About This Document:
This document contains last-minute information about Gabriel
Knight 3,
including questions you may have concerning the game
or your computer.
If you have a question, check to see if it is addressed
here first: you
may save yourself a call to Technical Support.
I. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
II. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
III. GENERAL GAME ISSUES
IV. 3D HARDWARE ISSUES
V. SOUND HARDWARE ISSUES
VI. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
VII. CONTACTING SIERRA
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
WITH 3D ACCELERATOR (with 4MB+ of video RAM)
Windows 95, Windows 98
Pentium 166+, 32 MB RAM,
SVGA, high color (16-bit)
4x CD-ROM drive
Windows-compatible sound card
Mouse, keyboard
WITHOUT 3D ACCLERATOR
Windows 95, Windows 98
Pentium 233+, 32 MB RAM,
SVGA, high color (16-bit)
4x CD-ROM drive
Windows-compatible sound card
Mouse, keyboard
GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
ALT-TABBING
Numerous issues have popped up when alt-tabbing between
the game and
other applications. It can, depending on you system configuration
and
applications running, crash the game. We recommend not
alt-tabbing. Some
card specific issues will be listed under Hardware Issues
below. On a
Voodoo 2, alt-tabbing and opening the display properties
in Windows
while the game is running will lock up the game. We also
recommend NOT
running other applications while playing the game.
OBJECTS FLASHING OR DISAPPEARING
If models (characters, chairs, papers, etc...) disappear
when the camera
is NOT moving, go into the Graphic options under Right
Click Toolbar
Options button, and disable Incremental Rendering.
OVERLAPPING DIALOGUE OR PAUSES IN THE GAME
Some CD-ROMs spin down very quickly, which may cause GK3
to freeze
periodically during conversations or other scripted sequences.
The
problem is that GK3 streams data from the CD, but at
a slow enough rate
that many newer CD-ROMs will choose to spin down, only
to be required to
spin back up to read some more data again right away.
The system may
freeze during this time. There are two workarounds to
this problem:
1. Copy more '.brn' files to the "Data" subdirectory
of GK3's
installation path on the hard
drive so they are not read from CD:
day123.brn, day1.brn, day23.brn,
day2.brn, and day3.brn can all be
copied to boost performance.
2. Run the registry and go to the
"HKCU\Software\Sierra On-Line\Gabriel
Knight 3\Resources"
key - add a DWORD value called
"Fast Spin Down" and set it to 1.
Option 1 will require hard drive space but if it's available,
that is
the best option. Option 2 will require more system memory
and may cause
longer pauses at the start of each conversation or sequence,
but does
not involve copying any files.
DUAL MONITOR SYSTEMS
The game should be played on the primary video card of
any system that
has dual monitors. If you play on the secondary video
card, you may
experience problems with the cursor leaving trails.
WAIT CURSOR INTERUPTING GAMEPLAY
The spinning wait cursor may continually interrupt gameplay.
We have
seen this happen when the frame rate becomes extremely
low (less than 2
frames per second). If this occurs, try dropping the
texture quality to
low.
WIN98
The game has exhibited no problems while running under
Win98 systems
that have all the latest patches applied. If you have
not updated your
version of Win 98 lately, please visit the Windows Update
page at
www.windowsupdate.com and download all of the critical
patches.
MOUSE TRAILS (ASYNCHRONOUS MOUSE)
Some systems may have problems with GK3's asynchronous
mouse. This
feature speeds up the perceived frame rate by updating
the mouse cursor
more frequently than the 3D display. However, some systems
(including
betas of Windows 2000 and multiple-monitor setups) may
leave flashing
cursors behind on the screen as you move the mouse. To
disable the
asynchronous mouse feature, run regedit.exe and go to
the registry key
"HKCU\Software\Sierra On-Line\Gabriel Knight 3"
and create a new key called "Debug". Under this key create
a new DWORD
value called "GEngine DisableAsyncMouse" and set its
value to 1.
POOR PERFORMANCE DUE TO FRAGMENTED HARD DRIVE
We make heavy usage of the system page file, plus a fragmented
drive can
seriously affect the performance of resource files. To
defragment your
hard drive and page file, do the following:
1. Right click on My Computer. Choose Properties
and then the
Performance tab. Click the Virtual
Memory button, and choose "Let
me specify my own virtual memory
settings", then check the box for
"Disable virtual memory". Shutdown
and restart Windows.
2. Run the Disk Defragmenter (available from the
Start menu at
Program -> Accessories -> System
Tools), and follow the
instructions given by the program
to defragment your system drive.
3. Right click on My Computer. Choose Properties
and then the
Performance tab. Click the Virtual
Memory button, and uncheck the
box for "Disable virtual memory
settings", then set the option back
to "Let Windows manage my virtual
memory settings". Shutdown and
restart Windows.
NIGHTMARE PLATINUM ONLY PLAYS SOUND
There are two versions of this movie. One is compressed
with Quicktime
4.0 and the other is compressed with MPEG. If you do
not have either of
these codecs the video portion will not play. Please
check the Apple
Web page for Quicktime 4.0.
GENERAL GAME ISSUES
SETUP/UNINSTALL ISSUE
Uninstall will only remove files that were copied during
the install
process. All other files, such as save games, screen
shots, will remain
on the hard drive until the user removes them.
MOVIE SOUNDS STILL PLAY WHEN SOUND IS MUTED
The movie player used by GK3 does not allow for the sound
to be
disabled. If you mute the sounds under the sound options,
all sounds
will still play in the movies.
UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES
1. Clicking the middle mouse button is the same
as hitting the escape
key. You can use this as a quick
"skip" button for sequences and
walks.
2. Ctrl-left click will inspect/uninspect objects
(even in inventory).
3. While holding down the left button to move the
camera, also hold
down the right button to get
the same "strafing" effect as the ctrl
key.
4. While holding down the left button to move the
camera, also hold
down the middle button to get
a special "flying" effect (this has
no key equivalent).
RESOLUTION
Gabriel Knight 3 supports the following resolutions: 640x480,
800x600,
1024x768. If your card supports these resolutions they
will appear in
the list box under the Graphics Options on the Right
Click Toolbar.
DIALOGUE OVERLAPPING
Certain dialogue lines will overlap by design. If it is
happening
everywhere, turn the texture quality to low. This should
reduce any
delays due to camera cuts. See "OVERLAPPING DIALOGUE
OR PAUSES IN THE
GAME" above.
NIGHT SCENES LOOK LIKE DAYTIME
Setting the lighting to low will make the night scenes
look like
daytime.
TWO CLICKS REQUIRED TO FIRE OFF AN ACTION
We have found, from time to time, that it takes two clicks
to fire off
an action. Click on a verb chooser icon, Gabe or Grace
will walk to a
position and stop, click again and they will do the action.
3D HARDWARE ISSUES
Gabriel Knight 3 uses Direct 3D, and should work on any
card (with 4MB
or more) that has Direct 3D 6.1 drivers and can render
textured
triangles.
The latest release of DirectX, version 6.1, is included
on the Gabriel
Knight 3 CD 1. It should be automatically installed as
part of the
Gabriel Knight 3 installation process. If you need to
reinstall at a
later time, open the DirectX folder on your Gabriel Knight
3
installation CD and run dxsetup.exe.
Make sure you have the latest versions of the device drivers
and BIOS
updates for your display hardware. Most graphics card
vendors make them
freely available on the Internet. We've found that this
will solve most
problems with Gabriel Knight 3.
Graphic configuration is set on the Advanced Graphics
Options on the
Right Click Toolbar in Gabriel Knight 3.
The following section explains the known driver and compatibility
issues
for specific chipsets at the time of Gabriel Knight 3's
shipping. If you
have any questions about which chipset is incorporated
in your graphics
card, consult the documentation that accompanied your
card, or contact
the card manufacturer.
3DFX RUSH
With the current drivers, Gabriel Knight 3 supports the
Voodoo rush in
software mode only. Check with 3DFX for an updated driver
that offers
support for Gabriel Knight 3.
3DFX VOODOO 1
Gamma can not be changed from within Gabriel Knight 3.
In order to set
the gamma for these cards, you need to exit the game,
go to the Windows
control panel (right click on the desktop background),
and select the
Display applet. Choose the Voodoo tab, and adjust the
gamma control.
Be sure to get the latest drivers from your card manufacturer
or
directly from the 3DFX site.
3DFX VOODOO 2
Alt-tabbing and opening the display properties in Windows
while the game
is running will lock up the game. This is a driver issue
that 3DFx is
aware of. Before changing the Windows display settings,
save and exit
the game.
Gamma can not be changed from within Gabriel Knight 3.
In order to set
the gamma for these cards, you need to exit the game,
go to the Windows
control panel (right click on the desktop background),
and select the
Display applet. Choose the Voodoo 2 tab, and adjust the
gamma control.
If the intro video runs choppy, updating to the latest
drivers will
solve the problem.
The cursor may get lost on the right and bottom side of
the screen as a
side effect of alt-tabbing.
Be sure to get the latest drivers from your card manufacturer
or
directly from the 3DFX site.
3DFX VOODOO 3
When the game is run at a different resolution than the
desktop,
alt-tabbing may result in only the top left portion of
the desktop
being visible. To work around the problem, run the game
at the same
resolution that your desktop is set to.
3DFX BANSHEE
Be sure to get the latest drivers from your card manufacturer
or
directly from the 3DFX site.
When running with the latest drivers, you may experience
some shadow
distortions on walls/doors. Setting lighting level to
low will correct
this.
3DLABS PERMEDIA 2
Alt-tabbing away for a long time causes items to flash.
If this is
occuring, please update your Permedia 2 card's BIOS and
drivers.
The Windows task bar may show through the game window.
Updating your
Permedia 2 card's BIOS and drivers will solve the problem.
If items are flickering in the game when the camera is
NOT moving, turn
off incremental rendering on the Graphic Options of the
Right Click
Toolbar.
ACCELGRAPHICS ACCELSTAR2 (3DLABS PERMEDIA 2)
Movie playback is choppy when playing in software on the
AccelStar2.
ATI ALL-IN-WONDER RAGE PRO
Please download the latest drivers (version 4.11.2560,
dated 5/21/99).
ATI RAGE SERIES
If distant objects look foggy or hazy, disable mip-mapping
on the
Graphics Options of the Right Click Toolbar.
ATI 3D RAGE II
This card does not support Direct X 6, 6.1, 6.1a, or 7
D3D hardware
acceleration. The game will not run on this card in harware
mode.
DIAMOND FIRE GL 1000
This card does not have DirectX 6 drivers. Gabriel Knight
3 supports
the FireGL in software mode only.
HERCULES TERMINATOR BEAST (S3 SAVAGE 3D)
This card will lock up from time to time if you have an
Intel LX
motherboard. If you do not have an LX motherboard and
still experience
lock ups, download the latest (BETA) drivers from the
S3 web page. We
have found that version 6.13.28 will clear up these periodic
lock ups.
MATROX MILLENNIUM II
We recommend playing in software on these cards.
To do so, look under the troubleshooting folder and use
the GK3 software
shortcut to start the game. If you would like to use
a secondary card
(such as a Voodoo), edit the shortcut so that the target
entry reads as
follows:
"C:\Sierra\Gabriel
Knight 3\GK3.exe" -secondary
NVIDIA TNT
If the bottom half of the screen is flashing, updating
to the latest
driver and BIOS (from nVidia’s web page) will clear this
up.
S3 VIRGE
Gabriel Knight 3 supports the Virge in software mode only.
S3 TRIO V2
Gabriel Knight 3 supports the Trio V2 in software mode
only.
S3 TRIO 64V2-DX/GX
Gabriel Knight 3 will not run on this card.
TRIDENT 9660
Gabriel Knight 3 will not run on this card.
SOUND HARDWARE ISSUES
AUREAL A3D
After playing the game for an extended period, users with
Aureal A3D
soundcards and chipsets may experience Windows "blue
screen" crashes.
You will be allowed to continue playing by hitting any
key, but all 3D
sound will be played back as 2D sound, thus some sounds
will be
extremely loud (footsteps, fountains, birds, etc.). If
this happens, we
recommend you save your game, and reboot your machine
before proceeding.
This crash is due to a problem with Aureal's A3D drivers.
CRYSTAL AUDIO PNP (OEM)
On an IBM Aptiva (which has an onboard OEM Crystal Audio
PNP sound card)
we've heard intermittent sound squelches.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What can I do if the game is too dark?.
Some monitors are darker than others, but Gabriel
Knight 3 provides
controls to correct this problem. You will need
to adjust the gamma
settings under Graphics Options on the Right Click
Toolbar. This is
used to adjust the game's display for different
kinds of monitors and
room brightness. If this still doesn't work, you
then may need to
adjust the brightness and contrast of your monitor.
This is usually
done by adjusting buttons or knobs on the front
of your monitor, but
all monitors are a bit different so you may want
to look through your
monitors documentation to be sure.
Some places in the game are intentionally dark,
and turning up the
gamma too much can ruin these scenes. Some graphics
cards also have
support for controlling how bright the display
is. If your card's
device driver supports this, you can find it by
going to the Windows
control panel, and selecting the Display applet.
Some hardware cards
do not allow hardware gamma correction. In this
case the gamma slider
will be disabled on the Right Click Toolbar when
running with 3D
acceleration.
What can I do if the game looks washed out?
The most likely cause is that your monitor is slightly
brighter than
average and the default game settings are for
a darker monitor. You
will need to adjust the gamma settings under Graphics
Options on the
Right Click Toolbar. This is used to adjust the
game's display for
different kinds of monitors and room brightness.
If this still doesn't
work, you then may need to adjust the brightness
and contrast of your
monitor. This is usually done by adjusting buttons
or knobs on the
front of your monitor, but all monitors are a
bit different so you may
want to look through your monitors documentation
to be sure.
The most common problem, especially on new computers,
is that "black"
isn't showing up as black, but more of a dark
gray. Turn the contrast
down on your monitor until the borders around
the edges of the picture
are totally black, then slowly turn it back up
until it just before it
starts getting visibly lighter. You may need to
adjust your monitors
brightness back up after you do this. Some graphics
cards also have
support for controlling how bright the display
is. If your card's
device driver supports this, you can find it by
going to the Windows
control panel, and selecting the Display applet.
Some hardware cards
do not allow hardware gamma correction. In this
case the gamma slider
will be disabled on the Right Click Toolbar when
running with 3D
acceleration.
CONTACTING SIERRA
A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
B) Technical Support
C) Sierra Warranty & Legal Information
A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
---------------------------------------
United States
U.S.A. Sales Phone: (800) 757-7707
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
International Sales: (425) 746-5771
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 AM to 4 PM PST
FAX: (916) 939-1010
Sierra Direct
P O Box 629001
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762-9972
Email: customer.support@sierra.com
http://www.sierra.com
United Kingdom
Havas Interactive
Main: (0118) 920-9111
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fax: (0118) 987-5603
Disk/CD replacements in the U.K. are £6.00,
or £7.00 outside the UK. Add "ATTN.: Returns."
2 Beacontree Plaza
Gillette Way
Reading, Berkshire
RG2 0BS United Kingdom
France
Havas Interactive
Téléphone: 01-46-01-46-50
Lundi au Jeudi de 10h à 19h
Vendredi de 10h à 18h
Fax: 01-46-30-00-65
Parc Tertiaire de Meudon
Immeuble "Le Newton"
25 rue Jeanne Braconnier
92366 Meudon La Forêt Cedex
France
Germany
Havas Interactive
Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40
Montag bis Freitag von 9h - 19Uhr
Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35
Robert-Bosh-Str. 32
D-63303 Dreieich
Germany
On-Line Sales
CompuServe United Kingdom: GO UKSIERRA
CompuServe France:
GO FRSIERRA
CompuServe Germany:
GO DESIERRA
Internet USA:
http://www.sierra.com
Internet United Kingdom: http://www.sierra-online.co.uk
Internet France:
http://www.sierra.fr
Internet Germany:
http://www.sierra.de
Disk and or Manual Replacement:
Product Returns*:
Havas Interactive
Sierra On-Line Returns
4100 West 190th Street
Torrance, CA 90504
Havas Interactive
Sierra On-Line CD/Doco Replacement
4100 West 190th Street
Torrance, CA 90504
NOTE: To replace your cd(s) please send only the damaged
cd and copy of
your dated Receipt, if less then 90 days. After 90 days
please include a
$10.00 handling fee along with the cd(s). For Documentation
replacement,
please include a $5.00 handling fee and a photocopy ONLY
of either your
disk or cd. Payment should be made at the time of your
request. Sorry,
no credit cards.
* Returns to this address valid in North America only.
B) Technical Support
--------------------
North America
Sierra On-Line offers a 24-hour automated technical support
line with
recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical
questions. To
access this service, call (425) 644-4343, and follow
the recorded
instructions to find your specific topic and resolve
the issue. If this
fails to solve your problem, you may still write, or
fax us with your
questions, or contact us via our Web site.
Sierra On-Line
Technical Support
P.O. Box 85006
Bellevue, WA 98015-8506
Main: (425) 644-4343
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 4:45 p.m. PST
Fax: (425) 644-7697
http://www.sierra.com
support@sierra.com
United Kingdom
Havas Interactive offers a 24-hour Automated Technical
Support line with
recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical
questions. To
access this service, call (0118) 920-9111, and follow
the recorded
instructions to find your specific topic and resolve
the issue. If this
fails to solve your problem, you may still write, or
fax us with your
questions, or contact us via our Internet or CompuServe
sites.
Havas Interactive
2 Beacontree Plaza,
Gillette Way,
Reading, Berkshire
RG2 0BS United Kingdom
Main: (0118) 920-9111
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fax: (0118) 987-5603
http://www.sierra-online.co.uk
France
Havas Interactive
Parc Tertiaire de Meudon
Immeuble "Le Newton"
25 rue Jeanne Braconnier
92366 Meudon La Forêt Cedex
France
Téléphone: 01-46-01-46-50
Lundi au Jeudi de 10h à 19h
Vendredi de 10h à 18h
Fax: 01-46-30-00-65
http://www.sierra.fr
Germany
Havas Interactive
Robert-Bosh-Str. 32
D-63303 Dreieich
Deutschland
Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40
Montag bis Freitag von 9 - 19Uhr
Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35
Mailbox: (0) 6103-99-40-35
http://www.sierra.de
Spain
Havas Interactive
Avenida de Burgos 9
1º-OF2
28036 Madrid
Spain
Teléfono: (01) 383-2623
Lunes a Viernes de 9h30 a 14h y de 15h a 18h30
Fax: (01) 381-2437
Italy
Contattare il vostro distribotore.
C) Sierra Warranty & Legal Information
--------------------------------------
Sierra's end user license agreement, limited warranty
and return policy
is set forth in the EULA.txt, found on the CD, and is
also available
during the install of the product.
Copyright (1999 Sierra On-Line, Inc.)
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