===================================================================== BioShock(R) ReadMe ===================================================================== Developed by : 2K Australia Distributed by : 2K Games ===================================================================== Table of Contents ===================================================================== 1) System Requirements 1.1 Operating Systems 1.2 Minimum System Requirements 1.3 Recommended System Requirements 1.4 DirectX(R) 2) Performance 2.1 Resolution 2.2 CPU speed 2.3 Memory 2.4 Better Performance for your Game 3) Troubleshooting 3.1 Installer Issues 3.2 Video Card Issues 3.2.1 Framerate Stuttering on NVIDIA Cards 3.2.2 Pixel Shaders 3.3 Sound Card Issues 3.4 Control Issues 3.5 AMD(R) Dual Core Timing Issue 3.6 Virtual Memory 3.7 DX10 Issues 3.8 Installation failure 4) Updates to the Manual 5) Game Play Hints for BioShock 6) Web Links 7) Technical Support 8) Copyright Notice ===================================================================== 1) System Requirements ===================================================================== 1.1 Operating Systems --------------------- Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP (SP 2) Microsoft Vista(TM) 1.2 Minimum System Requirements ------------------------------- CPU: P4 2.5 GHz single core. System RAM: 1GB? Video Card: Pixel Shader 3.0 compliant video card with 128 Meg Ram and floating point?frame buffer blending. Sound Card: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card Hard Drive: 7 GB 1.3 Recommended System Requirements ----------------------------------- CPU: 3GHz dual core processor System RAM: 2 GB Video card:? Pixel Shader 3.0 compliant video card with 512 Ram (Nvidia(R) Geforce(R) 7900 GT or better) Sound Card: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card Hard Drive: 7 GB 1.4 DirectX ----------- DirectX 9.0c or DirectX 10 ===================================================================== 2) Performance ===================================================================== 2.1 Resolution -------------- It is recommended that when running the game on a minimum specification machine screen resolutions of either 640*480 or 800*600 be used. On a recommended specification machine resolutions of 1152*864 should provide good performance. On a high end machine 1280*1024 on a standard 17 inch LCD monitor will give very good performance. 2.2 CPU Speed ------------- BioShock is optimized for dual core machines. If the game is run on a single core machine then a processor of 2.5GHz or better is required to get reasonable performance. The higher the clock speed of the processor the better the game will run. Most dual core machines will be optimum for BioShock 2.3 Memory ---------- Memory or RAM can sometimes greatly affect game play. Machines with less memory will access their hard disk more frequently to load data, which causes sporadic pauses in game play. Machines with a lower end processor and video card that has 256 MB of RAM or less, should make sure that there are no active running programs in the background. This will optimize performance and make the gaming experience better for the user. For good performance we recommend at least 1 Gigabyte of system memory. For optimum performance we recommend at least 2 Gigabyte of system memory. 2.4 Better Performance for your Game ------------------------------------ A faster graphics card on a slower PC may receive significantly increased frame rates and performance benefits when Shadow Maps are turned off and Texture Detail, High Detail Post Processing, and Real Time Reflection mapping is also turned off. For best performance, we recommend a dual core processor and either a Nvidia 8800 or an ATI(R) Radeon(TM) X1950 or 2900XT equivalent card. If performance issues are observed then it is recommended that the user selects a lower screen resolution and lower details setting from the video options screen. If the user is not using an EAX(R) compatible sound card then disabling "reverb" from the audio options screen will also improve performance. ===================================================================== 3) Troubleshooting ===================================================================== 3.1 Installer Issues -------------------- The BioShock installer will automatically patch to the latest version of the BioShock game application as part of the install process. YOU MUST BE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET IN ORDER TO INSTALL THE GAME. A progress bar will show the state of the patch download. Please do not interrupt the download or deactivate your internet connection during the download. If the download does not complete successfully, you can attempt to restart the download using the Start/Restart button. The downloader uses internet proxy and port settings as set up through Internet Explorer. If you have not set these, you can manually configure proxy and port settings in the BioShock installer. If you're not sure what values to put here, contact your ISP or 2K support at http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock/support/. Some internet security software may detect this download as a Trojan or other compromisation of internet security. 3.2 Video Card Issues --------------------- You can determine what video card is installed in your computer by right-mouse clicking on "My Computer" and choosing the "Properties" option. Once the "System Properties" menu appears, left-mouse click on the "Hardware" tab and choose the "Device Manager" option. Select "Display Adapter" to view your machine's video card. Search the web for your card to download updated drivers. After installing updated drivers you should also reinstall the current version of DirectX. Select "My Computer" and then right click the drive holding the BioShock CD. Browse the CD for the DirectX folder by clicking on the Open option. Open the DirectX folder and click Install.exe to reinstall DirectX 9.0c. Reboot the computer after installing new drivers or DirectX. This will ensure that any modified Windows files are fully updated or installed properly, prior to playing BioShock. If DirectX 9.0c isn't the current version of DirectX, you can download the most current version at: www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx NOTE: Section above is written for Windows XP users. Other Windows Operating Systems may perform differently. 3.2.1 Framerate Stuttering on NVIDIA Cards ------------------------------------------ There are known framerate stuttering problems when running the game on some NIVIDIA graphics cards. If you experience these problems, you should install the latest NVIDIA drivers. You can find drivers that are known to work with Bioshock at: http://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_bioshock_downloads.html 3.2.2 Pixel Shaders ------------------- BioShock requires support for Pixel Shader 3.0 or higher to run. 3.3 Sound Card Issues --------------------- You can find out your machine's sound card by right mouse clicking on "My Computer" and choosing the "Properties" option. Once the "System Properties" menu appears, left mouse click on the "Hardware" tab and choose the "Device Manager" option. Select "Sound, video and game controllers" to view your machine's sound card. Search the web for your card to download updated drivers. After installing updated drivers you should also reinstall the current version of DirectX. Select "My Computer" and then right click the drive holding the BioShock CD. Browse the CD for the DirectX folder by clicking on the Open option. Open the DirectX folder and click Install.exe to reinstall DirectX 9.0c. Reboot the computer after installing new drivers or DirectX. This will ensure that any modified Windows files are fully updated or installed properly, prior to playing BioShock. If DirectX 9.0c isn't the current version of DirectX, you can download the most current version at: www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx NOTE: Section above is written for Windows XP users. Other Windows Operating Systems may perform differently. NOTE 2: If users experience reduced volume voiceovers during game play while the master volume is turned up, go into the Windows Volume/Playback Controls and set the Wave volume to max. This can be found in the Start/Programs/Accessories/Entertainment/Volume Control. 3.4 Control Issues ------------------ Some PC keyboards can't recognize 3 or more simultaneous key presses; the keyboard buffer for the system overloads and, in some cases, will return a system beep. 3.5 AMD Dual Core Timing Issue ------------------------------ Some older machines that have AMD dual core processors may experience problems running the game. If you have such a system, you should first visit the AMD website and obtain the latest processor drivers. You can also install an AMD provided driver which addresses a timing issue from the BioShock DVD. You should only install this driver if you are confident that it is appropriate for your system (i.e. you have an AMD dual core processor). 3.6 Virtual Memory ------------------------------ BioShock requires virtual memory to run properly. If your virtual memory settings are not correct, you may experience stability problems. To configure virtual memory: On Windows XP - From the start menu, open Settings/Control Panel. - Double click the System icon. - Select the Advanced tab. - Click on the Performance/Settings button. - Select the Advanced tab. - Clic...
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