MOTOCROSS MANIA - README.TXT (15/10/2000) ========================================================== (c) 2000 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE, (c) 2000 DEIBUS STUDIOS THIS FILES CONTAINS THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT THE GAME AND SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE GAME MANUAL. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, INCLUDING HINTS, TIPE AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, JOIN THE DEIBUS MAILING LIST OR VISIT THE DEIBUS WEBSITE (WWW.DEIBUS.COM) ============================== INTERNET GAMES ============================== To play Motocross Mania over the Internet, you may either play via the Gamespy lobby where you can meet other riders, or via a direct IP connection where you know the address of both your PC and that of the other riders. In most instances we recommend the use of Gamespy. Gamespy --------- To use Gamespy, run the Gamespy arcade from the Motocross Mania folder and then either select an existing profile or create a new one (this is a simple step by step process achieved by following the on-screen instructions). Now click "Connect". Once connected and logged in, Gamespy will detect if Motocross Mania is correctly installed and may prompt you to download support for the game. You should click "yes" and then wait a couple of minutes as this is downloaded. Once complete you should see the main Gamespy chat window. On the left of the screen, you will see a column showing the installed games on your computer that can be played on Gamespy. Click on the Motocross Mania logo and you will be taken to the Motocross Mania chat room. From here, you can either start a new game, where other lobby users can join, or join an existing game. Whichever choice you make at this point, you should click "ready" when you want to start the game and then the host will click "start" when he wants to launch the game. Gamespy will then launch Motocross Mania for all of the players and the game will automatically try to connect to the host. You will then be able to play Connect to IP --------------- Using the LAN browser screen, when "Enter IP address" is selected, a box will allow the entry of an IP address. This is the IP address of the PC which is acting as the server (there is also the option to add a password if required). All players apart from the server need to enter this IP address then click "Connect". You will then be connected to that server. GARAGE ============================== SELLING: You may sell any upgrade which you have previously purchased. However you will only receive back 50% of the original cost. This will be credited to your total cash. In each of the following garage options, the slider may be moved from LEFT to RIGHT with the following results: GAS GYRO: Minimum to Maximum BRAKE GYRO: Minimum to Maximum GEAR RATIO: Low to High BRAKE POWER: Low to High BRAKE BALANCE: Front to Back SUSPENSION: Soft to Hard TYRES: Minimum grip to Maximum grip OPTIONS ============================== PLAYER PROFILE - RESPAWNING: ARCADE/NORMAL This determines the manner in which the rider and bike are re-set following a crash. In ARCADE mode the rider will flash for several seconds following a crash during which time he will not have any collision with other riders. In NORMAL mode, this will not occur. Default is ARCADE. CONTROLS - THROTTLE ON/OFF This refers to the use of an analogue controller. Default is OFF. CONTROLS - X-TWIST/X-ROLL This option refers to the movement which the bike will make in the air when you press left or right, either twisting or rolling on the X-axis. Default is X-Twist. F9 Key - This key toggles the on-track arrow on/off. The default is ON. This key can be changed if required. STUNTS ============================== To trigger a stunt you need to keep either Stunt button A or B depressed. You should then enter the combination of the stunt in question (e.g. No Hands is Up + Up whilst A is pressed). Stunts may be held for the duration that the Stunt button kept depressed. Easy stunts are the only kind which can be performed on the ground (Using stunt button A). Points are only awarded for stunts which are performed in the air. Different stunts have different limitations. For example in the case of a No Hands you cannot accelerate at the same time. To score maximum points, you will need to put together stunt combinations and flips. Back flips double an individual stunt score. Side flips triple an individual stunt score. Landing your bike backwards doubles an individual stunt score. Use combinations of flips for higher scores. Combinations involve doing more than one stunt whilst in the air during one jump. This will exponentially increase the score awarded. Use stunt combinations together with flip combinations for the ultimate high score. Remember that scores for stunts are only achieved when you land safely. TRICK POINTS ============================== Trick points are stored in your profile and represent the sum of all individual stunt score across all disciplines (MX, SX, Freestyle, Baja, Championship and Multiplayer). As these points reach certain levels, upto a further 14 stunts will be unlocked. You may view your trick points from within the Profile menu. REPLAYS ============================== Although replays can be recorded in any given game mode, they cannot be played back in any other mode apart from Practice. The sixth replay slot in each track is read-only, and for the purposes of demonstrating the level ONLY. The user cannot edit this file! GENERAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ============================== The game seems to run slowly. ----------------------------- This can be due to a number of game aspects. The main causes are resolution, available RAM, graphic detail, and the number of bikes. Please refer to the Improving Game performance section. The graphics don't look correct -------------------------------- Motocross Mania requires that your computer have a correctly installed, DirectX 7.0-compatible accelerator card with a minimum of 4Mb of RAM. This game will not run if your PC does not meet these requirements. We strongly suggest you install the latest 3D card drivers from your manufacturer. To help resolve these problems, we have included drivers that have been tested with Motocross Mania on the Deibus website at www.deibus.com. If your machine is fitted with an INTEL I740 CHIPSET video card, and your Windows Desktop is set to a resolution of 1024x768 (or higher), with 24bit colour, you may find the game fails to run, and a Direct3D error message is displayed. This problem can be resolved by reducing colour depth to 16bit, using the Settings dialogue within Control Panel's Display Properties. How can I skip the fly-by at the start of each race? ---------------------------------------------------- Press the Right Shift key on your keyboard, or use the configured input for bike acceleration. I can't play my music CD from the game. --------------------------------------- You will not be able to play your own audio CDs from within the game because the game CD needs to remain in the CD drive. My replays stop before the event was completed. ----------------------------------------------- As replays are stored using your PC's memory, the game can only store replay data until it runs out of memory. When your computer's memory is exhausted, replay data is no longer stored, and the event can therefore not be replayed in its entirety. The amount of memory required to store an event increases as the number of bikes and/or laps/time are increased. How do I find my IP address when playing TCP/IP multi-player? ------------------------------------------------------------- Try to host or join a multi-player game without entering an IP address (this will generally work without problems). When hosting a game where your IP address is needed, follow these steps to determine your IP address: 1. From the Windows Start menu, select Programs, then MS-DOS Prompt, and then type WINIPCFG (ENTER). 2. A Windows dialogue box will appear, displaying your current IP address (note this number). 3. Type EXIT in the MS-DOS Prompt, then close the IP Configuration dialogue box. IMPROVING GAME PERFORMANCE ============================== This game has been designed to run on a wide range of PC specifications. As the processing and graphical power of these machines varies dramatically, it is vitally important that you configure the game correctly. The game variables that have the greatest impact on performance are screen resolution, graphic detail, and the number of bikes. SCREEN RESOLUTION ============================== SUPPORTED 3D GRAPHICS CARD PRESENT ---------------------------------- Motocross Mania supports a number of DirectX 7.0, Direct3D-compatible 3D accelerator cards. Although your card may support higher resolutions (e.g. 1024x768), you should still be careful to balance this setting against the other detail and game settings. The performance of these cards can vary dramatically from manufacturer to manufacturer. Please refer to the list of supported 3D cards to ensure that your card is included. GRAPHIC DETAIL -------------- The amount of texture memory present on your 3D card is another variable that could affect game performance. If you have 4Mb on your card, you may not be able to use higher detail and resolution settings. 8Mb, 12Mb, and 16Mb 3D cards can run the game in higher detail at greater speeds, as they have more memory for storing higher-quality textures. For users with a 4Mb card, we suggest that minimum detail and resolution settings are used. This should be balanced against the number of bikes in an event, as increasing the number of bikes will increase the amount of textures needed, and therefore the memory required to store them. NUMBER OF BIKES --------------- Motocross Mania allows you to scale the number of bikes in a race to suit both your personal preferences, and the power of your PC. This number has a direct impact on the performance of the game, as each bike requires its own slice of memory, processing, and graphical power (increasing the workload on your PC). For minimum specification computers, we suggest no more than 4 bikes in an event.