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1996-04-10
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1,354 lines
******************************
TOP GUN: FIRE AT WILL!
Demo
Read Me file
April 8, 1996
*****************************
Introduction
============
Relive the awe-inspiring experience of the popular feature
film TOP GUN--only this time, you are Maverick! Top Gun:
Fire at Will is a fast-moving, fun, easy-to-learn flying
game with all the excitement and drama of the movie. All the
thrills of this fast-action dogfighting adventure come to
life in this fun, interactive product. The action starts at
Top Gun School, flying in competition for the Top Gun trophy
and experiencing all the sights, sounds and characters of the
original movies. Then you are swept all around the world in
an epic adventure set against a backdrop of a growing world
crisis. The action is experienced through the eyes of Maverick
as he leads his wingmen into aerial battles, experiencing the
ultimate that modern dogfighting has to offer.
Welcome to the demo for the PC version of Top Gun: Fire at
Will! This demo contains the introductory movies in the game,
two playable missions set in Cuba, and the 3-D object viewer.
The complete game features many more missions in different
theaters and head-to-head capabilities.
Please read these instructions carefully. It will help you get
up and running quickly and will answer any questions about
installation, loading and how to play the demo.
System Requirements
===================
In order to play the demo for Top Gun: Fire at Will, you need
the following:
* IBM PC 66MHz 80486 compatible
Pentium recommended
* Math coprocessor required (either an 80486DX or Pentium)
* 8MB RAM and 30MB hard drive space
* VESA local bus or PCI video card capable of Super VGA
graphics (640 x 480 x 256 colors)
* DOS 5.0 or later (also runs under Windows 95)
* Double-speed CD-ROM drive (300 kb/sec sustained transfer
rate)
* Joystick
* Mouse (Microsoft-compatible)
* Sound Blaster (or 100% compatible), ProAudio Spectrum,
Ensoniq Soundscape 16 or Gravis UltraSound
Quick Start
===========
If you are an experienced computer user, follow these
instructions to install and load the demo from DOS.
1. Exit Windows or any other DOS shell, and return to the DOS
prompt.
2. Place the Top Gun: Fire at Will demo disc in your CD-ROM
drive.
3. Change to the drive of your CD-ROM (usually D) by typing
"d: [Enter]."
4. If necessary, change to the directory where the Top Gun
demo is located. For example, type "cd tgdemo [Enter]."
5. Type "install [Enter]."
6. Select "View and print Readme" to read this text file.
7. After viewing the Readme, select "Install game" and follow
the onscreen directions.
8. Once the demo is installed, select "Configure hardware" to
configure your sound card, video card and joystick. Please
be sure to press Enter or the OK button at each screen.
9. After exiting the hardware configuration, select "Set game
options" to set the difficulty level options.
10. After you finish setting the game options, select "Set sim
graphics options" to set the graphics options.
11. Choose "Exit and save configuration" to save your setup.
12. Select "Exit installer" to leave the installer.
13. To run the demo, type "tgdemo [Enter]."
14. After watching the introductory movies, click on "Setup"
to calibrate your joystick.
15. Select "Game" from the main menu.
16. Select "Play Mission 1" to play a mission.
17. Use the joystick to fly the plane and fire the weapons. See
"Commands" below for more information on other keys.
Installation
============
Installing the Top Gun demo takes two steps: game installation
and setup. Use the mouse to select options on the menus and
click the OK button to input them. You can also use the arrow
keys to select options and the Enter key to input them.
If you do not have a VESA driver loaded on your computer, the
installer will ask you if you want a universal VESA driver to
be installed on your hard drive. The Top Gun demo will run with
this universal VESA driver, but if you have one of your own,
you should exit the installation and install the one that came
with your video card.
If you are running Windows 95, skip to the Windows 95 section
below.
Game installation
=================
Before installation, be sure your computer meets the system
requirements.
1. Exit Windows or any other shell program and return to the
DOS prompt (which will usually look like C:\>).
2. Insert the Top Gun demo disc in your CD-ROM drive.
3. Change to your CD-ROM drive by typing "d: [Enter]." (If
your CD-ROM drive is a letter other than D, substitute that
letter instead.) If necessary, change to the directory
where the Top Gun demo is located. For example, type
"cd tgdemo [Enter]."
4. Type "install [Enter]" to run the installer.
Installer's main menu
---------------------
The first screen you will see is the installer's main menu.
* "View and print Readme" lets you see and print last-minute
information.
* "Install game" starts the installation.
* "Make boot disk" makes a separate boot disk to run the game
cleanly. If you are having problems running the game, you
may wish to make a boot disk. See "Making a Boot Disk" for
more information.
* "Exit installer" quits the installer.
View and print Readme
---------------------
The Readme file contains important last-minute information. It
is very important that you read this file completely before
installing the demo as it provides crucial information about
hardware and software compatibility.
5. After the installer has finished loading, select the top
option "View and print Readme" and click OK.
6. Use the mouse or the arrow keys to view the Readme file in
its entirety. If you have a printer and wish to print the
file out for future reference, select the "Print Readme"
option.
When you are finished, select "Exit" to return to the
installer's main menu.
Install game
------------
This begins the installation. You will now be selecting
installation options from a series of menus.
7. From the installer's main menu, select "Install game" and
click OK.
Hard drive space selection
--------------------------
You can now choose how much space the demo will take on your
hard drive. We recommend installing the maximum version if you
are having difficulty with the digitized voices hesitating in
the demo (especially if you are running the game in a DOS box
under Windows 95).
8. Choose either "Install standard version" or "Install
maximum version" depending on how much hard drive space
(14MB or 60MB) you wish the demo files to take up
permanently. Click OK after you make your selection.
We recommend selecting the "Install standard version." The
60MB maximum version should be used only if you have
already installed the demo and the digitized voices are
creating pauses while flying.
Important note: Although the installed files will take either
14MB or 60MB, you still need to have 16MB of additional free
hard drive space. The Top Gun demo uses this hard drive space
to make file transfers when running the game.
Regardless of which installation option you choose, you will
need to keep the Top Gun demo disc in your CD-ROM drive while
playing the demo.
System requirements check
-------------------------
The installation program will now run a check on your extended
memory and CD-ROM speed.
The next screen checks to see if your hardware and software
meet the system requirements for the demo. The window in the
center of the screen contains three columns: a description of
the requirement category, the demo's requirement and the
detected value on your computer.
* If a value is highlighted in yellow, you can install but
may have trouble running the demo until the requirement is
met.
* If a value is highlighted in red, you can try to install
the demo, but the installation may or may not be
successful. To ensure a successful installation, fix the
problem listed in red and then run the installer again.
9. Select "Suggest Fix" if you have a question about how to
solve a system requirements problem. Use the up and down
arrows to view all the suggestions and click OK when you
are finished.
10. Click OK to go to the hard drive selection screen.
Destination drive selection
---------------------------
This screen shows a list of available hard drives and the
amount of space available on each of them. You will need 14MB
for the standard install or 60MB for the maximum install.
11. Select a hard drive from the list in the window on the
left. Make sure you have enough hard drive space on your
selection. Click OK when you're ready to proceed. (Please
note that you will need 16MB of additional hard drive space
to actually run the demo.)
Directory location selection
----------------------------
The next screen allows you to change the destination directory
where the demo will be installed. (The default is C:\TGDEMO.)
12. To keep the default directory, click OK.
If you wish to change the path, press the Backspace key to
erase the default directory and then type in a new path.
When you are ready to proceed, click OK.
Confirmation screen
-------------------
The final screen before files are installed to your hard drive
is the confirmation screen. This will display the source drive
(your CD-ROM) and the destination drive and path.
13. If you are ready to begin installing the demo on your hard
drive, click the Install button.
If you need to make modifications to the directory (or any
other installation options), click Go Back.
File transfer screen
--------------------
The installer will now begin copying files from the Top Gun
demo disc to your hard drive. The bar in the upper left-hand
corner of the window displays the completion percentage of the
installation.
If you need to abort the installation procedure, click the
Abort button.
Installation completion screen
------------------------------
After the demo has been installed to your hard drive, you will
be shown a summary of any suggested fixes and the correct way
to run the demo.
14. Click OK to go to the main screen for the Setup.
Note: This part of the installation will check to see if you
have a VESA driver loaded on your computer. If the installer
doesn't find a VESA driver, it will ask you if you wish to
install the universal VESA driver. If you then choose not to
install the driver, the installation program will go to the
Setup menu.
Setup
=====
The Setup main menu provides five choices: View and print
Readme, Configure hardware, Set sim graphics options, Set game
options and Exit and save configuration.
If you ever need to change the video mode or sound card after
installation, change to the demo directory where you have the
Top Gun demo installed (usually C:\TGDEMO) and type "setup
[Enter]" from the DOS prompt.
* "View and print Readme" lets you see and print last-minute
instructions. (This is the same Readme file you read during
the installation.)
* "Configure hardware" lets you set up your sound card, video
mode and joystick.
* "Set sim graphics options" lets you set graphics options in
the simulation.
* "Set game options" lets you set various gameplay options.
* "Exit and save configuration" quits the installer.
Configure hardware
------------------
15. From the Setup main menu, select "Configure hardware" and
click OK.
16. On the next screen, select "Set up sound card" and click OK.
Set up sound card
-----------------
This is where you can tell the Setup program which sound card
you have in your computer. Top Gun has been tested with a
number of different sound cards. The demo will run with any
100% Sound Blaster compatible sound card including Sound
Blaster 8, Sound Blaster Pro and Sound Blaster 16. The AWE 32,
ProAudio Spectrum Plus, ProAudio Spectrum 16, Ensoniq
Soundscape 16 and Gravis UltraSound are also supported in
native mode.
Other sound cards may not be 100% compatible--consult the
owner's manual of your sound card for complete information.
17. Select "Auto detect" and click OK. The program will try to
determine which sound card is in your system and set the
defaults for Port, IRQ and DMA settings.
If the IRQ setting displays "*" (an asterisk), it means that
the IRQ setting is determined by software drivers. (For
reference, the default Port for Sound Blaster 16 cards is 220,
the standard IRQ is 5 and the DMA is 1. The high DMA is 5.)
Please be absolutely sure of your card's Port, IRQ and DMA
settings before entering them manually. Incorrect settings may
cause the installer to crash on the sound test.
Note: Some sound cards will be detected as "Sound Blaster 8"
when running the auto-detect procedure. If you have a sound
card installed and the auto-detection procedure displays a
"Sound card not detected" error, try the "Sound Blaster Pro"
or "Sound Blaster 8" settings and enter the Port, IRQ and DMA
settings per your sound card's instruction manual. Otherwise,
if you do not own one of the cards on the list, you may need to
manually choose the closest compatible card from the list. For
any other specific questions, refer to the "Sound Card
Questions" section.
18. Once the sound card has been auto-detected, a dialog box
will appear displaying the sound card and the Port, IRQ and
DMA settings.
Click Sound Test to play a sample sound from the game.
Click OK in the dialog box to begin the test.
19. If you heard the sound test sample, your sound card has
been set up properly. Click OK to bring up the sound
setting dialog box and then click OK again to return to
the hardware configuration menu. Please be sure to press
the Enter key or the OK button at each step.
20. Select "Set up video mode" and click OK.
Set up video mode
-----------------
This is where you determine the graphics mode for the movies in
the demo. There are two different screen sizes (320 x 200 and
640 x 480) and two different color settings (256 and 65536).
Note: If you have any problems, please read the "Video Cards
and VESA Drivers" section.
21. Select "Auto detect" and click OK. The Setup program will
try to determine the optimum screen resolution and color
setting based on your video card and CD-ROM speed.
The results of the auto detection will be displayed in a
dialog box. Click OK to exit.
22. If your graphics mode is set to "640x480 65536 colors," you
have the option to view movies in full screen mode. You can
change the default selection by clicking one of the "Full
Screen Mode" options in the lower left part of the screen.
(The currently selected option is in red.)
Turning full screen mode on displays movies using most of the
screen, but at a slightly lower quality and performance.
Turning full screen mode off displays movies at their intended
resolution, but the picture is significantly smaller (about
one-quarter of the screen).
23. You have the option to turn the universal VESA driver on or
off. The default (if you have a VESA driver already loaded)
is "UniVESA Off."
You will normally only use the universal VESA driver if you
do not have a VESA driver already loaded. (A VESA driver is
usually provided by your video card manufacturer.)
24. Click OK to begin the video card test, which will display a
test picture in the graphics mode you selected. Click OK in
the next dialog box to begin the video test.
25. Click the mouse button or hit any key to exit the video
test.
Note: If you did not see the test picture, please read the
"Video Cards and VESA Drivers" section.
26. Choose "Select joystick" and click OK.
Set up joystick
---------------
This is where you determine which controller you will use to
fly your F-14.
27. Select from one of the following options and click OK.
None for keyboard flight control
ThrustMaster for the ThrustMaster FCS
Wingman Extreme for the Logitech Wingman Extreme
CH FlightStick Pro for the CH FlightStick Pro
Suncom F-15E Eagle for the Suncom F-15E Eagle
Programmable Stick for ThrustMaster FLCS, Gravis
Firebird, etc.
Other Joystick for any other joystick
28. Select "Return to previous menu" and click OK.
29. Select "Set sim graphics options" from the Setup menu and
click OK.
Set sim graphics options
------------------------
30. Select "Set game resolution" and click OK. Choose either
"Low" for 320 x 200 resolution or "High" for 640 x 480
resolution. (We only recommend running the simulation in
high resolution if you have a 75MHz Pentium or faster.)
31. Select "Return to previous menu" and click OK.
32. Select "Set game options" and click OK.
Set game options
----------------
33. Click on the game option and then click on which setting
you want.
Set weapons: Unlimited Weapons, Unlimited Guns or
Limited Weapons
Set enemy intelligence: Novice Enemies or Expert Enemies
Set crashes: Crashes On or Crashes Off
Set flight model: Simple Flight or Complex Flight
Set blackout/redout: Blackout On or Blackout Off
Set object size: Realistic Objects or Enlarged Objects
Set engine sound: Engine Sound On or Engine Sound Off
34. Select "Return to previous menu" to return to the Setup
main menu.
35. Select "Exit and save configuration" to return to the main
screen.
36. Select "Exit installer" to return to DOS.
Loading
=======
Once you have finished installing the Top Gun demo, follow the
instructions below to run the demo:
1. Insert the Top Gun demo disc into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Change to the demo directory on your hard drive by typing
"cd\tgdemo [Enter]." (If you installed the demo to a
directory other than \TGDEMO, change to that directory
instead.)
3. Type "tgdemo [Enter]" to run the Top Gun demo!
How to play the demo
====================
Since this is a demo of Top Gun, some of the menu items are
not active and you will not be able to click on them.
1. After watching the introductory movies, select "Setup" and
then "Joystick" from the menu.
2. Click on "Choose Type" and select one of the listed
joysticks.
3. Click on "Calibrate" and follow the onscreen instructions.
4. Select "Go Back" to return to the main menu.
5. Click on "View Objects" to look at the 3-D objects in the
Top Gun game.
6. When you're finished looking at the 3-D objects, click
"Done" to return to the main menu.
7. Click on "Game" to play a mission.
8. Select either "Play Mission 1" or "Play Mission 2."
9. Read the mission briefing text and click on "Armament" if
you wish to choose your weapons load. Otherwise, click on
"Take Off."
Commands
========
Keyboard stick controls
-----------------------
8 on the numeric keypad: Nose down
2 on the numeric keypad: Nose up
4 on the numeric keypad: Bank left
6 on the numeric keypad: Bank right
5 on the numeric keypad: Auto level
Rudder controls
---------------
[ (left bracket): Left rudder
] (right bracket): Right rudder
Throttle & afterburner
----------------------
+ (plus sign): Increase throttle
- (minus sign): Decrease throttle
0 (zero): Autothrottle
>: Increase afterburner
<: Decrease afterburner
Weapon keys
-----------
Enter: Change weapons
Spacebar: Fire weapon
Countermeasures
---------------
; (semicolon): Drop flares
' (quote): Drop chaff
Flight control
--------------
A: Autopilot
B: Speed brakes
F: Flaps
G: Landing gear
H: Tailhook
L: Catapult launch
Ctrl-E: Eject
Ctrl-J: Jettison stores
HUD controls
------------
Backspace: Change HUD mode
\ (backslash): ILS HUD
7 on top row: Change primary HUD color
8 on top row: Change secondary HUD color
PIP controls
------------
R: Radar PIP
S: Status PIP
W: World PIP
Q: Cycle PIP object
Radar keys
----------
Tab: Cycle radar targets
Z: Zoom radar in
X: Zoom radar out
View control keys
-----------------
Up arrow: Rotate up
Down arrow: Rotate down
Left arrow: Rotate left
Right arrow: Rotate right
Time compression
----------------
C: Increase time compression
V: Time compression off
Cockpit views
-------------
F1: Cockpit view
F2: Full Cockpit view
F3: Left view
F4: Right view
F9: HUD Only view
F8: Virtual Cockpit
T: Cycle Virtual targets
Outside views
-------------
F5: Outside view
F6: Chase view
F7: Enemy track view
N: Cycle objects
I: Zoom object in
O: Zoom object out
Resolution/terrain
------------------
~ (tilde): Change resolution
1 on top row: Clouds on/off
2 on top row: Terrain on/off
Miscellaneous
-------------
Esc: In-flight menu
P: Pause
M: Mission map
4 on top row: Labels on/off
5 on top row: Arrow Indicator on/off
Ctrl-K: Radio silence
Standard 2-button joystick
--------------------------
Button 1: Fire weapon
Button 2: Change weapons
ThrustMaster FCS, Suncom F-15E Eagle and CH FlightStick Pro
-----------------------------------------------------------
Button 1: Fire weapon
Button 2: Change weapons
Button 3: Cycle radar targets
Button 4: Change HUD mode
Hat switch up: Cockpit View
Hat switch down: Full Cockpit View
Hat switch left: Left View
Hat switch right: Right View
Windows 95
==========
Because our game requires 100% control of your computer (since
it was developed in a DOS environment), we can't guarantee that
the demo will run well in Windows 95. However, we have provided
two different ways to run the demo if you have Windows 95:
either in MS-DOS mode or in a DOS compatibility box.
We recommend running the demo in MS-DOS mode due to potential
incompatibilities and performance problems running in a DOS
compatibility box.
Installing under Windows 95
---------------------------
1. Start Windows 95 in the usual fashion.
2. Insert the Top Gun demo disc into your CD-ROM drive.
3. Double-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive (which is
usually D:).
4. Double-click the icon labeled "AUTOPLAY.EXE" to run the
installer for Top Gun demo.
5. Since you have not installed the demo yet, you will see a
dialog box saying, "We could not find an installed version
of Top Gun: Fire at Will on your computer." (If you have
installed Top Gun: Fire at Will under DOS, this message
will still appear.)
6. Select "Install Top Gun: Fire at Will to hard drive." (If
you have previously installed the game but then moved the
game directory, you should select "Browse to locate Top
Gun: Fire at Will" to tell the program where it can find
the game directory.)
7. Click on "View and print Readme" and click OK to read and
print important last-minute information.
8. Click on "Install game" and click OK to choose an
installation method.
9. We highly recommend selecting "Install game to run in
MS-DOS mode." You must have the DOS drivers for your CD-ROM
drive, mouse and sound card in your autoexec.bat and
config.sys files in order to run the game in MS-DOS mode.
Also note that when you run the Top Gun demo in MS-DOS
mode, it will automatically reboot your computer when it
loads and when it exits.
We only recommend selecting "Install game to run under
Windows 95" if you do not have (and cannot locate) the DOS
drivers installed for your CD-ROM drive, mouse and sound
card. Please note that although the demo runs under Windows
95 in a DOS compatibility box, you may experience some
choppiness in the game when the digitized voices are playing.
10. Follow the instructions under "Installation" starting at
step #7. (If you receive a message that your CD-ROM drive
is too slow, ignore it. The CD-ROM test is invalid in a
multitasking environment.)
After you complete installation steps 7-36, select "Exit
installer" to return to Windows 95 and automatically load
the game.
Loading Under Windows 95
------------------------
1. Install the game using the instructions for "Installing
Under Windows 95."
2. Insert the Top Gun demo disc into your CD-ROM drive.
3. If you chose to install the demo in MS-DOS mode, your
computer will display a dialog box that reads "This program
is set to run in MS-DOS mode and cannot run while other
programs are running. All other programs will close if you
choose to continue." Click the "Yes" button to continue
loading the Top Gun demo.
If you chose to install the demo to run in a DOS
compatibility box under Windows 95, the game will now
automatically load.
Making a Boot Disk
==================
If you are having problems with the Top Gun demo, you may want
to create a separate boot disk to run the demo, especially if
you have only 8MB RAM. This should eliminate any conflicts with
any other programs you may have loaded. If you're running
Windows 95, you must have all mouse, CD-ROM and sound card
drivers in your config.sys and autoexec.bat before making the
boot disk.
1. Insert the Top Gun demo disc into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Change to your CD-ROM drive by typing "d: [Enter]." (If
your CD-ROM drive is a letter other than D, substitute that
letter instead.)
3. If necessary, change to the directory where the Top Gun
demo is located. For example, type "cd tgdemo [Enter]."
4. Type "install [Enter]" to run the installer.
5. After the installer loads, select the "Make boot disk"
option and click OK.
6. Insert a blank, formatted floppy disk (either 1.44MB or
720K depending on your floppy drive) into drive A and click
OK. You must use the same capacity floppy disk as your
floppy drive. (For example, if you have a 1.44MB floppy
drive, make sure you are using a 1.44MB (high-density)
floppy disk for your boot disk.) The necessary files will
then be copied to the floppy disk.
7. When the boot disk is ready, the installer will bring you
back to the main menu. Click "Exit installer" to quit the
program.
8a. If you're running under DOS, keep the boot disk in drive A,
the Top Gun demo disc in your CD-ROM drive and restart your
machine.
8b. If you're running under Windows 95, keep the boot disk in
drive A, the Top Gun demo disc in your CD-ROM drive and
select "Shut Down" from the Start menu. Then select
"Restart the computer" and click "Yes."
9. Follow the instructions under "Loading" to run the game.
Memory
======
If you are experiencing a problem with the demo, it may be due
to either your memory manager or virtual memory.
Memory managers
---------------
We recommend disabling all memory managers before running the
Top Gun demo. You can make a boot disk to avoid changing your
autoexec.bat and config.sys files.
If you are running a memory manager, be sure to run your memory
manager's optimization program after installing the demo. For
example, run Optimize if you use QEMM, Memmaker if you use
EMM386 or Maximize if you use 386Max.
If you use EMM386, first try using the NOEMS switch. If you
continue to have problems, disable EMM386.
Virtual Memory
--------------
Because the Top Gun demo uses virtual memory, any file problems
on the hard drive (such as lost file clusters) may cause
problems in the demo. To fix this problem, we recommend you run
a program such as CHKDSK, Norton Disk Doctor or SCANDISK.
For example, all IBM PC compatibles include the CHKDSK utility
with DOS. To run CHKDSK, change to your DOS directory and type
"chkdsk /f [Enter]" at the DOS prompt. When you see the message
"Convert lost chains to files (Y/N)?" type "n."
In addition, you should delete any swap file from your demo
directory by typing "del delete.swp [Enter]."
Sound Card Questions
====================
The Top Gun demo has been tested with and will run on any Sound
Blaster or 100% compatible sound card.
Q&A
---
Q: My sound card documentation says I have a Sound Blaster
compatible card. Why is the installer not detecting my card?
A: If your sound card is not one of the listed cards, you need
to manually choose a card from the list that is the closest
match. We recommend trying the "Sound Blaster 8" setting
first. You can also try the "Sound Blaster Pro" setting.
Some sound cards provide Sound Blaster support through
software in what is known as "emulation mode." This
generally requires the emulation drivers be loaded prior
to running any applications. Make sure you have those
emulation drivers turned on before running the demo.
Q: My Sound Blaster 16 is set to IRQ 10, and both the Sound
Setup program and the Top Gun demo crash.
A: We recommend choosing "Sound Blaster Pro" at the Sound
Setup to avoid this incompatibility.
Q: I have a Reveal SC400 sound card and the installer does not
detect it.
A: The Reveal SC400 card is compatible with the demo. You need
to manually select the "Sound Blaster 8" setting (and make
sure the Port, IRQ and DMA settings are correct) to hear
sound in the demo.
Q: I have an ATI Stereo F/X card, but the installer won't
detect the card.
A: The ATI Stereo F/X is compatible with the demo. You need to
manually select the "Sound Blaster 8" setting and then
choose the correct Port, IRQ and DMA settings for your card
to hear sound in the demo.
Q: I'm using an older Compaq machine that uses onboard
Business Audio and am not getting any sound in the demo.
A: This is the older version of Compaq's onboard audio. It is
equivalent to Ad Lib (FM) sound; therefore, it is not
supported in the demo. You need to upgrade to a Sound
Blaster compatible card to hear sound.
Q: I have a Compaq Presario or laptop computer with built-in
sound, and the installer crashes during the sound test.
A: You need to manually select "Sound Blaster Pro" (instead
of "Sound Blaster 16"). The Setup program will then
automatically detect the correct settings for the Port,
IRQ and DMA.
Q: I have a MediaMagic RoadRunner sound card or an Aztech
Sound Galaxy NX Pro sound card, but the installer cannot
auto-detect my sound card.
A: You need to manually select the "Sound Blaster Pro" option
and choose the correct Port, IRQ and DMA settings as listed
in the manual for your sound card.
Q: If I set my Sound Blaster 16 card in the Setup program to
IRQ 2, the demo occasionally crashes.
A: Sometimes there may be an IRQ conflict between the sound
card and another device. To solve this problem, you need to
use the utilities that came with your Sound Blaster 16 card
to change the IRQ to a setting other than 2. (See your
Sound Blaster manual for more information.) Once you have
changed the IRQ setting, run the Setup program and select
"Auto Detect" from the "Set up sound card" option.
Q: I have an Ad Lib (or Ad Lib Gold) and can't get any sound.
A: Top Gun does not support Ad Lib or Ad Lib Gold sound cards.
You need to upgrade to a Sound Blaster compatible sound
card in order to hear sound in the demo.
Q: I have a ProAudio Spectrum 16, and I'm hearing a lot of
static and hissing when sounds are played.
A: Run the Setup program in your demo directory and change the
sound card setting to "Sound Blaster 8."
Q: I have a Toshiba T2150CD 486DX4-75 notebook computer
equipped with an ESS Audio Drive sound card, and the demo
crashes when I try to run it.
A: You must run the Setup program and manually select either
"Sound Blaster 8" or "Sound Blaster Pro." Then save the
settings and run the demo again. The auto-detection routine
incorrectly identifies the ESS Audio Drive as a Sound
Blaster 16.
Video Cards and VESA Drivers
============================
Top Gun requires a 100% VESA-compatible driver and a Super VGA
video card capable of 640 x 480 x 256 colors. If your card does
not meet these specifications, it will not run the demo. Many
video cards require that a VESA driver be loaded prior to
running any Super VGA applications. If this is the case, please
be sure that your VESA driver is loaded before playing the
demo. Some video cards have the driver built-in as hardware.
Cards with built-in hardware VESA drivers do not need any
additional drivers in software to run the demo.
Universal VESA Driver
---------------------
If you do not have a VESA driver for your video card, the
installer can install one on your computer. The universal VESA
driver is compatible with the following Super VGA chipsets at
the time of this printing.
Although you may not see any video card vendors like Orchid and
Hercules, their products use chips from the manufacturers on
the following list.
* Acer Labs ALi CAT-32/64
* Ark Logic ARK1000VL, ARK1000PV, ARK2000PV
* Avance Logic AL2101/2201/2228/2301/2302/2364 SuperVGA
* Ahead V5000A, V5000B
* ATI Technologies 18800, 28800, Mach32, Mach64
* Chips & Technologies 82c45x, 655xx, 643x0 WinGine
* Cirrus Logic CL-GD62xx, 5402, 5422/4/6/8/9, 5430/4
* Cirrus Logic LCD CL-GD64xx
* Compaq IVGS/AVGA, QVision QV1024/1280
* Diamond Viper P9000+W5186/OAK87 VLB and PCI
* Everex Viewpoint, Viewpoint/NI, Viewpoint/TC
* Genoa Systems GVGA
* Hualon HMC86304/14
* IIT AGX-010/11/14/15/16/17
* Matrox MGA Atlas
* MXIC 86000/86010 SuperVGA
* NCR 77C20/21/22E/32BLT
* OAK Technologies OTI-037C/057/067/077/087
* Paradise/Western Digital PVGA1A, WD90C1x/2x/3x
* Primus 2000 SuperVGA
* RealTek RTG3103/3105/3106 SuperVGA
* S3 86c911/924/801/805/928/864/964/866/868/968/Trio32/Trio64
* Sierra Semiconductor Falcon/64
* Trident 88/8900/9x00/8900CL/8900D/9200CXr/9400CXi/9420DGi
/9440AGi
* Tseng Labs ET3000, ET4000, ET4000/W32/W32i/W32p
* UMC 85c408/18
* Video7 VEGA, HT208/209/216
* Weitek 5086/5186/5286, P9100
To use the universal VESA driver, select "UniVESA On" from the
"Set up video mode" option in the Setup program. If the Setup
program does not get the universal VESA driver to work, you may
need to run the universal VESA configuration program. To do
this, change to the TOPGUN directory on your hard drive and
type "uvconfig [Enter]" from the DOS prompt. When the main menu
appears, select "Ok." This will set up the universal VESA
driver.
Q&A
---
Q: What are VESA drivers?
A: VESA drivers are small programs that allow your video card
to communicate with your computer using certain graphics
standards. Most video cards now come with their own VESA
drivers (either built-in or through software), but we
include a universal VESA driver with the Top Gun demo just
in case.
Q: I have a VESA-compatible video card, but I'm not sure if I
have the proper driver(s) loaded. What should I do?
A: The installation program will detect whether you have a
VESA driver loaded or not. If you do not have one loaded,
the installation program will ask you if you want the
universal VESA driver installed on your machine. This
driver will work properly with the Top Gun demo, and you
will not need to load any additional drivers.
Q: I have a VESA driver loaded, but when I get to the video
card portion of the installer, it gives me the opportunity
to turn "UniVESA On." Should I hit this button or ignore it?
A: If the installer did not ask you to install the universal
VESA driver, then you already have a VESA driver loaded.
Make sure that "UniVESA Off" is highlighted in red before
continuing with the installation.
Q: When the movies are playing in the demo, I'm experiencing
strange effects such as video colors shifting, drastic
slowdowns, etc.
A: We recommend running the Setup program and changing to
"Full Screen Mode Off." You can also try turning "UniVESA
On." Either of these solutions might solve your problem.
Q: I have a Diamond SpeedStar Pro VLB video card and keep
hearing static when sound effects play.
A: This can be fixed by running the Setup program and turning
"UniVESA On." This will install the universal VESA driver
to your hard drive.
Q: I have a Diamond Viper video card with a Weitek P9000
chipset and am having problems installing the demo.
A: Before running the installation program, run the VESA
installation program that came with your Diamond video
card. First, change to the directory that contains the
vprmode.exe program. Then, type "vprmode vesa [Enter]."
This will install the VESA driver that is compatible with
your video card. For more information, please refer to your
manual for the Diamond Viper video card.
Q: I own an Orchid Fahrenheit 1280 with VESA support built in
to the video card. When I click on "Auto detect," the
installer sets my screen resolution at 320 x 200 with 256
colors. Can I select a higher screen resolution?
A: Simply select a higher resolution from the list. The
installer will not auto-detect these higher resolutions,
but they will work fine in the demo.
Q: I have a Genoa 512K VGA card and have installed the Genoa
VESA driver, but I get scrunched graphics at the top of the
screen. Why?
A: You need to run the Setup program and select "UniVESA On"
from the "Set up video mode" screen. If this doesn't work,
you may need to run the universal VESA driver configuration
program first (see the previous section on the Universal
VESA Driver) and then run the demo. Newer Genoa video cards
have a hardware-installed VESA driver.
General Troubleshooting
=======================
Q&A
---
Q: I'm trying to load the demo, but it immediately exits to
DOS with an error message from DOS/4GW about "not enough
disk space for swapping."
A: You do not have enough free space on your computer's hard
drive to run the demo. The Top Gun demo requires 16MB of
free hard drive space. (To check how much hard drive space
you have, type "dir [Enter]" at the DOS prompt. The last
number at the bottom should read at least "16777216 bytes
free.") If you do not have enough free hard drive space,
you need to delete any unnecessary files to increase the
available hard drive space to 16MB. When you have done so,
the demo will load normally.
Q: I'm running the Top Gun demo on a computer with only 8MB
RAM, and the demo runs slowly.
A: The demo is very memory-intensive, so if your computer has
only 8MB RAM, the computer must constantly swap data to and
from your hard drive. With 16MB RAM, the demo has enough
memory for smooth demoplay.
Q: I'm running the Top Gun demo from a compressed hard drive,
and the demo runs slowly (if at all).
A: Hard drive compression such as Stacker, DriveSpace,
DoubleSpace and SuperStor may hinder the demo's performance.
We strongly recommend installing the demo to a non-
compressed drive.
Q: I'm trying to run the demo with a memory manager (such as
EMM386, QEMM or 386Max) and the demo won't load.
A: Some memory managers will not operate properly with the Top
Gun demo. We recommend disabling any memory manager before
running the demo or else running the demo with a boot disk.
Q: I have QEMM installed on my machine. If I run Windows, exit
and then run the demo, the demo acts strangely.
A: We recommend running the demo without any kind of memory
manager (such as QEMM). You can solve the problem by
rebooting your computer (not loading Windows) before
playing the demo or by making a boot disk.
Q: I'm trying to run the demo with QEMM in Stealth mode and I
can't load the demo.
A: If you are going to use QEMM, you must disable Stealth
mode. We recommend disabling any memory manager before
running the demo or else running the demo with a boot disk.
Q: I own a VESA-compatible video card, but when I try to run
the demo with the universal VESA driver, it doesn't work.
A: If your video card does not have one of the chipsets listed
in the section on the Universal VESA Driver, the universal
VESA driver will not work. You will need to obtain the
latest VESA driver from your video card manufacturer. See
your video card's manual for more information.
Q: When I'm watching one of the movies in the demo, the video
appears very choppy (and sometimes freezes the demo). Can
this be fixed?
A: To fix the problem, you will need to lower your video
resolution (or turn "Full Screen Mode" to Off). Run the
Setup program from your TOPGUN directory and follow the
directions under "Configure hardware" and "Set up video
mode." Instead of selecting "Auto detect," choose one of
the video modes earlier in the list than the one currently
selected. We recommend 320 x 200 x 256 colors. Follow the
remaining steps and be sure to select "Exit and save
configuration" when you are finished.
Q: I have a laptop computer and am trying to run the demo with
a Backpack CD-ROM adapter. I can't get the demo to install.
A: These adapters are not MPC compliant and will not run with the
Top Gun demo. The CD-ROM data transfer rate is too slow to
adequately display movies in the demo.
Q: When I try to run the Top Gun demo on a NexGen computer, it
locks up immediately with a black screen or doesn't display
any of the 3-D objects (such as planes, ships, etc.).
A: Because Top Gun requires a math coprocessor 100% compatible
with Intel's standard, it will not run on NexGen computers
(either models with or without a math coprocessor).
In general, 80486 systems without a math coprocessor are
known as SX systems, while 80486 systems with a math
coprocessor are called DX systems. Top Gun will not run
on any SX systems.
Q: I own a large (540MB or greater) IDE hard drive and am
trying to run the demo with a boot disk I created using the
installer. The boot disk doesn't seem to be working.
A: Some computer systems do not have the IDE hard drive
drivers built-in to the computer's CMOS. This may require
you to manually copy the driver for your hard drive from
your computer to the boot disk. (For example, some Connor
hard drives use the dmdrvr.bin driver.) Once this is
accomplished, the boot disk will recognize your hard drive.
For more information, refer to the manual that came with
your IDE hard drive or your computer's owner manual.
You need to press Spacebar to boot from a floppy disk on
some computers with enhanced IDE drives.
Q: I have a monochrome card installed with an ISA (AT) video
board and the demo runs slowly.
A: To improve performance, you should remove the monochrome
video card.
Q: Movies are playing very choppily in the demo.
A: If you are using the CORELCDX CD-ROM driver, be warned that
it does not work properly with the demo. You can replace
the CORELCDX driver with MSCDEX (a CD-ROM driver that comes
with MS-DOS). This should improve movie performance. Refer
to your MS-DOS manual for more instructions.
Otherwise, increase the buffer size on the MSCDEX line in
your autoexec.bat file so that it reads "/m:25."
Q: I am using some power management utilities (or screen
savers) and the demo occasionally freezes.
A: We recommend disabling any power management utilities (such
as the Aptiva Power Management Utilities) and screen savers
before running the demo. These utilities interfere with the
demo's normal operation.
Q: My non-Microsoft mouse paints colors on the screen when I
move it.
A: You need to use the latest version (version 8.2 or above)
of a Microsoft-compatible mouse driver. Generic mouse
drivers may not work properly with the demo.
Q: I have a Logitech Marble trackball, and the Top Gun demo
crashes as soon as the mouse is active.
A: Use the regular MOUSE driver instead of the CLOAKING
driver for your Logitech trackball. Top Gun and your other
programs will work fine with the MOUSE driver.
Q: I have an MGA Impression Plus PCI video card with 2MB of
video RAM, but am unable to install the demo. The installer
keeps exiting to DOS and gives an error about being unable
to initialize the VESA driver.
A: All MGA video cards have VESA built-in to the card.
However, you will need to run the VESA driver that came
with your MGA card before running the demo.
Q: I am running the demo under Novell DOS 7.0, and the video
movies seem to be out of synch with the voices.
A: The Top Gun demo will run properly with MS-DOS 5.0 or
later. Any other operating system (such as DR DOS, Novell
DOS, OS/2, etc.) may have problems running the demo. You
can solve the synching problem by replacing the nwcdex.exe
CD-ROM driver with the mscdex.exe CD-ROM driver that comes
with MS-DOS. Please refer to an MS-DOS manual for more
instructions.
Q: I notice that the volume in the demo is lower after running
Windows.
A: You can solve this sound problem by rebooting your computer
and then running the demo.
Q: Is the Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro joystick compatible with
the Top Gun demo?
A: Yes, this joystick works fine with the Top Gun demo. First,
make sure your SideWinder 3D Pro is set to emulate a CH
FlightStick Pro by moving the "Joystick switch" on the
bottom of the joystick to position 1 (the side with one
dot). When you're in the Top Gun demo, choose "Setup"
and then "Joystick." Select "Choose Type" and then "CH
FlightStick Pro" from the list. Next, choose "Calibrate"
and follow the onscreen directions. Top Gun supports the
slider, hat switch and four conventional buttons on the
SideWinder 3D Pro.
Q: I can't calibrate the throttle wheel on my joystick.
A: When the calibration routine asks you to move the throttle
to full MIL power (100% RPM), first move the throttle wheel
to its maximum setting and then back down to the full MIL
power setting and press the fire button.
Customer Support
================
If you have any questions about the Top Gun demo, please
contact Spectrum HoloByte Customer Support at:
* Spectrum HoloByte
2490 Mariner Square Loop
Alameda, CA 94501
Attn: Customer Support
* (510)522-1164
9:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific Time
Monday through Friday
* Fax
(510)522-9357
* Automated technical support and fax back
(800)TECH958
* World Wide Web
http://www.holobyte.com
* FTP
ftp.holobyte.com
America Online
--------------
To reach our Customer Support board in the Industry Connection,
press Ctrl-K for "Go to Keyword." Then type "spectrum" in the
Keyword window. In addition to posting and reading messages,
you can download files (demos, updates, troubleshooting tips,
etc.) from the "Software Libraries." You can also send
electronic mail to Customer Support at S HOLOBYTE. Call
(800)827-6364 for membership information.
AT&T Interchange
----------------
You can send electronic mail to Customer Support at SHOLOBYTE.
CompuServe
----------
To reach our Customer Support board in the Game Publishers B
Forum, type "go gambpub" at any "!" prompt. Then select
"Section 3" for Spectrum HoloByte. In addition to posting and
reading messages, you can download files (demos, updates,
troubleshooting tips, etc.) from the "Libraries (Files)" menu.
You can send electronic mail to Customer Support at 76004,2144.
Call (800)848-8199 and ask Representative #142 for your free
introductory membership and $15 usage credit. Besides online
support of Spectrum HoloByte products, CompuServe offers many
other services including communications, hardware/software
support, reference libraries and more.
GEnie
-----
To reach our Customer Support board in the Games RoundTable,
type "m805;1" at any "?" prompt. Then select "Category 18" for
Spectrum HoloByte. In addition to posting and reading messages,
you can download files (demos, updates, troubleshooting tips,
etc.) from the "Games RoundTable Libraries." You can also send
electronic mail to Customer Support at HOLOBYTE. Call
(800)638-9636 for membership information.
Internet
--------
You can read the latest news and information about Spectrum
HoloByte on our World Wide Web page at http://www.holobyte.com.
Download files from our FTP site at ftp.holobyte.com. Send
electronic mail to Customer Support at topgun@holobyte.com.
Spectrum HoloByte Customer Support BBS
--------------------------------------
To reach our Customer Support BBS, phone (510)522-8909 [8-N-1].
The BBS supports 300 baud to 14.4K (v.42bis) and Xmodem,
Ymodem and Zmodem transfer protocols. After you are logged
in, follow the onscreen prompts to sign on as a new user. The
Customer Support BBS has message areas and file libraries
(program updaters and game utilities).
If you are having problems with the Top Gun demo, we can best
help you if (1) you are at your computer when you call and
(2) you have the following information handy:
* Version number of the game
* Your computer's brand and model
* Your computer's BIOS brand and version number
* Total RAM installed in your computer
* Name and version number of your operating system (such as
MS-DOS or Windows 95)
* Name and version number of your memory manager (such as
QEMM, EMM386 or 386Max)
* CD-ROM brand and model name
* Video card brand and model name
* Mouse brand and version number of mouse driver
* Sound card brand and model name
* Contents of autoexec.bat and config.sys files
* At the DOS prompt (or if you're running Windows 95, select
"Run" from the Start menu), type "mem/c [Enter]" and copy
down the onscreen listing