SpaceOrb 360 Software v4.75 FTP Readme File 10/06/97 ____________________________________________________________________ This Readme file contains Release Notes for the SpaceOrb 360 game controller and the accompanying SpaceWare RealLife 3D Software, version 4.75 FTP. Table of Contents 1. What's New in this Release 2. Information on the SpaceOrb 360 Monitor 3. Important Information about Game Support (IMPORTANT) 4. SpaceOrb 360 Calibration Note 5. Known Issues and Work-arounds 6. Contacting Spacetec IMC over the Internet ___________________________________________________________________ 1. What's New in this Release A. v4.75 Adds Support for the Following Games and Demos: - GL QuakeWorld - MDK Direct 3D - Moto Racer - Terracide - Shadows of the Empire - Hexen 2 - GL Hexen 2 - Meta VR demo B. New Windows 95 Customizer We have a brand new Windows 95 Customizer which now contains all of the features of our "Game Master" software and more: - Customize game specific axis mappings - Modify individual axis sensitivities - View special game support instructions for each game - Create support for Windows 95 games that we have not supported (yet) NOTE: You can launch the Customizer via the Windows 95 Start Menu - Start->Programs->SpaceOrb 360->Customizer OR by double-clicking on the SpaceWare Icon located in the System Tray (in the Task Bar) C. New Installer Features Our new Setup program allows the user to choose between Typical, Compact, and Custom installs. The Custom install adds the option of scanning the COM ports for the SpaceOrb 360 or specifying the COM port setting yourself. If scanning for the SpaceOrb 360 does not work on your system, try choosing the COM port setting yourself. D. Bug Fixes and Software Enhancements We have fixed a variety of bugs and enhanced many areas of our software. - We no longer poll to detect games. One major area of improvement is the way we now detect Windows 95 games. The SpaceOrb 360 Monitor will detect supported and user-added games as soon as they are launched. See the next topic for more information on the SpaceOrb 360 Monitor. - The Chicken Demo and Interactive Trainer now run in all color depths above 256 colors. - We removed the game-support instructions dialog box that was displayed when launching certain Windows 95 games. These instructions are now available for all games we support, in the Customizer and in the Game Setup Guide. ____________________________________________________________________ 2. Information on the SpaceOrb 360 Monitor The SpaceOrb 360 Monitor is a program that is run when Windows 95 loads up. When the Monitor is loaded, you will notice the Spacetec IMC logo icon in the System Tray (in the Task Bar). You can double-click on it to load the Customizer, and right click on it to obtain a pop-up list of Monitor functions. NOTE: The Monitor needs to be active in order to detect and configure supported (and user-added) Windows 95 games to work with the SpaceOrb 360. Suspending or exiting the Monitor will disable Windows 95 game detection and support. ____________________________________________________________________ 3. Important Information about Game Support A. To play a DOS game with SpaceOrb support, the game must be launched from our DOS Game Launcher. Start the DOS Game Launcher via the Windows 95 Start Menu - 'Start->Programs->SpaceOrb360->DOS Game Launcher'. Choose the menu option Add/Remove Games and follow the menus to choose the games you want to add to the Launcher's list. Please see the SpaceOrb 360 Users Guide for more information. B. To play a Windows 95 Game with SpaceOrb support, simply launch the game and turn on the game's joystick support (if needed) via the game's setup or options menus. Game specific instructions on how to do this are located in the Game Setup Guide and in the Customizer Window. NOTE: In order to support certain Windows 95 games, the game needs to be run once, then exited. This process will detect the game (when run) and copy special configuration files to the game's directory (when exited). From then on, the game will be properly configured for use with the SpaceOrb 360. ____________________________________________________________________ 4. SpaceOrb 360 Calibration Note Since the SpaceOrb 360 is a digital device, it does not require calibration in the Windows 95 Joystick Control Panel. Therefore, DO NOT use the 'Calibrate' button when running the Joystick Control Panel. If you experience drift with your SpaceOrb 360 (movement onscreen without touching the PowerSensor ball), then remove your hand from the PowerSensor, and press the Reset button, found on the back of the SpaceOrb unit. NOTE : If you do use the 'Calibrate' button in the Joystick Control Panel, the SpaceOrb 360 may begin to drift. To address this, you must re-initialize the SpaceOrb 360 by deselecting it as the active joystick by choosing 'None', and then re-selecting the SpaceOrb 360. ____________________________________________________________________ 5. Known Issues and Work-arounds There is a known problem with the auto-detection of all DOS games from within the DOS Game Launcher. The DOS Game Launcher can run out of memory as it detects DOS games on your system. If you see this problem, simply add each game individually from the DOS Game Launcher. ___________________________________________________________________ 6. Contacting Spacetec IMC over the Internet: E-mail - spaceorb@spacetec.com E-mail any questions or comments to the above address concerning the SpaceOrb 360. Web - http://www.spaceorb.com/ Visit the SpaceOrb 360 web site for the latest news and information about the SpaceOrb 360, FTP access to the latest "SpaceOrb 360 Activated" games, the Message Boards, the latest reviews, and links to other SpaceOrb 360 web sites - including other Users and Clans (add your page!)