
Privateer's Bounty: Age of Sail II Readme - Version Retail Release 1.0 



1.   System Requirement


Minimum Specifications:

Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
Pentium III - 500 MHz or higher
64 MB RAM (128 MB RAM recommended)
550 MB of free hard drive space
DirectX 8.1 compatible video card with at least 16MB RAM (32 MB video card recommended)
DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card (EAX support recommened)
Keyboard and Mouse



1.2. Privateer's Bounty and Laptop computers.

Privateer's Bounty was not developed or tested on laptop computers. The reason for this is that most video and sound card companies used in laptop computers sacrifice DirectX compliance for miniaturization and portability. As such, these manufacturers do not offer drivers that are optimized for Direct3D gaming, which means that ultimately; you may have limited success in running the game properly.

1.3. Multi-Tasking (Alt-Tab)

Privateer's Bounty does allow multitasking, however running other programs in the background and switching between Privateer's Bounty and another program can make the game unstable and produce undesirable effects, such as visual artifacts or crashes when the game is restored. For best results, please make sure all open programs are closed before starting Privateer's Bounty  -- this includes any programs running in the System Tray.

     
1.4  Windows NT 4.0

Privateer's Bounty was not developed for or tested on Windows NT 4.0. 
     
1.5  Cyrix and AMD compatibility

Privateer's Bounty runs normally on computers using Cyrix or AMD processors.
However, performance on computers using these processors may be noticeably slower.

1.6 Miscellaneous tips for making the game run faster.

By selecting the Options menu from the main menu you can manipulate the sound and video options to customize the game's detail and graphics levels for best performance on your machine.

Tips for improving performance. 
·   Turn the texture detail level down to low
·   Turn your resolution down to 800X600

1.7       DirectX Help

If you are having trouble installing and/or playing Privateer's Bounty make sure you have DirectX version 7.0 or higher installed on your computer.  You can install DirectX 8.1 from the Privateer's Bounty II CD by going to the DirectX folder and running DXsetup.  The directory path for DX setup is *:\Directx\dxsetup.exe ("*" is the letter of your CD-ROM Drive).  You can also get the latest version from Microsoft (www.microsoft.com/directx).  These Web pages can also provide support with common DirectX problems.

2.   Video Card Notes and Troubleshooting

2.1  General video card troubleshooting

If you experience video related problems or graphic anomalies while you are playing Privateer's Bounty, please contact your video card's hardware manufacturer to ensure you are using the latest certified DirectX drivers for your video card. Many manufacturers maintain World Wide Web sites that offer updated drivers and troubleshooting advice for their products. 

3Dfx		http://www.3dfx.com/
nVidia		http://www.nvidia.com/
3DLabs		http://www.3dlabs.com/
Matrox		http://www.matrox.com/
Intel		http://www.intel.com/
S3		http://www.s3.com/
Rendition	http://www.rendition.com/
ATI		http://www.ati.com/
Orchid		http://www.orchid.com 
Videologic	http://www.videologic.com 
Diamond		http://www.diamondmm.com 
STB	 	http://www.stb.com 
Number Nine 	http://www.nine.com 
Jazz 		http://www.jazzmm.com 
Creative 	http://www.creativelabs.com 
Hercules 	http://www.hercules.com 
ELSA 		http://www.elsa.de 
Intergraph 	http://www.intergraph.com/ics 
Miro 		http://www.miro.de 
Genoa 		http://www.genoasys.com 
Techworks 	http://www.techworks.com 
Canopus 	http://www.canopuscorp.com 
Deltron 	http://www.deltrontech.com 
Sierra 		http://www.sierra.com 
Jaton 		http://www.jaton.com 
Leadtek 	http://www.leadtek.com
Guillemot	http://www.guillemot.com


3.        Audio Notes and Troubleshooting


3.1. General sound card troubleshooting

If you experience problems while you are playing Privateer's Bounty, contact your
sound card's hardware manufacturer for the latest certified drivers for
your sound card. Many manufacturers maintain World Wide Web sites that
offer updated drivers and troubleshooting advice for their products. 


Aztech New Media 	http://www.aztech.com 
Creative Labs 		http://www.creative.com 
Crystal 		http://www.cirrus.com 
ESS Technology 		http://www.esstech.com 
Turtle Beach 		http://www.voyetra-turtle-beach.com 
Yamaha 			http://www.yamaha.com
Guillemot		http://www.guillemot.com


Some players may experience sound corruption (most likely players with Sound Blaster Live cards) with much reverberation when sounds play. In order to correct this the player must lower his sound card hardware acceleration. To do so:
 
Click the Windows Start Button, then select Control Panel. Double click Multimedia. Under the Audio tab, click Advanced Properties under Playback, Preferred Device. Then select the Performance tab. Move the Hardward acceleration slider bar to Basic Acceleration. Click Apply, then click OK to close the Advanced Audio Properties window. 
 
Restart Privateer's Bounty: Age of Sail 2.
