AOE: The Rise of Rome: Contents of the Readme.doc File
  
PSS ID Number: Q194650
Article last modified on 05-20-1999
 
WINDOWS:1.0
 
WINDOWS
 

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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion: The Rise of Rome, version 1.0 
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SUMMARY
=======
 
This article contains a copy of the contents of the Microsoft Age of Empires:
The Rise of Rome Readme.doc file, which is located in the root folder of the
Microsoft Rise of Rome CD-ROM and in the Age of Empires folder on your hard
disk.
 
MORE INFORMATION
================
 
Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion Readme File
September 1998
(c) Microsoft Corporation, 1998. All rights reserved.
 
Welcome to Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion!
 
This file contains information to help you install Age of Empires
Expansion. It also includes late-breaking information not included in
the manual or online Help.
 
CONTENTS
 
A.   Hardware and System Requirements
B.   Installing Age of Empires Expansion
C.   Starting Age of Empires Expansion
D.   Getting Help
E.   DirectX Troubleshooting
F.   Gameplay Troubleshooting
G.   Video Troubleshooting
H.   Audio Troubleshooting
I.   Performance Troubleshooting
J.   Head-to-Head Play Troubleshooting
K.   Age of Empires Expansion Information
L.   Welcome to the Best in Online Gaming!
 
A. Hardware and System Requirements
 
Multimedia PC with Pentium 90 or higher processor (Pentium 120 for
   Gigantic maps).
Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT Workstation
   4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later.
Microsoft Age of Empires 1.0 or later.
16 megabytes (MB) of RAM for Windows 95 or later, or 24 MB for Windows
   NT (and for Windows 95 or later for an 8-player multiplayer game).
30 MB of available hard disk space.
Local bus SVGA, 256-color video display with at least 1 MB of VRAM.
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
2X CD-ROM drive (4X recommended).
Windows-compatible sound card with speakers or headphones to hear
   audio.
28.8 Kbps (or faster) modem and Internet access for head-to-head play.
 
B. Installing Age of Empires Expansion
 
To install Age of Empires Expansion, you must be using Microsoft Windows
95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later.
(For information about how to get Service Pack 3, go to
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads).
 
Before you can install Age of Empires Expansion, you must have Age of
Empires 1.0, 1.0A, or 1.0B installed. When you install Age of Empires
Expansion, your version of Age of Empires is automatically upgraded to
1.0B.
 
To install Age of Empires Expansion
 
Turn on your computer and start Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or
   Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later.
 
Place the Age of Empires Expansion CD in the disc holder (if required),
   and insert it into your CD-ROM drive.
 
If AutoPlay is enabled, click Install, and then follow the instructions
   that appear on the screen.
 
   -or-
 
   If AutoPlay is disabled, double-click the My Computer icon on your
   desktop, double-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then double-
   click the AOESetup.exe icon. When the Setup screen appears, click
   Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
 
C. Starting Age of Empires Expansion
 
You must have the Age of Empires Expansion CD or Age of Empires CD in your
CD-ROM drive to play single player games or use the scenario builder. Both
versions of the game work with either CD. If you start Age of Empires
Expansion without a CD in the CD-ROM drive, you must exit the game, insert
the CD, and then restart Age of Empires Expansion.
 
If you do not have a CD, you can play only multiplayer games. A
multiplayer game requires the following number of CDs: 2-3 players (1 CD);
4-6 players (2 CDs); 7-8 players (3 CDs).
 
You can connect only to multiplayer games created with the same Age of
Empires version you are using. If you are playing Age of Empires Expansion,
only Expansion games appear in the multiplayer list. However, if you are
playing the original Age of Empires, version 1.0, 1.0A, and 1.0B games
appear in the multiplayer list. Remember that installing Age of Empires
Expansion automatically upgrades your version of Age of Empires to 1.0B,
so you can only join version 1.0B games if you play the original Age of
Empires.
 
To start Age of Empires Expansion
 
Place the Age of Empires Expansion CD in the disc holder (if required),
insert it into your CD-ROM drive, and then click Play.
 
-or-
 
If the Age of Empires Expansion CD is already in your CD-ROM drive, click
the Start button, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to
Age of Empires Expansion, and then click Age of Empires Expansion.
 
You can skip the opening cinematics by clicking the mouse or pressing
ENTER, SPACEBAR, or ESC.
 
D. Getting Help
 
Complete information about Age of Empires Expansion is in the manual. You
can also use the Manual.pdf file in the Docs folder on the CD to view and
print the complete manual using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
 
To install Adobe Acrobat Reader
 
Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, right-click the icon
for your CD-ROM drive, and then click Install Adobe Acrobat Reader.
 
Note: Age of Empires Expansion includes the online Help for Age of Empires
1.0, but it has not been updated with the new features and changes in Age
of Empires Expansion.
 
E. DirectX Troubleshooting
 
DirectX 5.0 or later must be installed on your computer before you can
play Age of Empires Expansion. If you do not have DirectX installed on
your computer and you chose not to install DirectX when you installed Age
of Empires, you will receive the message "A required .dll file,
Dplayx.dll, was not found." To fix this problem, reinstall Age of Empires
and install DirectX 5.0.
 
If Age of Empires installed DirectX but could not update your video
drivers to be compatible with DirectX 5.0, when you restart your computer
you will receive the message "Age of Empires could not initialize DirectX.
Make sure that DirectX 5.0 or higher is installed and contact your
hardware manufacturer for a video driver update." To fix this problem,
either get updated video drivers from your video adapter manufacturer or
install DirectX in safe mode, which will replace the video drivers.
 
To install DirectX in safe mode
 
Copy the DirectX directory from the Age of Empires 1.0 CD to your
   desktop.
 
Click the Start button, and then click Shut Down.
 
Select Restart, and then click OK.
 
When "Starting Windows 95" appears on the screen, press and hold down
   the F8 key until you see a Windows Startup Menu.
 
When you are prompted to enter a choice, select Safe Mode (number 3),
   and then press ENTER.
 
After Windows starts in Safe Mode, open the DirectX folder on your
   desktop, and then double-click Dxsetup.exe to install DirectX.
 
If you experience sound or video problems using DirectX, go to
http://www.microsoft.com/directx, click Pavilion, and then click Games to
get the latest troubleshooting information.
 
You should also check with your video or sound card manufacturer for the
latest DirectX-compatible drivers.
 
F. Gameplay Troubleshooting
 
Saving Games -- You cannot name a saved game using certain operating
   system terms, such as COM1, LPT1, etc.
 
Uninstalling Age of Empires -- If you uninstall Age of Empires (to
   save disk space, for example), but you want to save your Age of
   Empires Expansion campaigns and scenarios, you must select No when the
   uninstall program asks "Do you want to remove saved games? This
   includes scenario and campaign files."
 
Saving Age of Empires Campaigns and Scenarios -- If you save changes
   to Age of Empires campaigns and scenarios using Age of Empires
   Expansion, you can only play the campaigns and scenarios using Age of
   Empires Expansion. If you want the changes to appear using Age of
   Empires, you must save the changes using Age of Empires.
 
Moving Campaigns and Scenarios to a Different Computer -- You can move
   the files for your Age of Empires Expansion games to another computer.
   Expansion files have an "x" in the file name extension; for example,
   Rise.scx.
 
   To transfer your campaigns, move the *.cpx files from the Campaign
   folder where Age of Empires is installed to the same location on
   another computer. Then transfer all of the scenarios in that campaign
   and the Game0.nfo file as explained below.
 
   To transfer your scenarios, move the *.scx files from the Scenario
   folder where Age of Empires is installed to the same location on
   another computer.
 
   To transfer your player name and progress through the campaigns, move
   Game0.nfo from the folder where Age of Empires is installed to the same
   location on another computer. If you are moving the Game0.nfo file to a
   computer that already contains a Game0.nfo file, you may want to rename
   the file on the computer to which you are moving files so you do not
   overwrite the existing Game0.nfo and lose the campaign information it
   contains.
 
G. Video Troubleshooting
 
Screen Corruption -- If you experience problems such as a black screen
   after starting the game, black areas on the game screen, screen
   corruption when you press ALT+TAB to enter/leave the game, or other
   screen problems while playing the game, contact your video adapter
   manufacturer for the latest drivers.
 
Black Screen Areas -- Some video adapters may cause black areas on the
   game screen. To fix this problem, you can add the Mfill parameter to
   the command line in the Age of Empires Expansion shortcut. For
   information about adding parameters to the command line, see "Command
   Line Parameters" under "Performance Troubleshooting" later in this
   Readme file.
 
Mouse Pointer -- Some video adapters may cause the mouse pointer to
   disappear if you change the in-game screen resolution or re-enter the
   game by pressing ALT+TAB. To fix this problem, contact your video
   adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
 
Intergraph Intense 3D 1000 Video Adapters -- Intergraph Intense 3D
   1000 video adapters may not allow you to view the game in 1024 x 768
   resolution. To fix this problem, check with your video adapter
   manufacturer for the latest drivers.
 
Matrox Millennium II PowerDesk Video Adapters -- Matrox Millennium II
   PowerDesk video adapters may cause your computer to lock up when you
   change the in-game screen resolution to 1024 x 768. To fix this
   problem, check with your video adapter manufacturer for the latest
   drivers.
 
Sierra Screaming 3D Video Adapters  -- Sierra Screaming 3D video
   adapters may cause your computer to lock up when you exit the game.
   To fix this problem, check with your video adapter manufacturer for
   the latest drivers.
 
Rage Pro Turbo 2X Video Adapters -- Rage Pro Turbo 2X video adapters
   may only allow you to view the game in 640 x 480 screen resolution.
 
DirectX -- If you experience video problems using DirectX, connect to
   the DirectX Web site for the latest troubleshooting information, as
   explained in "DirectX Troubleshooting" earlier in this Readme file.
 
H. Audio Troubleshooting
 
DirectX -- If you experience audio problems using DirectX, connect to
   the DirectX Web site for the latest troubleshooting information, as
   explained in "DirectX Troubleshooting" earlier in this Readme file.
 
I. Performance Troubleshooting
 
Command Line Parameters
 
You can add parameters to the Age of Empires Expansion command line to
customize startup or resolve problems with certain hardware
configurations.
 
To add parameters to the command line in the Age of Empires Expansion
shortcut
 
If you are using Windows 95, click the Start button, point to Settings,
   click Taskbar, click Start Menu Programs, click Advanced, and then
   double-click Programs.
 
   -or-
 
   If you are using Windows NT, right-click the Start button, select Open
   All Users, and then double-click Programs.
 
Double-click Microsoft Games, and then double-click Age of Empires
   Expansion.
 
Right-click the Age of Empires Expansion shortcut, click Properties,
   and then click Shortcut.
 
In the Target text box, type the name of the parameter after the
   existing command line text. For example, if you add the parameters
   NoStartup and NoTerrainSound, the command line will read: "C:\Program
   Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires\Empiresx.exe" Nostartup
   Noterrainsound. Parameters must be separated by a space; capitalization
   is not important.
 
To add parameters to the Age of Empires Expansion registry for multiplayer
games using the Internet Gaming Zone
 
Click the Start button, and then click Run.
 
Type Regedit, and then click OK.
 
Double-click
 
   Hkey_local_machine/Software/Microsoft/DirectPlay/Applications/ 
   Age of Empires Expansion/CommandLine.
 
In the Value data text box, type the name of the parameter after the
   existing command line text. For example, if you add the parameters
   NoStartup and NoTerrainSound, the command line will read: "Lobby
   NoStartup NoTerrainSound." Parameters must be separated by a space;
   capitalization is not important. Do not remove the word "lobby" from
   the command line.
 
The command line parameters include:
 
NoStartup -- Skips all cinematic sequences before the game starts.
 
640, 800, 1024 -- Sets the screen resolution to 640 x 480, 800 x 600,
   or 1024 x 768. For example, 640 sets the screen resolution to
   640 x 480, 800 sets the screen resolution to 800 x 600, and 1024 sets
   the screen resolution to 1024 x 768. You can also set the screen
   resolution using the Game Settings option on the Menu button. If you
   use a command line parameter to set the screen resolution, the game
   always starts at that resolution, even if you use Game Settings to
   choose another resolution.
 
Mfill -- Fixes horizontal line problems and black screen areas that may
   occur with some video adapter configurations.
 
NormalMouse -- Replaces the custom mouse pointer with a standard mouse
   pointer.
 
NoSound -- Turns off all sounds, except those played in cinematics.
 
NoTerrainSound -- Turns off all terrain sounds.
 
NoMusic -- Turns off all music.
 
Msync -- Fixes lock-up problem that may occur with some SoundBlaster
   AWE configurations.
 
MidiMusic -- Plays midi music instead of Redbook Audio music from the
   Age of Empires Expansion CD.
 
J. Head-to-Head Play Troubleshooting
 
Age of Empires Versions -- In a multiplayer game, all players must be
   using the same version of Age of Empires. For example, if you are
   using Age of Empires Expansion, only Expansion games appear in the
   multiplayer list. However, if you are playing the original Age of
   Empires, version 1.0, 1.0A, and 1.0B games appear in the multiplayer
   list. Remember that installing Age of Empires Expansion automatically
   upgrades your version of Age of Empires to 1.0B, so you can only join
   version 1.0B games if you play the original Age of Empires.
 
Multiplayer Chat -- The chat commands !mute and !nomute now affect
   only your computer, not all players' computers.
 
Serial or Modem Connections -- You may have difficulty joining a
   multiplayer game or you may be dropped from a game before it starts
   when playing over a serial connection or a modem connection. To fix
   this problem, all players should install DirectPlay 6.0A.
 
   To install DirectPlay 6.0A
 
   1. Open My Conputer, and then right-click the Age of Empires Expansion
      CD.
 
   2. Click Install DirectPlay 6.0A.
 
   3. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
 
K. Age of Empires Expansion Information
 
For more information about Age of Empires Expansion, visit our Web
   site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/aoeexpansion
 
If you'd like to play against opponents over the Internet, check out
   the Internet Gaming Zone at http://zone.msn.com
 
L. Welcome to the Best in Online Gaming!
 
This CD includes free software you can use to install the Internet Gaming
Zone.
 
Check out the Internet Gaming Zone, and play games online against friends
from around the world! We feature the best in free multiplayer card and
board games, like spades and backgammon, and matchmaking support for
popular retail CD-ROM titles. Build a great army from a lowly tribe in
the award-winning Age of Empires. Race a motorcycle across desert dunes
in Motocross Madness. Or dogfight other WWII pilots in the spectacular
Fighter Ace. With thousands of members online at any time of day, you'll
always find a worthy opponent on the Zone!
 
To install Zone software
 
On the Age of Empires Expansion CD, double-click AOESetup.exe. When
   the Setup menu    screen appears, click Previews.
 
Click Internet Gaming Zone, and then click Install Software.
 
You can also find the Zone software on the CD in
Sampler\Demos\Zone\ZoneA501.exe.
 
Additional query words: 1.00 readme age empire empires ror readme.txt.readmex.doc readme.rtf
 
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Keywords          : kbreadme aoe kbimu msgame 
Version           : WINDOWS:1.0
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbinfo
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1999.