Flight Unlimited II Special Edition README file
2 February 1998
Version 1.03

Please make sure you completely close the README before continuing with the install! The installer will suspend and not get control back if you just minimize the README. 

Thank you for purchasing Flight Unlimited II and welcome to the README file! The bulk of this document is essentially a stripped-down version of the far more extensive Troubleshooting and Performance Issues section of the Flight II Online Manual (i.e., there are no screen captures present and no nifty ability to jump between topics of interest). 

To access the Flight Unlimited II Online Manual, insert the first CD (labeled Disk 1: Install Disk) into your CD-ROM drive and let the AutoPlay feature bring up the Launch panel. Simply click on the button labeled Online Manual and you're off. (You may also access it within the game by clicking on the File Cabinet icon from any FBO.)

REMINDER!

This is not the full retail version of the game!  Several items listed within this README file and the Online Manual apply only to the full retail version of the game. To purchase the full version of Fight Unlimited II, please visit your local software retailer.

Patch Updates - v1.03

AI UPDATES
•	As a temporary work-around until the problem can be fixed if you put the line: no_approach_on_guard in your flt2.cfg, the approach controllers won't try to contact you on guard.
•	AI planes on the ground don't get stuck as frequently.
•	Small AI planes won't stop in front of you, even if you get too close.
•	You, and AI planes, may still receive landing clearance if there's a plane ahead of you on final when you report final.
•	When you acknowledge a clearance, you always use "roger".
•	AI planes which have to extend their downwind leg will no longer vanish mysteriously.

GRAPHICS/OBJECTS
•	Fixed broken cloud crasher where if you ZOAR'd while over a broken deck the game would eventually crash.
•	Better Horizon glow.
•	New Twilight broken cloud models.
•	Underneath broken deck is now a solid color, instead of odd texture.
•	Stars shine through holes only, instead of transparent textures in hole models. 
•	Added water splash effects for the Beaver.  Add the line splash_density x in your flt2cfg file where splash particle density can be from 0-1.  For example splash_density 0.5 will generate half of the full effects.  The default value is 1.  Putting nosplashing in your flt2.cfg file disables splashing effects.

HARDWARE ACCELERATOR-SPECIFIC 
•	Improved lighting effects at dawn, twilight, night, and below the cloud deck. (Software and Hardware)
•	Improved/more consistent lighting and shading under d3d.
•	Improved powerVR and riva support.
•	Fixed fragmented Lightning bug.

USER INTERFACE
•	Radio now takes input from the numeric keypad, including the dot key.  
•	Game autodetects foreign language keyboards, so you get correct characters in log book.
•	Options get saved out if you exit the game using alt-F4

FORCE FEEDBACK JOYSTICKS
This patch enables force feedback support through DirectX 5. This enables Microsoft Sidewinder Pro support in our game. The patch allows users to tweak several variable, so that they can set the force feedback so it feels right to them. We will continue to work on force feedback, and may provide the users more tweakable functions in the future.

•	forcefeedback_xcentering - This variable affects how stiff the joystick is during side to side movements.
•	forcefeedback_ycentering - This variable affects how stiff the joystick is during front to back movement.
•	forcefeedback_jolt - This variable determines the maximum jolt the joystick can apply during a crash or landing.
•	forcefeedback_jolt_lowlimit -  This variable affects how soft jolts (such as good landings) are magnified.  Raising this number will make the landing jolt more forceful.

MS Sidewinder FF recommended force feedback settings
forcefeedback_xcentering 1.0
forcefeedback_ycentering 1.0
forcefeedback_jolt 1.3
forcefeedback_jolt_lowlimit 0.5

CH Products ForceFX recommended force feedback settings
forcefeedback_xcentering 0.1
forcefeedback_ycentering  0.35
forcefeedback_jolt 1.0
forcefeedback_jolt_lowlimit 0.35

CH Users.  The direct X5 drivers for the CH force feedback joystick are only in Beta, and do not currently support disabling the rudder pedals, or throttles, and may have problems centering the rudders.We feel that direct X5 will allow this joystick to perform better in the long run, so we have switched to these drivers for our force feedback sticks. Immersion also promises that the final version of these drivers will be available soon.

You need to get the direct x5 joystick drivers from immersion directly. They are available for download from 
http://www.forcefeedback.com or http://www.chproducts.com.

Patch Updates - v1.02

GRAPHICS/OBJECTS 
•	1,024 x 768 resolution is now available as a non-cockpit mode. 
•	You can scale the size of the runway signs and taxiway signs by adding the line: "sign_scale .5" (where .5 can be any scale factor) to your flt2.cfg file (located in the game's install directory).
•	There are now more lighted objects present: Cargo ships, sailboats, cruise ship, oil tanker, and the Oakland port horses.
•	There are new fixes for cloud haze and sun glare.
•	New overcast, non-raining night, beneath the deck color; it used to just be black (not interesting), now it's a slightly lighter color, and looks better.
•	There should now be much less polygon cracking in the terrain in the software renderer in default perspective mode.

HARDWARE ACCELERATOR-SPECIFIC 
•	Sunset in Direct 3D mode no longer has bad pixels on the sunset texture.
•	If you are running the game with the Riva video card, propeller blades no longer have bad pixels on their edges.
•	Buildings (and anything with small textures) should now look right on the Power VR and the Riva video cards.

USER INTERFACE
•	In the cockpit, the TAB key will now activate and then cycle you through the tunable radios.
•	If you add the following lines to your flt2.cfg file (located in the game's install directory): "no_engine_message" and "no_brakes_message" (minus quotes), the respective pop-ups will no longer appear at the usual time.  

FLIGHT CONTROL 
•	Aircraft may now be trimmed farther nose-up.
•	The line "EMP_SCALE <value>" can be added to the flt2.cfg file, located in the flight2 install directory.  This allows the user to increase (or decrease) the effects of the planes' tail surfaces.  A value of 1 is the default.  Smaller values make the controls less sensitive, large ones more sensitive.  Useful values probably live in the range of .5 to 1.4 (or so).  A value of 1.3, for example, makes the elevator and rudder 30% bigger.  This allows people who really want to spin the Trainer to be able to do so.  
•	If you don't touch your throttle, it won't be read.
•	No more mouse flight control.
•	The center elevator trim (backslash \ ) key now sets elevator trim properly. 

CAMERA VIEW MODES
•	Slew Mode is available by adding "zoar" (without the quotes) to the flt2.cfg file (located in the flight2 install directory). While in flight, press the CTRL-Z key combination to activate/deactivate slew mode. Once activated, moving the joystick forward and back slews you forward and back.  Moving side to side slews you left-right.  Hold down button 1 and you change your heading.  Hold down button 2 to ascend and descend. 
•	The Joystick controls static cockpit views if button one is pressed.

FLIGHT PLANNER 
•	Your camera mode (including source and target) and IFR vs VFR view is now saved when you proceed in and out of the Flight Planner.
•	The Notepad now saves its last location when you proceed in and out of the Flight Planner.
•	Two minute tick marks are now present at the two highest levels of zoom in the Flight Planner.

MUSTANG-SPECIFIC 
•	The Transponder now behaves properly (i.e., you may now only input numerals 0-7).
•	The Mustang transponder power switch now works in the night cockpit view.
•	The Fuel Gauge on the Mustang now works properly.

MISCELLANEOUS 
•	Sounds in the Ames hangar in the NASA adventure should be louder now as you fly through it.
•	De Havilland is now spelled correctly wherever it was misspelled.
•	A fix for the Beaver cockpit: The detached yoke section is now attached.
•	A SUGGESTION: If you have a problem with periodic huge rudder glitches (as if a big hand slaps your tail), try unchecking the box labeled "Poll with interrupts enabled" in the Start Menu->Settings->Control Panel->Game Controllers->Advanced.

Cool Last Minute Features
•	Aircraft ID Label Tags - You can turn on/off aircraft id label tags by using the ALT-L hot key combination. This is especially useful for spotting distant aircraft in the pattern.
•	A Mileage Scale is now available on each of the maps. (The scale automatically resizes as the zoom control for the given map is adjusted).
•	Jetwash - Jetwash (i.e., the turbulent rush of air created in the wake jet aircraft) is on by default.  It can be turned off by adding opt_jet_wash 0 to the flt2.cfg file. Note that 1 is on and 0 is off.
•	ALT-O  - This key combination will activate the Options screen while in-flight.
•	Both the Flight Planner and In-Flight maps now have a HELP button located at the bottom of the respective toolbars. Click on this button and a pop-up menu will appear adjacent to the toolbar. This menu names all of the buttons.

Things To Be Aware Of
•	Taxiing - If you get in too close behind to an AI-controlled aircraft while taxiing, the AI plane may get confused or stuck on the taxiway, making it impossible for you to taxi. There are two things you can do to avoid this problem. One is to not get right up to an airplane - stay about 200 ft away. The other is to just go around it. The ground controller will yell at you for a second or two, but once you get back on the taxiway, all will be well.
•	Radio Transmissions - Remember etiquette! Don't block other the radio calls and transmissions of other pilots.
•	Ground-to-Tower and Tower-to-Ground Hand Off - Here are some basic rules of thumb to remember when getting handed off from the Ground Controller to the Tower Controller and vice-versa:

	- Do what they tell you to do and always wait to let them finish their communication responses before sending yours.
	- Always stop at the top of the runway to allow the needed time for Ground to pass you off to Tower .
	- When you land, pull off the runway and fully stop on a taxiway. This usually makes the transition from Tower to Ground much smoother.

•	Vectors ILS - Vectors ILS is currently unavailable. Vectors Direct works just fine. This will be fixed in a forthcoming patch, which may already be available by the time you read this. Please check our website for the latest information. We apologize for this inconvenience; we'd rather give you a fully functioning system than one that is erratic. Thanks for understanding.
•	Taking Off at a Busy Airport - At the larger airports (SFO, OAK and SJC), when you are given clearance to take off, you should throttle up and take off. Our virtual pilots are an impatient lot (after all, they have places to go, things to do, not to mention a bigger plane), and they may just run you over in their haste to depart and arrive on time.
•	Landing - Landing is even easier if you cut back the engine mixture; it really slows you down and you descend evenly. In real life, pilots don't do this. If they make an error, and need to change altitude quickly, they can't, which means they're toast.
•	Autotrim - In Flight Unlimited II, the BACKSPACE key toggles elevator auto-trim mode. When this mode is active, the elevator trim indicator in the cockpit turns green. The computer continuously adjusts the elevator trim control to try to minimize the joystick deflection required to hold a given attitude. If, for instance, you have been holding the stick back in order to raise the plane's nose and lower your airspeed, the computer will detect this and give the plane some nose-up trim, allowing you to relax your grip on the stick. The autotrim key really helps keep the plane trimmed in flight, but remember to disengage it before you land, as the plane handles badly at low speeds with it on.
•	Crash Landings - When the game tries to figure out whether you are flying, landed or crashed, it requires that you be in the same state for the following amounts of time before it believes you.
		Flying - 4 sec
		Landed - 4 sec
		Crashed - 1 sec
	This prevents you from getting takeoff/landing credit for bouncing down the runway. Sitting on the ground after a belly landing (or a pontoon landing on the 	ground) is considered crashed, since you can't taxi anywhere.
•	ATIS - There is a three minute pause in ATIS every hour. This is intentional behavior. In real life, the ATIS recording is changed every hour, and it takes about three minutes to put it on a new spool. If you wait three minutes, the recording will come back on with the next ATIS identifier.
•	ActiveMovie  - Microsoft ActiveMovie is now part of the Flight II installation process. This was not referenced in the Install Guide. (See below for details.)
•	If you have accidentally corrupted the install directory by deleting all of the Flight 2 files, have no fear: you can re-install by running "<CDletter>:setup -lgforce." (Go to the START button on the Windows 95 taskbar, select RUN, then type the previous information into the box provided.)

Generating Faster Frame Rates from the Options Screen
•	Turn off Cirrus Clouds - This will help speed the frame rate up by as much 10%!!!  Cirrus clouds are 'Off' by default.
•	Perspective Correction - Set it to 'On', not 'Perfect'.  Perspective Correction is set to 'On' by default.
•	Turn off Sun and Moon Glare - These are  'On' by default.
•	Close Captioned - Turning this 'Off' will also increase the frame rate by about 5%.
•	Run in a Lower Video Resolution -Enabled at the Graphics Settings screen.
•	Turn Off Models - If you want an even bigger boost in frame rate, turn off all models except yours. You can do this by using the secret CTL-SHF-M hot key combination. We don't recommend doing this, as it detracts greatly from the gaming experience, but it will help on slower computers.

Manual Errata
•	Quick Start Tutorial - Both the Install Guide and the Online manual have you incorrectly beginning your Quick Flight (the very first time Flight II loads) in the air at San Fransisco. You will actually begin your first flight on the ground at Half Moon Bay. 
•	On page 16 (Chapter 3), the heading reference to Controlled vs Uncontrolled Airports in the first paragraph should correctly read Uncontrolled vs Controlled Airports.
•	On page 37 (Chapter 3), the button listed as Pilot's Voice should correctly read Pilot Voice.
•	On page 37 (Chapter 3), the button listed as D3D Acceleration should correctly read 3D Acceleration.
•	On page 51 (Chapter 4), the screenshot for the Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI) for the Piper Arrow incorrectly shows a rate of climb/descent of  0 to 6,000 feet per minute (FMP). This was updated after the manual went to print to correctly indicate a rate of 0 to 3,000 feet per minute.
•	On page 52 (Chapter 4), the callout on the IFR dashboard of the Beaver for the Propeller Control Lever is incorrectly pointing to the Throttle Control Lever. Likewise, the callout for the Throttle Control Lever is incorrectly pointing to the Propeller Control Lever.
•	On page 60 (Chapter 4), the indicated range for the various VSI's is listed between 0 and 2,000 FPM. This should correctly read 0 and 6,000 FPM to account for the P-51D Mustang's unusual talents. 
•	On page 119 (Chapter 6), the reference to page 00 in the fourth paragraph should correctly read page 123.
•	On page 119 (Chapter 6), the following sentence "You will see a page resembling the following:" appears to be referring to a ghost. It is, however, actually referring to the screenshot of the second page of the Flight Planner Notepad located in the adjacent column. Furthermore, the screenshot in this column is incorrect. It should correctly read:	
				TP1
				19 mi. ETA 10
				Heading - 271

				TP2
				30 mi. ETA 16
				Heading - 327

				TP3
				19 mi. ETA 10
				Heading - 1
				
				Run Time: 38
				Distance: 68 NM
•	On page 148 (Chapter 7), the reference to two scenario walk-throughs should correctly read three scenario walk-throughs.
•	On page 231 (Chapter 9), the reference to Runway 07 Left in the second paragraph should correctly read Runway 25 Right.
•	On page 278 (Appendix B), the alphanumeric designation for Hayward Airport should correctly read HWD instead of HWO.
•	On page 284 (Appendix B), the alphanumeric designation for University Airport should correctly read 0O5 instead of COS. 
•	On page 287 (Appendix C), the Runway Number for Livermore (LVK) at the top of the table is incorrect: instead of 7L, it should read 25R.

Troubleshooting Issues

Installation/Setup
CD-ROM Problems
Crashes and Lock-Ups 
AutoPlay Issues
DirectX-Related Questions
ActiveMovie-Related Questions
Contacting Technical Support

 Installation/Setup

•	What are the System Requirements?
•	Preparing Your Hard Drive
•	Joystick Setup & Calibration
•	Installing Flight Unlimited II
•	Starting/Loading Flight II
•	Uninstalling Flight II

System Requirements

What are the system requirements for Flight Unlimited II? 

The minimum system requirements are as follows:
	
	COMPUTER:
	IBM PC or 100% compatible
	OPERATING SYSTEM:
	Microsoft Windows 95
	CPU:
	Pentium 120 MHz 
	RAM:
	16 Mb
	GRAPHICS:
	1 Mb SVGA video card (100% DirectX 5.0-compatible)
	SOUND:
	Windows 95-compatible sound card (100% DirectX 5.0-compatible)
	CD-ROM:
	Quad-speed (4x) CD-ROM drive
	HARD DRIVE:
	190 Mb free disk space 
	INPUT DEVICES:
	100% Windows 95 compatible mouse, keyboard, and all major joysticks supported

The recommended system specs are as follows:
	CPU:
	Pentium 200 MHz (or greater)
	RAM:
	32 Mb 
	GRAPHICS:
	2 Mb SVGA video card (100% DirectX 5.0-compatible)
	CD-ROM:
	Six-speed (6x) CD-ROM drive
	HARD DRIVE:
	219 Mb free disk space (with Help file and all pilot voices)
	INPUT DEVICES:
	DirectX 5.0-compatible programmable joystick

Preparing Your Hard Drive

To ensure that your installation is trouble free, you should check to see that your hard drive and file system are both tuned for optimum performance.Windows 95 comes with two utility programs that find and fix any errors and optimize your hard drive's performance. The first of these programs is called ScanDisk. ScanDisk will check your hard drive for problems and can fix any that it finds. You can run scandisk by clicking on the START button from the Windows 95 Taskbar, followed by Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and finally ScanDisk.

Once ScanDisk has finished running, you should next optimize your hard drive's performance by running a program called Disk Defragmenter. You can run Disk Defragmenter by clicking on the START button from the Windows 95 desktop, followed by Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and finally Disk Defragmenter.

Joystick Setup and Calibration 

If your joystick is behaving erratically or not working at all in Flight II, there are two likely reasons:
	A) You need DirectX compatible drivers.
	B) It is not setup properly in Windows 95.

Let's check:

1. Double-click on the MY COMPUTER icon on your Windows 95 Desktop. One of the icons in this panel should read CONTROL PANEL.

2. Double-click on the CONTROL PANEL. Within this panel, you should see an icon that reads GAME CONTROLLERS.

NOTE: The GAME CONTROLLERS icon used to be labeled JOYSTICKS, however, DirectX 5.0 has changed the way joysticks are handled in Windows 95. Both the icon and interface are now different. If the icon in your control panel still reads JOYSTICKS, then DirectX 5.0 may not be installed correctly, or not at all.

3. Double-click on the GAME CONTROLLERS icon to bring up the GAME CONTROLLERS PANEL.

4. Click on the ADD button from the GAME CONTROLLERS PANEL. Scroll down this list and look for the brand and make of your joystick. In some instances, you will not find your joystick in the list Windows gives you. In this case, you should  find a setup that best describes your controller's abilities. You should also check to see whether or not your joystick/controller has new drivers available for it. You can find these drivers on the relevant manufacturer's web site.

5. If your joystick does not appear on this list and has a throttle, configure it as a THREE axis, TWO (or four) button joystick.

6. If you are using rudders, make sure you put a check mark in the RUDDER box before calibrating the joystick. (To access, click on the PROPERTIES button on the GAME CONTROLLERS PANEL.)

7. If you do not check off rudders here, Flight II will not recognize them.

8. Now test and calibrate your joystick.

What if my joystick is not listed, but I have the driver for it on a disk?	

1. Double-click on the MY COMPUTER icon on your Windows 95 Desktop. One of the icons in this panel should read CONTROL PANEL.

2. Double click on CONTROL PANEL. Within this panel, you should see an icon the reads GAME CONTROLLERS.

NOTE: The GAME CONTROLLERS icon used to be labeled JOYSTICKS, however, DirectX 5.0 has changed the way joysticks are handled in Windows 95. Both the icon and interface are now different. If the icon in your control panel still reads JOYSTICKS, then DirectX 5.0 may not be installed correctly, or not at all.

3. Double-click on the GAME CONTROLLERS icon to bring up the GAME CONTROLLERS PANEL.

4. Click on the ADD button from the GAME CONTROLLERS PANEL, followed by the ADD OTHER button. 

5. This should bring you to a screen that has a list of manufacturers on the left and models on the right. Below this list, you should see a button marked HAVE DISK. Click on this button.

6. This screen will prompt you to put the disk into drive A: and click OK.  A list should appear that has your controller's name and model on it. Highlight your controller and click OK. Windows should take care of the rest.

NOTE: Have your Windows 95 CD or floppies handy, since you may be prompted to insert them during your controller's installation.

7. Go back and choose your joystick from the list (it should be there now).  Just follow the joystick setup and calibration procedures above, and you should be all set.

My joystick is acting wacky! The planes are uncontrollable. What can I do?  

You need to calibrate your joystick.  Here is how:

A) Calibrating from Windows 95:

1. Double-click on the MY COMPUTER icon on your Windows 95 Desktop. One of the icons in this panel should read CONTROL PANEL.

2. Double click on CONTROL PANEL. Within this panel, you should see an icon the reads GAME CONTROLLERS.

NOTE: The GAME CONTROLLERS icon used to be labeled JOYSTICKS, however, DirectX 5.0 has changed the way joysticks are handled in Windows 95. Both the icon and interface are now different. If the icon in your control panel still reads JOYSTICKS, then DirectX 5.0 may not be installed correctly, or not at all.

3. Double-click on the GAME CONTROLLERS icon to bring up the GAME CONTROLLERS PANEL.

4. Once there you should see a button that reads PROPERTIES. Click on this button.

5. Next, you should see a button on the lower half of this screen labeled CALIBRATE.

6. If you are using rudders, make sure you put a check mark in the RUDDER box before calibrating the joystick. (To access, click on the PROPERTIES button on the GAME CONTROLLERS PANEL.)
   
7. Just follow the onscreen directions.  Then click the FINISH button, followed by APPLY.

NOTE: When it prompts you to "Set the range of motion for Axis 3," it is referring to your throttle; axis 4 is your rudders.

B) Calibrating from within Flight Unlimited II:

1. From the Main Menu, click on the OPTIONS icon (you may also click on the Toolbox icon from any FBO)..

2. Next click on the CONTROL SETTINGS button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.  

3. Once there, you should see a button that reads PROPERTIES. Click on this button.

5. Next, you should see a button on the lower half of this screen labeled CALIBRATE.

6. If you are using rudders, make sure you put a check mark in the RUDDER box before calibrating the joystick. (To access, click on the PROPERTIES button on the GAME CONTROLLERS PANEL.)
   
7. Just follow the onscreen directions.  Then click the FINISH button, followed by APPLY.

NOTE:  When it prompts you to "Set the range of motion for Axis 3," it is referring to your throttle; axis 4 is your rudders.

Here are the URL's for some of the major Joystick manufacturers.  Check with them for new drivers for your control devices.

CH Products  http://www.chproducts.com
Thrustmaster http://www.thrustmaster.com
Gravis            http://www.gravis.com
Microsoft       http://www.microsoft.com/kb/
Logitech         http://www.logitech.com

Installing Flight II

Installing Flight II is a snap. Simply insert the first CD (labeled Disk 1: Install Disk) into your CD-ROM drive. After a few seconds, the Launch Panel will appear.

Once the Launch Panel has opened, click on the Install button to run the installer. This program will guide you through the remaining process via onscreen prompts.

In the event the Launch Panel does not appear when you insert the CD:

Double-click on the MY COMPUTER icon, then double-click on the CD-ROM icon, and lastly double-click on the SETUP.EXE file to bring up the Launch Panel OR:

•	Click on the START button.
•	Choose Run from the pop-up menu.
•	Type d:\setup in the box provided (where d: designates your CD-ROM drive letter).
•	Click on the OK button to begin the install program.

You will initially be prompted to select the path and directory to which you wish to install the game on your hard drive. The default is C:\PROGRAM FILES\FLIGHT2.

After choosing this location for the install, you will next be asked to select the number of pilot voices you would like the game to install. The minimum is two (representing your pilot's voice and the voices of tertiary aircraft). These voices will not only affect the install size, but will be the only pilot voices present in the game. Check the boxes pertaining to the number of voices you would like installed. The space that each will take up on your hard drive is listed adjacent to each voice. (There is also a running count of the sizes of the individual voices present at the bottom of the panel.) For maximum  listening enjoyment, we recommend installing all of the voices.

Next, you will choose whether or not you would like to install the Flight Unlimited II Help File. A checkbox is provided. (The Help File takes up roughly 15 MB of additional space.) You now have the option to either continue with the installation or go back and reconfigure voices. 

You will next be queried to proceed with the installation. Click on the Yes, I am ready to install button. The installation will commence. 

Once the installation has finished, you will then be prompted to view the README file for last minute information (we suggest that you do so).

Next, the Microsoft DirectX 5.0 install prompt will appear. Please read the onscreen information before selecting an option. You may either choose to install or not install at this time. If the Flight II installer detects an active version of DirectX 5.0 on your system, we encourage you to not reinstall DirectX. If the installer does not detect DirectX 5.0, you must install it before you are able to play Flight Unlimited II (please refer to the next section of this guide before proceeding).

NOTE: If you have large fonts installed on your system, the buttons on the Launch panel may appear misaligned. This is not a bug. To correct, reduce the system font size to regular.

Starting/Loading Flight II

Once the install has finished, the Launch Panel will appear on the screen. Simply click on the Play button and away you go. 

You may also:

•	Click on the Reconfigure Voices button to reinitialize the pilot voice installation feature which allows you to then add or remove selected voices.
•	Click on the Uninstall button to uninstall the game.
•	Click on the Install DirectX button to install or reinstall DirectX 5.0.
•	Click on the View Readme button to view the README file. 
•	Click on the Online Manual button to view the Help file.
•	Click on the Quit button to exit the Launch Panel.

If you are going to play the game at a later time, insert the second CD (labeled Disk 2: Game Disk) into the CD-ROM drive (the first CD is only used to install the game or reconfigure the voices). After a few seconds, the Flight II Launch panel should appear on the screen via the AutoPlay feature. Now click on the Play button to start the game. There is also a button present to Quit.  
 
In the event the AutoPlay feature does not work, you may click on the My Computer icon and then click on the CD-ROM icon to bring up the Launch Panel 
	
	OR

•	Click on the START button.
•	Choose Programs from the pop-up menu.
•	Drag your mouse to the right and click on Flight Unlimited II from the list.
•	Click on Flight Unlimited II from the ensuing pop-up menu.

Uninstalling Flight II

If you need to UNINSTALL Flight Unlimited II, you may do any of the following three things: 

Insert the Flight Unlimited II CD (labeled Disk 1: Install Disk)  into the CD-ROM drive to activate the AutoPlay feature. This will bring up the Launch Panel. Click on the Uninstall button, then click on the Yes button from the ensuing pop-up panel to uninstall the program
			
	OR

•	Click on the START button.
•	Choose Programs from the pop-up menu.
•	Drag your mouse to the right and click on Flight Unlimited II from the list.
•	Click on UnInstallShield from the ensuing pop-up menu and follow the onscreen instructions.

	OR

Go to the CONTROL PANEL and choose ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS. Click on Flight Unlimited II from the pop-up panel to follow, select the Add/Remove button, and follow the onscreen prompts.

CD-ROM Problems

Flight II requires at least a Quad-Speed CD-ROM drive with 32-bit Windows 95 drivers.

I receive a "xxxxxx.xxx not found" error message when installing or running Flight Unlimited II.

This error message is usually the result of your computer using MS-DOS (16 bit) drivers instead of Windows 95 (32 bit) drivers for your CD-ROM drive. You can easily check to see if this is causing  problems by opening the CONTROL PANEL (either click on the "My Computer" icon or click on the START button followed by "Settings," then "Control Panel"). In the Control Panel window, double-click on the "System" icon then click on the "Performance" tab. You should now see a summary of the performance status of your computer. One of the lines should say "File System: 32-bit" and the last line should say "Your system is configured for optimal performance." If you see a message saying "Drive X is using MS-DOS compatibility mode," then you will need to contact your system vendor to obtain and install 32-bit drivers for your CD-ROM drive.

Crashes and Lock-Ups

When I start Flight Unlimited II, my mouse cursor disappears and my computer locks-up.

Chances are your installed audio card drivers are compatible with DirectX. The only solution is to get a DirectX 5.0-compatible driver from your audio card manufacturer.

When I start Flight Unlimited II, I receive the following error message:
"The application flt2.exe referenced memory at   address xxxx:xxxx that can't be read from."

Chances are your installed video card drivers are not compatible with DirectX. The only solution is to get a DirectX 5.0-compatible driver from your video card manufacturer.

The Installer keeps stopping when a certain percentage is complete, so I can't install Flight II.

There are three likely causes:

	1) You may have run out of free space on your hard drive. Please remove unwanted programs to free up additional space for the game, and then reinstall 	Flight Unlimited II.

	2) Files are possibly being copied to a corrupted area of your hard drive. If this is so, you'll need to run the ScanDisk program and make sure to use the 	Thorough option (see previous). After scandisk has finished running and has informed you that your drive is free of errors, try to re-install. 

	3) The last major cause is dirt or fingerprints on the CD-ROM disc itself. Examine the bottom of the disc; if you see any fingerprints or dirt, carefully clean the 	disc using a clean, soft, lint-free cloth by wiping from the center of the disc (near the hole) towards the outer edge in a straight line.

Flight Unlimited II is crashing to the desktop with no error messages.

This problem can be caused by several different things. Here's a list of the most common culprits associated with these crashes:

	1) Make sure the CD-ROM is clean (check for both scratches and smudges on the reading surface of both CD's). 
	
	2) Make sure the game has been installed properly. 
	
	3) Make sure DirectX 5.0 has been installed properly. 
	
	4) Make sure you have the latest Windows 95 drivers for your video card and that they're DirectX 5.0-compatible. 
	
	5) Make sure you have the latest Windows 95 drivers for your sound card and that they're DirectX 5.0-compatible. 
	
	6) Make sure Virtual Memory is enabled on your system. 
	
	7) Run ScanDisk. 
	
	8) Run Disk Defragmenter. 
	
	9) Clean out old temp (.TMP) files from the C:\WINDOWS\TEMP or C:\WIN95\TEMP directory on your hard drive (from Windows Explorer). 
	
	10) Make sure you do not have any Anti-Virus utilities (like Norton's AntiVirus) running resident prior to playing Flight II.
	
	11) Make sure you do not have any 3rd party Windows 95 memory management utilities (like QuarterDeck's QEMM 8.0 for Windows 95) running resident 	prior to playing Flight II. 
	
	12) Make sure you do not have any 3rd party Windows 95 disk caching utilities running resident prior to playing Flight II. 
	
	13) Make sure you do not have Norton's Crash Protector running resident prior to playing Flight II. 
	
	14) Try uninstalling and then reinstalling the game. 
	
	15) Try turning down the Hardware acceleration slider bar in the Advanced Graphics Settings control panel from FULL to NONE.

	16)  Try exiting the game, rebooting your machine, and re-entering the     game.

AutoPlay Issues

Why doesn't the AutoPlay feature come up when I insert the Flight Unlimited II CD into the CD-ROM drive?

This is usually a configuration issue. There are many different ways to enable the AutoPlay functions of Windows 95. The standard method is described below: 

	1) Enter the Windows 95 CONTROL PANEL from the desktop by clicking on the START button, followed by SETTINGS, and then CONTROL PANEL.
	2) Double-click the icon labeled SYSTEM, usually located alphabetically towards the bottom of the Control Panel window, to bring up the System Properties panel.
	3) Click on the tab at the top labeled Device Manager and when the new panel appears, locate the section labeled CD-ROM and click the PLUS (+) sign in front of it. (If there is a minus sign in front, don't click it.) 
	4) Now double-click the CD-ROM drive revealed and the CD-ROM Properties panel will appear.
	5) Click on the Settings tab at the top. 
	6) Towards the middle of the panel, you should see a few checkboxes within the Options section. At the bottom of that section, you should see a checkbox labeled Auto insert notification. 
	7) Make sure there is a check mark in the box provided and click on the OK button to complete the process. 

DirectX-Related Questions

•	What is DirectX and do I need it to run Flight Unlimited II?
•	How do I install DirectX?
•	How do I know which version of DirectX I have? Will it run with an older version? And if I do, indeed, have an older version of DirectX, where can I get the latest one?
•	How do I manually install the DirectX drivers?
•	Help! Flight Unlimited II has hosed my system, and I suspect that DirectX is the culprit. How  can I restore my original drivers?
•	Ahh! I cannot use DirectX on my computer! Is there any other way to run Flight Unlimited II?
•	Direct 3D Support

What is DirectX?

What is DirectX and do I need it to run Flight Unlimited II?

	DirectX is a Microsoft product that allows software and hardware developers to utilize Windows 95 to its best potential. It is still a fairly new technology and as such has some compatibility issues. Video card and sound card manufacturers need to develop special drivers for their cards that work directly with it. Many already have and most are currently writing them. Unfortunately, this takes time.
	Flight Unlimited II, in part, uses DirectDraw, a component of DirectX. If you have older DirectDraw drivers installed on your system, or if you installed the DirectX 5.0 drivers that came with our program and they are incompatible with your video card, you should contact either the vendor of your system or the manufacturer of the video card for their most recent drivers. Video card manufacturers, in particular, generally update their drivers every 2-3 months or so. Depending on the card you have and who makes it, there is a good chance there will be new drivers available. If you do not already have Internet access, we highly recommend you get it because most driver updates are easily accessible on the home pages of the various hardware manufacturers.
	Flight Unlimited II, in part, also uses DirectSound, another component of DirectX. This means further driver issues involving your sound card. Once again, we recommend contacting the manufacturer of the card for the latest 100% Windows 95 DirectX 5.0-compatible drivers to ensure optimum performance.
	
DirectX Installation

	Microsoft's DirectX 5.0 is included with the Flight Unlimited II installer. You will be given the option to install it through a pop-up panel. Click on the appropriate button to install it.

1) If you forget, you may install it at a later time through the Launch panel (brought up by simply inserting the Flight Unlimited II Disc 1 CD into the CD-ROM drive).
2) Click on the button labeled Install DirectX to bring up the DirectX Setup panel.

Note the following before you proceed:

•	If a given Component listing says Certified, then this component IS 100% Microsoft DirectX 5.0 compatible and should run well with Flight Unlimited II.
•	If a given Component listing is blank, then this component is NOT DirectX 5.0 certified. This probably means that you have updated drivers on your system which were not available when this version of DirectX was released. This means that the driver[s] may OR may not run well with our program.
•	If a given Component listing says NO HARDWARE SUPPORT, then this component is NOT supported by DirectX at all. You will have to update the relevant hardware driver to eliminate this message or you will, in all likelihood, experience problems running Flight Unlimited II. If necessary, contact your system vendor for further details and please make sure your new drivers are DirectX 5.0 compliant.
•	You may safely disregard the Not Installed message for Old DirectPlay.

3) Click on the ReInstall DirectX button. The setup process will now commence. If the following message appears: 

	"Setup has detected display drivers that have not been tested with DirectX. To get the best game performance, setup can replace your existing drivers. Do you want setup to replace the drivers?"  

	Make sure you select the NO button, so you do not overwrite or potentially corrupt your native display drivers. (Note, however, that if problems persist after the installation, you may want to repeat steps 1 through 7 and select YES to this option instead. Remember: you have the option to restore your original drivers later if things go awry.)

4) You will finally be asked to reboot your machine. Select the YES button to restart and initialize the new drivers. 

DirectX Version

How do I know which version of DirectX I have? Will it run with an older version? And if I do, indeed, have an older version of DirectX, where can I get the latest one?

	The Flight Unlimited II installer will do its best to autodetect which version of DirectX currently resides on your system, and then prompt you for any necessary changes. DirectX 5.0 is the latest version of DirectX. This is the version that ships with Flight Unlimited II and was thoroughly tested with it. It is highly recommended that you have DirectX 5.0 either installed by Flight Unlimited II or previously installed for optimum performance.
	There are currently a few different versions of DirectX in general circulation. With the release of DirectX 5.0 in the Summer of 1997, Microsoft has been generous enough to include a listing for these drivers in the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAM section of the Windows 95 Control Panel. 
	To get there, click on the START button, go up to SETTINGS, and over to the CONTROL PANEL. Within the CONTROL PANEL window, you should see an icon towards the top labeled ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS. Double-click that icon and the Add/Remove Programs Properties panel will appear.
	If you do NOT see a listing for "DirectX Drivers," DirectX 5.0 hasn't been fully installed on your system. If this listing is present, to determine specifically which version is installed (either 2.0 or 3.0), you will need to check the date next to the DDRAW.DLL file located in your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM or C:\WIN95\SYSTEM directory in Windows Explorer: 

•	 If the date adjacent to this file reads 9/27/95, you have DirectX version 1.0 installed on your system. 
•	 If the date adjacent to this file reads 5/29/96, then you have DirectX version 2.0 installed on your system. 
•	 If the date adjacent to this file reads 9/13/96, you have DirectX version 3.0 installed on your system. 
•	If the date adjacent to this file reads 7/14/97, you have DirectX version 5.0 installed on your system. 
	
	We have found that the newer versions of DirectX (specifically 3.0 and 5.0) have shown to be more stable across a wider variety of video chipsets and additionally include support for a wider variety of non-standard video resolutions (like 320 x 400 and 102 4x 768). So if you have a previous version of DirectX (either 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0), you should install DirectX 5.0 from the Flight Unlimited II Launch panel by clicking on the Install DirectX button.

DirectX Manual Installation

How do I manually install the DirectX drivers?

If at any time, you want to manually install Microsoft's DirectX 5.0 drivers, follow the steps listed below: 

1) Go to Windows Explorer (click on the START button then select PROGRAMS and then WINDOWS EXPLORER at the bottom of the menu). 
2) Place the Flight Unlimited II CD labeled Disc 1 into your CD-ROM drive (if the AUTORUN feature comes up, simply select the QUIT button to return to Windows Explorer). 
3) Open up your CD-ROM drive (generally D:\) and locate the REDIST folder. 
4) Click on this folder to reveal the DIRECTX folder underneath. 
5) Click on the SYSTEM folder and scan down the list of contents in the right-hand column (under CONTENTS OF D:\REDIST\DIRECTX). 
6) Locate the DXSETUP.EXE file and double-click on it to begin the DirectX manual installation. 
7) A panel will eventually appear (it may take a few seconds) in the upper left-hand corner of the screen labeled DirectX Setup.

Note the following before you proceed:

•	If a given Component listing says Certified, then this component IS 100% Microsoft DirectX 5.0 compatible and should run well with Flight Unlimited II.
•	If a given Component listing is blank, then this component is NOT DirectX 5.0 certified. This probably means that you have updated drivers on your system which were not available when this version of DirectX was released. This means that the driver[s] may OR may not run well with our program.
•	If a given Component listing says NO HARDWARE SUPPORT, then this component is NOT supported by DirectX at all. You will have to update the relevant hardware driver to eliminate this message or you will, in all likelihood, experience problems running Flight Unlimited II. If necessary, contact your system vendor for further details and please make sure your new drivers are DirectX 5.0 compliant.
•	You may safely disregard the Not Installed message for Old DirectPlay.

8) Click on the ReInstall DirectX button. The setup process will now commence. If the following message appears: 

"Setup has detected display drivers that have not been tested with DirectX. To get the best game performance, setup can replace your existing drivers. Do you want setup to replace the drivers?"  

Make sure you select the NO button, so you do not overwrite or potentially corrupt your native display drivers. (Note, however, that if problems persist after the installation, you may want to repeat steps 1 through 7 and select YES to this option instead. Remember: you have the option to restore your original drivers later if things go awry.)

9) You will finally be asked to reboot your machine. Select the YES button to restart and initialize the new drivers. 

Unhosing Your System

Help! Flight Unlimited II has hosed my system, and I suspect that DirectX is the culprit. How can I restore my original drivers? 

	DirectX is sure to become the new standard in Windows 95 application development. Nearly all high-performance software will be geared around this technology, so we do not normally recommend that customers attempt to alter its installation on their system. Unfortunately, there are those systems or hardware devices that just don't work with DirectX yet, and installing DirectX on these systems might cause driver-related problems. YOU CANNOT REMOVE DIRECTX FROM YOUR SYSTEM, but you can restore the original audio and video drivers which the installation of DirectX will have replaced. 
	If you currently have DirectX 5.0 either installed by our program or previously installed, you should be able to restore the original drivers by going to the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS section in the Windows 95 CONTROL PANEL (please refer to the section above entitled DirectX Version for instructions on how to get there).
	If you enter the Windows 95 CONTROL PANEL and click on the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS icon, you should see a list of all of the programs that are registered with Windows 95 in the Add/Remove Programs Properties panel.
If you see a listing for "DirectX Drivers", double-click it to open the DirectX Setup panel. At the bottom of this panel, there should be a button labeled Restore Display Drivers. Clicking on this button should restore the original video drivers. After that, click on the other button labeled Restore Audio drivers. This should restore the original audio drivers. Once again, please note that while this will restore the older drivers that were replaced by DirectX, it will NOT remove DirectX nor will it automatically cure problems you may have been experiencing either installing or running Flight Unlimited II. Though DirectX will remain on your system, the restoration of the older drivers may then allow you to run the program. If not, you may want to consider contacting your system vendor for 100% DirectX-compatible drivers for your video and/or sound cards OR visit the web site of the respective hardware manufacturer[s].

 Run Without DirectX?

Ahh! I cannot use DirectX on my computer! Is there any other way to run Flight Unlimited II? 

	No, we're afraid not. (Sorry!) Microsoft's DirectX is a requirement. If you have thoroughly digested the various suggestions offered by this README document and you are still experiencing problems running Flight Unlimited II, please contact your system vendor to discover why your computer is having difficulty operating DirectX applications.

Direct 3D Support

Flight Unlimited II supports the 3DfxÔ and ATI Rage ProÔ-based video cards. Check out the Looking Glass web site at www.lglass.com/f2 for the latest information on support for other 3D cards.

ActiveMovie-Related Questions

What is Microsoft's ActiveMovie and why do I need it to run Flight II?

ActiveMovie™ is a Microsoft product which is utilized for playing movies on your PC. Towards the end of the Flight II installer, you will be prompted to install ActiveMovie via the following panel:

Click on the respective button to do what it says. The default button, Install ActiveMovie, is the one which we'd prefer you to choose. If you choose NOT to install ActiveMovie 1.0, the game will run normally, but you will NOT be able to view any of the demos. You will need to go back and reinstall Flight II. When the dialog box prompting you to install ActiveMovie appears towards the end of the installation, click on the Install ActiveMovie button to install ActiveMovie Version 1.0. 

I think the installation of ActiveMovie is causing my system problems. How do I remove it?

If you suspect your system is experiencing difficulty running ActiveMovie, and you wish to remove it from your system.

1) You should be able to remove the software by going to the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS section in the Windows 95 CONTROL PANEL.

2) If you enter the Windows 95 CONTROL PANELand click on the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS icon, you should see a list of all of the programs that are registered with Windows 95 in the Add/Remove Programs Properties panel.

3) If you see a listing for "Microsoft ActiveMovie", double-click on it to open the ActiveMovie Uninstall panel.

4) Click in the OK button to remove ActiveMovie from your system. Click on the CANCEL button to quit without uninstalling ActiveMovie.

Contacting Technical Support 

If you are stumped by a problem not covered in this README file, or to look for the latest patches for Flight II, we invite you to contact the flight experts at the following locations:

For Customer Service please call 415-547-1244. Customer and technical service is available from 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Standard Time. You can also e-mail your questions to techsupp@eidos.com.  

Contacting Technical Support for Germany, Austria, Switzerland  

Technischer Support

Erfahrungsgemäß bringt Ihnen ein Anruf bei uns die schnellsten Resulate. Sie erreichen unsere Hotline unter folgenden Nummern:

Deutschland			0190 51 00 51 (1,20 DM pro Minute. Minderjährige benötigen das 							  Einverständnis ihrer Eltern)
Österreich/ Schweiz		0049 1805 22 51 00

Sie können uns aber auch ein Fax (05241 95 33 95) oder ein e-mail (eidos@maxupport.de) schicken.  

_____________________________________________________________________________

Contacting Technical Support for France
  
 EIDOS INTERACTIVE FRANCE
 6 Bld du général Leclerc
 92115 Clichy cedex
 
 Tel : 08 36 68 19 22
 Fax : 01 47 5614 66
 
 Pour plus d'informations : 3615 EIDOS

_____________________________________________________________________________

For the latest FAQ, please check out the Looking Glass web site at  www.lglass.com/f2.

For hints, tips and strategies, please go to your local computer retailer or bookstore to purchase the official Flight Unlimited II Strategy Guide by Player Media, or call 1-800-778-0035 (United States inquiries) or 1-815-734-1132  (Canadian or International inquires) to directly purchase the strategy guide.

PLEASE NOTE:
This is an entertainment product. Although Flight Unlimited II is an excellent simulation of the true experience of flying private aircraft, it is in no way a substitute for flight and ground training from an authorized instructor.

Thanks again for purchasing Flight Unlimited II!  Happy flying!

		- The Looking Glass Flying Circus