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IBM and Compatibles CD-ROM Data Card

TM

READ ME FIRST!
Hi! We know you're anxious to begin FANTASY GENERAL, but before you do, please be sure that your system meets the following minimum system requirements: * 386DX/40 MHz IBM PC or compatible * 8 MB of RAM * MS-DOS 5.0 - 6.22 * An Uncompressed hard drive with 10 MB free for the small install, and 62 MB free for the large install * SVGA graphics with a color SVGA Monitor * A 100% Microsoft (or Logitech) compatible mouse * Microsoft mouse driver version 9.0 or higher or Logitech mouse driver 6.20 or higher * A CD-ROM drive with a 350 millisecond access time and a 150 KB data transfer rate. The minimum amount of free RAM required is: 450,000 BYTES OF FREE BASE RAM 6,026,000 BYTES OF FREE XMS Remember, 1K is equal to 1024 bytes. For example, 440K equals 450,560 bytes. Users with 8 MB systems who have TSR (terminate and stay resident) files loaded (including RAM caches such as Smartdrive) may have to create a boot disk to run FANTASY GENERAL. Refer to the "Troubleshooting" section for more details. If you get the following error when you begin the game;"Failed to Init Heap", then you must create a boot disk. This error means that your computer does not have enough free XMS memory to run the game. NOTE: Hard drive size and total system memory available have no bearing on free RAM. Follow the directions below to determine if you have enough available memory to run the game.

Windows(R) 95 Users
If you run FANTASY GENERAL through the Windows 95 environment, FANTASY GENERAL may lock up at random times and FANTASY GENERAL might run substantially slower. We recommend that you run the game in DOS Mode, but if you are going to run in Windows 95, you must make sure no other applications are running, and your screen saver is turned off. We also recommend that you use the "Fast Save" option at the beginning of each tactical battle.

To Check Your Free Base RAM
Type MEM from within the DOS directory. The free base RAM is listed as "LARGEST EXECUTABLE PROGRAM SIZE." Compare the listed amount to the amount of free memory required by the game. Also listed is "FREE EXTENDED MEMORY" (or free XMS). If your amount is lower than the game requires, follow the instructions for making a "boot disk" given under the "Memory" section of this data card, or free up additional memory (see the Memory Management section of your DOS manual) before continuing.

INSTALLING THE GAME
The game cannot be played from the CD, some files must be installed to your hard drive before you can begin play. Continued on next panel


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INSTALLING THE GAME Continued
1. To install the game, place the CD in your CD-ROM drive. Be sure this drive is the active drive. For example, to make drive D the active drive, type D: and then press Enter. 2. Type INSTALL and press Enter. A screen listing basic system information is displayed. If the install program detects any unmet system requirements, the problem areas will be highlighted in red. Clicking on any item (or typing the corresponding item number) displays additional information and/or help for that item. 3. Follow all on-screen prompts. If you experience problems during installation, please refer to the "Troubleshooting" section of this data card. Additional information regarding memory, sound, video, and mouse setup can be found there.

STARTING THE GAME
1. Boot your system normally with MS-DOS 5.0 - 6.22. 2. Insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive. 3. Be sure that the hard disk containing the game is the active drive. 4. Change the current directory to the game's directory. For example, to change to the default directory type CD \FG and press Enter. 5. Type FG and press Enter to start the game. For complete and specific "how to play" information, please refer to the electronic documentation located on your CD. For information on reading or printing the FANTASY GENERAL manual, please see the "Electronic Documentation" section. Any notes regarding changes to the game made after the rule book was printed, or any rules errata can be found after the "Troubleshooting for FANTASY GENERAL" section. Please read the README.TXT file in your game directory for more information.

SAVING GAMES
FANTASY GENERAL requires space on your hard drive for saved games and temporary files. You need approximately 500,000 bytes free on your hard drive, after installing the game.

ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTATION
Included on each CD are the various manuals for the games. Any mention on other data cards to game manuals refers to these electronic documentation files. These documents are in Adobe Acrobat(R) format. Adobe Acrobat files are document files which can be read and printed in high resolution format. We have included an Adobe Acrobat file viewer (in both DOS and Windows 95 format) for your use in reading the documents. Use the following instructions to install the DOS version of the Adobe Acrobat reader: 1. Insert CD ROM #3 into your disk drive 2. Be sure this drive is the active drive. For example, to make drive D the active drive, type D: and then press Enter 3. Type D:\ACRODOS and follow the on-screen prompts The Windows 95(R) version of the reader will allow you to read the documents in a slightly higher resolution than the DOS version of the viewer. To install the Windows 95 version of Adobe Acrobat, use the following instructions: 1. Insert CD ROM #3 into your disk drive 2. Go to the root directory of your CD ROM drive and double-click on the "ACROWIN" folder 3. Double-click on the file entitled, "ACROREAD.EXE" and follow the on-screen prompts. After installation is complete, change to the directory on your hard drive in which you installed the Adobe Acrobat reader, and type ACROBAT (assuming you are using the DOS version of the reader). If you wish to use the Windows 95 version, then simply open the folder in which you installed Adobe Acrobat and double-click on the ACROREAD.EXE icon). From the File menu of Adobe Acrobat, you may open the various document files which exist on the CD ROMs.


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TROUBLESHOOTING FOR FANTASY GENERAL
MEMORY
This game requires 450,000 bytes of free base memory and 6,026,000 bytes of free Extended (XMS) memory to run. Read the front page of this data card to find out how to check your free RAM. If your system does not have enough free base memory, the game may tell you in the form of an error message or it may crash after startup or during play. Not having files and buffers set high enough for the program can result in corrupted data in saved games and/or crashes during play.

HOW TO MAKE A BOOT DISK
FANTASY GENERAL is a DOS game with specific requirements. If you have Windows 95, or if you need to configure your files, you should create a boot disk. You can free more conventional memory and eliminate most potential problems by creating a book disk. A boot disk is the best way to temporarily change your system's configuration without any risk. Note: this boot disk maker will not run under windows95. You must be in DOS mode to use the bootdisk maker 1. Place a blank disk in your A: drive. (this must be your A: drive to operate properly) 2. Place the game CD in the CD-ROM drive. 3. Change the active drive to the CD-ROM drive( usually D: ) by typing D: and pressing Enter. 4. Type the word BOOT and press Enter. Follow the on-screen prompts. 5. Reboot your system with the boot disk in the A: drive, change to the FG directory and start the game. 6. You may need to add specific sound drivers to the boot disk. These can be found in your original c:\CONFIG.SYS and c:\AUTOEXEC.BAT files.

SOUND CARDS
The following sound cards are supported: UltraSound, Sound Blaster 16; Sound Blaster Pro III; Sound Blaster Pro II; Sound Blaster Pro I; Sound Blaster Regular; Media Vision PAS-16. FANTASY GENERAL's sound installer lists several sound cards drivers not supported by the game. These drivers may work, and are included for that reason. If you are experiencing problems with your sound card, try running the diagnostic software that comes with your card. Eighty percent of all sound card problems are due to mistaken configurations. If you are running a sound card that is not listed above, or are running a sound card in an emulation mode, your results may not be optimal. This game was tested only on the listed cards. If you are experiencing problems with the game, try configuring the game for No Sound. If the game will now run normally (but without sound, of course), then you probably need to reconfigure your sound. Type SETSOUND from the EXE subdirectory in your game directory, choose "NO" when asked to accept the default settings, correct the IRQ setting, and try starting the game again. If your game still will not run, consult the manual that came with your sound card for diagnostic procedures. If you do not get music while running the game, then use the mixer software that is supplied with the sound card you purchased. The mixer will allow you to change the volume of the music coming from the CD-ROM. Following is a list of mixer software that you might have: Mixerset, Jazzmix and Pmix. If you still do not get music, check to be sure that there is a CD Audio cable connecting your sound card and your CD-ROM drive. You can test this by attempting to play an audio CD from within Windows, or using a CD Player utility from DOS.

VIDEO CARDS/VESA DRIVERS
The following video cards are supported:ATI; Cirrus (Cirrus Logic); Diamond (many cards, may require individual drivers);Genoa; Orchid; Tseng (ET 4000) If you are experiencing any problem with your video/VESA driver, type UVCONFIG from the game EXE directory and follow the on-screen prompts. UVCONFIG attempts to select a VESA driver specific to your video card; if it cannot find one, it selects a universal VESA driver that should work on most video cards. Should the VESA driver selected by UVCONFIG fail to work, a VESA driver specific to your video card must be obtained from the card's manufacturer. Once a VESA driver has been selected, you must use FGVESA to start the game, instead of FG.


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CONTACTING SSI TECHNICAL SUPPORT
If you are having problems, please consult the "Troubleshooting" section of this data card before calling technical support. We have a staff of technical support specialists ready to help you with any problem you may encounter with the game. If your problem is due to your system configuration they will tell you of the game's requirements and suggest some possible solutions. Because of the millions of different hardware and software combinations possible with today's PCs, you may still have to consult with your computer dealer, hardware manufacturer, or software publisher in order to properly configure their product to run with our game.
If at all possible, be near your computer when you call. The technical support specialist will need specific information about your machine and may need you to access or change some files while you are on the phone. If it is not possible to be near your computer, be sure to have the following information: * A listing of all of your machine's hardware and its settings. * The contents of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. * All the information listed after the MEM command (read the "To Check Your Free RAM" section for pertinent information). * The current configuration of your game. Our technical support number is (408) 737-6850. Our hours are 11 am to 5 pm, Pacific time, Monday through Friday, holidays excluded. ABSOLUTELY NO GAME PLAYING HINTS WILL BE GIVEN THROUGH THIS NUMBER. If you cannot get through during our normal business hours, please fax our Technical Support Dept. at (408) 737-6814. Please include a printout of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files along with a complete description of the problem.

SSI BBS
We have a BBS containing patch files to update most of our products to the most current version, as well as product demos and new product announcements. If you have a 9600, 14.4K, 21.6K, or 28.8K baud modem, call (408) 739-6137. If you have a 1200, 2400, 9600, 14.4K, 21.6K, or 28.8K baud modem, call (408) 739-6623. Your communications software needs to be set to N,8,1 and your modem must be 100% Hayes compatible. Demos are not available to users with modem speeds under 9600 due to file size and download time.

SSI ONLINE
Strategic Simulations, Inc. is currently represented on two online networks: CompuServe and America Online. We also maintain a home site on the World Wide Web. You can reach us on these networks as stated below. World Wide Web: http://www.ssionline.com America Online CompuServe

E-Mail: Stratsim

E-Mail: 76711,250
SSI Files/Discussion can be found at GOTO SSIFORUM

2213610-250001


