Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty (demo)

Introduction:

Welcome to the demo of  Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty, the mission pack for Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines. In this demo you will be able to play one mission from the mission pack.

This demo is a standalone product, you can play it even if you don't have the original game Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines installed on your computer.

This demo lets you play a multiplayer game using TCP/IP on a LAN environment. Run the server on a machine and use the IP address displayed by the server to connect from the client games.

You may also play this demo on Mplayer.

When you uninstall this demo, the uninstaller will leave the saved games and configuration files in the game directory. You will have to uninstall them by hand if you want to clean it completely. 

Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty will be out in March 1999 with:

•	8 new missions with increased graphical details
•	Larger maps with multiple objectives (including assassination, sabotage, secret data retrieveal lus
•	Missions in Channel Islands, Bonn, Belgrade, Holland and Crete
•	New Weapons – including M1 rifles, long ranged sinper rifle and handcuffs
•	New buildings and enemy troops (including ME262 fighters and Tiger Tanks)

System Requirements:

Windows 95/98
DX5.2+ and DXMEDIA installed
50 MB of Hard Drive Space
P133 or greater processor
32MB RAM
1MB SVGA card completely DX5.2 compatible

Installation:

The game is enclosed in a self-extracting archive.  Double-clicking on it will extract the data and install the game.  You will need 100 MB of Hard Drive space. 50MB for the game and 50MB for your Windows Swap file.  Remember to defragment and scandisk your hard drive.

Keys
1...7 (alphanumerical keyboard)	Select specific Commando	
F1	Help	
F2...F7	Activate various modes in game screen 	
P	Pause	
+ or – (numerical keypad)	Zoom In / Zoom Out	
* (numerical keypad)	Normal view	
TAB	Change the position of the knapsack on the screen (left / right)	
ESC	Go to the Main Menu	
Ctrl + B	See a summary of the Mission Briefing	
Ctrl + S	Quick Save the current game	
Ctrl + L	Load the last game that was saved with Quick Save	
Alt + Click	Make the camera track the designated target	
Ctrl + Click	Shoot from an armed vehicle	
Shift + Click	See the field of view of the selected enemy soldier	
Z	Multiplayer Chat Window	
CTRL+C	Close Chat Window	
Print Screen	Screen shot	
  ACTION HOT KEYS
A	Explode remote bomb 	
B	Release bomb	
C	Lie down on the ground	
D	Diving Gear (Marine) or Distract enemy (Spy)	
E	Grenade	
F	Shovel	
G	Pistol	
H	Hand (used for picking up items)	
I	Activate / deactivate acoustic decoy	
J	Trap (Inferno) or Harpoon (Fins)	
K	First Aid Kit	
L	Lethal Injection (Spooky)	
M	Submachine gun	
Q	Release acoustic decoy	
R	Sniper Rifle	
S	Stand up (complements key “C”)	
T	Release inflatable launch (only works in shallow water)	
U	Reuse uniform	
V	Cigarette distraction throw	
W	Handcuffs	
Y	Stone throw	
X	Knife	

The multiplayer game: a quick guide
Requirements:

P200+ processor is required  on TCP/IP over network.  Internet play is possible, but not encouraged

You can play via the Internet, but it is very slow.  Server should be a PII 266+ and players should be local.

Everything that has been explained above about a network game can be quickly summarised in the following steps:
1) In a computer connected to the network, run the program Multiplayer Server.
2) Various players run Commandos and, from the Main Menu, select the option "NEW GAME / MULTIPLAYER GAME / CONNECT TO GAME SERVER”. (If it is the first time they play, they will have to have indicated the server IP address and their names or nicknames as players in the menu NEW GAME / MULTIPLAYER GAME). The first player to connect to the server becomes the Master.
3) In the player window, the Master selects the option "Select mission" when he considers that there are enough players connected.  The master is the first user into the lobby.
4) In the missions window, the Master selects a mission from the list and clicks on "Accept mission". The mission will then be loaded in all the computers.
5) In the window “Select Commandos”, the players click on the photos of the characters they will be handling. When all the Allies have been selected, the Master can click on "Continue" to begin play.
6) During the game, the Master can save and load the game with Control + S / Control + L. He can also change the mission.
NOTE: the Chat window is activate with Z and closed with CTRL+Z
7) The players can "abandon" characters or recover the control of “abandoned” characters during the course of a mission. If a player abandons the game, he forces the remaining players to recover the control of the characters he has abandoned before they can continue playing the game.
Troubleshooting
If you are a North American user you can contact our technical support staff at techsupp@eidos.com
If not, please contact our UK support at techsupp@eidosnet.co.uk

NOTE: please have detailed system information for the technician. 

Troubleshooting FAQ
Here is some background information:
1.	You DO NOT need to have the original Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines installed.  The “Beyond the Call of Duty” mission pack is stand-alone product.
2.	During a game, press F1 to get a rundown of each Commando’s abilities and his function.
3.	Most game technical problems related from users not having a hardware device installed properly (memory address conflict), not have a driver installed, or having a device that is not fully DX5+ compatible.
4.	The EASY setting repositions German guards for easier movement.
Video Problems

Q.	The Movies (AVIs) do not play or I get a crash when the game starts (movie intro). 

A.	This is most likely due to one or two causes.  First, you may have a defective CD.  Install and run the game on another system.  If it does not run, return the CD to our Customer Care for an exchange.  If it does run, then you may have a corrupted or improperly installed Media player.  To verify, insert the game CD and use explorer to locate and open the COMANDOS\VIDEO folder.  Highlight any AVI file, then press and hold SHIFT, and then RIGHT CLICK.  Choose OPEN WITH, then select scan the list of executables and choose MPLAYER.  Check the ALWAYS USE THIS PROGRAM…box and click OK.  The movies should now run, if not, please reinstall DirectX 5.2 and contact Microsoft for an updated media player or go here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/download/default.asp

Q.	What Video modes are supported by Commandos?

A.	The default resolution for the game is 640x480 at 16-bit color palette.  For most users, this offers the best speed and image.  Increasing this setting can reduce the performance. If you increase the screen resolution the graphics will be smaller and the detail will be better; however, the game can slow to a crawl.  We recommend that you try various settings until you find the setting that satisfies your preference.

Q.	Does Commando support my 3D accelerator?

A.	Direct X Direct Draw is used by Commandos to display the images on the screen.  It does not use Direct 3D or any hardware acceleration.

Q.	Is there a reason why I cannot view the video sequences, and why do I hear no sound during these sequences?

A.	Most likely these problems are related to your video card.  You need to ensure that you have the latest drivers installed; you can get the drivers from your computer or hardware manufacturer.  Please visit our “Manufacturer Links” page.  You may also need to install the latest version of Media Player from Microsoft; they recently released an upgrade to Media Player that replaces Active Movie and Media Player. You can download Media Player at www.microsoft.com.

Q.	Why dose the game slow down when I scroll the map view area?

A.	You may have the screen resolution too high. The default resolution for Commandos is 640x480; setting the game to this resolution should solve the problem. You may also have too many open camera windows, or there may be a high amount of activity in the windows that are open.  Try closing some of these windows.  Finally, there is the possibility that your video card is not fast enough to process the data at the resolution that you have selected.  Try changing your Windows desktop resolution to 640x480 and your color palette to 256 colors.

Q.	Why does the buildings and characters look blocky and splotchy when I have the map zoomed in?

A.	Use the ‘*’ key on your numeric keypad to reset the display to view them properly. The graphics that are displayed in Commandos are sprites.  These sprites look best when they are viewed at a certain distance.  When you zoom the camera in you reveal the small squares that make up the sprites. 
Sound Questions

Q.	Why do I hear static or popping during the game?

A.	Two things may cause this problem. You may simply have the volume set too loud.  Double click on the speaker icon on your desktop and move the slider of the “Wave” and “Midi” volume to the half way point. There may also be a DMA conflict with your sound card and another device on your computer. To check this click on Start>Settings>Control panel>System.  When you have System Properties displayed click on the Device Manager tab; if you see any ‘!’ or red ‘X’s you have a conflict. You need to use the Windows Hardware Conflict Wizard to resolve the problem. If you cannot resolve the problem or you are unsure how to fix this problem, you will need to contact your computer manufacturer.

Q.	What else could cause static or popping sound during the game?

A.	The possible cause for popping, static, or even no sound is that your sound card does not fully support DirectX 5.0.  Commandos requires a sound card that fully supports Direct X 5.0 or later. You will need to contact your computer or sound card manufacturer for assistance in acquiring and install new drivers. Note: there are some sound cards that do not have drivers that are compatible with DirectX 5.0 at this time. If that is the case please use the suggestions provided above to diminish the problems with static or popping noises.
Direct X Questions

Q.	Does Commandos support 3D hardware acceleration?

A.	Commandos does not support 3D hardware acceleration.  It uses Direct Draw to display the graphics.

Q.	What version of DirectX does Commandos support?

A.	Commandos was made to support Direct X version 5.0 or higher.  Additionally, you should have Direct Media installed.  You can find more information about DirectX at www.microsoft.com/directx. 

Q.	How can I determine what version of DirectX is installed on my computer?

A.	To determine what version of DirectX you have installed on your computer go to My Computer>C: drive>Program Files folder>DirectX folder>Setup folder> and double click on setup.

Q.	How will I know if my drivers are compatible with DirectX version 5.0 or higher?

A.	Your hardware drivers are listed as “Primary Display driver” for your video card and “Primary Sound driver” for your sound driver in dxsetup.  The version number must be 4.05.00.0155 or higher.

Q.	What can happen if my drivers are not the correct version?

A.	Software manufacturers update their drivers regularly, and you need to contact them to acquire the correct version. It is possible that the game may function with old drivers, but you may have inconsistent problems with game performance.  In any case Eidos Interactive does not provide support for hardware problems.

Multi-player Questions

Q.	What are the minimum system requirements to play a network game?

A.	The minimum requirements are:

•	Pentium 200Mhz CPU
•	32 Megs of RAM
•	TCP/IP LAN or WAN connection

Note:  Cyrix systems will run the game slower than their Intel equivalent during a network game.

Q.	Can I set up a serial link to play multi-player game?

A.	No.

Q.	Can I play the game on an IPX network?

A.	No, Commandos only supports the TCP/IP network protocol.

Multi-player Questions (cont.)

Q.   How to I start a Commandos TCP/IP server?

A.	From the START MENU, select Multiplayer Server.  Record your IP address and give to your clients.  Then enter the game.  Type in your IP address when prompted.

Q.	What is the Server Ping limitation?  How do I set it?

A.	This is our attempt to prevent high latency games.  It stipulates that clients cannot join the game with a ping (connection speed) higher than 300ms.  Creating a shortcut for the mpserver.exe (in game folder) and then changing the shortcut command line properties to mpserver.exe –vXXX (where XXX is the desired ping) can change this.  

Q.  Do my friends (clients) need the game CD in the CD-ROM to play a multiplayer game?

A.  No, Clients ONLY need to complete a FULL INSTALL of the Commandos game (1.1 feature).

Q.	Where can I find more information about multi-player Commandos?

A.	In the section entitled “Multi-player Game” in the readme.rtf file on the game disc.

Q.	Can I play the game over the Internet?

A.	Commandos can be, BUT is not designed for direct Internet play.  If you do attempt to play the game this way, you will experience (in most cases) unplayable latency (lag).  We ONLY recommend Internet play IF you play on the Mplayer (www.mplayer.com) gaming service.  AS OF 9/5, the RETAIL VERSION is operational on Mplayer.

Q.	Where can I go for free hints or help?

A.	Try the Commandos newsgroup – alt.games.commandos 

OR 

Commandos fan sites:

http://www.commandos.org/

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~vaderd/bunker/index.htm

http://commandos.gamestats.com/

Q.	Will there be a mission editor?

A.	No, this tool is only for development use.  Frankly, most of the mission art is hand drawn to fit that specific mission.