Carmageddon II - Carpocalypse Now ReadMe

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This document contains valuable information about running Carmageddon II - Carpocalypse Now on your PC hardware. It also contains the latest information about the game, information that is not contained in the manual, and the most up to date trouble shooting guide.
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1.   	SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

2.   	DIRECTX6

3. 	GAME LAUNCHER

4. 	GRAPHICS MENU OPTIONS
 
5. 	NETGAME OPTIONS MENU

6. 	EXTRA IN-GAME CONTROLS

7.   	TROUBLESHOOTING

8. 	KNOWN PROBLEMS

9. 	QA REPORT ON D3D SUPPORT AND PERFORMANCE

10. 	3D CARD SUPPORT SITES

11. 	FAN SITES

12. 	CONTACT

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1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Software Mode (320 x 200 256 colours)

- Intel Pentium 166Mhz CPU or equivalent     
- 16MB RAM
- Windows 95/98
- DirectX 6 supported Graphics Card with 2Mb RAM     
- 200MB hard drive space
- DirectX 6 supported soundcard
- 4 x Speed CD-ROM

Hardware accelerated mode (640x480 16bit colour)

- Intel Pentium 200Mhz CPU or equivalent     
- 32MB RAM
- Windows 95/98
- DirectX 6 supported D3D Graphics Card with 4Mb RAM (D3D performance will vary from card to card)
- 200MB hard drive space
- DirectX 6 supported soundcard
- 8 x Speed CD-ROM
      
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2. DIRECTX6

Carmageddon II - Carpocalypse Now has been optimised for DirectX6, in order to take advantage of this optimisation you are strongly advised to install DirecX6 when prompted to. 
DirectX6 will install new video and audio drivers to your system where appropriate. 

Hardware Acceleration

Carmageddon II Carpocalypse Now runs in 3Dfx native mode (Glide) and Direct 3D, this ensures that the game provides the best performance on the widest range of 3D video cards.

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3. GAME LAUNCHER

When the game starts it looks at the hardware in your PC and tries to work out the best graphics mode to run in. If your 3D card is a 3Dfx (Voodoo) card the launcher will default to 3Dfx (Glide). For any other D3D compatible 3D cards the launcher will default to Direct 3D. If no suitable 3D card is detected the launcher will default to Direct Draw Software mode.

You may need to install the latest video drivers for your particular card to secure the best performance from the game. These drivers are normally available from your card manufacturer or they may be downloaded from the Internet. (See the 3D CARD SUPPORT SITES below)

It is possible to override the options the launcher selects but we recommend playing the game in whatever default mode is initially presented before selecting any alternate modes.

In Direct 3D clicking on the Advanced button offers extra options. If you have any performance issues in Direct 3D turning off some of these options may improve the games performance. 

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4. GRAPHICS MENU OPTIONS

Carmageddon II Carpocalypse Now provides a number of graphic options which can be turned on or off in game. The default options have been set to provide the best performance and look of the game aimed at a target PC. We recommend that you play the game with the default levels set initially. The main reasons you may wish to adjust these options are generally performance related; the greater the graphic details selected in the game the greater the demand placed on your PC. Some options are however more a matter of taste i.e. Animals can be removed from the game.

In 3D games there is always a trade off between performance and graphic detail. A scene in a game is essentially composed of polygons and textures, the more of these that can be displayed in a scene the smoother and more detailed the scene appears. This requires increased processing power (i.e. a faster PC). We have tried to balance these elements in game to give the best gameplay and best visual quality possible. The options in this menu allow you to adjust some of these elements to find a level that's most appropriate for your PC.

Graphics Menu

Car Complexity

Cars in the game have two models a complex model and a simple model; the simple model has fewer polygons than the complex and therefore requires less processing power from your PC however it does not look as good as the complex model. 

Selecting the 'Always' option specifies that the game should only use complex car models. This is the most processor intensive option and should only be selected on high specification PC's. Selecting 'Never' means that the game only uses the simple car models, this option may be selected if your PC performance is too slow displaying the complex car models.

Scenery Cut-off / Scenery Pop Up

This option allows you to select how far into the distance Carmageddon II Carpocalypse Now attempts to draw. Setting a 'Far' distance means that the game tries to show all the scenery in game as far away as possible. Again this option is most suited to faster PC's. Setting the distance to 'Near' means that the game does not try to create (render) the scene at the farthest distance.

Shadows

Allows you to select which cars have shadows drawn underneath them.

Sound Detail

This selects the number of channels the audio attempts to use. Reducing the detail in this option may increase performance.

Traffic

Sets the 'drone' cars (normal every day type) on or off. Turning drone cars off may improve performance.

Sky Texture

Draws a nice sky in game.

Darkness / Fog

This sets the 'fogging' in the distance in the game. By turning this option off the game may run faster but it will not look as good.

Gore Level - Choose the kind of carnage you want to see.

Animals - These can be removed from the game if you're squeamish about road kill.

Flame Thrower - One of the user operable power-ups that's optional 

in-game.

Explosives - Big bangs or no explosions. 

Auto Load

Setting this option to On will load your most recent save game automatically when you start playing Carmageddon II.

Ambience 

Sets the ambient sounds in the environment.


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5. NETGAME OPTIONS MENU

This screen allows the host to customise each race to their individual taste. They are given the ability to alter each of the following options:

Show All Cars on Map - this allows you to sneak a peek at where the other racers are currently cowering.

Show Power-ups on Map - shows the goodies that can make all the difference in a race (or not).

Power-up Respawn - after a set time power-ups reappear in the game (or not)

Game Type - Open or Closed Game - in an open game anyone can join in at any time. In a closed game, once the race has started they must wait until the race is over.

Grid Start - A grid start is much the same as in a single player game. Turning this of creates a random start with all the players starting off at random locations scattered throughout the map.

Race Order - Random or Sequential - You either progress through the race list in its set order or move randomly to any one of the races.

Free Power-ups - This options randomly awards the players a 'free' power-up during the game.

Cars - Eagle, Other, All - This allows contestants to be given the option of choosing between being given Max's car, any car except the Eagle, or any car at all. The cars will be allocated at random at the start of each race.

Starting Credits - How much the players have in their wallet at the start of the game.

Target - This defines the goal of each game, and allows you to adjust it. It is context sensitive, so it will allow you to alter the number of kills in Car Crusher, the time target in Fox and Hounds, and the number of laps in a racing game.

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6. EXTRA IN-GAME CONTROLS

HUD (Head Up Display) Complexity

It's possible to adjust the amount of information displayed on screen during the game. There are two reasons for doing this; the first is that reducing the amount of data shown in the HUD may enhance the performance of the game. The second reason to reduce the HUD data is simply to reduce the amount of clutter in the display area. 

The F1 key steps through the HUD display options in the following sequence:
No HUD - No status data is displayed during the game.
Minimal HUD - Displays Game Timer, Car Speed, Car Damage.
Full HUD - Minimal HUD + Credits Awarded, Laps Achieved, Check Points Made, Opponent Cars 	Wasted, Peds Killed, APO Settings.
No HUD + Opponent Status Bar.
Minimal HUD + Opponent Status Bar.
Full HUD + Opponent Status Bar.

MINI-MAP POSITION 

You can adjust the position of the mini-map in the game to any location on the screen that suits you. To move the map hold down the Shift key and use the Cursor keys to position it.

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7. TROUBLE SHOOTING

Q: I know I have a 3D card installed but the launcher isn't picking it up and offering me that option as a default.

A: Ensure you have the latest DirectX6 compatible drivers for your 3D card. Check the card manufacturers web site for the latest drivers.

Q: I have a joystick plugged into my computer, but Carmageddon II doesn't recognise it.

A: Check the joystick configuration in Windows.  Go to Settings...Control Panel...Game Controllers and check to make sure that your joystick is configured correctly.

Q: Parts of the menu and objects that should be transparent within the game appear dithered (speckled or dotty) instead. 

A: A minority of older 3D cards do not support the effects that Carmageddon II uses for transparent objects in the game. To support these cards we have implemented the 'next best' option creating the effect you are seeing. Unfortunately any other solutions are limited by the 3D hardware you are using.

Q: I bought a big car / bus / truck in the game and all I can see is that back of it in the race.

A: The camera in game is 'attached' to your bumper. If your car / truck / bus is too big to see over you need to adjust the 'bumper camera' using the 'up' cursor 	key to raise the camera view.

Q: The shadows are flickering under my car in a strange manner.

A: This is an artefact of the way that certain D3D cards handle the order in which items are drawn in the 3D scene. In the cards where this is occurring we recommend turning off the shadows option in the graphics menu.

Q: During a game my controls stop working and a message "Task Switched - Running in Background" appears. 

A: You have pressed either the 'Windows' key on your keyboard or the 'Alt - Tab' key. Consequently Windows thinks that Carmageddon II is no longer the uppermost Window on your desktop. Using the 'Alt Tab' key sequence should restore the game.

Q: My mini-map has moved, what happened?

A: You can move the mini-map by holding shift and using the cursor keys. This enables you to move it to a location of your choice. If you play the software version of the game followed by the hardware version the mini-map will appear to be in the centre of your screen, this is easily fixed by moving it back to it's original location using shift and the cursor keys.

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8. KNOWN PROBLEMS

Voodoo Rush Cards

We have experienced a problem with the Voodoo Rush card in Carmageddon II's QA period. The in-game cursor area is restricted to a limited window in the menu. Consequently in order to play the game with this card it is necessary to use the cursor, tab and enter keys to select the menu options you require.

Power VR cards

There is a problem in the menu which has not been resolved at the time of the games release. Please check the SCi website for an update which should resolve this problem.

Millennium II Direct 3D cards

These do not support the transparency code used in Carmageddon II. As a result of this all transparent areas in the game (glass/ water etc.) do not look as effective as we would wish.

During Carmageddon II's test period we have noted some problems in-game when the Windows 98 Plus Deluxe CD Player is operating. We recommend closing this application when running Carmageddon II.

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9. QA REPORT ON D3D SUPPORT AND PERFORMANCE

Base PC of 200Mhz AMD K6 with multimedia extensions, 32Mb RAM.  No comment means good performance and no reported problems. Since PCs from the same manufacture and the same model performance and compatibility can vary from PC to PC this table is provided purely for information. A particular card's performance can not be guaranteed.


Card	                Chipset 	Memory	Comments & Recommendations
3D Labs Permedia	Permedia 2	4Mb
ATI Xpert@Play	        3D Rage Pro 2	4Mb	Smoke effect solid
ATI Xpert@Work 	        Rage 3D 2	4Mb
Canapus Pure 3D	        Voodoo 1	6Mb	
3D Blaster	  	Rendition	4Mb
Creative Extreme	Permedia 2	4Mb	Reduce some in-game features
Diamond Monster 3D1	Voodoo 1	4Mb
Diamond Stealth 3D 2000	S3 Virage	2Mb	Not supported
Diamond Stealth 3D 3000	S3 Virage VX	4Mb	Not recommended - Use software mode
Diamond Stealth II S220	Rendition 2	4Mb
Diamond Viper V330	Nvidia 128	4Mb
Diamond Monster 3D 2	Voodoo 2	8Mb
Hercules Stingray 128 3DVoodoo Rush	8Mb	Problem with cursor in menu 
Hercules Thriller 3D	Rendition V2000	8Mb
Intergraph Intense 3D	Rendition	4Mb
Matrox Millennium 2	2164W		4Mb
Matrox Mystique		1064SG		4Mb	Does not support transparency 
Matrox Mystique 220	1064SG		4Mb
Matrox Millennium G200	G200		8Mb	Some problems with car shadows
Matrox G100		G100		4Mb	Does not support transparency
Matrox M3D		PCX2		4Mb	Front end problems & polygon distortion
Orchid Righteous 3D 1	Voodoo 1	4Mb
Orchid Righteous 3D 2	Voodoo 2	12Mb
Real 3D Starfighter 3D	Intel 740	4/8Mb
Riva TNT		TNT		16Mb
STB  Power Graph 64 3D	S3 Virage	
STB Lightspeed 128	Riva 128	4Mb
Videologic		Power VR	4Mb	Problems with polygons

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10. 3D CARD SUPPORT SITES

3Dlabs -
Website:          http://www.3dlabs.com/
Drivers Download: http://www.3dlabs.com/drivers/
Email Support:    support@3dlabs.com

3Dfx -
Website:          http://www.3Dfx.com/
Drivers Download: http://www.3Dfx.com/download/download.html
ATI -
Website:          http://www.atitech.com/
Drivers Download: http://support.atitech.com/updates.htm
Email Support:    tech_support@aitech.com

Diamond -
Website:          http://www.diamondmm.com/ 
Drivers Download: http://www.diamondmm.com/products/drivers/driver-index.html
Email Support:    techsupt@diamondmm.com

EDGE 3D 3000
EDGE 3D 2000
Monster 3D
Monster 3D II
Hercules -
Website:          http://www.hercules.com/
Drivers Download: http://www.hercules.com/support.drivers/
Email Support:    support@hercules.com

Intel -
Website:          http://www.intel.com/
Drivers Download: http://developer.intel.com/design/graphics/drivers

Matrox -
Website:          http://www.matrox.com/
Drivers Download: http://www.matrox.com/mgaweb/drivers/drivers.htm

NEC PowerVR -
Website:          http://www.matrox.com/
Drivers Download: http://www.powervr.com/315.html

nVidia -
Website:          http://www.nVidia.com/
Drivers Download: http://www.nVidia.com/home.html

Rendition -
Website:          http://www.rendition.com/
Drivers Download: http://www.rendition.com/rodz/dl.html

S3 -
Website:          http://www.S3.com/
Drivers Download: http://www.S3.com/bbs/0main/topindex.htm

Trident-
Website:          http://www.trid.com/
Drivers Download: http://www.trid.com/trident/html/DRIVERS.HTM

#9 Visual Technology-
Website:          http://www.nine.com/
Drivers Download: http://www.nine.com/support/drivers/index.html

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11. FAN SITES

The web sites listed below are great sources of information about the Carmageddon world. They also contain links to the many other Carmageddon fan sites across the web.

Pedestrian Precinct
http://carmageddon2.telefragged.com/precinct.shtml

The Carmageddon Fan Club
http://www.vip.fi/~jm/cfc/

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12. CONTACT
For support in the UK you can contact the SCi technical support line on:

    	0171 228 3543

or email

	techsupport@sci.co.uk


FURTHER PRODUCT INFORMATION
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SCi Website:			http://www.sci.co.uk
Stainless Website:		http://ww.stainless.co.uk	



(c) 1998 SCi (Sales Curve Interactive) Ltd. Engine (c) 1998 Stainless Software Ltd. All rights reserved. SCi (Sales Curve Interactive) Ltd. is a subsidiary of SCi Entertainment Group. SCi, Carmageddon, Carmageddon II & Carpocalypse Now are trademarks of SCi (Sales Curve Interactive) Ltd.

