B17 The Mighty Eighth
*********************
Readme File (UK English)
V1.1
5th Novemeber, 2000



Contents
********

1. Video cards successfully tested on & supported
2. Video Card Drivers
3. Processors successfully tested on & supported
4. 3D performance
5. Amendments
6. A3D
7. Customer Support
8. Licence Agreement
9. Thanks and acknowledgements



1. Video cards successfully tested on & supported
*************************************************

3Dfx Voodoo2 (12Mb)
3Dfx Voodoo3 3000 AGP
3Dfx Voodoo3 3500 AGP
3Dfx Voodoo3 3000 PCI
3Dfx Voodoo3 2000 PCI
3Dfx Voodoo4 4500 AGP
3Dfx Voodoo5 5500 AGP
ATi Rage 128
ATi Rage Fury
ATi Rage Fury Maxx
ATi Radeon
NVidia GeForce256
NVidia GeForce256 DDR
NVidia GeForce 2 GTS
NVidia Riva TNT
NVidia Riva TNT2 & Ultra
NVidia Riva TNT2 M64
Matrox Millenium G200
Matrox Millenium G400 Dualhead
Matrox Millenium G400 MAX
3DLabs Permedia3 Create!
Creative Exxtreme (Permedia 2) 8Mb
Diamond Stealth III S540
Diamond Viper 550
Diamond Viper 770
Diamond Viper II


B17 requires the latest video drivers, available from your hardware manufacturers' web site.
Please see the section below for internet links to hardware manufacturers' web sites.



2. Video Card Drivers
*********************

You can download these drivers from the Internet. If you are experiencing
problems with B17, look for your video card below to find the Web
address where you can download the appropriate drivers.

Creative Graphics Blaster RIVA TNT
Creative Graphics Blaster RIVA TNT2 & Ultra
Creative Graphics Blaster Annihilator & DDR
	http://support.soundblaster.com/files/download.asp

Guillemot MAXI Gamer 2
Guillemot MAXI Gamer Xentor / MAXI Gamer Xentor 32
Guillemot 3D Prophet & DDR
	http://www.guillemot.com/

Matrox MGA Millennium G200
Matrox Millennium G400 & G400 Max
	http://www.matrox.com/mga/drivers/latest_drivers/home.htm

ATi 3D Rage 128
ATi 3D Rage Fury Maxx
ATi Radeon
	http://support.atitech.ca/drivers/drivers.html

Diamond Viper series
	http://www.diamondmm.com/

3Dfx reference drivers (for all Voodoo cards - recommended)
	http://www.3dfxgamers.com/

NVidia reference drivers (for all NVidia chipset based cards - recommended)
	http://www.nvidia.com/



3. Processors successfully tested on & supported
************************************************

Intel Pentium II
Intel Pentium III
Intel Celeron
AMD K6-2 3DNow!      (via DirectX7)
AMD K6-3 3DNow!      (via DirectX7)
AMD K7/Athlon 3DNow! (via DirectX7)
AMD Duron



4. 3D performance
*****************

As with all games of this type, 3D performance will vary according to individual machine
configurations but generally the more RAM available for your system and the better the
processor and video card, the better the game performance will be. There are however many
options available in-game to allow the user to get the best compromise between performance
and gameplay. In addition, here are a few tips for increasing performance:-

- Create a graphics cache from the splash screen options tab. This is strongly recommended
for all users.

- Enable the option for Hardware T&L if your video card supports this feature. Utilising
Hardware T&L will better utilise your video card's GPU and reduce the work for the main CPU.

- Run the game in a lower resolution

- Set some of the graphics options to speed in the Graphics Menu of the Game Options. We
recommend though that you retain the setting for Object Complexity at Balanced as this
option determines at what point targets and enemy fighters become visible to the player in
the 3d game world.

- To reduce the amount of disc swapping required on lower specification machines, users can
try freeing up some extra space on their hard drive. We recommend that people reserve at
least 400Mb of free disc space for use with B17 as a swap file.

- Ensure that there are no other applications running in the background whilst playing the
game. B17 requires a lot of memory to run at the optimum level so it is important that as
much as possible is allocated to the game. To close down applications press
CONTROL+ALT+DELETE to bring up the Close Program window. Click on the program you wish to
close down and then click on End Task. Repeat this until only Explorer and Systray remain.

In addition any Windows or Virus scan schedulers should be closed down as these have been known to crash the game.
The Windows power management feature should also be disabled as this feature may also lead to an unrecoverable minimisation of the game.


5. Amendments & Additions
*************************

The following section documents amendments and additions that didn't make it into the manual
in time.

i)  There is now a slight change to the Squadron Commander campaign. On completion of 25
missions, players are now given the opportunity to gain a promotion. Successful completion
of another 5 missions will trigger the end of game scenario.

ii) Crew that are wounded beyond help can be bailed out of the aircraft if necessary. To do
this, right click on the wounded crewman and a bail out icon will appear. Selection of this
will remove the wounded crewman from the aircraft and give him a chance of receiving aid
from the Germans.

iii)It is now possible to ditch the bombs in the event of an emergency. To ditch bombs, take
control of the bombardier and switch to the bomb control panel. Activate the panel and open
the bomb bay doors. It is now possible to remove the safety cover from the ditch bombs
switch. Click on the switch to ditch the bombs.

iv) The joystick hat can be used for rotating the 3d camera view.

v)  The CONTROL+H keys can be used as a toggle for the Pilot data information which appears
in the top corner of the screen.

vi) When on a bombing run and in control of the bombardier, the amount of drift is usually
set via the Norden bombsight. It can also be adjusted whilst in control of the bombsight and
tracking the target. Hold down the 'N' key and move the joystick left or right to adjust the
amount of drift. Holding down the 'B' key will make this a fine adjustment.

vii)Training mission 1 'Taxi and Take Off' will now be deemed a failure if the player allows the wheels of his B17 to stray off the tarmac for more than two seconds. The mission also starts with the parking brake in the 'ON' position: this needs to be unlocked before the start of the mission. Training mission 2 begins with the aircraft just before the final turn to approach the runway: players need to make the final turn themselves. Missions 4 and 5 for ease of use the player should allow the bombardier AI to make the initial turn onto the target and mission 6 begins with the player in the top turret, not in the chin turret as stated in the manual.

viii)If a joystick is added to a machine after the game has been run, then it is likely that
the control setup will be radically altered. This can be rectified by re-installing the game
or deleting the .opt files from the B17/Options directory and re-running the game.

ix) The manual states that the steering brakes are the 'B' and 'N' keys. This is correct but if you are playing with a joystick with a rudder axis, this command has been assigned to the same axis as the rudder for ease of use.

x)  Voodoo2 users should not select any screen resolution higher than 800*600. The higher resolutions of 1024*768 and above are only available via SLI which is not explicitly supported by B17.

xi) From time to time it might appear that the time skip command has ceased to function. This will happen when it takes the AI more than 20 seconds to calculate the outcome of a time skip, usually when damaged bombers with wounded crew have dropped out of formation. A period of play in normal time should allow the AI to make the required calculations and allow players to time skip again.



6. A3D Sound
************
The B17 installation program prompts users to install an A3D driver. When this is installed and the game is run for the first time, B17 autodetects whether the computer's soundcard is based on the Aureal chipset and automatically enables the A3D option from the game launcher. Users of non-A3D based sound cards should leave the option unselected. If this causes problems users should try running the A3D setup program from the CD and selecting the option as above. 
The latest Aureal drivers can be obtained from the following website:

http://www.vortexofsound.com



7. Customer Support
*******************

If you have problems and require assistance you can contact our Customer Services on:

Phone:	+44 (0) 1454 893900 (Hours of operation: 0900-1730 GMT/BST, Monday to Friday)
Fax:	+44 (0) 1454 894296
Email:		support@hiuk.com
Address:	Hasbro Interactive (Europe) Customer Services
	The Ridge, Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, BS37 6BN, England, UK

Sweden only:
Phone:	0858 77 04 24*

Denmark only:
Phone:	038 487 134*

Finland only:
Phone:	0800 11 44 99*

Norway only:
Phone:	023 16 21 36*

Belgium only:
Phone:	027 131451*

Netherlands only:
Phone:	0203 469378*

*Please note that you may be assisted by English speaking Customer Services staff.

Australia only:
If you have problems and require assistance you can contact the Hasbro Interactive Customer
Services Hotline on:

Phone:	1902 262 667*
Email:	support@hiuk.com

*Calls are charged at $1.65 per minute. A higher rate applies to mobile and public phones.
If you decide to telephone our Customer Services, please try to be sitting in front of your
computer and have a pen and paper at the ready. Before contacting us, please try to have
the following information ready so that we may help you more efficiently:

* The name of the product.
* The make and model of your computer.
* The processor and its speed.
* Any peripherals attached to the computer.
* The graphics card, driver date and version.
* The sound card, driver date and version.
* The version of Windows or Mac OS you are using.
* Total memory installed.
* The exact error message (if any).
* For Windows users, the version of DirectX installed.
* The type of CD-ROM drive.
* For Windows users, the total system resources free before running the program.
* The name of any programs running in the background.

If you decide to email our Customer Services, to ensure a prompt reply please summarise
your issues as concisely as you can, giving details, as above, of the product, the problem
or error and any circumstances that you feel relevant and your particular computer system.

Web Sites

At MicroProse, it is a priority to ensure that you have everything you need to get the best
out of your product. In fact, our web sites are designed to enhance your playing or
learning experience and not just be there to help if you have a problem. Therefore,
MicroProse has a full and exciting web site dedicated to ensuring you can see the latest
information, obtain technical support, download the latest upgrade, read the latest hints
and tips and a great deal more.
You can reach the site at:

http://www.b17flyingfortress.com

For more information on forthcoming and existing products from MicroProse, please visit our
main site at:

http://www.microprose.com

or

http://www.hasbrointeractive.com



8. LICENCE AGREEMENT
********************

1. Licence
The software and all images, photography, animations, video, audio, music and text contained
on the enclosed CD-ROM and this manual, (together, 'the Product') are protected by copyright
and other intellectual property rights which are owned by or licensed to Hasbro Interactive
Limited of 2 Roundwood Avenue, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, UB11 1AZ, UK ('Hasbro').

Hasbro grants to you as the original purchaser of this Product a non-transferable right to
use the Product for your own personal and private use and not in connection with any
business activity. Unless otherwise permitted by law, no part of this Product may be copied,
reproduced, translated, modified, decompiled or reduced into any electronic or other form
without the prior written consent of Hasbro. You may not rent or lease, or sell or transfer
copies of the Product or any part of it.

2. Warranty
Hasbro warrants to you only that for a period of ninety days from purchase the Product will
perform substantially in accordance with the specifications set out in this manual and that
the original CD-ROM disk itself will be free from defects in materials and workmanship.

During this period the Product, if defective, will be replaced free of charge if returned to
Hasbro at Caswell Way, Newport, Gwent, NP9 0YH, together with a dated proof of purchase, a
brief description of the defect and the address to which it is to be returned. Any
replacement will be warranted for a further 90 day period. This warranty does not affect
your statutory rights in any way.

This warranty does not apply to defects caused by misuse, neglect, incorrect installation,
damage, alteration, repair or excessive wear.

3. Liability
Except as stated at 2 above, all conditions, warranties, terms, representations and
undertakings express or implied, statutory or otherwise, in respect of the Product are
expressly excluded.

Hasbro's liability to you shall under no circumstances exceed the original retail price of
the Product and Hasbro does not accept liability for any indirect or consequential damage or
loss (even if it is aware that the possibility of such damage or loss) including lost
profits or revenues, or for any damages, costs or loss incurred as a result of loss of time
or data or from any other cause.

Nothing set out above shall limit or exclude the Hasbro's liability to you for death or
personal injury resulting from its own negligence or any other liability not capable of
exclusion or limitation by law.
If you do not agree to be bound by these terms, you should immediately return the Product to
Hasbro at Caswell Way, Newport, Gwent, NP9 OYH, UK, together with a dated proof of purchase,
for a full refund.




9. Thanks and acknowledgements
*******************************

Hasbro Interactive Quality Assurance would like to thank the following people &
companies for their help and support on this project:-

Saitek				- www.saitek.com
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) 	- www.amd.com
3Dfx Interactive 		- www.3dfx.com
NVidia 				- www.nvidia.com
Diamond Multimedia 		- www.diamondmm.com
Matrox 				- www.matrox.com
Guillemot 			- www.guillemot.com
Creative Labs 			- www.soundblaster.com
Microsoft Hardware 		- www.microsoft.com/hardware
Logitech 			- www.logitech.com
Fanatec 			- www.fanatec.de
Labtec 				- www.labtec.com
Altec Lansing 			- www.alteclansing.com



© 2000 Hasbro Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. Game Code © 2000 Wayward Design-a
subsidiary of Rage Software Plc. All rights reserved.
