This game has been a labor of love for all those who worked on it. We strived to make our gameplay outstanding and our application immersive enough to remove your worries for a time. We truly hope this game quickens your heart, puts a smile on your face, and makes you assume the thinking pose.
Now on to the info: this document contains last-minute information about CyberStorm 2 and other information about the program not found in the manual. This README file includes information that pertains to general problems and questions you may have concerning this software or your computer. Should you experience any problems with CyberStorm 2, please refer to this file for additional help on answering questions about the game and solving technical difficulties.
SOME SPECIFIC NOTES ABOUT THE DEMO VERSION OF CYBERSTORM 2
Due to overall size and functionality of the retail version of CyberStorm 2 some things needed to be trimmed down in this demo version in order to make it a reasonable size. The main purpose of this demo is to let you get a feel for the environment and strategies you'll employ to command your HERCs to their ultimate glory or if things don't go according to plan, bitter defeat.
In the main menu, the Quick Battle menu option is your doorway into many of the combat situations you will have to face as a Herc Commander fighting for your right to control the Typhoeus system and glories it holds. But be wary, the battle scenarios you'll play through in this demo are only a taste of what dangers may lurk out there in the Typhoeus system.
SOME OF THE GOODIES YOU HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN RELEASE VERSION OF CYBERSTORM 2:
Campaign Game -
Play one of eight corporations and battle for ultimate control over the Typhoeus system in either turn based or real time combat. Sounds easy enough right? Each corporation has it's own strengths and weaknesses. Making each one unique and changing the strategies employed in order to bring that corporation to victory. But no matter how prepared you feel, expect the unexpected. The Typhoeus system is very large, and who can say what hides out there for an unsuspecting Herc Commander...
Multi-player Game -
CyberStorm 2 also offers a host of different multi-player scenarios and missions. Build, customize and command a fleet of HERCs against your friends in a wide variety of missions ranging anywhere from a game of tag to a brutal "kill anything that moves" free for all. And Heck, who doesn't enjoy beating up on your friends every now and then? <g>
Yes, that's right, it's time for a word from your witty development team. Thought we got lost in the corporate shuffle, ey? Naw...we're leaving that to you in our newest brainchild: CyberStorm 2: Corporate Wars.
Quite frankly, for game developers writing a readme is very similar to writing a thesis: it's long, boring, and not many people read it anyway. So here's our various and sundry notes, not compiled in any particularly pleasing fashion because, quite frankly, you should be playing the game and not reading about it.<g>
WINDOWS
Unlike most Windows applications, CyberStorm 2 is designed to be an immersive application. This means it tries to take your whole screen and make your forget about work for awhile. Thus, if you task-switch (Alt-Tab) out of the game you may find the Windows Taskbar is visible when returning to the game. The best solution to this is to not task-switch out of the game. If you really like to task switch, tell CyberStorm 2 this by selecting the Run In A Window option in the Windows Preferences. This will make CyberStorm 2 behave like a normal Windows application. Otherwise, if you want an immersive experience (c'mon, you know you do!) then choose any other Windows option and the Stay On Top option and forget about your worries for awhile.
If you ever want to restore all your preference settings to default, delete the file STORM.SET from the directory where STORM.EXE resides. The next time you run the game, a new STORM.SET with the default values will be generated.
WINDOWS LIMITATIONS
Yes, as you know, there are some. But these comments have to do with the CyberStorm 2 Preferences/Windows tab:
CyberStorm 2 does not support the Run In A Window option if your desktop resolution is set to 640X480 pixels. This is because CyberStorm 2 is designed to run in a minimum resolution of 640X480 and so we don't have enough additional space on your screen to show the window title bar. If you try to force this change, your game display resolution will be reset to Default.
CyberStorm 2 does not support the Smallest Display Resolution ( 640X480 ) if your desktop is using Large Fonts. There just isn't enough screen space for us to show all the cool art AND large fonts. If you try to force this change, your game display resolution will be reset to Default. If you really want large fonts and a lower game resolution, try putting CyberStorm2 in Medium Display Resolution ( 800 X 600 ).
Do not install this demo to a custom directory that has a space in its name (example: "C:\My Games"). If you do, the intro movie will not play (you will instead receive a blank screen).
AUTOSAVES
In the demo version of CyberStorm 2 there is one kind of autosave file. Assuming you have activated the autosave feature (under "game options"), combat autosaves (titled "BattleStart.cbs") will happen at the beginning of combat, before any casualties occur. Even if you are in turn-based combat, there is only one combat autosave per combat session, not every combat turn. These autosaves can help you to try different strategies in the same combat situation.
Note that AutoSaves have no overwrite confirmation, so if you restore to a saved game that was saved early in your current campaign and continue playing from that point, autosaves for later strategic turns will be overwritten. Plus, there is only one BattleStart.cbs at any given time.
Also note: do not try to load a career save game file from the retail version of Cyberstorm2 as it will not work.
FINDING HELP IN THE GAME
There is help available throughout the game. The rule of thumb is that if passing the mouse over an object causes a description to flash in the CyberStorm Status Line, then clicking the right mouse button on that object will bring up detailed help.
GENERAL STUFF
If you are running CyberStorm 2 on a computer that is close to our minimum requirements (see above), you may benefit from running CyberStorm 2 in a 256 color mode (as opposed to High Color or True Color). CyberStorm 2 runs a bit faster that way, and you won't miss out on any cool art as all the game art is in 256 colors.
Due to device driver variations, setting the volume of background music in the General section of the Preferences may not always work. If it doesn't, try using the control panel in Windows.
The CyberStorm Install will use a cooler background bitmap if your machine is running in a higher color mode than 256 colors (like True Color). Similarly, the CyberStorm Autoplay will show an additional slick animation in color modes greater than 256 colors. However, note that the Game itself runs faster in 256 color mode.
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