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MASTER OF ORION II: BATTLE AT ANTARES
Frequently Asked Questions
5 December 1996
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Troubleshooting
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Q: I have installed a game that has DirectX version 3.0, and Master
of Orion II will not run.
A: First, uninstall DirectX version 3.0. Then install DirectX version
2.0. Last, install DirectX version 3.0. Both versions of DirectX
should work now.
Q: I have installed Master of Orion II in Windows 95. When I start
the game, it just bounces me back to my Windows 95 desktop.
A: Contact your video card manufacturer to obtain the latest DirectX
compatible video drivers for your video card. You will need to
install the latest video card drivers for the game to work.
Q: I am trying to install the game in DOS, and I get a message saying
that I do not have enough memory.
A: To free up more memory, create a boot disk without any expanded
memory managers (such as EMM386, QEMM. NetRoom or 386Max).
Q: When running the game in Windows 95, the Autoplay screen keeps
popping up asking me to install the game.
A: Reinstall the game and run the Windows 95 version. This problem
happens when you install and run the DOS version in Windows 95. To
install the Windows 95 version, either run the SETUP.EXE program
(which is on the Master of Orion II CD-ROM) or click the Install
button on the Autoplay screen.
Q: The program crashes in Windows 95 and/or the mouse locks up in
Windows 95.
A: Double-click on the System in your Control Panel. Then double-click
on the Performance tab and then the Graphics button. Reduce the
hardware acceleration for your video card.
Q: The program crashes or will not install in DOS.
A: This problem can be caused by several things. If your video card
does not support VESA 2.0, you will need to contact your video card
manufacturer for a VESA driver. A third-party VESA driver, called
Display Doctor, is also available at
http://www.scitech.com. This
problem can also be caused by not having MSCDEX version 2.23 or
later. The latest version of MSCDEX is available from Microsoft.
Some CD-ROM installation programs will load older versions. Check
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to make sure that MSCDEX is loading from the
DOS or WINDOWS\COMMAND directory.
Q: I have an Iomega Zip or Jazz drive, and I can't start the game.
A: If you had the Iomega drive unplugged when you installed the
game, the drive letter for your CD-ROM may have changed. You
need to edit the ORIONCD.INI file in the \ORION2 game directory
and change the CD-ROM path to the correct one.
Q: The game runs fine but accessing the CD-ROM is slow.
A: In Windows 95, make sure that your CD-ROM optimization is set
correctly. Double-click on the System in your Control Panel.
Then double-click on the Performance tab, File System button
and CD-ROM tab. Check your supplemental cache size and access
pattern. In DOS or Windows 95, a third-party CD-ROM caching
program (such as Speedy-ROM) can help speed up CD-ROM access.
A demo of Speedy-ROM is available from QuarterDeck's Web site
at
http://www.qdeck.com/products.speedy.
Video
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Q: I have a Matrox Millennium video card and my video settings are
incorrect after installing the game.
A: This is a known problem with Microsoft's DirectX version 2.0
drivers. The solution is to reinstall your video drivers from the
Matrox CD-ROM. You may have to do this in "Safe mode."
Q: I have a computer with an STB Lightspeed 128 video card and the
game locks up in Windows 95.
A: You will need to edit the QTW.INI file in your C:\WINDOWS
directory. Type "ATTRIB -R C:\WINDOWS\QTW.INI" at the DOS prompt.
Then type "EDIT C:\WINDOWS\QTW.INI." Change the line that reads
"OPTIMIZE=DRIVER" to "OPTIMIZE=BMP." From the File menu, click
on "Save" and then "Exit."
Q: After installing the game, I have video problems and/or I can't
get back into Windows 95.
A: Restart your computer and press F8 to select "Safe mode." Next,
click on "My Computer." With your Master of Orion II disc in the
CD-ROM drive, right-click on the icon for your CD-ROM drive and
select "Open." Double-click the DirectX folder, and then
double-click on DXSETUP.EXE. Select "Restore Windows 95 drivers."
Contact your video card manufacturer and obtain video drivers
compatible with DirectX version 2.0.
Q: My video card does not support DirectX.
A: You will need to install and run the game in DOS.
Multiplayer
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Q: I am having trouble with a multiplayer game on an Ethernet
network.
A: Network play works much better if the game is played when
network traffic is low.
Q: I am trying to play a two-player modem game but cannot
connect.
A: Try a lower baud rate such as 9600. Also, make sure that that
error correction and data compression are disabled in your
modem's initialization string. Your modem manual should tell
you how to do this.
Q: I am trying to play a two-player game with direct connect (using
a null-modem serial cable) but cannot connect.
A: Make sure that you have an actual null-modem cable instead of a
straight-through serial cable. These two types of cables look the
same but are wired differently.
Game Play
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Q: Why can't I design ships?
A: You need to select the "Tactical Combat" option when you
start the game.
Q: I just discovered a new star system. Why can't I colonize the
large planet?
A: The planet is probably a gas giant. Gas giants cannot be
colonized.
Q: Why can't I assign a leader to a ship?
A: Colony leaders cannot be assigned to ships; only Ship Leaders can.
Only combat ships can have ship leaders. Transport and colony
ships cannot be assigned leaders.
Q: I am attacking a monster or the Antareans with my ship which is
armed with ion cannons, but the ion cannons don't fire.
A: Ion cannons don't affect Antareans or monsters.
Q: I do not have nebulas showing on my star map.
A: If you are playing in DOS and have less than 8MB RAM in your
computer, you will not have nebulas in the game due to memory
constraints.
Q: My name does not appear in the Hall of Fame screen even after
winning with a score that should qualify.
A: The update to version 1.2 fixes this problem.
Q: My high scores doesn't show up in the Hall of Fame.
A: The update to version 1.2 fixes this problem.
Q: The game crashes when the Antareans raid my ships.
A: The update to version 1.2 fixes this problem
Q: When I press Alt+C to clear the Hall of Fame high scores,
nothing happens.
A: Pressing Alt+C changes the high scores back to the original
ones. If you don't have any games that made the top 10 list,
nothing will change.
Best,
MicroProse Software
