

NAM On-disk Help File
(c) 1998 GT Interactive Software Corp. (c) 1996 3D Realms Entertainment

This document contains troubleshooting tips and additional information to help you get the most out of NAM.

NAM HELP & TROUBLESHOOTING
Before contacting Technical Support, please try the suggestions listed in this file first!

General Problems
* If you get an error that has the words "Granular Limit Error" in it, it means your DRAM speed is too fast.  You'll need to go into your CMOS and slow it down.  Info on how to do this will be in your computer or your motherboard's manual.  If this doesn't work, all we can suggest is to boot clean.  Info on "booting clean" is elsewhere in this document.  The only other thing it could be is some sort of configuration setting in your BIOS, but unfortunately, we cannot recommend ideas for this.
* If the game keeps getting slower as you play, try increasing the size of your disk cache.  Enter something like "SMARTDRV 4000" before you play the game.  Note that if you only have an 8Mb machine, it will not be possible to do this, since you need the memory to play the game in the first place.
* If you get random lockups, look at the contents of your config.sys file.  Look and see if a line similar to this appears: "device=emm386.exe noems".  If the noems appears, remove it.  Also, if you are using an alternate memory manager such as QEMM, make sure it is providing EMS services.
* If you get the error "Exec Error: No such file or directory", it's likely you have selected the controller configuration "Keyboard and External".  Go back and reconfigure your controller.  Do not select the "External" controller unless you have a controller or a device that specifically tells you that you need to select this.
* If you are playing with a Microsoft Natural Keyboard, (or some other Windows 95 compatible keyboard that has the new "Windows Logo" keys) and hit them during game play, you will note that your game will be interrupted and control of your computer will go to Windows.  These keys can be disabled via the use of a Microsoft utility called "DOSWINKY".  It is available on Microsoft's Kernel Toys Home Page, which is reachable at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/software/krnltoy.htm.  PLEASE DO NOT ASK US FOR HELP WITH THIS.  CONTACT MICROSOFT.
* If you run the game and get an error during loading that says something like "* ERROR!(L63) Parameter 'BURNING_FLAME' is undefined", or some other error relating to the CON files, and then some sort of comment like "Errors found in game.con file, Use defaults (Y/N)?" it means that your game configuration (con) files have been altered to the point where the game will not run properly.  We suggest you reinstall the game at this point.  The .CON files are ASCII text files which can be edited and used to radically alter the game parameters.  We strongly urge you to not change these unless you know what you are doing.  If you corrupt these and run the game anyway, the game will likely crash.  To correct the problem, reinstall.
* If you have a NexGen/586 CPU/Motherboard, you most likely can't get the game running.  Try going into your CMOS and look for a setting called "Alternate Instructions".  If it is set to OFF, set it to ON. If this doesn't work, NexGen has a fix on their World Wide Web site called the Q87 floating point emulator.  Their Web site can be reached at http://www.nexgen.com.

Video Problems
* If you have an ATI Mach64 video card and cannot access the higher SVGA modes, check your C:\MACH64 directory for the file m64vbe.com.  Run it before you play NAM, and you should be OK.  If you do not have this file, contact ATI for an update.
* If you have a Matrox Millenium video card and cannot get your video working properly, please make sure the BIOS on your video card is at least v2.0.  If it is not, contact Matrox for a BIOS upgrade.  Please also note that there is a problem with this video card and running at the 800x600 resolution.  The game should play right, but trying to save a game will usually cause the game to crash.  We have no idea why this is happening.  All we can say is to not play in 800x600.
* If you have a Diamond SpeedStar video card, disable Zero Wait State.
* If you are running a Compaq computer with a VGA card and the game tells you that you do not have a VGA card, or if you experience lockups on a Compaq computer with a VGA card, you will need to contact Compaq for a special video driver.  The reason for this is that Compaq has some video cards that do not conform to all proper detection methods.  There is a device driver available from Compaq that will fix this problem.  The driver's name is FINDVGA.SYS.  This file used to be available on their BBS with the filename of SP0117.ZIP, but as of the writing of this document, it is not available.  Please contact Compaq if you cannot locate the file.
* This game supports the VESA VBE standard for SuperVGA graphics.  Many Super VGA graphics cards are VESA VBE compatible at the hardware level, requiring no special action on your par to get the game running correctly.  If you are having problems running this game with the graphics card in your computer, try the following steps:
* If you have the VESA VBE driver that came with your graphics card, then install the driver and try to run the game.  Most VESA VBE drivers can be installed from a program that you run at the DOS command line.  Consult the documentation that came with your graphics card or computer system for installation instructions and VESA VBE compatibility.
* If you cannot find a VESA VBE driver for your graphics card, call your graphics card or system manufacturer or dial up their BBS, CompuServe forum, or Internet site.  You will most likely be able to download a driver or have them send you one by mail.
* If you do not have a VESA VBE driver for your graphics card or your VESA VBE driver does not work with the game, then try the Universal VBE driver, Display Doctor (formerly UniVBE). Please note that Display Doctor is a shareware product produced by a different company.  If it works for this game and solves compatibility problems for you, then you may want to continue using it for this and other games.  If you continue to use it, you should register the program.

Sound Problems
* If you have a Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 and some sort of daughterboard add-on card like the WaveBlaster or Roland Sound Canvas daughterboard, you may have trouble getting the MIDI music and SFX working properly.  To fix this, first try selecting WaveBlaster as your music device, even if you don't actually have a true WaveBlaster.  If this doesn't work, there is a fix for this type of problem available from Creative Labs.  This fix is called the "Sound Blaster MPU401 Patch".  It can be found on any of the Apogee / 3D Realms official file areas listed at the bottom of this document under the filename WAVEPTCH.ZIP.  This file contains a program that, when run, sets up the WaveBlaster port properly so that the game can recognize and use it.
Please note:  If you have to use the WAVEPTCH.ZIP fix, you will have to run the fix program every time you want to play NAM.  The program should be run just before you start the game.  Some users have reported that their cards require the fix to be run even when they exit the game and immediately restart it.  At this point, 3D Realms has not been able to determine why this is required.
* If you hear static when you are playing with a Sound Blaster or compatible card, make sure to turn the MIC and LINE volumes to zero.  Your card may be seeing input from these, resulting in static.  For a Sound Blaster Pro, the program that adjusts these is called SBP-SET:  see your card's manual for precise instructions on how to do this.  If you still continue to hear static after doing this, try disconnecting any parallel port devices.  IRQ5 and IRQ7, which are used by sound cards, are often frequently used by printers as well.  If you have both plugged in, the result may be static and poor sound performance.
* If you have an AWE32 and are having problems initializing the sound, check the SET BLASTER line.  Make sure that E620 is in there.  Check the section on "WHAT IS THE SET BLASTER COMMAND.." in this document for more information.
* If you have an AWE32 Sound Card and get an "MPU-401 Initialization Error" message, you will need to turn your computer totally OFF, wait about 5-10 seconds, and then turn it back on again.  Delete the NAM.CFG file from your game's directory, then run the SETUP.EXE program again and try reselecting your music/sfx.  This error is caused by picking incorrect settings:  if you pick the wrong settings for an AWE32, you need to power down and retry, not just reboot.
* If it seems like sounds that should be coming out of your left speaker are instead coming out of your right speaker (or vice-versa), you can fix this in the sound menus of the SETUP.EXE program.  Go to the Main NAM menu, choose the options menu, and then the sounds menu.  From there, you can toggle the "Flip Stereo" option on or off.  This should correct the problem.
* If you are getting an error that says "Cannot play due to an invalid or conflicting IRQ", please see the following paragraph.
If you have a Sound Blaster (or a Sound Blaster clone) card and you are not getting sound effects, you most likely have your sound card configured incorrectly.  Most clone cards' setup programs do not properly set up a SET BLASTER line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or do not set it up at all.  This is also the case with some new systems that have sound cards already installed.  The SET BLASTER command is used by the game's sound engine to determine where to send sound events for Sound Blaster and compatible cards.  If this command is incorrect or missing, you will either not hear sounds or will experience sound distortion.  To correct this, please read the section of this file titled "What is the 'SET BLASTER' Command?".  Also, please consult your sound card's manual for information regarding Sound Blaster Emulation to find out what port address (or "base address"), IRQ, and DMA channel is being used by your card for Sound Blaster Emulation.  This information will be needed in order for you to follow the instructions in the "SET BLASTER" section of this document.
This problem sometimes also affects people with true Sound Blaster cards, especially if you are running Windows 95 and are using the Win95 drivers.  If you are running Windows 95 and don't have any sounds when playing in MS-DOS Mode, you probably do not have DOS-based Sound Blaster drivers loaded.  Please check your sound card's manual for info on loading DOS-based drivers for your card.
If your card does not have information concerning the SET BLASTER command (or loading DOS-based drivers) in its manual, or if your system or card did not come with a sound card manual, contact the company that made your card or system (or the place you purchased the card or system from) before calling Technical Support.  Since sound cards differ so much from brand to brand (and sometimes even within the same brand and model), we cannot provide detailed assistance for every sound card on the market.  Your card or system manufacturer (or dealer) can usually provide much faster help for basic sound card problems than Technical Support can.
Here are a few more things you can try to get your sound card going:
1. Check your sound card's manual on Sound Blaster emulation.  There may be some driver that you are not loading, or some switch you are not properly setting.  This is especially true for Plug And Play cards when you are running in DOS mode on a Win95 machine.
2. Load up your NAM.cfg file (or the one you're using) into an ASCII text editor, and look for the line "BlasterDMA16=5".  Change it to read "BlasterDMA16=1", it may make a difference.
3. Check and make sure that you have the most up to date drivers for your sound card.

* If you have a GUS and you are not getting sound effects, or if your GUS sound effects are scratchy or distorted, make sure your GF1 IRQ is set to 7 or lower.  This is controlled by the SET ULTRASND= command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  A sample of this command line would be:
SET ULTRASND=220,1,1,7,5
The next to last digit on this line (the 7, in this example) is your GF1 IRQ.  This number must be 7 or less for NAM to operate properly.  If it is higher than 7, you will need to edit your AUTOEXEC.BAT and change it to 7 or lower.  Save the change, exit your editor, and reboot so that the change will take effect
* If you are using an Ensoniq Soundscape, and can't get sound, you need to make sure your DOS based sound drivers from Ensoniq are loaded.  If they are not, please install them, and make sure they are loaded.  You should also check that the following lines appear (IN THIS ORDER) in your autoexec.bat file:
SET BLASTER=A220 Ixx Dx T1
SET SNDSCAPE=C:\SNDSCAPE (or the directory your drivers are installed in)
C:\SNDSCAPE\SSINIT.EXE /I (or the directory your drivers are installed in)
In addition, the directory in the second line also must have a correctly configured SNDSCAPE.INI file in it.  Please consult the Ensoniq documentation for more info on this.
* If you have a Packard Bell computer and are using their combo modem/sound card but can't get any sound, try this.  In your c:\sound144\utility directory there should be a program called setmode.exe.  Change to this directory, and type "setmode /sbp".  This will tell the card to operate in Sound Blaster Pro mode.  If it is operating in Windows Sound System mode, you will NOT get any sounds, because the Windows Sound System is not supported.  If this doesn't work, go back into the NAM setup program, and reselect your sound card, and make sure you pick "SOUND BLASTER (plain)", and select 8 Bit 11Khz MONO sound.
Modem and Network Problems
* If you are playing a network game, and get an error that reads something like "General Failure reading Drive ..." it probably means you're trying to play the game from a single shared copy on the work.  You can't do this, you need to have the game installed on each local computer that wishes to play the game.  Playing from a shared copy is not possible.
* If you are playing a modem or network game and get a "Fatal Sync Error - Please Restart Game" message, this means that something has gone awry in your game.  If this happens, the only way to resolve it is to restart your game.  Do not continue to play, as the game is unreliable at this point.  If you are playing a modem or serial game when this is happening, check these things to make sure your parameters are set up correctly.  Make sure:
1. Both sides are using default, unmodified CON files.
2. Both sides have port speeds of 9600.
3. Both sides have 16550 serial ports.  You will always have problems if you only have an 8250 or a 16450.
4. Also, make sure to manually enter the port settings and IRQ into the NAM setup program.   Don't let it use "default".
5. MAKE SURE BOTH SIDES have the same version of the game.  Registered cannot play vs. shareware, and all must have the same version number.
6. If this doesn't work, try repeating these steps, but putting the port speed at 19200 for both sides.

* If you are playing a network game when you get this error, try using a different socket value in the setup program.  Also, if there is a slow computer playing the game, it can cause this error.  Play with a faster computer.
* If your modem initializes properly, but does not answer the line when an incoming call is received, try adding V1 to your init string.  Also, make sure that your port speed is set at 9600, and that you have the proper com port selected.
* If you are playing a modem or serial game, and get a bug that says "Invalid number of packets", or "Invalid Packet Size", you need to first check your port speed.  Try it at 9600 (on both side). If that doesn't work, try a port speed of 19200.  If that still doesn't work, launch the level you wish to play directly from the command line. An example would be:
SETUP /v2 /l03 /s2 -name whatever
This will let you change whatever you want in the setup program, and then go directly to Episode 2, Level 3, Skill 2. Change this for whichever level/skill you wish to play. This applies to both shareware and registered v1.3d.
* If you are having problems using your Plug & Play modem in DOS with NAM, the problem is this.  Plug & Play modems were designed for environments (ex: Win95) where the environment does the initializing of the card. The problem here is that if you are playing in MS-DOS mode, and bypassing the Win95 GUI, your card is never being initialized, and as such, there's nothing for the game to find.  What you will need to do is to find some way of initializing your PnP modem in DOS.  Info on this would be in the manual for the modem that you have.  Quite often modems with the brand name of "Winmodem" fall under this category, too.
Also, when you DO get the card configured in MS-DOS, make sure to take note of the port address and IRQ number as well as the port number that the card is initialized with.   This WILL BE IMPORTANT when you setup the NAM game.
VERY IMPORTANT!!: If your modem is at IRQ 9 or higher, it may not be possible to get it working.  You need to be using an IRQ of 7 or less (due to limitations of the Dos Extender).
Once you have all this info from a properly initted PnP modem, go into the NAM setup program, and:
1) Select Modem Game
2) Select "Setup COM Port"
3) Select "Change Com Port" (If Necessary).  Enter the Com port Number here.
4) Select "Change IRQ" (If Necessary).  Enter the Com Port's IRQ # here.
5) Select "Change UART" (If Necessary).  THIS IS NOT 8250 or 16550.  This is the hex address where your port resides at.  For example, a value to put here would be 02e8.
6) Put the port speed at 9600.
7) If this doesn't work, repeat these steps, putting the port speed at 19200 on both sides.

DO NOT PICK DEFAULT FOR ANY OF THESE.  ENTER INFO!
 (This info is also useful if you don't have a PnP modem and are having problems with your modem not being recognized.)
We strongly urge you NOT TO CHANGE THE DEFAULT MODEM INIT STRINGS UNLESS YOU ARE SURE THE CHANGED SETTINGS WILL WORK.  Changing them tends to cause problems, and you should only change them if the defaults do not work.
* If you see the error message "IPX & NetBIOS not detected", it means that you are trying to run a network game of NAM without loading your network drivers.  If this error occurs, consult the manual for your network on how to load these drivers.
Memory  and Performance Problems
* If you get an error message that says, "You don't have enough free memory to run NAM.  The DOS MEM command should report 6,500K (or 6.5 megs) total memory free.", it means that you do not have enough free total memory to run the game.  This is almost always caused by having such things as memory managers (QEMM/EMM386), disk caches (SMARTDRV, Norton Cache), and other programs loaded into memory.  These programs are usually loaded when your system is first powered up.
The best way around this is to "BOOT CLEAN."  This means to boot your system without loading any unnecessary memory resident programs.  The easiest way to do this is to create a bootable floppy disk according to the instructions in your DOS manual (see the FORMAT /S command) and create a file called CONFIG.SYS and a file called AUTOEXEC.BAT on that disk.  Please refer to your DOS manual for instructions on creating these files.
These files should contain the following lines:
CONFIG.SYS
FILES=30
BUFFERS=30
STACKS=9,256
<if your sound card requires a line in config.sys, put it here>
<if you use disk compression, make sure to load that driver>
<if you require a driver to access your hard drive, make sure to use it>

AUTOEXEC.BAT
@echo off
<your path line>
<your prompt line>
<if your sound card requires a line in autoexec.bat, put it here>
MOUSE <if you play with a mouse>
SET BLASTER=<see section on SET BLASTER for more help on this line>

The <your path line> and <your prompt line> items in the sample AUTOEXEC.BAT file refer to the lines that start with the words PATH and PROMPT in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file that is on your C: drive.  These lines are optional, but including them will make navigating your hard drive a little easier.
If you are running Windows 95, you will need to press the F8 key when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, and then pick the option that says "Command Prompt Only".  This will prevent you from going into the GUI (desktop) portion of Windows 95.  Windows 95 is still capable of having multiple boot configurations, and we strongly urge you to create one.  Please note that if you do this, you may not have access to your sound card or mouse when in DOS.  If so, you will need to load DOS-based drivers for your sound card or mouse.  Please check the respective manuals for your sound card and mouse for info on how to load drivers for them in DOS.
If you have DOS 5, you will need to create a boot disk and make CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, using the above examples.  If you have DOS 6 or higher, you have two ways of booting clean without the need for a boot disk.
For DOS 6 and higher, the fastest way is to reboot your computer and watch for a message that says "Starting MS-DOS" (IBM versions will say either "Starting PC DOS" or "Starting IBM DOS").  When you see this message, press your F8 function key.  You will then be prompted to confirm each line of your current CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.  This will allow you to temporarily turn off the programs that you do not need or that may be causing problems.  ONLY ANSWER "YES" TO THE LINES SHOWN ABOVE AND THE "OK to process AUTOEXEC.BAT?"  QUESTION.  When finished, you will be left at a plain C:\> prompt.
NOTE:  Pressing the Left Shift or F5 function key at the "Starting MS-DOS" prompt will not work properly.  NAM requires at least 30 available "file handles" to operate properly.  This is defined by the FILES=30 statement in your CONFIG.SYS file.  If you bypass your CONFIG.SYS file completely by pressing Left Shift or F5, you are stuck with the DOS default of 8 file handles.  You will experience errors if you attempt to run the game this way.
If you are more familiar with DOS, we strongly recommend that you set up a multi-boot option.  These newer versions of DOS allow you to set up multiple boot configuration sections in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, mostly eliminating the need for boot disks.  Again, please consult your DOS manual for instructions on how to create a boot disk, or a multi-boot configuration using the parameters stated above.
NAM is a protected mode program, and as such does not require the services of such memory managers as QEMM, EMM386, etc.  Please read the section of this file on protected mode programs for more information.
* If you go to run NAM, and get the error "No String - No Quotation found at end of string in NAM.cfg", it means your configuration file has become corrupt.  You will need to delete it, and reconfigure.
* If your copy of NAM locks up randomly and you have a sound card, you might be experiencing a DMA conflict.  These are caused by having more than one hardware device sharing a DMA (Direct Memory Access) channel with your sound card.  DMA channels are used by NAM to send sounds to your sound card.  When you have more than one piece of hardware on a single DMA channel, the chip on your motherboard that controls DMA transfers may become confused and send the sound to the wrong place.  When this happens, your system will lock up.
Devices that usually cause DMA conflicts include CD-ROM drives, older dedicated FAX boards, tape backup drives connected to an accelerator card (not including tape drives plugged into your floppy drive controller cable), and in newer systems, the ECP/EPP parallel port on your I/O card or on the motherboard itself.  If any of these devices are present on your system, they may be the source of your lockups.
DMA conflicts cannot usually be spotted by diagnostic software (CheckIt, PC Tools SI.EXE, Norton Utilities NDIAGS, etc.).  We do not recommend the use of such software to determine if you have a DMA conflict.  Instead, if you suspect a DMA conflict, try the following test:
1) Run the SETUP program and select NONE for your Sound FX card.
2) Play NAM and watch for lockups.
If the game no longer locks up, then you were definitely experiencing a DMA conflict between your sound card and some other device.
The ONLY way to resolve a DMA conflict is to physically move the conflicting device to another DMA channel.  In all but the rarest cases involving devices that "download" their configuration at boot-up time, you cannot do this through software.  You also cannot solve the problem by simply unloading the driver for the conflicting device.  Since this is a true hardware conflict, the problem can persist even if the device driver is not loaded when you boot your machine. In laymen's terms, booting clean won't solve the problem.  You will most likely have to move a "jumper" (see your manuals for a description) to physically reconfigure the conflicting device.  If you need assistance with reconfiguring your device(s), please consult your system's manuals or contact the manufacturer of the device(s) in question.
For best performance, do not move your sound card to a different channel.  Leave it where it is (usually channel 1 for 8-bit cards, or channels 1 and 5 for 16-bit cards).  Instead, move the conflicting device.  After you have resolved the DMA conflict, you may re-run the SETUP program and re-select your sound card under the Sound FX setup.
If your copy of NAM still locks up, you may wish to check some settings in your CMOS configuration as a last resort.  If any of these are on, then switch them off:   Hidden Refresh, Hardware Video Shadowing, Turbo Switching.  Also, if you have either of these, turn them on: HD1 Block Mode; IDE HDD Block Mode.  Use these ONLY as a "last resort" fix - make sure you read the rest of this file before you try these suggestions.
* To get the MicroSoft Sidewinder Pro 3D joystick working with NAM, you'll need to do these two things.
1) Move the switch on the bottom of the controller to "One".
2) Pick Flightstick as your controller in the NAM setup program.

* If you are using a joystick and your performance seems erratic, make sure to calibrate the joystick inside the setup program.  Also, check and make sure that the joystick port you are using is speed adjustable.  If it is, then try tinkering with the speed.  Check your port's manual for more info.
Please note that most game ports that are built into sound cards, I/O cards, or motherboards are not speed adjustable.  Unless your port comes with software that allows you to calibrate your port's speed, you can assume that the port is not speed adjustable.
If your system does not have a speed adjustable game port, your only solution may be to purchase one.  The reason for this is that most newer systems run at a speed that is several orders of magnitude faster than your port can send data.  In short, your system is outrunning your game port, and NAM can't see what the port is sending since it doesn't come in fast enough.  Fortunately, speed adjustable ports such as the Gravis Eliminator or JDR Microdevices' MCT Micro-III are inexpensive solutions to this problem.  (Note:  We do not necessarily endorse any of these products - they are listed here only as examples of what is available.)
Finally, make sure you do not have more than one active joystick port on your machine at any time unless you have a special game port card that has two ports built onto it.  Two game ports cannot be active on two different cards, since they use the same hardware address.  You must disable one port if your system has two ports on two different cards.
* If you are having problems getting your joystick to function, you will need to select it in the setup menu. Once in the control menu select CHOOSE CONTROLLER TYPE and press Enter.  Select Keyboard & FlightStick.  Then save and launch NAM. When starting up it will ask you to calibrate. If it did not you did not select the FlightStick as your Controller.
* If you can't get your mouse working, first make sure you have selected "Keyboard & Mouse" as your controller in the NAM setup program.  If that doesn't work, you'll need to first you will need to make sure that you are completely out of windows. For Windows 3.11 and lower just exit to DOS.
For Windows 95 you will need to select these buttons:
<Start> <Shutdown> <Restart the computer in MSDOS mode>
Then from the DOS prompt you will need to make sure that your mouse driver is loaded. To do this you type in MOUSE at the dos prompt. It should come back with Mouse Driver now Loaded.  If it does not, you will need to locate where on your hard drive your DOS BASED MOUSE DRIVER is loaded, and run it.
* If you run the game, and get an error that says "Cache Size of zero", or get an error that three zeros in it, you most likely have a bad/altered/corrupt NAM.GRP file.  Check the size of the file on your HD vs the one in the \atominst directory on the CD-ROM.  If it is incorrect, MANUALLY COPY THE FILE yourself in DOS (do not use Windows).
* Help!  My directories are gone after playing NAM! Check your DOS environment. Type "SET" at the command line, and if it looks abnormal, reboot. In specific, you're looking for the DOS environment variable DIRCMD.  Try entering "SET DIRCMD=", and all should be OK.
* If you get a message saying "Invalid OpCode", it means you are most likely running the game on a 386 computer.  It will not be possible to get around this, NAM was not designed to run on 386 computers.  You should really be using a Pentium to play this game.
* If you are playing the game, and cannot get the RTS sounds to work, you need to be sure that the TALK is on.
* If you notice the game running slowly on your system, here are a few suggestions on improving game performance.
* Enable your disk cache.  Before playing NAM, enter "SMARTDRV 4000".  This should speed up access.  WARNING!  If you only have 8Mb of memory, you will not be able to do this, because issuing this command will not leave you with enough memory to play the game.
* Disable your upper memory manager (QEMM, Qualitas Max 8, EMM386, etc).  Since NAM is a protected mode game, the services of these programs are not needed.
* Try reducing the screen size.  When playing the game, you can press either '-' to reduce your screen size, or '+' to increase it.
* Try reducing the amount of digital channels that you have set for sound effects.  Some system configurations have problems with having NAM set for higher than 4 digital channels.
* Try reducing the mixing selection on your sound card from 16 bit to 8 bit.  This is done from the SETUP.EXE program, under the "SETUP SOUND FX" menu item.  8 Bit Mono is the fastest music/sound combination there is in NAM, so if you have slowdown problems, try selecting 8 Bit Mono.
* Use Scitech's Display Doctor.  See elsewhere in this document for info on how to obtain/install/use this program.
* Upgrade your video card.  NAM runs very slowly on older, ISA only video machines.  There's nothing that can be done about this, these old video cards are too slow.  The game really needs Local Bus Video to run smoothly, preferably PCI local bus video.

WHAT IS THE "SET BLASTER" COMMAND, AND WHY DO I NEED IT?
If you are using a Sound Blaster clone, then this section is of particular interest to you.  A good deal of Sound Blaster clones do not properly set up the SET BLASTER command.  If you have a clone card and do not get any sound (or poor/bad sound), this is probably why.
NAM (or any other Apogee/3D Realms game that uses the Sound Blaster) uses the SET BLASTER command to figure out where to send its sound output. A Sound Blaster card can have many different sound outputs, and since there are zillions of computers out there, a way needs to be used in order to tell the game where your sound card is located.  The SET BLASTER line is how we do it.  Check to make sure that you have the SET BLASTER line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  This code is an example, and isn't exactly what you need to put in your system, make sure to read the entire explanation of this command.
NOTE: Some of these parameters (P, H, & E) are dependant on certain types of cards.  For example, the E is only needed if you have an AWE32.  The minimum requirements are to have the A, I, D, & T parameters.  The other three may or may not be needed depending on what type of card you have.  Please read this entire section to see if you need any of them.  If you are using a clone card, or some card that's not a "true" Sound Blaster, then you will most likely only need A, I, D, & T.
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T6 P330 H6 E620
|            |   | |  |  |   |  |
|            |   | |  |  |   |  |______ AWE32 Only Parameter
|            |   | |  |  |   |_________ "High" DMA Channel
|            |   | |  |  |_____________ MIDI Port
|            |   | |  |________________ Type of Card
|            |   | |___________________ DMA Channel
|            |   |_____________________ Interrupt
|            |_________________________ Port Address
 |_________________________________________ DOS Command
NOTE: There can be no spaces between the word BLASTER and the equal sign (=).  If you have a space in there, your system will set the parameter incorrectly.  Our games will not be able to recognize the command and will not work properly.  These settings will most likely not be the ones you need for your board.  This is the case since the Port Address, Interrupt and DMA Channel can be set by adjusting "jumpers" on your sound card.  Some newer cards have this information controlled by software, so please consult your card's manual for more information on how to set these things.  You should also check your manual if you are unclear as to how to tell what settings your card is using.  This information IS important, so we recommended that you know precisely what the settings are.  If you are using a card that "emulates" the Sound Blaster, you should check your card's manual on how to set up the card for Sound Blaster emulation (if your card is not natively supported by this game).
The settings shown in the above example are based on the defaults used for a Sound Blaster AWE32.  Here is an explanation of each setting, along with the most commonly used settings:
The PORT ADDRESS is almost always 220.  This seems to be the default for most Sound Blasters and compatibles, regardless of brand.  Unless you know you've switched this away from 220, it's a safe bet it's still there.
The INTERRUPT is something that varies from system to system.  IRQ 5 is most common on newer true Sound Blaster cards, while older Sound Blasters and some clones (regardless of age) default to IRQ 7.  While many IRQs are available, 3D Realms does not recommend using IRQ 2 or IRQ 10.  Most of the people we run into who use IRQ 2 have difficulty getting their programs to run properly, unless they switch to a different IRQ channel.  Also, while IRQ 10 may work, we cannot guarantee that it will.  Finally, if you are using a Gravis Ultrasound or Ultrasound Max, you must use an IRQ of 7 or less.  The sound engine used in this game does not support the GUS default of 11.
The DMA CHANNEL is one that causes some people problems.  By default, this is almost always set at 1.  Unless you have a specific need to change this, it's probably still at 1.  If you're running into lockups using digitized sounds with our games, this is probably where your problem lies. If you get lockups with a 3D Realms game that has digitized sounds and you have this variable set properly, try turning off the digitized sounds.  If the game now plays without locking up, you probably have a DMA conflict.  Please see the "NAM Detailed Help & TroubleShooting" section of this file for instructions on fixing this problem.
The TYPE OF CARD is something that is fairly easy to check out.  If you're running a non-Creative Labs sound card, then you want this to either be 1 or 3, depending on which card it is.  In the majority of cases, it will be a 1 if you are not using a "true" Sound Blaster.  If you do have a "true" Sound Blaster, then the variable is one of these...
1 for an original (old) Sound Blaster.
2 for an original (old) Sound Blaster Pro.
3 for a newer Sound Blaster 2.0 (Sound Blaster deluxe edition).
4 for a newer Sound Blaster Pro (SB Pro 2.0)
5 for a MicroChannel Sound Blaster (IBM PS/2 MCA-bus systems only).
6 for a Sound Blaster 16, Vibra 16, or an AWE32.
As shown here, the age of the card can make a difference.  If you have an older card like the Sound Blaster 1.5, choose the appropriate number.  Clone cards or cards that emulate the Sound Blaster usually have a T variable of 1.  Experiment to see what works best for you.
The MIDI PORT parameter will only be needed if you are using a card that has MIDI capabilities.  Your sound card manual will tell you if you need this.  It is generally used only on true Sound Blaster cards, specifically the SB16 and higher.  If your card requires it, this is where you define what MIDI port you are using.  330 seems to be the default for most cards, so if you have such a card, and you haven't changed anything from factory defaults, this is probably where it still is.
The HIGH DMA CHANNEL is something that is used primarily on Sound Blaster 16,
Vibra 16 (built into some motherboards), and AWE32 cards.  This is not the same as the standard (or "low") DMA channel:  this is a different one.  This is only used if you're using a 16 bit sound card capable of playing 16 bit Sound Blaster sounds.  By default, this is usually 5, so unless you know that it's something else, it's probably still 5.
Please note that this parameter can cause lockups on some systems.  Creative Labs' installation programs warn that some motherboards cannot handle 16-bit DMA transfers, which is used if you select the default high DMA channel of 5.  If you experience game lockups, try reconfiguring your card and this setting to use DMA channel 1 (i.e., the same channel that is used for the D parameter).  See your card's documentation for details on this problem.
The E620 parameter is something that is needed only if you have a Creative Labs AWE32 sound card.  If you have one of these, this parameter will have been set up properly assuming you've installed the software that came with the card.  Check your AWE32 documentation for a more thorough explanation of what this paramter is used for.
We get a lot of questions from people wanting to know why they have to use this if they don't have a true Sound Blaster.  It's simple, really - the command has NOTHING to do with what brand of sound card you have.  3D Realms games that use digitized sounds expect Sound Blasters and compatibles to be at specific settings.  If they are not, then the game needs to be told this.  The way to do this is with the BLASTER environment variable.  That's why this is needed.  Some of our newer programs (NAM, ROTT) have specific setup programs which let you set up this information manually, but they still require the SET BLASTER line to operate at 100% efficiency.
Please remember to add this to AUTOEXEC.BAT, save the file back to disk, reboot your computer, and make sure to delete the game's config file (NAM.CFG) before running the game again.
