v07.17.01FRV
Table of Contents
Welcome to Primal PreyÔ
Help
Valusoft®, ARUSH™ Entertainment and Sunstorm
Interactive® welcome you to Primal Prey!
Primal Prey takes players on an exciting expedition of
prehistoric discovery and danger! In it, you take on the role of a futuristic
hunter who embarks on missions to travel back through time to a
prehistoric age.
The game includes dozens of unique
missions and each has a specific goal. Experience a challenging, atmospheric
hunt that can take place day, night, dawn or dusk. Succeed and you will earn money
for a successful hunt, but if you fail, you may end up as a dinosaur snack!
Primal Prey features an innovative
artificial intelligence system; dinosaurs travel in herds, seek food, and stick
to familiar territory. When they're frightened, they all behave differently.
Some dinosaurs will simply scatter and run, others will guard escaping members
of the herd and then
retreat with them. Some will become
aggressive and attack you! Every dinosaur reacts to the situations completely
differently, making each dinosaur a unique hunting challenge.
Primal Prey features 9 exciting and
authentic dinosaur species that can be observed and hunted: Gastonia,
Styracosaurus, Iguanodon, Lambeosaurus, Triceratops, Quetzalcoatlus, Utah
Raptor, Troodon, and the most famous predator of all, Tyrannosaurus Rex!
We are sure that you’ll enjoy many hours of
stalking your prey… and many hours of being stalked by prehistoric predators.
You’ll come to quickly realize that it’s not the size of the prey that makes
them powerful. A cunning pack of Troodons, although small, can make a meal out
you in seconds. Just wait until you
find yourself alone in the dark, your night vision goggles the only
illumination…. your ears strain to hear which way the rustling and scratching
sounds are coming from… then suddenly a Utahraptor lurches from the vegetation…
then another! Let’s hope you have the guts to get the job done, cause if you
don’t you might find out you’re just a tasty morsel for a hungry pack of
ferocious dinosaurs.
Succeed at your missions and gain fame and
fortune, but fail and become fossilized remains. Best of luck, you’re going to need it.
Use the topics on the
left of this Help File to explore and learn about the many features of the
game.
Your Story
Time travel is now a reality. After a rigorous battery of physical and
mental testing only a handful of civilians are allowed access to the government
controlled time portals. Public and
private groups often seek out these chosen civilians for special missions. You are one of the chosen few Time
Travelers.
The government has very strict regulations about where
and when Time Travelers can go.
Although you’ve been given clearance to travel, it takes a substantial
amount of money to buy your travel time.
A portal to the Cretaceous period has been made available to you. With some private funding you are able to
purchase the time necessary to take on a few of these special missions. There’s only a small amount of money left
over to purchase a tranquilizing pistol.
Armed only with your pistol and hunting skill you pick a mission. The time portal opens and you step in.
In Primal Prey, to succeed and stay alive, you must
learn the dinosaurs’ world. You must also learn the abilities and limitations
of each of the weapons available to you, as they will be the tools that keep
you alive. This is hunting in a very primitive setting, but also hunting with
very advanced technology. That makes for a volatile mix.
Make sure you know your mission objective, your
weapons, your limitations, but most of all… your prey… your Primal Prey.
Game Interface
The Main Menu is where you get started on your
adventure. Each selection will take you to a new and more detailed menu.
Current Hunter Name: Top Left
Current Hunter’s Money
Earned: Top Right
Hunt: Brings the currently selected hunter to his custom Mission Menu.
New Hunter:
Let’s you select the hunter to use, and to add new hunters or delete old
hunters.
Trophy Room: Brings the currently selected hunter to his own Trophy Room to view
his Trophy Sized collection. Only specimens large enough to be classified as a
Trophy will make it here. Please see the Your
Missions section for details on how the scoring works.
Options: This lets you customize the game settings for the best performance
on your particular computer configuration. The default setting is LOW.
Quit: This allows
you to Exit Primal Prey.
Installation
To install
Primal Prey, insert the game CD into your CD_ROM drive. If installation does not start
automatically, click on START 
and then Run
and type d:\autorun.exe and click OK.
If you CD-ROM drive uses a different drive letter, replace the “d” with
the letter that your computer uses for the CD-ROM drive. Click on the Install button to begin the installation process. Follow the on-screen instructions to install
Primal Prey.
If you
experience problems running the autorun.exe try using the setup.exe also found
on the CD.
To install RC
Daredevil or Monkey Brains you must be
connected to the Internet.
Click on the Install button
for each game to begin the installation process. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
WindowsÒ 95/98/ME/2000
PentiumÒII 350 or 100% compatible
64MB RAM
150 MB HD Space (allows for swap file)
8 MB RAM DirectXÒ/Direct3D compatible video
accelerator card
DirectX 7.0 or later
DirectX compatible sound card
Navigating the menu interface.
·
Choose your hunter from the NEW HUNTER choice
at the Main Menu.
·
Click on HUNT.
·
Choose the Mission you wish to tackle at
the Mission Menu. (You may also pick different Episodes if you have purchased
them already.) Click NEXT.
·
Choose the Weapons you wish to bring along
at the Choose Weapon Menu. You can buy more weapons as you earn money by
completing missions. Click on EQUIPMENT
to choose the hunting accessories you wish to bring. (Only the weapons and
equipment from Episodes you have purchased are active.) Click HUNT.
·
You are now traveling back through time to
your hunting area. The graphics take a short time to load.
After you
have traveled through the time portal you will end up at the hunting area. You
will see and hear the portal that you must use to return to the present time.
It is the glowing and rotating object, and you walk into it to return and end
your mission.
You can also
return by simply using the Esc
key, but you will forfeit a portion of your dollar credits if you do not return
via the portal.
You will also
notice your HUD, or Heads Up Display.
On the left
is your Mission Objective. You can use a key (Tab
by default) to bring it up at any time during your hunt. This details what
dinosaur you are after, how many, what gender and if there is a time limit. It
also details how long you have been in your hunt. If it is a timed hunt, you
will also notice a timer counting down in the lower left. You will want to
complete your mission or exit through the portal before time gets to zero, or
you will forfeit some of your money.
The green and
red bar gives you much important information:
·
Compass – the center of the bar gives you
a compass detailing the direction you are heading.
·
Health – the left side shows you how your
health is holding up. When it’s green you are doing well. When the green bars
are replaced by red bars, you are becoming injured. Return through the portal
before you lose all your health and die. If
you die, there is a chance you will loose a weapon you brought with you on the
trip. That can get expensive, not to mention bloody, if a dinosaur
kills you!
·
Ammo – the right side details how much
ammo you have in the currently selected weapon. This changes depending upon
what weapon you have, but in general, if it is green you are ok. Your weapons
will auto-reload, but you can also reload manually (R key by default) to make
sure you are ready when the next dinosaur appears. When you reload your weapon
you forfeit all of the remaining shots on the clip.
·
Crosshair reticle – in the middle of your
HUD is the reticle you will use to aim at your targets. It will be either green
or red. A GREEN reticle designates that your current weapon is usually a
non-lethal weapon. A RED reticle means that you are using deadly force. Make
sure the weapon you are using matches well with your mission objective.
Bringing back a dead dinosaur doesn’t bring a paycheck if the mission calls for
a live specimen.
You will use
your keyboard and your mouse to navigate while hunting. There is a set of default
keys that you may change by going into the Options Menu from the Main Menu.
These are the
default keys.
You can also
view what these keys are at any time while hunting by pressing the F1 key.
Pressing F1 also displays a quick tip and summary
mission description for the mission you are on.
There is a
permanent key [Left Shift] that
toggles you from Run mode (default) to Walk mode. This allows you to sneak up
on dinosaurs with less chance of them hearing you.
The ESC key acts as a
Pause and Exit while you are in a mission. If you need to step away from
the computer and you are in the middle of a hunt just press the ESC key to
pause. Make sure you read the warning before leaving the mission with the
Esc key, however, as you may lose credits you have worked hard to build up.
If you want
to get closer to a group or singular dinosaur without scaring them off use the left shift button to toggle on walk
mode. Walking makes you less noticeable
to the dinosaurs.
For the fast
moving and deadly dinosaurs, side-stepping to avoid their attack will save you
from sure death. But they will eventually get you if you aren’t good with a
gun.
Learn to know
which dinosaur is near you by listening carefully. Each has its own distinct
sound. That will allow you to avoid the nasty ones, unless of course they are
your objective!
If you are
killed while in a hunt you may lose some of your weapons. It depends upon the
situation whether you come back with all your equipment intact. If you are getting
low in health you may walk back to the time portal and exit. This way, you
won’t complete the mission but you also won’t lose any items.
Dinosaurs
have soft and hard parts to their bodies. Hitting in the soft parts (like the
sides, underbellies, necks and thighs) will be the only way to seriously affect
them. Hitting them in the head usually will not affect them much because of the
plates many of them have for defense. So make sure you aim for the kill zones.
Take close note
at the time of day. If it is a night mission (i.e. midnight) make sure you take
the night vision or thermal optics. They will help you tremendously. If you do
not have them, you should try to save your cash to buy them.
All of the
dinosaurs have a weakness. Some are
afraid of certain weapons, while others are affected much more by a certain
weapon. By the same taken, however,
some dinos have an innate resistance to certain weapons or certain weapon
affects. Learning these subtleties will
help to keep you alive in the Cretaceous!
You will have
plenty of work and hunting in front of you. This isn’t for the timid. Below you
will see a description of all the available missions found in all of the Primal
Prey Episodes. The missions will be inactive until you purchase that episode.
Stars
designate mission objectives that have been accomplished. The first is to
complete the mission in any fashion. The second star is obtained if you get a
qualifying size of specimen. The last star is whether you can accomplish the
objective in a given amount of time. You truly will be a dinosaur hunting
expert if you can obtain three stars for every mission.
There is a
summary of all your missions at the New Hunter menu. Your goal is to fill in
all the stars you see on your hunter’s score card. In the Trophies section, you
may see some stars that are only half filled in after completing a mission.
These are for trophies you have collected during a Trophy Hunt but that did not
qualify fully because they did not meet the weight requirement. You can try the
Trophy Hunts again to get a full star… if you dare.
After you
obtain each star for a mission, the payout for completing that mission again
will decrease. That is because you are getting better and need a slightly
bigger challenge to get the big money.
The time of
day the hunt takes place is given in your mission description. If it is a night
mission, taking along night vision or thermal optics is almost a must. It is
tough to stay alive when the dinosaurs have better vision than you.
Mission 1 -
Sunstorm Interactive is developing a dinosaur hunting game and wants to motion
capture the movements of a Gastonia.
Retrieve a live sample for them.
Try heading west from the portal to the marshy fields where the Gastonia
feed in the daytime. Start time: noon.
Mission 2 -
Twisted Cowboys Rodeo of Mesquite, Texas, is looking for something unique to
draw higher attendance to its shows. A
top bull rider is willing to ride a wild Styracosaurus. Find and capture a medium sized male
Styracosaurus. Try heading northwest
from the portal. Start time: noon.
Mission 3 - Chanceux Ventre, an exclusive restaurant
that prides it self on rare dishes, is looking to add dinosaur to its
menu. The chefs would like to prepare a
Styracosaurus Fume for a special charity dinner. They request a freshly killed and dressed Styracosaurus of either
sex . Start time: 06:00.
Mission 4 – Intaglio, a medical research company,
wants to develop a vaccine for Ebola.
After some initial studies, they have discovered that the bone marrow
from the Utahraptor can help to prohibit the spread of the virus. They need a
fresh Utahraptor corpse, male or female.
Start time: 18:00.
Mission 5 –
The World famous Cerca Del Mar
Zoo is starting a dinosaur exhibit in the fall of next year. They are looking for an experienced tracker
to help secure several eggs for incubation at their facility. They will pay for each undamaged and live
Styracosaurus egg that is brought back to their nursery center. Start time: noon.
Mission 6 –
The Ultimate Hunting Network is looking for a skilled dinosaur hunter for the
season premier of their top rated television show, 'Thrill Hunter'. You've been
picked to take down two raptors while wearing a helmet-cam. Start time: 06:00.
Mission 1 –
The Iguanodon is very important to the Stevens Taxonomic Society, as it was the
first scientifically classified dinosaur. Your job is to bring back a live
specimen, male or female, for the Society to examine. Start time: 18:00.
Mission 2 –
The University of Montana Department of Behavioral Sciences now wishes you to
capture multiple Iguanodon specimens. They plan to study the mating rituals and
early development of the famous dinosaur. Start time: midnight.
Mission 3 –
You have a dangerous assignment, should you choose to take it. While they are
not big, Troodon means 'wounding teeth' and that is what you could face if you
are not careful. There is a private collector in Hawaii who wants a dead
Troodon trophy. Start time: 06:00.
Mission 4 –
The University of Montana has been having problems keeping their Iguanodons
healthy. They need three specimens to autopsy and find the correct
physiological needs for their captive Iguanodons. Start time: midnight.
Mission 5 –
While you were at a professional football game, your agent started trading
tales with the owner of the newly formed Tennessee Troodons. He loves the
appearance of the small but potent creatures, and wants stuffed specimens for
his office. Your task is to kill both a male and female Troodon and bring them
back in good shape. Start time:
midnight.
Mission 6 –
The Rockland Institute of London is requesting you to kill both a male and
female Troodon, as well as male and female Iguanodons. They plan to study the protective nature of
the Troodon and detailed early development studies of Iguanodon. Start time: 06:00.
Mission 1 –
AirVan, an airplane manufacturer, is interested in flying reptile
research. They are mostly interested in
the flight characteristics of flying reptiles for their new line of
aircraft. You are to kill a large male
or female Quetzalcoatlus. Start time:
18:00.
Mission 2 –
The owner of the local hunting club made a bet that you could not capture both
a male and female Triceratops in the same hunt. Prove him wrong. Start time: midnight.
Mission 3 –
The Rockland Institute of London completed their behavioral study of the
Gastonia, Troodon and Iguanodon. The
institute is currently looking for several male and female Quetzalcoatlus
corpses. You must supply at least two,
but you will be paid extra for each additional. Start time: noon.
Mission 4 – A
New York dance club wants two Quetzalcoatlus stuffed trophies to suspend from
the ceiling. Retrieve two of either sex
for them. Start time: 06:00.
Mission 5 – A
well-to-do Hawaiian collector has been studying your work with much admiration.
She is looking for a pair of male and female Triceratops to be bronzed and
placed on her lanai for a Triceratops luau.
Start time: 18:00.
Mission 6 –
The Triceratops is one of the largest and most dangerous herbivores. The
Ultimate Hunting Network is willing to pay you for each Triceratops you can
kill. Start time: midnight.
Episode 4
Mission 1 – You
have been contacted by Glitterati, an entertainment agency, on behalf of a well
known musician. This musician wants to
add to his collection of rare animals and is willing to pay a sizeable amount
of money. Capture a Lambeosaurus of
either sex, for the collection. Start time: noon.
Mission 2 –
King Hasan of the Arab United Kingdom is interested in adding a Lambeosaurus to
his collection of prized trophy heads.
Retrieve a male specimen for him, but hurry you have only five minutes
of portal access. Start time: 06:00.
Mission 3 – A
wealthy Taiwan businessperson is once more looking to quickly secure as many
male or female Lambeosaurus as she can get.
Each Lambeosaurus that you kill and return will fetch a considerable
amount of money. Start time: 18:00.
Mission 4 –
An eccentric millionaire from Texas has started collecting mounted dinosaur
heads. And everything is big in Texas,
so he wants nothing less than a T-Rex head to start his collection. Start time: noon.
Mission 5 –
Your job is to capture and bring back a female T-rex for captive breeding
experiments at the Chicago Dinosaur Research Institute. The T-Rex must be taken alive, and you have
only 5 minutes of portal time available. Start time: 18:00.
Mission 6 – A
group of Paleo-physiologists have a theory about one facet of dinosaur
extinction. They hypothesize that a
virus of the brain spread among the efficient carnivores. The scientists have isolated the suspect
virus, but need you to kill as many T-rex specimens as possible and bring them
back for dissection. Start time: 06:00.
Once you have
the dinosaurs from any episode, they all have a good chance of being present in
any previous episode’s missions. So, as you obtain new episodes it makes your
earlier episodes a whole new ball game!
Random hunts
add additional missions to each episode.
Successfully completing a random hunt allows you to gain additional
money and possibly replace that weapon you lost on your last hunt. It is also
challenging because you never really know what you are getting into until you
are actually in the hunt! It would be advisable to bring one deadly weapon and
one non-lethal weapon.
Trophy Hunt
When you want
to add a dinosaur to your trophy room, go out on a trophy hunt. Animals killed or immobilized during a
trophy hunt will appear in your trophy room.
Collect all of the available dinosaurs! How good are you?
Your weapons
are displayed along with a description of their properties. You will only see
and be able to use the weapons that are available for the Episodes you have
purchased.
Be careful to
make sure that you take the correct type of weapon for your particular hunt. If
you want to kill a dinosaur, don’t take a stun type weapon only. You are
only able to carry two weapons per hunt, so be very careful and pick the right
ones.
You will
either be trying to capture or kill your dinosaur. For missions that require a
capture, you MUST use a non-lethal weapon and keep the dinosaur alive. For missions
that require a kill, you may use a non-lethal weapon to capture it and still be
allowed to bring it back and complete your mission.
For the
rifles, you may want to consider using the Scope for longer shots, although
they are not necessary at a shorter range. If you are using a scope, use the
right mouse button (by default) to zoom in on your target.
Some of the
weapons may be reloaded (default R key) but you should use this wisely.
Reloading reloads the entire clip, not just one cartridge. So while reloading
will help you have more shots at the ready, it could deplete your total number
of shells. Make sure you keep tabs of your ammo inventory – your life depends
on it.
Tranq Pistol - A clip-fed pistol that fires a strong
but slow acting sedative. Several shots
will be needed to take down most dinosaurs.
Shotgun - A wide-spread and large auto-loading chamber gives you a
little protection from the more dangerous dinosaurs.
Sonic Blaster - Emits a wave of concentrated infrasonic
sound waves to hammer the dinosaurs. A
few bursts will stun, continued use will kill.
Electron Gun - This weapon fires charged electrons,
stunning the target. Don't use in water as the charge will revert back to the
user.
Tranq. Rifle - The heavy tranq rifle can immobilize a
dino from long range. Attach a scope
and you've got great long range capabilities.
Shrink Ray - Don't be intimidated by the size of
monstrous dinosaurs. Shrink them down
to a more manageable size, then knock them out.
Sniper Rifle - This .308 sniper rifle gives you
long-range killing power. Stay a safe
distance away as you take down that carnivore.
Stasis Gun - This powerful stasis weapon will
immobilize even the largest prey for a short time. Once they are hit, you don’t
have much time to collect them. Perfect for those missions to trap a large or
dangerous trophy.
2mm Rail Gun - The ultimate in killing, the rail gun
fires a small projectile at extreme speeds.
Slow reload means accuracy is vital.
Your
equipment is displayed along with a description of its properties. You will
only see and be able to use the equipment that is available for the Episodes
you have purchased. You can only carry three equipment items per hunt, so
be certain that you’ve got the right equipment along for the job.
When choosing
optics, be sure to take notice of what time of day or night the mission takes
place. The Nightvision and Thermal Optics only work at night when it is very
dark, so it would be a waste of equipment to bring them on any morning, afternoon
or evening missions. The Weapon Scope is also only available if you are using a
rifle, so don’t waste an equipment slot if you are taking, for example, the
Stasis Gun. The T-rex won’t mind if useless gear is lugged along, but you will
once you are running for your life!
Mapping Device (TSU) – always present - Allows you to get an
exact view of your location on an overhead map. Your exit portal is also displayed on the map.
Binoculars - No fog, low glare lenses are perfect for
humid environments where these binocs let you get a closer look at that dino.
Nightvision Binoculars - These binocs feature light
amplification for a short-range view of your surroundings at night. They can
only be used at night.
Callbox – Dual-purpose tool creates both the call of the dinosaur
and a holographic image. Press 'use2' key (default right mouse click) to change
species.
Cover Scent - Cover scent will help to reduce your
'human' scent, allowing you to go a little more undetected by both prey and
predator dinosaur species.
Weapon Scope – High-powered scope can attach to rail
gun, rifle or tranquilizer rifle to increase accurate range. Press 'use2' (right mouse button) to zoom.
Dinosaur Bait - Vents on the side of this box expel
strong scents that can be used to lure in feeding dinosaurs.
Stasis Mine - A proximity fuse on this mine will
detonate a large stasis blast when triggered. This will keep the dinosaurs in
stasis for a short time. Get your business completed and get out of there.
Thermal Optics - These detect the heat emissions
generated by your surroundings for a clear view of where dinosaurs are lurking
after dark. They can only be used at night.
For more
detailed descriptions of each dinosaur visit the Trophy Room.
·
Gastonia – an herbivore
that is not usually dangerous. They are quite mild and are like the squirrels
of the dinosaurs. Weight: 3,500 – 4,500 pounds.
·
Styracosaurus – a large
herbivore, which can and will become a threat to your life. Weight: 5,500 –
6,500 pounds.
·
Utahraptor – a rather
mid–size carnivorous dinosaur, but with a mega size anger complex. They will
become what you look for over your shoulder at night. Weight: 400 – 600 pounds.
·
Iguanodon – a large
herbivorous dinosaur that looks more menacing than it is. They are fast and
travel in herds. Weight: 9,500 – 10,500 pounds.
·
Troodon – very small but
very fast and nasty dinosaurs that are like poodles with “wounding teeth”. They
travel in packs and hunt wisely. Weight: 60 – 80 pounds.
·
Quetzalcoatlus – the flying
reptile that will attack mercilessly when aggravated. Weight: 200 – 300 pounds.
·
Triceratops – a large
lumbering herbivore that would just as likely kill you as ignore you. They are
temperamental. Weight: 9,500 – 12,500 pounds.
·
Lambeosaurus – these are large
and somewhat rare herbivores, a prize for anyone’s trophy room. Weight: 15,500
– 16,500 pounds.
·
T-rex – the king of
the lizards – these dinosaurs rule their world and are never ever remotely nice
or timid. You had better be prepared for the hunt of a lifetime. Weight: 9,000
– 15,000 pounds.
Dinosaurs
have hard plating on many parts of their bodies. To get a good shot on them,
make sure you hit a non-plated part so the dart or other projectile will be
most effective.
Primal Prey
gives the user many options so that you can choose just the right settings for
your computer and your style of play. You may want to simply use the preset
Highest Detail (fast machines and great video cards), Moderate Detail (mid
systems) and Lowest Detail (systems around the minimum system requirements)
settings, or you may wish to customize.
Click on the
Visual Quality selection, or click on the individual Graphics and Sound options
you desire. You can also change the command keys by clicking on them and then
pressing the key you wish to change it to. Make sure you click APPLY to make the changes take effect or
click Back to cancel.
The following
are suggested system requirements for the various default setting choices. You
may also tweak each item to make it best fit your system.
*LOWEST*
Windows
95/98/ME
Pentium®
350 or 100% compatible
64MB RAM
8MB
DirectX/Direct3D Compatible Video Accelerator
DirectX 7.0
DirectX
Compatible Audio
150 MB Hard
Disk Space
*MODERATE*
Windows
95/98/ME
Pentium®
III 500 or 100% compatible
128MB RAM
16MB DirectX/Direct3D Compatible Video Accelerator
DirectX 7.0
DirextX
Compatible PCI Audio
150 MB Hard
Disk Space
*HIGHEST*
Windows
95/98/ME
Pentium®
800 or 100% compatible
256MB RAM
32MB
DirectX/Direct3D Compatible Video Accelerator
DirectX 7.0
DirectX Compatible PCI Audio
150 MB Hard Disk Space
Trouble Shooting
If you are having game specific issues go to the Trouble
Shooting – The Game section of this document for further assistance. If you are having difficulty with the
installation process, including the purchasing of new episodes, go to the Trouble Shooting – Installation section for more information. If you have general questions about ARUSH
Entertainment, connecting to the Internet, error messages go to the Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) section of this document.
Trouble Shooting – The Game
Ensure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements:
System Requirements
WindowsÒ 95/98/ME/2000
PentiumÒII 350 or 100% compatible
64MB RAM
150 MB HD
Space (allows for swap file)
8 MB RAM
DirectXÒ/Direct3D compatible video accelerator card
DirectX 7.0
or later
DirectX compatible
sound card
The most
common errors are related to video & sound card drivers.
Primal Prey requires DirectX 7.0 or
later. If your drivers are not DirectX certified, please download or obtain the
latest drivers from your card manufacturer. This is the number one problem
people have with DirectX games. Even if you think you have the latest drivers,
you probably don’t. This will most likely solve your problem.
After you have updated your drivers,
you should reinstall DirectX (from whatever folder you downloaded it to), and
restart Windows. If you are having sound or video problems, you should try
reinstalling DirectX.
How do I get
DirectX?
DirectX is most likely already
installed on your computer, but there may be a more up to date version available.
DirectX is a free download from Microsoft. We recommend getting the most up to
date version, as it will most likely make all your games perform better. You
can get the latest version from their website at:
http://www.microsoft.com/directx/
Determining if your Video card is DirectX compatible: For DirectX diagnosing tools, open Windows Explorer and go to
the directory C:\Program Files\DirectX\Setup\
. Run the program named Dxdiag.exe.
This will give you detailed information for all your drivers and other DirectX
components. This will also help tech support if you should need to call them.
If you are crashing upon exit of the
game, particularly if you see a DDRAW error, please try to obtain the latest
drivers for your video card. More up-to-date info on DirectX can be found at
Microsoft’s webpage, at:
How do I update my
video drivers?
You must first know what video card
you are using. To find this out, either look at the documentation that came
with your computer / video card purchase or you can find out by looking at your
computer’s System Properties. If you already know what card you have, go to
that manufacturer’s web site and follow their instructions for downloading and
upgrading your driver. If you do not know what card you have, follow the
instructions below.
Your System Properties can be viewed
by right clicking on the My Computer icon on your desktop, selecting
Properties, then selecting the Device Manager tab. You will see a monitor icon
with the text Display Adapters next to it. Left click on the + and you should
see what driver you are currently using.
Click on it and then click the
Properties button. That should tell you the manufacturer.
You must now go to the manufacturer
web site to obtain the free driver upgrade. The drivers are usually located in
the Support section of their site. Other areas to look are Downloads, Drivers, Files,
Upgrades, Technical Support or User Support.
Some of the larger hardware
manufacturer sites are:
Q: The game
is running choppy or slow.
A: Make sure
your computer meets the minimum system requirements. You should be running the latest version of DirectX and have
updated drivers for your video card.
You may also want to turn down the Visual Quality settings to Lowest or
Moderate Detail, or decrease the Resolution in the Options Menu. Running the game in Fullscreen mode rather
than windowed mode can also improve the performance.
Q: My game is
crashing for some reason while I’m hunting.
A: This could
be related to several things, and is most likely a driver related issue. Make sure you follow the instructions above
for updating your driver. If you are
running with shadows turned on, try turning them off. Some computer systems do not correctly handle the drawing of
shadows and can cause crashes.
Q: I am not seeing any textures on
the ground, or the textures don’t look right.
A: Try turning off Detail Textures
and/or Texture Blends in the Options Menu.
Q:
I am not hearing any sound or the sounds are broken up.
A:
Be sure you have updated the drivers on your sound card and have the
latest version of DirectX installed.
You may also try turning off the 3D Sound in the Options Menu.
Q:
The mouse sensitivity is too high, and it is difficult to aim.
A:
You can adjust the mouse sensitivity in the Options Menu under the Keys
section.
Q:
My hunter information disappeared and I can’t launch the game.
A:
Your player’s trophies.txt and/or config.cfg file may have become
corrupted. A backup of your config.cfg
file named config.bak can be found in the Primal Prey directory. Simply rename config.cfg to config.old and
rename your config.bak to config.cfg.
To rename a file simple right click on it and choose Rename. This should allow you back into the
game. If you do not see the correct
hunter information your trophies.txt file may have errors do to file
corruption. You can attempt to edit the
trophies.txt file manually to restore the correct information or start over
with a new hunter.
Optimizing your hard drive: Run SCANDISK and DEFRAG your hard drive. There is a great
potential for making games run faster and better if your system is optimized.
Trouble Shooting – Installation
If your CD-ROM drive does
not have autorun enabled you will
have to manually run the installation program.
Click on START and then RUN and type d:\autorun.exe and click OK. If your CD-ROM drive uses a different drive
letter, replace the “d” with the letter that your computer uses for the CD-ROM
drive. Click on the Install button to begin the installation
process. Follow the on-screen
instructions to install Primal Prey.
If you still experience problems running the
autorun.exe try using the setup.exe also found on the CD.
To install RC Daredevil or Monkey Brains you must be connected to the Internet. Click on the Install button for each game to begin the installation process. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s
ARUSH?
ARUSH is an innovator in episodic
game delivery.
From development to publication to
broadcast of games targeted at the mainstream player, ARUSH is an innovator in
episodic game delivery. Just as television evolved from the motion picture
industry, episodic interactive entertainment will evolve from the "gamer's
game" to "everyone's entertainment".
ARUSH is targeting the growing mass-market of PC, game console, PDA and cell phone owners with more easily digestible and addictive content.
I like this stuff. How do I get more?
More and more of the hottest video
game titles are available through ARUSH and its distribution partners. Please
check http://www.arushgames.com for the
latest list of game titles and the places you can get them.
What is GameCapsule™ technology?
The GameCapsule™ technology is an
Internet software delivery and activation system – technology that can activate
video game software over the Internet through a secure, piracy-protected link between
your computer system and the GameCapsule™ secure server. Then, using an Internet link, the free
episodes of our games can be downloaded, allowing you to try the hottest games
on the market and then conveniently buy more episodes in that series at a very
low price.
How easy is it for me to run
the GameCapsule™?
It's very easy. Installing ARUSH
games is as easy as clicking and playing. You will be asked for your EMAIL
ADDRESS and a PASSWORD. Your system will automatically be checked to ensure you
have the proper requirements to run the game. When you want to purchase
additional episodes of a particular game, you will be guided through the
purchase step-by-step. The games you purchase will be downloaded and installed
conveniently on your PC. Once downloaded
and installed, you can play ARUSH games at any time, whether you are online or
not.
Do I have to enter a
password every time I want to play one of my games?
No. After you are authenticated on
your first visit, our GameCapsule™ secure site automatically recognizes your
copy of each game episode for subsequent visits.
Do I have to be connected to
the Internet while I play my game?
No. After the download of the game
episode disconnect from the Internet and enjoy. You only connect again when you
purchase more episodes or choose to get the latest game updates.
Questions about privacy
Is my credit card and
personal information secure?
Yes. The GameCapsule™ technology
uses a communication system called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) in addition to
your browser's built-in encryption capabilities to create a secure link that no
one else can see. SSL lets you send and receive information with confidence.
Your credit card number is
exchanged with your banking institution over a secure financial transaction
system in order to complete your credit transaction.
Will you pass on my personal
information to other companies without my permission?
No.
ARUSH Entertainment strictly
adheres to the ARUSH Privacy and Security Statement which states:
- Privacy. ARUSH will not
sell, rent, or distribute personally identifiable information about our
customers unless we receive your express permission to do so. All customer
information is treated as confidential.
- No Obligation. Installing an ARUSH free episode puts you under no
obligation to buy or rent anything.
- Security of Information. All personal and transactional
information is transmitted using secure links. The servers and databases
involved in all personal transactions are protected by firewalls and
secure access.
- Retention of Information. In any transaction, certain information
is exchanged between the vendor and the customer. Although ARUSH through its
GameCapsule™ retains personal and
transactional information in secure databases, all personal information,
particularly credit card information, is treated with the utmost security
and confidentiality.
- Identifying your PC. When you first use the GameCapsule™, it
creates a "fingerprint" of your PC, and in addition stores a
"token" (similar to a cookie) on your computer.This is done so
that your subscriber status can be instantly recognized the next time you
purchase an ARUSH game. Otherwise, we'd need to request a email address
and password each time you use the GameCapsule™.
- Usage Statistics. Periodically the GameCapsule™ "calls
home" to the ARUSH secure servers when users download a game episode.
ARUSH may gather statistics on overall usage patterns. We may share this
general statistical information with our partners. ARUSH Entertainment
does NOT gather information about any non-ARUSH games or other
applications you may use.
If you have any questions or
concerns, please view our updated help file and contact info at:
http://www.arushgames.com/help.htm
What are my obligations?
You have no obligations. Installing
a free episode puts you under no obligation to buy or rent anything.
Questions about connecting
to the Internet
Why do you need an Internet
connection?
To download and play an ARUSH game we
need to establish a link between your PC and our secure servers over the
Internet. When you click on the game episode you want to download, the
GameCapsule™ connects your computer to the secure site. ARUSH also uses your
Internet connection to make sure that your GameCapsule™ digital content is as
up to date as possible.
What URL (Internet address)
do I need to connect to your site?
The game title automatically
connects you to the GameCapsule™ secure site and you do not need to type the
URL into your browser.
Why doesn't my Internet
connection come up automatically?
You may need to set your AutoDial
option in the Windows Control Panel under the Internet settings icon.
Note:
depending on which version of Windows you are running, you may have to set
AutoDial under Dial-Up Networking (Start Menu> Program Files>
Accessories). If you have Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4 installed on your
system, you may have to set AutoDial in Internet Explorer.
My computer locks up when
the GameCapsuleÔ launches
If your computer locks up at the
ARUSH site when you launch your GameCapsule™
or game please try the following steps:
1. Close
all unnecessary applications
2. Free
more disk space
3. Restart
your computer and try again.
Reference: error messages
Contacting ARUSH Entertainment
Technical Support
Please view our updated help file
and contact info at:
http://www.arushgames.com/help.htm
Error messages
Server info - HTTP 3xx
The requested ARUSH secure site
exists and is online but the Activation service for this product was not found
on this server. There may be a problem with your settings, or the server may be
experiencing unexpected problems. Try to rerun the application. If this fails,
try to re-install and rerun the application. If this fails, please view our
updated help file and contact info at: http://www.arushgames.com/help.htm
Request error - HTTP 4xx
The requested ARUSH secure site
exists and is online, but the server was unable to interpret the request from
your product. Please view our updated
help file and contact info at: http://www.arushgames.com/help.htm
Server error - HTTP 5xx
The requested ARUSH secure site
exists and is online but the server has experienced an internal error. Wait a little while, and then try to
connect to the server by running the application again. If the problem
persists, please view our updated help file and contact info at:
http://www.arushgames.com/help.htm
URL not found - HTTP 404
The requested ARUSH secure site
exists and is online but the Activation service for this product was not found
on this server. There may be a problem with your settings, or the server may be
experiencing unexpected problems. Try to rerun the application. If this fails,
try to re-install and rerun the application. If this fails, please view our
updated help file and contact info at: http://www.arushgames.com/help.htm
Server unavailable - HTTP
503
The requested ARUSH secure site is
unavailable. This may be due to a temporary overload or server
maintenance. Wait a little while, and
then try to connect to the server by running the application again. If the
problem persists, please view our updated help file and contact info at:
http://www.arushgames.com/help.htm
URL not available - HTTP 410
The requested ARUSH secure site
exists and is online but the Activation service for this product was not found
on this server. There may be a problem with your settings, or the server may be
experiencing unexpected problems. Try to rerun the application. If this fails,
try to re-install and rerun the application. If this fails, please view our
updated help file and contact info at: http://www.arushgames.com/help.htm
Disconnect from your ISP
Once the GameCapsule™ has started,
the Disconnect Modem dialog box may appear, depending on whether or not you connect
to the Internet via a temporary connection such as Dial-Up Networking, or via a
LAN\Cable\DSL connection. If you are using a Dial-Up Networking connection, you
may wish to click the Yes button to disconnect from the Internet automatically.
After the game is successfully installed, it is safe to disconnect at any time.
Using Windows 95 Dial-Up
Networking
If you are using a Dial-Up
Networking connection, it may already be set-up to disconnect from the Internet
after a certain amount of inactivity, which can cause an intrusive dialog box
to appear. This may negatively impact some games' performance.
Using America Online
If you are using Dial-Up Networking
(DUN) Remote Access Service (RAS) to connect to the Internet, there may be a
problem with the modem settings or the network settings your computer is using.
Use the Dial-Up Networking
Troubleshooter that comes with Windows 95 to help you diagnose and solve your
problem. If the troubleshooter does not solve your problem, contact your
Internet Service Provider for technical support.
Using CompuServe
If you are using CompuServe as your
Internet Service Provider, you must connect to CompuServe before attempting to
connect to the GameCapsule™ secure
site.
Note that you must use the 32-bit version of the CompuServe
software to connect to the secure site. Using the 16-bit version will prevent
the activation process from working.
If you want to quickly show people
some cool things in the game, or if you just are having a hard time, we have
added some “cheat codes” to the game to make it easier. However, if you cheat
you will not get trophies or complete any missions with that hunter, so use
them sparingly.
To use a cheat, press the F2 key.
You will see a pull down window. Just type in the codes and then press Enter.
Press F2 again to close the window. The following codes will give you the
following cheats.
dinogod - makes you impervious to dinosaur attacks – do this
during a hunt.
momoney - gives you cash – do this at the Weapons or Equipment menus.
You will not see any cash show up in your credits, but you will be able to
buy
anything you
wish!
actor find <dinosaur name> - This command will take you
to the nearest dinosaur. Simple replace
<dinosaur name> with the dinosaur you are looking for, i.e. ‘actor find
gastonia’.
Primal Prey
Refer to
the README.TXT located in the Primal Prey installation directory and the Trouble
Shooting section of this document. For Technical Support with Primal Prey only,
please visit the Valusoft website at http://www.valusoft.com/support
Monkey Brains and RC Daredevil
Refer to the Trouble Shooting section of
this document for basic technical support information.
If you need further
technical support with RC Daredevil or Monkey Brains please visit the ARUSH
websites:
Monkey Brains
http://www.arushgames.com/help/monkeybrains/mb_help.htm
RC Daredevil
http://www.arushgames.com/help/rcdaredevil/rc_help.htm
Credits
Sunstorm Interactive
Ben Fulton –
Lead Programmer
Pepper Lain Miller – Programmer
Kevin Bass –
Programmer
Dave Eaton –
Programmer
William
Rieder – Programmer
Chris Brooks
– Programmer
Chris Bruce –
Lead Art
Dave Manuel –
Art Guy
Todd Marshall
– Artist
Jeramy Cooke
– Artist
Jennifer
Wildes – Artist
Anthony
Campiti – Big Boss Man
Tom Shiflet –
Producer (aka Produc-ammer)
Gary Phillips
– Sound/Music Design
Heather Beach
– Momma-to-Be
ARUSH Entertainment
Jim Perkins -
President/CEO
Dave Adams -
EVP of Product Development
Kathy Schauer
- VP of Marketing
Dean Hoffman
- CFO
Amy Searcy -
Producer
Peter
Armstrong – Consultant
Chris
Boxmeyer – Consultant
Quality
Assurance -
Rob Gray
Tiffany
Kronebusch
Absolute Quality,
Inc.
Big thanks to
all of the testers!
About Sunstorm
Sunstorm Interactive is a privately owned entertainment software
developer, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Sunstorm was founded in 1995 by
Anthony Campiti, who serves as the company president and owner. Sunstorm first
gained notoriety with critically praised expansions for popular first person
games Duke Nukem 3D and Blood.
In 1997, Sunstorm released 'Deer Hunter' and gave birth to a new
genre: the hunting game. Deer Hunter quickly became a top selling title,
shocking the industry and catapulting Sunstorm into the limelight. With the
incredible success of Deer Hunter and its sequels, Sunstorm has become known
for producing high quality value-priced software.
Building on its reputation for quality, Sunstorm continues to
develop its popular line of hunting games while also preparing to forge into
new markets and genres. What stands at the core of Sunstorm is a friendly team
atmosphere, a laid back work environment, and a commitment to quality that got
it where it is today.
Check out Sunstorm on the web at:
Sunstorm has
a very popular Message Board system on the site where you can share stories and
tips, and even get help from hundreds of other virtual hunters.