Wing Commander 3 Help File

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wc3help.txt
Creator Origin Systems Inc.
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Description

                           Most Common Problems 
                 Wing Commander III : Heart of the Tiger 

                                Version 3.0
                                   6-15-95

                     Written, compiled and updated by :

                            Anthony L. Sommers 
                         Assistant Project Leader 
                        Wing Commander III QA Team 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

(C) 1995, 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. 

This help file has been provided as a supplement to the Wing Commander
III documentation. It details a number of the most common questions
asked and their solutions.

It is recommended that the Playguide, Install/Troubleshooting Guide AND
the README.TXT file on the CD are also read in addition to this file.

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. 

This file will be updated continuously and can be found on our BBS
(512-331-4446) & on the Internet (ftp.ea.com /pub/patches/wc3help.txt).

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[INDEX]

NOTE :     * indicates the section has been added or modified in this
             revision

0.0   Making a BOOT DISK for Wing Commander III

1.0   Movies pausing (starting and stopping)

2.0   Long load times

3.0   The "DOTS"
      3.1   You see "Loading Wing Commander III ......." and it
            returns you immediately back to the CD-ROM drive prompt
      3.2   Lockups at the fourth or sixth dot

4.0   Error messages
      4.1   This error may be the result of a bad CD-ROM read...
      4.2   A processor exception has occured.
            Your system may be unstable at this point.
*     4.3   Critical error on file : ..\..\data\movies\origin_s.mve or
            Critical error on file : ..\..\data\movies\opening.mve
      4.4   Exception 13 happened :)
      4.5   CVMManager::getPtr () failed
*     4.6   Write failed on file : SWAPFILE.$$$
*     4.7   Malloc () failed
      4.8   Non system disk or disk error
            Replace and strike a key when ready
      4.9   Invalid drive specification
*     4.10  Message index 1214972 is out of range

5.0   Lockups
      5.1   Lockups after the fourth or sixth dot
      5.2   Lockups During opening movie, [ESC] takes you further into
            the game
      5.3   Lockup at the joystick calibration screen

6.0   Reboots

7.0   Gameplay
      7.1   Movies are of "poor quality"
      7.2   No descriptions of possible actions (Attend Briefing, etc.)
      7.3   TAB and ~ (afterburners) do not work in spaceflight
      7.4   Installation program rates machine slower than normal
      7.5   Crackling sounds in SVGA
            7.5.1   Cirrus Logic GD-542x 
            7.5.2   Orchid Kelvin 64
      7.6   Pressing [ALT-X] "flashes" 'Exit To DOS? [Y/N]'
*     7.7   Undocumented keyboard commands

8.0   Specific Hardware
      8.1   Control (keyboard, mouse, joystick)
            8.1.1   Flightstick Pro support
            8.1.2   Thrustmaster and Logitech Wingman Extreme support
            8.1.3   WING3.ADV compiler errors 
            8.1.4   Programmable keyboards
            8.1.5   Advanced Gravis Phoenix WCS
      8.2   Video cards
            8.2.1   Diamond Viper VLB
            8.2.2   Matrox PCI
            8.2.3   Hercules Graphite
*           8.2.4   Compaq Qvision
*           8.2.5   ATI Graphics Expression (ATI Mach 64)
      8.3   Sound cards
            8.3.1   Mozart by Oak Technologies
            8.3.2   Media Chips MAD 16
            8.3.3   Media Magic 16 (ISP16 and MAGICS20)
            8.3.4   Sound Blaster AWE 32
      8.4   CD-ROM drives
            8.4.1   Texel DM-3024
*           8.4.2   Mitsumi 4x IDE
      8.5   Miscellaneous (CPUs, hard drives, SCSI host adapters, etc.)
            8.5.1   Cyrix 486 processors
            8.5.2   AMD processors
            8.5.3   OS/2

9.0   Patches
      9.1   WC3JOY.DLL, the joystick patch
      9.2   WC3JOY.DLL, the Thrustmaster hat patch
*     9.3   WC3JOY.DLL, the Notebook Gameport patch
*     9.4   VIDEO.DLL, the Compaq QVision patch

* 10.0  Problem CD-ROM drivers and their updates

* 11.0  Acknowledgements

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[0.0]   Making a BOOT DISK for Wing Commander III

Almost all problems can be solved by making a boot disk for Wing
Commander III. Regardless of the total amount of RAM and/or conventional
memory, processor speed/power, etc., the boot disk will set up your
computer specifically to run Wing Commander III. Expanded Memory
Managers (EMM386, QEMM386, 386MAX, NETROOM, etc.) are not needed and if
configured incorrectly, will often conflict with our own protected mode
memory manager.

To make a boot disk for Wing Commander III, please use the following 
instructions :

1)  Place a blank disk in drive A:

2)  Type  C:  and press [ENTER]

3)  Type  FORMAT A: /S  and press [ENTER]

4)  Type  A:  and press [ENTER]

5)  Type  COPY C:\CONFIG.SYS  and press [ENTER]

6)  Type  COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT  and press [ENTER]

7)  Type  EDIT A:\CONFIG.SYS  and press [ENTER]

8)  Different computers have different sound cards, CD-ROM drives, etc.
    Therefore, after the first 5 initial lines, we cannot list out the
    exact lines needed. However, the original lines from your hard disk
    CONFIG.SYS will be there, and you can try to make sure lines of the
    CONFIG.SYS on the boot disk read somewhat like the following :

        DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
        DOS=LOW
        FILES=25
        BUFFERS=99
        SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\ /P
        DEVICE=C:\<path>\<possible sound card drivers>
        DEVICE=C:\<path>\<CD-ROM drivers>
        DEVICE=C:\<path>\<possible mouse driver>

    Lines to make sure you want to remove from the CONFIG.SYS of the
    boot disk :

        DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE ...
        DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
        DEVICE=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE ...

9)  After you are finished with the CONFIG.SYS, press [ALT-F], then [X], 
    then [Y]. You should return to the A: prompt.

10) Type  EDIT A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT  and press [ENTER]

11) Similiar to CONFIG.SYS, since different computers have different
    sound cards, CD-ROM drives, etc., we cannot list out the exact lines 
    needed for the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. However, the original lines from 
    your hard disk AUTOEXEC.BAT will be there, and you can try to make 
    sure lines of the AUTOEXEC.BAT on the boot disk read somewhat like 
    the following :

        @ECHO OFF
        PROMPT $p$g
        PATH C:\DOS
        C:\<path>\MSCDEX.EXE ...
        <possible soundcard lines (SET BLASTER=, SET SOUND=, etc.)>
        <possible mouse driver line (C:\DOS\MOUSE or C:\MOUSE\MOUSE)>

    Lines to make sure you want to remove from the AUTOEXEC.BAT of the
    boot disk :

        C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE ...
        C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE ...

12) After you are finished with the CONFIG.SYS, press [ALT-F], then [X], 
    then [Y]. You should return to the A: prompt.

13) Reboot your computer with the new boot disk. You may now try to 
    install/run the game!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[1.0]   Movies pausing (starting and stopping)

The movies pause because data cannot be transferred from the CD-ROM 
drive to our game at a sustained rate. The following may be attempted to 
help alleviate movie pausing :

1)  Play the movies in VGA. There is roughly 4 times as much data in
    SVGA to display to the screen than in VGA. Run the installation with
    WC3 -I  and make sure Movie Video Mode is VGA. You may also go to
    the Main Terminal, under Controls/Graphics Modes/Movies and click on
    the box next to VGA.

2)  Make sure your CD-ROM driver is up to date. You will need to contact
    your CD-ROM drive manufacturer to see if you have the latest
    version. You can check the list of problem CD-ROM drivers at the end
    of this file to see if your driver needs to be updated.

3)  We test the speed of your machine and rate it according to the time
    it takes for certain actions to be completed (see README.TXT for
    more information). The benchmarks for your system are accurate. You
    must make sure you rate at least :

    0-25    for CPU Speed. Lower score = Faster processor
    0-12    for Video Card Speed. Lower score = Faster video card
    300+    for CD-ROM drive transfer rate. Higher rate = Faster CD-ROM

    If you do not meet any of the above requirements, you probably will
    experience movie pausing, even in VGA.

    NOTE : If the installation program specifically detects that a
    particular component is too slow, you will see a message that will
    let you know. There may not be anything that can be done about the
    movie pausing if you encounter one of these messages. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[2.0]   Long load times

If you are experiencing long load times (in excess of approximately 2
minutes), the following are suggested to help make the transition from
gameflow to spaceflight a little shorter :

1)  Check to see if you are using disk compression. If so, there may not
    be anything else that can be done. (Of course, suggestions 2-6 may
    be attempted, but may have no effect...) 
 
2)  The disk utilities listed below (with the exception of SCANDISK) are
    shipped with DOS 6.0 and above (SCANDISK is shipped with DOS 6.2 and 
    above). Consult your DOS manual for more in-depth instructions on 
    how to use them.

    It is recommended that before you play, you do the following for 
    drive C: and the savegame drive (if it differs from drive C:) : 

        CHKDSK C:

            or better,

        SCANDISK C:

    CHKDSK and SCANDISK check and repair hard disk file damage. If any 
    damage is found, you will want to remove the C:\WC3 directory and 
    the savegame directory (if it is different) with :

        DEL C:\WC3
        RD C:\WC3

    and repair any damage found according to the instructions in your 
    DOS manual. 

2)  Severely fragmented hard drives are a top cause of long load times.
    You will then need to run a defragmentation utility doing a "full
    optimize" for the savegame drive. For example : 

        DEFRAG C: /F 

4)  If enough disk space is available, try copying all 42 MB to the HD.
    Try lower settings if less disk space is available. 

5)  In the CONFIG.SYS of your boot disk, use BUFFERS=99. Each buffer
    uses 532 bytes of conventional memory, so this will use
    approximately 50K. 

6)  If you have enough memory, you may try to squeeze in a 100K
    SMARTDrive cache. After SMARTDRV.EXE, specify the savegame drive
    letter. It is DEFINITELY NOT HELPFUL to have an amount lower than
    100K, this will increase load times. For example : 
 
        C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE C 100 
 
*7) More RAM will definitely shorten load times.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[3.0]   The "DOTS"

The "dots" signify the progress of the initialization phases of the
game. Here are some things to check : 

1)  Set up a BOOT DISK! :)

2)  Make sure your VESA driver is current and up to date. Try "UNIVBE",
    or playing in VGA with "WC3 -V". 

3)  Make sure you have a 100% compatible mouse driver. Attempt to REM
    out your mouse line and see if the problems persist.

4)  You have a clean hard disk with at least 25MB of free space (50MB
    if you are using disk compression). 

5)  Check sound card settings and compatibility. Try disabling your
    sound card to see if that allows you to get into the game.
 
6)  Make sure your CPU is 100% Intel compatible. 

[3.1]   You see "Loading Wing Commander III ......." and it returns
        you immediately back to the CD-ROM drive prompt

Edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file of your boot disk and type REM at the
beginning of your mouse driver line. You are not using a 100% compatible 
mouse driver. Please refer to the Install Guide for more information in 
obtaining a 100% compatible mouse driver.

[3.2]   Lockups at the fourth or sixth dot

Run the installation program with  WC3 -I  and select NONE for "Setup 
Music Card" and "Setup Digital FX Card". If you can now get into the 
game, either your sound card is not set up correctly or your sound card 
is not 100% compatible with the selection you are trying to choose. 
Please verify your sound card settings and try again.

We do know of a few problem sound cards that may lockup. (See section 
8.3 below.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

[4.0]   Error messages

[4.1]   This error may be the result of a bad CD-ROM read...

Don't panic, you don't necessarily have a bad CD. Simply make sure 
you're using a boot disk, and try again. If you cannot solve the problem 
with a boot disk, see if your error message ABOVE the "This error..." is 
listed anywhere in the Install/Troubleshooting guide, the README.TXT 
file, or this help file. You may want to try exchanging the CDs at the 
place of purchase to see if a new CD actually solves your problem.

[4.2]   A processor exception has occured.
        Your system may be unstable at this point.

1)  Make sure the line DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS is in your CONFIG.SYS.

2)  If you have the following :

    Hardware   : Mitsumi CD-ROM model FX001/FX001D 
    CONFIG.SYS : DEVICE=C:\<path>\MTMCDAE.SYS /D:MSCD001 <parameters>

    HOW to solve : 
      Use the MTMCDAS.SYS driver found in the same directory. If 
      this driver is not in the directory, look on the disks that came 
      with the CD-ROM. 

        DEVICE=C:\<path>\MTMCDAS.SYS /D:MSCD001 <parameters>

      As an alternate solution, you may try /T:S on the MTMCDAE.SYS 
      line. Use this if the customer does not have MTMCDAS.SYS on 
      his/her hard drive. 

        DEVICE=C:\<path>\MTMCDAE.SYS /D:MSCD001 /T:S <parameters>

      Mitsumi     BBS             415-691-4469
                  Tech Support    415-691-4465

3)  Make sure you're using a 100% Intel compatible processor. Other
    processors may not be compatible with our game.

[4.3]   Critical error on file : ..\..\data\movies\origin_s.mve or
        Critical error on file : ..\..\data\movies\opening.mve
        after several seconds of viewing the introduction.

1)  If you have the following :

    Hardware   : Phillips LMS 206 CD-ROM drive
    CONFIG.SYS : DEVICE=C:\<path>\DD260.SYS /D:MVCD001 ...

    How to solve :
      Try adding the  "/F:5"  parameter to the end of the line. You may
      alternately try  "/F:1".  This will attempt to clear a conflict
      between the CD-ROM interface and the soundcard.

        DEVICE=C:\<path>\DD260.SYS /D:MVCD001 /F:5 ...

2)  If you have the following :

    Hardware   : Mitsumi 4x IDE CD-ROM drive and an enhanced IDE hard
                 drive
    CONFIG.SYS : DEVICE=C:\MTM\MTMCDAI.SYS /D:MTMIDE01 /P:170,15

    How to solve :
      There seems to be an incompatibility with our game, certain
      motherboards and this setup. We are currently researching this.

      The drive will only work on IRQ 15. It will work on IRQ 14 if it
      is set up as a slave to a master hard drive on IRQ 14.

      Also, the drive will not cache correctly. Do not use SMARTDRV.EXE
      to cache the CD-ROM drive when playing Wing Commander III.

      You may want to download the latest IDE CD-ROM driver for the
      Mitsumi 4x. It is IDE133.EXE on Mitsumi's BBS.

      Mitsumi     BBS             415-691-4469
                  Tech Support    415-691-4465

3)  If you have the following :

    Hardware   : Texel DM-3024

    How to solve :
      The Texel DM-3024 needs a firmware EPROM upgrade. During test, we
      found that the drive could not read past the 300 MB mark. After
      contacting Plextor, we found that the firmware needs to be
      upgraded from version 1.09 to version 1.13. At the time of writing
      this document, the price for the upgrade is $18.00. This price may
      have changed. Please contact Plextor for more information.

    Plextor     T/S             408-986-1569

4)  You may want to verify that you have the latest CD-ROM driver for
    your CD-ROM drive. See section 1.0 for more information.

[4.4]   Exception 13 happened :)

Make a boot disk and retry. Also please review section 6.0 which 
discusses reboots. The same possible solutions apply to the Exception 13 
error messages.

[4.5]   CVMManager::GetPtr () Requested: 397984, Available: 379932 

    Hardware     : Generally 8 MB machines
    CONFIG.SYS   : DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 7168 RAM
                   DEVICE=C:\<CD-ROM Driver> /M:<Large number> 
    AUTOEXEC.BAT : C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE <Large number> 
                   C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /E /M:<Large number> 

    Why this occurs : 
      You will find this error code on mission J003 on disc 3.
      Basically, you have just barely enough extended memory to run
      the game, but not enough to load the mission data.

    HOW to solve : 
      You will have to load all drivers possible into conventional, and
      try not to use as little extended memory as possible. 

      1)  REM out EMM386.EXE and DOS=UMB. This will load all drivers
          into conventional memory, freeing upper memory. 

      2)  On the CD-ROM driver line in the CONFIG.SYS, remove the switch
          or lower the amount of CD-ROM buffers allocated (if this is
          what the /M switch for that particular driver does). 
 
      3)  REM out SMARTDRV.EXE from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. 
 
      4)  Remove the /E switch from the MSCDEX.EXE line and lower the 
          buffers from the number specified after the /M: to 5.

      5)  Use DOS=LOW in the CONFIG.SYS of your boot disk. 

      6)  99.9% of the time, 1-5 work just fine. If 1-5 have no effect, 
          as a last resort, re-run the installation program and disable 
          sound for that particular mission.

[4.6]   Write failed on file : SWAPFILE.$$$

    Hardware   : Badly fragmented hard drives 

    Things to try :

    1)  Make sure you have enough free space on the drive you're trying 
        to run the game on. You should have at least 25 MB of 
        uncompressed space. If the hard drive is compressed, the size 
        should move up to 50 MB.
 
    2)  Make sure there are NO lost allocation units, cross-
        linked/truncated files, bad sectors, etc. Use SCANDISK or CHKDSK 
        to check for the presence of file damage and repair accordingly.

        With SCANDISK, when it asks to do a full surface scan, select
        YES. This will allow you to test the drive for any hard drive
        anomalies.

    3)  DEFRAG completely with "DEFRAG C: /F" 

    For a more detailed explanation of using CHKDSK, SCANDISK and
    DEFRAG, refer to section 2.0, "Long load times," or your DOS manual.

[4.7]   Malloc () failed

This error may occur if you MANUALLY flew toward the NEXT point. ALL
(not most, not some, ALL) nav points should allow you to auto-pilot to
the next nav once you to complete the nav area task. This may involve 
killing fighters, linking with transports, mining jump buoys, etc. For 
example : 

    If the you must escort transports, the you MUST auto-pilot link with
    the transport by flying within 500 units of the transport to 
    establish the link. The auto-pilot light will then light up, and 
    auto-piloting is possible. PRESS "A" to autopilot to the next nav-
    point.

[4.8]   Non system disk or disk error
        Replace and strike a key when ready

This is a DOS error which means that the boot disk that you created for 
the game does not have the DOS system files on it. You will need to :

1)  Restart your computer with the boot disk out of the A: drive. Go to
    the DOS prompt (exit Windows).

2)  Type  C:  and press [ENTER]

3)  Place the boot disk in drive A:

4)  Type  SYS A:  and press [ENTER]

5)  Reboot your computer with the disk in the drive after the SYSTEM
    TRANSFERRED message.

[4.9]   Invalid drive specification

Your CD-ROM drive has not loaded properly or the drive letter has 
changed. When MSCDEX loads, it will tell you the drive letter of your 
CD-ROM drive :

    DRIVE D:= MSCD001

[4.10]   Message index 1214972 is out of range

This error message happens on mission LG04 (last mission in the Alcor 
system, the terrain mission rescuing Dr. Severin) right before the 
ascent from the planet after you have rescued him if you are using 
FRENCH or GERMAN sub-titles. Simply switch the subtitles to ENGLISH 
or turn subtitles OFF before flying the mission. Once past this mission, 
you can switch the sub-titles back to FRENCH or GERMAN.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[5.0]   Lockups

Make a boot disk and retry.

[5.1]   Lockups after the fourth or sixth dot

See section 3.2.

[5.2]   Lockups During opening movie, [ESC] takes you further into
        the game

You have chosen the incorrect sound card settings or have an IRQ or DMA 
conflict with your sound card and another device in your system. Verify 
your sound card settings are "conflict free" and re-run the installation 
program.

See the Install Guide for more information.

If you have an SB16 and you are sure your sound card settings are
correct <this may not work for everyone>, but you may want to try to
set the low and high DMA to the same channel in the boot disk's
AUTOEXEC.BAT. If you have lines that read something similar to :

    SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
    SET SOUND=C:\SB16
    C:\SB16\SBCONFIG /S  or  C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S

you may want to change the SET BLASTER line to reflect the same low and 
high DMA (DO THIS ON THE BOOT DISK!):

    SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H1 P330 T6

SBCONFIG and DIAGNOSE will dynamically set the IRQ and DMA of your 
sound card according to the settings in the SET BLASTER line. Refer to
your SB16 User's Guide for more information.

[5.3]   Lockup at the joystick calibration screen

We are unsure why this happens, but with a bit of troubleshooting, we 
should be able to find the cause :

1)  Make sure you have only one joystick port active. If you do not, you
    may have a joystick port conflict. Resolve and retry.

2)  Remove the joystick completely, and see if you can get into the
    game's installation program. Plug in the joystick after the game has
    been installed and calibrate from within the game.

3)  Try another joystick.

4)  If you have more than one joystick port, disable the current
    joystick port and the second joystick port and retry.

5)  Try the Wing Commander III Joystick Patch (section 9.1).

6)  Disable all open joystick ports and try using a speed adjustable
    gamecard.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[6.0]   Reboots

Reboots normally occur when going after Flint, during Behemoth mission,
planet ascension, switching CDs, or (R)eplaying a mission after you have
died or ejected.

The most common cause of a reboot is a video card with the S3 chipset. 
There is a problem reinitializing the video mode when going from mission 
to mission or from mission to movie to mission (as opposed to from 
mission to gameflow to mission).

The video cards reboot if in SVGA when this occurs. We are currently 
researching this, but a solution at this time is to go into installation 
program with WC3 -I and set the Spaceflight Video Mode to VGA. If you 
want to play in SVGA that is fine, but you must manually switch to SVGA 
with ALT-3 or ALT-4. The mission MUST LOAD UP in VGA.

Some other possibilities :

1)  If you have the following :

    Hardware   : BUSLogic 542S SCSI Host Adapter 

    HOW to solve : 
      You will need to use EMM386.EXE and possibly exclude DC00-DFFF.
      The address range is used by the host adapter and may conflict
      with Wing III. You must consult your documentation for specific 
      information on which range to exclude. For example : 
 
        DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM X=DC00-DFFF 
 
    BusLogic        BBS                 408-492-1984  
                    Tech Support FAX    408-492-1542 
                    Tech Support        408-492-9090  
                    Tech Support        408-988-7338 

2)  If you have the following :

    Hardware   : PAS 16 and a SCSI CD-ROM Drive connected to the PAS 16
    CONFIG.SYS : DEVICE=C:\<path>\TSLCDR.SYS /D:MVCD001 /R
 
    HOW to solve : 
      You will need to download 316.EXE or 318S-MV.EXE from the 
      MediaVision BBS to upgrade TSLCDR.SYS to version 3.16 or 3.18.
      316.EXE should be sufficient. 318S-MV.EXE is only needed if you 
      have a Sony 55S or a Sanyo 94S CD-ROM drive. 
 
      316.EXE contains : 
 
        MSCDEX   EXE        25,377 02-12-93   6:00a 
        README   DOC         1,344 10-04-93   4:04p 
        TSLCDR   SYS        35,201 04-26-94   3:36p 

      318S-MV.EXE contains : 
 
        MSCDEX   EXE        25,377 02-12-93   6:00a 
        TSLCDR   SYS        35,425 11-11-94  10:53a 
        README   DOC         1,372 12-06-94   4:50p 
 
      NOTE : MSCDEX.EXE included in this executable is version 2.21. 
      Version 2.23 is a requirement for the game. If you do not already 
      have Version 2.23 (it is shipped w/ DOS 6.2 and up), you will need 
      to contact Microsoft for the latest version. 
 
    Media Vision    BBS             510-770-0968 14400bps 
                    BBS             510-770-0527 
                    General         800-684-6699 
                    Tech Support    800-638-2807 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[7.0]   Gameplay

[7.1]   Movies are of "poor quality"

If "streaks" are seen, either your gamma correction or monitor 
brightness is TOO high. Adjust the brightness of your monitor and/or 
gamma correction so that "Origin Presents" and "A Chris Roberts Game" 
fades to complete darkness. This should lessen the "streak"ing effect. 

[7.2]   No descriptions of possible actions (Attend Briefing, etc.)

A 100% Microsoft compatible mouse driver must be installed in order to 
get gameflow descriptions (ie. Talk to Hobbes, Attend Briefing, etc.)

[7.3]   TAB and ~ (afterburners) do not work in spaceflight

The use of afterburners (TAB or ~) or slide (CAPS LOCK and /) will not 
work when mouse flight is enabled. You will have to double-click the
right mouse button to afterburn, or use a joystick or the keyboard. The 
control type can be changed in the Spaceflight Options Menu (ALT-O).

[7.4]   Installation program rates machine slower than normal

If CPU Speed is rating slower than normal, make sure that both internal 
and external CPU caches are enabled. Also, check to see that the turbo 
button is on. Our benchmark scale applies to Intel microprocessors. 
Other processors tested may show a result slower than their Intel 
counterparts. Contact the microprocessor manufacturer for a more 
detailed explanation.

[7.5]   Crackling sounds in SVGA

In SVGA, you hear crackling/static/popping sounds from the sound card. 
First, make sure you do not an IRQ or DMA conflict.

[7.5.1]   Cirrus Logic GD-542x 

If the you have the Cirrus Logic GD-542x video card, you may download
542XVGA.EXE from the Cirrus Logic BBS. It upgrades the video BIOS to
1.41.

    Cirrus Logic    BBS             510-440-9080
                    General         510-623-8300

[7.5.2]   Orchid Kelvin 64 

If you have the Orchid Kelvin 64 there is currently no solution for
this problem. We are in contact with Orchid working on a solution.
 
    Orchid Technology BBS           510-683-0327
                      General       510-683-0300 
                      Sales         800-767-2443 
                      Tech Support  510-683-0323 

[7.6]   Pressing [ALT-X] "flashes" 'Exit To DOS? [Y/N]'

Your joystick calibration may be incorrect. Try recalibrating the 
joystick [ALT-J] in gameflow and see if that works. 

[7.7]   Undocumented keyboard commands

The following spaceflight keyboard commands were not listed in the
reference card :

    ALT-F   Display frame rate
    ALT-G   Synchronize gun blasts
    CTRL-J  Set control type to joystick
    CTRL-K  Set control type to keyboard
    CTRL-M  Set control type to mouse

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[8.0]   Specific Hardware

There are several hardware specific issues that need to be addressed
as follows.

[8.1]   Control (keyboard, mouse, joystick)

It is very important that 100% Microsoft-compatible mouse drivers are
used. It has been noted that non-100% Microsoft-compatible mouse drivers
will cause lockups during game initialization or during the movies. 

There is no mention how the Flightstick Pro or Thrustmaster FCS Mark I 
is supported in the documentation for the game. They are supported as 
follows : 

[8.1.1]   Flightstick Pro support

    Coolie Hat  UP      F1 (Forward View, Toggle Cockpit On/Off) 
    Coolie Hat  LEFT    F2 (Left View, Pan Left -it DOES pan) 
    Coolie Hat  RIGHT   F3 (Right View, Pan Right -it DOES pan) 
    Coolie Hat  DOWN    F4 (Rear/Turret View) 

    Trigger             FIRE Guns 
    Left TOP Button     Joystick Button 2 
    Middle TOP Button   "Y" - Lock target and Match Speed 
    Right TOP Button    Fire Missiles 

[8.1.2]   Thrustmaster (w/o the Mark II) and Logitech Wingman Extreme
          support

    Select Thrustmaster for the Control Type in the Spaceflight Options
    Menu. The joystick is supported as follows :

    Hat                 NOT SUPPORTED 

    Thrustmaster Controls
            Trigger                 Fire guns
            Top Thumb Button        Joystick Button 2
            Bottom Thumb Button     Fire Missile
            Pinky Button            "Y" - Lock on closest enemy in 
                                          view and match speed

    Logitech Wingman Extreme Controls
            Trigger                 Fire guns
            Top Thumb Button        Joystick Button 2
            Bottom Thumb Button     "Y" - Lock on closest enemy in 
                                          view and match speed
            Middle Thumb Button     Fire Missile

    * NOTE : There is a Thrustmaster patch available that will allow you
      to use the hat with Wing Commander III. Refer to section 9.0 for
      more details.

[8.1.3]   WING3.ADV compiler errors 

    HOW to solve : 
      Edit the WING3.ADV file and remove the ( and ) (open and close 
      parentheses) from the lines w/ LALT and LCTL. Recompile, and it 
      should work fine. 
 
      The corrections to the file are listed below : 

    REM                WING COMMANDER THREE by ORIGIN SYSTEMS 
    REM                   Written and Tested November 1994 
    REM **************************************************************** 
    REM  Base Switch Settings 
    REM  Black Hat switch = Digital 
    REM  Red Switch       = Digital 
    REM  Game Settings: Regular Joystick if FCS is plugged into WCS 
    REM 
    GAME 1 70               REM  DIGITAL CONTINUOUS 70 MS Delay 
    BTN UB ENT              REM  WEAPON FIRE 
    BTN MB TAB              REM  AFTERBURNERS 
    BTN LB Y                REM  TARGET AND MATCH SPEED 
    BTN HU F1               REM  FRONT VIEW/COCKPIT TOGGLE 
    BTN HR F3               REM  RIGHT VIEW 
    BTN HD F2               REM  REAR VIEW 
    BTN HL F4               REM  LEFT VIEW 
    BTN 1 /U S              REM  SHIELDS VDU 
          /M G              REM  TOGGLE GUNS 
          /D LALT W         REM  "WHAT'S YOUR STATUS"
    BTN 2 /U D              REM  DAMAGE VDU 
          /M M              REM  CONFIGURE MISSILE 
          /D LALT A         REM  "ATTACK MY TARGET"
    BTN 3 /U P              REM  POWER VDU 
          /M L              REM  LOCK TARGET 
          /D LALT B         REM  "BREAK AND ATTACK"
    BTN 4 /U ]              REM  INCREASE CURRENT POWER SYSTEM 5% 
          /M T              REM  NEXT TARGET 
          /D LALT T         REM  RANDOM TAUNT
    BTN 5 /U [              REM  DECREASE CURRENT POWER SYSTEM 5% 
          /M a              REM  AUTOPILOT 
          /D W              REM  FULL MISSILES 
    BTN 6 /U LCTL ]         REM  TOGGLE LOCK CURRENT SYSTEM
          /M E              REM  DROP DECOY 
          /D F              REM  FULL GUNS 
    RKR UP |                REM  NULL FUNCTION 
    RKR DN |                REM  NULL FUNCTION 
    THR 30 1 = - \ \ \ \    REM  THROTTLE CHARACTERS 
    BTN MT /P /N BSP  /R =  REM  THROTTLE CONTROL FROM IDLE TO OFF 

[8.1.4]   Programmable keyboards

Turn OFF the program function. (Usually FUNCTION-SUSPEND MACRO or 
something similar. Also, REM out any lines that may install a 
programmable keyboard device driver.

[8.1.5]   Advanced Gravis Phoenix WCS

Our game does not support the way the Advanced Gravis Phoenix WCS 
handles multiple keypresses. Commands like [ALT-B] and [CTRL-V] will 
not work. There is no fix for this problem.

[8.2]   Video cards

Our game is having a problem with the following video cards :

[8.2.1]   Cirrus Logic

Crackling sounds in SVGA. See section 7.5.1.

[8.2.1]   Diamond Viper VLB

The VPRMODE VESA program seems to cause random pixels and screen 
trash. This appears to only be with the VLB version of the card in 
SVGA. We are in contact with Diamond. For now, you will need to 
play in VGA with WC3 -V.

[8.2.2]   Matrox PCI

The Matrox PCI Windows Accelerator card seems to score poorly for 
during video card testing (a rating of 43, when 12 is needed to play 
the game). You will need to select VGA for Spaceflight and Movies, and 
on some machines, the movies appear to run smoothly, on others pausing 
is unavoidable. Contact Matrox for more information.

[8.2.3]   Hercules Graphite

To use the HERCULES Graphite video card, the following line in 
AUTOEXEC.BAT is needed :

    C:\HERCULES\VESA C:\HERCULES\HG_OLD1.CRT  

[8.2.4]   Compaq QVision

There is a QVision patch that allows SVGA gameplay. Please refer to
section 9.4 for a description on this particular patch.

[8.2.5]   ATI Graphics Expression (ATI Mach 64)

Support for the ATI Mach 64 and its successors has been built into the
game by pressing Y during the appropriate time in the installation
program when is asks if text is seen at the bottom of the screen. This
will select an alternate video mode for movies only. Gameflow and
spaceflight are unaffected.

 [8.3]   Sound cards

[8.3.1]   Mozart by Oak Technologies

The MOZART sound card (created by Oak Technologies) seems to lock up 
after the "fourth" or "sixth" dot. We are currently working with Oak 
Technologies on a solution. There is no work-around for this problem at 
this time, you will have to play the game with NO SOUND. You can 
recognize a Mozart sound card by spotting the following lines in the 
configuration files :

    CONFIG.SYS   : DEVICE=C:\MZT\MZTINIT.SYS /A220 /I5 /D1 /G /V7

    AUTOEXEC.BAT : SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4
                   SET SOUND=C:\MZT

[8.3.2]   Media Chips MAD 16

The Media Clips MAD 16 sound card must be configured as a Sound Blaster
Pro. You must add a parameter which is not normally found on the M16INIT
line (/C). You can recognize a MAD 16 by spotting the following lines in
the configuration files :

    CONFIG.SYS   : DEVICE=C:\MAD16\CDSETUP.SYS /T:S /P:340 /I:5
    AUTOEXEC.BAT : SET MAD16=C:\MAD16
                   SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4
                   C:\MAD16\M16INIT /B /C

[8.3.3]   Media Magic 16 (ISP16 and MAGICS20)

Media Magic 16 sound cards (MAGICS20 and ISP16) work great with the 
game, but in the installation program, should be set as Sound Blaster 
Pro. Sound Blaster/Compatibles will cause lockups. The following lines 
will appear in AUTOEXEC.BAT if the customer has any of these cards : 
 
    AUTOEXEC.BAT :  SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4 
                    SET ISP16=C:\ISP16 
                    C:\ISP16\ISPINIT /B 

    AUTOEXEC.BAT :  SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4 
                    SET SOUND16=C:\MAGICS20 
                    C:\MAGICS20\SNDINIT /B 

    AUTOEXEC.BAT :  SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4 
                    SET SOUND16=C:\DIAMOND
                    C:\DIAMOND\SNDINIT /B 

[8.3.4]   Sound Blaster AWE 32

If the installation program reports that it cannot detect your AWE 32, 
select the Digital FX card first, choose Sound Blaster AWE, then select 
your Music card.

[8.4]   CD-ROM drives

[8.4.1]   Texel DM-3024

Refer to section 4.3.

[8.4.2]   Mitsumi 4x IDE

Refer to section 4.3.

[8.5]   Miscellaneous (CPUs, hard drives, SCSI host adapters, etc.)

[8.5.1]   Cyrix 486 processors (DLC, SRX2, DRX2, DX, DX2)

If configured incorrectly, these have been found to cause random lockups
and Exception 13s. We are working together with Cyrix, and the most 
common problem we have found is the processor is being used in an 
incompatible motherboard.

[8.5.2]   AMD processors

The AMD microprocessors seem to function adequately.

[8.5.3]   OS/2

This section is written by J. Allen Brack.

A number of people have contacted us asking if the game runs under OS/2.
Wing Commander III is DPMI compliant, therefore it is relatively easy to
create a DOS session under OS/2 that will run Wing Commander III.

A 486 DX/2 66 with 16 megabytes are a recommended for reasonable
performance under OS/2. SVGA is fully supported under a full screen
secession.  You can fly spaceflight missions on the desktop in VGA.
Sound cards natively supported under OS/2 work extremely well. You may
be able to get the sound to work with unsupported cards by adding the
appropriate sound drivers in the 'DOS_DEVICE' setting as specified in 
your manual.  You may also need to add your drivers in your system 
AUTOEXEC.BAT for further compatibility.

The following instructions document the creation of a OS/2 DOS session 
for Wing Commander III :

1.  Open the OS/2 System folder
2.  Open the Command Prompts folder
3.  Right click once on DOS Full Screen
4.  Left click on the copy choice
5.  Highlight DOS Full Screen and type Wing Commander III in the title 
    bar
6.  Left Click on 'Desktop' in the spiral, then Left Click on the copy 
    button
7.  Close all open windows
8.  Right Click on the Wing Commander III icon
9.  Left Click on the Settings selection
10. Type your CD-ROM drive letter, a colon, a backslash, and WC3
    (i.e. E:\WC3)
11. Left Click the Secessions tab
12. Left Click DOS Settings
13. Left Click OK for All DOS Settings
14. Change the settings listed below to the value indicated:
        AUDIO_ADAPTER_SHARING       REQUIRED
        DOS_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION    OFF
        DOS_DEVICE                  <add sound driver lines>
        DOS_FILES                   30
        DOS_HIGH                    ON
        DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT           16
        EMS_MEMORY_LIMIT            0
        HW_ROM_TO_RAM               ON
        HW_TIMER                    ON
        IDLE_SECONDS                60
        IDLE_SENSITIVITY            100
        INT_DURING_IO               ON
        KBD_BUFFER_EXTEND           OFF
        SESSION_PRIORITY            32
        VIDEO_8514A_XGA_IOTRAP      OFF
        XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT            0
15. Left Click the Save button
16. Close the window by left double clicking to upper left corner.

Your icon should be installed and ready to go.  Left Double Click to
begin the game.

For OS/2 2.0, 2.01, 2.1, and 2.11, omit the settings that are not 
present in those versions.  You should not need to change any other 
settings. 

Additionally, if you have DOS version 5.0 or above, you may find a 
substantial performance increase if you create a virtual secession 
running the actual copy of DOS.  Creating a VMDISK is relatively easy, 
and complete instructions can be found on-line by typing 'HELP VMDISK' 
in an OS/2 window.

NOTE : OS/2 is not an officially supported environment for Wing
Commander III.  These settings are suggestions only. While they should
work for you, Origin's Technical Support is not as knowledgeable at
resolving OS/2 difficulties as IBM. Origin recommends you contact IBM 
Technical Support for a resolution.

Good Luck!!!

[9.0]   Patches

There are four patches available at this time for Wing Commander III.

[9.1]   WC3JOY.DLL, a joystick patch

This patch is for users who are experiencing problems with joystick 
calibration (lockups, bad calibration, etc.) It is intended for users
with two button joysticks.

To remove the patch, type  DEL C:\WC3\WC3JOY.DLL  and press [ENTER].

Instructions for the installation and usage of this patch accompany the
file WC3JOYTM.EXE found on our BBS and FTP site.

[9.2]   WC3JOY.DLL, the Thrustmaster hat patch

This patch was developed to provide hat support for the Thrustmaster
and 100% compatible joysticks (such as the Logitech Wingman Extreme).
The hat is used in spaceflight to control the different views :

        HAT UP          F1 - Front View; Toggle cockpit
        HAT LEFT        F2 - Left  View
        HAT RIGHT       F3 - Right View
        HAT DOWN        F4 - Rear  View

Instructions for the installation and usage of this patch accompany the
file WC3JOYTM.EXE found on our BBS and FTP site.

[9.3]   WC3JOY.DLL, the Notebook Gameport patch

WC3JOY.DLL is a set of alternate joystick routines used to provide 
support for Colorado Spectrum's Notebook Gameport. Joysticks
tested with the Notebook Gameport in combination with this patch
include the CH Flightstick, the CH Flightstick Pro, the Thrustmaster
FCS, and the Gravis Analog Pro.

Instructions for the installation and usage of this patch accompany the
file WC3JOYNG.EXE found on our BBS and FTP site.

 [9.4]   VIDEO.DLL, the Compaq QVision patch

VIDEO.DLL is an alternate set of video routines used to provide 
support for certain video cards. VIDEO.DLL installs itself when 
Wing Commander III is initialized. 

During initialization, the patch will attempt to detect the Compaq
QVision. If the Compaq QVision is not detected, the patch will not
install itself and display a message asking you if you wish to continue.
If the Compaq QVision is detected, a message will let you know the DLL
was installed and you should be able to use the SVGA capabilities of the
Compaq Qvision.

Instructions for the installation and usage of this patch accompany the
file QVISION.EXE found on our BBS and FTP site.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[10.0]   Problem CD-ROM drivers and their updates

If you are experiencing problems with Wing Commander III (bad CD reads,
movie pausing, etc.) make sure your CD-ROM driver is up to date. The
following is a list of CD-ROM drivers we tested the game with and we
know that work with the game and their locations.

* NOTE : These may not be the latest CD-ROM drivers. You will need a
  driver of this version or later.

+ This is a location where you can find the driver. It is not the
  original source for the driver.

Driver Name    Driver    Driver     Filename       Driver Location
               Version    Date        to DL
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ASPICD.SYS     3.13      6-10-94    N/A            Adaptec
                                                     BBS  408-945-7727
                                                     TECH 408-945-2550
                                                   + Creative Labs
                                                     BBS  405-742-6660
                                                     TECH 405-742-6622
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
CDMKE.SYS      4.04      12-3-93    N/A            + Reveal
                                                     BBS  818-704-6321
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
DD260.SYS      1.42                                MediaVision
                                                     BBS  510-770-0968
                                                     TECH 510-252-4315
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
MTMCDAE.SYS    1.17      7-14-93    CDAE.EXE       Mitsumi
MTMCDAS.SYS    1.16                 FX116.EXE        BBS  415-691-4469
MTMCDAI.SYS    1.33                 IDE133.EXE       TECH 415-691-4465
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SBCD.SYS       4.19      4-30-94    CD-DOS.EXE     Creative
                                                     BBS  405-742-6660
                                                     TECH 405-742-6622
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SLCD.SYS       1.73a                173A.EXE       Sony
                                                     BBS  408-955-5107
                                    SLCD173.EXE    MediaVision
                                                     BBS  510-770-0968
                                                     TECH 510-252-4315
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TSLCDR.SYS     3.16      4-26-94    316.EXE        MediaVision
                                                     BBS  510-770-0968
                                                     TECH 510-252-4315

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[11.0]   Acknowledgements

I would like to express thanks to the following people :

PS :  J. Allen Brack, James Flores, Kay Gilmore, Andrew Hofmann,
      Bill LaCoste, Jeremy Mappus, Chico Marvici, Donna Mehnert,
      John Moreland, Michael P. Songy, Reece Thornton, Brian Wachhaus,
      Todd Wachhaus, Marie Williams, Graham Wood

PD :  Frank Savage, Jason Yenawine

all of QA, Customer Service, and the Wing III Development Team.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

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