README.TXT for DETHKARZ
CONTENTS This file contains information which became available after the Dethkarz manual was printed. 1. 3D Device Configuration 2. 3D Accelerator Support 3. 3D Accelerator Troubleshooting 4. Additional Performance Option 5. Additional Multiplayer Option 6. Control Problems 7. General Troubleshooting 8. Legal Notices
1. 3D DEVICE CONFIGURATION ======On systems equipped with 3D graphics accelerators, it is highly recommended that the latest versions of all video drivers be installed. A software renderer has been included for systems without a 3D accelerator card. When you install Dethkarz for the first time, "Dethkarz Configuration" will automatically run and appear with a default selection. In most cases this selection will be appropriate. You may wish to change the default setting under the following circumstances: * The default resolution is too high to achieve good performance on your system. * The default graphics rendering selection fails to run. * You have multiple 3D accelerator cards installed and wish to select an alternate card. Whenever you install or remove video devices, do not run Dethkarz again without first running "Dethkarz Configuration" from the Start Menu.
2. 3D ACCELERATOR SUPPORT ======A wide range of Direct3D compatible 3D accelerator cards are supported by Dethkarz in addition to native Glide support. The following chipsets have been compatibility tested: DETHKARZ 3D SUPPORT Native Chipset Support: 3Dfx (Glide2) 3Dfx (Glide3)
Direct3D Support: Full support: ATI Rage Pro 3Dfx Voodoo1 3Dfx Voodoo2 3Dfx Voodoo Rush 3Dfx Banshee Intel i740 Matrox G200 Matrox Mystique / MY220 Nvidia Riva 128 Permedia 2 Power VR Limited or not fully tested support: S3 Virge/DX (375) Rendition 1000 series Nvidia TNT Additional Direct3D compatible 3D accelerator cards may run with Dethkarz. However, support cannot be guaranteed for cards which are not listed above, due to the wide range of special effects and rendering modes used in Dethkarz.
3. 3D ACCELERATOR TROUBLESHOOTING ======Common Direct3D visual problems when running on unsupported or partially supported 3D accelerator cards include the following:
The player car is 'shiny' and has no textures: Try turning Reflections OFF under Dethkarz Options > Graphics > Customize Performance.
Saturated color covers the entire screen: Try running the game without fog. To do this, you must add the command line switch /F. In Windows 95/98, right click on the Dethkarz icon, select Properties, select the Shortcut tab, and change "DETHKARZ.EXE" in the Target command line to "DETHKARZ.EXE /F". Multiple switches can be entered; see below.
Black rectangles appear during the game: Your accelerator card may not support alpha channel effects. To remove them, follow the instructions above and enter the command line switches /A and /B to change "DETHKARZ.EXE" to "DETHKARZ.EXE /A /B".
The fog effects are too dense: Some cards produce enhanced fog effects when the desktop resolution is True Color (24 bit). In Windows 95/98, change your desktop resolution to High Color (16 bit) or True Color (32 bit) before running the game.
The 3D driver fails to initialize: This may occur if your desktop resolution is 256 color. In Windows 95/98, change your desktop resolution to High Color (16 bit) or True Color (32 bit) before running the game.
The game runs very slowly: Ensure your 3D accelerator has at least 4MB RAM installed. Try obtaining the latest driver for your 3D accelerator. Try selecting a lower screen resolution from Dethkarz Options > Graphics. You might also try switching the Video Walls option to OFF under Dethkarz Options > Graphics > Customize Performance.
The game crashes: Dethkarz is not compatible with your 3D accelerator card. Try selecting 3Dfx Voodoo Native Driver from the list presented during "Dethkarz Configuration". If that also fails, please revert to software rendering.
4. ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE OPTION ======The following option has been added to the Dethkarz Performance screen: AI Cars: Select HIGH for 20 car races, or LOW for 10 car races. The default on Pentium 200MHz and faster is HIGH, but if you find that the game runs slowly on your system you may wish to reduce this to LOW. Performance and screen resolution with 3D accelerator cards: Whilst the Dethkarz Detail Level setting effectively controls the processor load on your computer's CPU, the pixel fill rate of your 3D accelerator card also plays a major part in performance, as the game is very demanding on fill rate. If you find the game's performance is sluggish on your computer, try reducing Screen Resolution independently of Detail Level in Dethkarz Options > Graphics.
5. ADDITIONAL MULTIPLAYER OPTION ======The following option has been added to the Game Setup screen in Multiplayer: LAST USER: When this option is OFF, a multiplayer race continues until a human player crosses the finish line, or until all human players are destroyed. When this option is ON, multiplayer races end as above when a human player crosses the finish line, but also end if there is only one human player remaining (even though that player may still be competing against CPU controlled cars). The default is OFF.
6. CONTROL PROBLEMS ======Device conflicts can occur if two or more control devices are plugged into your computer. For example, a steering wheel plugged into the serial port may conflict with a joystick plugged into a joystick port. 7. GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING ======Here are some general tips to ensure that Dethkarz runs smoothly on your system:
Close all background programs: It is best to have no other programs running under Windows whilst playing Dethkarz. Other programs may conflict with the game, and will also drain system resources in terms of memory and Virtual memory. To avoid this problem, close or suspend any applications that may start up while you are playing Dethkarz. Some examples are: Windows Task Scheduler Windows System Agent Messages from Windows or from other programs might also cause Dethkarz to fail during a session. It is best to close all other applications before running Dethkarz. Some examples are: Mail programs, particularly if mail notification is enabled Internet chat programs such as ICQ Calendar based programs which may deliver reminders during play Screen savers such as After Dark
Wait for CD Autorun: CD ROM drives have an Autorun feature. It is always best to wait for the Autorun feature to check the Dethkarz CD once you have inserted it into your CD ROM drive. There may be a problem if you attempt to run the game manually via the Start menu or Dethkarz icon while the Autorun feature is still investigating the disc.
Do not remove the Dethkarz CD ROM: The Dethkarz CD must be present in your CD ROM drive whilst playing Dethkarz. Dethkarz will ask you for the CD if it is removed. To avoid problems, please leave the disc in the CD ROM drive at all times whilst playing Dethkarz.
Do not use ALT TAB task switching while playing Dethkarz: Task switching via the ALT TAB key combination whilst playing Dethkarz can cause the system to become unstable, and may crash the game. We recommend that you close Dethkarz, perform your Windows operation, and then restart the game. Ensure that your 3D sound card has the latest drivers: If you are using a 3D sound card, ensure that you have the latest drivers, or you may have problems with 3D sound. The sound card manufacturer will be able to supply the correct drivers. If you have done this and are still having problems, your 3D sound card may not be compatible with Dethkarz. If this is the case, you may need to set 3D Sound Hardware to OFF in Dethkarz Options > Sound.
Test your keyboard: Some newer keyboards do not allow certain combinations of more than two keys to be depressed simultaneously. For example, if you press both the up arrow key to accelerate and the left arrow key to turn and then hold down the SHIFT key to fire, you might lose left steering ability. Unfortunately, this problem is due to a limitation of the hardware. The best solution is to reconfigure the controls to keys which do not have this problem.
Test your mouse: Some newer mouse functions such as those provided by the Microsoft IntelliPoint mouse are not compatible with Dethkarz, particularly when running under the software renderer. You should switch off special mouse features such as Snap To and Locate, as these may cause the game to crash.
Turn down your Windows volume settings: We have found that when Windows volume settings are set on maximum, the in game sound can become distorted. Use the volume controls within Dethkarz instead, located under Dethkarz Options > Sound.
Check your system resources: Dethkarz requires a minimum of 16MB of RAM in order to function correctly. If you receive a warning when you run Dethkarz stating that your system resources may be too low, it means that you may not have enough free memory or hard disk space available. If you have at least 16MB of RAM available and you receive this warning, check that no other applications are running, as they may be taking up RAM. You should also check to see how much free hard drive space is available; there should be at least 20MB of free space for Dethkarz to function correctly. Ideally there will be more than this amount.
Avoid running Dethkarz under Windows NT: Dethkarz does not support Windows NT. The game has been designed to operate under Windows 95 and Windows 98. If you attempt to run the game under Windows NT, you may experience problems.
8. LEGAL NOTICES ======Microsoft, Windows, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, DirectX and Direct3D are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Voodoo Graphics, Voodoo Rush, Voodoo2 and Voodoo Banshee are trademarks of 3Dfx Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Dethkarz Readme.txt is Copyright 1998 Melbourne House.