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Text File | 1995-06-01 | 19.2 KB | 426 lines

ATTENTION CARD version 4/19/94 IndyCar Racing v1.04e Contents: Two Player Racing Trouble Running IndyCar Racing? Detail Levels and Computer Speed Sound Problems Joystick/Yoke/Wheel Calibration Time Acceleration (NEW FEATURE) Miscellaneous Problems Two Player Racing ----------------- IndyCar Racing allows two racers to compete against one another via the Two Player Race menu. They must be connected over a null-modem cable or between two modems running at 9600 baud. Direct Connecting via null-modem cable The two players should have a null-modem cable. Connecting via modem The two players should have modems capable of 9600 baud communication. Setup Menu The Setup menu contains various communications settings: COM PORT: This is the serial port which the computer uses to communicate with either the modem or the other computer. If you change the COM PORT, the program will automatically select the normal IRQ to be used for that port; if you are using a special IRQ, specify it after selecting the COM port. IRQ: The computer uses this interrupt to communicate. It should not be used by anything other than your modem. If you change the COM PORT, the program will automatically select the normal IRQ to be used for that port; if you are using a special IRQ, specify it after selecting the COM port. MODEM/ This is a toggle between the two connection methods. Press DIRECT <enter> to change it. CONNECT INIT STRING See below. This is the most difficult and important part. It is not required for Direct Connect. DIAL PREFIX This is the command sent to the modem just before dialing. The dial prefix is normally "atdt", but you may want to have a commonly dialed number or calling card access number here. (E.g. "atdt9,555-1212") A comma means to delay for a period of time, usually two seconds. It is not required for Direct Connect. DIAL SUFFIX This is the command sent to the modem just after dialing. The dial suffix is usually "^m", which completes the dialing. It is not required for Direct Connect. Initialization String ***************************************************************************** The most common problem of connection via modem in IndyCar Racing is an incomplete initialization string. The following features MUST be disabled in modem connection in IndyCar Racing: data compression, error detection, and error correction. You must be sure that they are off, otherwise you will either not be able to connect or experience erratic car movement. Use the modem initialization string in the 2-Player Race/Setup/Init String menu to disable these features. You must force the modem to connect only at 9600 baud (many modems would try to connect at a different speed if not otherwise specified). We have sample initialization strings for several modems. We cannot provide initialization strings for all modems, but follow these guidelines to set up your modem if it is not on the list. You must make sure that 1. Data compression is off 2. Error detection is off 3. Error correction is off 4. You are connecting at 9600 baud Consult your modem manual to find the required modem commands. If you cannot find the proper commands in the modem documentation, please call the modem manufacturer for assistance. ***************************************************************************** Modem Make Recommended Initialization String ---------- --------------------------------- Gateway Telepath at&f^m~~~atn0s37=9&c1&d2&k0&q0%c0^m Intel 144/144e at&f^m~~~at&c1&d2%c0-j0^m Practical Peripherals PM14400FXMT at&f^m~~~atn0s37=9&q6^m SupraFAXModem at&f^m~~~atn0s37=9&c1&d2&k0&q0%c0^m USRobotics Sportster at&f^m~~~at&c1&d2&k0&m0&n6^m Zoom/FaxModem at&f^m~~~atn0s37=9&c1&d2&k0%c0^m The tildes (~) will appear as down arrows on your screen and function as a pause between commands. The "^m" in the initialization string completes a command to the modem, like pressing <enter>, and must be used after each AT command string, as above. Modern modem features such as data compression and error correction interfere with the communications for the simulation because when communicating with these features on, the roundtrip connection is delayed, and poor gameplay results. Connection One machine should choose 2-Player Race/Answer and the other should choose 2-Player Race/Dial. The dialing machine will dial, then wait for two minutes for the answering machine to connect with it. When the two modems connect, a phone icon will appear in the lower right corner of the screen. If it is blinking, the connection is not perfect. If it disappears for more than five seconds, the connection will be broken. The transmission delay indicates the one-way transmission time from computer to computer. A good connection will have a delay of 0.07 or 0.13 seconds. The longer the delay, the worse the gameplay will be (cars movements will be more erratic). The delay is caused by the phone system or by an incomplete (and incorrect) initialization string. The problem might be solved by redialing. Hints: You can keep a commonly dialed number in the prefix string. You can race just against the other player by setting your number of opponents in Options/Realism/Opponents to 1. Talk Mode When connected to another computer, you may attempt to talk with the other player by pressing the T key. You may be at the race weekend menu (which has REPLAY/GARAGE/etc. on it), driving, or watching the replay. If the other machine is ready to talk, the two players' names will appear in the middle of the screen, with areas above and below for you to type in. When you are done talking, one of you can press ESC to end talking. If the other player is not ready to talk, you will receive a message to that effect. 2-Player Play Differences It is important that the CARS line in the <track>.TXT file be the same for both the dialer and answerer. If you have not modified this file, this will not be a problem. Not all positions of the cars are saved in the replay on the dialer's machine. Therefore, some cars will disappear when being viewed. We recommend just watching your own car if you are the dialer. The smoke and dirt effects on the dialer's machine are shown only for the dialer's car. The smoke and dirt effects on the answerer's machine are not shown for the dialer's car. No RESULTS.TXT file is generated for the dialer. The answerer's RESULTS.TXT may list Fred Jones rather than the dialer's name. (If you select another track (but do not race on it) before disconnecting, the RESULTS.TXT file will have the correct name for the dialer.) Some options are controlled by the answerer, such as track selection, weather, yellow flags, pace lap, and number of cars. Some of these options are saved on the dialer's machine, such as the chosen track and number of cars. You will be unable to pause the game while driving in 2-Player Race. You can ESCape out to the menu. Troubleshooting 2-Player Racing 1. If when you select Dial the computer responds with "Make sure your modem is on," check to make sure the comm port setting is the correct one and that your modem is turned on (internal modems will always be on). 2. If when you select Dial the computer responds with "Unable to initialize modem," your initialization string is incorrect for your modem. Consult your modem manual or modem manufacturer. Make sure you have "^m" at the end of the command. See the above sample initialization strings. Also, be sure to include the three tildes ("~~~") between commands ending in "^m". 3. If when the modems connect, the transmission delay is large, this probably means that the initialization strings on one or both of the modems are incorrect. 4. If you are still unable to connect, a sanity check of the modem communications is possible using a regular communications package such as Telix, Procomm, or the Windows' Terminal program. Connecting via one of these packages does not guarantee that communications will work in IndyCar Racing, but if you are unable to connect in this fashion, you will be unable to connect in IndyCar Racing. 5. If both of you have a DOS communications package, it should be possible to connect using that package, then to run IndyCar Racing and connect using the Direct Connect option. You must still disable advanced modem features such as data compression and error correction, and you must operate at 9600 baud. This is a complex procedure, and is recommended only for advanced users who are having trouble connecting in the IndyCar Racing program itself. Trouble running IndyCar Racing? ------------------------------- If you see an "Insufficient memory" message when you choose a track or select Championship Season, or the program will not start, or if the program crashes (returns to DOS), you probably have a conflict with some memory-resident software. *** Please try the steps below before calling technical support. *** When your computer starts up, it accesses files called CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT on the disk it starts with (usually your hard disk, but if you have a floppy disk in drive A it would start with that disk). To avoid the conflict from the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files on your hard drive, you can make a start-up disk. When your computer starts up, it will use the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on that disk instead of your normal files, thus bypassing the possible conflicts. Creating A Start-Up Disk From the C:\INDYCAR> prompt, type INSTALL <enter> and choose Make A Start Up Diskette from the Setup menu. You need a formatted, blank disk in your A drive. It must be placed in drive A. If you are using DOS 6 (which you can determine by typing "ver" from a DOS prompt), you should add a CONFIG.SYS file to the Start-Up disk: 1. Insert your previously created start-up disk in drive A: 2. At the DOS prompt, type EDIT A:\CONFIG.SYS <enter> 3. Type DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS <enter> 4. Type DOS=HIGH <enter> 5. Press the <ALT> key, then the <F> key, then the <X> key, then the <Y> key to save and exit. Freeing more memory If you are still getting "Insufficient memory" messages on some tracks, you may lower the number of opponents in the Options/Realism/Opponents menu. Advanced users: The program uses conventional and extended (XMS) memory, not expanded (EMS) memory. If you are using a memory manager, you may wish to configure it so it uses no EMS. We recommend against memory managers, as they can cause conflicts and slow down the program. Detail Levels and Computer Speed -------------------------------- IndyCar Racing's texture-mapped 3D graphics will run best on the fastest PCs. By default, the simulation's "Automatic Detail" feature will display as much detail as possible while maintaining an adequate frame rate for smooth graphics. By selecting Options/Graphics from the main menu, you can change the minimum frame rate in order to customize this trade-off between fast smooth graphics and fully-detailed 3D objects. You can also switch to "Manual Detail" using that menu or the F10 key. See the Quick Reference Card for other manual detail hot keys, or use the Options/Graphics menu for more selections. You can also improve performance by reducing the number of opponents using the Options/Realism/Opponents menu. If the graphics rate seems very choppy, a few things could be wrong. Make sure you're using a start-up disk (see above). Also, it may be that you have more than one joystick port activated but a device attached to only one of them. Check your turbo button to make sure you are running at full speed. Papyrus recommends local bus video or PCI video for speed. The minimum hardware requirements for IndyCar Racing are a 25Mhz DX 386. During the pace lap, the graphics may be more choppy or lose detail due to the increased amount of computation required in drawing so many cars. You could switch to AUTOMATIC DETAIL. Sound Problems -------------- Q: No sound or incorrect sound when using the start up diskette to run IndyCar Racing. A: You need to copy the sound card driver commands to the start up disk. The commands should be located in either the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files on your hard drive. You can use the EDIT program to examine the files (type EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT from a DOS prompt). For Sound Blaster cards, look for two lines beginning with SET SOUND= and SET BLASTER= in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. For ProAudio cards, look for a line containing MVSOUND.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS file. Note the exact syntax of the commands, then use the EDIT program to add those commands to the CONFIG.SYS file on the start-up disk (type EDIT A:\CONFIG.SYS or EDIT A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT from a DOS prompt). Q: No sound or incorrect sound when not using the start up disk. A: Make sure that you have a sound card. After starting your computer up as you would to run IndyCar Racing, run your sound card test program to verify that the sound card is working and to obtain the settings (I/O port, IRQ, and DMA, if applicable) needed to use it properly. Then run the Sound Card Configuration in the Setup menu of the IndyCar Racing INSTALL program. (See Configuring Sound for IndyCar Racing below.) Q: No sound or incorrect sound using Gravis UltraSound card. A: The Gravis UltraSound card is not directly supported. You may obtain some incorrect music and engine sounds using the Gravis card with IndyCar Racing if you add -o3 to the end of the driver line containing SBOS (or by typing SBOS -o3 at the DOS prompt). This should be found in either the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files. We do have a utility available on the Papyrus BBS called GRAVIS.ZIP. You will not have any engine noises with this utility, only crash noises and music. Q: Game crashes when you hit a wall or when Paul Page begins speaking. A: There is a problem occurring with the digital sound from your sound card and IndyCar Racing. The sound card needs to be set up correctly. Run the test program that came with your sound card to determine the I/O port address, IRQ, and DMA settings. Make sure the lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files relating to your sound card correspond. Then, configure the sound card setup in IndyCar Racing by doing the steps below. If the problem persists, you can choose NONE for digital sound in the Sound Card Configuration menu. This will disable the digital sound and should avoid the program crash. Configuring Sound Card for IndyCar Racing 1. From the C:\INDYCAR> prompt, type INSTALL <enter> 2. Choose S for Setup and <enter> 3. Choose Sound Card Configuration <enter> 4. The first option is for digital sound. Choose your sound card from the list. <enter> 5. If you select Sound Blaster, enter the I/O port address, IRQ, and DMA. Most sound card selections do not offer these options. 6. The second option is for music. Choose your sound card from the list. <enter> 7. Exit the INSTALL program. 8. Type INDYCAR <enter> to execute the program. NOTE: IndyCar Racing cannot use an IRQ above 7. NOTE: You must have a sound card in order to have sound in IndyCar Racing. The program does not support the PC speaker. Joystick/Yoke/Wheel Calibration ------------------------------- Q: Menu highlight is scrolling through the options. A: If the Y-axis of your joystick/wheel/yoke has not been calibrated, it cannot control the menus and causes the scrolling. The program uses the device 1 Y-axis to control the menus; if one is not present, the keyboard must be used to navigate the menus. Press <CTRL><j> on your keyboard when on the main menu (or at the single race menu, the championship season race menu, or the 2-player race menu) to bring up the calibration screen(s). Move the joystick around in a circle to move it to all extents, and let it come to rest in the middle. Align the triangles using the trim dials (if provided) on the joystick. Move the joystick around in a circle again, let it come to rest, and press <enter>. If you have a steering wheel or yoke with a locked steering column (such as the Suncom G-Force), unlock it before calibrating. Move the steering column in and out (or backwards and forwards) during calibration. This is the Y-axis which controls the menu options. If you are still unable to calibrate your device 1 Y-axis, you can press the J key when on the main menu to disable the program's use of that axis during the menus. It will not affect driving. If the problem persists, delete the file CALIB.VAL from your INDYCAR directory (type DEL CALIB.VAL from the C:\INDYCAR prompt) and re-run the program. Q: Joystick not working when driving. A: If the joystick works in the menus, but does not control the car while driving, you need to tell the program to use your joystick to control your driving. (This may happen if you run the program when the joystick is not plugged in.) From the main menu, select Options/ Controls/Set Controls. Highlight each option and press <enter>. Choose your steering control for each option, following the directions on the screen. Q: Car goes left when you steer right. A: The steering control has been set backwards under Set Controls. Go to the Set Controls menu (found under the Options/Controls menu) and set the steering again. Highlight Steering and press <enter>. Be sure to steer to the left first and then to the right. Time Acceleration ----------------- If you are in a single player or championship season race, the computer can continue the race in an accelerated time mode. If you wish to accelerate time, press the A key while in the standings menu (e.g. "Laguna after 6 laps"). Your car will finish the race at that point. It will be removed from the track and you will receive a DNF (Did Not Finish). The remaining cars will race around the track at six times the normal speed (so a three hour race would take thirty minutes to run). "Accelerated Time" will blink on the standings menu. You will not be able go race, but you will be able to press the ESC key and then go to see a replay of the action that has transpired. A RESULTS.TXT file will be generated as normal, and the race will count in a championship season. Miscellaneous Problems ---------------------- Q: Cannot get the Pit menu to appear. A: Brake while you are in the pit to bring up the pit menu. If you do no know which key or control is your brake, you can find it under the Options/Controls/Set Controls menu. Q: Cannot save game. A: There is no option to save the race. You must complete the race, pause it (press the P key), or escape to the menu and resume racing when you are ready. If you wish to have the computer complete the race without you driving it, you can use the time acceleration feature (see above).