Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty Readme

Introduction:
Thank you for purchasing Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty. These new missions
are a standalone product, you can play it even if you don't have the original g
ame Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines installed on your computer.
This readme provides additional gameplay and technical support information.
System Requirements:
Windows 95/98
DX6 and DXMEDIA installed
225 MB of Hard Drive Space
P166 or greater processor
32MB RAM
2MB SVGA card completely DX6 compatible
Multiplayer
Commandos operates on TCP\IP LANs. It is NOT designed for direct Internet play.
The exception, Commandos will operate on the Mplayer Internet gaming service.
Commandos will run optimally if all Multiplayer systems are using P200+ processo
rs.
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty will not run on Windows NT and was not design
ed to run on Laptops.
Setup and Installation
To best prepare your system to run the game, please follow this procedure:
1. Run SCANDISK (Programs/Accessories) on your hard drive
2. Run DEFRAG (Programs/Accessories) on your hard drive
3. Run a quality virus scanner on your hard drive
4. Make sure that you have at least 200MB free on the hard drive that will
contain the game files (the extra 75 MB is for your Win95 swap file).
To install Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty to your hard drive:
1. Place the Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty CD in your CD-ROM drive.
2. After a few seconds, the Autorun Menu will come on screen. Select the Instal
l option. If this menu does not appear, click the Start button, select Run and
type D:\SETUP.EXE (where D is the letter of CD-ROM drive), and then click OK.
3. The program will detect whether you have certified DirectX 6 drivers which al
low Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty to run properly under all configurations.
Your current drivers may be updated as necessary.
4. The Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty installation routine will then install
the game files to your hard drive. At the end of the installation, you may be
prompted to Restart your computer.
5. Click the Play button on the Autorun Menu or select Commandos: Beyond the Cal
l of Duty shortcut in the Eidos Interactive/Pyro Studios/ folder in the Start Me
nu to begin the game.

Uninstalling Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty

You should use the Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty uninstall program, which c
an be found in the Start Menu>Eidos Interactive>Pyro Studios>Commandos: Beyond t
he Call of Duty.
Select the Start Menu, Program Files, Eidos Interactive, and Commandos: Beyond
the Call of Duty. This makes sure that all Windows associated fields are removed
.
You can also use the ADD/REMOVE Control Panel Applet to remove the game.
Copy Protection
To deter piracy, Commandos has been copy protected against mass duplication. Fr
om this procedure, there is a possibility (less than 1% of users) that during ga
meplay, the CD ROM may not be able to read the CD. The cause of this "usually"
relates to a CD ROM drive that is below specification, an older model, or is mis
calibrated from heavy use.
If you should experience a problem reading this CD, please try this option. Ope
n your CONTROL PANEL, then select SYSTEM, then choose PERFORMANCE, and then clic
k on the FILE SYSTEM button. Then choose CD-ROM, and change the Supplemental Ca
che Size for the CD drive to 470k (the half way mark between small and large).

Features not listed in the Manual

General
1. Quick Save Feature
When using Profiles for different users save games please note that the "Quick S
ave" option will overwrite any other quick saves previously made by other users.

Multiplayer
1. All Users Need Game CD.
The FIRST person to log into the server will be designated the HOST and MUST hav
e the CD to proceed. .
2. Server limitation for High Latency User (Ping)
When the user connects to the server, server will ping user, if ping is greater
than 300ms, the user will NOT be allowed to join. We have implemented this mini
mum to prevent high latency users from adversely affecting the game speed.
In the lobby, the user is shown this text - "Your connection at this time is to
slow to properly play Commandos. Please try again later."
This applies only to user created network games. It "should" alleviate most lat
ency related game problems on networks by preventing high bandwidth users from e
ntering.
You are able to customize the ping filter at the command line. To do so, run th
e dedicated server executable with the command line argument -ping (# of ms). F
or example, "mpserver.exe -ping 200" will set the maximum ping to 200ms.
3. End Game Record Screen
After a successfully completion of a Multiplayer game, the users will be returne
d to the chat lobby. There they will receive a brief summary of their game.
Mission name
Player names
Time to finish (listed as #H #M #S, for Hours, Minutes, Seconds)
Please note, the time to finish is by no means a comparison indicator. No matte
r how fast you complete the mission, if your team runs P166 systems and your riv
als run on PII systems, they will have the speed and time advantage. This is th
e best we could do in the limited amount of time. Our advice is to play by the
honor system and use a system speed handicap.
4. Menu options
Player that is HOST, has name shown in red text
Commando selection screen - once selected by user, that Commando cannot be taken
unless original person gives up control
Mission selection - only missions listed are those that equal or greater than pl
ayer number
During a game, is Host presses ESC, RESTART GAME has been added
Master cannot start game unless ALL players have chosen a Commando (Commando Sel
ection)
5. Chat Feature changes
Allow text erase with BACKSPACE KEY
Z = CHAT WINDOW OPENED
CTRL + Z = CHAT WINDOW CLOSED
Player name text is shown in RED
Player chat text is shown in BLACK
Send messages to specific players. To use this feature, type in the number of t
he Commando with a space after the number, and then type in the message. For ex
ample, if you type "1 Shoot the barrel", the message will be sent to the player
controlling Tiny, the Green Beret. Here is a list of the Commandos and their as
sociated numbers:
1) Green Beret - Jack "Butcher" OHara
2) Sniper - Sir Francis "Duke" Woolridge
3) Marine - James "Fins" Blackwood
4) Sapper - Thomas "Fireman" Hancock
5) Driver - Samuel "Brooklyn"
6) Spy - Rene "Frenchy" Dechamp
7) Partisan Officer - Dragisa Skopja
8) Dutch Contact - Natasha "Lips" Van Der Zand
6. Out of Sync players
During a game, if a player leaves a game or is out of sync, users are returned t
o Commando selection screen and shown this message: "player name has left the ga
me"

Mplayer Service
Through both Eidos Games and Mplayer, Commandos can be played over the Internet
with reasonable speed. Mplayer offers fast connection and advanced Multiplayer
gameplay features. You must first install the Mplayer client software and the g
izmo program before you play on the service.
You will need to have a connection to the Internet via an ISP (Internet Service
Provider) like Mindspring.

Troubleshooting
Video Issues
The game's default resolution is 640x480 at 16bit color depth. For most users,
this resolution offers the best speed and character size. The higher the resolu
tion, the sharper but smaller the graphics. Additionally, the game will scroll
and play slower. 1024x768 resolution is only recommended for users of Pentium I
I systems with 19+ inch monitors.
Commandos uses DirectDraw acceleration. It does not use D3D or any 3D accelerat
ion. Therefore, if you have a fast 2D-video card, you can use 800x600 resolutio
n with little slowdown.
Problems:
Problem: Cannot view videos or no sound in videos
Solution: This is most likely a 2D-video card issue. If you are using older dri
vers that are not fully DX6 compatible, this could the cause. Please update you
r video card drivers. Additionally, please verify that you have ActiveMovie an
d/or mediaplayer installed.
Problem: The game moves very slowly when I move the screen.
Solution: Try changing the in game resolution to a lower setting.
Problem: When I zoom in the map, the characters and buildings look splotchy and
blocky.
Solution: The game graphics are 2D sprites that look best at a certain distance
. Getting too close reveals the small squares they were created with. Use the
numerical * to reset the screen.
If you are using an S3 Virge based video card, it is IMPERATIVE that you update
your drivers to DX6 compatible versions.
Sound Issues
It is important that you install the latest drivers. If you hear sound that con
tains static or popping, it probably is one of two reasons. First, you soundcar
d volume is too high. You need to reduce the WAVE and MIDI volume settings to h
alf. The other reason is a DMA conflict with the card and another device. Clic
k on START MENU>SETTINGS>CONTROL PANEL>SYSTEM then access Device Manager. Click
on each hardware tree (+) and make sure no "!" marks or red Xs appear. If they
do, you will need to change the settings of the device.
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty requires that you have a sound card, which fu
lly supports DirectX 6 If you are getting loud static popping, or get no sound
effects at all, you will need to update your sound card drivers to drivers that
are compatible with DirectX 6. Please note that some sound card manufacturers d
o not have DirectX 6 compatible drivers yet. Until there is a driver available,
you can try reducing the Wave volume in Volume Control. Double-click on the sm
all speaker on the Windows task tray to open Volume Control. If you hear no sou
nd or no music, make sure ALL volume sliders are placed at 75% full volume.
CD ROM Issues
Some users have non-recognized Win95 32bit drivers or the CD is not properly ins
talled. This results in an aborted installation or not being able to see all th
e CD's data contents when accessed.
The best action to take is a reinstallation of the CD ROM driver. Get it from t
he manufacturer. If you cannot, use a generic cd driver from Adaptec (go to the
ir website).
If you have a computer system with more than 1 CD-ROM drive, or a CD changer - C
ommandos: Beyond the Call of Duty runs most efficiently when the CD is in the fi
rst CD-ROM drive. The game will run in any of the CD drives, but you may experi
ence some slowdown. Depending on your hardware configuration, the game will som
etimes try to stream data from the primary CD drive. In order to get the best p
erformance, we recommend using the first occurring CD-ROM drive (or slot if a mu
lti-changer) with Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty.
DirectX Issues
Commandos does not use D3D or any accelerated graphics API. It does use Direct
Draw and Direct Play. YOU MUST HAVE A PROPER INSTALLATION OF DIRECT X 6+ and DX
MEDIA to run the game. To verify that you do, go to START MENU>SETTINGS>CONTROL
PANEL>ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS. (Note: if you have a DirectX icon in your Control P
anel - click on it.) Once there select Direct X drivers and then click on the Ad
d/Remove tab. A listing of your DirectX installation will appear.
Career Ranking System
There are two variables to be considered:
1. Sustained damage - You will have 60 points at the start of the mission Each t
ime you are injured you lose health and some points. If you maintain:
Between 50 and 60 points, you will have 3 silver stars
Between 40 and 50 points, 2 silver stars
Between 30 and 40, 1 star
Below 30 no stars, No soup for you!
2. Time consumed - According to CPU speed (to avoid differences between fast and
slow computers) we will measure the time it takes your to complete the main mis
sion objective. You will have:
3 silver stars if you do it fast (close to our testers)
2 if you are just ok. (up to 20% more time)
1 if you are a tad slow (up to 40% more time)
0 if you need more training
Then, your stars are averaged (i.e. 2 silver for damage, and 2 silver for time =
1 gold) and then you are awarded the result in gold stars. Each time you earn
6 stars you are promoted 1 rank. The ranks are as follows:
1. Lance-Corporal (Start)
2. Corporal
3. Sergeant
4. Quartermaster
5. Lieutenant
6. Captain
7. Major
8. Colonel
9. Brigadier
10. General
11. Field-Marshal (You are the best and could easily write the Strategy Guid
e!)
Multiplayer Game
To play the network game, the TCP/IP Protocol must be enabled for all users.
The recommended minimum system for the Multiplayer game is:
P200 with 32 MB RAM
Cyrix chip based systems WILL run slower than their Intel equivalent during the
Network game. This is due to the FPU performance of the chip.
If all variables "seem" right and yet you still are getting poor performance, it
is probably due to one system in the configuration that is dragging down the pe
rformance of the others. The server runs at the lowest system connection speed.
Modem or Serial Link support is NOT available in this game.
IPX NETWORK protocol is NOT supported.
SETUP NOTES:
1. Faster gameplay can be achieved by starting a dedicated server (multipla
yer server menu option). This means locating the fastest system, installing the
game, starting the server, and then getting the IP Address and giving it to the
clients.
2. If the Host chooses to run the server in the background, this is possibl
e, but latency will increase by 10-20%.
3. All users will need the game CD.
4. There is no automatic LAN/WAN server search, Clients need to manually en
ter the IP Address of the server.
5. Playing Commandos over the Internet is gutsy call. Generally if you and
your clients live in a country will excellent phone lines or you and your chums
have a 56k+ connection, you can play the game with efficiency. If you do not,
play at your own risk OR ask your kind boss if you can play at the office.
GAME NOTES:
1. If you lose a Commando, you will need to restart.
2. We know this kind of stinks, but for the host, we do have QUICK SAVE and
LOAD enabled - So save often!
3. Pressing "Z" activates the chat window. CTRL+Z closes the chat window.
Backspace deletes text. Enter sends it to the other players.
4. You will have access to all 20 game missions. Available missions are lis
ted according to the number of human players.
5. Multiplayer Game resolution is set at 640x480.
Playing on a Network
The submenu " MULTIPLAYER GAME" can be found in the "NEW GAME" menu in Commandos
. This option allows you to connect to a network game or Internet server that is
awaiting the arrival of new players. In order to be able to play a multiplayer
game, there must be a computer in the network that is acting as the Server. To
act as server, a computer must be running the Multiplayer Server application tha
t is provided in the Commandos Start Menu folder. This program is accessible fro
m the Start menu next to the game, and is called "Multiplayer server".
When running Multiplayer Server, a window will display the IP address of the com
puter in which the application is running. Those players who wish to join a new
game session with that computer, as a server must know this address and specify
it when connecting. The first person who connects to the server will be the HOS
T for that game. The Host specifies mission details for the game.
As soon as a game server computer is running, following these steps can create a
multiplayer session:
FIRST STEP: the players connect to the server
When a player selects " MULTIPLAYER GAME " from the "NEW GAME " submenu in Comma
ndos, the following window will be displayed:
Select server
The option "SERVER IP ADDRESS" permits you to indicate the IP address of the ser
ver (you must type it in). As we have seen above, this is the address shown by t
he Commandos program Multiplayer Server when it is run in the computer that will
be used as the server. When this option is selected for the first time, the add
ress is displayed as IP 0.0.0.0. Select the IP option and press Enter to type i
n the Host IP address. Once you have typed one in, the address will be kept in a
configuration file and will be set by default each time you enter Commandos. If
in another game session, the server should change, all the players will need to
re-enter the new IP address before connecting.
Select player name
In the option "PLAYER NAME" each player will enter a name or nickname that ident
ifies him. This name will appear later on the list of connected players and unde
r the photos of the soldiers in the Commandos selection screen. The first time y
ou will see DEFAULT as the name of the player, but once you have typed in a name
, it will be kept in a configuration file and will be the default name each time
you start Commandos. If two different players were to use the same name, the ga
me server would accept this, but this is a situation that should be avoided.
Connection to the server and player inscription
The option "CONNECT TO GAME SERVER" will check to see whether a game session has
begun in the server and will attempt to join it. The first player to connect to
the server will be considered from then on as the Master, and his menus will ha
ve some additional options. In any case, once a player has activated the option
"CONNECT TO GAME SERVER", the following menu will appear in his computer:
In the computer of the Master player (the first player to connect) the word MAST
ER will be displayed to the right of the word "Players", and in the last line th
ere will be a Select mission button which is not available to the other players.
It is only possible to join a Multiplayer session while the Master is in the scr
een called "Players". Once the Master has selected a mission by using the Select
mission option, the group of players will be closed and it will no longer be po
ssible to join that game session.
If at the time the option "CONNECT TO GAME SERVER" is activated, the program Mul
tiplayer Server is not running in the server, or the sign-up phase for players h
as finished, the "close session" warning will appear in the message window.
The line labeled "Players" is informative and shows how many players are connect
ed to this game. Their names appear on the list that is displayed below "Players
", which means that the number of players is equal to the number of names that a
ppear on that list. When it is the Master who enters the game, the number of pla
yers shown is 1 and on the list there will be just his name.
Next, you will see a chat box for dialogue among the players, followed by a line
on which each player can write his own messages. When someone, from his compute
r, sends a message (and ends that message by pressing Enter), his phrase will ap
pear on the player message list, proceeded by the name (or nickname) of the tran
smitting player. In this stage, for example, the Master can use the message wind
ow to warn everyone that he is about to select a Mission.
During the player sign-up phase, any player may use the option "Exit" to disconn
ect from the network game and return to the Main Menu. This will remove him from
the list as a player in this game session. If it is the Master who does this, t
hen another connected player will inherit this role.
Finally, the option "Select mission", only available in the Master's computer, c
loses the player admissions phase and begin the next phase: selecting the missio
n.
System Messages during a network game session
The message window will also display, in all network game menus, the messages is
sued by the system that will have a different color than the players' messages.
These messages include, for example, those that advise of the success or failure
of a mission. When any of these circumstances occurs, in all computers there wi
ll appear a menu window with the message issued by the system in the list of mes
sages.
Second step: the Master selects a mission
When the Master considers that there are enough players and selects the option "
Select mission", the following menu will appear in all the computers.
The new menu will show on the top line the number of players that are connected
and how many missions can be selected. Then it shows a list of the available mis
sions. These missions will be the ones in which there are at least as many allie
d soldiers assigned, as there are players involved.
The message exchange window is still on display in this menu so that it is possi
ble for players to communicate with each other during this stage. Just as in the
previous menu, all the players can still select the option "Exit" to leave the
game session, although it will no longer be possible for new players to join.
Finally, the option "Accept mission", only available to the Master, closes the m
ission selection stage and moves on to the next one, which is the selection of t
he Commandos. The mission that has been selected by the Master from among the av
ailable missions will be loaded in the computers of all the players, and will th
en proceed to the next screen.
Third step: the players select their commandos
Once the mission has been selected, a screen like this one will appear in all co
mputers:
This is the last step before starting to play. The message exchange window is st
ill on display in this menu so that it is still possible for players to communic
ate with each other during this stage.
Now you will see a gallery of photographs of the Commandos who participate in th
e selected mission. When a player clicks on one of the photographs, his name wil
l be displayed under that portrait. This soldier will now "belong" to that playe
r, and will be controlled by him during the game (the other players will not be
able to give him orders). A second click on a character that "belongs" to you wi
ll cancel your selection, leaving the character free to be selected by any of th
e other players in the game.
A player will only be allowed to select the number of Commandos to which he is "
entitled". For example: If there are 4 players and 4 characters, then each playe
r will have the right to one character. If, however, there are 4 players and 5 C
ommandos, one of the players may select two characters, but once this happens, t
he other players will only be able to select one.
Once all the characters have been assigned to a player, and only then, will the
Master be able to select the option "Continue" (an option that is only available
to the Master). The Master also has the exclusive option "Select mission", whic
h allows him to return to the mission selection window.
When the Master selects the option "Continue", the Multiplayer game will begin.
Menu display during a Multiplayer game session
In a game for a single player, if he presses Escape during the game, he will ret
urn to the Main Menu. In a Multiplayer game, however, it will be enough for a si
ngle player to press Escape for the game to be interrupted for all the connected
players, and for the character selection window to appear.
While this window is being displayed, any player can cancel the selection of a c
haracter, leaving him free to be used by another player. It is also possible to
select a character that has been abandoned by another player, exchange messages,
or leave the game session by selecting the option Exit. In that case, all the c
haracters selected by the "deserter" will be free to be selected by the remainin
g players.
The character selection window will also reappear during the course of the game
if a player abandons the game, or if the communication of this player with the r
emainder of the network is interrupted for any reason. In this case, the remaini
ng players must take charge of the characters that have become free.
It will not be possible to continue the game while there are free characters (no
t selected by any player).
During the reappearance of the character selection menu, the Master will also be
able to change the mission, by using the option "Select mission". Just like in
previous stages, if the Master is disconnected, someone will have to take over h
is role.
The Master ONLY can save and load the game
A network game can be saved and loaded. This option is only available to the Mas
ter, and only using the options of Quick Save and Load Quick Saved Game (Control
+ S and Control + L, respectively). If the mission has been changed during the
Multiplayer game session, a game that has been saved using the Quick Save option
and corresponds to the previous mission will no longer be valid.
Continuing after the success or failure of a mission
As has been said before, any system message due to the success or failure of a m
ission will return all players to the Commandos selection screen. At that point,
the Master will be able to press the "Continue" button to continue the game. Wh
at happens next will depend on why the mission has finished:
If the mission is over, the "Continue" button will cause the mission selection m
enu to be displayed, so that the players may play another mission. If the missio
n has been finished successfully, then the next mission after the one that was b
eing played will be selected by default. If, on the other hand, the mission has
ended in failure, the option by default will be to play the failed mission again
.
If something has occurred that has led to the failure of the mission, but that p
ermits the game to continue (for example, if the escape vehicle has been destroy
ed), then the "Continue" button will permit you to continue playing the same mis
sion from the point at which it was interrupted. To play another mission or repl
ay the failed mission, the Master must select the option "Select Mission".

Technical Support
If you need technical assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us after rev
iewing the Readme file. For your convenience, if you cannot get through to a rep
resentative by phone and you have access to a fax machine or the Internet, pleas
e consider contacting us through one of these alternative methods.
When contacting us, please be sure to provide us with as much information as pos
sible. Make sure to note the exact type of hardware that you are using in your s
ystem, including: your sound card, CD-ROM drive, amount of RAM present, speed an
d manufacturer of your processor, and the specific type of modem that you are us
ing (for questions involving multiplayer gaming). Also, make sure to include th
e title and version of the game, and a detailed description of the problem.
We have two great Technical Support teams, one in the United States and the othe
r in the United Kingdom. Our European customers should contact the UK office.
Technical Support Phone Number
EUROPE - 0121 356 0831
EUROPEAN Technical Support Email Address
Techsupport@eidosnet.co.uk
Hints and tips will not be given out over the Technical Support line, please cal
l the Eidos Hint Line.