Thank you for purchasing EA Sports NHL 98. This README file contains information on new features not covered in the manual. It also contains instructions on installing and running NHL 98. Finally, this README file contains information on performance issues, multiplayer issues, and hardware issues. ################################################################ 1) System Requirements a) Minimum Configuration b) Recommended Configuration c) Multiplayer Requirements d) 3D Accelerators e) Input Devices 2) Installing the Game a) Installation Program b) DirectX Installation c) Reinstalling the Game 3) Manual Errata and Additions a) Season Corruption 4) Performance Issues and Troubleshooting a) Improving Gameplay Performance b) 3D Accelerator c) Memory d) Video Card e) Sound Card f) CD-ROM g) Joystick h) Modem i) Network 5) HOW TO CONTACT ELECTRONIC ARTS ################################################################ ================================================================ 1) SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ================================================================ ---------------------------------------------------------------- a) MINIMUM CONFIGURATION ---------------------------------------------------------------- 90 MHz or higher Intel Pentium, Cyrix 6x86, or AMD K6 processor 16 MB RAM Windows 95 (does not run under Windows NT) Quad-speed CD-ROM drive (600Ksecond transfer rate) using 32-bit Windows 95 CD-ROM driver Hi Color (65,535 color) capable 1 MB PCI video card with DirectDraw(tm) support DirectX 5 (included on game CD) 15 MB free hard disk space plus space for saved games (additional space required for DirectX 5 installation) 30MB free required after installation Keyboard Mouse Optional joystick Optional sound card with DirectSound support ---------------------------------------------------------------- b) RECOMMENDED CONFIGURATION ---------------------------------------------------------------- 166 MHz Pentium processor or higher 32 MB RAM 8x or faster CD-ROM drive using 32-bit Windows 95 CD-ROM driver 45 MB free hard disk space plus space for saved games (additional space required for DirectX 5 installation) Supported gaming controller Sound card with DirectSound support ---------------------------------------------------------------- c) MULTIPLAYER REQUIREMENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------- Network (2-8 players) Pentium 133 MHz CPU or faster, IPX or TCPIP compliant network, 1 CD per computer Modem (2-8 players on 2 PCs) 100% Hayes compatible 28800 bps or faster modem; High speed serial port (16550 UART), 1 CD per computer Serial Play (2-8 players on 2 PCs) Null modem cable; High speed serial port (16550 UART), 1 CD per computer ---------------------------------------------------------------- d) SUPPORTED 3-D ACCELERATORS ---------------------------------------------------------------- 3-D Accelerator using the 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics or Voodoo Rush chipset ---------------------------------------------------------------- e) SUPPORTED INPUT DEVICES ---------------------------------------------------------------- Gravis Gamepad, Gravis Gamepad Pro, Gravis GrIP, Microsoft Sidewinder Gamepad, or other Windows 95 supported gaming controllers ================================================================ 2) INSTALLING THE GAME ================================================================ ---------------------------------------------------------------- a) INSTALLATION PROGRAM ---------------------------------------------------------------- i. Start the Windows 95 operating system. ii. Insert the NHL 98 CD into your CD drive. The Autorun menu appears. NOTE If the Autorun menu does not automatically appear, click the Start button on your Windows 95 Taskbar, then click Run.... At the Run dialog box, type dautorun, then click OK. (substitute the correct letter of your CD drive if other than D) iii. Click INSTALL. The NHL 98 Setup menu appears. You may exit the NHL 98 setup program at any time by clicking Cancel. iv. Read the general installation information, then click Next. The Setup Type menu appears. The default install type is Typical. To choose a different install type, click COMPACT or CUSTOM. The default install directory is CEA SportsNHL 98. To choose a different destination directory, click Browse..., select the desired directory, then click OK. v. Click Next. The Select Program Folder menu appears. Note If you chose the Custom install type, the Select Components screen appears. Click the box next to the component(s) you want to install, then click Next. T he Select Program Folder menu appears. vi. Choose the destination folder in which you want NHL 98 to appear in the Start menu, then click Next. NHL 98 is copied to your hard drive. When NHL 98 file transfer is complete, you have the option to create an NHL 98 shortcut on your desktop. ---------------------------------------------------------------- b) DIRECTX INSTALLATION ---------------------------------------------------------------- After the NHL 98 file installation, the DirectX 5 prompt appears. If you do not have DirectX installed to your computer, or you have a version previous to 5.0 installed, we recommend you click Yes. If you have DirectX 5.0 or higher installed to your computer, we recommend you click No. DIRECTX INSTALLATION NOTES DirectX is an Application Programming Interface provided by Microsoft, which gives Windows 95 based applications high-performance, real-time access to your hardware. This makes the DirectX API well suited for Windows 95 games. NHL 98 uses the DirectX 5 API (the latest iteration of DirectX at the time of release) and includes DirectX 5 files which you can install. Two DirectX components, DirectDraw and DirectSound, may require updating your video card and sound card drivers respectively, for proper operation of these components. Using video card and sound card drivers that do not have DirectX support will result in display and audio problems in DirectX applications. During the installation of DirectX, your video card and sound card drivers will be updated if required. The DirectX 5 files included with NHL 98 include drivers for most video cards and sound cards from the major manufacturers of these peripherals. For new hardware, and for lesser known brands of peripherals, you may have to contact your manufacturer to obtain drivers that support DirectX. After installing DirectX 5, you can check to see if your video card or sound card drivers support DirectX 1. Click the Start button on your Windows 95 Taskbar. Then click Run... 2. From the Run dialog box, type ddirectx5directxdxsetup then click OK. (Substitute the correct letter of your CD drive if other than 'D') 3. Look at Display Driver and Audio Driver. The second column displays the driver version number; the third, whether or not your driver is Certified by Microsoft as supporting DirectX. If your Display Driver or Audio Driver says No Hardware Support in this column, you must contact the manufacturer to obtain updated drivers, which have DirectX support. If your Display Driver or Audio Drivers says Certified in this column, your video card or sound card supports DirectX, and it should work properly in DirectX applications. If your Display Driver or Audio Driver is blank in this column, your video card or sound card driver supposedly supports DirectX, and is waiting for Certified approval from Microsoft. IMPORTANT NOTE During DirectX 5 installation, the setup program checks to see if it can successfully update your drivers. If the driver being replaced has not been tested or if replacing the driver is known to cause problems, the setup program warns you accordingly. We recommend that you heed these warnings. ---------------------------------------------------------------- c) RE-INSTALLING THE GAME ---------------------------------------------------------------- If you are having problems or the game did not install correctly the first time, we recommend re-installing the game. i. Start the Windows 95 operating system. ii. Insert the NHL 98 CD in your CD drive. The Autorun menu appears. NOTE If the Autorun menu does not automatically appear, click the Start button on your Windows 95 Taskbar, then click Run.... At the Run dialog box, type dautorun, then click OK. (substitute the correct letter of your CD drive if other than 'D'). iii. At the Autorun menu, click RE-INSTALL. A prompt appears asking you to confirm your choice. To cancel the Re-install, click No. iv. Click Yes. NHL 98 is removed from your hard drive. v. Click OK. The Setup menu appears. Continue from Step 3 of Installing the Game. ================================================================ 3) MANUAL ERRATA AND ADDITIONS ================================================================ ---------------------------------------------------------------- a) SEASON CORRUPTION ---------------------------------------------------------------- In Season mode, if any human controlled teams become corrupted due to the computer being shut down improperly, or due to a crash, you may remedy this by getting the Commissioner (the one who created the Season) to change the affected team from human controlled to computer controlled, and back again. ---------------------------------------------------------------- b) LINKED LEAGUES ---------------------------------------------------------------- In all connected leagues, if you are a client, click on League Link to connect to the Commissioner, and click on Connection to connect for gameplay. ---------------------------------------------------------------- C) IN-GAME CONTROLS ---------------------------------------------------------------- i) The in-game menus support mouse control. ii) The TAB button will reverse the camera angle in gameplay. ================================================================ 4) PERFORMANCE ISSUES AND TROUBLESHOOTING ================================================================ ---------------------------------------------------------------- a) IMPROVING GAMEPLAY PERFORMANCE ---------------------------------------------------------------- If NHL 98 does not run as quickly as you think it should, or if the gameplay is not smooth, you can reduce the audio andor video details to increase overall performance. Note The options described in this section are found in the NHL 98 Options and Details menus. For information on setting options, please refer to the enclosed manual. MINIMUM PROCESSOR CONFIGURATION The following suggestions should increase speed on minimum processor systems (90 MHz Pentium or lower end Cyrix machines). Suggestions are listed in order of frame rate improvement. Toggle Ice Textures and Ice Logos OFF. Details menu. Cycle Audio Detail to LOW. Options menu. Cycle Player Detail to LOW. Details menu. Reduce Screen Size. The smaller the screen size, the greater the improvement. Details menu RECOMMENDED PROCESSOR, MINIMUM RAM These hints should increase performance on systems that meet the recommended processor configuration (166 MHz Pentium or higher) but have minimum RAM (16 MB). Cycle Audio Detail to MEDIUM. Options menu. Toggle Ice Textures OFF. Details menu. LAST RESORT SUGGESTIONS Cycle Change the Screen to INTERLACED. Details menu. Set Play-by-Play Commentary slider OFF (all the way to the left). Options menu. You may also install the Play-by-Play files on to the Hard Drive, to improve gameplay performance. To install the Play-by-Play files on to the Hard Drive, choose the Custom Installation when installing the game. ---------------------------------------------------------------- b) 3-D ACCELERATION ---------------------------------------------------------------- NHL 98 supports 3-D accelerators that use the 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics or Voodoo Rush chipsets. To enable 3-D acceleration on a supported 3-D card 1. From the NHL 98 Game Setup screen, click OPTIONS. The Options menu appears. 2. Toggle the 3-D Acceleration option to ON, then click ( to accept. Note Do not turn the 3-D Acceleration option ON unless you are using a supported 3-D accelerator. VOODOO GRAPHICS BOARDS NHL 98 requires that you have the Glide run time drivers for the Voodoo Graphics chipset installed on your system. If you do not have Glide run time drivers for the Voodoo Graphics chipset installed, the NHL 98 installation program adds the Glide 2.3 driver to your NHL 98 install directory. If you are using Glide 2.4 or earlier run time drivers, the NHL 98 installation program adds the Glide 2.3 driver to your NHL 98 install directory. NHL 98 prefers using the Glide 2.3 run time driver over version 2.4. This will not affect other Glide applications. If you are using a version of the Glide run time drivers later than 2.4, no Glide drivers are installed. VOODOO RUSH BOARDS NHL 98 requires that you have the Glide 2.4 or higher run time drivers specific for the Voodoo Rush chipset installed on your system. If you do not have a Voodoo Rush Glide 2.4 or higher run time driver installed on your system, please contact your board manufacturer. Note - there is a known bug with 3Dfx boards - do not press Ctrl-F9 when using a 3Dfx board. The screen will blank out. ---------------------------------------------------------------- c) MEMORY ---------------------------------------------------------------- NHL 98 requires 16 MB RAM and Virtual Memory Enabled. We advise that you let Windows 95 manage the amount of virtual memory automatically (the default setting), and that you have at least 30 MB free hard disk space after installation. ---------------------------------------------------------------- d) VIDEO CARD ---------------------------------------------------------------- VIDEO PROBLEMS NHL 98 requires a PCI SVGA video card capable of 640x480 resolution with 65,535 colors (1 MB or more video memory). NOTE If your Windows 95 display driver does not support DirectDraw, you may experience difficulties running NHL 98. GENERAL VIDEO CARD INFORMATION During DirectX installation, the DirectX setup program attempts to upgrade your existing display driver. The DirectX Setup program checks to see if your current display driver has been tested. If your current display driver has not been tested, or if upgrading your current driver is known to cause problems, the setup program warns you of this. In some cases, replacing your current driver may disable any Manufacturer specific utilities for your video card. If you want to keep these utilities functional, you may have to obtain the latest drivers with DirectDraw support directly from the manufacturer of your video card. ---------------------------------------------------------------- e) SOUND CARD ---------------------------------------------------------------- NHL 98 requires a sound card that supports DirectSound. If your sound card driver does not support DirectSound you may experience choppy or stuttering sound, or sound that cuts in and out. If your sound card driver does not support DirectSound, we recommend obtaining updated drivers from your sound card manufacturer. INSTALLED SOUND CARD, BUT THERE IS NO SOUND Make sure your speakers or headphones are plugged into the appropriate jack and the volume control is turned up. GENERAL SOUND CARD INFORMATION During DirectX installation, the DirectX setup program attempts to install a DirectSound supported driver for your sound card. If your sound card driver does not support DirectSound, the DirectX setup program attempts to replace your existing sound card driver. Please consult your sound card manufacturer for updated drivers if DirectSound drivers are not available with the included DirectX 5 files from Microsoft. Note - if you are using a SoundBlaster 2.0 sound card, setting the audio detail to low may cause the sound to cut out altogether. ---------------------------------------------------------------- f) CD-ROM ---------------------------------------------------------------- NHL 98 requires a quad-speed CD-ROM drive. CD-ROM PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS Be sure that you use a 32-bit native Windows 95 driver to control your CD-ROM drive. To configure a driver, access the Device Manager tab from Control Panel System. Do not use a DOS-based 16-bit driver (loaded in CONFIG.SYS) to control your CD-ROM. Performance may be significantly reduced. CHOPPY OR STUTTERING VIDEO OR AUDIO These problems may be improved by adjusting the CD-ROM read-ahead cache. To adjust the read-ahead cache 1. At the Windows 95 desktop, right-click the My Computer icon, then choose Properties from the pop-up menu. 2. Click the Performance tab, then select File System... 3. Click the CD-ROM tab, then click in the Optimize access pattern for box, and choose QUAD-SPEED OR HIGHER. 4. Move the Supplemental cache size slider to SMALL, then click Apply. NOTE Moving the slider to LARGE will not improve NHL 98 video performance, and may actually hinder performance by reserving RAM that would otherwise be available for the game. Note - if you are using a lower end quad speed drive, you may experience stuttering play by play. If you are using a lower end quad speed drive, we recommend reinstalling the game, using the custom installation option to install the Play By Play files onto the hard drive. ---------------------------------------------------------------- g) JOYSTICK ---------------------------------------------------------------- CONTROLLER ISSUES CONVENTIONAL 4 BUTTON CONTROLLERS Although NHL 98 supports all four buttons when using a conventional 4 button gamepad, support is limited to 2 buttons when using two gamepads (or other 4 button controllers) simultaneously. The PC gameport supports a total of 4 buttons and two D-Pads when using conventional joysticks or gamepads. This does not apply to multi-button, multi-controller gaming devices such as the Gravis GrIP, Gamepad Pro, or Microsoft Sidewinder. Joystick Calibration In order for your joystick to work properly in NHL 98, you must install and calibrate it in Windows 95. To install or calibrate your joystick in Windows 95, access the Control Panel, and launch the Game Controllers applet. Note that some gaming devices use their own applets or software for installation and calibration. Gravis Gamepad Pro If you are experiencing difficulties with NHL 98 and your Gravis Gamepad Pro, please download the latest drivers from Gravis. The new drivers should fix any detection or calibration problems you may have with your Gravis Gamepad Pro and NHL 98. The Gravis World Wide Web site is located at www.gravis.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------- h) MODEM ---------------------------------------------------------------- NHL 98 requires a 100% Hayes compatible 28.8 kbps or faster modem for modem play. A high speed (16550 UART) serial port is required for external modems. GENERAL MODEM INFORMATION NHL 98 uses the Windows 95 settings to initialize your modem. To use a modem in NHL 98, you must install it in Windows 95. To install your modem in Windows 95 1. Click the Start button on the Taskbar. The Start menu opens. 2. From the Start menu, highlight Settings, then select Control Panel from the pop-up menu. 3. From the Control Panel, click Modems. 4. If you have not installed a modem before, let Windows 95 detect your modem by clicking Next. Note If your modem came with a Windows 95 driver disk or .INF file, follow the manufacturer's installation directions. MODEM DOES NOT INITIALIZE Make sure your modem is installed correctly in Windows 95 and is turned on. Make sure that your modem works properly in Windows 95. If your modem is installed correctly and works with other modem applications in Windows 95, but you are having problems initializing your modem in NHL 98, try changing your modem type in Windows 95 to Standard Modem. Some computers have telephone answering or FAX applications pre-installed. Sometimes these applications tie up the modem, and do not allow other applications to access it. You must exit all applications that use your modem before playing a modem game. You may experience a lengthy delay when pressing the Connection button from the main screen, if you once installed the TCPIP protocol in Windows, and you no longer have an active TCPIP connection. If this is the case, please remove the TCPIP protocol from your Windows' Control Panel Network applet. Some dial-up Internet Service Provider accounts may automatically start dialing up the ISP and minimize NHL 98 when you press the Connection button. If you want to establish a modem game, please disconnect from the ISP once it has connected, and maximize NHL 98 to continue. ---------------------------------------------------------------- i) NETWORK ---------------------------------------------------------------- NHL 98 requires an IPX protocol network and network interface card for network play. If you experience difficulties with network play, you may want to consult your network manual or network administrator for specific information on loading drivers. CONNECTION PROBLEMS Make sure the computers you are trying to connect are on the same network. NETWORK PERFORMANCE ISSUES There are various adjustments you can make to be sure you get the best performance out of your network game. These apply to the Server computer as well as the Client, but try them on the Server alone first as this may solve all the problems. Make sure the Server computer (the one that creates the network game) is the fastest of the computers, as it controls the game speed. High-traffic networks will slow the game down considerably. Avoid playing the game at peak traffic hours, while there are large file transfers or print jobs being done. Performance is limited by the slowest computer. Adjusting the screen size on a slow machine can help boost performance in a network game. GENERAL NETWORK INFORMATION Do not run any Windows 95 applications that communicate over the network in the background (e.g., mail programs, personal schedulers, system or network monitors). Make sure you have disabled Network Messages. If you are connected to a Novell network. You may experience a lengthy delay when pressing the Connection button from the main screen, if you once installed the TCPIP protocol in Windows, and you no longer have an active TCPIP connection. If this is the case, please remove the TCPIP protocol from your Windows' Control Panel Network applet. Some dial-up Internet Service Provider accounts may automatically start dialing up the ISP and minimize NHL 98 when you press the Connection button. If you want to establish a network game, please disconnect from the ISP once it has connected, and maximize NHL 98 to continue. ================================================================ 5) HOW TO CONTACT ELECTRONIC ARTS ================================================================ TECHNICAL SUPPORT TROUBLESHOOTING DOCUMENTS ONLINE! Electronic Arts Product Support now offers troubleshooting guides that help overcome some common difficulties. If you have access to the World Wide Web, you can find these guides at httpwww.ea.comtechsupptroubles.htm Here you will find troubleshooting information on DirectX, Joysticks, Modems, and Networks, as well as information on regular system maintenance and performance. (For game-specific information and additional troubleshooting, visit our main page at httpwww.ea.comtechsupp.) If you have questions about the program, our Technical Support Department can help. Our web site contains up-to-date information on the most common difficulties with our products, and this information is the same as that used by our product support technicians. We keep the product support pages updated on a daily basis, so please check here first for no-wait solutions httpwww.ea.comtechsupp If you are unable to find the information you need on our web site, please feel free to contact Technical Support via e-mail, phone, fax, or letter. All messages are responded to in kind-if you send in a request by fax, response will also come by fax. Please be sure to include the following information in your e-mail message, fax, or letter Computer manufacturer Operating system (Windows 95, DOS 6.22, etc.) CPU type and speed in MHz Amount of RAM Sound card type and settings (address, IRQ, DMA) Video card CD-ROM Mouse driver and version Joystick and game card (if any) A copy of the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files from your hard drive A description of the problem you're having If you need to talk to someone immediately, call us at (650) 572-2787 Monday through Friday between 830-1145 AM or 100-430 PM, Pacific Standard Time. Please have the above information ready when you call. This will help us answer your question in the shortest possible time. EA Tech Support Fax (650) 286-5080. Electronic Arts Technical Support P.O. Box 7578 San Mateo, CA 94403-7578 HOW TO REACH US ONLINE WARRANTY INQUIRIES cswarranty@ea.com WORLD WIDE WEB Access our Web Site at httpwww.ea.com FTP Access our FTP Site at ftp.ea.com