             Command & Conquer [TM]: Red Alert 2 [TM]

               LATE BREAKING NEWS FROM THE FRONT

    Copyright 2000 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved.
    Westwood Studios [TM] is an Electronic Arts [TM] brand.

                     September 23, 2000

       For latest news and updates visit WWW.WESTWOOD.COM


- - - - - - - - - - - - - TOP SECRET - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Commander:

Thank you, for joining up. Your service will not go unrecognized. 
Please take care to read the following bulletin from Command Headquarters 
so that you are fully briefed on the current situation. Due to 
battlefield conditions, certain information must be kept classified 
until you are ready for action.

Good Luck.

-- President Michael Dugan


1. WINDOWS 95/98/NT/Millenium

   1.1. Microsoft DirectX
   1.2. Microsoft Office Toolbar
   1.3. Windows NT 4.0
   1.4. Windows ME 

2. TROUBLE SHOOTING

   2.1.  Known Video Card Issues
   2.2.  Known Sound Card Issues
   2.3.  Known Direct X Issues
   2.4.  Gateway Computer Users
   2.5.  Virtual Memory Settings
   2.6.  Known RealPlayer Issues
   2.7.  AutoPlay
   2.8.  16 bit CD-ROM drivers
   2.9.  CD-Changers and Multi-Drivers
   2.10. Choppy movie performance
   2.11. Power Saving Mode
   2.12. Periodic Slowdown
   2.13. Game Updates and Patches
   2.14. Connection Speed Slider
   2.15. Dual Network Cards and IPX Issues:
   2.16. Firewall Issues
   2.17. Network Address Translation (NAT) Games

3. GAMEPLAY INFO

   3.1.  Engineers
   3.2.  Rankings for Ladders and Tournaments over Westwood Online
   3.3.  Quick Match over Westwood Online

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1. WINDOWS 95/98/NT/Millenium

   1.1. Microsoft DirectX:

   Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a Microsoft DirectX application. 
   Version 7.0 of Microsoft DirectX is included on the CD and you have 
   the option to install it when Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is installed.

   Under some early versions of Windows 95, DirectX 7.0 cannot be installed 
   directly from the Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 installer. If this occurs, 
   please run DXSetup.exe located on the CD in the DXSetup folder.
 
   All Microsoft DirectX drivers are located in the DXSetup folder off of the 
   root of the CD. To reinstall the Microsoft DirectX drivers go into the 
   DXSetup folder and run DXSetup.exe. You can explore the CD by choosing the 
   "Explore the CD" option in the AutoPlay title screen.  If you have difficulty 
   running Windows 95/98 after these new Microsoft DirectX drivers have been 
   installed, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary, or write:

	Microsoft Customer Sales and Service,
	One Microsoft Way,
	Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA

	USA telephone: 1-800-426-9400
	International telephone: ++1-206-882-8080

   1.2. Microsoft Office Toolbar:

   If you make use of this feature of Microsoft Office and it appears over 
   the game screen when playing Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 you will have 
   to disable the Office Toolbar before playing.

   1.3. Windows NT 4.0:

   Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 requires Service Pack 3 or later versions 
   to be installed in order to work with Windows NT 4.0. Please contact your 
   computer manufacturer if you need to get Service Pack 3.

   1.4. Windows ME:

   Windows ME DirectX appears to have hardware conflicts with some 2mb video 
   cards. The cards may work well with Windows ME itself, and even other games, 
   but with Red Alert 2 you may experience black screen lockups when loading 
   the game. The problem may be corrected by updating the video card driver to 
   Windows ME compatible drivers, updating your version of DirectX, or upgrading 
   to a 4mb card or higher.


2. TROUBLE SHOOTING

   2.1. Known Video Card Issues:

   Video monitor settings may need to be adjusted after installing the Microsoft 
   DirectX video drivers. If you screen distorts, or is shifted horizontally or 
   vertically, you can return it to normal by adjusting the controls on your monitor. 

   Most video display problems can be corrected by installing the latest drivers 
   for your particular card. Please consult your video card documentation for 
   details on how to get the latest drivers for your card. 

   If you are using the Microsoft Theme Pack and have selected a custom cursor, 
   video corruption can occur. For best results, please use default cursors while 
   playing Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2.

   Users with integrated Intel 3D graphic cards (2MB AGP) may experience refresh
   problems at high resolutions (above 640x480). In order to fix this problem, modify 
   the [VIDEO] section of the RA2.INI file located in the RA2 root directory to include: 

      VideoBackBuffer=no

   (This also includes any users with low end video cards, experiencing any trails 
   or refresh problems at any resolution)

   2.2. Known Sound Card Issues:

   Old SoundBlaster AWE 64 and AWE 32 sound card drivers can cause skipping 
   and repeating sound that may cause your computer to run Command & Conquer: 
   Red Alert 2 much slower than normal. If you have one of these sound cards 
   and are experiencing these symptoms, please contact your card manufacturer 
   for latest drivers.

   Audio may stutter on certain systems running Windows NT. To correct this 
   problem you must install the latest audio driver for your sound card.

   Most sound card problems can be corrected by installing the latest drivers 
   for your particular card. Please consult your sound card documentation for 
   details on how to get the latest drivers.

   If you are using USB speakers, do not turn off the speakers during gameplay. 
   Doing so may cause your system to become unstable and even crash.

   2.3. Known DirectX Issues:

   If another application is using the sound card while trying to install or 
   run the game, a "DXSound Error" will appear. If this error occurs, please 
   close all applications and run the install or game again.

   2.4. Gateway Computer Users:

   If you are using a Gateway computer with "Gateway GoBack" software by WildFile 
   running in the background, you may experience lockups in Red Alert 2. GoBack 
   is loaded in the Windows system tray (by the clock) and represented by two 
   yellow arrows. To close out GoBack, right click on the double yellow arrows 
   in the system tray, and select close. It is recommended that you close all 
   programs running in the background before starting Red Alert 2.

   2.5. Virtual Memory Settings:

   Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 may need to use more RAM than is present on 
   your system. Windows 95/98 automatically takes care of this by using what is 
   known as "Virtual Memory" - which uses space on your hard disk to simulate 
   the memory it needs and swaps data back and forth from your hard disk as 
   required. Windows 95/98 allows you to manually set the amount of hard drive 
   space it uses for Virtual Memory: WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT DO THIS! 
   To let Windows 95/98 manage the Virtual Memory, go to the Windows 95/98 start 
   menu, select `settings\control panel', then double-click `system', click 
   `performance\file system\virtual memory' and then select 
   `Let Windows manage my virtual memory settings (recommended).'

   2.6. Known RealPlayer Issues:

   RealPlayer seems to have a conflict with the movie player used in Red Alert 2. 
   With RealPlayer's "Start Center" feature enabled (which seems to keep RealPlayer 
   resident in some form) we have found stability issues when exiting Red Alert 2 
   as it goes to the desktop.

   2.7. AutoPlay:

   If your CD does not AutoPlay when inserted in the drive, you may have this 
   feature disabled. To Enable AutoPlay, right click on 'My Computer' and select 
   'Properties' then 'Device Manager'. Select your CD-ROM drive and click 
   'Properties'. Select 'Settings' and check the 'Auto insert notification' box.

   2.8. 16 bit CD-ROM drivers:

   Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 may fail to start if there is a 16 bit CD-ROM 
   driver loaded from the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS. If you have references to 
   MSCDEX or equivalent drivers then try removing them from your autoexec.bat and 
   config.sys files. Windows 95/98 does not generally need these drivers to work 
   and in most cases will actually perform better without them.

   2.9. CD-Changers and Multi-Drivers:

   Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 does not support multiple CD-ROM drives or 
   CD-changers and assumes that you only have one CD-ROM drive. If you have more 
   than one CD-ROM drive, you should insert the Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 CD 
   in the first CD drive letter. For example, if you have CD drives E:, F: and G:, 
   your Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 CD should be inserted into the E: drive.

   2.10. Choppy movie performance:

   If you find that the movie performance is choppy or jerky, try reducing the 
   Windows 95/98 CD caching by going to the Start/Settings/Control Panel and 
   double-clicking the System applet. In the System Properties dialog, click 
   the Performance tab and then click the File System button. From the File 
   System Properties dialog, click the CD-ROM tab and note the Supplemental Cache 
   Size setting (so that you can reset the cache size if need be). Now set the 
   Supplemental Cache Size to Small. This should have a marked effect on movie 
   performance.

   You can also try adjusting your detail settings in the Options Menu. Low Detail 
   will remove effects like water wakes behind ships, smoke and effect lines. Red 
   Alert 2 will also dynamically remove animations in certain situations on low 
   spec machines to ensure a high quality game performance.

   2.11. Power Saving Modes:

   It is possible that your computer loses connection to your ISP due to long 
   periods of inactivity. Sometimes this is caused by the sleep mode in your 
   "Power Saving" options. This can cause problems during game play or when 
   connected to Westwood Online. To avoid any problems please disable your screen 
   saver or power-saving modes when running the game.
	
   2.12. Periodic Slowdowns:
		
   If periodic slowdowns occur while playing Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 
   and the CD is not being accessed please insure that there are no other 
   applications running during your game session. This includes anti-virus software.

   2.13. Game Updates and Patches:
		
   Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 contains an auto-updating feature. Updated 
   versions of the game will be announced to you when playing Command & Conquer: 
   Red Alert 2 on Westwood Online. When an updated version of the game is available 
   you will be able to receive it and automatically have it installed, if you wish. 
   If you do not intend to play Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 on Westwood Online 
   then please check www.westwood.com for update information.

   2.14. Connection Speed Slider:

   Red Alert 2 has a game-latency tolerance setting in the Game Options screen 
   that allows players to increase the tolerance of network latency on laggy 
   connections for internet gaming. To adjust, move the slider to the appropriate 
   setting. For example, if you are connecting over a modem, the best setting for 
   you would be "Normal" or "Poor". If you are connecting over a broadband connection 
   (Cable Modem or DSL), move the slider to "Fast". This attempts to match your system 
   with your connection for peak performance. Moving the slider from Poor or Normal 
   to Fast can have an adverse effect on game performance.

   2.15. Dual Network Cards and IPX Issues: 

   If you have two network cards in your computer and both have the IPX protocol 
   bound to them, you can use the "Network Options" to choose the card which you'd 
   like to use. Note: on some Windows 95 and 98 systems and in some configurations, 
   Red Alert 2 can't see your second network card. A workaround to this problem is 
   to disable your primary card in Windows device manager and reboot. Red Alert 2 
   should successfully see and utilize your second network card. Please refer to 
   your Windows documentation for more information on how to disable your primary 
   network card.

   2.16.  Firewall Issues:

   If you are playing Red Alert 2 behind a firewall and wish to host a game, 
   you must open the following ports:  Port 1234, 1235, 1236, 1237.  These ports 
   use the UDP protocol.  If you do not know how to configure your firewall consult 
   your firewall documentation or contact your system administrator or Internet Provider.

   2.17.  Network Address Translation (NAT) Games:

   If your network is using Network Address Translation, two or more users behind the 
   NAT'd firewall will be unable to play in the same game.  They will, however, be able 
   to play in different games.


3. GAMEPLAY INFO

   3.1. Engineers:

   Engineers (and Engineers in IFVs) can be placed in Guard mode, like any other unit. 
   When in guard mode, engineers automatically heal any nearby player owned structures 
   that are damaged into the red or capture nearby enemy buildings.

   3.2.  Rankings for Ladders and Tournaments over Westwood Online:

   Westwood offers many opportunities for players to test their mettle against the 
   best players in the world. Check out Westwood.com for the latest breaking news. 
   Rankings for Ladders and Tournaments in Red Alert to are defaulted to "Short Games"

   3.3.  Quick Match over Westwood Online:

   Red Alert 2 offers players an easy way to meet players on the battlefield. Simply 
   try the "Quick Match" selection in Westwood Online. This option will try to match 
   players of similar ranking, similar ping times (Internet connection latency to 
   other players), location and system specs.

