EA GAMES(TM) presents NEED FOR SPEED(TM) HOT PURSUIT 2 README WHAT THIS FILE IS ================= This file contains information which became available after the Manual was printed. If you are experiencing problems not covered in this README, please contact EA Customer Support. *********************************************************************** TABLE OF CONTENTS *********************************************************************** 1. MANUAL ADDENDUM 2. TROUBLESHOOTING 3. MULTIPLAYER 4. CONTROLLER INFORMATION *********************************************************************** 1. MANUAL ADDENDUM *********************************************************************** MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS =========================== Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP operating system Intel Pentium III (or compatible) CPU running at 450Mhz or higher 16MB DirectX 8.1 compatible video card using a supported chipset (see below) 128MB of RAM DirectX compatible sound card 1.2GB of HD space 56kbps modem (for internet play) Network card for broadband or LAN play RECOMMENDED SYSTEM SPECIFICATION ================================ Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP operating system Intel Pentium III (or compatible) CPU running at 800 MHz or higher 32 MB DirectX 8.1 compatible video card using a supported chipset (see below) 128 MB RAM or Higher 1.2 GB available hard drive space DirectX compatible sound card DSL / Cable modem (for internet play) Network card for broadband or LAN play DIRECT3D SUPPORT ================ Although Direct3D is supported, this support is only officially extended to certain 3D accelerator devices. Among these are cards utilizing the following graphics chipsets: NVidia GeForce NVidia GeForce 2 NVidia GeForce 3 NVidia GeForce 4 ATI Radeon 7200 ATI Radeon 7000 ATI Radeon 7500 ATI Radeon 8500 ATI Radeon 9000 Matrox Parhelia NVidia TNT2 While Direct3D supports a wider variety of 3D accelerator devices, the behavior of NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 cannot be predicted in these situations. In extreme cases, running NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 with a Direct3D device that is not officially supported can lead to an unstable PC environment. Under Direct3D, the performance of NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 (in both graphics AND audio) is influenced greatly by the Direct3D driver versions that are installed. It is highly recommended that the latest versions of all video card and sound card drivers be obtained and installed. Please consult your hardware manufacturer for their newest drivers. Also, keep in mind that video chip manufacturers sometimes provide drivers in addition to the card manufacturer. There is a known issue with the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro chipset where the game will freeze to a black screen when running the game. We are currently investigating a driver fix for this and will likely be adding support in the future. CD-ROM DRIVES and DVD DRIVES ==================================== NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 highly recommends an 8x CD-ROM/DVD drive DEFAULT GRAPHICS SETTINGS ============================== The first time NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 is run, a system check is performed and default levels are set for the various graphics settings. These default levels are set to provide the best game play experience possible based on the hardware detected in your system. These settings can be adjusted in the Customize Graphics menu of the Options. The farther the indicator is to the right, the higher the setting. Here's what effect the settings have in game: CAR DETAIL ---------- HIGHEST SETTING: High poly car, car lighting, car damage, real-time reflections HIGH SETTING: High poly car, car lighting, car damage, pre-rendered reflections MID SETTING: High poly car, car lighting, pre-rendered reflections LOW SETTING: Low poly car, car lighting (if video card supported), pre-rendered reflections LOWEST SETTING: Low poly car, no reflections, car lighting (if video card supported) SPECIAL EFFECTS --------------- HIGHEST SETTING: Stencil buffered car shadows, high polygon particle effects, atmospheric fogging effect HIGH SETTING: High polygon particle effects, static car shadow MID SETTING: Low polygon particle effects, static car shadow LOW SETTING: No tire skid marks, low polygon particle effects, static car shadow LOWEST SETTING: No tire skid marks, no car shadow, no particles. WORLD DETAIL ------------ HIGHEST SETTING: High polygon track, anisotropic filtering HIGH SETTING: High polygon track, trilinear filtering LOW SETTING: Low polygon track, trilinear filtering LOWEST SETTING: Low polygon track, reduced detail track and car textures, trilinear filtering ADDITIONAL CAR SELECT FUNCTIONALITY =================================== While on the car select screen, the car can be rotated by left clicking with the mouse and moving in the desired direction. In addition, the view can be zoomed in and out using the + and ? keys. When changing cars, the new car will appear in the default position, but can be moved as desired. Locked cars cannot be rotated or zoomed. *********************************************************************** 2. TROUBLESHOOTING *********************************************************************** INSTALLING TO THE CORRECT FOLDER ====================================== When installing NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 for the first time, please ensure that you have selected/created and highlighted the exact directory folder you wish to install to. Different versions of Windows default to new folders in slightly different ways so please double-check that you have specified the intended location. LAUNCHING NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 ====================================== The NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 disk must be in the CD-ROM drive when you start the game. If your system has more than one CD-ROM drive, be sure the game disk is in the same drive from which you installed the game. CD AUTOPLAY FEATURE =================== Inserting the game CD into your CD-ROM drive and then immediately running the game either from the Windows Start menu or by double-clicking the game's Desktop icon may cause a conflict with the CD-ROM's AutoPlay feature. The easiest way to avoid this potential conflict is to always wait a few moments after inserting the CD to allow the AutoPlay feature to complete before running the game. EJECTING THE GAME CD ==================== Never eject the game CD when the game is running without having been prompted by the game to do so. DEVICE DRIVERS ============== It is highly recommended that the latest versions of all device drivers (i.e. video and sound card drivers) be obtained and installed. Please consult your card manufacturer for their newest drivers. Also, keep in mind that video chip manufacturers sometimes provide drivers in addition to the card manufacturer. If you are experiencing issues with an unstable PC environment please make sure your Motherboard drivers (agp, miniport) are up to date. For further information please contact your Motherboard manufacture. Known driver conflicts: -Users with a Matrox Parhelia graphics card will need to upgrade the drivers to version 1.1.0.80, dated 9/13/2002, or newer. VIDEO & GRAPHICS PROBLEMS ========================= If you are experiencing performance problems on the default graphics settings, try lowering some of the settings or the game resolution. -For users with a Radeon 8500, setting the graphics detail settings to higher than default levels may cause an unstable PC environment. AUDIO PROBLEMS ============== If you are experiencing any problems with your sound, such as crackling, distortion, or stuttering - AND you are running in EAX/D3D mode, changing to Stereo mode may alleviate this problem. Certain cards may cause similar problems to the above if set to mono. Again, try a switch to Stereo mode. BACKGROUND PROGRAMS =================== Avoid running other programs in the background. Programs starting up automatically can cause NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 to lose control of the screen and keyboard, possibly causing an unstable PC environment. We strongly recommend that you shut down or suspend applications that start up automatically or programs that automatically run other applications at specified times before running NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2. These include, but are not limited to: - Windows System Agent - Windows Task Scheduler - Windows 98 "Disk Cleanup" utility Similarly, message boxes and dialog boxes from other programs or from Windows itself can also cause NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 to lose control of the screen and keyboard, possibly causing an unstable PC environment. We strongly recommend that you shut down all other applications before running NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2. These include, but are not limited to: - Email programs - Calendar, appointment, or contact applications - Network or Internet chat programs - Automatic Update on Anti Virus software Also, connections to/from non-dedicated servers can be disrupted when background programs or screen-savers launch. POWER MANAGEMENT SUSPEND/SLEEP MODES ============================================ Systems (i.e. laptops or other portables) that automatically power down into "sleep" or "suspended" modes can cause NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT 2 to lose control of the screen and keyboard, possibly causing an unstable PC environment. We strongly recommend...
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