Singularity.

[Mario]

Here is the official Singularity readme file.

Singularity™ README

Last updated: 5/20/10


Any references to CD, DVD, game discs, optical drives and related functionality, such as Autoplay or disc installation process, do not apply to software purchased via digital download.


INTRODUCTION

Refer to this document if you encounter difficulties with one or more aspects of installation or running Singularity™. Many of the most commonly encountered issues are covered here.

If you encounter any problems not covered in this document, please contact Activision Customer Support. A list of contact information for all supported worldwide territories can be found by:

1. Click the Start button, and navigate to Programs – Singularity™ – Singularity™ Help - Customer Support

or

Open My Computer, and navigate to C:\Program Files\Activision\Singularity(TM)\Docs\CS\Customer_ support.htm. ("C:\Program Files" is the default root directory for installation; if you chose to install the game to a different directory, navigate there, to the Activision folder, then follow the path as described.)


INSTALLATION AND SETUP

1. Minimum and Recommended System Requirements

Please note that Singularity™ does not support Microsoft® Windows® 2000.

Minimum System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows® XP:

• 3D hardware accelerator card required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant 256 MB video card and drivers*
• Microsoft® Windows® XP
• Intel® Pentium® D (dual core) 2.8GHz or AMD Athlon™ X2 4800+ or better
• 1 GB of RAM
• 8 GB of uncompressed hard disk space (plus 400 MB for the Windows® swap file and 12 KB free for saved games)
• A 100% Windows® XP-compatible computer system including:
• DirectX® 9.0c (Included)
• 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant true 16-bit sound card and drivers
• 100% Windows® XP-compatible mouse, keyboard and drivers
• 100% Windows® XP-compatible 6x speed DVD-ROM drive (600 K/sec sustained transfer rate) and drivers
• 512 kB/sec upstream internet connection required to host

*Supported Chipsets for Windows® XP

All NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GT 256 MB RAM and better chipsets (excluding GeForce® 9400)

All ATI Radeon™ X1800 256 MB RAM and better chipsets (excluding X1800 GTO, Radeon™ HD2400, Radeon™ HD2600, and Radeon™ HD3450)

Motherboard integrated video chipsets not supported

Minimum System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows Vista® and Windows® 7

• 3D hardware accelerator card required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant 256 MB video card and drivers*
• Microsoft® Windows Vista® or Windows® 7
• Intel® Pentium® D (dual core) 2.8GHz or AMD Athlon™ X2 4800+ or better
• 2 GB of RAM
• 8 GB of uncompressed hard disk space (plus 400 MB for the Windows® swap file and 12 KB free for saved games)
• A 100% Windows Vista® or Windows® 7 compatible computer system including:
• DirectX® 9.0c (Included)
• 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant true 16-bit sound card and drivers
• 100% Windows Vista® or Windows® 7 compatible mouse, keyboard and drivers
• 100% Windows Vista® or Windows® 7 compatible 6x speed DVD-ROM drive (600 K/sec sustained transfer rate) and drivers
• 512 kB/sec upstream internet connection required to host

*Supported Chipsets for Windows Vista® and Windows® 7
All NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GT 256 MB RAM and better chipsets (excluding GeForce® 9400)

All ATI Radeon™ X1800 256 MB RAM and better chipsets (excluding X1800 GTO, Radeon™ HD2400, Radeon™ HD2600, and Radeon™ HD3450)

Motherboard integrated video chipsets not supported

Recommended System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows® XP:

• 3D hardware accelerator card required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant 256 MB video card and drivers*
• Microsoft® Windows® XP
• Intel® Core™2 Duo E8400 and or AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 6000+
• 1.5 GB of RAM
• 8 GB of uncompressed hard disk space (plus 400 MB for the Windows® swap file and 12 KB free for saved games)
• A 100% Windows® XP-compatible computer system including:
• DirectX® 9.0c (Included)
• 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant true 16-bit sound card and drivers
• 100% Windows® XP-compatible mouse, keyboard and drivers
• 100% Windows® XP-compatible 6x speed DVD-ROM drive (600 K/sec sustained transfer rate) and drivers**

*Recommended Chipsets for Windows® XP
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GT
ATI Radeon™ HD 3850

Recommended System Requirements for Microsoft® Windows Vista® and Windows® 7:

• 3D hardware accelerator card required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant 256 MB video card and drivers*
• Microsoft® Windows Vista® or Windows® 7
• Intel® Core™2 Duo 3.0GHz or AMD Athlon™ X2 4800+ or higher processor
• 2 GB of RAM
• 8 GB of uncompressed hard disk space (plus 400 MB for the Windows® swap file and 12 KB free for saved games)
• A 100% Windows Vista® or Windows® 7 compatible computer system including:
• DirectX® 9.0c (Included)
• 100% DirectX® 9.0c-compliant true 16-bit sound card and drivers
• 100% Windows Vista® or Windows® 7 compatible mouse, keyboard and drivers
• 100% Windows Vista® or Windows® 7 compatible 6x speed DVD-ROM drive (600 K/sec sustained transfer rate) and drivers

*Recommended Chipsets for Windows Vista® or Windows® 7
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GT
ATI Radeon™ HD 3850

*Important Note: Some 3D accelerator cards with the chipsets listed here may not be compatible with the 3D acceleration features utilized by Singularity™. Please refer to your hardware manufacturer for 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatibility.

2. Autoplay

If the Windows Autoplay feature is enabled on your computer, the installer will begin when you insert Singularity™ DVD into your DVD-ROM drive. Follow the on-screen instructions to continue the installation. If the game is already installed on your system, the Singularity™ Game Launch screen will appear.

If the Autoplay feature is disabled, you can begin the installation by doing the following:

a) Go to the Start Menu and select Run.
b) Type D:\SETUP.EXE (assuming D is your DVD-ROM drive letter) and press Enter.

-or-

a) Double-click on My Computer
b) Double-Click your DVD-ROM drive icon.

-or-

a) Navigate to your DVD-ROM drive with Windows Explorer
b) Double-click on SETUP.EXE

3. DirectX® Detection & Installation

You will need to have DirectX® 9.0c and the latest runtime updates installed on your computer for Singularity™ to run properly.

At the end of Singularity™ install setup, the installer will automatically install DirectX® 9.0c and all required runtime updates on your computer. If you already have other Windows XP games on your computer, chances are you already have a version of DirectX installed. In this case, the Microsoft installer will detect it and will not overwrite any files. You will not need to restart your computer after installation in order to run Singularity™. If, however, you do not already have DirectX® 9.0c installed the Microsoft installer will detect and overwrite any previous versions with DirectX® 9.0c. At that point, you will need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

You can also manually install it later. To do so, use the following instructions:

1. Place your Singularity™ disk in the DVD-ROM drive. The Launch screen should appear. (See the AutoPlay section above if it does not appear.)
2. Click on the "Extras" button.
3. Click on "DirectX" and follow the installation process. When DirectX® installation finishes, you will need to restart your computer for the new drivers to work.
If you encounter the following error message, then you have tried to start the game without the correct version of DirectX® installed on your computer:
"DirectX® 9.0c is not installed on this computer. Install it and try again."
You will need to follow the directions above to install DirectX® before starting the game.


VIDEO ISSUES

1. Monitors

- Please make sure your monitor supports the game resolution you are trying to play in. To check what resolutions your monitor supports, do the following:
a) Open up My Computer
b) Double-click on Control Panel
c) Find the Display icon and open it
d) Choose the Settings tab
e) Locate the resolution pointer in the Desktop or Screen Area box and drag it to the far right

2. Alt-Enter isn’t supported for changing from Full Screen to Windowed or vice versa.

Singularity™ does not support the use of alt-enter. Please change from Windowed to Full Screen mode using the in game option.


GENERAL ISSUES

1. General DVD Read Problems

There are a few things that could be wrong with DVD read problems. We have a few things for you to try:

First, try holding down the left shift key when inserting the game disc. This should prevent the AutoPlay splash screen from coming up.
Next, try another DVD in the same drive to make sure that Windows® can properly read this other disk.
Additionally, if you have disc emulation software (such as Alcohol 120%® or Daemon Tools) installed you may need to turn off all of the emulation options. Sometimes this also requires a reboot.

2. Administrator Privileges

If you are experiencing the following error:

“Please login with administrator privilege and try again”

The game must be installed by an account with administrator privileges. Please re-install the game. Run the game the FIRST TIME within an account with Admin or Power User privileges. The program must install Windows® XP/Windows Vista® drivers onto the system, which requires administrator privileges. Subsequent plays are allowed from any account level.

3. Options for Lower End Systems

On lower end systems, it is advised to close any and all programs (including anti-virus software) that are running in the background, followed by choosing the lowest resolution in the Options Menu. If the game runs well at these settings, then slowly increment the quality with a single resolution change to a higher setting. If the game continues to perform well under the new circumstances, then continue this process until it performs at the best visual quality, without any loss or effect to gameplay.

4. General Audio Problems

Most sound issues are remedied by installing the latest version of DirectX®, or obtaining newer sound card drivers. Sound issues can include corrupted or distorted sound or even choppy game play. Generally updated drivers can usually be found on the manufacturer’s website. Updating drivers is highly recommended and easy to do. If choppy game play is your problem, please make sure your system meets the Minimum System Requirements. Any deviation from these may cause problems with the game and its overall performance. If you have questions about your sound cards DirectX® 9.0c compatibility or for information about which drivers are right for your hardware, you should contact your sound cards manufacturer for details. Please note that DirectX® 9.0c and all necessary runtime updates are included on the game disk, you may want to consult the DirectX® section of this help system for more information. IMPORTANT NOTE: You may encounter distorted sound and/or choppy game play if your sound card is not 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible. You may want to contact your sound card manufacturer to see if your card is 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible.

a. Audio cards under Windows® 7.

Some cards have low sound levels in the Windows Program Volume Mixer.

5. If you are experiencing crashes...

First you need to make sure you computer meets the minimum system requirements.

You also need to make sure you have the latest drivers for your video and sound cards and in some cases updated motherboard drivers. You can generally find these on your manufacturer's website; refer to your hardware documentation for further instructions on updating your hardware drivers.

If controllers are being used, after checking all drivers, please unplug controllers and restart.

Also check to make sure the 3D hardware acceleration is turned all the way up.

For Windows® XP:

1. Click on the Start button > Settings > Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Display icon.
3. Click the Settings tab.
4. Click the Advanced button.
5. Click the Troubleshoot tab.
6. Make sure the acceleration slider is set to Full.

For Windows Vista®:

1. Click on the Start button > Control Panel.
2. Select Personalization > Display Settings.
3. Choose Advanced Settings > Select the Troubleshoot Tab.
4. Make sure the acceleration slider is set to Full.

You can also try setting your desktop to a resolution of 800x600, 32 bit True Color.

For Windows® XP:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select Properties.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. Set your screen area to 800x600.
4. Set the colors to 32 Bit (True Color).
5. Click Apply and OK.

For Windows Vista®:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select Personalize.
2. Select Display Settings.
3. Set your screen area to 800x600.
4. Set the colors to 32 bit (True Color).
5. Click Apply and Ok.

For Windows® 7:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select Screen resolution.
2. Set your Resolution to 800x600.
3. Click Apply and Ok.

6. Compatible Control Pads

Singularity™ gives you the option to use the Microsoft® Xbox 360® controller.

7. Uninstalling with Antivirus Software Enabled

The uninstallation process may take more time if an antivirus software (like Norton Utilities™ or McAfee®) is currently running, even if the antivirus software is running in the background. Although Singularity™ will still uninstall correctly with this software running, disabling any antivirus program will make this process run faster. You will be able to uninstall Singularity™ normally.

8. Video Card Compatibility Notes

The following video card chipsets along with the following monitors may display the game in a letterboxed mode while displaying certain resolutions full screen. After the video cards and monitors are listed, we will also list the resolutions affected.

Chipsets Affected

• ATI Radeon™ HD 4000 Series
• ATI Radeon™ HD 5000 Series

Monitors Affected

• Dell 2407WFP
• Dell 3007WFP

Resolutions Affected

• 1280x720
• 1280x768
• 1280x800
• 1280x960
• 1920x1080
• 1152x864*

* This resolution doesn’t fill the screen completely.

There are two known workarounds for this issue:

1) If you run the game in a window, the selected resolution should work fine. To run the game in a window, go to the video options and uncheck the full screen checkbox.

2) Run the game using the same resolution that your desktop is set to.

9. Known Issues

* The use of Alt-enter can cause input problems if used at confirmation prompts throughout the game.

10. Patches and Updates

For updates and patches (if available) for this game, please check:

www.activision.com