (HOCUS.SAV) before running the game again.

■ If you are running a Compaq computer, and the game tells you that you do not
  have a VGA card, and you know for a fact that you do, or you experience
  lockups, this is what you'll need to do.  You'll need to contact Compaq for
  an update.  The reason for this is that Compaq has some video cards that do
  not conform to all proper detection methods.  There is a device driver
  available from Compaq that will fix this problem.  The driver's name is
  FINDVGA.SYS.  Compaq does have this file available for download on their BBS
  with the filename SP0117.ZIP.

■ If you have a Gravis GamePad, and your controller is acting as if some of the
  buttons aren't being pressed, it's may be because you have your GamePad
  incorrectly set.

  If you're playing with the buttons on the right side, the switch on the top
  needs to be pushed to the left, and the switch on the bottom needs to be
  pushed to the right.  If you're playing with the buttons on the left side,
  then the switch on the top needs to be pushed to the right, and the button on
  the bottom needs to be pushed towards the left.  Please see figure 3 in your
  Gravis GamePad manual for more information, and some visual instructions on
  how to do this.

■ If you notice the game running slowly on your system, here are a few
  suggestions on improving game performance.

  » Increase the amount of free memory your system has before running the game.
    See "How do I make more conventional memory available?"

  » If you are a Sound Blaster or compatible sound card user, try disabling
    the Digitized sounds, or lowering the number of digital channels you're
    playing with in your game.  This has to be done from the setup program.


                      ===================================
                      HOCUS POCUS COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS
                      ===================================

There are no command line parameters for Hocus Pocus.  Any options you may want
  to change system wise are in the SETUP.EXE program that came with the game.
              All changes will have to be made from that program.


                   =========================================
                   HOW TO GET HOCUS POCUS RUNNING UNDER OS/2
                   =========================================

Create a program reference object and make the following changes to the default
settings:

DOS_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION=OFF
DOS_HIGH=ON
DOS_UMB=ON
DPMI_NETWORK_BUFF_SIZE=64
EMS_HIGH_OS_MAP_REGION=64
HW_TIMER=ON
IDLE_SECONDS=60
IDLE_SENSITIVITY=100
INT_DURING_IO=ON
KBD_BUFFER_EXTEND=OFF
MOUSE_EXCLUSIVE_ACCESS=ON
VIDEO_8514A_XGA_IOTRAP=OFF
VIDEO_ONDEMAND_MEMORY=OFF
VIDEO_RETRACE_EMULATION=OFF
VIDEO_ROM_EMULATION=OFF
XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT=1024

These settings are not officially supported by Apogee.  Your mileage may vary.
If you are an OS/2 user, and can come up with better settings, E-Mail Technical
Support at one of the E-Mail addresses at the bottom of this document.


                      ====================================
                      HOW DO I MAKE MORE MEMORY AVAILABLE?
                      ====================================

If Hocus Pocus returns a message that says you do not have enough memory to
run the game, or the program behaves erratically when it is executed, you
will need to make more conventional memory available.

We get a lot of questions like "I have 8 meg of memory, what do you mean I need
more memory?" If this sounds like a question you might ask, then read the
section called "The 640k barrier".

There are virtually millions of ways a config.sys file can be arranged to
provide memory, and you'd be reading this document forever if we tried to
explain them all, so we'll just give you one simple example that will work.
It is a simple setup, and will provide you with enough memory in order to
run the game.  Furthermore, there are also several versions of DOS out there.
We will provide examples that use MS/DOS commands.  If your version of DOS is
not MS/DOS, you would need to use the appropriate substitute commands for the
MS/DOS counterparts.  If you are unfamiliar with editing your configuration
files, or are uneasy about it, get a friend of yours that is familiar with the
procedure to help, or check your DOS manual on how to use the Text (ASCII)
editor that comes with your version of DOS.

SAMPLE CONFIG.SYS
-----------------
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICE=C:\DOS\DBLSPACE.SYS /MOVE

The fourth line should only be used if you're using MS/DOS's DoubleSpace
utility.  (That would also most likely be the place you have a Stacker,
SuperStor, or other some disk compression driver).  Other things that would go
in here would be sound drivers (SoundBlaster 16, Pro Audio Spectrum 16, etc..).

SAMPLE AUTOEXEC.BAT
-------------------
@echo off
SET BLASTER=Aw Ix Dy Tz
LH C:\DOS\MOUSE.COM

You would only put the mouse line in there if you use the mouse to play the
game, and you would only use the SET BLASTER line if you are playing with a
sound card.

If you are running MicroSoft DOS v6.0 or later, you can also try this to get
your game running.  When you start your system, you will see a message that
says "Starting MS-DOS".  If you press the F5 key during this time, you will get
a message that says "MS-DOS is bypassing your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT"
files.  This is what's more commonly known as "booting clean", since you've
bypassed your system startup files.  At this point, you can change to the
directory you've installed Hocus Pocus to, and the game should run fine.

If you do find that you need some sort of modified config.sys and autoexec.bat
files in order to run this game, you might wish to explore what is about to be
said.  Later revisions of DOS (MS/DOS 6.x+, and DR-DOS 6+) have built into them
the capabilities of "Multiple Boot Configurations".  If you are familiar with
these procedures, it will be a snap to do.  If you are unfamiliar, you need to
consult your DOS manual.  The process varies greatly from computer to computer
depending on how you have your system set up, so this will not be explained
here.  However, the time spent learning this procedure from your DOS manual
will benefit you greatly elsewhere, in addition to this game.

If you are running DR-DOS, then there is a separate issue to be addressed.
DR-DOS preallocates 64k of conventional memory to any .EXE file that it
believes to be compressed.  Since the Main Hocus Pocus executable file IS
compressed, DR-DOS is allocating 64k of conventional memory from whatever you
have to begin with, almost certainly leaving you with insufficient memory in
order to play the game.  There is a fix for this available from Novell.  You
need to contact Novell and obtain "DR-DOS Patch 326".  This will optionally
allow you to eliminate the preallocation that DR-DOS is doing.

This patch is available in several places online as well.

 ■ Software Creations BBS -> 1-508-368-7036 with filename DRDOS326.ZIP
 ■ Novell BBS             -> 1-408-649-3443 with filename PATCH326.ZIP
 ■ Internet               -> Email "[e-mail]"
 ■ CompuServe             -> GO NOVLIB, File Area 12, Filename PAT326.EXE
 ■ America Online         -> Do keyword search for "DR-DOS",
                                              and get filename PAT326.ZIP.

This document does not pretend to be your DOS manual, but it does give you a
basic explanation as to why you may not have enough memory in order to run a
program of ours.  If you are still having trouble getting this program to run
after attempting the steps outlined above, you need to consult your DOS manual
on "How to make more conventional memory" available.  Your DOS manual has far
more exhaustive examples on how to do this than we could possibly document
here.  Apogee Technical Support is unable to assist beyond what is documented
here.  If you are still having trouble getting the program to run, it is not a
fault of our game, it is a limitation of DOS.  Please check your DOS manual, or
call MicroSoft's Technical Support Department.


                              ====================
                              FILES WITH THIS GAME
                              ====================

The following files comprise the Hocus Pocus game as it's distributed from
Apogee.  These games are essential for game play, there may be some related
file such as the catalog, and order form files.  Those are not what this
section will discuss.

HOCUS   .DAT   <- Main Hocus Pocus Graphics File
HOCUS   .EXE   <- Main Hocus Pocus Game Executable
SETUP   .EXE   <- Setup Program for Hocus Pocus
__HPGRVS.EXE   <- Main Executable file for Gravis UltraSound Card
ULTRAMID.EXE   <- Gravis UltraSound Music Program
ULTRAMID.INI   <- Gravis UltraSound Music Data File

The last three files listed here are for people who have a Gravis UltraSound
card.  If you do not have this sound card, these files are not needed.  On the
other hand, if you do have a Gravis UltraSound card, the file "HOCUS.EXE" is
not needed.  If you're unsure as to what files you need, and what you don't
need, don't worry about it; they won't harm anything by being there.


                                ================
                                THE 640K BARRIER
                                ================

This section isn't actually needed in order to get our programs running.  What
is contained in here is for the most part background information to better
assist our customers in understanding why they need to make more conventional
memory available.

When MicroSoft first made DOS 1.0, 640 kilobytes (KB) was set aside as the
highest amount of memory that a computer could have.  The 640KB of memory is
what is called "conventional memory".  To maintain compatibility with older
versions, this was never changed.  Advances in memory management have made
access to memory beyond 640KB, but this memory can only hold data; the program
actually has to run in the first 640KB.  This first 640k is called
"Conventional Memory".

Here is a brief discussion of the different types of memory available on your
computer.  The most important one is Conventional memory.

  ■ CONVENTIONAL MEMORY starts at 0k and normally ends at 640k.  (The cases
    where this is not the case are EXTREMELY rare)  If you are not using some
    sort of memory manager (such as DOS's EMM386, Quarterdeck's QEMM, or
    Qualitas' 386MAX), this is the only type of memory you have.  Conventional
    memory is used by DOS as well as device drivers and TSR's (Terminate and
    Stay Resident Programs).  A TSR is a program that is loaded into your
    computer's memory (usually from the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files) and
    stays there.  Most programs remove themselves from memory after execution,
    a TSR does not. Device drivers and TSR's are programs that enable the
    computer to use additional hardware such as a mouse, scanner, CD-ROM,
    expanded or extended memory, etc.  A program such as an Apogee game is NOT
    a program that can be loaded as a TSR.  If all you have is conventional
    memory, anything that you would load as a TSR would come out of this
    section of memory.  Take too much away, and you're not left over with
    enough memory to run our product.

    If you are getting an out of memory error from our program, it is this
    memory that you are running out of.  Whether you have 1 meg, 8 meg of
    memory, or 32 meg of memory, it's irrelevant.  Only the first 640k of
    memory is available for program execution.  Please do not confuse this with
    hard drive space.  Your hard drive space is not memory, and is not relevant
    nor should be considered in this example.

  ■ UPPER MEMORY starts at 640k and ends at 1024k.  Normally, this area is used
    for things such as system ROM, video and hardware cards, and the like.  On
    most PC's hardware does not use the entire upper memory area, and with the
    use of the aforementioned memory managers, (EMM386, QEMM, FnordMem, etc.)
    you can move some TSR's into this memory area.  These unused areas are
    called Upper Memory Blocks (UMB'S), and this where some TSR's can be
    loaded.

  ■ EXTENDED MEMORY (XMS) is the memory addressed above 1024k.  Extended memory
    requires the use of a memory manager, such as MS/DOS's HIMEM.SYS.  This
    region of memory is not usable for standard program execution; it can only
    be used for data storage.  Apogee programs that use this type of memory
    (such as Wolfenstein & Hocus Pocus), only use this to store level or
    graphic data.  The actual program itself is running in conventional memory.

  ■ HIGH MEMORY AREA (HMA) is the first 64k of extended memory.  This is a
    special region of memory that is most commonly used to load DOS high.  When
    you issue the DOS=HIGH command in your config.sys file, the amount of
    conventional memory that was previously being occupied by DOS itself is
    moved into this region.

  ■ EXPANDED MEMORY (EMS) is another type of memory that some MS/DOS programs
    can make use of.  Like XMS, this memory is not available for program
    execution, it's only used for data storage due to it's nature.  An
    explanation of this type of memory is rather technical, so it will not be
    delved into here.  If you're curious, check your DOS manual, or your memory
    manager manual.

When you first start up your computer, there are two files that your computer
looks at: CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT.  These two files contain lists of device
drivers and TSR's that are automatically run when starting your computer.  Each
of these takes up space, and it is taken away from the 640k of conventional
memory.  As more and more programs are loaded from the autoexec.bat and
config.sys files, you have less and less available from the original 640k.
Since it is this memory that programs run in, you can see that the amount taken
away from the programs executed in config.sys and autoexec.bat would want to be
kept to a minimum.  This can be accomplished by either reducing the amount of
programs loaded in from config.sys and autoexec.bat, or moving them to high
memory via the use of EMM386, QEMM, 386MAX, or some other memory management
program.


                          ============================
                          CONTACTING TECHNICAL SUPPORT
                          ============================

Apogee thanks you very much for playing our games.  Customer satisfaction is a
high priority of Apogee's, and we strive to please everyone.  Our Technical
Support staff is available to assist all of our customers in solving any
technical problems that may be experienced.  Our Technical Support Department
is available to answer your questions Monday through Friday during the hours of
8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Central Standard Time.  The phone number for the Tech
Support Department is [phone].

However, the voice line isn't your only channel of contact.  We are also
reachable via a fax machine at [phone], (24 Hours a Day) or you can
write to us.  Our mailing address is:

Apogee Software
POB 496389
Garland, TX 75049-6389
United States of America

Voice: [phone]
  Fax: [phone]  (24 hrs)

Apogee Technical Support can also be contacted via a variety of electronic
medium.  Several major online services are monitored, and Apogee's E-Mail
addresses are listed below.   Also, a variety of Bulletin Board networks are
monitored as well, and those are also listed.

If you do contact our Technical Support department, please be at your computer,
and have it ready for assistance.  If you can't be at your computer, please
have printouts of the following things available, so that we may assist you
better.  It may be possible do provide technical support without these things,
but it will be much more difficult.

The needed files are CONFIG.SYS & AUTOEXEC.BAT, plus what happens when you
execute the "MEM /C" command (or just MEM if you get an error using MEM /C).

■ Major Online Services

Internet       -> [e-mail]  CompuServe     -> 74200,553
America Online -> APOGEE                  GEnie          -> APOGEE
Delphi         -> APOGEE                  NVN            -> APOGEE
Prodigy        -> CXVP94A

See the appropriate instructions for these various services on how to send
private mail to these addresses.  All of these services have Internet E-Mail
gateways, but please, if you're sending Internet E-Mail, use the swcbbs.com
address.

■ Bulletin Board Networks

There are several BBS networks that are monitored for Apogee messages.  Our
Online Support Representative monitors all of the following BBS networks.

Fidonet, Relaynet (Rime), Intelec, Ilink, U'NI-Net, Smartnet, & City2City.
All of these BBS networks have Games, Shareware, and Apogee conferences.

Fidonet       -> 1:124/9006              Rime            -> APOGEE (or 1674)

And of course, we can be reached on Software Creations, the Apogee BBS.
Software Creations can be reached by calling 1-508-368-7036.   Apogee games are
uploaded to Software Creations FIRST, before anywhere else in the world!!

[ END OF FILE ]