README.TXT file for BioForge (c) 1994, 1995 Origin Inc.
===================================================

This README file contains important information about BioForge that is
supplemental to any of the BioForge documentation.

To print a hardcopy of this file, at the DOS prompt, change to the drive
of your CD-ROM drive (i.e. "D:") and type:

     PRINT README.TXT   [ENTER]


-------------------------
Contents:
-------------------------
* Helpful Gameplay Hints
* System Requirements
* Sound Card Compatibility
* Verifying your CD
* Foreign Languages
* Common Troubleshooting Questions & Answers
* Game Startup Questions & Answers
* Audio Questions & Answers
* Framerate - Speed Questions & Answers


-------------------------
Helpful Gameplay Hints:
-------------------------

* When you are walking about the world, don't be afraid to USE just
     about everything. You can hit the USE button to travel sometimes as 
     well as climbing down ladders. 
     
* Stuck on a puzzle?  Remember to read the log books you find carefully 
     (put them in your hand and hit USE).

* When you are in combat, constant, repetitive attacks will often stop
     you from orienting toward your opponent. Be sure to pause a little 
     so that you can automatically face your opponent.


-------------------------
System Requirements
-------------------------

BioForge PC CD-ROM system MINIMAL system requirements (which are absolutely
     needed to play the game):

     Intel 486DX2/50 Processor-based PC or higher
     8 MB of RAM (5.7 MB of XMS)
     420K of Conventional Memory
     MS-DOS 5.0 and up
     Double Speed CD-ROM Drive (300,000 bytes/second transfer rate)
     VGA card
     100% Microsoft compatible mouse
     Standard 101+ AT Keyboard
     5.6 MB of free hard drive space (for Tiny Installation)

System Recommendation - OPTIMAL

     Intel Pentium 60 MHz or higher Processor-based PC or higher
     16 MB of RAM (15 MB of XMS)
     500K of Conventional Memory
     MS-DOS 6.2 or higher
     Triple Speed CD-ROM Drive (450,000 bytes/sec) or faster
     Local Bus / PCI VGA card with 1MB of VRAM
     100% Microsoft compatible mouse
     Standard 101+ AT Keyboard
     30.6 MB of free hard drive space (for Medium Installation)
     Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound card for Sound/Digital FX
     MPU-401 General MIDI or 100% compatible for Music


-------------------------
Sound Card Compatibility
-------------------------

For Sound and Digital FX, the game supports the Sound Blaster (and 
100% Sound Blaster compatibles), Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16,
and the Sound Blaster AWE32.

For Music, the game supports the Adlib, Sound Blaster (and 100%
Sound Blaster compatibles), Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16,
Sound Blaster AWE32, Wave Blaster (and other compatible daughterboard 
cards), and MPU-401 General MIDI or 100% compatibles.

NOTE: All sound cards are to be used in their NATIVE MODE only.  For
     For example, the Sound Blaster AWE32 emulates General MIDI.  Yet
     Yet for Music, choose Sound Blaster AWE rather than MPU-401
     General MIDI.


-------------------------
VERIFYING YOUR CD
-------------------------

If you have any trouble with the CD at all, you can verify that the
data is correct and uncorrupt. Assuming your CD-ROM is drive D:, you would
type:

     D:                              [ENTER]
     CHECKSUM -I -S -VBIO.CHK D:\    [ENTER]

If a file does not have the word "OK" by it, then that file may be corrupt.
When complete, the program will tell you how many mismatches there were.
If it doesn't mention any, then everything was fine.  If you do get a 
mismatch, then re-run the CHECKSUM again to double-check.  If it persists,
then you may have a damaged CD-ROM.  Return the game to your local software
retailer or read the Origin Systems Warranty in your Install Guide and 
contact Origin Product Support.

You can also test to make sure the game files were all copied over
properly during the install.  However, files in the GAMEDAT are allowed
to be different. If your CD-ROM is drive D: and you installed into
the directory C:\BIOFORGE you would type:

     C:                                    [ENTER]
     CD \BIOFORGE                          [ENTER]
     D:\CHECKSUM -I -S -VD:\BIO.CHK D:\    [ENTER]

***REMEMBER*** Mismatches are allowed in the GAMEDAT subdirectory during 
this verification.  

If you encounter a mismatch during this check, then you will need to 
re-install the game completely from scratch.  First, remove the entire
directory BIOFORGE and all files and subdirectories.  Then, using your 
Install Guide, referring to the "Creating a Floppy Boot Disk" section, 
make the recommended XMS boot disk.  Then, after booting to this boot disk, 
re-run the installation program.  If you have any further difficulties, 
contact Origin Product Support.



-------------------------
Foreign Languages
-------------------------

BioForge has been translated in English, German and French.  However, if you
wish to play the game with a different keyboard layout than that provided by
the default layout of the language, you will need to change a few game 
settings.

These settings are stored in a file called INSTALL.OPT.  By altering the
LANGUAGE= and TEXT= parameters, you can custom configure your game for 
an alternative foreign language support.

LANGUAGE=  Allows you to specify which language will be heard in your game.
TEXT=      Allows you to specify which language will be seen in subtitles 
           and game monitors.

E stands for English, G for German, and F for French.

Usage Example: 
                 LANGUAGE=G
                 TEXT=D:\BIOFORGE\MONITORS\GTEXT.FLX

***WARNING*** Do not perform this change unless you are absolutely sure of 
what you are doing.  

     

-------------------------
Common Troubleshooting
Questions & Answers
-------------------------

The next few sections illustrate some common questions and answers our
customers may have about BioForge.  The best troubleshooting tip that we
can recommend is to create a bootable floppy disk and use the XMS 
CONFIG.SYS as illustrated in your Install Guide under the "Creating a
Floppy Boot Disk" section.  Then reboot your computer with this new 
boot disk and attempt to begin the game again.

If you continue to have a problem, consult the "Origin Product Support"
section in your Install Guide on what information that you need before
calling the Customer Service number.



Q: BioForge locks up or crashes randomly during gameplay with an "Error
286.3330: General Protection Fault detected."  What's wrong?

Q: BioForge keeps crashing to DOS with the error message: "A problem was
detected: <<location>> BioForge stopped."

A1: The game encountered an error from which it could not continue.  Ensure
that you are meeting all of the requirements as listed in "System 
Requirements" in your Install Guide and that you are using the optimal boot
disk configuration as listed in "Creating a Floppy Boot Disk".  We 
recommend the CONFIG.SYS using Microsoft's HIMEM.SYS (XMS with DOS 5.0 and 
up).  To reduce the chance of this problem in the future, return to the 
install program and perform a Medium or Large installation.  By installing
the data files, you limit the number of times the CD-ROM must be
accessed.  If you continue to have this problem, call Origin Product Support
with the information requested in your Install Guide.

A2: During our Hardware Lab testing, we encountered this error message with
NEC 3x internal (triple spin) CDROM drives (Model #: CDR-510) after extended
hours of gameplay on DX2/66 or slower systems.  This particular model
may generate bad data reads from which BioForge cannot recover.  To reduce
the probability of this error, we recommend a Medium or Large installation
type.  Run INSTALL.EXE from the CD-ROM drive to perform a larger
installation.  This will not damage any of your savegames.  Contact NEC
for further information or possible firmware upgrades to this hardware.

A3: Sound Blaster AWE32 and other cards that offer General MIDI emulation
may cause this error if their emulation is not compatible with BioForge.
The game offers native support for the AWE32; therefore, we recommend
that you utilize this native support instead.


Q: During gameplay or when I start up the game, I will get the error 
"CDR-101: Not Ready Reading Drive".  What do I do to prevent this?

A1: Your BioForge CD may not be in the CD drive or it may not be detected 
properly.  Under some circumstances you may have to put the CD in the drive, 
then type   DIR D:   (where d: is the letter of your CD drive) and then
type BIOFORGE in order to run the game.

A2: Ensure that your CD is clean without blemishes, dust, dirt or scratches.
If you find that you might need a new CD, please review the warranty 
information listed in your Install Guide and call Origin Product Support.

A3: Occasionally, some older CD-ROM software drivers may have difficulty 
handling constant and repetative requests for data or cannot read beyond 
a certain point on the CD itself.  Contact your CD-ROM or SCSI controller 
card manufacturer for the latest drivers to your particular model of CD-ROM
drive.


Q: When I use the keyboard for combat moves as described in the Reference
Card, the game does not perform the action I expect.  For example, a round-
house kick combination does a head-butt instead.  What's wrong?

A: You may have your keyboard commands remapped by programmable software or
BIOS.  You will need to disable this function to play BioForge properly.
Contact your computer/keyboard manufacturer for information on how to 
temporarily disable this programmability function.



-------------------------
Game Startup 
Questions & Answers
-------------------------

Q: When I run BioForge, I get one of the following error message "You do
not have enough XMS/EMS memory to run BioForge.  The game requires 5700K
(5,836,800 bytes) of free XMS/EMS memory."  What should I do?

A1: You may not have your memory configured properly to run BioForge. 
You need a total of 8MB of RAM to play.  Of that memory, you must have at
least 5700K of XMS/EMS memory free.  Often times, a disk cache program
such as Smartdrive is taking up too much memory.  Refer to "Creating a 
Floppy Boot Disk" in your Install Guide to correct this problem.

A2: You may not have enough RAM installed in your machine.  Type CHKDSK or
MEM at the DOS prompt, or check with your computer manufacturer, to ensure
that you 8MB installed within your computer.  See "Memory Requirements" in
your Install Guide.

A3: You may not have enough EMS memory allocated for the game.  Raise the 
amount of EMS memory to 5700K or more through your Expanded Memory Manager
or consult "Creating a Floppy Boot Disk" of your Install Guide to fix
this problem.


Q: When I start the game, it returns me to DOS with the error message:
"Fatal error 286.2230: Load program failed -- Out of Memory."  What does this
mean?  I have the proper amount of RAM.

A: This error can usually be attributed to having the NOEMS parameter on your
Expanded Memory Manager line of your CONFIG.SYS.  Consult the "Creating a
Floppy Boot Disk" section of your Install Guide for more information.


Q: After trying to start the game, I get the error message "You do not have 
enough hard drive space for your savegames.  Please free an additional xxxx
bytes of hard drive space to continue playing BioForge."  What do I do?

A: In addition to the amount of hard drive space required for the game files
and data, you must have a small amount of space reserved for the nine 
savegames available.  For the total amount of savegames, this will not 
exceed 3.1MB (3,250,586 bytes) of hard drive space.


Q: After typing BioForge, the game locks up during the initialization screen
at the Music or Sound lines.  What's wrong with my game?

A: A lockup at this point in the initialization of the game can usually be
attributed to an incorrect General MIDI/Waveblaster music port configuration.
Ensure that you have selected the correct type of sound card and its
respective port settings.  Consult your sound card manufacturer's 
documentation for further information.


Q: After I start my game and the initialization text scrolls by, the screen
goes black and nothing happens.

A: You may be running QEMM with Stealth Mode parameter activated. Try booting
to a clean boot disk configuration as listed in the "Creating a Floppy Boot 
Disk" section of your Install Guide before running the game again.


Q: When I start BioForge, the game returns me to DOS with the error message:
"Memory: CPROTMEM.C, 1352.  Fatal Error 286.3330 General Protection Fault
detected."  What can I do?

A: This error indicates that you do not have enough DOS conventional memory
available to run the game.  Remove any unnecessary TSRs or consult "Creating
a Floppy Boot Disk" in your Install Guide to remedy this problem.


Q. Each time I start the game now or attempt to load a savegame, BioForge
crashes with an error "Fatal Error 286.3330. General Protection Fault".  Can
I use my earlier savegames?

A. Unfortunately, you may have a corrupt savegame.  However, your other
savegames should work just fine.  Run the batch file RESTART.BAT from the 
BIOFORGE directory and it will clear out your GAMEDAT subdirectory (the
current savegame directory).  Now start the game again.  It will ask
you to start a new game and once into this new game, simply load one of
your old savegames. 


Q: When I start the game, I only hear music and then the game locks up with
a character (Lex) just sleeping in his bed.  What's wrong?

A: You may be running some caching software for your VLB or PCI controller 
(Input/Output) card then is interfering with BioForge.  Try making a boot
disk as described in the Install Guide to resolve this problem.

-------------------------
Audio Questions & Answers
-------------------------

Q: I am not getting any sound or music during the introduction or gameplay. 
Why not?

A: This can usually be attributed to an incorrect sound card or sound card
setting configuration during the installation of the game.  Run INSTALL.EXE
from the BIOFORGE directory to reconfigure the sound card settings.
Ensure that you have selected the correct type of sound card and its 
respective port settings.  Consult your sound card manual or its
manufacturer for further information.


Q: I have a sound card that is 100% compatible with Sound Blaster, but I'm
not getting any sound or music.  Why not?

A: If your sound card is not one of the cards listed on the box or in the
installation program, but is "100% compatible" with one of the cards listed,
it may have to be put into "SB" (Sound Blaster) emulation mode through
its software or a switch setting on the card.  Consult your sound card or
its manufacturer.



-------------------------
Frate Rate - Speed 
Questions & Answers
-------------------------

Q: The introduction movie and gameplay seems to play excessively slow and
"jerky" when I run with both music and sound options turned on.  What could 
be causing this?

A1: Some sound cards require special lines in the CONFIG.SYS and/or
AUTOEXEC.BAT to initialize the sound card properly.  Some of the newest 
cards in the Sound Blaster line require a special command called 
DIAGNOSE.EXE to initialize the card properly.  If you do not load this line, 
BioForge will not operate properly.

A2: If you are running from a single-speed CD ROM, you will experience
poor performance throughout the game.  BioForge does not support single-
speed drives.  You will need to upgrade your CD-ROM to at least a double
spin or greater.

A3: Alternately, you may be running on a computer that is too slow to show 
the intro or play the game properly. You may be able speed up CD access times 
by increasing the /M:xx parameter on your MSCDEX.EXE driver line in your 
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  A number between /M:10 and /M:20 should be sufficient.


Q: Why does the game keep pausing excessively during combat or take a long
time to load a new game?  What can I do to correct this?

A: You might try using a larger Installation Type for the game.  Run 
INSTALL.EXE from the CD again and choose either a Medium (requiring 26.8 MB)
or a Large (requiring 51 MB).  By copying certain sound and graphic files to 
the hard drive, they will access faster than a CDROM drive.

============================================================================

Intel and Pentium are trademarks of Intel Corporation.

MS-DOS, SmartDrive, and Microsoft are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster AWE 32
and Wave Blaster are trademarks of Creative Labs, Inc.

NEC is a trademark of NEC Corporation.

QEMM is a trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems.

