		Privateer 2: The Darkening DEMO PCCD
                ------------------------------------         

(C) 1996, Origin Systems, Inc.  This document may not, in whole or
part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced 
to any electronic medium or machine readable form without prior 
consent, in writing, from Origin Systems, Inc. 

Origin Systems, Inc. believes the information contained in this 
document is accurate and reliable.  Origin Systems, Inc. reserves 
the right to update this manual at any time and without notice. 

To find out the latest information about Privateer 2: The Darkening, 
check out our Internet Web site http://www.ea.com/origin.html.

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This file has been provided as a supplement to any documentation for 
Privateer 2: The Darkening.  It details last minute information as 
well as the most common questions and answers.

To print a hardcopy of this file, at the DOS prompt, change to the 
drive of your CD-ROM drive (i.e. "D:") and type : 

    PRINT README.TXT  [ENTER]

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README.TXT Table of Contents

1.0	System Requirements

2.0	Playing the Game

3.0	Shortcut/Boot Disk Configuration
	3.1 The Bootdisk Maker

4.0	Installation Program

5.0	Performance
	5.1	Video Performance
	5.2	CD-ROM Performance
	5.3	Joystick Calibration

6.0	Troubleshooting
	6.1	General Information
	6.2	Questions and Answers
	6.3	Known Problems & Error Messages

7.0	Sound Card Issues

8.0	DOS Drivers and Manufacturers List

9.0	Miscellaneous
	9.1	Windows 95
	9.2	Disk Compression

10.0    Origin Customer Service/Technical Support


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[1.0]    System Requirements

Privateer 2: The Darkening CD-ROM system requirements (which are 
absolutely needed to play the game) :

        Pentium 75 Processor or higher
        8 MB of RAM (7 MB of XMS) 
        400 K Conventional Memory
        MS-DOS 5.0 and up
        Double Speed CD-ROM Drive (300,000 bytes/second transfer rate)
        Local Bus Video Card
        100% Microsoft compatible mouse 
        40 MB of free hard disk space
        Sound Blaster, Ensoniq Soundscape, Media Vision Pro Audio 
	Spectrum, Gravis Ultrasound or 100% compatible sound card.


	System Recommendation - Optimal :

        Intel Pentium 120 MHz or higher
        16 MB of RAM (15 MB of XMS) 
        500K Conventional Memory
        Quad Speed or CD-ROM Drive (600,000 bytes/second transfer rate)
        PCI SVGA video card
        100% Microsoft compatible mouse 
        40 MB of free hard disk space
        Sound Blaster, Ensoniq Soundscape, Media Vision Pro Audio 
	Spectrum, Gravis Ultrasound or 100% compatible sound card.
        Two button Joystick

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[2.0]    Playing the Game

You should only need a few pointers in order to enjoy the demo.

Each time you run the game, you will watch several movies, then
see the first planet Customs screen.  At this point, you have the
option of taking off, or exiting to Transit, which will allow
you to visit Joe the Bartender at Sinner's Inn.

Helpful Planetary Commands :

  [ESC] : Bypass Current Movie

[ALT-X] : Exit the Demo


Once spaceflight is accessed, press [ALT-H].  This will bring
up a list of all the commands for spaceflight.  A few helpful 
commands are listed below :

[ALT-H] : Access Help Screen

[ALT-N] : Access Navigation Map

    [J] : Activate Jump Engine

    [W] : Target Closest Enemy

  [TAB] : Afterburner

[ALT-R] : Toggle Radar Types

[ENTER] : Fire Missile

[ALT-D] : Access Diary

[ALT-O] : Access Options Screen


Happy Gaming!

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[3.0]    Boot Disk Configuration

If you are having trouble running Privateer 2: The Darkening, 
almost all problems can be solved by making a boot disk. 
Regardless of the total amount of RAM and/or conventional memory, 
processor speed/power, etc., the boot disk will set up your computer 
specifically to run Privateer 2: The Darkening.  Expanded Memory 
Managers (EMM386, QEMM386, 386MAX, NETROOM, etc.) are not needed 
and if configured incorrectly, will often conflict with The
Darkening's protected mode memory manager.


[3.1]    Boot Disk Instructions

If you have DOS, it is recommended that you create a floppy boot disk 
for Privateer 2: The Darkening.  If you have a blank floppy disk for 
your A: drive, the program BOOTDISK.EXE can be used to assist you. 
BOOTDISK.EXE examines your hard drive CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT 
and determines the best configuration for running 
Privateer 2: The Darkening.  All you have to do is put a blank 
floppy in the drive, type BOOTDISK at the CD-ROM drive prompt, 
and press [ENTER].

Once the boot disk is finished, simply reboot your machine with that 
disk in the A: drive. To play Privateer 2, boot your machine with the
boot disk in drive A:.  To return to your previous configuration,
boot the machine without the boot disk.  It's that easy!

To make a boot disk for Privateer 2: The Darkening manually, 
please use the following instructions :

	1)  Place a blank disk in drive A:

	2)  Type  C: and press [ENTER]

	3)  Type  FORMAT A: /S  and press [ENTER]

	4)  Type  A:  and press [ENTER]

	5)  Type  COPY C:\CONFIG.SYS  and press [ENTER]

	6)  Type  COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT  and press [ENTER]

	7)  Type  EDIT A:\CONFIG.SYS  and press [ENTER]

	8)  Different computers have different sound cards, CD-ROM 
	    drives, etc.  Therefore, after the first 5 lines, we 
	    cannot list out the exact lines needed. 

	    However, the original lines from your hard disk 
	    CONFIG.SYS will be there, and you can try to make sure 
	    lines of the CONFIG.SYS on the boot disk read somewhat 
	    like the following :

	        DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
	        DOS=HIGH
	        FILES=50
	        BUFFERS=50
	        SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\ /P
	        DEVICE=C:\<path>\<possible sound card drivers>
	        DEVICE=C:\<path>\<CD-ROM drivers>
	        DEVICE=C:\<path>\<possible mouse driver>

	    Lines to remove from the CONFIG.SYS of the boot disk :

	        DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE ...
		DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE ...
	        DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
	        DEVICE=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE ...
		DEVICE=C:\DOS\POWER.EXE ...

	9)  After you are finished with the CONFIG.SYS, press [ALT-F], 
	    then [X], then [Y].  You should return to the A: prompt.

	10) Type  EDIT A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT  and press [ENTER]

	11) Again, since different computers have different sound 
	    cards, CD-ROM drives, etc., we cannot list out the exact 
	    lines needed for the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. However, the 
	    original lines from your hard disk AUTOEXEC.BAT will be 
	    there, and you can try to make sure lines of the 
	    AUTOEXEC.BAT on the boot disk read somewhat like the 
	    following :

		@ECHO OFF
		PROMPT $p$g
		PATH C:\DOS
		C:\<path>\MSCDEX.EXE ...
		<possible sound lines (SET BLASTER=, SET SOUND=, etc.)>
		<possible mouse driver lines (C:\DOS\MOUSE, etc.)>

	    Lines to remove from the AUTOEXEC.BAT of the boot disk :

	        C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE ...
	        C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE ...
		C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE ...

	12) After you are finished with the CONFIG.SYS, press [ALT-F], 
	    then [X], then [Y].  You should return to the A: prompt.
	
	13) Reboot your computer with the new boot disk.  You may now 
	    try to install/run the game!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[4.0]    Installation Program

Before you can run Privateer 2: The Darkening, you will have to run its
installation program. This program allows you to setup your sound card,
set the save game directory, and select your control device.  To begin
the installation switch to your CD-ROM drive (for example, if your 
CD-ROM drive is the "D" drive, you would type D: and hit [ENTER] and 
then type INSTALL.  If you need to change your sound settings you must
run the SETSOUND program from your hard drive directory.

When you run the installation program, you can set four different 
options: The sound card, the music card, the destination directory, 
and the control type.

You should first choose your Sound Card.  Click on the arrow next 
to Sound Card and you will be presented with a list of different 
sound cards.  You can scroll through the options by clicking on 
the up and down arrows on the selector.  When you have chosen 
your card, click on OK.  At this point you will be given the 
option to have the card detected automatically or manually. 

In most cases, you should just be able to click on AUTODETECT to 
set up your sound card.  Otherwise, you must click MANUAL and 
enter the base address of your card.  After choosing the sound card, 
you can click on the PRESS TO TEST SOUND option.  If you hear an 
explosion, then you have successfully chosen the sound card.  You 
can repeat the sound test as necessary.  Next, you should select 
the Music card in the same way you chose the Sound card.  
When you test the music, you will hear repeating drums.

You can change the destination directory by clicking on the arrow 
next to DIRECTORY.  The destination directory is the location to 
which the game will install.  The default directory is C:\DARK.  
You can select another directory by typing in another 8 letter 
directory name when prompted.  To change the drive you wish to
install to, backspace over the entire path name and type the
new destination directory.

Finally, you can change the control type.  When you run the installer 
for the first time, the mouse will be the default controller.  If you 
wish to use a joystick, you should use the selector (remember to click 
on the up and down arrows) to highlight joystick.  If you have a 
CH Products throttle, select Joystick/Throttle.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[5.0]    Performance

 -- What kind of performance should I expect?

        Space flight depends HEAVILY upon the CPU speed of your system.
        But this will only work up to a certain point as defined by the
        speed of your video. For example, a Pentium computer with an 
	ISA video card will bottleneck due to the slow video card
        performance. Remember : A local bus video card is required.

-- How do I improve my computer's CPU speed?

    A)  Ensure that you have your Internal and External Cache enabled
        for your CPU.  Contact your computer manufacturer to 
	investigate these settings further. 

    B)  Upgrading your CPU and motherboard is the only other way to
        improve this performance.  Some of today's systems have 
	included the use of ZIF Sockets that make CPU chip upgrades 
	easier.  Doubling your clock speed may be as simple as putting
	in a new CPU.  Contact your computer manufacturer for details 
	about your specific system and its possibilities for upgrade.


[5.1]    Video Performance

	The game runs in SVGA 640x480 256 color mode. You must have a 
	VESA driver installed or included on your video card. If your
	video card does not support the VESA standard, then the game 
	will not run.

 -- What kind of performance should I expect?

	Space flight AND Movies depend heavily upon the speed of your
	video.  As mentioned in the CPU section, the processor speed
	can only take you so far.  After that, the video speed will
	carry the rest of the load.  
        
 -- How do I improve my frame rate?

        The system architecture of your computer greatly affects the
        overall performance of any video card.  For most ISA customers,
        the best increase in video performance will be to upgrade to a
        new motherboard with VLB or PCI architecture.  For increases
        within a particular type of architecture, research each video
        card for its DOS performance and rating by nationally 
	recognized benchmarks or publications.

        NOTE : Windows accelerator cards which feature enhanced Windows
               video speeds MAY NOT provide the same type of 
	       performance in DOS.  Check your local retailer or video 
	       card manufacturer for more information about these 
	       performance ratings.


[5.2]    CD-ROM Performance

 --  What kind of performance should I expect?

	The speed of your CD-ROM determines the load times for movies
	and missions.  As you would expect, the faster the drive means
	less time waiting, and shorter load times.

 -- How do I my increase my CD-ROM speed?

        Short of buying a new CD-ROM drive, there is not much that can
        be done to improve the transfer rate of a CD-ROM drive to help
        Privateer 2: The Darkening perform faster.  However, if you 
	notice that the transfer rate of the CD-ROM drive is not what
	you expect, then it could be attributed to a couple of
	problems.

        It is most probable that your CD-ROM software drivers may not
	be communicating with the CD-ROM drive properly.  It is very
        important that you have the latest driver for your CD-ROM 
	drive. Pausing during movies, slow CD access/load times and 
	CDR-101 error messages (not being able to access the CD) may
	all be the result of the use of an outdated driver.  Contact
	your CD-ROM drive or Multimedia Kit manufacturer to see if 
	you have the latest CD-ROM driver.  Users of SCSI controller
	cards should call their controller card manufacturers to 
	ensure that their software fully supports the specific CD-ROM
	drive by model number.


[5.3]    Joystick Calibration

If you selected Joystick or Joystick/Throttle for your control device 
then you will be asked to calibrate your joystick.  Follow the 
on-screen instructions to calibrate the joystick.  As you move 
the joystick around, the yellow rectangle will decrease in size.  
Once initially calibrated, a circular cursor SHOULD appear in the 
center of the yellow square. 

    If your cursor flickers between positions or jumps unexpectedly 
    from one location to another as you move it, then your joystick
    as not calibrated properly for one of the following possible 
    reasons :

    1)  Joystick Port Conflict: Two active joystick ports on the same
        system will confuse the calibration routine and produce
        erroneous data.

        SOLUTION: Possible locations for joystick/game ports can be
            found on either a) the sound card, b) the i/o serial card
            (where your mouse might be plugged into) or c) a separate
            gamecard (usually speed-adjustable). Only one of the ports
            can be active.  Check the respective manufacturer's
            documentation to find out what settings need to be made to
            disable one or more of the conflicting ports.

    2)  Poor Initial Calibration: Click on exit and then try to 
	recalibrate.

    3)  Machine Speed Conflict: Some gameports cannot handle the speed
        of some computers, especially Pentiums. As a result, the
        calibration information returned to the software routine is
        inaccurate.

        SOLUTION: Your system may benefit from the purchase of a speed-
            adjustable gamecard. These gamecards allow the user to
            adjust the rate at which the joystick calibration can
            actually speak to the joystick hardware. Some of the tested
            gamecards include the Thrustmaster ACM, the Gravis
            Eliminator, the Kraft Game Card and the CH Gamecard 3.

    4)  Bad Joystick Hardware: Unfortunately, some joystick hardware
        gives out after repeated usage.  If you have checked the other
	3 possibilities and you still have trouble calibrating, try
        attaching another joystick from a friend's computer.  This 
	may help you pinpoint the problem.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[6.0]    Troubleshooting

If the game crashes inexplicably or there are sound and video 
glitches, it is probably the result of an invalid configuration.
Try making a boot disk and start again.  The problem may not 
reoccur.  If it does, consult the following section.  You 
may have outdated CD-ROM device drivers or your hardware may have
loose cables, bad SCSI termination or some other problem.  If the
CD-ROM appears undamaged, check your hardware and/or contact the
manufacturer of your CD-ROM drive to obtain the latest software
device drivers and/or hardware fixes.


[6.1]    General Info

Here are some things to check :

  1)  Set up a BOOT DISK! 

  2)  Make sure your VESA driver is current and up to date. 

  3)  You have a clean hard disk with at least 40MB of free space.  
      If you are using disk compression, make certain to install 
      onto an uncompressed part of the hard drive. 

  4)  Check sound card settings and compatibility. 
 
  5)  Make sure your CPU is 100% Intel compatible. 

  6)  The MSCDEX driver can have unpredictable behavior.  If it is 
      loaded high OR if the /E parameter is used, its behavior 
      generally becomes much worse.

  7)  SCANDISK and DEFRAG your hard drives regularly. Consult your 
      DOS or Windows 95 manuals for instructions on using these 
      utilities.


[6.2]    Questions and Answers

Q : How do I run the install program to change my configuration?
A : There is no way to re-run the install program after installation.
    You can adjust your Soundcard settings from the hard drive by 
    typing :

        SETSOUND

    while in the C:\DARK directory.


Q : Will I get any benefit from using a disk cache, such as SMARTDRIVE?
A : If you have lower than 16 MB of RAM, it is recommended that you
    remove any disk caching software.  The game will in fact, run 
    slower with it.  The disk cache also uses memory that may keep you
    from running the game.

    However, if you have more than 16 MB of RAM, you may want to 
    allocate an amount over the first 16 MB to SMARTDRIVE, the disk 
    caching software that comes with MS-DOS 5.0 and up.  For 
    SMARTDRV.EXE that comes with MS-DOS 6.20 and up, by default, 
    SMARTDRIVE caches CD-ROM drives. You will want to disable this 
    feature when playing Privateer 2: The Darkening.  For example,
    if you have 24 MB of RAM and the letter of your CD-ROM drive is 
    "D:", you may want to include the following line in your 
    AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the boot disk :

        C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE 4096 D-

      +--------------------------------------------------------+
      | NOTE : Do NOT install the game with SMARTDRIVE loaded! |
      +--------------------------------------------------------+

Q:  Why do my movies start and stop?
A:  The movies pause because data is not being transferred from the 
    CD-ROM drive to our game at a sustained rate.  Make sure your 
    CD-ROM driver is up to date.  You will need to contact your 
    CD-ROM drive manufacturer to see if you have the latest version.
    You can check the list of problem CD-ROM drivers at the end of 
    this file to see if your driver needs to be updated.


[6.3]   Known Problems & Error Messages


Error message : "Error opening file..."

Problem : You do not have enough Files and/or Buffers.

Solution : Make a floppy boot disk/shortcut and the problem should 
           go away.


Error message : "Not enough mem to install the game"

Problem : You do not have enough XMS memory to run Privateer 2.

Solution : You will need at least 7104K of XMS memory.  Make a 
	   floppy boot disk and the problem should go away.


Error message : "File is to small to estimate stream speed"

Problem : Privateer 2 has encountered a bad CD read.

Solution : Clean the CD using a lint free cloth and the problem
           should go away.


Error message : "Error! Initing Inflation"

Problem : Game has detected an error in one of the savegame files.

Solution : Reload the savegame, or try a different savegame.


Problem : Lockups During opening movie, [ESC] takes you further into 
	  the game.

Solution : You have chosen the incorrect sound card settings or have
           an IRQ or DMA conflict with your sound card and another
	   device in your system. Verify your sound card settings
           are "conflict free" and run the SETSOUND program.
           * If the game appears to lock at a black screen at the 
	   start of the game, try pressing [ESC]. If you continue
	   to the beginning of the next movie, your sound card 
	   settings are incorrect. Run SETSOUND from the installed
	   directory.


Problem : Lockup/Problems at the joystick calibration screen

Solution :
	1)  Make sure you have only one joystick port active. If you
	    do not, you may have a joystick port conflict.  Resolve 
	    and retry.
	2)  Remove the joystick completely and install the game.  
	    Plug in the joystick after the game has been installed 
	    and calibrate from within the game.
	3)  Try another joystick.
	4)  If you have more than one joystick port, disable the
	    current joystick port and use the second joystick port
	    and retry.
	5)  Disable all open joystick ports and try using a speed
	    adjustable gamecard.

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[7.0]    Sound Card Issues

For Digital FX, the game supports the Sound Blaster (and 100% Sound
Blaster compatibles), Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16, Sound
Blaster AWE 32, Pro Audio Spectrum, Ensoniq Soundscape, and 
Gravis Ultrasound.

    NOTE : All sound cards are to be used in their NATIVE MODE only.
        For example, the Ensoniq Soundscape emulates the Sound Blaster.
        Yet for Digital FX, choose Ensoniq Soundscape rather than Sound
        Blaster/Compatibles.

The install program chooses the default settings of the sound card
defined by the manufacturer. Some sound cards which emulate other
sound cards may not work with Privateer 2: The Darkening. If you 
are using a sound card which is not listed as a choice in the 
installation program, please consult your sound card manufacturer
to see about getting your sound card to properly emulate one of 
the sound cards listed.

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[8.0]   DOS Drivers and Manufacturers List

Privateer 2: The Darkening is a DOS based game.  The game will work
on Windows 95 machines in a DOS shortcut that reboots the system
in MS-DOS mode.  Since the game is native to DOS, you will need DOS 
based drivers for your CD-ROM, sound card and mouse.

These drivers are normally loaded onto new computers.  In some cases,
however, you may need to contact your hardware or system manufacturer
to obtain the drivers you need to run the game.  Consult the
documentation that shipped with your computer system.  Below is a list
of contacts for several popular manufacturers.  If you have a computer
from one of the manufacturers below, and do not have DOS drivers, 
please contact them to obtain those drivers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Company		Phone Number		Web Address
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dell		1-800-624-9896		www.us.dell.com
Compaq		1-800-652-6672		www.compaq.com
Gateway		1-800-846-2301		www.gw2k.com
Packard Bell	1-800-598-3000		www.packardbell.com
Micron		1-800-877-8856		www.mei.micron.com
IBM		1-800-426-7255		www.ibm.com
NEC		1-800-632-4554		www.nec.com
Acer		1-800-445-6495		www.acer.com
Hewlett Packard	1-800-243-9812		www.hp.com
AST		1-800-727-1278		www.ast.com


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[9.0]    Miscellaneous


[9.1]   Windows 95

NOTE:  When creating a DOS reboot icon for Privateer 2: The Darkening 
you will need to have your MS-DOS Real-mode drivers available for 
your system hardware.  These drivers are necessary for your 
all of your peripherals to function correctly when rebooting
into a DOS environment. If your computer came with Windows 95 
pre-installed, these drivers may not be readily available.  Follow 
the directions in the Install guide on making a DOS reboot in 
Windows 95.  If you are unable to find certain drivers, consult 
your computer's documentation for information on how to enable 
the MS-DOS Real-mode drivers.

Q:  Can Privateer 2: The Darkening run in a Windows 95 window?  Can I 
    use Windows 95 DOS mode instead of a DOS reboot?
A:  No.  It is NOT possible for Privateer 2: The Darkening to run 
    within a Windows 95 window.  You must reboot to MS-DOS mode 
    to play the game.  


[9.2]    Disk Compression

We strongly recommend that you install Privateer 2: The Darkening onto 
an uncompressed portion of your hard drive.  Privateer 2 will not 
function properly on a compressed drive.

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[10.0]    Origin Customer Service/Technical Support

If you would like to contact Origin Technical Support, please call
512-434-HELP (4357) M-F 9:00am to 1:00 pm, 2:00pm to 5:00 pm.

    Internet : support@origin.ea.com
    Internet Web site : http://www.ea.com/origin.html
    AOL : Mail to ORIGINCS

When you call, your problem can be resolved much faster if you have
the following information :

	*   The EXACT error message displayed (very important!)

	*   A copy of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files

	*   A detailed list of the hardware and who the manufacturer is

	*   The results of a MEM /C statement

	*   Information on your sound card including the manufacturer 
            and settings

	*   Information on your video card and the manufacturer

	*   Any information you feel would be helpful

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Enjoy The Game!

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