Microsoft(R) Motocross Madness(TM) TRIAL VERSION Final Readme August 1998 © Copyright 1998 Microsoft Corporation ============================================= Welcome to Microsoft Motocross Madness Trial Versoin! This file contains important information about the trial version of Microsoft Motocross Madness. NOTE: For the best readability, maximize this window. ============================================= Other Sources of Information for Motocross Madness Check out the Motocross Madness Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/motocross/ for late-breaking information on patches, riding tips, and other cool stuff. ============================================= Contents 1. System Requirements 2. Optimizing Performance 3. 3-D Accelerator Notes - How to Tell If You Need to Install New Video Drivers 4. Installation Notes 5. General Issues and Troubleshooting - Configuration - Controls - Gameplay - Sound - Multiplayer - Track Editor 6. Late Game Changes ============================================= 1. System Requirements ============================================= To play the Microsoft Motocross Madness Trial, you need: * Multimedia PC with 133 MHz or higher processor * Microsoft Windows 95 operating system * 16 MB of RAM (32 MB recommended) * 50 MB of available hard disk space * Quad-speed CD-ROM drive * Microsoft Direct3D-compliant 3-D graphics accelerator with at least 2 MB of VRAM for a 166-MHz system or 4 MB of VRAM for a 133-MHz system * Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device * Windows 95-compatible sound board * Headphones or speakers (recommended) * Force feedback hardware compatible with Microsoft Direct Input API (optional) ============================================= 2. Optimizing Performance ============================================= To speed the performance of the game, reduce resolution. Motocross Madness supports resolutions as low as 320 X 200. To change resolution 1. On the main menu, click Options. 2. Click Graphics Options, and then select a display resolution. 3. Click OK. Also, cards with less than 4 MB of video memory may require that you limit the number of computer-generated riders to fewer than 5 in order to achieve acceptable performance. You can also improve performance by turning off the Graphics Quality, Shadow, Particles, Sky, Stadium, and Lighting Effects options. To change Graphics Options 1. Start Motocross Madness. 2. Click Options, and then click Graphics Options. 3. In the Graphics Options dialog box, click a check box to turn an option on or off. 4. Click OK. You can also change Graphics Options during a race: * Stadium and Sky: Press F8. * Particles: Press F9. * Shadow: Press F10. * Graphics Quality: Press F11 repeatedly. ============================================= 3. 3-D Accelerator Notes ============================================= Motocross Madness requires that you have a DirectX-compliant 3-D graphics accelerator installed to run the game. For the game to run correctly with your accelerator, you should have the most up-to-date drivers installed. For information on 3-D accelerator and video driver issues (including how to get and install drivers), please see the Drivers.htm page. To display the Drivers.htm page 1. Insert the Motocross Madness compact disc into the CD-ROM drive. 2. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer. 3. Click the plus sign next to the CD-ROM drive, click the plus sign next to the Help folder, and then double-click Drivers.htm. HOW TO TELL IF YOU NEED TO INSTALL NEW VIDEO DRIVERS ==================================================== Motocross Madness Setup is designed to detect most common video driver problems and inform you as much as possible of potential problems. However, Motocross Madness cannot detect or remedy every video problem. Problems--including the game doesn't start, the game crashes and sends you back to the desktop, the riders or bikes appear all white, the overlays do not appear, the shadows don't mirror your shape, the particles are the wrong color (for example, pink or blue instead of gray and brown), there are random blue polygons or blue dots on the ground, a computer-generated rider appears in the sky, and the game display is streaked or splotchy--are all indications that you probably need to install a new video driver from your manufacturer's web site. When you do upgrade your drivers, Motocross Madness will default to 640 X 480 resolution. To change the resolution, go to the Graphics Options menu and select a different resolution. 'Nuff said. ============================================= 4. Installation Notes ============================================= To install Motocross Madness trial version, you must be using Microsoft Windows 95 or later or Microsoft Windows NT 5.0. ============================================= 5. General Issues and Troubleshooting ============================================= CONFIGURATION ============= If you have a Diamond Stealth 3D 2000 3-D accelerator, you may see an error message that says that you do not have a 3-D accelerator. You must upgrade your video driver from the Diamond Web site at http://www.diamondmm.com. NOTE After updating your driver and rebooting your computer, you may see another error message. Please click More Info to disable the Fog option. If you have a Matrox Productiva G200, and are experiencing periodic hangs, check the Matrox Web site at http://www.matrox.com/mgaweb/drivers/drivers2.htm for updated drivers. To install Motocross Madness, your desktop color depth must be set to 16 bit. To change your color depth to 16 bit 1. Right-click on your desktop, and then click Properties. 2. Click Settings, and then select High Color (16 bit) in the Color palette box. On some accelerator cards, the "loading" screen is not persistent. Don't worry: Your game hasn't hung! The screen will come back when the game is fully loaded. The Stunt Quarry may stutter for the first couple of minutes of play. When you start up Motocross Madness for the first time, it may take several minutes to profile your system (this may also happen when you change your card or driver). Some systems may require you to restart your system after creating a profile and before playing. Starting the game immediately after creating a profile will cause the game to hang. If this occurs, reboot your system and you will be fine. If you have a Dell system with an STB accelerator, you must upgrade your drivers from the Dell Web site at http://support.dell.com/filelib/, not from the STB Web site. Upgrading with non-Dell drivers may cause graphics problems in the game. Motocross Madness will not play on a NEC 3FGX monitor with a Millenium II card at 320 X 240 resolution. Don't worry: Just choose another resolution and you can play. On Cyrix CPU machines, you will experience poor game performance unless you turn off the in-game sounds through the Sound Options menu. On the Matrox Millenium II AGP PowerDesk, you may lose graphics textures after long periods of gameplay. Restore the textures by pressing ALT+TAB several times. If you are not using your primary video card to run Motocross Madness, when you finish a race as a finalist, you will go directly to the Race Results screen and you will not see the podium sequence. CONTROLS ======== If you change your controller while in calibrate mode, you will have to manually select it in the options screen. If you change your input device at any time after the game starts, you may have to manually select it from the Control Options menu. Using the Rider Cam, you won't see your bike's handlebars or dust trails or exhaust fumes from your opponents' bikes. If you're using a CH Products Flightstick Pro, you cannot remap your throttle. GAMEPLAY ======== While slowly going up a steep incline, be sure to lean forward; otherwise, you may flip. Leaning forward also keeps your front wheel on the ground, enhancing your ability to steer precisely when you hit the apex. SOUND ===== Some sound cards do not allow you to change the volume settings in the user interface. You must use the volume control on your speakers to adust the sound levels. With a Minimum install, the music may stop just after you launch a game. Don't worry: Press CTRL+M twice to turn the music off and then back on again. MULTIPLAYER =========== If you join a game hosted by a player running the full retail version, and he chooses a track not included in the trial version, you will be returned to the single player menu upon launch. You will not be able to join players with the full retail version in the Zone. Motocross Madness does not display your IP address. To get your IP address 1. To switch to Windows, press ALT+TAB. 2. Click Start, click Run, and then type winipcfg. If a player is disconnected during a multiplayer session, it may be up to 2 minutes before everyone receives notice. Before starting a multiplayer game, be sure you know your IP address. You may need to press ALT+TAB to minimize Motocross Madness in order to access your dial-up network for Internet play. ============================================= 6. Late Game Changes ============================================= * Lens Flares have been deleted from the game, although the online Help file refers to them in the Options section. * Pressing 0 on the numeric keypad when you're not catching hang time centers your default camera's view onto the rider and centers him in the field of view. Press the 0 key again to restore your default view. * Pressing CTRL+G toggles the Gas Gyro feature. If you have Gas Gyro on and you throttle while in the air, the rear wheel drops quickly. Conversely, if you have Gas Gyro on and you press the brake while catching air, the front wheel will drop before the rear wheel. * Pressing CTRL+N toggles rider name labels. * Pressing N cycles through several shades of text and background for the rider name labels above their heads. * Pressing CTRL+A toggles the Automatic Level of Difficulty (ALOD) feature. Turning on ALOD slows down computer-generated riders when they get close to lapping you. Conversely, turning off ALOD makes the computer-generated opponents as tough as they can be--Get ready for a computer-generated spanking! * Pressing F6 toggles visual cues including the final lap indicator, the green arrow that points to the next Baja waypoint gate, and other on-screen cues. * Pressing 5 on the numeric keypad while the game is loading will change your camera view, but you won't see the camera view names on the loading screen.