Need For Speed: Undercover.

[Mario]

Here is the official Need For Speed: Undercover readme file.

EA presents
Need for Speed™ Undercover
README
10/10/2008

Thank you for purchasing Need for Speed™ Undercover.

This README file contains information that supplements the Manual. If
you are experiencing problems not covered in this README, please contact
EA Customer Support.

Content of Web Links within this document may not be under the control of Electronic Arts™.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and Other countries.

************************************************** **********
TABLE OF CONTENTS
************************************************** **********

1. Minimum System Requirements

2. Installing Need for Speed™ Undercover
a.) Installing Need for Speed™ Undercover
b.) Digital Retail Installation
c.) If your "Autorun" feature is disabled

3. Directx 9.0c
a.) Installing DirectX directly from DVD (Disc Users Only)
b.) DirectX and supported hardware

4. Uninstalling Need for Speed™ Undercover

5. Basic Keyboard Controls

6. Standard Gamepad controls

7. Online Play

8. Troubleshooting

9. Controller Information


************************************************** **********
1. Minimum System Requirements
************************************************** **********

Minimum System Requirements:

Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or greater):
3.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent
512 MB of RAM
DirectX 9.0c Compatible 3D accelerated 128 MB Video card or equivalent
(see section 8. for a list of supported video card chipsets)
8X speed DVD-ROM drive (Disc Users only)
DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card
Broadband connection for online activation and online gameplay
MS compatible mouse
Keyboard


Windows Vista:
3.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent
1 GB of RAM
DirectX 9.0c Compatible 3D accelerated 128 MB Video card or equivalent
(see section 8. for a list of supported video card chipsets)
8X speed DVD-ROM drive (Disc Users only)
DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card
Broadband connection for online activation and online gameplay
MS compatible mouse
Keyboard

Required Installation Size:
North America: 5.68 GB free hard disk space
Europe: 6.26 GB free hard disk space
Additional space required for DirectX 9.0c installation and for saved games


EA Download Manager Users require 8.16 GB additional space for temporary installation files

Required Operating Systems:
Windows XP SP2, or Windows Vista
Note that Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000 are not supported.

*NOTE - To install the game properly on Windows XP/Windows Vista,
you will need administrator access to your machine. Consult your
Windows XP/Windows Vista documentation for more information.

Required Software:
DirectX 9.0c


************************************************** **********
2. Installing Need for Speed™ Undercover
************************************************** **********

a.) Installing Need for Speed™ Undercover

Windows (disc users):
* Insert the disc into your disc drive and follow the on-screen instructions.
* Once the game has installed you can launch it by locating the game through the Start menu.
* Games on Windows Vista are located in the Start > Games menu and on earlier versions of Windows in the Start > Programs
(or All Programs) menu.

Windows (EA Store users):
* Once the game has been downloaded by EA Download Manager, click the install icon that appears and follow the on-screen
instructions.
* Launch the game (once it is installed) directly from the EA Download Manager.

In Windows Vista Classic Start menu style, games are located in the Start > Programs > Games > Games Explorer menu.

b.) Digital Retail Installation

Please contact the digital retailer through whom you purchased this game for instructions on how to install the game or how
to download and reinstall another copy of the game.

Note: If you’d like additional information about your game as well as tips and patches please visit http://www.ea.com or
http://www.eastore.com.

c.) If your "Autorun" feature is disabled

If for some reason your "Autorun" feature is disabled, you can install the program by running AUTORUN.EXE
directly from the root directory of the DVD.

You are now ready to play Need for Speed™ Undercover!


************************************************** **********
3. DirectX 9.0c
************************************************** **********

DirectX 9.0c will be installed as part of the Need for Speed™ Undercover installation.

a.) Installing DirectX directly from DVD (Disc Users Only)

Need for Speed™ Undercover comes with DirectX 9.0c. If you would like to install it manually,
make sure the Need for Speed™ Undercover DVD is in the DVD-ROM drive, and access the following
path on your DVD-ROM drive:

"\DirectX\DXSETUP.EXE"

Double-click on DXSETUP.EXE to begin DirectX 9.0c installation.

b.) DirectX and supported hardware

We recommend that Need for Speed™ Undercover be run with DirectX 9.0c compatible
sound cards and video cards.

We also suggest you update your sound card and video card driver to the newest
release from the vendor or chipset website.


************************************************** **********
4. Uninstalling Need for Speed™ Undercover
************************************************** **********

For Windows XP, you can uninstall Need for Speed™ Undercover
by accessing "Add/Remove Programs" in the Control Panel.
For Windows Vista, you can uninstall Need for Speed™ Undercover by
accessing "Programs and Features" in the Control Panel.


************************************************** **********
5. Basic Keyboard Controls
************************************************** **********

The basic keyboard controls required to play the game are:

Default In Game Controls:

Primary Key
Accerlerate Up Arrow
Brake/Reverse Down Arrow
Steering Left/Right Arrow
Handbrake Spacebar
Nitrous Right Shift
Speedbreaker X
Shift Up Left Shift
Shift Down Left Ctrl
Cycle Camera View C
Reset Car R
GPS Map G
Main Menu/Pause Game Esc
Race Now TAB
Look Behind V


Menu Controls

Highlight Menu Items Up, Down, Left and Right Arrows
Cycle Choices / Move sliders Up, Down, Left and Right Arrows
Select / Go to next Screen ENTER or left mouse click on selection
Return to previous screen BACKSPACE or right mouse click
Navigate All Lists Mouse Scroll Wheel


************************************************** **********
6. Standard Gamepad controls
************************************************** **********

Accelerate Right Trigger
Brake/Reverse Left Trigger
Steer left stick
Handbrake Button 1
Nitrous Button 2
Speedbreaker Button 3
Upshift right stick up
Downshift right stick down
Cycle Camera Button 6
Reset car Button 7
GPS Map D-pad up
Main menu START button
Race Now D-pad down
Look Behind Button 5


************************************************** **********
7. Online Play
************************************************** **********

To avoid poor performance during Internet play, be sure that you close
any file sharing, streaming audio, or chat programs prior to entering
gameplay. These applications can monopolize your connection’s bandwidth,
causing lag or other undesirable effects.

Need for Speed™ Undercover uses the following TCP and UDP port(s) for
Internet play:

TCP:

TCP 18210

TCP 18215

TCP 13505

UDP:

Outgoing: 18215, 20000 to 22000

Incoming: 3658, 1042

Please consult your router or personal firewall documentation for information
on how to allow game related traffic on these ports. If you are attempting
to play on a corporate Internet connection, contact your network administrator.

Need for Speed™ Undercover supports only broadband connections for online
play. When logging in to play online, you are logging into the EA servers.
To play online, you may use an existing EA Online account, or create a new one.


SETTING UP AN ACCOUNT
=======================
An EA online account is required for online play. At the account login screen,
choose Create New EA Account. Follow the instructions and enter your information,
to create your account and choose your online username. Otherwise, you can create
an account at EA.com and use that to enter the game.

Downloadable Updates & Content Expansions
==================================

Need for Speed™ Undercover supports downloadable updates and content expansions
such as Collectors Edition upgrade. Visit www.NeedforSpeed.com for more details.


In-Game Cheat Detection and Disqualifications
========================================

During Ranked Games, cheat detection is operational and will monitor the race.
Any attempts to tamper with car data, physics, Nitrous, or other aspects of the game
will be detected by the server and offending players will be flagged.

Players who are flagged for cheating will receive a disqualification at the end
of the race, or be removed from the game during the race.

All race results in Need for Speed™ Undercover are validated with the server before
becoming official. Disqualifications or disconnections during a race will be reflected
in the Post Race Results screen. A “DNF” result means a player ‘Did Not Finish’ the race.
Players who leave the race before its completion, will receive both a loss and an
increase in disconnect percentage.

EA Online monitors player and server results regularly. Using cheats of any kind may
result in having your account banned.


************************************************** **********
8. TROUBLESHOOTING
************************************************** **********


DEFAULT GRAPHICS SETTINGS
==============================

The first time you run Need for Speed™ Undercover, the game will automatically detect and set the best video options based on your system hardware. Video settings can be adjusted at any time through the Graphic Preferences menu, in the Options menu.

Changing the graphic preferences may cause loss of video. To force the game back to the default settings, add -SAFEMODE (outside the quotes)in the Target field of the program shortcut.


VIDEO CARD SUPPORT
==================

Need for Speed™ Undercover only officially supports Direct3D for certain 3D accelerator
devices. While other devices running Direct3D may function in Need for Speed™ Undercover,
their behavior cannot be predicted and may lead to an unstable PC Environment.

The following major video card chipsets are supported:

ATI
Radeon 9500 series
Radeon 9600 series
Radeon 9700 series
Radeon 9800 series
Radeon X550 series
Radeon X600 series
Radeon X700 series
Radeon X800 series
Radeon X850 series
Radeon X1300 series
Radeon X1600 series
Radeon X1800 series
Radeon X1900 series
Radeon HD 2400 series
Radeon HD 2600 series
Radeon HD 2900 series
Radeon HD 3400 series
Radeon HD 3600 series
Radeon HD 3800 series
Radeon HD 4800 series

Intel G45 Express Chipset

NVIDIA
GeForce 6600
GeForce 6800
GeForce 7 series
GeForce 8 series
GeForce 9 series
GeForce GTX 260
GeForce GTX 280

***NOTE: Laptop versions of these chipsets may work, but are not officially supported.
NVIDIA GeForce MX series not supported.


SOUND CARD SUPPORT
==================

Need for Speed™ Undercover supports DirectSound. If your sound card
driver does not support DirectSound you may experience choppy or
stuttering sound, or sound that cuts in and out. Always obtain the
latest device drivers from your sound card manufacturer.


DVD DRIVES (Disc Users Only)
====================================
Need for Speed™ Undercover requires at minimum, an 8x DVD
drive.


DVD AUTOPLAY FEATURE
===================

Inserting the game DVD into your DVD drive, and then immediately
running the game either from the Windows Start menu, or by
double-clicking the game's Desktop icon, may cause a conflict with the
DVD's AutoPlay feature. Avoid this potential conflict by always
waiting a few moments after inserting the DVD, to allow the AutoPlay
feature to run the game.


FAST USER SWITCHING
===================

You will not be able to run two versions of Need for Speed™ Undercover using the fast
user switching feature in windows.


DEVICE DRIVERS
==============
It is highly recommended that the latest versions of all device
drivers (i.e. video and sound card drivers) be obtained and installed.
Please consult your card manufacturer for their newest drivers. Also,
be aware that video chip manufacturers sometimes provide drivers
in addition to the card manufacturer.

If you are experiencing issues with an unstable PC environment please
make sure your Motherboard drivers (AGP, miniport) are up to date. For
further information please contact your Motherboard manufacturer.


VIDEO & GRAPHICS PROBLEMS
=========================
If you are experiencing performance problems on the default graphics
settings, try lowering the video resolution, or other graphics settings.

This game requires DirectX 9.0c. It is available on your Need for Speed
Undercover DVD, or through download by going to:

www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/

Graphic Cards: Graphical settings and features available in-game are
dependant on Graphics Card capabilities. Settings not supported by your
Graphics Card hardware are disabled in the Options Menu to prevent
adverse effects on the game and your computer.


BACKGROUND PROGRAMS
===================

Avoid running other programs in the background, behind Need for Speed™ Undercover.

Programs that start up automatically can cause Need for Speed™ Undercover
to lose control of the screen, keyboard or mouse, and possibly cause an
unstable PC environment. We strongly recommend that you close, or suspend
applications that start up automatically or programs that automatically run
other applications at specified times, before running Need for Speed™ Undercover.
These include, but are not limited to:
- Windows System Agent
- Windows Task Scheduler
- Windows "Disk Cleanup" utilities

Similarly, message boxes and dialog boxes from other programs, or from
Windows itself can cause Need for Speed™ Undercover to lose
control of the screen, keyboard or mouse, and possibly cause an unstable PC
environment. We strongly recommend that you shut down all other
applications before running Need for Speed™ Undercover.
These include, but are not limited to:
- Email programs
- Calendar, appointment, or contact applications
- Network or Internet chat programs

Also, connections to/from non-dedicated servers can be disrupted when
background programs or screen-savers launch. We recommend that you shut
down other applications and run Need for Speed™ Undercover by itself whenever possible.


POWER MANAGEMENT SUSPEND/SLEEP MODES
============================================
Systems (such as laptops or other portables) that automatically power
down into "sleep" or "suspended" modes can cause Need for Speed
Undercover to lose control of the screen, keyboard or mouse, and possibly
cause an unstable PC environment. We strongly recommend that you
disable these features before running Need for Speed™ Undercover.


WINDOWS VIRTUAL MEMORY ISSUES
==================================================
If you experience any Virtual Memory issues while running the game, try increasing
the page file size on your hard drive. Please consult the Microsoft Windows help
pages to determine how to change your virtual memory settings.


CHOPPY PLAYBACK DURING VIDEO SEQUENCES
==================================================
If you experience choppy playback during video sequences, try increasing
the page file size on your hard drive. Please consult the Microsoft Windows help
pages to determine how to change your virtual memory settings.


************************************************** **********
9. CONTROLLER INFORMATION
************************************************** **********

CONTROLLER CONFIGURATIONS
================================
Need for Speed™ Undercover can be played with many popular gamepads
and controller devices. If your device is not recognized, or if you'd
like to modify the configuration the game has pre-assigned to your
controller, select ‘Controls’ through the Options menu. The re-mapping
tools in this menu allow you to change your button configuration for optimal play.

CONTROLLER PROBLEMS
=======================
To correct any controller problems, properly configure and calibrate the device
from the Windows Control Panel. If the problem continues to persist,
disconnect the device from your computer before playing Need for Speed
Undercover. Always ensure the latest manufacturer drivers are installed for
your device.

Examples of Controller Problems:
- Menu items are automatically scrolled through with no user input.
- Your car makes erratic movements that are not intended (such as
continually turning).
- Certain movements do not occur when the proper direction is pressed.
- Sluggish response on slower machines.


KEYBOARD PROBLEMS
=======================
To adjust the feeling\sensitivity of the steering in gameplay when
using the keyboard, enter the Keyboard option in the Windows Control
Panel (Start - Settings - Control Panel). By adjusting the Repeat
Delay and Repeat Rate the user can adjust the controls to feel more
analog or digital depending on their preference.

Some newer keyboards do not allow certain combinations of more than
two keys to be pressed simultaneously. For example, if you were
pressing both the up arrow key to accelerate and the left arrow key to
turn, and you pressed the <C> key to change your view, the view may not
change. Unfortunately, this problem is due to a limitation of the hardware.

While it is possible to bind game controls to the F12, Print Screen and
Windows keys, these keys will also retain their original function and can
interfere with gameplay.

The Windows key is not locked out during gameplay and it will bring
up the start menu during gameplay. This may interfere with gameplay.


D-BOX system
=================================
To enable support for the D-BOX Motion Code™ system, please visit the D-BOX website (http://www.d-box.com/) for more information.

© 2008 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved.