                            Most Common Problems  
                 Wing Commander III : Heart of the Tiger  
 
                                Version 2.0 
                                   2-1-95 
 
                     Written, compiled and updated by : 
 
                            Anthony L. Sommers  
                         Assistant Project Leader  
                        Wing Commander III QA Team  
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
This has been provided as a supplement to the Wing Commander III 
documentation. It details a number of the most common questions 
asked and their solutions. 
 
It is recommended that the Playguide, Install/Troubleshooting Guide AND 
the README.TXT file on the CD are also read in addition to this file. 
 
This file will be updated continuously and can be found on our BBS 
(512-331-8559) or on the Internet (ftp.ea.com /pub/patches/wc3help.txt). 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[INDEX] 
 
0.0   Making a BOOT DISK for Wing Commander III 
 
1.0   Movies pausing (starting and stopping) 
 
2.0   Long load times 
 
3.0   The "DOTS" 
      3.1   You see "Loading Wing Commander III ......." and it returns 
            you immediately back to the CD-ROM drive prompt 
      3.2   Lockups at the fourth or sixth dot 
 
4.0   Error messages 
      4.1   This error may be the result of a bad CD-ROM read... 
      4.2   A processor exception has occured. 
            Your system may be unstable at this point. 
      4.3   Critical error on file : ..\..\data\movies\origin_s.mve or 
            Critical error on file : ..\..\data\movies\opening.mve 
      4.4   Exception 13 happened :) 
      4.5   CVMManager::getPtr () failed 
      4.6   Write failed on file : SWAPFILE.$$$ 
      4.7   Malloc () failed 
      4.8   Non system disk or disk error 
            Replace and strike a key when ready 
      4.9   Invalid drive specification 
 
5.0   Lockups 
      5.1   Lockups after the fourth or sixth dot 
      5.2   Lockups During opening movie, [ESC] takes you further into 
            the game 
      5.3   Lockup at the joystick calibration screen 
 
6.0   Reboots 
 
7.0   Gameplay 
      7.1   Movies are of "poor quality" 
      7.2   No descriptions of possible actions (Attend Briefing, etc.) 
      7.3   TAB and ~ (afterburners) do not work in spaceflight 
      7.4   Installation program rates machine slower than normal 
      7.5   Crackling sounds in SVGA 
            7.5.1   Cirrus Logic GD-542x  
            7.5.2   Orchid Kelvin 64  
 
8.0   Specific Hardware 
      8.1   Control (keyboard, mouse, joystick) 
            8.1.1   Flightstick Pro support 
            8.1.2   Thrustmaster and Logitech Wingman support 
            8.1.3   WING3.ADV compiler errors  
            8.1.4   Programmable keyboards 
      8.2   Video cards 
            8.2.1   Diamond Viper VLB 
            8.2.2   Matrox PCI 
            8.2.3   Hercules Graphite 
            8.2.4   Compaq QVision 
      8.3   Sound cards 
            8.3.1   Mozart by Oak Technologies 
            8.3.2   Media Chips MAD 16 
            8.3.3   Media Magic 16 (ISP16 and MAGICS20) 
      8.4   Miscellaneous (CPUs, hard drives, SCSI host adapters, etc.) 
            8.4.1   Cyrix 486 processors 
            8.4.2   AMD processors 
 
9.0   Patches 
      9.1   WC3JOY.DLL, the joystick patch 
 
10.0   Problem CD-ROM drivers and their updates 
 
11.0   Acknowledgements 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[0.0]   Making a BOOT DISK for Wing Commander III 
 
Almost all problems can be solved by making a boot disk for Wing 
Commander III. Regardless of the total amount of RAM and/or conventional 
memory, processor speed/power, etc., the boot disk will set up your 
computer specifically to run Wing Commander III. Expanded Memory 
Managers (EMM386, QEMM386, 386MAX, NETROOM, etc.) are not needed and if 
configured incorrectly, will often conflict with our own protected mode 
memory manager. 
 
To make a boot disk for Wing Commander III, please use the following  
instructions : 
 
1)  Place a blank disk in drive A: 
 
2)  Type  C:  and press [ENTER] 
 
3)  Type  FORMAT A: /S  and press [ENTER] 
 
4)  Type  A:  and press [ENTER] 
 
5)  Type  COPY C:\CONFIG.SYS  and press [ENTER] 
 
6)  Type  COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT  and press [ENTER] 
 
7)  Type  EDIT A:\CONFIG.SYS  and press [ENTER] 
 
8)  Different computers have different sound cards, CD-ROM drives, etc. 
    Therefore, after the first 5 initial lines, we cannot list out the 
    exact lines needed. However, the original lines from your hard disk 
    CONFIG.SYS will be there, and you can try to make sure lines of the 
    CONFIG.SYS on the boot disk read somewhat like the following : 
 
        DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS 
        DOS=LOW 
        FILES=25 
        BUFFERS=99 
        SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\ /P 
        DEVICE=C:\<path>\<possible sound card drivers> 
        DEVICE=C:\<path>\<CD-ROM drivers> 
        DEVICE=C:\<path>\<possible mouse driver> 
 
    Lines to make sure you want to remove from the CONFIG.SYS of the 
    boot disk : 
 
        DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE ... 
        DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS 
        DEVICE=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE ... 
 
9)  After you are finished with the CONFIG.SYS, press [ALT-F], then [X],  
    then [Y]. You should return to the A: prompt. 
 
10) Type  EDIT A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT  and press [ENTER] 
 
11) Similiar to CONFIG.SYS, since different computers have different 
    sound cards, CD-ROM drives, etc., we cannot list out the exact lines  
    needed for the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. However, the original lines from  
    your hard disk AUTOEXEC.BAT will be there, and you can try to make  
    sure lines of the AUTOEXEC.BAT on the boot disk read somewhat like  
    the following : 
 
        @ECHO OFF 
        PROMPT $p$g 
        PATH C:\DOS 
        C:\<path>\MSCDEX.EXE ... 
        <possible soundcard lines (SET BLASTER=, SET SOUND=, etc.)> 
        <possible mouse driver line (C:\DOS\MOUSE or C:\MOUSE\MOUSE)> 
 
    Lines to make sure you want to remove from the AUTOEXEC.BAT of the 
    boot disk : 
 
        C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE ... 
        C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE ... 
 
12) After you are finished with the CONFIG.SYS, press [ALT-F], then [X],  
    then [Y]. You should return to the A: prompt. 
 
13) Reboot your computer with the new boot disk. You may now try to  
    install/run the game! 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[1.0]   Movies pausing (starting and stopping) 
 
The movies pause because data cannot be transferred from the CD-ROM  
drive to our game at a sustained rate. The following may be attempted to  
help alleviate movie pausing : 
 
1)  Play the movies in VGA. There is roughly 4 times as much data in 
    SVGA to display to the screen than in VGA. Run the installation with 
    WC3 -I  and make sure Movie Video Mode is VGA. You may also go to 
    the Main Terminal, under Controls/Graphics Modes/Movies and click on 
    the box next to VGA. 
 
2)  Make sure your CD-ROM driver is up to date. You will need to contact 
    your CD-ROM drive manufacturer to see if you have the latest 
    version. You can check the list of problem CD-ROM drivers at the end 
    of this file to see if your driver needs to be updated. 
 
3)  We test the speed of your machine and rate it according to the time 
    it takes for certain actions to be completed (see README.TXT for 
    more information). The benchmarks for your system are accurate. You 
    must make sure you rate at least : 
 
    0-25    for CPU Speed. Lower score = Faster processor 
    0-12    for Video Card Speed. Lower score = Faster video card 
    300+    for CD-ROM drive transfer rate. Higher rate = Faster CD-ROM 
 
    If you do not meet any of the above requirements, you probably will 
    experience movie pausing, even in VGA. 
 
    NOTE : If the installation program specifically detects that a 
    particular component is too slow, you will see a message that will 
    let you know. There may not be anything that can be done about the 
    movie pausing if you encounter one of these messages.  
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[2.0]   Long load times 
 
If you are experiencing long load times (in excess of approximately 2 
minutes), the following are suggested to help make the transition from 
gameflow to spaceflight a little shorter : 
 
1)  Check to see if you are using disk compression. If so, there may not 
    be anything else that can be done. (Of course, suggestions 2-6 may 
    be attempted, but may have no effect...)  
  
2)  The disk utilities listed below (with the exception of SCANDISK) are 
    shipped with DOS 6.0 and above (SCANDISK is shipped with DOS 6.2 and  
    above). Consult your DOS manual for more in-depth instructions on  
    how to use them. 
 
    It is recommended that before you play, you do the following for  
    drive C: and the savegame drive (if it differs from drive C:) :  
 
        CHKDSK C: 
 
            or better, 
 
        SCANDISK C: 
 
    CHKDSK and SCANDISK check and repair hard disk file damage. If any  
    damage is found, you will want to remove the C:\WC3 directory and  
    the savegame directory (if it is different) with : 
 
        DEL C:\WC3 
        RD C:\WC3 
 
    and repair any damage found according to the instructions in your  
    DOS manual.  
 
2)  Severely fragmented hard drives are a top cause of long load times. 
    You will then need to run a defragmentation utility doing a "full 
    optimize" for the savegame drive. For example :  
 
        DEFRAG C: /F  
 
4)  If enough disk space is available, try copying all 42 MB to the HD. 
    Try lower settings if less disk space is available.  
 
5)  In the CONFIG.SYS of your boot disk, use BUFFERS=99. Each buffer 
    uses 532 bytes of conventional memory, so this will use 
    approximately 50K.  
 
6)  If you have enough memory, you may try to squeeze in a 100K 
    SMARTDrive cache. After SMARTDRV.EXE, specify the savegame drive 
    letter. It is DEFINITELY NOT HELPFUL to have an amount lower than 
    100K, this will increase load times. For example :  
  
        C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE C 100  
  
*7) More RAM will definitely shorten load times. 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
[3.0]   The "DOTS" 
 
The "dots" signify the progress of the initialization phases of the 
game. Here are some things to check :  
 
1)  Set up a BOOT DISK! :) 
 
2)  Make sure your VESA driver is current and up to date. Try "UNIVBE", 
    or playing in VGA with "WC3 -V".  
 
3)  Make sure you have a 100% compatible mouse driver. Attempt to REM 
    out your mouse line and see if the problems persist. 
 
4)  You have a clean hard disk with at least 25MB of free space (50MB 
    if you are using disk compression).  
 
5)  Check sound card settings and compatibility. Try disabling your 
    sound card to see if that allows you to get into the game. 
  
6)  Make sure your CPU is 100% Intel compatible.  
 
[3.1]   You see "Loading Wing Commander III ......." and it returns 
        you immediately back to the CD-ROM drive prompt 
 
Edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file of your boot disk and type REM at the 
beginning of your mouse driver line. You are not using a 100% compatible  
mouse driver. Please refer to the Install Guide for more information in  
obtaining a 100% compatible mouse driver. 
 
[3.2]   Lockups at the fourth or sixth dot 
 
Run the installation program with  WC3 -I  and select NONE for "Setup  
Music Card" and "Setup Digital FX Card". If you can now get into the  
game, either your sound card is not set up correctly or your sound card  
is not 100% compatible with the selection you are trying to choose.  
Please verify your sound card settings and try again. 
 
We do know of a few problem sound cards that may lockup. (See section  
8.3 below.) 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[4.0]   Error messages 
 
[4.1]   This error may be the result of a bad CD-ROM read... 
 
Don't panic, you don't necessarily have a bad CD. Simply make sure  
you're using a boot disk, and try again. If you cannot solve the problem  
with a boot disk, see if your error message ABOVE the "This error..." is  
listed anywhere in the Install/Troubleshooting guide, the README.TXT  
file, or this help file. You may want to try exchanging the CDs at the  
place of purchase to see if a new CD actually solves your problem. 
 
[4.2]   A processor exception has occured. 
        Your system may be unstable at this point. 
 
1)  Make sure the line DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS is in your CONFIG.SYS. 
 
2)  If you have the following : 
 
    Hardware   : Mitsumi CD-ROM model FX001/FX001D  
    CONFIG.SYS : DEVICE=C:\<path>\MTMCDAE.SYS /D:MSCD001 <parameters> 
 
    HOW to solve :  
      Use the MTMCDAS.SYS driver found in the same directory. If  
      this driver is not in the directory, look on the disks that came  
      with the CD-ROM.  
 
        DEVICE=C:\<path>\MTMCDAS.SYS /D:MSCD001 <parameters> 
 
      As an alternate solution, you may try /T:S on the MTMCDAE.SYS  
      line. Use this if the customer does not have MTMCDAS.SYS on  
      his/her hard drive.  
 
        DEVICE=C:\<path>\MTMCDAE.SYS /D:MSCD001 /T:S <parameters> 
 
      Mitsumi     BBS             408-970-0761  
                  Sales           516-752-7730   
                  Tech Support    408-970-9699/9730  
 
3)  Make sure you're using a 100% Intel compatible processor. Other 
    processors may not be compatible with our game. 
 
[4.3]   Critical error on file : ..\..\data\movies\origin_s.mve or 
        Critical error on file : ..\..\data\movies\opening.mve 
        after several seconds of viewing the introduction. 
 
1)  If you have the following : 
 
    Hardware   : Phillips LMS 206 CD-ROM drive 
    CONFIG.SYS : DEVICE=C:\<path>\DD260.SYS /D:MVCD001 ... 
 
    How to solve : 
      Try adding the  "/F:5"  parameter to the end of the line. You may 
      alternately try  "/F:1".  This will attempt to clear a conflict 
      between the CD-ROM interface and the soundcard. 
 
        DEVICE=C:\<path>\DD260.SYS /D:MVCD001 /F:5 ... 
 
2)  If you have the following : 
 
    Hardware   : Mitsumi 4x IDE CD-ROM drive and an enhanced IDE hard 
                 drive 
    CONFIG.SYS : DEVICE=C:\MTM\MTMCDAI.SYS /D:MTMIDE01 /P:170,15 
 
    How to solve : 
      There seems to be an incompatibility with our game, certain 
      motherboards and this setup. We are currently researching this.  
      There is no solution at this time. 
 
3)  You may want to verify that you have the latest CD-ROM driver for 
    your CD-ROM drive. See section 1.0 for more information. 
 
[4.4]   Exception 13 happened :) 
 
Make a boot disk and retry. Also please review section 6.0 which  
discusses reboots. The same possible solutions apply to the Exception 13  
error messages. 
 
[4.5]   CVMManager::GetPtr () Requested: 397984, Available: 379932  
 
    Hardware     : Generally 8 MB machines 
    CONFIG.SYS   : DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 7168 RAM 
                   DEVICE=C:\<CD-ROM Driver> /M:<Large number>  
    AUTOEXEC.BAT : C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE <Large number>  
                   C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /E /M:<Large number>  
 
    Why this occurs :  
      You will find this error code on mission J003 on disc 3. 
      Basically, you have just barely enough extended memory to run 
      the game, but not enough to load the mission data. 
 
    HOW to solve :  
      You will have to load all drivers possible into conventional, and 
      try not to use as little extended memory as possible.  
 
      1)  REM out EMM386.EXE and DOS=UMB. This will load all drivers 
          into conventional memory, freeing upper memory.  
 
      2)  On the CD-ROM driver line in the CONFIG.SYS, remove the switch 
          or lower the amount of CD-ROM buffers allocated (if this is 
          what the /M switch for that particular driver does).  
  
      3)  REM out SMARTDRV.EXE from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  
  
      4)  Remove the /E switch from the MSCDEX.EXE line and lower the  
          buffers from the number specified after the /M: to 5. 
 
      5)  Use DOS=LOW in the CONFIG.SYS of your boot disk.  
 
      6)  99.9% of the time, 1-5 work just fine. If 1-5 have no effect,  
          as a last resort, re-run the installation program and disable  
          sound for that particular mission. 
 
[4.6]   Write failed on file : SWAPFILE.$$$ 
 
    Hardware   : Badly fragmented hard drives  
 
    Things to try : 
 
    1)  Make sure you have enough free space on the drive you're trying  
        to run the game on. You should have at least 25 MB of  
        uncompressed space. If the hard drive is compressed, the size  
        should move up to 50 MB. 
  
    2)  Make sure there are NO lost allocation units, cross- 
        linked/truncated files, bad sectors, etc. Use SCANDISK or CHKDSK  
        to check for the presence of file damage and repair accordingly.  
  
    3)  DEFRAG completely with "DEFRAG C: /F"  
 
    For a more detailed explanation of using CHKDSK, SCANDISK and 
    DEFRAG, refer to section 2.0, "Long load times," or your DOS manual. 
 
[4.7]   Malloc () failed 
 
This error may occur if you MANUALLY flew toward the way point. ALL (not  
most, not some, ALL) nav points should allow you to auto-pilot to the  
next nav allowing you to complete the nav area task. This may involve  
killing fighters, linking with transports, mining jump buoys, etc. For  
example :  
 
    If the you must escort transports, the you MUST auto-pilot link with 
    the transport by flying within 500 units of the transport to  
    establish the link. The auto-pilot light will then light up, and  
    auto-piloting is possible. PRESS "A" to autopilot to the next nav- 
    point. 
 
[4.8]   Non system disk or disk error 
        Replace and strike a key when ready 
 
This is a DOS error which means that the boot disk that you created for  
the game does not have the DOS system files on it. You will need to : 
 
1)  Restart your computer with the boot disk out of the A: drive. Go to 
    the DOS prompt (exit Windows). 
 
2)  Type  C:  and press [ENTER] 
 
3)  Place the boot disk in drive A: 
 
4)  Type  SYS A:  and press [ENTER] 
 
5)  Reboot your computer with the disk in the drive after the SYSTEM 
    TRANSFERRED message. 
 
[4.9]   Invalid drive specification 
 
Your CD-ROM drive has not loaded properly or the drive letter has  
changed. When MSCDEX loads, it will tell you the drive letter of your  
CD-ROM drive : 
 
    DRIVE D:= MSCD001 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[5.0]   Lockups 
 
Make a boot disk and retry. 
 
[5.1]   Lockups after the fourth or sixth dot 
 
See section 3.2. 
 
[5.2]   Lockups During opening movie, [ESC] takes you further into 
        the game 
 
You have chosen the incorrect sound card settings or have an IRQ or DMA  
conflict with your sound card and another device in your system. Verify  
your sound card settings are "conflict free" and re-run the installation  
program. 
 
See the Install Guide for more information. 
 
If you have an SB16 and you are sure your sound card settings are 
correct <this may not work for everyone>, but you may want to try to 
set the low and high DMA to the same channel in the boot disk's 
AUTOEXEC.BAT : 
 
    SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 
    SET SOUND=C:\SB16 
    C:\SB16\SBCONFIG /S  or  C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S 
 
SBCONFIG and DIAGNOSE will dynamically set the IRQ and DMA of your  
sound card according to the settings in the SET BLASTER line. Refer to 
your SB16 User's Guide for more information. 
 
[5.3]   Lockup at the joystick calibration screen 
 
We are unsure why this happens, but with a bit of troubleshooting, we  
should be able to find the cause : 
 
1)  Make sure you have only one joystick port active. If you do not, you 
    may have a joystick port conflict. Resolve and retry. 
 
2)  Remove the joystick completely, and see if you can get into the 
    game's installation program. Plug in the joystick after the game has 
    been installed and calibrate from within the game. 
 
3)  Try another joystick. 
 
4)  If you have more than one joystick port, disable the current 
    joystick port and the second joystick port and retry. 
 
5)  Try the Wing Commander III Joystick Patch (section 9.1). 
 
6)  Disable all open joystick ports and try using a speed adjustable 
    gamecard. 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[6.0]   Reboots 
 
Reboots normally occur when going after Flint, during Behemoth mission, 
planet ascension, switching CDs, or (R)eplaying a mission after you have 
died or ejected. 
 
The most common cause of a reboot is a video card with the S3 chipset.  
There is a problem reinitializing the video mode when going from mission  
to mission or from mission to movie to mission (as opposed to from  
mission to gameflow to mission). 
 
The video cards reboot if in SVGA when this occurs. We are currently  
researching this, but a solution at this time is to go into installation  
program with WC3 -I and set the Spaceflight Video Mode to VGA. If you  
want to play in SVGA that is fine, but you must manually switch to SVGA  
with ALT-3 or ALT-4. The mission MUST LOAD UP in VGA. 
 
Some other possibilities : 
 
1)  If you have the following : 
 
    Hardware   : BUSLogic 542S SCSI Host Adapter  
 
    HOW to solve :  
      You will need to use EMM386.EXE and possibly exclude DC00-DFFF. 
      The address range is used by the host adapter and may conflict 
      with Wing III. You must consult your documentation for specific  
      information on which range to exclude. For example :  
  
        DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM X=DC00-DFFF  
  
    BusLogic        BBS                 408-492-1984   
                    Tech Support FAX    408-492-1542  
                    Tech Support        408-492-9090   
                    Tech Support        408-988-7338  
 
2)  If you have the following : 
 
    Hardware   : PAS 16 and a SCSI CD-ROM Drive connected to the PAS 16 
    CONFIG.SYS : DEVICE=C:\<path>\TSLCDR.SYS /D:MVCD001 /R 
  
    HOW to solve :  
      You will need to download 316.EXE or 318S-MV.EXE from the  
      MediaVision BBS to upgrade TSLCDR.SYS to version 3.16 or 3.18. 
      316.EXE should be sufficient. 318S-MV.EXE is only needed if you  
      have a Sony 55S or a Sanyo 94S CD-ROM drive.  
  
      316.EXE contains :  
  
        MSCDEX   EXE        25,377 02-12-93   6:00a  
        README   DOC         1,344 10-04-93   4:04p  
        TSLCDR   SYS        35,201 04-26-94   3:36p  
 
      318S-MV.EXE contains :  
  
        MSCDEX   EXE        25,377 02-12-93   6:00a  
        TSLCDR   SYS        35,425 11-11-94  10:53a  
        README   DOC         1,372 12-06-94   4:50p  
  
      NOTE : MSCDEX.EXE included in this executable is version 2.21.  
      Version 2.23 is a requirement for the game. If you do not already  
      have Version 2.23 (it is shipped w/ DOS 6.2 and up), you will need  
      to contact Microsoft for the latest version.  
  
    Media Vision    BBS             510-770-0968 14400bps  
                    BBS             510-770-0527  
                    General         800-684-6699  
                    Tech Support    800-638-2807  
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[7.0]   Gameplay 
 
[7.1]   Movies are of "poor quality" 
 
If "streaks" are seen, either your gamma correction or monitor  
brightness is TOO high. Adjust the brightness of your monitor and/or  
gamma correction so that "Origin Presents" and "A Chris Roberts Game"  
fades to complete darkness. This should lessen the "streak"ing effect.  
 
[7.2]   No descriptions of possible actions (Attend Briefing, etc.) 
 
A 100% Microsoft compatible mouse driver must be installed in order to  
get gameflow descriptions (ie. Talk to Hobbes, Attend Briefing, etc.) 
 
[7.3]   TAB and ~ (afterburners) do not work in spaceflight 
 
The use of afterburners (TAB or ~) or slide (CAPS LOCK and /) will not  
work when mouse flight is enabled. You will have to double-click the 
right mouse button to afterburn, or use a joystick or the keyboard. The  
control type can be changed in the Spaceflight Options Menu (ALT-O). 
 
[7.4]   Installation program rates machine slower than normal 
 
If CPU Speed is rating slower than normal, make sure that both internal  
and external CPU caches are enabled. Also, check to see that the turbo  
button is on. Our benchmark scale applies to Intel microprocessors.  
Other processors tested may show a result slower than their Intel  
counterparts. Contact the microprocessor manufacturer for a more  
detailed explanation. 
 
[7.5]   Crackling sounds in SVGA 
 
In SVGA, you hear crackling/static/popping sounds from the sound card.  
First, make sure you do not an IRQ or DMA conflict. 
 
[7.5.1]   Cirrus Logic GD-542x  
 
If the you have the Cirrus Logic GD-542x video card, you may download 
542XVGA.EXE from the Cirrus Logic BBS. It upgrades the video BIOS to 
1.41. 
 
    Cirrus Logic    BBS             510-440-9080 
                    General         510-623-8300 
 
[7.5.2]   Orchid Kelvin 64  
 
If you have the Orchid Kelvin 64 there is currently no solution for this  
problem. We are in contact with Orchid working on a solution. 
  
    Orchid Technology BBS           510-683-0327 
                      General       510-683-0300  
                      Sales         800-767-2443  
                      Tech Support  510-683-0323  
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[8.0]   Specific Hardware 
 
There are several hardware specific issues that need to be addressed 
as follows. 
 
[8.1]   Control (keyboard, mouse, joystick) 
 
It is very important that 100% Microsoft-compatible mouse drivers are 
used. It has been noted that non-100% Microsoft-compatible mouse drivers 
will cause lockups during game initialization or during the movies.  
 
There is no mention how the Flightstick Pro or Thrustmaster FCS Mark I  
is supported in the documentation for the game. They are supported as  
follows :  
 
[8.1.1]   Flightstick Pro support 
 
    Coolie Hat  UP      F1 (Forward View, Toggle Cockpit On/Off)  
    Coolie Hat  LEFT    F2 (Left View, Pan Left -it DOES pan)  
    Coolie Hat  RIGHT   F3 (Right View, Pan Right -it DOES pan)  
    Coolie Hat  DOWN    F4 (Rear/Turret View)  
 
    Trigger             FIRE Guns  
    Left TOP Button     Joystick Button 2  
    Middle TOP Button   "Y" - Lock target and Match Speed  
    Right TOP Button    Fire Missiles  
 
[8.1.2]   Thrustmaster (w/o the Mark II) and Logitech Wingman support 
 
    Hat                 NOT SUPPORTED  
  
    Trigger             FIRE Guns  
    TOP Thumb Button    Joystick Button 2  
    BOTTOM Thumb Button Fire Missiles  
    Pinky Button        "Y" - Lock target and Match Speed  
 
[8.1.3]   WING3.ADV compiler errors  
 
    HOW to solve :  
      Edit the WING3.ADV file and remove the ( and ) (open and close  
      parentheses) from the lines w/ LALT and LCTL. Recompile, and it  
      should work fine.  
  
      The corrections to the file are listed below :  
 
    REM                WING COMMANDER THREE by ORIGIN SYSTEMS  
    REM                   Written and Tested November 1994  
    REM ****************************************************************  
    REM  Base Switch Settings  
    REM  Black Hat switch = Digital  
    REM  Red Switch       = Digital  
    REM  Game Settings: Regular Joystick if FCS is plugged into WCS  
    REM  
    GAME 1 70               REM  DIGITAL CONTINUOUS 70 MS Delay  
    BTN UB ENT              REM  WEAPON FIRE  
    BTN MB TAB              REM  AFTERBURNERS  
    BTN LB Y                REM  TARGET AND MATCH SPEED  
    BTN HU F1               REM  FRONT VIEW/COCKPIT TOGGLE  
    BTN HR F3               REM  RIGHT VIEW  
    BTN HD F2               REM  REAR VIEW  
    BTN HL F4               REM  LEFT VIEW  
    BTN 1 /U S              REM  SHIELDS VDU  
          /M G              REM  TOGGLE GUNS  
          /D LALT W         REM  "WHAT'S YOUR STATUS" 
    BTN 2 /U D              REM  DAMAGE VDU  
          /M M              REM  CONFIGURE MISSILE  
          /D LALT A         REM  "ATTACK MY TARGET" 
    BTN 3 /U P              REM  POWER VDU  
          /M L              REM  LOCK TARGET  
          /D LALT B         REM  "BREAK AND ATTACK" 
    BTN 4 /U ]              REM  INCREASE CURRENT POWER SYSTEM 5%  
          /M T              REM  NEXT TARGET  
          /D LALT T         REM  RANDOM TAUNT 
    BTN 5 /U [              REM  DECREASE CURRENT POWER SYSTEM 5%  
          /M a              REM  AUTOPILOT  
          /D W              REM  FULL MISSILES  
    BTN 6 /U LCTL ]         REM  TOGGLE LOCK CURRENT SYSTEM 
          /M E              REM  DROP DECOY  
          /D F              REM  FULL GUNS  
    RKR UP |                REM  NULL FUNCTION  
    RKR DN |                REM  NULL FUNCTION  
    THR 30 1 = - \ \ \ \    REM  THROTTLE CHARACTERS  
    BTN MT /P /N BSP  /R =  REM  THROTTLE CONTROL FROM IDLE TO OFF  
 
[8.1.3]   Programmable keyboards 
 
Turn OFF the program function. (Usually FUNCTION-SUSPEND MACRO or  
something similar. Also, REM out any lines that may install a  
programmable keyboard device driver. 
 
[8.2]   Video cards 
 
Our game is having a problem with the following video cards : 
 
[8.2.1]   Cirrus Logic 
 
Crackling sounds in SVGA. See section 7.5.1. 
 
[8.2.1]   Diamond Viper VLB 
 
The VPRMODE VESA program seems to cause random pixels and screen  
trash. This appears to only be with the VLB version of the card in  
SVGA. We are in contact with Diamond. For now, you will need to  
play in VGA with WC3 -V. 
 
[8.2.2]   Matrox PCI 
 
The Matrox PCI Windows Accelerator card seems to score poorly for  
during video card testing (a rating of 43, when 12 is needed to play  
the game). You will need to select VGA for Spaceflight and Movies, and  
on some machines, the movies appear to run smoothly, on others pausing  
is unavoidable. Contact Matrox for more information. 
 
[8.2.3]   Hercules Graphite 
 
To use the HERCULES Graphite video card, the following line in  
AUTOEXEC.BAT is needed : 
 
    C:\HERCULES\VESA C:\HERCULES\HG_OLD1.CRT   
 
[8.2.4]   Compaq Qvision 
 
We are working with Compaq on a solution for the screen trash problems  
in SVGA with the Compaq Qvision. For now, you must play in VGA (WC3 -V). 
 
    Compaq Computer Systems    BBS           713-378-1418 14400bps 
    Compaq                     General       713-370-0670 
    Compaq ....................T/S           800-888-5858  
 
[8.3]   Sound cards 
 
[8.3.1]   Mozart by Oak Technologies 
 
The MOZART sound card (created by Oak Technologies) seems to lock up  
after the "fourth" or "sixth" dot. We are currently working with Oak  
Technologies on a solution. There is no work-around for this problem at  
this time, you will have to play the game with NO SOUND. You can  
recognize a Mozart sound card by spotting the following lines in the  
configuration files : 
 
    CONFIG.SYS   : DEVICE=C:\MZT\MZTINIT.SYS /A220 /I5 /D1 /G /V7 
 
    AUTOEXEC.BAT : SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4 
                   SET SOUND=C:\MZT 
 
[8.3.2]   Media Chips MAD 16 
 
The Media Clips MAD 16 sound card must be configured as a Sound Blaster 
Pro. You must add a parameter which is not normally found on the M16INIT 
line (/C). You can recognize a MAD 16 by spotting the following lines in 
the configuration files : 
 
    CONFIG.SYS   : DEVICE=C:\MAD16\CDSETUP.SYS /T:S /P:340 /I:5 
    AUTOEXEC.BAT : SET MAD16=C:\MAD16 
                   SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4 
                   C:\MAD16\M16INIT /B /C 
 
[8.3.3]   Media Magic 16 (ISP16 and MAGICS20) 
 
Media Magic 16 sound cards (MAGICS20 and ISP16) work great with the  
game, but in the installation program, should be set as Sound Blaster  
Pro. Sound Blaster/Compatibles will cause lockups. The following lines  
will appear in AUTOEXEC.BAT if the customer has any of these cards :  
  
    AUTOEXEC.BAT :  SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4  
                    SET ISP16=C:\ISP16  
                    C:\ISP16\ISPINIT /B  
 
    AUTOEXEC.BAT :  SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4  
                    SET SOUND16=C:\MAGICS20  
                    C:\MAGICS20\SNDINIT /B  
 
    AUTOEXEC.BAT :  SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4  
                    SET SOUND16=C:\DIAMOND 
                    C:\DIAMOND\SNDINIT /B  
 
[8.4]   Miscellaneous (CPUs, hard drives, SCSI host adapters, etc.) 
 
[8.4.1]   Cyrix 486 processors (DLC, SRX2, DRX2, DX, DX2) 
 
If configured incorrectly, these have been found to cause random lockups 
and Exception 13s. We are working together with Cyrix, and the most  
common problem we have found is the processor is being used in an  
incompatible motherboard. 
 
[8.4.2]   AMD processors 
 
The AMD microprocessors seem to function adequately. 
 
[9.0]   Patches 
 
Only one patch is available at this time for Wing Commander III. 
 
[9.1]   WC3JOY.DLL, the joystick patch 
 
This patch is for users who are experiencing problems with joystick  
calibration (lockups, bad calibration, etc.) See the README.TXT of the  
patch file for more information on how to install and use the patch. 
 
To remove the patch, type  DEL C:\WC3\WC3JOY.DLL  and press [ENTER]. 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[10.0]   Problem CD-ROM drivers and their updates 
 
If you are experiencing problems with Wing Commander III (bad CD reads, 
movie pausing, etc.) make sure your CD-ROM driver is up to date. The 
following is a list of CD-ROM drivers we tested the game with and we 
know that work with the game and their locations. 
 
* NOTE : These may not be the latest CD-ROM drivers. You will need a 
  driver of this version or later. 
 
+ This is a location where you can find the driver. It is not the 
  original source for the driver. 
 
Driver Name    Driver    Driver     Filename       Driver Location 
               Version    Date        to DL 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
ASPICD.SYS     3.13      6-10-94    N/A            Adaptec 
                                                     BBS  408-945-7727 
                                                     TECH 408-945-2550 
                                                   + Creative Labs 
                                                     BBS  405-742-6660 
                                                     TECH 405-742-6622 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
CDMKE.SYS      4.04      12-3-93    N/A            + Reveal 
                                                     BBS  818-704-6321 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
DD260.SYS      1.42                                MediaVision 
                                                     BBS  510-770-0968 
                                                     TECH 510-252-4315 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
MTMCDAE.SYS    1.17      7-14-93    CDAE.EXE or    Mitsumi 
  or                                FX116.EXE        BBS  408-970-0761 
MTMCDAS.SYS    1.16                                  TECH 408-970-9699 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
SBCD.SYS       4.19      4-30-94    CD-DOS.EXE     Creative 
                                                     BBS  405-742-6660 
                                                     TECH 405-742-6622 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
SLCD.SYS       1.73a                173A.EXE       Sony 
                                                     BBS  408-955-5107 
                                    SLCD173.EXE    MediaVision 
                                                     BBS  510-770-0968 
                                                     TECH 510-252-4315 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
TSLCDR.SYS     3.16      4-26-94    316.EXE        MediaVision 
                                                     BBS  510-770-0968 
                                                     TECH 510-252-4315 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
[11.0]   Acknowledgements 
 
I would like to express thanks to the following people : 
 
PS : James Flores, Kay Gilmore, Andrew Hofmann, Bill LaCoste,  
     Jeremy Mappus, Chico Marvici, Donna Mehnert, John Moreland,  
     Reece Thornton, Todd Wachhaus, Marie Williams 
 
PD : Frank Savage, Jason Yenawine 
 
all of QA, Customer Service, and the Wing III Development Team. 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
-- END OF FILE -- 
 
