Jane's Combat Simulations: AH-64D Longbow v1.07F ------------------------------------------------ (C) 1996, Origin Systems, Inc. This document may not, in whole or part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form without prior consent, in writing, from Origin Systems, Inc. Origin Systems, Inc. believes the information contained in this document is accurate and reliable. Origin Systems, Inc. reserves the right to update this manual at any time and without notice. To find out the latest information about AH-64D Longbow, check out our Internet Web site http://www.ea.com/janes.html. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This file has been provided as a supplement to any documentation for AH-64D Longbow. It details last minute information as well as the most common questions and answers. To print a hardcopy of this file, at the DOS prompt, change to the drive of your CD-ROM drive (i.e. "D:") and type : PRINT README.TXT [ENTER] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Improving Performance II. VESA Driver III. Running in Windows 95 IV. Install Sizes V. 8 Megabyte Machines VI. Screen Capture VII. Customer Service/Tech Support ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Improving Performance: The Optimum System Recommendation to Run AH-64D Longbow is: Intel Pentium 120 16 MB of RAM (15 Megs XMS) 390K free Conventional memory Quad Speed CD-ROM (600,000 bytes/second transfer rate) or higher VESA Local Bus/PCI Video Card (Vesa 2.0 Compliant) VESA 2.0 Driver 100% Microsoft Compatible Mouse Driver 98 MB Harddrive Space Joystick, Throttle or Rudder Support Smartdrv disk cache * Increase Buffers: There are several things that can be done outside of the game to enhance its performance as well. On your boot disk, we recommend setting your BUFFERS to 45. However, some systems will run AH-64D Longbow more smoothly if the number of buffers is increased up to 99. * Increase CD-ROM Buffers: Another way of optimizing your system might be to increase the number of CD-ROM buffers. In your AUTOEXEC.BAT, on the line that has MSCDEX on it, there should be a switch that says /M:xx. The xx is the number of CD-ROM buffers you are currently using. Increasing this number (up to about 30) can enhance game play as well. (If you do not have a /M: switch on this line, you can add it... just remember to include a space before the slash.) * Increase Smartdrv cache: If you have more than 8 megabytes of system RAM, you may opt to create a larger cache for AH-64D Longbow to use before you attempt to execute the program. For example: 12 Megabytes of RAM have SMARTDRV set to 1024 16 Megabytes of RAM have SMARTDRV set to 2048 32 Megabytes of RAM or more, have SMARTDRV set to 3072 Please consult your MS-DOS documentation for detailed information regarding the syntax for SMARTDRV in order to tailor the cache for optimum performance on your particular system. You can also find information on using SMARTDRV by typing SMARTDRV /? at an MS-DOS prompt. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- II. VESA DRIVER: * Requirement: A Vesa Driver is required to install and run AH-64D Longbow. However, for Optimum performance we STRONGLY urge you to use a VESA 2.0 Compliant Driver for your video card. * Recommended: Even though your video card may have a VESA driver that loads automatically, it is probably not VESA 2.0 compliant. If you already have a VESA Driver made by the manufacturer of your video card, you should contact that manufacturer. Ask them for their latest VESA Driver and ask if the Driver and the Video Card are VESA 2.0 Compliant. * 3rd Party Software: If your video card manufacturer does not have a VESA 2.0 compliant driver for your card but, your video card is VESA 2.0 compliant, you can try a 3rd party VESA 2.0 driver for your card. For example you could use UniVBE5.1 or later from Scitech Software. * NOTE : ATI Video Cards are VESA 2.0 Compliant. But only with a third party software such as UniVBE. Contact ATI or Scitech Software to find out when a UniVBE driver will be available for ATI Video Cards. * NOTE : UniVBE 5.1 and 5.1a will work with ATI video cards as an SVGA driver. It does not impart VESA 2.0 compliance. Here is a list of ATI video cards and the UniVBE driver version numbers that will get you VESA 2.0 compliance: Graphics Pro Turbo - requires UniVBE 5.1a or higher Graphics Pro Turbo 1600 - requires UniVBE 5.2 Graphics Xpression (mach64 GX based) - requires UniVBE 5.1a Graphics Xpression (mach64 CT based) - requires UniVBE 5.2 Video Xpression - requires UniVBE 5.2 Any mach32 based product - requires UniVBE 5.1a *To contact ATI Technologies ATI Technologies Inc. 33 Commerce Valley Dr. East Thornhill, Ontario CANADA Coastal Code L3T 7N6 Customer Support 905-882-2626 Customer Support FAX Line 905-882-0546 http://www.atitech.ca/dr/tech.html *To contact SciTech Software: SciTech Software, Inc. 5 Governors Lane, Suite D Chico, CA 95926-1989 or www: www.scitechsoft.com ftp: ftp.scitechsoft.com AOL: Keyword VESA CIS: GO VESA * VESA 2.0 Compliant Video Cards The following two video cards are known to be VESA 2.0 compliant without third party software: Matrox Millenium Hercules Horizon 64 Each of these cards has a built-in VESA driver which is v2.0 compliant. If you have any other video card, contact the manufacturer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- III. Running in Windows 95 AH-64D Longbow was written to run in MS-DOS. While it will normally run under Windows 95, many people will have a difficult time running AH-64D Longbow directly from Windows 95. * Required: 16 Megs of RAM is required to Run AH-64D Longbow in Windows 95. If you do not have 16 Megs of RAM, refer to your install guide for making shortcut to Reboot to DOS Mode. In order to use the Flight Recorder you must have Harddrive space available. Incorrect Virtual Memory settings could use up all of your harddrive space. If you want to use the Flight Recorder, the Virtual Memory needs to be set to less than the total amount of harddrive space available. WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU RUN THE GAME IN MS-DOS MODE RATHER THAN IN WINDOWS 95. The game will run smoother if you do so. To run the game while still in Windows 95, try the following steps. NOTE: You MUST have a CONFIG.SYS in your system with AT LEAST the following two lines in order to run AH-64D Longbow while in Windows 95 (the values can be higher, but must be at least 45): FILES=45 BUFFERS=45 There is a pre-set shortcut set up in the AH-64D Longbow directory. If AH-64D Longbow was installed to the \Janes\Longbow directory you can just double click on the Longbow icon in the \Janes\Longbow directory to run the game. Otherwise, please follow the instructions below: 1) Left click once on the Windows 95 Start button 2) Move the mouse up to Programs 3) Left click once on Windows Explorer 4) Left click once on the + symbol next to the Janes folder 5) Left click once on the Longbow folder (or whichever folder AH-64D Longbow is in) 6) Right click once on "Longbow" 7) Left click on PROPERTIES 8) Left click on PROGRAM 9) Change the "Cmd line" to reflect the directory where you installed the game. For example, C:\LONGBOW\LB.EXE 10) Next ensure that the "Working" line reads the same directory name. For example, C:\LONGBOW 11) Now click on OK Whenever you wish to run AH-64D Longbow, you can now double left click on the Longbow icon. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. INSTALL SIZES: 36MB Low Detail- Only decompresses Low Detail Terrain. Does not copy speech and appearances files which, can cause longer load times and lower frame rates in flight where there is a lot of speech. 68MB Medium Detail- Decompresses low and medium detail terrain and copies speech and appearances files to hard drive. 97MB High Detail-Decompresses Low, Medium, and High Detail Terrain as well as copies speech and appearances files to the hard drive. If you want High Detail Terrain, you must use this install option. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- V. 8 Megabyte Machines If you are running Longbow on a machine with only 8 megabytes of RAM, the following graphics options will be disabled because they use extra memory: - Sky Texture - Detailed Helicopters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. Screen Capture ******************************** WARNING ************************************ THIS MAY NOT WORK ON ALL SYSTEMS. IF YOU HAVE ANY TROUBLE WITH THIS FEATURE, PLEASE DO NOT CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE. ***************************************************************************** Longbow has an additional feature that allows you to take screen shots of the game in flight. To save a picture of the screen at any time during flight, simply press ALT-PRINTSCREEN. The program will save a Windows .bmp file in your game directory with the name SCREENXX.BMP where XX is a number from 00 to 99. You can then load the pictures into any paint program or picture viewer which supports the .bmp format. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VII. Customer Service/Tech Support If you have any further trouble or questions please feel free to contact us in any of the following ways: ORIGIN Phone Tech Support: (512) 434-HELP (512) 434-4357 ORIGIN FAX Tech Support: (512) 795-8014 ORIGIN BBS Tech Support: (512) 346-2BBS (515)346-2227(14.4 kBaud @ 8,N,1) ORIGIN Internet Tech Support: support@origin.ea.com ORIGIN Internet FTP Site: origin.ea.com ORIGIN Tech Support Mailing Address: ORIGIN Systems C/O Customer Service 5918 West Courtyard Drive Austin, TX 78730-5036 * AH-64D Longbow Web Site: To find out the latest information about AH-64D Longbow, please check out our Internet Web site : http://www.ea.com/janes.html. * Janes Combat Simulations: http://www.ea.com/janes.html or http://www.janes.com/janes.html * Customer Support around the world: You can also reach our other Customer Service departments located globally. Please consult the list below for the nearest office to your location. ******************************** Electronic Arts Ltd PO Box 835 SLOUGH SL3 8XP ENGLAND Telephone: 01753 546465 ******************************** Electronic Arts France Centre d'Affaires Telebase 3 Rue Claude Chappe 69771 Saint Didier au Mont D'Or Cedex LYON FRANCE Telephone: 72 532525 ******************************** Electronic Arts GmbH Pascalstraáe 6 52076 Aachen GERMANY Telephone: 52 412 4307 ******************************** Drosoft Edificio Arcade Rufino González 23 bis. Planta 1ª. Local 2 28037 Madrid SPAIN Telephone: 1304-7091 ******************************** Electronic Arts Victor Inc 2-4-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 150 JAPAN Telephone: 813-5410-3111 ******************************** Electronic Arts Pty Ltd P.O. Box 432 Southport QLD 4215 AUSTRALIA Telephone: 1 902 261 600 (95 cents per minute) ITM 7 days a week 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM If you are under 18 years of age, parental consent required ******************************** Special thanks to Boot Disk Maker and general code wizard: Chief Programming Master Technician Anthony L. Sommers Esq. On loan from 'Check-Failed Productions' May the source be with you, always. Read me file written by: Graham Wood, Brad Merrell, Cinco Barnes, Anthony Castoro, and Dee Starns. Finally thanks to J Elvis Brack for having the best side burns, and last minute documentation consultation. Extra Special Last Minute Thanks to Brett Brown and Mark Derrick, both Senior Instructors/Longbow Subject Matter Experts from McDonnell Douglas Training Systems in Mesa, AZ.