============================================================================ RCFS 2001 Readme File Software Version 1.1.03 ============================================================================ This file contains information necessary to install and configure RCFS 2001. Please read it carefully. If viewing this file in Notepad, for best results, make sure that Word Wrap is turned on. To view this file in Windows Notepad, make sure that Word Wrap is turned ON. This may be accomplished via the Edit menu. Table of Contents: 1. Installation 2. Help Information 3. Joystick/Game Port Information 4. Video/Graphics Information 5. Version 1.1.03 Enhancements 6. Revision History 7. Miscellaneous **************************************************************************** 1. INSTALLATION **************************************************************************** To install RCFS 2001 v. 1.1.03: 1. Download the file "RCFS 2001 v. 1.1.03.zip" from http://www.dbproducts.com. 2. Make sure that you have already installed RCFS 2001 from your original CD. 3. Extract the files to your RCFS 2001 installation directory - the default location is C:\Program Files\Dave Brown Products\RCFS 2001. 4. When prompted to replace existing files, select "Yes" or "Yes to All." 5. Start RCFS 2001 Airplane or Helicopter. 6. Click the "Calibrate Joystick" button on the RCFS 2001 Main Window. 7. Follow the instructions on the Calibrate Joystick window. 8. Make sure that "SimStar" is listed in the Windows Control Panel and that the status is OK. (If you are using a game port USB converter, the device name will be "USB Adapter" or some other name, not "SimStar." **************************************************************************** 2. HELP INFORMATION **************************************************************************** The User's Guide is now available in Windows Help format. To access the User's Guide, start RCFS 2001 Airplane or Helicopter and click the "Help" button on the RCFS 2001 Main Window. **************************************************************************** 3. JOYSTICK/GAME PORT INFORMATION **************************************************************************** Be sure to read secion 5.1 below for information on gameport to USB adapters! THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT CALLS FOR RCFS 2001 IS IMPROPER JOYSTICK AND GAME PORT SETUP. During the installation of RCFS 2001, a joystick entry called "SimStar" is added to the available joystick options in the Windows Control Panel | Gaming Options applet. Before running RCFS 2001 for the first time you MUST add the SimStar joystick in Windows Control Panel | Gaming Options!!! Consult the User's Guide for detailed instructions on how to correctly do this. If, after you have installed and configured the joystick per the User's Guide, the status of SimStar is "Not Connected", this is an indication that your game port (either on your sound card or on a game card) is not configured correctly in Windows or that another joystick listed in the joystick list is interfering with SimStar. You must have a game port device installed and configured correctly IN WINDOWS in order to use the SimStar joystick. Even if your joystick works correctly with a previous version of RCFS (version 5 and earlier), this is not a guarantee that it will work correctly with RCFS 2001. This is because previous versions of RCFS are DOS-based games and RCFS 2001 is Windows-based. Access to the game port and joystick are completely different. * IN ORDER TO OPERATE RCFS 2001 CORRECTLY, YOUR GAME PORT AND YOUR JOYSTICK MUST BE SET UP CORRECTLY IN WINDOWS. If you would like to run RCFS 2001 on a laptop computer but the computer does not have a game port, you can make use of a PCMCIA game card. One that we have tested and use is the Mobile Gamer from New Media Technology. Their website is http://www.newmediatechcorp.com. Another less preferred option is to use a Gameport to USB converter. Radio Shack manufactures one that we have tested and used. The Radio Shack part number is 26-164. **************************************************************************** 4. VIDEO/GRAPHICS INFORMATION **************************************************************************** You must have a 3D Graphics Accelerator in order to successfully run RCFS 2001. Not all 3D cards are created equal and some cards work very well, while some cards do not work well at all. Generally speaking, we have had positive experiences with the following types of video cards: Nvidia-based cards (TNT, TNT2, GeForce) 3dfx-based cards (Voodoo3, Voodoo4, Voodoo5) Elsa Gladiac We have had mixed results with cards by Diamond and ATI. In a couple of cases, ATI Rage IIC cards have not worked at all. We have also seen mixed results with 4MB and some 8MB cards. Cards equipped with 16MB or higher seem to perform the best with RCFS 2001. Regardless of the card you are using, make sure that the card and drivers are DirectX 7.0 compatible and that you have downloaded and installed the LATEST DRIVERS for your card. Known Video Issues: ------------------- * The drivers provided on the CD-ROM with Voodoo3 boards will not support RCFS 2001. Download the latest drivers from http://www.3dfx.com. * When using a Creative Labs Voodoo Banshee card and turning on the auxillary clouds, the clouds turn various psychadelic colors. This is a problem with the Creative Labs Voodoo Banshee driver. You can download the reference drivers for the Voodoo Bansheee at http://www.3dfx.com to resolve this issue. (We do not recommend installing reference drivers and you do so at your own risk.) * The fog option will not work on your system if the card and/or driver do not support fog capability. * If you get a message that states that "Ddhelp.exe caused an invalid page fault" or something regarding Ddhelp.exe, this is indicative that your drivers are not fully DirectX 7.0 compliant. Download and install the latest drivers for your video card. **************************************************************************** 6. VERSION 1.1.03 ENHANCEMENTS **************************************************************************** * A problem existed where the RCFS 2001 Joystick Calibration Screen would not recognize the joystick, even if the joystick was set up correctly in the Windows Control Panel with a status of "OK." This problem was caused by more than one joystick being listed in Control Panel | Game Controllers. This problem has been corrected in this version. The first joystick listed in Control Panel that has a status of "OK" will be selected and used by RCFS 2001. **************************************************************************** 6. REVISION HISTORY **************************************************************************** 6.1 Version 1.1.01 6.1.1 New Joystick Interface / USB Adapter Support ---------------------------------------------------- To address a problem with game port to USB adapters, a new joystick interface has been provided. Calibration of the joysticks now takes place from within RCFS 2001. A new button has been added to the main program window titled "Calibrate Joystick". If you are using a standard game port, you still must manually add the SimStar joystick to Gaming Options in Windows Control Panel. SimStar must have a status of "OK" before it can be used. Make sure that SimStar is either the first entry in your list of game controllers or that it is the only entry in the list. If you are using a game port to USB adapter (e.g. Radio Shack Game Port USB Adapter or Rockfire's USB Nest), the joystick will be added to the Gaming Options in Windows Control Panel when you plug into the USB port. The name given to the joystick is dependent on the game port to USB adapter. A common name in use is "HID-Compliant Device". Make sure that the status is "OK". Make sure that the device is either the first entry in your list of game controllers or that it is the only entry in the list. If using the Radio Shack product, set the switch to the "Joystick A (2)" position. 6.1.2 Problems Corrected -------------------------- * The propeller shows up as transparent on all video cards now. * The tail no longer drops on tricycle gear airplanes after the plane has been in motion and then come to a full stop. * Applying brakes while accelerating on the ground no longer gives the plane a turbo boost. * Braking factors between 1 and 99 now work. * Negative crash speeds are no longer reported. * Corrected the problem where on some VooDoo 2 cards the airplane would disappear at certain points. * Changed the layout of the main window. * Removed the "Calibrate" button from the Joystick Setup screen. * Added a Help button to the main window. The User's Guide is now provided in Windows Help format. * After installation, the 3D Device will default to "Direct3D HAL" and the Video Mode will default to 800 x 600 x 16. * Corrected a problem where on some systems, if one of the switches on the SimStar controller was flipped down, the simulator would immediately go into "Fly" mode. Users with this problem could never change any options in the program. * Other minor problems were addressed. 6.2 Version 1.1.02 Corrected a problem where the propeller/rotor blades would turn opaque if clouds were toggled on from within the simulator. **************************************************************************** 7. MISCELLANEOUS **************************************************************************** There have a few cases where when you try to start the simulator, the system will stop responding. Contact us for a special update to handle this situation. DAVE BROWN PRODUCTS 4560 LAYHIGH RD. HAMILTON, OH 45013 (513)738-1576 8:30 - 5:00 M-F (Eastern Time) Web: http://www.dbproducts.com E-mail: techsupport@dbproducts.com ============================================================================ © 2000-2001 Dave Brown Products, Inc. All rights reserved. Windows® and DirectX® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.