ARENABLAST IS HERE!!!

GET THE FULL VERSION AT YOUR FAVORITE GAME RETAILER
AFTER NOVEMBER 1, 1999!!

Minimum System Requirements

Operating System: Windows¨ 95/98
Processor:  Pentium¨ 200 MHz MMX or higher
Memory:  32 MB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 120 MB Free
CD-ROM Drive: 4X Speed
Video:   2 MB Windows¨ 95/98 compatible SVGA video card*
Sound:   Soundblaster compatible sound card
DirectX:  DirectX version 6.1or higher (included)
Modem:  57,600 baud (for modem/Internet play)
3d Card  Optional
Network:  TCP/IP connection

* Indicates device should be compatible with DirectX version 6.1 or higher.

Recommended System Requirements

Operating System: Windows¨ 95/98
Processor:  Pentium¨ 233 MHz or higher
Memory:  64 MB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 275 MB Free
CD-ROM Drive: 4X Speed
Video:   3D accelerator *
Sound: Windows¨  95/98 compatible sound card*
DirectX:  DirectX version 6.1 (included) or higher (included)
Modem:  57,600 baud (for modem/Internet play)

* Indicates device should be compatible with DirectX version 6.1 or higher.

DEMO NOTES

The Nerf ArenaBlast demo includes two of the 24 exciting levels in the full game, and 6 of the 10 Nerf Blasters.    It also includes two of the three types of events in ArenaBlast:  PointBlast and BallBlast.  SpeedBlast is the third event you'll find in the full game version.

REALTIME INTERNET PLAY

With this demo you can play amazing, fast action ArenaBlast  the over the internet with friends or with other players.  Just hit the Esc button to bring up the Menu.  Then press the Multiplayer button, select Find Servers.   Select the All Servers tab.  You'll see a list of server names.  Double click on an active server that contains the word "Demo", and has people playing on it.  After a minute or so, you'll be in the middle of the action!

Note that if you click on one of the full game servers, your screen will say "Connecting", but will just stay that way and won't complete the connection.  If this happens, just double click on one of the "Demo" servers to switch to it and play on-line, or exit back into the single player demo if you like.

For more news and information about the ArenaBlast and this demo, click on the Multiplayer button, then select the News tab.  This will let you check out the latest from Atari's ArenaBlast news site!

Graphic Hardware Issues

Nerf ArenaBlast may experience display problems using the Nvidia RIVA 128 2X video display card, or on limited number of other adapters or configurations.

On some graphic adapters that don't support Direct Draw 320x240 mode, you may receive an error that stops game start up. If you believe you may have this problem, see the second paragraph of instructions in the section above, Problems Playing Video Clips.

Contact the Webpage given in the next section if you need further information on resolving graphic hardware issues.

Other Hardware Issues and Atari's Troubleshooting Webpage

If you have hardware problems while installing or playing Nerf ArenaBlast, go to the Atari troubleshooting site on the Web at:

http://www.hasbro-interactive.com/atari/tech_support/index.cfm

If Your Game Needs to Be "Reset"

If a power interruption, system crash or other unusual circumstance leaves your game stuck in a state in which it won't start or play correctly, there's a couple of things you can do to reset it.  One is to reinstall the game from your ArenaBlast CD.  This can be done by placing your CD in the drive, starting the disk as described at the beginning of these notes,  and selecting the Re-install option when it appears.  This process is designed to save your existing games.

A second method, which does not preserve your saved games, is to go into the Nerf\System folder and delete the User.ini and Nerf.ini files.  Do not delete any other .ini files in the folder, (or you may need to re-install your game).  Once these two files are deleted, you can start your game normally, and it will reset itself and start and play correctly.

Game Play Framerate, Visual, Sound Quality and Speed Issues and Tips

The framerate and speed with which your ArenaBlast game runs depends on a number of game settings and your computer's characteristics.  When you first install and start up ArenaBlast, the installer detects the characteristics of your computer and sets the ArenaBlast's settings to best match it.  Usually, these are the best settings for your computer.  These settings, which include the screen resolution, the amount of texture detail shown and the sound quality set for the game, directly affect the framerate and responsiveness of your gameplay.  The settings are also adjustable from within the Options section of ArenaBlast's in-game Set-up Menu, which you access by hitting the Esc button during gameplay.  In general, the higher the resolution, texture and sound quality settings are, the slower the game responsiveness and framerate become.  However, many capable computers can run smoothly with many or all of the settings fairly high.  If you wish, you can experiment with the settings to find a combination that sets a balance of quality and speed that works for you.

Another feature that gives you flexibility is the on-screen display that you see during ArenaBlast showing energy, points, ammo and your place in the competition.  By pressing F5, you can cycle through various combinations of game information, clear your screen to see no information on-screen as you play, or see all the information at once.  You'll find that clearing some elements of the on-screen display can speed the framerate of your game.  Some may prefer this advantage or view, as opposed to the advantage of seeing all the information at once while you play.

Setting Up an Internet Server

You can set up an ArenaBlast server using the Multiplayer->Setup Server selection in your game menu.  Note that if you choose to make your server Public, it can be seen from anywhere on the internet by anyone who has the same version of ArenaBlast that you do.  Usually, this is not a problem.  However, you should be aware that by making your server public, it becomes easier for potential hackers to locate your computer and potentially damage files on it.  This risk can be lessened somewhat by making sure that your hard disks are not shared if you start a server.  However, there is no way to completely eliminate hacking risk if you're connected to the internet, and risk from hacking is increased the more public and available your computer and its connection become.  Activities like hosting a webpage or a game server both advertise your computer and provide a degree of access to it.

Adding "Bots" (Computer Controlled Players) to Multiplayer LAN and Internet Games

This is an advanced feature that some players may want to try.  If you want to add Bots to multiplayer games, edit the Nerf.ini file in the Nerf\System folder.  Search for  "bMultiPlayerBots=False" and change it to "bMultiPlayerBots=True".  The next time you start a multiplayer server, there will be computer controlled players in the game.  To change their number, change "InitialBots=5" a few lines below to a different number.   Note that, in some circumstances, this may affect the number of players in the regular ArenaBlast game.  You can return to the original settings by changing the lines back to what they were originally.