                                        RED HELL

                                       Version 1.2

                                      README NOTES
                                        01/22/94

                              THANK YOU FOR BUYING RED HELL





              PLEASE READ THESE NOTES COMPLETELY BEFORE INSTALLING RED HELL





                                        CONTENTS

             * 1 *  OPTIMIZE YOUR HARD DRIVE FOR FASTEST PLAY

             * 2 *  STARTING THE GAME

             * 3 *  SOUND CARD SUPPORT AND CONFLICTS

             * 4 *  CRASHES AND WHAT TO DO

             * 5 *  CHANGING SOUND CARDS OR TURNING OFF SOUND

             * 6 *  USING THE PC SPEAKER

             * 7 *  CONFIGURING A 2 MEG SYSTEM

             * 8 *  ADDITIONAL NOTES AND HINTS FOR PLAYING THE GAME



       * 1 * OPTIMIZE YOUR HARD DRIVE FOR FASTEST PLAY

             PLEASE OPTIMIZE (defragment) YOUR HARD DISK BEFORE YOU
             INSTALL RED HELL.  Read the section in the TECHNICAL
             REFERENCE GUIDE titled HARD DRIVE INSTALLATION for more
             information on defragmenting your drive.  If you have
             STACKER(tm) installed on your system, versions 3.0+, have
             their own optimization program built into them.  You should
             use this product, sdefrag.exe, to defragment a STACKER
             drive.  You can run this program from the STACKER MENU
             which is available by typing the command -- stac [Enter].

       * 2 * STARTING THE GAME

             To play RED HELL, enter the REDHELL directory from DOS and
             type the following command:

                      redhell [Enter]

             The first time you play RED HELL, you will be asked to
             select a music/sound card configuration (or none at all).
             Once you have made your selection, an introductory
             sequence will follow which provides a cinematic style
             history of RED HELL's world from 1945 to 2020.  You can skip
             this introductory segment at any time by pressing the left
             mouse button.  The program will advance to the first scene
             of the game.  At this point you can either start a new game
             or load a previously saved version of RED HELL.  We
             recommend that you watch the introductory segment at least
             once, as it contains background information helpful in
             playing the game.

       * 3 * SOUND CARD SUPPORT AND CONFLICTS

             RED HELL supports a wide selection of sound cards.  Most
             users will have either a SoundBlaster, AdLib, Pro Audio
             Spectrum or compatible.  RED HELL expects these cards to
             be installed with specific channels set as follows:

                      -------------------------------
                      SoundBlaster   DMA=1      IRQ=7
                      -------------------------------
                      AdLib          DMA=1      IRQ=7
                      -------------------------------
                      Pro Audio      DMA=1      IRQ=7
                      Spectrum              or
                                     DMA=3      IRQ=3
                      -------------------------------

             If you have one of these card families or a compatible, you
             should use the settings listed above.  Other DMA and
             IRQ combinations may be acceptable; however, the above are
             known to work with RED HELL.  Incorrect DMA and IRQ
             settings may produce unexpected results in the game,
             including complete loss of sound, sporadic and inconsistent 
             sound play, corrupted animations, crashes and lock-ups.
             If you experience any of these conditions with RED HELL,
             check your DMA and IRQ settings.  Resetting them to the
             above values will most likely resolve the problems which are
             caused by conflicts on these channels.  Consult your sound
             card's manual for the correct method of setting your card
             to these channels.

       * 4 * CRASHES AND WHAT TO DO

             If you are experiencing frequent crashes and lock-ups in
             RED HELL, the most likely culprits are sound card DMA/IRQ
             conflicts, as stated above, and/or not enough low DOS
             memory.  RED HELL requires a minimum of 590K of low DOS RAM
             to run properly.  Please read the section, SETTING UP YOUR
             COMPUTER TO PLAY RED HELL, in the TECHNICAL REFERENCE
             GUIDE, to understand how to free up as much low DOS
             memory in your system as possible.  Should you continue to
             crash out of RED HELL after making the above alterations
             to your system's set-up, try turning off sound altogether.
             If this still does not resolve the problem, please contact
             CYBERDREAMS UK's technical support for assistance.

       * 5 * CHANGING SOUND CARDS OR TURNING OFF SOUND

             If you have installed RED HELL and you wish to change your
             sound card selection to another card or you choose to turn
             off sound altogether, you will need to force a music/sound
             reconfiguration.  To do this, simply enter the RED HELL
             directory from DOS and type the following commands:

                           ksetup [Enter]
             
             Then follow the on-screen prompts.  If you wish to return
             to RED HELL after altering your sound options, type:

                           redhell [Enter]

       * 6 * USING THE PC SPEAKER

             If you do not possess a sound card or you have an MT-32
             interface card which plays only music (MIDI), it is
             possible to use the PC speaker to generate the voices and
             sound effects for the game.  This is not a desirable
             alternative, but one which we are making available with the
             following provisos.  (1) The PC speaker is at best capable of
             producing only a limited range of sound and therefore
             produces a quality which we cannot recommend.  (2) Different
             machine manufacturers use various types of speakers (some are
             nothing more than buzzers) and their various methods for
             driving these speakers can produce a range of sounds which
             are heavily chopped and distorted.  Since this sound quality
             is totally inconsistent, we do not provide technical support
             for sound problems arising from the use of the PC speaker.

       * 7 * CONFIGURING A 2 MEG SYSTEM

             Users with 2 MEG machines - RED HELL will run in a 2 Meg
             machine; however, this minimum configuration has some
             limitations.  You must NOT use smartdrv.exe or any other
             disk caching program.  RED HELL uses the entire 1 Meg of
             extended memory in a 2 Meg system for its own use and can
             not share it with the disk cache.  The absence of a disk
             cache will cause animations to run at considerably slower
             speeds than intended.  You may use a sound card in a 2 Meg
             machine without encountering major conflicts; however, the
             sound may not be correctly synchronized with the animations
             as the sound will play at real time while the speed of the
             animations will be dependent upon the transfer rate of your
             hard disk drive.  You must be sure that there are no TSR's
             or other programs running in your system and taking up
             precious space in this extended 1 Meg of RAM.  As with any
             other system configuration, the 2 Meg machine must also
             have a minimum of 590K RAM free in lower DOS memory in
             order for RED HELL to run properly.

       * 8 * ADDITIONAL NOTES AND HINTS FOR PLAYING RED HELL:

         +   You cannot SAVE or LOAD a game from the MAZE or any
             other overlay or close-up view panel.  Refer to THE MAZE
             (page 10) in the USER'S GUIDE for detailed information
             about the MAZE and strategies for getting through it.

         +   Walking Mark Constantine about the screen requires pointing him
             in the right direction.  Clicking above his chest, but in
             line with his body vertically, will move Mark Constantine away
             from you.  Clicking below his knees, but in line with his
             body vertically, will move him toward you.  Clicking
             anywhere to the left or right of him, but outside his body's
             vertical space, will move him in those respective
             directions.  It is not helpful to click on the location to
             which you intend to walk him unless that location is in a
             direct, unobstructed horizontal or vertical line.

         +   Clues to the solutions to the various puzzles that make
             up RED HELL's overall challenge will be found in many
             places in Mark Constantine's world.  One place that should
             be explored with a keen eye is Mark Constantine's PIM.  The
             contents of "NADAnet's on-line service" may provide more
             pertinent information than may seem apparent at first
             glance.  Remember, Mark Constantine is a leader of the
             Unknowns and, as such, is a spy.  Snooping is allowed,
             almost expected, from such individuals in even the most
             proper and rigid societies.  So feel free to look anywhere.
             It's only considered bad manners if you get caught.

         +   SAVE games often; you will be glad you did.  After all, it's
             up to you to save the world from a fate far worse than ...

                GOOD LUCK AGENT CONSTANTINE ... TIME IS RUNNING OUT!
