Microsoft KB Archive/191676

Urban Assault: Contents of the Readme.txt File

PSS ID Number: Q191676 Article last modified on 05-20-1999

WINDOWS:1.0

WINDOWS

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The information in this article applies to:

 == Microsoft Urban Assault, version 1.0 == 

= SUMMARY =

This article contains a copy of the contents of the Microsoft Urban Assault Readme.txt file, which is located in the root folder of the Microsoft Urban Assault CD-ROM.

= MORE INFORMATION =

CONTENTS

EASY LEVELS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 1.1 Minimum System Requirements 1.2 Optional GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING VIDEO CARD ISSUES 3.1 Video Card Drivers and Manufacturers 3.2 Specific Video Card Issues 3.3 General Video Card Issues SOUND CARD ISSUES MOVIE ISSUES GAMEPLAY NOTES 6.1 Joystick, Keyboard, and Mouse Controls 6.2 Single-Player Missions 6.3 Saving and Loading Games 6.4 Messages ADDITIONAL FEATURES PRINT DOCUMENTATION CHANGES THE ENERGY SYSTEM 9.1 Power Management Tips 9.2 Power Station Strategies 9.3 Energy Absorption 9.4 Efficiency and Sector Ownership 9.5 Emissions, Proximity, and Drainage


 * 1) SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

1.1 Minimum System Requirements

Multimedia personal computer with a Pentium 133 MHz or equivalent processor.

Windows 95 operating system or higher.

16 megabytes (MB) of RAM.

100 MB of free uncompressed hard disk space.

Quad-speed CD-ROM drive.

Local bus Super VGA video card with 1 MB of VRAM.

Windows-compatible sound card plus speakers or headphones.

Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.

1.2 Optional

3-D graphics accelerator card compatible with the Direct3D API for best graphics quality. (Note that some 3-D accelerator cards may not be fully compatible with the 3-D acceleration features of Urban Assault.)

28.8 or higher baud modem for head-to-head play.

Internet access for play on the Microsoft MSN Gaming Zone (note that connect time charges may apply).

Joystick controller (Urban Assault supports force feedback input devices compatible with the DirectInput API).

 VIDEO CARD ISSUES

3.1 Video Card Drivers and Manufacturers

IMPORTANT: Please make sure that you have the latest drivers from the manufacturer of your video card. Many of the issues listed in this section will be resolved if you install your video card’s latest drivers. Listed below are some common video card manufacturers’ Web sites. You can also directly access these links by opening videoWWW.htm, located in the Urban Assault root directory (the default installation path is C: FilesGamesAssault).

3D/fx Interactive http://www.3dfx.com

3Dlabs http://www.3dlabs.com

AccelGraphics http://www.accelgraphics.com

Asus http://www.asus.com

ATI http://support.atitech.ca

California Graphics http://www.calgraph.com

Canopus http://www.canopuscorp.com

Creative Labs http://www.creativelabs.com

Deltron Flash 3D http://www.deltrontech.com

Deltron Technology http://www.deltrontech.com

Diamond Multimedia http://www.diamondmm.com

Elsa Technology http://www.elsa.de

Gateway 2000 http://www.gw2k.com

Genoa http://www.genoasys.com

Guillemot http://www.guillemot.com

Hercules http://www.hercules.com

I/O Magic http://www.iomagic.com

Intergraph http://www.intergraph.com

Ixmicro http://www.ixmicro.com

Jaton http://www.jaton.com

Jazz Multimedia http://www.jazzmm.com

Leadtek http://www.leadtek.com

Matrox http://www.matrox.com

Metabyte http://www.metabyte.com

Miro http://www.miro.de

NewCom http://www.newcominc.com

Number Nine http://www.nine.com

NVIDIA http://www.nvidia.com

Orchid http://www.orchid.com

Quantum3D Obsidian http://www.quantum3d.com

Real3D http://www.real3d.com

S3 Incorporated http://www.s3.com

Sierra On-Line http://www.sierra.com

Skywell Magic 3D http://www.magic-3d.com

STB http://www.stb.com

TechWorks http://www.techworks.com

Tseng Labs http://www.tseng.com

VideoLogic http://www.videologic.com

3.2 Specific Video Card Issues

Listed below are specific video cards that are known to have configuration issues with Urban Assault.

3D/fx Interactive Video Cards

ISSUE: With a Voodoo-based video card, you cannot play Urban Assault at a resolution higher than 640 x 480. If you have a 12-MB Voodoo2, the highest resolution you can run at is 800 x 600.

3DLabs Incorporated Video Cards

ISSUE: With a 3DLabs Incorporated video card, the graphics may look pixilated or grainy.

Suggestion: This issue is fixed with the latest drivers. Install the latest drivers.

ATI Video Cards

ISSUE: When using the retail drivers provided by the manufacturer, the ATI 3D Rage Pro video card may not be recognized as a Direct3D Device option (Primary Display Driver) on the Options screen.

Suggestion: Install the latest drivers. If the problem persists, please contact your hardware manufacturer.

ISSUE: With the ATI Xpert@work video card, smoke, weapons fire, and parts of buildings and vehicles may be rendered incorrectly. Some may look cylindrical or arrow-shaped or appear to move.

Suggestion: Install the latest drivers. If the problem persists, please contact your hardware manufacturer. Alternatively, turn on or off the DrawPrimitive and/or 16-Bit Textures options on the Options screen.

Diamond Stealth Video Cards

ISSUE: With the Diamond drivers, the Diamond Stealth 3D 3000 video card may not be recognized as a Direct3D Device option (Primary Display Driver) on the Options screen.

Suggestion: Try installing the latest drivers. If the latest Diamond drivers fail to recognize your video card as a Direct3D Device option, install the latest S3 ViRGE VX drivers. If the problem persists, please contact your hardware manufacturer.

ISSUE: With the Diamond Stealth 64 video card, the introductory movie and cut scenes may have bright green horizontal lines running across the screen. The movies play correctly and the sound can be heard, but the movies can only be seen where the green lines are not present.

Suggestion: Install the latest drivers. If the problem persists, please contact your hardware manufacturer.

Hercules Stingray Video Cards

ISSUE: With the Hercules Stingray video card, the game may freeze after clicking Start Mission on the Level Select screen.

Suggestion: This issue is fixed with the latest drivers. Install the latest drivers.

Matrox Millenium II Video Cards

ISSUE: With the Matrox Millenium II video card, the seams between polygons may be visible and sometimes flashing with lighter textures showing.

Suggestion: Install the latest drivers. If the problem persists, please contact your hardware manufacturer.

Number Nine Inc. Video Cards

ISSUE: You may encounter a problem with some Number Nine Inc. video cards involving issues with transparencies and alpha-blended textures – that is, objects that should be transparent are not, or objects that should be smooth and three-dimensional in appearance are sharp or jagged. This is something that is unique to these cards.

Suggestion: Please contact Number Nine Inc. (http://www.nine.com) for more information on this issue.

Permedia 2 Video Cards

ISSUE: With the Permedia 2 video card at a game resolution of 512 x 384, there may be considerable corruption of the game screen.

Suggestion: Install the latest drivers. If the problem persists, please contact your hardware manufacturer. Alternatively, turn on or off the DrawPrimitive and/or 16-Bit Textures options on the Options screen.

ISSUE: With the Permedia 2 video card, switching the views of the game screen while playing (jumping into a vehicle, cycling through the gun turrets, and so on) may cause the textures of some buildings to become corrupt and psychedelic in appearance.

Suggestion: Install the latest drivers. If the problem persists, please contact your hardware manufacturer.

STB Nitro 3D Video Cards

ISSUE: The STB Nitro 3D video card may not be recognized as a Direct3D Device option (Primary Display Driver) on the Options screen.

Suggestion: Try installing the latest drivers. If the latest drivers fail to recognize your video card as a Direct3D Device option, install the latest S3 ViRGE VX drivers. If the problem persists, please contact your hardware manufacturer.

STB Velocity 128 (TV Support) Video Cards

ISSUE: When using the retail drivers with the STB Velocity 128 (TV Support) video card, the screen may become black after the introductory movie. To return to the desktop, press ESC or ALT+F4.

Suggestion: This issue is resolved with driver version 4.10.0.0166 and all later versions. Install the latest drivers. If the problem persists, please contact your hardware manufacturer.

3.3 General Video Card Issues

ISSUE: Some video cards, although they are considered 3-D-compatible, still exhibit problems when rendering 3-D graphics.

Suggestion: Always be sure you have the latest drivers installed. If you still have problems, please contact your hardware manufacturer.

ISSUE: After pressing ALT+TAB to leave the application and then return to it, you may have problems such as vehicles without textures and flashing 2-D elements.

Suggestion: Do not press ALT+TAB. Also, after viewing Help, close your browser before returning to the game.

ISSUE: Your frame rate may be slow.

Suggestion: For suggestions on how to improve frame rate, see “Main Menu: Options” in online Help.

ISSUE: Currently, some 3-D chipsets (for example, S3 ViRGE VX/GX, Millennium 2, and Verite 1000) may not be recognized as a Direct3D Device option (Primary Display Driver) on the Options screen.

Suggestion: If installing the latest drivers for your video card does not solve this problem, contact your hardware manufacturer. Also note that you may get better performance if you select Software in the Direct3D Device box on the Options screen.

ISSUE: Sometimes textures may be corrupt or may not be smooth.

Suggestion: Turn on or off the DrawPrimitive and/or 16-Bit Textures options on the Options screen.

ISSUE: Not all resolutions listed in the Display Resolution box on the Options screen may be supported by the hardware you have installed.

Suggestion: Play in default resolution mode, 640 x 480.

ISSUE: After changing the Display Resolution option on the Options screen, there is no affect on the pregame screens, which remain at 640 x 480.

 MOVIE ISSUES

IMPORTANT: Please make sure that you have the latest drivers from the manufacturer of your video card.

ISSUE: If you have problems starting Urban Assault, the problem may lie in the introduction movie.

Suggestion: Install the latest drivers for your video card. If that does not work, try turning off the movies.

To turn off the movies in the Nucleus.ini file:

Open the Nucleus.ini file, located in the Urban Assault root directory (the default installation path is C:Files GamesAssault).

Find the following line in the Nucleus.ini file:

gfx.movie_player = on Change this line to the following:

gfx.movie_player = off ISSUE: With the DirectMovie plug-in available for 3Dfx-based video cards, you may encounter corruption or hanging at the end of a movie.

Suggestion: If you are using third-party software to render the Urban Assault movies, you must disable it.

ISSUE: With the Hercules Dynamite 128 Series video card, you will receive a fatal error message if you press ESC to skip through the movie.

Suggestion: Install the latest ET6000 drivers from the Tseng Labs Web site (http://www.tseng.com).

ISSUE: During a video, the Windows 95 taskbar may appear, blocking part of the video. After playing a few missions, the taskbar may not appear anymore.

Suggestion: Be sure the Always on Top option for your taskbar is turned off.

 ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Based on Beta feedback, several additions were made after the game documentation had gone to print. Some highlights are the following:

As you create vehicles, an effectiveness list will appear in the lower right of the game screen. This list is a quick reference as to how effective the vehicle you are creating is against other classes of vehicles. In addition, it shows you the vehicle’s effectiveness at acquiring sectors and reconnaissance. To review and compare all of your available vehicles’ effectiveness before actually creating them, click the Create button and continue pressing the left mouse button as you drag your pointer over your vehicles. The effectiveness list to the right will change according to the vehicle your pointer is on.

In the Squadron Manager, rearranging your squads is easy. To move a unit and all of the units to its right, drag it to the desired squad row while holding down the right mouse button. To move an individual unit, drag it while holding down the left mouse button.

In the Squadron Manager, as you roll your mouse pointer over each vehicle’s icon, that vehicle’s life bar appears over the top of it.

Once the beam gate is open, numbers appear on the map over the beam gate. The first number indicates how many creation energy units, in the form of vehicles, you currently have on the beam gate platform; the second number indicates the maximum creation energy units, again in the form of vehicles, you are allowed to beam to the next level.

<ol start="9" style="list-style-type: decimal;"> THE ENERGY SYSTEM</li></ol>

As you learn how the Urban Assault energy system works, you will find it much easier to manage your resources and concentrate on battling your enemies. Study this section and you will more readily advance through the mission levels.

A detailed explanation of the Energy Manager can be found in “Game Interface: Energy Manager,” in online Help. Basic tips and strategies are also provided in “Acquiring Energy,” “Resource Management,” and “Power Stations,” all in the “Strategies” topic of online Help.

9.1 Power Management Tips

For the fastest energy reload, beam your Host Station directly on top of your strongest power station. Beaming to a power station you own does not require any beam energy.

If your energy absorption is less than 100%, conquer more sectors first to reach 100% efficiency and then build more power stations.

Owning more power stations does NOT guarantee that you absorb more energy (see Section 9.4 for details). In some situations – for example, when you do not own a lot of sectors – the amount of power you absorb can decrease if you own too many power stations.

Once your energy absorption reaches 100%, build a power station right next to the one you are already on. This way you absorb energy from both of them.

You can stop the flow to and from each energy reservoir (the Host Station life energy, the creation energy, and the beam energy reservoirs) by clicking their respective icons on the Energy Manager. Click the icon again to allow a free flow of energy.

Don’t forget that power stations can also be used as “free beam points.” It often makes sense to build a small network of weaker power stations (which will not affect your energy efficiency too much), and then use this network to beam your Host Station quickly over large distances. Although those weak stations are not very useful for energy reload, they serve well as outposts from which you can quickly deploy your squads to distant areas of the map.

9.2 Power Station Strategies

There are two main power station strategies: clustering and spreading. Which strategy you choose depends on the particular challenge you face at each mission level.

Clustering

Build your power stations next to each other to take advantage of their cumulative energy emission. The advantage is faster energy reload. The disadvantage is that you will not be prepared to beam your Host Station to distant areas on the map.

Spreading

Build your power stations throughout the map to build a network of “free beam points.” The advantage is that you can quickly beam your Host Station throughout the map region at no cost in beam energy. The disadvantage is slower energy reload.

9.3 Energy Absorption

Your energy absorption rate, at the far left on the Energy Manager, shows the total amount of energy points you are receiving every 10 seconds. This rate is based on the following:

Your promixity to a power station.

The strength of that power station.

The efficiency of all your power stations, as indicated by the percentage at the far left of your Energy Manager.

The strength of your Host Station, which becomes stronger and absorbs more energy as you progress through the mission levels.

9.4 Efficiency and Sector Ownership

Each power station requires a certain number of sectors to support it before it can work at 100% efficiency. Owning a strong power station but few sectors to support it is not very useful.

Some power stations can emit more energy than others, and this is indicated by the number of white boxes in the upper left of each power station map sector. To reach 100% efficiency, you must own 16 sectors per each white box.

--      Total No. of White   Sectors Required to Reach Boxes You Own          100% Efficiency --                 1                       16                  2                       32                  3                       48                  4                       64                  5                       80                  6                       96                  7                      112                  8                      128                 Etc. Etc.       -- For example, if you own two power stations, each with 2 white boxes, or one power station with 4 white boxes, you must own 64 sectors to reach 100% efficiency.

9.5 Emissions, Proximity, and Drainage

Your power stations emit energy to the nearby sectors you own. The closer you are to a power station, the more energy you absorb from it. This also means that if you are out of your power station’s emission area, or if you are within range but are not within one of your own sectors, you will not absorb any energy from that station. This applies to recharging your units as well as to your Host Station. Power stations with more white boxes emit more energy and have a larger emission area.

The energy absorbed from power stations can be cumulative – for instance, if you are on top of a power station and you are within the emission area of another power station, you will receive energy from both of them.

NOTE: Enemy-owned power stations will drain energy away from your units and Host Station if you are within these power stations’ emission areas and are positioned in an enemy sector. The same rules that apply to energy absorption also apply to energy drainage: The closer you are to the enemy power station, the more energy you lose. Your power stations have the same effect on enemy units and host stations.

Additional query words: 1.00 msgame ua readme.doc readme.wri text document

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========================================================= Keywords : kbreadme kbimu msgame Version : WINDOWS:1.0 Platform : WINDOWS Issue type : kbinfo ============================================================================= Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1999.