
               LANDS OF LORE III Patch Version 1.07A
                          April 30, 1999

    Copyright (c) 1999 WESTWOOD STUDIOS, INC. All rights reserved

    Lands of Lore, Lands of Lore III and Westwood Studios are 
    trademarks of Westwood Studios, Inc.

 For latest goodies, news and updates visit http://www.westwood.com

=====================================================================

** UNZIP THE CONTENTS OF THIS PATCH INTO YOUR LANDS OF LORE III
** GAME DIRECTORY.  THEN, RUN LANDS OF LORE III TO INSTALL THE PATCH.

=====================================================================


Contents:
---------

1. Bug Fixes

    1.1. Direct3D
    1.2. Game System
    1.3. Gameplay

2. New Features

3. Troubleshooting

    3.1. Virtual Memory Settings
    3.2. Disable Background Applications
    3.3. Disable Triple Buffering Option on 3dfx Cards
    3.4. Update Your BIOS
    3.5. Command Line Switches
    3.6. Direct3D video cards known to work with version 1.06J

4. Known Problems with LOL III version 1.06J

    4.1. Virtual Memory with Direct3D
    4.2. 3Dlabs Permedia 2
    4.3. 3D Cards known to not work correctly with version 1.06J

5. Contacting Westwood Studios Technical Support

=====================================================================

1. Bug Fixes

    1.1. Direct3D

        * Fixed Direct3D initialization crashes
        * Direct3D video card selection now works correctly for
          users with multiple Direct3D video cards (e.g., TNT and
          Voodoo in the same system)
        * Fixed lockups on cards that support paletted textures
        * Transparent (irregular-shaped) textures now render in
          color instead of dark grey
        * Transparent (irregular-shaped) textures no longer render
          with streaks and/or rectangular outlines
        * Fixed blending mode bugs
        * Translucent textures now render as originally intended
        * Added command line switches to help work around problems
          on some video cards

    1.2. Game System

        * Cache file will now always be rebuilt correctly after an
          abnormal shutdown
        * Fixed a crash when running with Microsoft's Active Desktop
        * Fixed a crash that could occur when swapping CDs
        * Fixed sound lockup problems under Windows NT
        * Picking up multiple flashpots works correctly
        * Conversations will work correctly even if volume is at
          its minimum setting
        * Items will no longer become invisible
        * Pyra pods now work correctly
        * Fixed random crashes after a cinematic has played
        * Alt-Tab, or losing focus, no longer crashes the game

    1.3. Gameplay

        * Problems getting Warrior and Wizard quests have been
          addressed
        * Infinite experience bug has been fixed in the Frozen Wastes
        * Quests that do not get crossed out when completed are fixed
        * Can no longer get a second shard from the white tower when
          visiting the level after closing the portal
        * Mauri no longer floats in the air
        * Sped up drawing when items are moving down into the
          inventory
        * Can now get out of a secret room in Lower Gladstone
        * Added sound effect to the prism sword
        * Will no longer get stuck by being teleported to the wrong
          locations when picking up the sigil and seal
        * Fixed crash when attacking the case in the white tower
          where you receive the hilt after already getting the hilt

=====================================================================

2. New Features

Right-click on the journal while in the world to see the current and
past 25 conversations.

=====================================================================

3. Troubleshooting

    3.1. Virtual Memory Settings

        LOL III may need to use more RAM than is physically present
        on your system.  Windows 95/98 automatically takes care of
        this by using what is known as "Virtual Memory" - it uses
        space on your hard disk to simulate the memory it needs and
        swaps data back and forth from your hard disk as required.
        Windows 95/98 allows you to manually set the amount of hard
        drive space it uses for Virtual Memory.  WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND
        THAT YOU DO NOT DO THIS!  To let Windows 95/98 manage the
        Virtual Memory, go to the START menu, select SETTINGS\CONTROL
        PANEL, then double-click SYSTEM, click PERFORMANCE\FILE
        SYSTEM\VIRTUAL MEMORY and then select "Let Windows manage my
        virtual memory settings (recommended)".

    3.2. Disable Background Applications

        Please disable all applications running in the background
        while playing LOL III.  One example of a background
        application is Norton Anti-Virus.  Having other applications
        run in the background while playing LOL III can cause
        spurious lockups and crashes.

    3.3. Disable Triple Buffering Option on 3dfx Cards

        Enabling advanced features on 3dfx cards can cause spurious
        rendering problems, like missing monsters and textures.
        Please ensure that your 3dfx display driver is configured to
        the manufacturer's default settings when playing LOL III on a
        3dfx-based card.

    3.4. Update Your BIOS

        Updating the BIOS on some systems may clear up many problems,
        such as random lockups and rendering errors, particularly on
        Super-7 motherboards.  Please contact your PC or motherboard
        vendor for more information on BIOS upgrades.

    3.5. Command Line Switches

        These are parameters that can be used when running LOL III.
        They must have the leading '-' character and be in all CAPS.
        These can be added to the shortcut for LOL III to provide
        the following features:

        * -D3DNONSQUARE - Enable support for non-square textures;
                          this feature may be supported by your
                          video card, and if so, may improve
                          performance

        * -D3DMONOLIGHTMAPS - May improve performance at the expense
                              of some visual accuracy

        * -D3DPERMEDIA2 - Enable workarounds to support the 3Dlabs
                          Permedia 2 chipset, including monochrome
                          light maps

        * -D3DNOVERTEXCOLOR - May improve performance at the expense
                              of visual accuracy; also provides a
                              non-colored hardware accelerated view
                              that looks more like the software
                              display mode

        * -D3DFUZZYEDGES - Reverts edge blending back to the method
                           used in the release version (1.05) of
                           LOL III

        * -CACHE_50 - Reduce the amount of memory required by the
                      game; may fix memory errors and "not enough
                      free hard drive space" I/O errors

        * -SAFEMODE - Force LOL III to use the software renderer
                      when the game is launched; use this parameter
                      if the game will not start up properly

    3.6. Direct3D video cards known to work with version 1.06J

        The following is a list of Direct3D video cards and driver
        versions that we have tested here at Westwood, and are known
        to work correctly with LOL III version 1.06J.  This is
        provided for informational purposes only; we do not guarantee
        that the same card and driver combination will work for every
        combination of PC hardware, only that we have tested the card
        and driver and that they are likely to work.  In some cases
        it was necessary to revert to the "reference driver" for the
        chipset, to get a reliable 3D driver.  Also, some version
        numbers listed below may not match third-party driver
        versions.  We recommend that if you have rendering problems
        with 3D games, you should always first try and contact your
        3D card vendor for the latest driver update.  Most vendors
        update their drivers frequently to fix bugs, and this often
        solves many rendering problems with 3D cards; also, most
        vendors have websites with free driver downloads.  Check out
        http://www.westwood.com/techsupport/hardware.html for a list
        of hardware vendor links that can be useful for finding
        driver updates.

        Also, if you are using a 3dfx-based card, we highly recommend
        using Glide, as a display driver, instead of Direct3D, for
        those cards.

        Versions listed below are Direct3D driver versions.

                     3dfx Voodoo/Rush: version 4.10.01.2072
                         3dfx Voodoo2: version 4.10.01.0015
                  3dfx Voodoo Banshee: version 4.10.01.0213
                         3dfx Voodoo3: version 4.11.01.0416-1.00
                      nVidia Riva TNT: version 4.10.01.239
                         ATI Rage 128: version 4.11.6076
                Rendition Verite 2200: version 4.03.3309
        Intel/Real3D i740/Starfighter: version 4.11.2407-981207
                          Matrox G200: version 4.11.01.1000
                    3Dlabs Permedia 2: version 4.10.2105-364
             Chromatic Research Mpact: version 4.10.01.3068

=====================================================================

4. Known Problems with LOL III version 1.06J

    4.1. Virtual Memory with Direct3D

        At this time, there are known problems involving Direct3D and
        Windows virtual memory usage.  After extended periods of
        play, you may experience game slowdown and unreliability.  We
        are currently working to resolve these issues, and are
        planning to release a patch to correct this in the near
        future.

    4.2. 3Dlabs Permedia 2

        If you are using a 3dlabs Permedia 2-based 3D card (e.g.,
        Diamond FireGL 1000, Hercules Dynamite 3D/GL, etc.), you MUST
        add a command line switch to your LOL III shortcut, and use
        the shortcut to launch the game.  At this time we cannot
        reliably detect the presence of the Permedia 2 card, so we
        must rely on the command line switch to activate support for
        this card.  Please use the command line switch,
        "-D3DPERMEDIA2", to enable support for this card.

    4.3. 3D Cards known to not work correctly with version 1.06J

        The following cards are known to not render correctly with
        LOL III version 1.06J.  It is possible that a future driver
        update from the vendor might solve these problems.

        ATI Rage Pro: Light map stitching errors.

        S3 Savage3D: Incorrect texture rendering, with garbaged
                     textures; incorrect light map rendering.

        nVidia Riva 128: Some versions of this card seem to render
                         translucent objects at the wrong intensity.
                         Only cosmetic - should not affect gameplay.

=====================================================================

5. Contacting Westwood Studios Technical Support


INTERNET: WORLD WIDE WEB
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