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========================================================= Messiah (TM) Compatibility Test Version 2.0 ========================================================= ==================== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==================== - 0.0 Note About Version 2.0 - 1.0 Demo Prologue - 2.0 Default Keyboard Commands - 3.0 Bob's basic abilities 3.1 Running 3.2 Walking 3.3 Crawling 3.4 Grabbing Ledges 3.5 Shimmy 3.6 Strafing 3.7 Looking Around - 4.0 Bob's special abilities 4.1 Possession 4.2 Armor 4.3 Keys 4.4 Camouflage 4.5 Health 4.6 Depossession 4.7 Flight - 5.0 General Combat 5.1 Grabbing and dropping weapons 5.2 Weapon based combat 5.3 Targeting in weapon based combat 5.4 Targeting in sniper mode 5.5 Secondary weapons 5.6 Hand to hand combat - 6.0 Standard Weapons Included in This Demo 6.1 Welding torch 6.2 Pump gun 6.3 Machine gun 6.4 Maimer 6.5 The Pak 6.6 Flame-Thrower 6.7 Bazooka 6.8 Rocket Propelled Harpoon - 7.0 Secondary Weapons Included in This Demo 7.1 Grenade 7.2 Distortion Grenade - 8.0 Helpful hints - 9.0 Changes In Version 2.0 - 10.0 Troubleshooting - 11.0 Common Switches - 12.0 Messiah on the Internet - 13.0 Technical Support and Contact Information - 14.0 Software Use and Limitations License Agreement ==================================== 0.0 NOTE ABOUT VERSION 2.0 ==================================== If you have save games on your computer from the Messiah Compatibility Test Version 1.0, your save games will not work with Version 2.0. Also, your config file which saves your user settings will be replaced with a default config file with Version 2.0. ==================================== 1.0 DEMO PROLOGUE ==================================== The earth - a several thousand feet up - night We are sailing over big fluffy clouds... the moon shines in the night sky illuminating the cloud bed below... we whisk across it like a bird flying impossibly high. A booming almighty voice breaks the silence. GOD BOB!? and a small child-like voice answers BOB Yeah? GOD I've got something for you to do today. BOB ...well... what? GOD I want you to clean something up for me We dip into the cloudbank and begin to speed though the haze BOB That doesn't sound like fun. GOD It should be a pretty big job, actually. BOB Why would I want to do that? GOD Because I want you to and I think it would build character. BOB I've got enough character... Couldn't someone else do it? We are now picking up speed as we plummet downwards. GOD I'm sending you to Earth. It's in pretty bad shape and I'm hoping you might straighten it up a little. BOB I'd rather not. GOD That's nice...enjoy your trip! Suddenly, the anguished face of a cherub passes the camera and tumbles away from us. It's Bob, and his little winged cherub body is engulfed in a ball of fire.... ...as the comet Bob flails towards earth the clouds part to reveal it. A sparkling future city is below him... and getting closer by the second. dissolve to: Somewhere in the city - meanwhile Two police officers (BLUECOP and REDCOP) are strolling along a metal catwalk engaged in shop talk. They are in an industrial area and large, looming, smoke-spitting buildings can be seen surrounding this roofless room. They stop to have a conversation. BLUE COP ...so I'm goin "Lenny take your mom to the hospital. If it's an emergency take her now," and he's like "oh don't worry about it. No, no, no, she's asleep right now." Right?... Calls me up two hours before the shift and makes me come on... RED COP lights up a cigarette.... takes a drag. RED COP Really? BLUE COP 'course I gotta come in. This is the second night in a row I gotta work for that guy! CUT TO: POV - CITY SKYLINE - THAT MOMENT We see Bob's point of view as he screams towards the future city... getting closer to the heart of it. cut back to: Somewhere in the city - meanwhile RED COP smokes while BLUE COP continues his ranting. BLUE COP You know what else I heard? I heard that Father Prime has some scientist-goons trying to open a doorway to another dimension... Can you believe that? RED COP nods and smokes while BLUE COP goes on. RED COP That's crazy! BLUE COP Another dimension.. jeez...Who do they think they are? RED COP has tuned out as he spies something plummeting down from the heavens. BLUE COP notices the RED COP is not paying attention. BLUE COP What?... WHAT?! We see Bob's comet streak out of the sky and violently strike the BLUE COP from behind. Both officers are thrown from the bridge to the floor below. We drop down under the bridge to find the BLUE COP writhing in pain. Blue blasts of light and fire swirl around him. His back is smoking. He is losing his mind... to Bob... He passes out. fade to black. ==================================== 2.0 DEFAULT KEYBOARD COMMANDS ==================================== Arrow Up Move Forward Arrow Down Move Backward Arrow Left Turn Left Arrow Right Turn Right Z Strafe Left X Strafe Right CTRL Bob = Flap Wings Possessed Characters = Jump Backspace Depossess a Character Spacebar First Press = Enter Combat Mode Second Press = Fire Weapon 0 Possessed Characters = Throw Secondary Weapon if in Character's Inventory Enter Current Action I Toggle Heads Up Display Shift+Arrow Walk Insert Bob = Crawl Possessed Characters = Crouch Caps Lock Look Behind Character P Toggle Pause Game Esc In Game Menu Num Pad + First Press = Enter Look Around Mode Second Press = Zoom In Sniper Mode in Cops Num Pad - Zoom Out Sniper Mode and Exit Look Around Num Pad * Quick Exit Look Around Mode Left Mouse Same as SPACEBAR listed above Right Mouse Freelook in Third Person Perspective F2 Save F3 Load Right Shift + T Toggle Tutorial Help On/Off ==================================== 3.0 BOB'S BASIC ABILITIES ==================================== Here is a list of ways to move around in the environments of Messiah and some techniques to further explore your surroundings and avoid meeting an early demise. ==================================== 3.1 RUNNING ==================================== When you press either the "Forward Movement Key" or the "Backward Movement Key" you will by default run in that particular direction. Your speed is faster than most creatures on Earth, and in combination with your quick turns, you are very agile compared to the clumsy humans. Use your running ability for those sticky situations where a quick escape is necessary. ==================================== 3.2 WALKING ==================================== Pressing the "Forward" or "Backward Movement Keys" in combination with the "Walk Key" will cause you to slowly creep forward at a much less hectic speed than your run. This is especially useful for traversing small ledges where one false step will cause an untimely demise. Also keep in mind that when you walk your footsteps will be silent, allowing you to sneak up on your foes undetected. ==================================== 3.3 CRAWLING ==================================== Pressing the "Forward" or "Backward Movement Keys" in combination with the "Crawl/Crouch Key" will allow you to drop down close to the floor and crawl around. This ability is useful when trying to hide behind an object without being seen or when trying to move underneath an object which is too low to walk under. ==================================== 3.4 GRABBING LEDGES ==================================== If you press the "Flap/Jump Key" while also pressing the "Forward Movement Key" and get close to the edge of a ledge, you will be able to grab hold of the ledge and hang from it. Pressing the "Forward Movement Key" again will pull you up to the next level. This is great for moving up to another area which is normally too high to simply fly up to. Pressing the "Backward Movement Key" will cause you to drop back down to the next lower area. ==================================== 3.5 SHIMMY ==================================== While hanging on a ledge, you can use the "Left" and "Right Turn Keys" to move side to side on the ledge in a hand over hand motion. This skill will undoubtedly be required during your travels. ==================================== 3.6 STRAFING ==================================== While running and turning is often sufficient for evading most foes and simply traversing around the environment, using the "Strafe Left" and "Strafe Right" keys will allow you to move around the environment while still maintaining focus on a desired target. This can be especially useful while running around your enemies while still keeping your eyes focused on them. ==================================== 3.7 LOOKING AROUND ==================================== There are three ways to get a better look at your surroundings while moving about the different Cities. 1) While in third person perspective, pressing and holding the "Look Around Key "will allow you to use the Mouse to scroll around you and get a better look at your surroundings. While in this Third Person Look Around Mode, you will still be able to move which makes this action especially useful for peeking around corners. Releasing the "Look Around Key" will return you to normal movement mode. 2) Another way to get a look at your surroundings is to press the "Enter/Zoom Sniper Mode" key to go into a first person perspective. Once in this mode, you can use the Mouse to move the camera around and take a look at areas you might want to examine. While in this Sniper mode View, you cannot move or turn but can strafe left and right as well as crouch. Strafing while in this mode allows you to hide behind boxes and the like and just peek your head around the corner to get a look. To exit the Sniper Mode View, press the "Quick Sniper Mode Exit Key." 3) Finally, if you want to get a look behind you quickly, press the "Quick Look Back Key" to move the camera quickly from behind your body to the front of it. This can be useful while being pursued or simply seeing who has snuck up behind you. Pressing the key again reverts the camera to its normal position. ==================================== 3.8 ACTION! ==================================== When you move around the environment, there are a number of items in the world in which you can interact with. When you are in another creature, there are many more possibilities, but more on that later. In the bottom right corner of the screen there is an icon called the Action Icon which will change depending on the context of the situation you are in. Normally, the icon appears signifying there is no current action. However, there are instances in which you as Bob can interact with certain world elements. 1) When you see the Action Icon for open door, you can press the "Action Key" to open the door. This open door icon will only appear when you are standing at the center of a door facing it. 2) Another instance where you can interact with the environment while outside of a possessed character is to activate certain electronic buttons and consoles. As a rule of thumb, Bob can activate any low-tech consoles or switches in the environment. Examples of low-tech devices are on/off buttons and elevator switches. Examples of a high-tech device is a computer terminal. Those high-tech devices with keyboards will require a possessed character trained in their usage to activate them. When a low-tech device can be interacted with, a use icon will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen. 3) When an elevator can be activated, the elevator icon will be displayed which means that the player must not only activate the elevator but also tell it which direction to travel. To do so, press the "Action Key" in combination with the "Forward" or "Backward Movement Key." Pressing "Forward" in combination with the "Action Key" will cause the elevator to travel up, while the "Backward Key" in combination with the "Action Key" will cause the elevator to go down. ==================================== 4.0 BOB'S SPECIAL ABILITIES ==================================== Here is an overview of Bob's special abilities and how to apply them to your Messiah experience. ==================================== 4.1 POSSESSION ==================================== Some of the natives of Earth will not be receptive to your presence while others will be merely curious about you. Take care, if you are spotted you may come under attack. To help achieve your goals, you have been granted the ability of possession. You may possess any entity in City Faktur as long as they are organic in composition. Any creatures that are mechanical in nature are immune to your power of possession and thus must be dealt with carefully. The inhabitants of Earth are a great many things. Though they may initially seem to be just getting in the way of achieving your goals, City Faktur's residents open up many possibilities. Here's a step-by-step example of how to possess your prey. 1) Try to stay out of sight until you have a good opportunity to possess a creature from behind. 2) Once your opportunity presents itself, make haste to overtake the subject from behind. 3) While running up behind your prey, flap your wings once or twice and spring toward the target's shoulder blades. 4) If all goes as planned, you will dive into the creature's back and thus into their spirit and consciousness. When you have possessed a character, you will see a halo over the creature's head indicating to you which creature you are in control of. Other creatures in the world will not see the halo, it is merely there for your benefit to help you easily pick which creature you are controlling even if you're in a crowd. You now have complete control of this entity and will possess all of their individual strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities until they are killed or you choose to depossess. ==================================== 4.2 ARMOR ==================================== When Bob possesses a character in the game, the character becomes armor. Since Bob is very fragile and can be killed relatively easily, it is in Bob's best interest to possess a character and use it like armor, absorbing any damage that is inflicted upon him. Once the possessed character has taken significant damage, Bob can depossess and find another character to absorb damage. Bob himself cannot be damaged while in possession of a creature. ==================================== 4.3 KEYS ==================================== Many areas in the City are only accessible to certain characters, just as in real life. A Security Facility, for instance, is not open for prostitutes to explore. In order to take a peek inside, Bob must first possess a Cop who can then reasonably move freely around the facility without arousing suspicion. ==================================== 4.4 CAMOUFLAGE ==================================== When Bob possesses a character in Messiah, he must then effectively be the character. Once in a worker for instance, Bob can't just go traipsing around a Security Facility at his leisure. After all, he is a worker. Once in a character's body Bob will have to act like the character or his cover will be blown. When the whistle blows and the Cops all head out for their lunch break, Bob better go too or the Cops will surely get suspicious ==================================== 4.5 HEALTH ==================================== When Bob is running low on health, he can replenish his own body by jumping into another creature. When Bob is damaged and he possesses another creature he will take health from his host in proportion to the amount he has already been damaged. ==================================== 4.6 DEPOSSESSION ==================================== You can depossess a creature at any time by simply pressing the "Depossess Key." Once you depossess a creature they will be stunned for a moment or two while they try to get their bearings again. During those few moments that the creature is disconcerted, you must either find a place to hide or find a new host. Once those few moments have passed and the subject regains its senses, the creature will begin to return to their normal behavior and can again pose a threat if you are spotted. ==================================== 4.7 FLIGHT ==================================== Next to his possession ability, Bob's next most powerful attribute is his ability for flight. To flap your wings and take to the air, press the "Flap/Jump Key" and your wings will flap once. If you continue to press the "Flap/Jump Key" in succession, you will notice that your wings will continue to flap and you can stay in the air for sustained periods of time. Flapping while moving forward will allow you to cover ground quite quickly and will enable you to move over obstacles in your path quite effortlessly. ==================================== 4.8 GLIDE ==================================== When on a high ledge, you can leap off and press and hold the "Flap/Jump Key" to spread your wings and glide to another destination. By using the glide ability, you will be able to leap off of even the highest structures and glide like a feather to the ground while taking little or no damage. Gliding is also useful if you want to soar to a far off landing area without having to flap your wings rapidly in succession. ==================================== 5.0 GENERAL COMBAT ==================================== As Bob, you are very fragile and defenseless. As such, it is necessary to possess Earth's inhabitants and use their bodies and weapons whenever force is necessary to get through a tight spot. The following will help you learn how to engage Earth's inhabitants in both weapon and hand to hand combat. Note that the creatures in City Faktur can only carry one primary weapon at a time though some can carry secondary grenades and mines as well. If you want to use a different weapon than the one a character is currently using, you will have to swap it with another when you come across it. ==================================== 5.1 GRABBING AND DROPPING WEAPONS ==================================== The easiest way to get a weapon is to possess a character who already has a weapon in their hands. In the event that the possessed character does not have a weapon or their weapon runs out of ammo, look for a weapon in the room and stand over it to pick it up. Once over a weapon one of two action icons will appear in the bottom right of the screen; the pick up weapon icon or the swap weapon icon. While standing directly over the desired weapon, pressing the "Action Key" will cause the character to either pick up or swap the current weapon. To drop a weapon, make sure that the possessed character is not standing over a weapon and then press the "Action Key" to drop the weapon. You will know that you can drop your current weapon because the drop weapon icon will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen. ==================================== 5.2 WEAPON BASED COMBAT ==================================== When possessing various characters in City Faktur you will find that many carry weaponry. When you possess someone who is carrying a weapon you of course then have control of not only the character but also his knowledge of weapon based combat. If you come under hostile fire, you can fight back with the character's weapon by following the next steps: 1) First, press the "Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key" once to enter combat mode. When you enter combat mode the possessed human will take an aggressive combat stance but you can also tell you are in combat mode by looking to the bottom right corner of the screen where the combat icon will change from normal mode to a combat mode version. Make sure that when you enter combat mode you are ready for a fight. Once you pull a weapon or put up your fists other creatures will automatically assume that you are hostile and therefore take appropriate measures. 2) Now that you are in combat mode, pressing the "Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key" will cause the possessed creature to fire his primary weapons. Pressing and holding the "Enter Combat/Fire Key" will make the character fire their weapon in succession. 3) While in combat mode, the exit combat mode icon will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen. To exit combat mode, press the "Action Key" and the possessed character will drop back into their normal mode. ====================================== 5.3 TARGETING IN WEAPON BASED COMBAT ====================================== When you are in combat mode and sweep across the room, your targeting cursor will move from creature to creature as you move, highlighting each target in succession. When the targeting cursor is highlighting the desired target, fire away to take the target down. Keep in mind that weapons all have different ranges so they will do various damage to your target depending on whether they are nearby or off in the distance. The pump gun, for example, can often take a character down in a single shot at close range but is miserable for long range combat. ==================================== 5.4 TARGETING IN SNIPER MODE ==================================== Another way to fight with weapons is to enter sniper mode and target from there. To enter sniper mode, press the "Enter/Zoom Sniper Mode" key once to enter the first person perspective. If the possessed character's weapon is not already drawn, press the "Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key" once to draw their weapon. Once the weapon is drawn, a targeting cursor will appear in the center of the screen indicating that you are ready to fire. The targeting crosshairs will not snap to your target as in third person combat mode, but instead will stay solid all the while you are in sniper mode. Each time that the "Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key" is pressed a shot will be fired at the point the targeting crosshairs are over. In sniper mode it is very easy for you to take accurate shots at your enemies to target specific body parts. Experiment with shooting the different areas of an enemy's body to achieve different effects. ==================================== 5.5 SECONDARY WEAPONS ==================================== Many of the characters you will meet in City Faktur carry secondary weapons in addition to their primary firearms. To use the characters secondary weapon, press the "Secondary Weapon Key" to throw a projectile weapon. ==================================== 5.6 HAND TO HAND COMBAT ==================================== There will inevitably come a time in your travels where you are hopelessly outnumbered in a fight and the ammo clips you are carrying will not be enough to get you through the situation. Fear not, most of the Earth's inhabitants are proficient in the art of hand to hand combat. To fight most effectively in hand to hand combat mode, you should first drop your weapon, though some moves can be pulled off even with a weapon in your hands. To fight in hand to hand combat mode, you must first press the "Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key" once to enter combat mode. If there is no weapon in the character's hands they will put of their fists once in combat mode. Combat mode is also designated by the combat icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. Now that you are in combat mode, you must get close to your desired target and then press the "Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key." Pressing this key alone will cause the possessed character to strike out at their opponent. Pressing the "Enter Combat/Fire Weapon Key" in combination with the "Forward Movement Key" will cause the character to do other combat moves as will attacking characters from behind. Experiment with the different moves in hand to hand combat mode to not only take down your enemies quietly but even disarm them if so desired. While in hand to hand combat mode, the exit combat mode icon will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen. To exit combat mode, press the "Action Key" and the possessed character will drop back into their normal mode. ========================================== 6.0 STANDARD WEAPONS INCLUDED IN THIS DEMO ========================================== Here is a list of the weapons that you might some across in your adventures through Faktur. ================================== 6.1 WELDING TORCH ================================== Intended only for welding, this weapon has a higher probability of causing your foes to laugh themselves to death when attacked than actually inflicting critical amounts of damage. Even so, it could technically kill someone if the person were to hold still long enough for it. ================================== 6.2 PUMP GUN ================================== The pump gun is standard issue for the Light Cops in City Faktur. This weapon shoots 5 gauge slugs that fire in a spread pattern when triggered. Though the weapon has excellent stopping power at close range, it is miserable at any distance. Don't even think about trying to use this weapon in sniper mode due to it's long range weakness. ================================== 6.3 MACHINE GUN ================================== Usually carried by Medium Cops, the machine gun is excellent at long range and has superior accuracy. Firing devastating slugs in rapid succession via it's twin barrels, the machine gun is equally impressive at clearing rooms of foes as it is putting a bullet in someone's head from ╜ a mile away in sniper mode. ================================== 6.4 MAIMER ================================== Roughly as effective as its machine gun brethren, the maimer has a rapid-fire mechanism, is equally effective at short and long range, and delivers more than enough stopping power to take down all but the toughest foes. The maimer fires razor sharp titanium blades that slice and dice any unfortunate soul in its path. ================================== 6.5 THE PAK ================================== Based on the opposite technology from the flame thrower, the pak weapon fires needle like shards of frozen ice at the intended target, skewering them repeatedly. When one of the pak's icy projectiles pierces the victim, they will begin to freeze causing their targets movements to slow down. Each successive projectile that hits the target will further chill the victim making their actions slower and slower. A few seconds after last exposure, the victim begin to thaw and once again regain their normal attributes. Effective at both long and short range, the pak is an excellent choice for both hectic combat situations and strategic sniper mode hits. The pak weapon also gives characters the ability of limited flight via the device's propeller like blades. ================================== 6.6 FLAME THROWER ================================== The flame thrower spews a flammable fuel mixture in jelly form that's ignited when emitted. When the jelly makes contact with another character they will burst into flame causing them to run and scream in agony until they can roll themselves out. Though the weapon is useless at distances, there is simply no substitute in close range combat situations. Care must be taken with this weapon, however, if an ignited character comes in contact with you there is a good chance that he'll turn you into a human torch as well. ==================================== 6.7 BAZOOKA ==================================== The bazooka fires a frighteningly lethal missile along a direct path to its targeted victim. With infinite range, fast reload, zero trajectory arc, and a speedy velocity, the bazooka is a handy toy for long range combat. If fired at close range the bazooka can be quite dangerous as the subsequent missile explosion will most likely damage the user as well as the target. ==================================== 6.8 R.P.H. ==================================== The rocket propelled harpoon is the most devastating weapon ever to appear on the streets of City Faktur. The R.P.H. pierces the intended target, lifting them off the ground and impaling them on a nearby wall where they will wither in agony before eventually collapsing. Good at both close and long range, the R.P.H. is absolutely devastating since it's capable of killing a person with one shot. =========================================== 7.0 SECONDARY WEAPONS INCLUDED IN THIS DEMO =========================================== ==================================== 7.1 GRENADE ==================================== Standard issue to medium and heavy Cops, the grenade behaves just as one might expect, exploding in a shower of shrapnel which is lethal in direct hits, and still quite effective for those standing near it when it detonates. ==================================== 7.2 DISTORTION GRENADE ==================================== The most powerful of the secondary weapons, the distortion grenade is tossed like a normal grenade but creates a warping anomaly that can literally bend solid objects. Any creature caught in the path of the distortion grenade will be thrown as if they were standing next to a violent explosion and will sustain similar amounts of damage. Like a standard grenade, the distortion grenade can be banked off walls due to its built in three second timer. ====================================== 8.0 HELPFUL HINTS ====================================== ╖ To possess a character, flap your wings and fly into the character's back. You can de-possess at any time by pressing the depossess key. ╖ Try to possess characters when no one else is looking. Characters won't attack if you appear to be like them. ╖ Bob is very fragile and defenseless. Whenever possible, possess other characters and use them for camouflage as well as armor. If you possess a Cop without being seen for instance, other Cops won't pay attention to you. If you do get in a fight, the possessed Cop takes the damage, not Bob. ╖ Keep those weapons holstered! Running around with your gun ready is a sign of aggression to other characters. ╖ Elevators in Messiah are a bit different than other games but are quite easy to operate once you get the hang of it. Stand in front of the elevator console you wish to operate and turn the character to face it. Press the action key while pressing forward or backward depending on which way you want to go. ╖ Keep an eye out for better weapons and ammo. Explore your environment whenever possible. ╖ Characters each have their own set of skills, use different characters to access different areas or consoles. ╖ Bob can regain health by possessing another character and taking some of their life essence to replenish his own. ╖ The Cops and the Chots have a natural aversion to one another. When these two classes of characters come in contact with one another, expect a firefight. If you don't understand why you're being shot at, chances are that another character may not get along with the class of character that you are currently in possession of. ==================================== 9.0 CHANGES IN VERSION 2.0 ==================================== - Fixed problem where player was harpooned to floor - Fixed some hiding issues - Fixed translucent viewing system being activated on Red cops - Fixed female characters being held by electric fences - Fixed female reload animation - Added some Fear Factory music - Added Fear Factory sample to main menu - Increased Messiah priority so that other running programs would not steal so much horsepower - Fixed some save/load issues - Clear screen at beginning on all cards - Fixed sample overwrite - Get rid of 32 bit resolution check - Fixed invalid sample error message - Fixed intro to menu bug - Mip mapping enabled (speed increase...looks better) - Fixed 3DFX palette error bug - Font cleaned up - Fixed TnL buffer size (Nvidia GeForce 3D card issue) - Scripts compile box now displayed on screen - Fixed A3D bug in their audio card detect code - Added sound menu selector - All sound slow downs fixed internally as well as extra options allowed to the user in the menu - Memory preinitialize to avoid swapping - New installation graphic added called "The Art of Possession" to help people figure out possession easier - New sound headers to allow for easy implementation of character voices - New Voices for Cop, Commander, Scientists & Welder added - Added ability to use strafe keys when hanging - Added invert y axis option as requested - Added custom camera tension control - Added freelook mode as requested - 8 new hand to hand fighting aminations added to Commander - 2 new hand to hand animations added to Chots - Updated some AI states, improving gun-fights - Fixed a bug with the configuration input to use the mouse wheel on some systems - Fixed bug where enemies would fail to "see" the player after completing the Test and immediately restarting - Some doors adjusted which lead to momentary "black voids" when the cpu was heavily taxed - More testing. ==================================== 10.0 TROUBLESHOOTING ==================================== DEMO MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Windows 95/98 DirectX 7 Required Pentium II 233 3D Accelerator Card (Demo Supports Voodoo and TNT Cards) 64MB RAM Direct Sound Compliant Sound Card Microsoft Compatible Mouse Keyboard DEMO RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Pentium II 300 PCI or AGP 3D Accelerator Card with 16MB RAM Shiny Entertainment, Inc. cannot be held responsible for any errors or incompatibilities which the Messiah Compatibility Test may cause. 1) Though other D3D compatible video cards will run the Messiah demo, the demo is compiled specifically for use with the Voodoo and TNT family of video accelerators. 2) For the demo version of Messiah we recommend using the 3DFX executable for any of the Voodoo family cards. 3) There is a problem on the Voodoo 3 card running the D3D version with certain drivers installed with regard to Messiah's mip mapping. If you experience frequent crashes or graphic corruption with your Voodoo 3 card with the latest drivers, enable the -v switch to disable mip mapping. For switch usage, see section 11.0, Common Switches. 4) If your desktop resolution is set to to less than or equal to the in-game resolution of Messiah while using a 3DFX Banshee or a Voodoo 3, you may experience crashes to Windows when Messiah initially loads. To work around this issue, adjust your desktop setting higher than the resolution you wish to run Messiah in and the game should load normally. 5) Be sure to close resource intensive applications before running Messiah. Virus scanners are particularly problematic as they will reduce Messiah's overall performance significantly. 6) If you satisfy all the system requirements for Messiah and are still having problems running the game make sure to get the latest drivers for your hardware devices. Interplay Quality Assurance has found that installing the latest reference or card manufacturer's video drivers corrected many problems found with older drivers. 7) Some systems may not multitask properly while playing Messiah. Switching programs while Messiah is running is not supported. ==================================== 11.0 Common Switches ==================================== Though we recommend leaving the executable settings in the same condition as when unzipped, it is possible to work around some known issues and optimize performance with some common switches. To add a switch to your executable file, first create a shortcut icon on your Windows desktop to the executable to either glide3x.exe or d3d.exe. Next, right click on the icon and enter properties. On the line titled "Target," add the switch desired at the end of the line. An example of a line with the "-s" switch enabled would read: C:\messiah\MessiahD3D.exe -s More than one switch can be added to the executable line to affect system performance. -s Disable sound ==================================== 12.0 MESSIAH ON THE INTERNET ==================================== Visit the official Messiah web site at: www.messiah.com And to give the team immediate feedback on the demo, check out the official Messiah message board at Developer's-Corner: www.developers-corner.com ==================================== 13.0 TECHNICAL SUPPORT ==================================== Though there is no immediate technical support available for the Messiah demo, reported issues will be fixed for the final release build. To report a problem with Messiah on your computer system, please e-mail us at: messiahdemo@shiny.com Please be sure to include the following information in your e-mail message: -Computer manufacturer -Operating system (Windows 95, Windows 98, etc.) -CPU type and speed in MHz -Amount of RAM -Sound card type and settings (address, IRQ, DMA) -Video card -CD-ROM-Mouse driver and version -Joystick and game card (if any) -A copy of the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files from your hard drive -A description of the problem you're having ================================================= 14.0 SOFTWARE USE LIMITATIONS AND LIMITED LICENSE ================================================= GENERAL PRODUCT LICENSE. ⌐1999 Shiny Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Shiny, the Shiny logo are trademarks of Shiny Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and copyrights are properties of their respective owners. Manufactured and printed in U.S.A. ⌐1999 Shiny Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Messiah, the Messiah logo, Interplay, the Interplay logo, and "By Gamers. For Gamers." are trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp. Shiny, the Shiny logo are trademarks of Shiny Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Interplay Entertainment Corp. MODEM AND NETWORK PLAY. If the Software contains modem or network play, you may play the Software via modem transmission with another person or persons directly without transmission through a third party service or indirectly through a third party service only if such service is an authorized licensee of Interplay. For the purposes of this license, a third party service refers to any third party service which provides a connection between two or more users of the Software, manages, organizes, or facilitates game play, translates protocols, or otherwise provides a service which commercially exploits the Software, but does not include a third party service which merely provides a telephonic connection (and nothing more) for modem or network play. Authorized licensee services are listed on the Interplay Productions World Wide Web Site located at http://www.interplay.com. This limited right to transmit the Software expressly excludes any transmission of the Software or any data streams thereof on a commercial basis, including, without limitation, transmitting the Software by way of a commercial service (excepting those specific commercial services licensed by Interplay) which translates the protocols or manages or organizes game play sessions. If you would like information about obtaining a pay-for-play or commercial license to the Software, please call Interplay Productions in the US at +(949) 553-6655. ACCEPTANCE OF LICENSE TERMS. By acquiring and retaining this Software, you assent to the terms and restrictions of this limited license. If you do not accept the terms of this limited license, you must return the Software together with all packaging, manuals and other material contained therein to the store where you acquired the Software for a full refund. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.