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Test Drive Unlimited PC
ReadMe File
26th of January 2007
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Thank you for purchasing Test Drive Unlimited PC.
This readme file contains last minute information that did not make it into the manual, more detailed information on various features already covered in the manual, gameplay hints, performance improvement tips, and troubleshooting suggestions to help you should you encounter problems.
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0. CONTENTS
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1. System Requirements
2. Installation
3. Last Minute Manual Updates and Gameplay Tips
4. Gameplay Performance Improvement Tips
5. Multiplayer
6. Connection Related Issues
7. Known Issues
8. Troubleshooting
9. Compatibility Notes
10. Dual-Core Processor Support
11. Contact Information
12. End-User License Agreement
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1. System Requirements
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OS (Operating System): Windows 2000/XP/Vista
CPU (Processor): Intel P4 @ 2.4Ghz or AMD Athlon 2800+
GPU (Video Cards): ATI Radeon 9800 256MB VRAM or Nvidia 6600 GT with 256 MB of VRAM. Video Cards with vertex/pixel shaders 2.x and above are recommended
SPU (Sound Cards): DirectX 9.0-compatible Sound Card
System Memory (RAM): 512 MB (1 GB recommended)
HDD free space(Hard Disk): 8 GB
DVD drive: 8x minimum
DirectX: DirectX 9.0C (included)
Multiplayer: Internet (TCP/IP) play supported 128 Kbps DSL/Cable Broadband Internet connection required for online play
Input: Keyboard, Mouse
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2. Installation
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To install Test Drive Unlimited you will need approximately 8GB free hard disk space, plus space for saved games. We recommend that you have an additional 500 MB of free space available after installing the game for save games and Windows file caching.
Also included on this product's game disc is an electronic version of the game's Instruction Manual in .pdf format, located in D:\Extras, as well as Adobe Reader 8.0 (which enables you to view the manual in .pdf format) located in D:\Extras where D:\ is your DVD drive.
If AutoPlay is enabled, a title screen should appear once the game has been inserted into your DVD-ROM drive. If AutoPlay is not enabled, or the installation does not start automatically, click on the Start button on your Windows taskbar, then on Run.
You will then type D:\setup and click on OK in order to begin installation. If your DVD-ROM drive is assigned to a letter other than D, substitute that letter.
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3. Last Minute Manual Updates and Gameplay Tips
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Menu Options/Controls/Menus tab:
- The "Option 1" key is represented by a BLUE icon throughout the game
- The "Option 2" key is represented by a YELLOW icon throughout the game
- "Option 3" and "Option 4" are not used in-game
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4. Gameplay Performance Improvement Tips
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I. If you are suffering from poor performance, you might want to disable the HDR feature that can be accessed by accessing Options>Video in the game. The game world might not look as beautiful as with HDR enabled, but it should run at a smoother rate for you to enjoy the game.
II. You also may want to disable the Anti-Aliasing feature as this will lighten the load on your video card and your CPU a lot.
III. You may also reduce the resolution, and/or use the level of detail slider in video options.
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5. Multiplayer
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Test Drive Unlimited offers a number of multiplayer features that can cater to your current needs:
I. Instant Challenge: If you are cruising around in the game world and come across another player, you can instantly challenge them to a race by flashing your headlights at them (by default, the Enter key on the keyboard).
II. Multiplayer Challenge (Race and Speed): As you discover more roads on the island, you will unlock Multiplayer Challenge Locations. You can enter any of these locations and host a challenge for others to join or search for already hosted challenges.
III. Club Challenges (Intra Club and Inter Club): Once you become a member of a club, you can take part in Intra Club challenges against your own club members or Inter Club challenges against other clubs in order to go up in the Rankings.
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6. Connection-Related Issues
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Dial-Up, and some DSL users, generally need to establish a connection to the Internet before starting any multiplayer game. Cable modem users are generally connected automatically when Windows starts.
The following items are known to be sources of connection issues and the information may be helpful if you are having problems connecting or staying connected to Game. We understand that some of these devices or technologies may have been in place for periods of time and have only recently begun having problems. We suggest that you try these troubleshooting tips.
I. You Need an Account with a Broadband ISP to Play on the Internet
You must have a connection to a Broadband Internet Service Provider (ISP) through a computer meeting the minimum system requirements to connect with other players through GameSpy. This includes Dial-Up, Cable Modem service, xDSL service, and Direct Corporate Connections. If you need help configuring your computer to use the Internet, contact your ISP's technical support. Such Internet connections may require additional fees. You are responsible for all applicable Internet fees.
II. Firewall, Proxy, or Anti-Virus Software
While an important part of home computer security or a way to provide connection sharing, these technologies can interfere with game connectivity. If you are having connection problems and are using one of these types of software you may need to temporarily disable it, and then try connecting to the game. If the issues cease while this software is disabled, please refer to the section Configure Your Firewall or Router for Internet Play below. Please refer to the GameSpy Firewall support webpage located at
http://www.gamespyarcade.com/support/firewalls.shtml for further information on how to use GameSpy with firewalls.
III. Configure Your Firewall or Router for Internet Play
Firewall software is designed to prevent hostile action from outside your computer or network from affecting files on your hard drive. Internet gaming activity can seem like such action to this type of software. You may encounter problems trying to connect to a multiplayer game if your computer is behind a firewall. Please refer to your firewall documentation for suggestions on how to allow specific programs to operate through it if you do not intend to temporarily take it down, or ask your network/system administrator for assistance. In addition, many routers designed to share one Internet connection among more than one computer have firewalls built into them. Please refer to the GameSpy Firewall support webpage located at
http://www.gamespyarcade.com/support/firewalls.shtml for further information on how to use GameSpy with firewalls.
IV. GameSpy Firewall Ports
When you play on a system that is behind a firewall or proxy, certain ports may need to be opened to connect to multiplayer games.
You must be able to access these external ports:
UDP 8880->8889
UDP 8890
UDP 27000->30000
TCP 6667
TCP 27000->30000
You have to open the following local port: TCP8889
Ports 17475 and 9961 (TCP/UDP) must be opened.
Please consult your network administrator or your router manufacturer for information on how to set up these ports. You should also install the latest firmware available for your router from the manufacturer.
For more information regarding the network ports used when playing on GameSpy hosted servers, please refer to the following webpage:
http://www.gamespyarcade.com/support/firewalls.shtml
V. Routers
In general, you should be able to connect to the game without modifications needed to the router. However, if you are experiencing connection problems and are using a router, we suggest bypassing the router and connecting directly to your connectivity device. If your problems cease while bypassing the router you can try these things:
- Try resetting your router to its default settings.
- Check your router manufacturer's website for any available Firmware updates. If available, download and install those.
VII. PPPoE Connections
Some PPPoE connections require a login and password, as well as a phone number, to dial into the connection. Please make sure you make note of this information so that when the time comes to input it you will have it available to use without having to contact your ISP.
VIII. Getting Disconnected After Starting Game
You may be disconnected from your ISP connection while playing if your Internet Options in the Windows Control Panel is set to automatically disconnect after a certain period of inactivity. We recommend that you disable this option before playing to prevent being disconnected while in game.
IX. Internet Performance Issues
The time of day can have an impact on your connection quality. If you have trouble playing over your Internet connection during peak hours, you might try playing later at night or at other times of the day to get a better quality connection.
- Dropped Packets: Each piece of data that is sent over a network or the Internet is called a packet. It is important for all of these packets to be delivered intact and in a timely manner for a smooth multiplayer experience. The Internet can frequently drop packets (lose them) depending on the quality of your connection and the amount of traffic on the Internet itself. If packets can't get through between a player and the game servers due to a poor connection, some issues may occur.
- Latency: Latency is a measure of the time (in milliseconds) that it takes for data to travel round-trip from one computer to another over a Network or the Internet. On the Internet, high latency can cause game performance to degrade severely. When playing any game over the Internet, it is important to have a low latency connection. High latency will contribute to poor multiplayer performance and decreased stability.
- Connection Problems: If you are consistently having trouble with dropped packets or latency, we recommend that you disconnect and reconnect to your ISP. If these issues continue, we recommend that you contact your ISP Technical Support for assistance.
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7. Known Issues
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I. Vehicles with digital dashboards do not update the digital dashboard dynamically.
II. In case of a crash, it is advised to reboot your PC before launching the game again, to avoid further potential stability issues due to driver/hardware misbehavior.
III. Some sound glitches with some Video and Sound Card associations may occur, especially with ATI X800/850 and SoundBlaster Live!. No solution to this issue has been found as of this writing.
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8. Troubleshooting
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I. Component Transfer Error
You may see a Feature Transfer Error message when installing the game. If this occurs, you may have purchased a defective DVD, the disc may be dirty and/or damaged, or the DVD may be incompatible with your Optical Drive. Please try running the installer on another system to assure that the disc is functioning properly.
If you find that the DVD is dirty and/or damaged please follow the steps listed under 'DVD-ROM Access Error'.
II. "Ran out of virtual memory"
If you encounter the following message in an error dialog, "Ran out of virtual memory", you will need to free up additional hard drive space to continue installation.
Installation requires hard drive space on your C:\ drive even when you are installing to a different hard drive. This is due to a specification in InstallShield, which requires uninstall information to be stored on the C: drive. Because of this, you may see an error during installation stating that you do not have enough free space to install the game when there is ample room available in the install directory.
If this occurs, you will need to free at least 50 MB on the C:\ drive prior to installation. Please contact your system vendor should you require assistance doing this.
III. DVD-ROM Access Error
A DVD-ROM access error might be a symptom of one of these problems:
- You may have a dirty or scratched DVD.
- Your DVD-ROM drive may be having trouble reading the disc.
- Your DVD-ROM drive may be getting old or worn.
- Your DVD-ROM drive may not be properly installed in Windows.
First, check your DVD for any dirt, fingerprints, smudges or scratches. To clean your DVD, wipe it gently with a soft cloth, moving in smooth strokes from the center hub to the outer edge of the DVD. If your DVD looks fine, replace it in the drive and see if you continue to have this problem. If the problem persists, try testing the drive with a different DVD.
IV. Unable to Launch the Game after Installation
If you are experiencing problems trying to launch the program after a successful installation, please try the following:
- Re-boot the system and try launching the program again.
- Make sure you have the game disc in your DVD-ROM Drive.
- Close all other running applications, especially things such as: Clean Sweep, anti-virus software, ZoneAlarm, and DVD burning software (for example: Nero or EZ CD Creator).
- If you have more than one local DVD drive, try all drives.
- If you have a Virtual DVD Drive installed, make sure it is disabled.
- Make sure you have updated drivers for your optical (DVD-ROM) drive AND that you have the latest motherboard drivers available.
- Make sure you wait for the disc authentication after the program launches. It can take up to one-half minute or more for initial disc authentication. Your mouse pointer may change into a spinning disc pointer while the disc is authenticating.
If you have tried all of the above and are still having trouble, please generate an analysis file for submission to the SecuROM Technical Support group so we may be of further assistance. The analysis file contains important information to help us analyze the program launch issues you are experiencing. After successfully creating the file, the necessary data will be exported and stored in an 'AnalysisLog.sr0' file. Please perform the following steps:
- Make sure you have the game disc in your DVD-ROM Drive.
- You will need to locate the game executable. This file is located in the game folder which is in the Atari directory where you installed your game.
- Right click (right mouse button) on the executable and a dialog window will appear.
- Choose 'Launch Analysis' from the menu and release the mouse button.
- Shortly, a disclaimer window will appear.
- To proceed, please click on the 'Yes' button.
- The application will now generate an AnalysisLog.sr0 file within the root of your C:\ partition (hard drive).
- Another dialog will appear to signify the successful generation of the analysis file. Click the 'OK' button to finish.
- If you have access to a compression utility program such as WinZip, please compress the file (some email programs will corrupt the .sr0 file during transmission).
- Please email the .sr0 file or zip file with a description of your issue with as much detail as possible. Be sure to include things you have already tried. Please submit this information by attaching the file and replying to
support@securom.com.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Please accept our sincerest apology for any inconvenience you have experienced. Our goal is to solve your launch issues as efficiently and quickly as possible.
Disclaimer: The ability to generate the analysis file has been developed with your personal interest in mind to check for possible hardware and/or software incompatibility on your PC. To shorten the analysis time, system information is collected (similar to Microsoft's msinfo32.exe program). Data will be compared with the SecuROM knowledge base to determine hardware and/or software conflicts. Submitting the analysis file is voluntary. The collected data is for evaluation purposes only and is not used in any other manner.
V. What Should I Do If My Computer Goes to a Black Screen or Locks Up?
If you end up at a black screen or the game appears to lock up, please press ESC before trying anything else. If this fails, press CTRL-ALT-DEL once, click Task Manager, and then choose END TASK on "TestDriveUnlimited.exe". If you do not see a dialog box after pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL, press ENTER twice and this should take you back to the desktop. Then restart your computer and try running the game again.
VI. Should I Have Other Programs Running in the Background?
Generally, we have found that it is not a good idea to run any other programs in the background during gameplay. Please disable any active screen savers while running this game, as they may interrupt the game and cause problems. Various video, sound, or memory problems may occur if other programs are running, including virus-detection utilities.
You may need to disable or close programs that start automatically when Windows is started. Some of these programs display icons on your system tray. If you have icons in your system tray, right-click on each of them and select the option to disable, unload, exit, or close them before running your game. The next time you start your computer, these items will load once more and the icons will return. If you cannot disable them from the taskbar and you experience problems running your game, we recommend that you consult Windows Help for information on how to remove shortcuts or how to keep other programs from running in the background.
VII. Power Management
If your computer is equipped with a Power Management feature, you may want to disable it. Please consult your computer's documentation or the manufacturer for assistance in doing this. When Power Management is enabled, the following problems may occur:
- The game may crash or go to a blue screen when sleep mode activates. The Windows mouse cursor may not appear when the computer returns from sleep mode.
- The monitor may go to a black screen while you are playing or when sitting at one screen for long periods of time.
VIII. Administrative Rights
Some steps noted in this Troubleshooting Guide require you to make adjustments to your system, such as setting up your monitor. These steps will not be possible to complete unless you are logged onto the system with Administrative rights. Without these rights, you may be unable to select an option because it is grayed out.
Administrative rights allow a user to make changes to a computer, its settings, access rights, files, user accounts and are required to update DirectX. Before installing the game, you should consider whether a minor or other user should be granted local Administrative rights because of these capabilities. You do not need to grant these rights to be able to play the game.
IX. Playing the Game in a Limited (Restricted) User Account
You will be able to play your game on a Limited, Restricted, or Power User account after the Administrator has installed the game. However, a shortcut may not appear on the Desktop or Start Menu. Please see ”Shortcut Does Not Appear on the Desktop” for assistance in creating a shortcut.
X. Keyboard Functionality
Pressing ALT, CTRL or SHIFT multiple times during Gameplay may bring up a Windows dialog box while playing the game. This is a function of Accessibility options. For information regarding disabling this feature, please consult Windows Help.
XI. Shortcut Does Not Appear on the Desktop
You will be prompted to create a shortcut to your game on your desktop during installation. The shortcut to the game may not be displayed on your desktop after installation if your system is configured for multiple users, with each person using a separate profile. If this occurs, you will need to navigate to the Windows Desktop folder and copy the shortcut to your current desktop or copy the shortcut from the Start Menu to your desktop.
XII. Windows Firewall
With the release of Service Pack 2 for Windows XP Microsoft added the Windows Firewall which can sometimes conflict and/or cause abnormal behavior during installation or gameplay. To add your game to the Windows Firewall exception list please do the following:
- Click Start and then click Control Panel.
- In the control panel, click Security Center, and then click Windows Firewall.
- Open the Exceptions tab, located under Programs and Services, and click the Add Program button. In the Add a Program dialog, click Browse and locate the application you wish to allow.
- Verify your game is listed in the Programs and Services list and press the OK button to accept the changes and dismiss the dialog. Press OK on the network connection's "Properties" dialog to apply the changes. Your new firewall exceptions will take effect immediately.
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9. Compatibility Notes
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I. Laptop/Notebook Video and Audio Chipsets
Integrated laptop video chipsets are not officially supported for several reasons:
* Laptop/Notebook video chipsets generally provide very limited or no DirectDraw or DirectSound acceleration.
* Laptop/Notebook vendors, such as Dell or Gateway, do not typically test their systems for game compatibility.
* Laptop/Notebook device drivers are not as frequently updated to address graphical and/or game-specific issues compared to desktop video cards. In addition, device drivers are usually tailored specifically to a particular laptop/notebook by the manufacturer working closely with the chip maker compared to desktop video card device drivers being created for the chip itself.
* Laptop/Notebook graphics chipsets are designed for low power consumption and generally use a small amount of embedded RAM; using system RAM to make up any differences. Comparatively, desktop video cards in general have a larger amount of embedded RAM and do not resort to using system RAM.
* With some exceptions, such as the Radeon Mobility 9200 or GeForce FX Go 5200, notebook "3D" graphics chips do not support the advanced OpenGL and Direct3D features that have become standard on desktop 3D video cards.
* The simplistic audio chip in notebooks is designed for basic multimedia functions like playing music DVDs or business presentations. The standard audio for
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