In this intense, challenging strategy game, you begin as
one of the earliest amphibians to crawl onto land,
competing against up to five computer or human (networked)
opponents to evolve the first intelligent species (and that
doesn't have to mean Homo sapiens!). If all goes well, in
360 million years or so (4-6 hours of playing), you will
beat your opponents to evolve the first intelligent
species.
Frequently Asked Questions
The game isn't working, or isn't working right. What's
wrong?
Will other programs conflict with Evolution?
What should I do when the game won't run at all or starts
but immediately returns to the Windows 95 desktop?
The game runs slowly or has other performance problems.
What can I do?
The game starts but then stops and tells me to reset to
"256 Color or higher." Why?
My audio isn't working. What should I do?
What should I do if the game keeps crashing, moves really
slowly or gives a memory error message?
I'm trying to host a network game over the Internet. When I
select Internet TCP/IP Connection for DirectPlay, no TCP/IP
address appears. What should I do?
My map view is coming up black or playing a movie locks my
computer. What should I do?
The buttons on my game windows are cluttered, on top of one
another, or cover other useful information. How do I fix
this?
Where can I find other Evolution players so that I can
discuss the game and find people who want to play networked
games?
I'm having a little trouble getting started in the game. Is
there a strategy guide of any kind?
Frequently Asked Questions
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Q:
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The game isn't working, or isn't working right.
What's wrong?
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A:
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Make sure your computer system meets at least the
minimum hardware requirements, particularly for
processor type and speed, RAM requirements and video
system. Make sure the Evolution CD is in your
CD-ROM drive when you play the game.
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Q:
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Will other programs conflict with Evolution?
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A:
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We recommend not running any program in the background
when playing Evolution, particularly: Antiviral
programs that stay resident in memory, like Norton or
VShield RAM enhancers like RAM Doubler or SoftRAM Font
managers, like Adobe Type Manager Shell programs like
Norton Desktop or Packard Bell Navigator Uninstallers
like CleanSweep or RemoveIt Hard drive compression
software like DoubleSpace or Stacker CD-ROM
acceleration software like FlexiCD or D-Time
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Q:
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What should I do when the game won't run at all or
starts but immediately returns to the Windows 95
desktop?
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A:
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Did you install DirectX during installation?
Evolution requires DirectX system drivers,
version 5 or later. If you skipped the DirectX
installation and Evolution does not run, you can
install DirectX separately by clicking the Install
DirectX button in the AutoPlay window. (The
AutoPlay window will appear when you insert the
Evolution CD in your CD-ROM drive or when you
select the Evolution shortcut from the Start
Menu.)
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Q:
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The game runs slowly or has other performance
problems. What can I do?
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A:
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Here are some general tips on improving
performance:
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Close all other applications and turn off
screen savers, virus programs and
wallpaper.
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Set your display to 640x480 and 256 Colors.
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NOTE: If you did a Minimum
install or a Normal install with the
High Color Graphics Only option,
setting your display to 256 Colors may be
counterproductive, as the game will have to
access graphics from the Evolution
CD during play.
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Reinstall Evolution using the
Normal install and 256 and High
Color Graphics options. This will
prevent Evolution from accessing
graphics on the Evolution CD during
play.
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Get the latest drivers for your video card
from the manufacturer. Generally,
manufacturers have websites from which you
can download driver updates.
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Add more memory to your computer.
Evolution runs best with 32 MB of
RAM.
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Q:
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The game starts but then stops and tells me to reset
to "256 Color or higher." Why?
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A:
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Your display is set to 16-color mode. Evolution
requires at least 256-color mode. From the Windows 95
desktop, open Settings\ Control Panel\ Display\
Settings\ Color Palette\ and reset your display
settings to 256-color or higher.
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Q:
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My audio isn't working. What should I do?
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A:
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This game should produce audio through your sound card.
If you are not hearing sound from your speakers or
headphones, check the following:
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that the cables from your speakers or
headphones are properly connected to your
computer.
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that the speakers have power.
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that the volume is turned on.
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that your sound card is properly configured
for Windows 95. To test for sound: open
Settings\ Control Panel\ Sounds.
Select a sound file, then click the
Preview option. You should hear a
sound. If not, your sound card is not
properly set up. Refer to user's manual for
your sound card for instructions on proper
configuration and
installation.
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Q:
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What should I do if the game keeps crashing, moves
really slowly or gives a memory error message?
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A:
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Chances are your memory resources are stretched to
capacity. Try closing all other applications before
starting this program. Also, verify that virtual
memory is turned on (open the System Control
Panel and click on the Virtual Memory
button). If problems persist, you may need to add
additional memory to your system.
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Q:
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I'm trying to host a network game over the Internet.
When I select Internet TCP/IP Connection for
DirectPlay, no TCP/IP address appears. What should I
do?
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A:
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Make sure your computer really has an Internet
connection. If you dial into an Internet Service
Provider, establish your connection before
selecting Start Network Game in
Evolution. Contact your network administrator or
Internet Service Provider if you're having problems
with this.
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Q:
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My map view is coming up black or playing a movie
locks my computer. What should I do?
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A:
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Certain video cards that were not available during beta
testing have demonstrated problems handling
Evolution. One of those cards is the STB
Velocity 128 AGP Card, which ships in most new Dell
computers. The newest driver for this card fixes this
problem, and we recommend that you upgrade your video
drivers as soon as possible. You can download any of
the STB drivers, including the Velocity
128, for free at: http://www.stb.com/drivers/. For
information on other manufacturer's drivers, please
visit their websites.
STB Video Card Drivers: We have detailed
instructions on installing the STB video driver if
you need them.
Until you can procure new drivers for your card,
you can use the following workaround:
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Instead of starting a game by immediately
selecting Start New Game, select
Load Saved Game.
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Either select a saved game or hit
the Cancel button to start a new
game
or
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From the Game menu at the top of the
screen, select Start New Game or
press CTRL-N.
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You can now play the game. However, DO NOT
select Play Movie when a disaster
occurs, as this will cause problems.
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Q:
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The buttons on my game windows are cluttered, on top
of one another, or cover other useful information. How
do I fix this?
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A:
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Most of the windows in Evolution will
notdraw properly if your display is set to Large
Fonts in the Settings panel of the
Display control panel. This is because
Evolution uses graphic backgrounds of fixed size
on most windows and the Large Fonts setting
increases the sizes of windows and controls like
pop-down lists. Setting your display settings to
Small Fonts will correct this problem.
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Q:
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Where can I find other Evolution players so that I
can discuss the game and find people who want to play
networked games?
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A:
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There is a great place to meet other Evolution players
and fans of Strategy games. If you have access to
Usenet, subscribe to COMP.SYS.IBM.PC.GAMES.STRATEGIC.
Check with your Internet provider to learn how to
access Usenet. If you have access to America Online,
you can access Usenet and this group (along with AOL's
own strategy game message boards). There are many
discussions about Evolution going on as you read this.
Also, if you would like to see Evolution supported by
Mutliplayer gaming services such as Kali, WON, Engage
and MPlayer, go to their websites and send them an
email! We have done what we can to get us supported,
but now it will take players' requests to make it
happen.
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Q:
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I'm having a little trouble getting started in the
game. Is there a strategy guide of any kind?
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A:
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At the present time, there are no plans to publish an
"Official" Evolution strategy guide; however, we have
put a Getting Started guide up on this website. Click
here to get to the guide. Also, we are planning to put
up a message base on this website that will be a
meeting place for Evolution players to discuss
strategies and to meet up for multiplayer games. A good
place to discuss Evolution right now is the COMP.SYS.IBM.PC.GAMES.STRATEGIC
newsgroup on Usenet. Check with your Internet provider
to learn how to access Usenet. If you have access to
America Online, you can access Usenet and this
group.
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