Homeworld 1.05 patch
xxsa...@my-deja.com
I really loved Homeworld!
1.05 adds a number of improvements and it worked fine on my game.
check it out at www.relicnews.com
XxSATANxX
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Rick Miller
Changes to version 1.04
o 'Superscouts' problem fixed (Fighters not doing complete attack runs due
to re-issuing of attack orders)
o 'Dancing scouts' problem fixed (Fighters dodging when switching between
tactics settings quickly)
o Support Frigate repair rate decreased
***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************
Homeworld V1.04 - October 21, 1999
Changes to version 1.03
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. TUNING CHANGES
II. BUG FIXES
III. ADDED FEATURES
IV. SOUND CARD ISSUES
I. TUNING CHANGES
=================
o Defender gun stats adjusted
o Heavy Corvette build time reduced, build cost reduced
o MultiGun Corvette build time reduced
o Minelayer Corvette build time reduced, build cost reduced
o Cloaked Fighter gun stats adjusted
o Carrier build time decreased
o Carrier hyperspace cost increased
o Attack Bomber armor increased
o Missile armor decreased
o Missile tracking decreased
o Missile Destroyer mass increased
II. BUG FIXES
============
o Bounty rating capped at 250.
o Homeworld now checks all available CD-ROM drives for the Homeworld CD -
the Homeworld CD can be placed in any CD-ROM drive on the system
o Cheat detection for multiplayer games.
o Screensavers will no longer activate when Homeworld is running
o Various Save Game Bugs fixed
III. ADDED FEATURES
==================
o Homeworld Dedicated Server Support
- If you create a game and are behind a firewall, you can now choose the
server you use when you start the game. People can have lower latency games
if they select a server that is geographically close to them. Also, people
will be able to create their own Homeworld Servers with a separate program
we will release soon.
New Commands added for online chatting and game control and creation. All
of the commands are preceded by an ! mark, this designates the start of a
command.
o Ignore
- Works only for the chatting in a room. In the chat text box use the
following syntax: "!Ignore <Player name>" You can use this feature to turn
add and remove a person from your ignore list.
o Ban
- Works only for the Creator of a game. This is entered into the game chat
text entry box, you use the following syntax: "!Ban <Player name>" You can
use this feature to add and remove someone from the list of people banned
from your game.
o Kick
- Works only for the Creator of a game. This is entered into the game chat
text entry box, you use the following syntax: "!Kick <Player name>" You can
use this feature to Kick someone from your game.
o Limit
- Works only for the Creator of a game. This is entered into the game chat
text entry box, you use the following syntax: "!Limit <Max Players>" You
can use this feature to limit the maximum number of Human players in your
game.
o The statistics files are now being checked for inconsistencies in
multiplayer games. If inconsistencies are detected, warning messages are
added next to the appropriate line in the statistics files.
o The ability to view the world from any ship's point of view. Simply run
Homeworld with /pilotView option (e.g. Homeworld /pilotview), and then focus
on a single ship. Hit Q to toggle pilot view on and off.
IV. SOUND CARD ISSUES
=====================
Running Homeworld in Windows 9x:
o Homeworld will use the DirectSound mixer if your sound card driver reports
as certified, otherwise Homeworld will use the Waveout mixer. If you have a
newer sound card with new drivers, such as the Creative SoundBlaster Live or
Diamond MX300, you may receive better performance by using the /dsound
command line option because the drivers may not report as certified. If you
have a slightly older card, such as the Creative SoundBlaster AWE32, and are
having problems with sound try using the /waveout command line option to
force use of the Waveout mixer. If you experience crashes that you believe
are related to sound try the /waveout and then the /dsound command line
options to see if one mixer is more stable than the other with your sound
card and drivers.
Running Homeworld in Windows NT4:
o Homeworld will default to using the Waveout mixer, you should not use the
/dsound option unless you are having crashes that you think may be related
to sound.
***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************
Homeworld V1.03 - Sept16, 1999
Changes to version 1.02
- A problem with auto-detecting firewalls was fixed. Previously it would
always detect that you were behind a firewall.
- Previously, OpenGL was not available for any of the Nvidia TNT cards under
Windows9x. This was disabled due to driver problems under Win95. OpenGL is
now available for Win98 but not Win95.
- The Intel i740 is now more reliable under Direct 3D.
***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************
Homeworld
Version 1.0
Readme File
Sept 1, 1999
To read this file, select Edit/Word Wrap from the menu above.
***********************************************************************
About This Document:
Thank you for purchasing Homeworld.
This document contains last-minute information about Homeworld and other
information about the program not found in the Help Files. This README file
includes information that pertains to general problems and questions you may
have concerning the game or your computer. Should you experience any
problems with Homeworld, please refer to this file for addition help on
answering questions about the game and solving technical difficulties.
***********************************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
II. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
III. GENERAL GAME ISSUES
IV. VIDEO CARD ISSUES
V. CONTACTING SIERRA
I. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
=======================
- Windows 95/98/NT 4.0 (w/service pack 4.0) CD-ROM
Minimums:
- Pentium® II 233, 32 MB RAM
- 100 MB HD Space (Plus 50 MB Permanent Swap File)
- 4x CD-ROM Drive
- 4 MB PCI Video Card (16-bit color, DirectX compatible)
- 16-bit DirectX compatible Soundcard
- Win-compatible Mouse
Preferred:
- Pentium® II 350+, 64 MB RAM
- 400 MB HD Space (For Full Installation)
- 12 MB+ 3D Accelerated Video Card
- Win-compatible Mouse with Mousewheel
Internet/Multiplayer:
- 32-bit Internet Service Provider with 28.8+ kbps Modem or LAN
DirectX 6.1 is required to run the game. It is included on the Homeworld
disc. Additionally, to download it, point your browser to Microsoft's
DirectX download web site at:
http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp
II. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
============================
- Most video compatibility problems can be resolved by hitting the
TROUBLESHOOT button in the video options screen or by pointing your browser
to http://www.sierrastudios.com/games/homeworld/noflash/c-support.html. We
recommend using the TROUBLESHOOT button in D3D or software video modes as
task switching in OpenGL mode has been known to cause problems on some
systems.
- If you have a dial-up Internet connection, we recommend you establish your
internet connection before you click on the INTERNET or TROUBLESHOOT buttons
in Homeworld.
- We recommend minimizing or closing all programs with "always on top"
windows (i.e. ICQ) before starting Homeworld. Leaving them maximized will
cause the Windows Operating System to switch from Homeworld to those
programs when you click on certain parts of the screen.
- Windows NT and Windows 98 users can alt-tab out of Homeworld then back in
in both D3D and Software modes, but doing so may cause undefined problems on
some system configurations. This is especially true if you run another 3D
application when Homeworld is minimized. Alt-tab is not available under
OpenGL. In any case, we recommend avoiding task switching while running
Homeworld. You do so at your own risk.
- Hitting the Windows Key is equivalent to alt tabbing and can have similar
undefined results on some configurations, especially OpenGL. The Windows
key is disabled in D3D.
- You must have enough free disk space available on your swap drive in order
to run Homeworld. Use My Computer->Properties->Performace->Virtual Memory
to see what drive your swap file(s) will be on. We recommend running with a
fixed-size swap file if you have the disk space or ensuring there is at
least 50MB of free space on the drive you have installed Homeworld to.
- Taking screenshots has been known to cause hardware lock-ups using certain
hardware accelerators. This is unavoidable due to video timing issues.
Note that this is extremely rare an only with hardware acceleration.
Screenshots are completely safe in software and quite safe in hardware.
Make sure you have enough free disk space to save your screenshots.
- To access the software version of reference card or manual, the user must
have or install Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0. It is included on the Homeworld
disc. You can also download Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 at
http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html#reader.
III. GENERAL GAME ISSUES
========================
Updates to the Manual:
A) At times you may notice a ship turn to wire-frame mode when the camera
goes through it or when it is cloaked. This is a design feature and not a
bug.
B) According to the description in the manual, Salvage Corvettes can capture
"heavily damaged" ships. As it stands now, they can steal any ship. The
Salvage Corvette will be able to capture a ship regardless of its health.
C) Ships won't auto-retaliate when set to evasive tactics.
D) When playing internet games with CPU opponents, the CPU opponents may die
when human players die. This is because the CPU opponents are distributed
across the human players to lessen the processor load on the captain. This
is not a bug.
E) Omitted from the manual is the fact that the Support Frigate can repair
capital ships. To activate this feature, select the Support Frigate, hold
down the [Z] key and leftclick on or drag a bandbox around the ship to
repair.
F) The manual states that capital ships set to Evasive tactics will retreat
from their opponents. This is incorrect; they will stand their ground.
G) Screenshots (which can be taken by pressing Scroll Lock when the game is
running) will be placed in the Screenshots directory. They will also be
used as background images when loading multiplayer games.
H) Omitted from the manual is the fact that several Salvage Corvettes are
required to capture certain capital ships. Frigate = 2 Salvage Corvettes,
Destroyer = 3 Salvage Corvettes, Heavy Cruiser = 5, Carrier = 5.
IV. VIDEO CARD ISSUES
=====================
To obtain the latest drivers for your hardware download the drivers from
your card manufacturer's web site. See below for links to the driver
sections of various hardware vendor's webpages.
Additionally, you may want to install and run a third-party driver
installation program such as GLSetup (www.glsetup.com) which contains many
OpenGL drivers for a variety of video cards. GLSetup version 1.6 is
provided for your convinience on the Homeworld CD to save you download time
should your current OpenGL drivers not work with Homeworld. Recognize that
GLSetup is not supported by Sierra's technical support, however.
All compatibility comments below assume that you are trying to run Homeworld
with the Default OpenGL renderer as a first attempt. Depending on your
chipset, however, it may be necessary to run using 3dfx OpenGL, Direct3D, or
software. Homeworld places labels beside available renderers in the Video
Options screen that indicate the graphics API a particular driver uses: GL
for OpenGL, D3D for Direct3D, and SW for software.
If your chipset is not listed below you should consult the documentation
that came with your hardware to determine how to get updated drivers.
Some 3D hardware does not provide an OpenGL implementation and running
Homeworld with Default OpenGL selected as your renderer will then not be
accelerated by your hardware at all. If Homeworld pops up a dialog box
informing you that the selected renderer is unaccelerated, try Direct3D
next, then software if all else fails (the Homeworld software renderer is
considerably faster than OpenGL without hardware support). If you must use
the software renderer, try running Homeworld with the /rasterSkip
commandline switch for a moderate speed increase; some people find this too
visually distracting, so try for yourself and see.
Homeworld also supports the /safeGL commandline option. You should run with
this if any of the following problems occur when using OpenGL as your
renderer: oddly coloured backgrounds, no stars in the backgrounds, no
background bitmap in the loading screens, or ship meshes that are missing
polygons or are oddly coloured.
Recent versions of Windows 98 provide drivers for certain 3D chipsets, but
they generally do not contain an OpenGL ICD. GLSetup drivers or drivers
from your vendor's website are preferred.
If you experience problems when testing a new display mode (new resolution
or bitdepth), be sure to see if Homeworld will run at 640x480 16bit. Some
cards incorrectly report resolutions they cannot properly support, and
Homeworld may fail to recognize the problem. If you select a new display
mode and Homeworld appears unresponsive (ie. black screen or garbled text)
either wait a few seconds or hit the Spacebar to have Homeworld restore the
previous mode. If all else fails, try pressing CTRL-SHIFT-F12 to re-enable
the default renderer (software, 640x480 16bit).
Note also that not all 3D hardware supports the same set of features as
another, and some scenes and effects will appear differently on different
system configurations. This is to be expected.
Users with an AMD K6 or greater processor with 3DNow! instructions or an
Intel LX chipset on their motherboard may experience crashes or system
lockups when using OpenGL with NVidia Riva TNT2, 3Dfx Voodoo Banshee or
Voodoo 3, and S3 Savage3D boards. AMD users are encouraged to use Direct3D
for hardware acceleration if this problem occurs.
Below are a list of known issues and driver recommendations that have been
tested successfully with Homeworld.
3dfx (http://www.3dfx.com/view.asp?PAGE=nusdrivers)
* Voodoo Rush - this chipset is not currently supported for hardware
acceleration mode, but recent 3dfx driver releases may provide support
* Voodoo Graphics - no known problems with 3dfx drivers. Drivers from
Diamond Multimedia for the Diamond Monster card have caused some problems
with Homeworld. Using reference drivers from 3dfx has been seen to resolve
these issues.
* Voodoo 2 - no known problems (recommend driver: 3dfx reference driver
3.03.00, 6-24-99)
* Banshee - no known problems
* Voodoo 3 - no known problems with 3dfx driver 1.0, April '99. A rainbow
effect on the background is encountered with driver 1.02.11 7-22-99, we
recommend using driver 1.0.
Note: 3dfx fullscreen-only devices (Voodoo Graphics, Voodoo 2) must use the
3dfx OpenGL renderer for hardware acceleration due to a limitation in
Microsoft's OpenGL hardware support mechanism that doesn't allow for
fullscreen-only devices to be supported via Default OpenGL. Other 3dfx
chipsets (Banshee, Voodoo 3) can use Default OpenGL, or Direct3D if problems
occur with GL. The 3dfx OpenGL renderer will only be available if you have
a fullscreen-only Voodoo card in your system. If you have a Voodoo Graphics
or Voodoo 2 card, it is highly recommended that you run GLSetup for driver
setup; there are known problems with Diamond's Monster II drivers that
GLSetup corrects.
Intel (http://www.intel.com/design/graphics/drivers/index.htm)
* i740 - some users may experience missing textures on ships. Get the
latest drivers from Intel's website to resolve this problem or try GLSetup.
nVidia (http://www.nvidia.com/Products.nsf/htmlmedia/software_drivers.html)
* Riva 128, 128ZX - text may appear blocky or blurry, but gameplay is
unaffected, no other known problems, recomended driver v 3.37.
* Riva TNT, TNT2 - no known problems, recomended driver Detonator ver 2.08
nVidia reference driver or for Creative Labs boards Creative Labs driver ver
1.09, 3-24-99.
3DLabs (http://www.3dlabs.com/drivers/index.html)
* Permedia 2 - does not support all OpenGL blending modes and some scenes
may look incorrect, but gameplay is unaffected. Users may prefer to run
with Direct3D due to faster frontend performance
* Permedia 3 - texturing is not currently supported by drivers in Windows 95
ATI (http://support.atitech.ca/drivers/drivers.html)
* 3D Rage 2 - OpenGL is unaccelerated. Direct3D has limited display mode
support, but no known problems
* Rage Pro - no known problems. Select Direct3D for hardware acceleration,
driver version 4.11.2560, 5-28-99, is recommended.
* Rage 128 - no known problems, recommend D3D mode or for OpenGL use driver
included in GLSetup 1.6.
Matrox (http://www.matrox.com/mga/drivers/latest_drivers/home.htm)
* M3D (PowerVR PCX2) - this chipset is not supported
* G200 - no known problems, recommend D3D use. We do not recommend using
GLSetup with this card.
* G400 - no known D3D problems. Recommend driver 4.11.01.2110, from
8-31-99. OpenGL choice is available, but we do not recommend using GLSetup
with this card.
Rendition (http://www.rendition.com/usersupport.html)
* Verite 1000 - no known problems
* Verite 2100 - select Direct3D for hardware acceleration. Some driver
versions may occasionally display backgrounds without smoothing, leading to
a very polygonal look. Effect is intermittent, and gameplay is unaffected
* Verite 2200 - no known problems
S3 (www.s3.com)
* Virge - OpenGL is unaccelerated. Direct3D has limited display mode
support, but no known problems
* Savage 3 - OpenGL performance may be choppy. If this is the case, use
Direct3D.
* Savage 4 - no known problems, recommend Diamond driver 2.04, 6-1,99 for
Diamond cards or S3 reference driver 8.02.11, 5-18-99.
V. CONTACTING SIERRA
====================
A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
B) Technical Support
C) Legal Information
A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
---------------------------------------
United States
U.S.A. Sales Phone: (800) 757-7707
International Sales: (425) 746-5771
Hours: Monday-Saturday 7AM to 11 PM CST,
Sundays 8 AM to 9PM CST
FAX: (402) 393-3224
Sierra Direct
7100 W. Center Rd
STE 301
Omaha, NE 68106
United Kingdom
Havas Interactive
Main: (0118) 920-9111
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fax: (0118) 987-5603
Disk/CD replacements in the U.K. are £6.00,
or £7.00 outside the UK. Add "ATTN.: Returns."
2 Beacontree Plaza,
Gillette Way,
Reading, Berkshire
RG2 0BS United Kingdom
France
Havas Interactive
Téléphone: 01-46-01-46-50
Lundi au Jeudi de 10h à 19h
Vendredi de 10h à 18h
Fax: 01-46-30-00-65
Parc Tertiaire de Meudon
Immeuble "Le Newton"
25 rue Jeanne Braconnier
92366 Meudon La Forêt Cedex
France
Germany
Havas Interactive
Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40
Montag bis Freitag von 9h - 19Uhr
Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35
Robert-Bosh-Str. 32
D-63303 Dreieich
Germany
On-Line Sales
CompuServe United Kingdom:GO UKSIERRA
CompuServe France: GO FRSIERRA
CompuServe Germany: GO DESIERRA
Internet USA: http://www.sierra.com
Internet United Kingdom: http://www.sierra-online.co.uk
Internet France: http://www.sierra.fr
Internet Germany: http://www.sierra.de
Disk and or Manual Replacement:
Product Returns:
Sierra On-Line Returns
4100 West 190th Street
Torrance, CA 90504
Sierra On-Line Fulfillment
4100 West 190th Street
Torrance, CA 90504
NOTE: To replace your disk(s) please send only Disk #1 (or the CD) and copy
of your dated Receipt, if less then 90 days. After 90 days please include a
$10 handling fee along with Disk / CD #1. For Documentation, please include
a $ 5.00 handling fee and a photocopy ONLY of disk #1. Payment should be
made at the time of your request. Sorry, no credit cards.
* Returns to this address valid in North America only.
B) TECHNICAL SUPPORT
--------------------
North America
Sierra On-Line offers a 24-hour automated technical support line with
recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. To access
this service, call (425) 644-4343, and follow the recorded instructions to
find your specific topic and resolve the issue. If this fails to solve your
problem, you may still write, or fax us with your questions, or contact us
via our Web site.
Sierra On-Line
Technical Support
P.O. Box 85006
Bellevue, WA 98015-8506
Main: (425) 644-4343
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 4:45 p.m. PST
Fax: (425) 644-7697
http://www.sierra.com
sup...@sierra.com
United Kingdom
Havas Interactive offers a 24-hour Automated Technical Support line with
recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. To access
this service, call (0118) 920-9111, and follow the recorded instructions to
find your specific topic and resolve the issue. If this fails to solve your
problem, you may still write, or fax us with your questions, or contact us
via our Internet or CompuServe sites.
Havas Interactive
2 Beacontree Plaza,
Gillette Way,
Reading, Berkshire
RG2 0BS United Kingdom
Main: (0118) 920-9111
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fax: (0118) 987-5603
http://www.sierra-online.co.uk
France
Havas Interactive
Parc Tertiaire de Meudon
Immeuble "Le Newton"
25 rue Jeanne Braconnier
92366 Meudon La Forêt Cedex
France
Téléphone: 01-46-01-46-50
Lundi au Jeudi de 10h à 19h
Vendredi de 10h à 18h
Fax: 01-46-30-00-65
Germany
Havas Interactive
Robert-Bosh-Str. 32
D-63303 Dreieich
Deutschland
Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40
Montag bis Freitag von 9 - 19Uhr
Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35
Mailbox: (0) 6103-99-40-35
Spain
Havas Interactive
Avenida de Burgos 9
1º-OF2
28036 Madrid
Spain
Teléfono: (01) 383-2623
Lunes a Viernes de 9h30 a 14h y de 15h a 18h30
Fax: (01) 381-2437
Italy
Contattare il vostro distribotore.
C) Sierra Warranty & Legal Information
--------------------------------------
Sierra's end user license agreement, limited warranty and return policy is
set forth in the EULA.txt, found on the CD, and is also available during the
install of the product.
Copyright (1999 Sierra On-Line, Inc.)
"Steve" <timber...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8mk3a3$8vr$1...@perki.connect.com.au...
> I just bought Homeworld today, and it is great fun!!! A RTS game at
that!!!
> It has a great story, great graphics... I'm impressed... I played the demo
> and loved it, so decided to jump in and buy it, glad I did too! :-)
>
> Now, enough of my rambling ;-) I've got the 1.04 patch on a coverdisk and
> installed it before I played the game, but noticed that there is a 1.05
> patch out now... what does it do anyone? I would appreciate a cut and
paste
> of the readme file covering the update, as I have limited download time
and
> don't want to waste it if it's only for multiplayer support or some such
> thing
>
>