Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt.

[Mario]

Here is the official Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt readme file.

Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt
English (North America) version 1.0.2.2
Readme File
06/26/2002


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About This Document:

Thank you for purchasing Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt.

This document contains last-minute information about Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt and other information about the program not found in the game manual. This README file includes information that pertains to general problems and questions you may have concerning the game or your computer. Should you experience any problems with Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt, please refer to this file for additional help on answering questions about the game and solving technical difficulties.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
II. INSTALLATION
III. CUSTOM PERFORMANCE OPTIONS
IV. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
V. GENERAL GAME ISSUES
VI. TOOLS
VII. CHANGE LOGS
VIII. CONTACTING SIERRA




I. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
-----------------------

Aliens Versus Predator 2
P3 450 or equivalent processor
128 MB RAM
16 MB DirectX 8-compatible D3D video card
16-bit DirectX 8-compatible sound card
600 MB free hard drive space (1150 MB free space required if Aliens Versus Predator 2 is not already installed)
4x or faster CD-ROM drive
English Windows compatible keyboard and mouse
English Windows 98, Me, 2000
DirectX 8 or higher
56k DirectPlay-compatible TCP-IP Internet connection for Internet play, or a NIC (Network Interface Card) and intranet connection for LAN play


II. INSTALLATION
----------------

INSTALLATION NOTES

Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt requires that the original Aliens Versus Predator 2 game be installed before it can be installed. If you do not have the original Aliens Versus Predator 2 game you will not be able to play Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt.

By default, Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt installs to a different folder than Aliens Versus Predator 2 and does not overwrite or modify any existing Aliens Versus Predator 2 files. After installing Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt you can still play the original Aliens Versus Predator 2 by running it from it's normal shortcut.


USER PROFILES

Aliens versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt does not use the original Aliens versus Predator 2 profile settings after it is installed. If you had a custom profile set up for Aliens Versus Predator 2, you will need to reconfigure your profile in Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt. Do not copy Aliens Versus Predator 2 user profiles over Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt user profiles. Doing so will remove required settings from the Primal Hunt profile.


SAVE GAMES

Save games from Aliens Versus Predator 2 are incompatible with save games from Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt. However, this is irrelevant, since you cannot play Aliens Versus Predator 2 singleplayer missions from within Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt. If you wish to play missions from the original game, start the original game from it's default shortcut and play as you normally would.


III. CUSTOM PERFORMANCE OPTIONS
-------------------------------

The "Options-->Graphics-->Custom Performance" menus contain advanced user options you can use to tweak the appearance and speed of the game.

GENERAL:

Texture Depth:
Toggle between 16 and 32-bit textures. 32-bit textures are much smoother and more detailed than 16-bit textures, but increase load times, require more video and system RAM and may slow down the framerate on some video cards. If you have an older video card, particularly one with only 16 MB of RAM, it is recommended that you keep this setting on "16-bit."

Lightmap Resolution:
Toggle between 16 and 32-bit world shadows. As with textures, 32-bit shadows are smoother in appearance but require more RAM, loading and processing time.

Shadows:
Toggle character shadows on/off. Turning them off give a slight performance boost on slower systems.

Detail Textures:
Toggle detail textures on/off. Detail textures provide the tiny details you see on the world when you look at objects at close range. Turning them off will yield a slight increase in framerate. Some older cards may not support detail textures: if everything in the game looks flat white, try turning detail textures off.

Environment Chrome:
Toggle environment chrome mapping on/off. Environment maps provide the shiny surface effects you see on some metallic surfaces in the game. Turning this off will improve performance, particularly on older video cards.

Model Chrome:
Toggle model chrome on/off. Model chrome is the shiny surface effects you see on some glass and metal models, such as certain of the predator's weapons. Turning this off will improve performance, particularly on older video cards.

Trilinear Filtering:
Toggle trilinear filtering on/off. Trilinear filtering makes textures look smoother when viewed at an angle. It is not supported by all video cards, and may also decrease performance.

Triple Buffering:
Toggle triple buffering on/off. Triple buffering can provide smoother framerates by causing the video card to store an extra rendered frame before sending it to the monitor. Triple buffering requires additional video RAM; 16 MB card users may want to keep this setting off if they are running the game in a high screen resolution.

Draw Sky:
Toggles sky rendering on/off. When off, the sky will just be a flat color but rendering performance will be slightly higher.

EFFECTS:

Draw Weapons:
Toggles player-view models such as your hands and gun on/off. When turned off you won't be able to see your hands, however since the game no longer has to draw these models the framerate will improve slightly.

Muzzle Flash Light:
Toggle muzzle flash dynamic lighting on/off. Turning this off may improve performance in intense gunfights. You may also wish to turn this setting off if you find the flashing irritating.

Shell Casings:
Toggle shell casing models on/off. Turning them off will improve performance on slower systems.

Weapon Impacts:
Toggle Weapon impact detail between Low, Medium and High. Higher settings create more effects (sparks, smoke, debris) where weapons hit solid surfaces. Turning this setting down may improve performance on slower systems when weapons are firing.

Debris:
Toggle Debris detail between Low, Medium and High. Higher settings create more pieces when objects break. Turning this setting down may improve performance on slower systems when objects break.

TEXTURES:

Overall:
Toggles overall game texture detail between Extra-low, Low, Medium, High and Extra-high. Higher settings provide more surface detail. Lower settings decrease load times and may improve performance, particularly on systems with low RAM.

World/Sky/Characters/Weapons/Props/Effects:
You can set texture detail for specific types of objects using the arrow sliders. Experiment with different settings to find your own preferred balance between visual detail and game performance.


IV. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
----------------------------

- To increase the rendering speed of the game, go to the Options--> Graphics menu and lower the "Resolution" and/or the "Performance" settings.

- Users with 128 MB system RAM and/or 16 MB video cards, particularly cards which do not support S3TC compression, may improve game performance by setting "Texture depth" to "16-bit" in the "Options-->Graphics-->Custom Performance-->General" menu. Lowering "Overall" texture detail in the "Options-->Graphics--> Custom Performance--> Textures" menu will also boost performance.

- If you are experiencing periodic hitches in performance, try setting sound detail to "Low" in the Options-->Sound menu.

- Shut down all non-essential programs before you run the game. This includes any anti-virus programs that may be running in the background.

- If you haven't done so in several weeks of use, you may find that defragging your hard drive will yield improved performance. Window's disk defragmentation tool is generally found in the Start Menu at "Programs\Accessories\System Tools\Disk Defragmenter."

- Task-switching with ALT-TAB back to the desktop while running the game is not recommended.

- Make sure your sound, video and motherboard drivers are up to date. We recommend using the latest reference drivers available from your chip manufacturer. Major vendor sites include:

- In WindowsXP the Pause key does not always work. If you need to pause the game and find that your pause key isn't working, you can pause the game by hitting ESC to go to the menu.

http://www.soundblaster.com - Drivers for Soundblaster sound cards.

http://www.nvidia.com - Reference drivers for TNT and GeForce video cards.

http://www.3dfx.com - Reference drivers for 3dfx Voodoo video cards.

http://www.ati.com - Reference drivers for ATI video cards, including the Radeon.

http://www.matrox.com - Reference drivers for Matrox Graphics video cards, including the G400 and G450.

http://www.viatech.com - Reference drivers for VIA-based motherboards.

http://www.amd.com - Reference drivers for AMD motherboards.


Hardware-specific Notes:

Sound:

Diamond MX400:
- May hear static when sounds play while running under Windows 95 or 98.

TBS Daytona:
- "Illegal Operation" error may occur during game installation under Win98SE or WinMe, and the system loses sound until rebooted.

Yamaha YMF719:
- This sound card is unsupported by AVP2.

ESS Maestro1-ES1948F:
- May not get sound using the current drivers under Windows XP.

Video:

General:
- On a multimonitor system, changing your screen resolution in-game may change your display back to the first monitor. To correct this, run avp2.exe, click the Display button and re-select the correct display.

3dfx Voodoo Cards:
- The mouse pointer may flicker on the menu screens.

3dfx Banshee and Voodoo 3:
- The Options-->Display menu on the avp2.exe game launcher and the Options-->Graphics menu in the game will allow you to select 32-bit color resolutions but these resolutions are not supported by the video card, and the resolution will reset to the previous 16-bit depth.
- Detail Textures and Environment Maps will not display.

3dfx Voodoo 4:
- The game may crash when run on a Voodoo 4 in Windows 95.

3dfx Voodoo 5:
- The user may encounter rare crashes when running in High or Best detail. It is recommended that you use Medium or Low detail for the "Performance" setting on the "Options-->Graphics" menu screen when running the game on this video card.

ATI Video Cards:
- If text or graphics appear incorrectly in the game, turn off the "Alternate Pixel Center" option in Display Properties. To do this, follow these steps:
1 .right click on desktop and choose Properties
2. click Advanced
3. Click on the Direct 3D tab.
4. uncheck the “Alternate pixel center” check box


ATI Radeon:
- There may be some artifacting around lettering on the menus.
- Fog does not render with the Radeon's default driver settings.
- The smartgun's crosshair may look like a green square.
- When running Windows XP With some driver versions in-game text may appear blurry.

Matrox G200:
- May experience low framerates during gameplay.
- The smartgun's crosshair may look like a green square.
- Does not run the game under Windows XP.

Matrox G400, G450:
- May experience low framerate in vision modes.
- The smartgun's crosshair may look like a green square.
- May experience some odd lighting artifacts.

Nvidia GeForce 2:
- User may find areas in the game where sections of the screen lose textures. This bug appears to have been introduced with the Nvidia 21.81 drivers. It may be resolved with a future driver release. It can be avoided in most cases by setting "Detail Textures" and "Environment Chrome" to "Off" in the "Options--> Graphics-->Custom Performance" menu.
- When running Windows XP With some driver versions in-game text may appear blurry.

NVidia GeForce 3 and GeForce 4:
- When running Windows XP With some driver versions in-game text may appear blurry.

Power VR Kyro and Kyro 2:
- Menu options do not display at 32-bit screen depths. They show up at 16-bit screen depths. If using a Kyro card, it is suggested that you use the "Display" button on the game Launcher to select a 16-bit mode before running the game. This issue may be resolved by a future driver release.
- Polygon distortion may be visible in the skies when using vision modes.
- Certain trim textures may appear unusually bright.
- Blocks may appear around certain objects.

S3 Savage 2000:
- User may encounter some odd lighting artifacts.

S3 Savage 3:
- AVP2 does not run on the Savage 3. This card no longer has active driver support.

S3 Savage 4:
- Significant graphical corruption. This card no longer has active driver support.

Input Device:

Logitech Mice:
- When the scroll wheel is set to a special function in Mouseware, activating the scroll wheel during gameplay may have undesired results. Setting the scroll wheel's function to "Middle Mouse Button" in Mouseware should resolve the issue.

Mad Catz Panther DX:
- Binding a control to "Z rotation" will cause the view to spin in circles.

All joysticks:
- Joystick hats are not supported by the control binding system. Your joystick software may be able to bind the hat to equivalent keyboard keys.
- If your analog joystick doesn't seem to be working after you've set up the control bindings, try setting "Analog" to On for the non-working axes. Note that this won't actually provide true analog control.

Disc Drives:

- Installing the game by having the two game disks in two separate CD-ROM drives on the same machine is not supported.

- Certain CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives may have difficulty copying game files during installation. If you consistently encounter errors during game installation, contact Sierra technical support:
see Section V., B, of this readme for contact information.


CONTROLS:

To delete a control binding in the Options-->Controls menu, highlight the control, but don't click on it, and press the [DELETE] key on your keyboard.


MULTIPLAYER

Multiplayer performance will depend on the quality and speed of your Internet connection. If you are experiencing poor performance in multiplayer, try the following:

- Make sure you choose the connection speed most appropriate to your Internet connection. "Join Connection Speed" is found on the "Multiplayer Internet" and "Multiplayer LAN" menus. If you are playing on a 56k modem, make sure you set Connection Speed to "56K."

- Play on servers whose "ping" (round-trip signal time, in milliseconds) is lowest for you, as shown in the server list. Ping times under 200ms will offer the best performance.

- Play on servers with fewer players. The more players there are in a server, the more data your computer will have to download.

- Avoid playing during peak Internet traffic hours. Internet traffic is generally heaviest between 5 and 10 pm Monday through Friday. Depending on your ISP (Internet Service Provider) you may experience decreased performance during these times.

- Contact your ISP to make sure that your Internet connection software is configured correctly.

- Players behind a firewall may encounter difficulty finding and joining Internet games. Consult your network administrator for help in resolving these issues.

- We recommend that systems running a dedicated Internet server have at least a 128K Internet connection. If your server seems to have performance issues, try limiting the total number of players allowed in the game. Use the bandwidth setting in the Host options to prevent bandwidth overload.

Switching Characters
Pressing F1 during play brings up the character info screen, showing all the available characters. To change to a different character, click on the desired character and press F1 again to close the character info screen. If you switch teams during a team game such as Evac or Overrun you will have to wait for the next round before you can re-enter the action, meanwhile you will remain in Spectator mode.

Spectator Mode Controls
Before you respawn in multiplayer, you can press F1 to switch to Spectator mode. You'll also enter Spectator mode automatically while waiting for a round to start or end in team-based modes such as Overrun and Evac.

Spectator mode has two variations: Observe Point mode and Free-Fly mode. In Observe Point mode you watch the action through fixed cameras placed throughout the level, while in Free-Fly mode you may fly throughout the level, even going through walls.

Observe Point mode has on-screen controls you can operate with the mouse, or via keyboard keys as follows:

Right Arrow: takes you to the next observe point
Left Arrow: takes you to the previous observe point
Spacebar: takes you to a random observe point
F2: switches to Free-Fly mode
F1: opens the character info screen, allowing you to switch characters

The "> Respawn <" button, if available, will start you back in the game.

Free-Fly mode offers the following functions:

Fire: takes you to the next observe point
Alt-Fire: takes you to the previous observe point
Next Vision Mode: takes you to a random observe point
F2: switches to Observe Point mode
F1: opens the character info screen but will not allow you to switch characters
Mouse: controls your direction
Forward: moves you in the direction in which you are facing
Backward: moves you away from the direction in which you are facing
Strafe-Left: moves you left
Strafe-Right: moves you right
Crouch: moves you down
Jump: moves you up
Turn Left: turns left
Turn Right: turns right
Look Up: looks up
Look Down: looks down

Advanced Server Commands
Users can control certain advanced aspects of the multiplayer game through command-line parameters.

Private messages
To send a chat message to one player only, start the message with the player's name in pointy brackets. For instance if you entered the chat message

<mandiller> Hey, how's it going?

then only the player named "mandiller" would get the message.

Server controller commands
The player who has been on a server for the longest time has a star to the left of their name indicating that they are the server controller. In addition to controlling the start times of team-based games, the server controller can input the following commands in the Message window:

<serv> kick [playername]
Boots a player from the server. Replace "[playername]" with the name of the player you wish to remove.
<serv> prevlevel
Ends the current match and switches to the previous map.
<serv> nextlevel
Ends the current match and switches to the next map.
<serv> restart
Restarts the server at the first map in the rotation.

Server operator commands
The operator of a dedicated server can chat with players on the server by entering a message in the command-line at the bottom of the dedicated server window.

Dedicated server:

It is highly recommended that you only run a server on a Typical install. If you don't have room for a Typical install, we recommend that you at least copy the "multi.rez" file from Disk1 into your AVP2 directory (default is "C:\Program Files\Fox\Aliens vs. Predator 2") before running the dedicated server.

The dedicated server allows you to host a server for other players without actually participating in the game yourself. The dedicated server runs in a window on the desktop, allowing you to access other Windows functions while the server is running. Dedicated servers will tend to have better network performance than regular hosted games since the computer does not have to process graphics and physics while the server is running and does
not have to hold game resources in memory.

A dedicated server machine should meet the minimum specification for the game itself in CPU speed and RAM (450 mHz, 128 MB). For best performance it is recommended that the server have a T1 or faster network connection. Many cable modem and DSL services have very fast download speeds but relatively slow upload speeds; since a dedicated server has to upload information to all clients, servers on an upload-limited cable or DSL connection will not be able to support as many players simultaneously as will servers running on a connection whose upload speed equals its download speed, such as a T1 or T3 connection.

Dedicated servers on even the fastest connections may find it advantageous to limit the number of players allowed in the server at once. The server may also limit the total amount of data uploaded at one time by using the "Server Bandwidth" setting in the Advanced panel of the Host menu--this can help prevent lag caused by high-bandwidth players taking all the available upload bandwidth.

To run a dedicated server, go to the Multiplayer Internet or Multiplayer LAN screen from the main menu, select the "Host" item and set "Dedicated" to "Yes" in the "Game" panel, then set up the game settings and map rotation to your own preference. Now when you click "Launch," AVP2 will close and the stand alone server application will run in a window on the desktop.

Once you have configured the dedicated server the first time, you can run the server directly by clicking the "Stand-Alone Server" button on the game launcher window or by double-clicking the avp2serv.exe file in your AVP2 folder. If you have multiple server configurations stored a window will appear allowing you to select the desired configuration.

The dedicated server window contains the following items:

Server Name: The name you gave your server in the Host menu.
Game Type: The type of game being hosted (DM, Evac, etc.).
Running Time: The total time the server has been running.
Peak Players: The maximum number of players that have been in the server at any one time.
Total Players: The total number of players that have joined the server during the current Running Time.
Stop Server: Pressing this button shuts down the server.
Pressing the [X] button in the upper right corner performs the same function.
Players: Lists the players current using the server.
Name: The player's name.
Ping: The round trip time between player and server, in milliseconds.
Kills: The number of kills the player has made in the current round.
Score: The player's total point score for the round.
Lives: The number of lives the player has remaining (applies to certain team modes such as Evac).
Time: The total amount of time the player has been on the server.
Current Players: Total current players / max players allowed.
Average Ping: The average round trip time between the server and each connected player, in milliseconds.
Boot Player: Ejects the selected player from the server. To select a player, click on their name.
Levels: Shows the levels in the server's map rotation. The current level has a dot to the left. Levels are played in descending order and restart at the top of the list after the level at the bottom has been played.
Time in Level: Time the server has been in the current level.
Next Level: Skips ahead to the next level in the map rotation, automatically ending the current round.
Select Level: Switches to the selected level. To select a level, click the level name in the list window.
Console: Shows server activity as well as player chat messages. The server operator can enter messages in the command line below (see "Server operator commands" above).
Clear: Clears the console window.

Note: to run the server on a machine which cannot run the game (a machine without a D3D-compatible video card, for instance), install the game on that machine, then configure the settings as desired on a machine that can access the game menus. Copy this machine's "ServerData" folder into the AVP2 folder on the server machine, then launch the server by double-clicking avp2serv.exe.


V. GENERAL GAME ISSUES
----------------------

CD-KEY

Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt uses the CD-Key from your original version of Aliens Versus Predator 2. This CD-Key is required to play internet multiplayer. If asked to enter your CD key, use the key that appears on your Aliens Versus Predator 2 jewel case.

SAVE GAME RECOVERY:

Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt stores save files for each user Profile separately. If you delete your Profile in the Profiles screen, the save games for that Profile will not be removed. This is done intentionally to protect against loss of save games in the event of accidental Profile deletion. To regain access to your save files, just create another Profile with the same name as the deleted one.

To delete your old save files after uninstalling the game, use Windows Explorer to browse to the folder in which AVP2 had been installed, select the "Save" folder and press the Delete key on your keyboard.

SAVING WHILE SWITCHING WEAPONS:

You will be unable to save while switching weapons. Once the weapon switch animation finishes, saving is allowed.

ADVANCED OPTIONS

If you're encountering problems running the game, you can try tweaking some advanced settings in the "Options" window on the game launcher (double-click AVP2.exe and click the "OPTIONS" button). Please note that this is for advanced users only, since tweaking these settings could very well create other problems in the game.

Disable Sound
If this box is checked, there will be no sound effects in the game. Dialogue and lipsynching will also not play correctly. Music will still play. If you are experiencing problems running the game and suspect your sound card may be the cause, you might check this box and see if the problem goes away--if it does then the problem definitely lies with your sound hardware or drivers.

Disable DirectMusic
If this box is checked, there will be no dynamic DirectMusic in the game. Certain short music clips may still play.

Disable Logos
If this box is checked, the intro logo movies will not be shown. Use this if your system is having trouble playing these movies.

Disable Triple Buffering
If this box is checked, video output will not be triple buffered. May help performance on certain video cards, particularly PCI cards.

Disable Joysticks
Disables input from joysticks and gamepads. Certain joysticks and gamepads may interfere with normal mouse or keyboard control in the game. If you suspect this is occurring, checking this box before running the game may resolve the problem.

Disable Hardware Cursor
If the mouse pointer is missing, flickering or otherwise distorted in the game menus, checking this box may fix the problem.

VI. TOOLS
---------

Aliens versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt includes the Aliens versus Predator 2 tools on the CD-ROM. The tools installers are copied along with Aliens versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt and placed in the Tools sub-folder. You will need to run the tools installation, followed by tools update and tools update 2 before using the tools.

After installing the tools and updates, you will be able to use the tools to modify Aliens versus Predator 2. In order to modify Primal Hunt, however, some additional steps are necessary.

Once the tools are installed, follow the directions under Installation Notes in the Tools\readme.txt file for unpacking the AvP 2 Game Resources if you wish to make modifications to the original AvP 2.

Primal Hunt references the resources from you original Aliens versus Predator 2 installation, so you must copy the data files from your Aliens versus Predator 2 installation folder into your Primal Hunt folder.

A file called phunrez.bat is installed when you install Primal Hunt. In order to use the tools with Primal Hunt, copy all of the avp2.rez and sound.rez files from you AvP 2 installation directory into your Primal Hunt installation folder. Run the phunrez.bat file by double clicking on it in Windows Explorer and all of the AvP 2 and Primal Hunt resources will be extracted into a directory called AvP2PH in your Primal Hunt installation folder.

Once this is complete, you can run DEdit and open the rez.dep file in the AVP2PH directory to begin modifying Primal Hunt. Note that if you are modifying Primal Hunt you should change the options on the Run tab
in DEdit under Edit->Options to point to your Primal Hunt directory and not your AvP 2 directory.

For more detailed information about modifying AvP 2 and Primal Hunt, see the documentation that is installed with the tools.



VII. CHANGE LOGS
----------------

Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt includes all of the changes made in Aliens Versus Predator 2 patches up to version 1.0.9.6. Version numbering for Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt begins with 1.0.2.2.


Changes in version 1.0.2.2 (Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt):

- initial release of Primal Hunt


Changes in version 1.0.9.6 (Aliens Versus Predator 2):

- Fixed several multiplayer exploits.


Changes in version 1.0.9.5:

- A hacked server name will not crash the server list.
- Prevented a rare server crash which occurred when a high-latency client ejected from the Exosuit as they were killed.
- Removed a damage volume that was killing low-framerate players through the floor in Compound.
- Corrected some Marine attachments.


Changes in version 1.0.9.4:

General:

- Raised the damage caused by hitting a Queen in the head.
- Fixed a bug where toggling your vision mode turned on the Environment Chrome display setting.

Multiplayer:

- Added the Queen and the Exosuit to multiplayer. The host can set these in the "Advanced" Host screen.
- Aliens may be set to molt into Queens after getting 1-10 kills in a row. Only kills made as an adult alien count as molt kills: kills made while playing as a facehugger or chestburster in Alien Lifecycle mode will not add to the player's total Queen Molting Kills. Dying resets the player's molting kills to zero.
- There may be 0-10 Exosuits in a level, though certain levels may support less than ten. Humans can enter or exit Exosuits by pressing the Use key. The Exosuit must be standing and have a little clearance behind it in order for the player to exit.
- Made several changes to smooth out player movement in multiplayer.
- Improved multiplayer respawn time.
- Added a new option to the "Advanced" Host screen: "Show Pop-up Names." When this is set to "Off" players will only see pop-up names when aiming at members of their own team.
- Added chat-line commands for the server controller to change some of the game's Advanced Host settings. The player who has entered the correct password with the "<serv> control [password]" command can now use the following commands in the chat window, which will take effect after the next level change:
<serv> lifecycle
Toggles Alien Lifecycle mode on and off.
<serv> predmask
Toggles Predator Mask Loss on and off.
<serv> friendlyfire
Toggles Friendly Fire on and off.
<serv> popupnames
Toggles Show Pop-up Names on and off.
<serv> locationdamage
Toggles Location Based Damage on and off.
<serv> classweapons
Toggles Class Weapon Sets on and off.
<serv> queen x
Sets the number of consecutive kills needed for an adult alien player to molt into a Queen, where "x" is a number from 0 to 10. A setting of 0 disables Queen molting.
<serv> exosuit x
Sets the maximum number of Exosuits pickup items which will appear in the level, where "x" is a number from 0 to 10. The number of Exosuits appearing is also limited by the amount placed by the level designer, so some levels may support less Exosuits than the maximum set by the server controller.
- Added the display of the server's bandwidth setting to the Server Info screens. Note that this only shows the game setting chosen by the server's operator, and does not necessarily reflect the speed of their actual Internet connection.
- Removed the crosshair from the zoomed-out railgun.
- Removed the CD-key display from the Multiplayer Internet screen.
- Removed space bar level-end confirmation.
- Blocked a hack which allowed players to make themselves un-bootable by using special characters in their player name.
- Blocked a hack utility which allowed a player to move at accelerated speeds by changing their Windows system timer.
- Made it so that optional updates will not force the Sierra update notification window to appear.
- Fixed an occasional crash when refreshing the server list.
- Fixed a crash when displaying info screens at 1600x1200 resolution.
- Fixed a bug where only the first 32 start points were being considered when evaluating start points in MP; this could cause people to spawn at the same spot in leadworks, for instance. The code now limits the number of start points that will be evaluated to 100.
- Aliens can no longer get multiple headbites from a facehugged player.
- Aliens can no longer get health from a fading body.
- Fixed a bug where you would sometimes get a repeating pickup sound when running over certain pickup items.
- Fixed a bug where players might hear certain firing sounds continuing after the other player had stopped firing that weapon.
- Fixed a bug where your volume level would reset to the previous value when you respawned if you had changed it while playing multiplayer.
- Fixed a bug where the predator shoulder cannon could do double damage if fired in specific sequence.
- Fixed bug which prevented custom levels from showing up if they were in a .rez file. To display levels in the "Single Player--> Custom Level" menu, double-click avp2.exe, click the "Options" button, enter "+enableretaillevels 1" in the Command-Line field, hit "OK" to close the Options window and then hit "Play" to launch the game.


Changes in version 1.0.9.3:

- Made Weapon pickups always get picked up, even if the player can't hold all the ammo.
- Fixed a bug where clicking on charge can disrupt the fire animation and effectively allow a player to super-rapid fire the shoulder cannon.
- Fixed shadows on chroma-keyed world models punching holes in the geometry.
- Fixed 16 bit lightmaps when switched while not in a level.
- Made the "Continue Game" menu option catch instances where the player has manually deleted their save files.
- The spear gun now uses a single ammo pool instead of separate clips.
- Fixed bug where players could be alive but not visible in MP games.
- Fixed bug which caused too many object position updates across the network.
- Fixed bug where players could become solid with other players inside of them in MP games.
- Custom bandwidth settings now remain what they were when going back to the advanced options menu.
- Bulletholes and other impact effects from the player's own weapon now show up instantly instead of waiting for verification from the server.
- Made the update of the local player's flamethrower lag-independent.
- Dedicated servers start with no server controller. Players must enter the correct password, <serv> control "password", to take server control. Only one person may have control at a time. The server operator sets the control password when hosting the game.
- Disabled the F1 key in Hunt and Survivor modes.
- Added F3 key for Server Rules display in MP.
- Smoothed out character and projectile movement.
- Plasmacaster projectiles can turn no more then 30 degrees from their original trajectory.
- The Predator wristblade primary-fire will now cut through netting.
- The Light Predator's ladder speed has been increased so that he moves up and down ladders at the same speed as the other Predators.

Changes in version 1.0.9.2:

- Fixed the crash bug on the Join screen.
- Added a "[D]" to the end of server names that are dedicated...
- Added player rename functionality mid-game (ie. '<name> Spanky')
- Added PageUp and PageDown support to the server list.
- Added mouse wheel support to the server list.
- Added double click join support to the server list.
- Fixed a couple of bugs that could cause long waiting times on the server list menu.
- Made it so you can hit Escape to cancel an Internet server list refresh.
- Fixed a problem causing the Alien tail to get stuck in the charged position.
- Fixed it so hitting the reload button after firing a pulse rifle grenade will cause the bullets to reload; previously it did nothing.
- Fixed a problem with pickup objects that give you multiple ammo types.
- Fixed a bug when opening the weapon chooser during a charged weapon attack.
- Chestbursting from a Corporate player now results in a Runner Alien.
- Chat messages are now hidden while the weapon chooser is open (mainly for Predators).


Multiplayer Map Update:

General:

- Made Weapon pickups always get picked up, even if the player can't hold all the ammo.
- Fixed a bug where clicking on charge can disrupt the fire animation and effectively allow a player to super-rapid fire the shoulder cannon.
- Fixed shadows on chroma-keyed world models punching holes in the geometry.
- Fixed 16 bit lightmaps when switched while not in a level.
- Made the "Continue Game" menu option catch instances where the player has manually deleted their save files.
- The spear gun now uses a single ammo pool instead of separate clips.

Multiplayer:

- Fixed bug where players could be alive but not visible in MP games.
- Fixed bug which caused too many object position updates across the network.
- Fixed bug where players could become solid with other players inside of them in MP games.
- Custom bandwidth settings now remain what they were when going back to the advanced options menu.
- Bulletholes and other impact effects from the player's own weapon now show up instantly instead of waiting for verification from the server.
- Made the update of the local player's flamethrower lag-independent.
- Dedicated servers start with no server controller. Players must enter the correct password, <serv> control "password", to take server control. Only one person may have control at a time. The server operator sets the control password when hosting the game.
- Disabled the F1 key in Hunt and Survivor modes.
- Added F3 key for Server Rules display in MP.
- Smoothed out character and projectile movement.
- Plasmacaster projectiles can turn no more then 30 degrees from their original trajectory.
- The Predator wristblade primary-fire will now cut through netting.
- The Light Predator's ladder speed has been increased so that he moves up and down ladders at the same speed as the other Predator

New Maps:
Deathmatch/Team Deathmatch/Hunt/Survivor:

dm_alley
dm_fury151
dm_hanger
dm_stronghold

Evac:

evac_alley
evac_fury151
evac_gauntlet
evac_hanger

Overrun:

over_alley
over_stronghold


Single Player Map Update:

- Removed an environment map from two textures to work around a Voodoo 5 rendering crash in Betrayal.
- Removed a scripted sequence with a guard and facehugger in Betrayal that could fail to trigger correctly under certain rare circumstances.
- Modified a scripted sequence in the crew quarters in Betrayal which could allow a fast-moving player to get to the end of the level without collecting the hacking tool.
- Added a blocker to prevent the player from wedging themselves in beneath the containment module at the beginning of Unexpected Allies.
- Removed an old AI trigger that could potentially have allowed guards to close and lock the door leading to the predator mask in Unexpected Allies, preventing further progress.
- Prevented a situation in Unexpected Allies where gathering two items at the exact same instant could prevent the exit door from opening.
- Prevented a situation in New Target where a player could survive a fall to the bottom of a deep pit and thus get stuck.
- Modified a situation in Surprise which could close a door later in the level if the player pounced up into the air between electrical fields and over the end of the alleyway.


VIII. CONTACTING SIERRA
-----------------------

A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
B) Technical Support
C) Legal Information


A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
----------------------------------
U.S.A. Sales Phone: (800) 757-7007
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 AM to 5 PM PST

International Sales: (310) 649-8000
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 AM to 5 PM PST
FAX: (310) 258-0744

Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
6060 Center Drive
6th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Phone: (310) 649-8048
FAX: (310) 258-0744
http://www.sierra.com

United Kingdom

Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing UK Ltd.
Main: (0118) 920-9111
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fax: (0118) 987-5603
Disk/CD replacements in the U.K. are £6.00, or £7.00 outside the UK.
Add "ATTN.: Returns."
2 Beacontree Plaza,
Gillette Way,
Reading, Berkshire
RG2 0BS United Kingdom


France

Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing France
32, Av de l'Europe
Bât Energy 1 (2e étage)
78 140 VELIZY-Villacoubaly
France

Téléphone: 01-30-67-90-50
Lundi au Jeudi de 10h à 19h
Vendredi de 10h à 18h
Fax: 01-30-67-90-65


Germany

Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing Deutschland Gmbh.
Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40
Montag bis Freitag von 10h - 19Uhr
Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35

Paul-Ehrlich-Straße la
63225 Langen
Deutschland



On-Line Sales
CompuServe United Kingdom:GO UKSIERRA
CompuServe France: GO FRSIERRA
Internet USA: http://www.sierra.com
Internet United Kingdom: http://www.sierra-online.co.uk
Internet France: http://www.sierra.fr
Internet Germany: http://www.sierra.de

Disk and or Manual Replacement:

Product Returns*:
Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing International
Sierra On-Line Returns
4247 S. Minnewawa Ave.
Fresno, CA 93725

Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing International
Sierra On-Line CD/Doco Replacement
4247 S. Minnewawa Ave.
Fresno, CA 93725

NOTE: To replace your cd(s) please send only the damaged cd and copy of your dated Receipt, if less then 90 days. After 90 days please include a $10.00 handling fee along with the cd(s). For Documentation replacement, please include a $5.00 handling fee and a photocopy ONLY of either your disk or cd. Payment should be made at the time of your request. Sorry, no credit cards.

* Returns to this address valid in North America only.


B) TECHNICAL SUPPORT
-------------------------
North America

Sierra Entertainment offers a 24-hour automated technical support line with recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. To access this service, call (310) 649-8033, and follow the recorded instructions to find your specific topic and resolve the issue. If this fails to solve your problem, you may still write or fax us with your questions, or contact us via our web site -
http://support.vugames.com.

Sierra Entertainment
Technical Support
6060 Center Drive
2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Main: (310) 649-8033
Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:45 PM PST
FAX: (310) 258-0755
http://support.vugames.com


United Kingdom

Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing UK Ltd. offers a 24-hour Automated Technical Support line with recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. To access this service, call (0118) 920-9111, and follow the recorded instructions to find your specific topic and resolve the issue. If this fails to solve your problem, you may still write, or fax us with your questions or contact us via our Internet or CompuServe sites.



Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing UK Ltd.
2 Beacontree Plaza,
Gillette Way,
Reading, Berkshire
RG2 0BS United Kingdom
Main: (0118) 920-9111
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fax: (0118) 987-5603
http://www.sierra-online.co.uk


France

Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing France
32, Av de l'Europe
Bât Energy 1 (2e étage)
78 140 VELIZY-Villacoublay
France

Téléphone: 01-30-67-90-50
Lundi au Jeudi de 10h à 19h
Vendredi de 10h à 18h
Fax: 01 30 67 90 65

http://www.sierra.fr


Germany

Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing Deutschland Gmbh.
Technischer Kundendienst
Paul-Ehrlich-Straße la
63225 Langen
Deutschland
Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40
Montag bis Freitag von 10 - 19Uhr
Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35
Mailbox: (0) 6103-99-40-35

http://www.sierra.de


Spain

Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing España
NUESTRA SEÑORA DE VALVERDE Nº 23
28034 MADRID
Spain

Tech Support Teléfono: 91 735 24 37

Soporte técnico de lunes a Viernes
de 09:30 a 15:00 y de 16:00 a 18:30


www.havasinteractive.es
Soporte Tecnico: soporte@havasinteractive.es
Comercial: comercial@havasinteractive.es

Italy

Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing Italia spa
Contattare il vostro distributore.


C) Sierra Warranty & Legal Information
-----------------------------------
Sierra's end user license agreement, limited warranty and return policy is set forth in the EULA.txt, found on the CD, and is also available during the install of the product.

(c) 2002 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Copyright (2002 Sierra On-Line, Inc.)