II.V ATI Rage Pro based cards (ATI XPERT@WORK, ATI XPERT@PLAY, ATI XPERT 98, etc.)
III DIRECT3D VERSION - SUPPORTED CHIPSETS
I INSTALLATION
--------------------
I.I System Requirements
---------------------------
Minimum Configuration:
Windows(R) 95
P133
16MB RAM
DirectX 6.0
Recommended Configuration:
Windows(R) 95 or 98
P200
16MB RAM
DirectX 6.0
Direct3D compliant video card
I.II Running the Demo
------------------------
To play the demo, you must have first installed DirectX v6.0 or higher.
This is available from the Microsoft(R) Web site, www.microsoft.com.
To run the demo, go to Start->Programs\Bullfrog\Populous Demo\Populous Demo.
When you first run Populous: The Beginning, you will be asked to select either the Direct 3D hardware or software version of the demo. If you have a 3D accelerator card capable of running Populous, select the hardware option, otherwise select the software version.
NB if you have an ATI Rage Pro based card (XPERT@WORK, XPERT@PLAY, XPERT 98, All-in-Wonder Pro) you are advised to run the software version (see II.V).
I.III Main Menu
-----------------
-New Game
Begin the demo. There are three Single Player Levels for you to enjoy.
-Tutorial
We recommend that all first-time players play the Tutorial to familiarise themselves with the game.
-Load Game
Loads a previously saved game
-Multiplayer
There is one two-player multiplayer map for you to play over a network or the Internet.
-Options
The Options Menu.
-Rolling Demo
Begins a short rolling demo of the game.
-Quit
Exits to Windows
I.IV Uninstalling the Demo
-----------------------------
To uninstall the demo, go to Start->Programs\Bullfrog\Populous Demo\Uninstall Populous Demo
I.V Winning and Losing
--------------------------
To win through and conquer each world, you must carefully follow the objectives stated in the briefing. On some worlds, you may have to simply destroy the opposition, while on others you may just have to perform some actions without being destroyed yourself.
Losing, though, is another matter. If all your followers are killed and the Shaman dies, you will lose the world and the game. This is because you have no people-generated mana flowing to you and your Reincarnation Site will be powerless.
PLEASE READ GUIDE.TXT FOR MORE INFORMATION ON POPULOUS: THE BEGINNING
II DIRECT 3D VERSION - TROUBLESHOOTING
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II.I General
---------------
Most problems in the Direct3D version are a result of having out of date drivers for your 3d card. If you have a problem, try updating your display drivers first. You can usually obtain the latest drivers from your 3d card vendor's web page or by contacting their technical support directly. If this doesn't solve the issue, read on.
- I get a message saying a 3d device with the required capabilities could not be found even though I have a 3d card!
If your card is not supported (check the 'Supported 3d Chipsets' list below) you will have to run the software version by selecting the 'Select Software or Hardware' option in the Populous folder of the Start Menu. If your card is supported, but it still says this, first make sure you have the correct 3d device selected (see below). Then make sure you have the latest drivers for that device.
- I have two 3d cards in my machine, how do I select between them?
After running Populous: The Beginning, go into the 'Options' menu, then the 'Graphics' options and then go into the 'D3D Options'. In this page, you can left-click on the device selection to select the appropriate device. The 'primary' device is the one that Windows uses. A 'secondary' device is an add-on card, like a 3DFX Voodoo 1 card. Note that if your primary 3d device doesn't have the required features, you won't be able to select it.
- After I run Populous: The Beginning, a message tells me that I do not have enough video memory to support the lowest resolution. Can I get it to work?
Unless you have another 3D card in your machine, you will have to run the software version. If you do have another 3D card in your machine, select it as detailed above. Alternatively you can upgrade your 3D card or upgrade the memory on your existing 3D card.
- The text in messages, Tooltips etc. is very unclear. It appears 'different' from the software version.
This is most likely a problem with the driver your 3d card is using. Obtaining and installing the latest driver for your 3d card vendor should cure the problem. If you have a Riva 128 based board (e.g. Diamond Viper 330, STB Velocity 128, etc.), you must make sure you have the latest driver. If you have a Rendition 2200 based board (e.g. Thriller 3D) you must make sure you have the latest driver and bios update if that is what Rendition suggest (see their web page, or contact their technical support)
- The 3D version seems slower than the software version.
This can be true for certain 3d accelerators, or it could be true simply because you have a slow 3d card in a very fast machine. Just use the software version, if this is the case.
II.II 3DFX Voodoo1/ Voodoo2 based boards
-----------------------------------------
Voodoo 1 based boards are : Diamond Monster 3D, Orchid Righteous, etc.
Voodoo 2 based boards are : Diamond Monster 3D II, Orchid Righteous II, Creative Voodoo Blaster 2, etc.
- I get thin lines appearing on the landscape texture.
This is a problem with revision 2.13 and 2.14 of the Voodoo1 drivers. Update your the drivers for your Voodoo 1 board. If the latest drivers from your board vendor do not fix the problem, you might have to install the latest drivers from 3DFX (see their web page, http://www.3dfx.com) AT THE TIME OF WRITING,THE LATEST DIAMOND AND LATEST ORCHID DRIVERS DO NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM. INSTALL THE LATEST 3DFX DRIVERS WHICH YOU CAN OBTAIN FROM THE 3DFX WEB PAGE.
- I get 'hangs' which occur every so often. How can I fix this?
This might be due to the frame-rate independent mouse pointer support. Try running with the command line option '-frameratemouse' (you can do this by creating a shortcut to the executable of Populous: The Beginning, and placing -frameratemouse at the end of the Target field in its properties page)
This may make the mouse pointer seem less responsive, but will hopefully cure the problem. Alternatively, you can just run the software version.
- I have a Voodoo1 but can't change resolution to 800x600, although I can in the software version!
Voodoo 1 based boards cannot physically do 800x600 with zbuffering, and Populous uses zbuffering. If you want this resolution badly, run the software version.
II.III PowerVR(TM) PCX2 based cards (Matrox(R) m3D, Videologic Apocalypse 3DX/5D)
- I get a crash when I exit the game or at some other time
This problem was only discovered during last minute testing, and will not appear in the final game. If you find this happening, you are well advised to run the software version.
- I see polygons appear on the user-interface
This a problem with the sorting of translucent polygons by the driver. Again, if you experience this, you can run the software version.
- My text looks a bit funny, it doesn't look the same as software version.
Update your drivers to the latest from your vendor. If this does not cure the problem, try installing the NVidia drivers (see their web page : http://www.nvidia.com)
- The landscape looks all 'mixed up'. Some of the sea is on the mountains and vice-versa!
See above. If this doesn't cure the problem, run the software version.
II.V ATI Rage Pro based cards (ATI XPERT@WORK, ATI XPERT@PLAY, ATI XPERT 98, All-in-Wonder Pro)
- The messages do not appear transparent like they do in the software version. Also,
when people are made invisible, they do not appear 'ghosted'
Some cards containing this chipset do not get detected properly and as a result this problem occurs. If this happens, run the software version. This will not happen in the final game.
III DIRECT3D VERSION - SUPPORTED CHIPSETS
----------------------------------------------
The following chipsets are supported in the demo version. Note that the full version will support even more chipsets.
To know if your card is supported you have to know what chipset is on the card. It might be listed below, however.
Even though your card's chipset is not listed as supported, it might still work!
SUPPORTED
Chip Maker Chipset Name(s) 3D Cards which have these
