This file contains information about Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition Trial Version.
To get news and product updates for Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition or other Microsoft games, check out our World Wide Web sites at http://www.microsoft.com/games/ and http://www.microsoft.com/sports/golf/.
The 1998 edition of Microsoft Golf Trial Version gives you 3 holes of play at the stunning Bay Harbor Golf Club on the shores of Lake Michigan. It also offers expanded choices for customizing your game; scoring and betting options; and four swing types, including two that are brand-new.
Section A contains basic information on playing Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition Trial Version.
*Stroke Play (one or two players): In stroke (or medal) play, your score is based on your total shots during a round. The player with the fewest strokes wins the round.
*Bingo Bango Bongo (two players): Play a stroke game that includes bets for various play options. The standard bets for Bingo Bango Bongo are lowest score for the hole (skin), first shot that lands and stays on the green, and the ball that's closest to the pin after every player is on the green.
You start a round of Golf '98 Trial Version in the Main View with inset views available and the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. The toolbar options are described here.
*Menu: Choose game and player options, including swing type and view.
*Flyby: See the hole from the air, and get tips on how to play it. (Flyby feature available in the full retail version of Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition.)
*Grid: Get specific terrain detail on the area around the ball.
*Spin: Add spin to the ball to make your shot draw or fade.
*Height: Increase the arc of your player's shot.
*Rotate: Turn your player to hit the ball out of a tight spot.
*Scorecard: See scores for the current round.
*Swing: Double-click to execute the Sim Swing.
*Club Selection: Change a club for this shot.
*Lie : Shows your current lie.
*Topography: Shows the slope and terrain around your aiming point.
*Wind Gauge: Gives the current wind speed and direction.
*Profile Tool: Shows height differences and distance between ball position and aiming point, and aiming point and hole.
*Chat: Lets you talk to other players in a Multiplayer game. (Chat feature available in the full retail version of Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition.)
Top View gives an aerial view of the hole and your aiming point. Reverse View appears after a shot and shows your ball's landing point from a reverse angle.
An accurate and carefully gauged swing will result in a great golf round.
Here are swing descriptions:
*2-click Swing For your backswing, click and hold your mouse button on the Swing Arc, release the button to set power, and click a second time to hit the ball.
*3-click Swing Click your mouse button three times on the Swing Arc: once to start the backswing, again to set the power, and a third time to hit the ball.
*Natural Swing With your pointer on the Swing Meter, hold down the mouse button, and slide the mouse straight in one direction to make your backswing, then straight back to make your downswing and hit the ball.
*Sim Swing This is the game's simulation swing. To execute it, double-click the Swing button on the game toolbar.
When your player's at the tee, the red-and-white aiming pole appears at a default distance away (the rated distance of your driver). The pole marks a targeted distance for your shot. To move the pole and change this distance, place your mouse pointer at the distance you want, and click it to move the pole. Or, click and hold the button to drag the pole.
To see your aiming pole's position at any time, right-click your mouse.
If you've set Auto Caddie to Yes in the Player Preferences dialog box (available on the Game Menu), the game will change your club selection when you move the pole a certain degree beyond your club's rated distance or pull it significantly closer than the club's distance.
You can also use the Top View to help you set your aim. The white arrow in the Top View draws a line from your ball to your aiming point and shows the aiming point's closeness to hazards, bunkers, trees, the center of the fairway, and the green. The arrow and the aiming pole move together. Also, you can click inside the Top View to instantly move the pole.
*Putting: Use the grid to see terrain details. You can also probe the green with the aiming pole and use the Profile tool and Topography image to see elevation changes.
*2- and 3-click Swings: The recommended power indicator (RPI) is based on flat terrain, with no wind or ball spin, so adjust your swing power if wind is a factor or if you need to account for spin on the ball.
*Height Button: Use the Height button to give more arc to your shot and increase backspin. This will help stop your ball on the green for approach shots and some chip shots.
You can also use Height to clear trees or other obstacles by shooting above or below them or to get over steep inclines.
*Spin Button: To increase draw or fade in your shot, set the ball's left or right direction with the spin button, and then hit a straight shot using the 2- or 3-click Swing or Natural Swing. The Spin button will curve the ball.
To play Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition Trial Version, you need:
* A computer with a Pentium 90 MHz processor
* Microsoft Windows 95 or later operating system, or Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later operating system (will not run on earlier versions of Windows)
* 16 MB of RAM for Windows 95 or 24 MB for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with a 60 MB swap file
* 55 MB of available hard disk space
* A 16-bit sound board and speakers or headphones to hear audio
* A Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
* 16-bit video system
Improving Performance on Machines with 16 MB of RAM
We recommend installing Golf '98 Trial Version in a different folder than Microsoft Golf 3.0.
If you are using PC Tools Desktop as your Windows shell, you will need to restart Windows manually after installing Golf '98 Trial Version. Just exit Windows and type win at the prompt.
Game sounds and user interface sounds will always be installed to your hard drive.
Troubleshooting Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition Trial Version Setup
Following are the most common errors encountered while installing Golf '98 Trial Version. Follow the instructions for each error message you encountered when you tried to install Golf '98 Trial Version, and then run Setup again.
**Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition does not run under Windows 3.1. You must have Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 or later to run Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition.**
You must install Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with Service Pack 3. To purchase a Windows upgrade, see your local retailer.
**Golf '98 does not run under Window NT 4.0 with Service Pack earlier than 3. You should upgrade your Windows NT 4.0 system to SP3 or later as soon as possible.**
Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition Trial Version high-resolution golf courses require a 16-bit video system. For more on display issues, see Video Troubleshooting, below.
**Setup has detected that DirectX 5.2 is not installed on your system. Would you like to download Direct 5.2? You must have DirectX 5.2 or later to play Golf '98 Trial.**
You must install DirectX 5.2 or later to play Golf '98 Trial. If you recieve this message, click OK to go directly to http://www.microsoft.com/directx to download DirectX 5.2.
**Setup has detected that DirectX 5.2 is not installed on your system. You must install DirectX 5.2 or later to play Golf '98.**
You must install DirectX 5.2 or later. To download DirectX 5.2, go to http://www.microsoft.com/directx.
Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition Trial Version high-resolution golf courses require a 16-bit color video display that supports 800x600 screen resolution.
During game play, Golf '98 Trial Version runs in 800x600 display resolution and 16-bit color. If you set your Windows settings to 800x600 and 16-bit color before starting the game, Golf '98 Trial Version won't have to switch into this mode when it begins a game. (To select these settings, go to the Windows taskbar, click Settings, click Control Panel, and click Display. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab.)
If you minimize Golf '98 Trial Version (using ALT+TAB) from some of the dialog boxes, the dialog boxes may not be restored when you return to the game. Clicking anywhere on the screen will bring the dialog box back. If you open a dialog box in the Main View of the game, then press ALT+TAB to minimize the game, you may not be able to see the dialog box when you restore Golf '98 Trial Version. To see the dialog box, click Rotate on the toolbar in the Main View, then click OK. This should restore the dialog box.
It is possible to corrupt the Main View of the game when making changes to inset views. The result is that the Main View elements, such as the scenery and the golfer animations, are not redrawn between shots. Follow the steps below to correct the condition without exiting the game:
1. Click Menu on the toolbar, point to Views, and click Main Only to turn all inset views off temporarily.
2. Click Grid on the toolbar to turn the grid off. Click Grid again to turn the grid back on.
3. Click Rotate on the toolbar, the click OK.
The graphics in the Main View should be restored, and they should now operate correctly when using the inset views.
If you install different video drivers after installing Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition Trial Version, these drivers may change the performance of the game.
If you experience distorted colors, ghosting, or other irregular video problems, you should consult the DISPLAY.TXT or README.TXT files packaged with Windows 95, or Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with Service Pack 3, for hardware-specific display problems. Most video problems can be resolved by updating the operating system's display drivers. Consult your original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for a possible display-driver upgrade. Many OEMs have drivers posted on their Internet Web sites.
Some systems may have display problems when used with incorrect or generic Windows video drivers. Be sure you have installed the correct video driver for your video card.
To determine which driver is being used when running Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Display icon.
3. Click the Settings tab.
4. Click Display Type (for Windows 95 click Change Display Type) and note the Adapter Type displayed.
If your computer has a Diamond Stealth 3D video card with driver version 4.2.12.0, Golf '98 may stop responding. To fix the problem, go the Diamond Stealth Web site and download the latest drivers.
Diamond Stealth's Web site is http://www.diamondmm.com/products/drivers/stealth3d-2000.html
If your computer has a Matrox video card (with the Power Desk driver) and you want to change your color palette setting from 256 Color to High Color (16 bit) you will need to close Golf '98 Trial Version before making the change.
You may experience video display problems if your computer is using an ET4000 video card. We suggest you visit Tseng Labs' Web site and download the most recent version of its software. The address of Tseng Labs' Web site is http://www.tseng.com
Your monitor's energy-saving feature may cause Golf '98 Trial Version to stop responding if your computer has an S3 trio64V+ video card. If this happens, restart the machine.
Contact your video-card manufacturer for verification of the latest video driver and for information about obtaining the latest driver.
If Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition Trial Version does not play sound properly, first verify that:
* You've correctly installed the Windows 95 or Windows NT sound drivers.
* Your speakers are on and properly plugged in, and the volume is turned up.
* The Windows 95 volume control is enabled and turned up and the Mute check box isn't selected.
* Game sounds are turned on in the Game Preferences dialog box.
If the game still doesn't play sound properly, verify that Windows 95 can play .WAV files:
1. Quit Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition Trial Version, in addition to any other programs that use sound.
2. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click the Sounds icon.
4. Under Events, click an event that has a loudspeaker icon next to it.
5. In the Name text box, be sure that the three-letter file extension is ".WAV".
6. Under Preview, click the play button to hear the sound.
If you don't hear any sound, or if Windows 95 is not able to play a .WAV file, check to see that a sound driver is enabled:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the System icon.
3. Click the Device Manager tab.
4. Click the plus sign next to Sound, Video and Game Controllers.
If you don't see this entry or you have no sound card listed under this entry, contact the manufacturer of the computer or sound card and request help on reinstalling the sound-card drivers.
Some 16-bit sound cards may have difficulty playing the advanced sound effects in Golf '98 Trial Version. You might eliminate periodic or random freezes by turning off the Game Sounds and Commentary options in the Game Preferences dialog box. To turn off these options:
1. Go to the Game Menu on the toolbar, and select Options.
2. Choose Game Preferences.
3. Click Game Sounds and Commentary to No.
NOTE: If you are having audio problems and your computer uses an Awe64 or Awe32 sound card, you may want to download new drivers from the original manufacturer's Web site. Creative Labs' Internet address is http://www.creaf.com/home.html. Or, go directly to this Web page to download the drivers:
Before starting Golf '98 Trial Version, close all other applications, especially other network applications such as Microsoft Outlook or other e-mail programs.
We recommend that you do not change screen resolutions during game play and that you do not use ALT+TAB to minimize the screen while playing Golf '98 Trial Version.
The Cumulative Statistics screen will not display the results of a Bingo Bango Bongo game.
Golf '98 Trial Version uses a different variable to calculate putts per greens hit in regulation. Instead of dividing the number of putts a player took on the greens he or she reached in regulation, Golf '98 Trial Version uses the total putts a player took in a round and divides that total by the number of greens reached in regulation.
Using the Natural Swing meter may be easier than using the 2- and 3-click Swing meters on slower machines. You can also try the Sim Swing.
If you minimize Golf '98 Trial Version (using ALT+TAB) during a swing, the screen may be corrupted when the game is restored. To get back in the game, press Enter.
