Foundation Support Page

Amiga Format AFCD Note
This version of the support page was setup for the Amiga Format Cover-CD. I've been very busy working on important updates to Foundation ever since the commercial relase of the game and I've been unable to put too much effort into this first Foundation AFCD release. For those with Internet access I have been able to provide a lot of support via the web page, the mailinglist and Email but so far, very little has been attached to this web page.
You will find the latest Foundation Update as well as a carbon-copy of the online Foundation Support Page.
Next month there should be a whole lot more. I will provide some important additional game documentaion, some much bigger better Updates, More FAQ's, more Custom Files and a whole lot more! There should also be a new Demo ready for the next edition of AFCD!
Thank you,
Paul Burkey - burkey@bigfoot.com

News
Latest - It wasn't possible to add/change everything I wanted for Update 6.
2nd June 98 - Update 6 released. Important Upgrade!
28th May 98 - Update 5 released.
26th May 98 - Update 4 released with many improvements.
23rd May 98 - Update 3b released with two small bug fixes.
23rd May 98 - Third Update released with new Custom Sound support.
20th May 98 - Second Update released with small bug fixes and subtle feature improvements.
16th May 98 - First Update released with some small gameplay improvements.
15th May 98 - Foundation arives!

Updates
Foundation Update 6 - 389k (2nd June 98) (full update package)
FoundationUpd6.lha

Official Custom Sound Set - 163k (23rd May 98) (optional)
FoundCustSound.lha

The Update contains many improvements since the CD release including:-
Update 6 contains all previous Updates, plus...
Important `low Chip-Ram' code, stops Chip-Ram dropping below 300k when possible.
Implimented `shift-select units' feature that was missing.
Added Requestor to `Esc. key to Quit' option.
Improved building sound-effect routines.
Added sound to `Repair Building' feature.
Added warning for `Damaged Buildings'.
Some simple Computer AI improvements.
Added option to `turn off' MugShots in Preferences screen.
Right Mouse Click makes the `Resource Panel' scroll faster.
Many more small changes made.
Update 5..
More speedups and optimizations.
Fixes some big problems introduced in earlier update.
Update 4..
Food in Buildings are now correcty lit/unlit.
Scroll location is now restored after `Load Game'.
Code optimizations to reduce executable size and provide small speedups (much more to come).
Panel Update code was improved which makes the game a lot smoother with big settlements.
Update 3b..
Fixed the `Best & Worst' panel which showed incorrect value for Peasants.
Fixed `Average Age' calculation from the previous `totaly incorrect' value.
Update 3..
New Custom Sound features for 3rd party sound sample support.
Better `low memory' detection (Menu Music not played if there is less than 800k contiguous Chip memory)
Fixed a bug when an in-game screens width wasn't divisible by 32 pixels (Corrupted game display)
Update 2..
Some problems with the AGA version were fixed. Maybe more AGA fixes are needed. I'll work on it a little more.
Lowered the Natural Cause deaths and Suicide rates.
Improved the `Explore Reveal' system with better updates
Selected Building Box uses colours to show strength (Red = Damaged)
Update 1..
Much better Computer AI which doesn't necessarily mean the game is harder but it is more fun
Slightly less food consuption which I felt was an important change
Any buildings that are given to you at the begining of the game are filled up with stock and people
Reproduction and Health problems have been fine tuned
The `Wear and Tear' level for buildings has been lowered
I forced soldiers to avoid fighting behind buildings, they now try to fight `in view' where possible
I limited `fights' to approx 8 people at any time. If there is a large fight they will spread out and attack eachother in small groups.

FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

The game won't start! Why can't I get it to run?
Why does the game seem to crash as early as the menu screens?
How can I play the CD Audio tracks? The game keeps loading files, stopping the CD playback.
Why do I have problems running the game in Hires modes with the AGA version?
Why is the Intro Anim so slow in AGA?
Where is the game documentation?
The manual states that new trees can be created `at any time'. Is this true?

Q. The game won't start! Why can't I get it to run?

A. You must setup some basic preferences. You do this by running FoundationPrefs and then you press the USE button to setup some prefs in RAM. If you've copied FoundationPrefs to the Hard Drive, you could use the SAVE button to setup some perminent prefs for future use. If the game doesn't find the prefs files in RAM or in the current directory it will not run.

Q. Why does the game seem to crash as early as the menu screens?

A. You are probably using the AGA version and the crashes are due to a lack of chip memory. If you use the default menu screen size (640x256) or bigger, the game will use quite a lot of chip memory. This problem is made worse my the large 500k music module and also by large Workbench screens. Some checks for low Chip-mem have been added to the game but it dosn't seem to be foolproof.

Q. How can I play the CD Audio tracks? The game keeps loading files, stopping the CD playback.

A. You must install te minimum files required for CDDA playback. In the current version of the FoundationPrefs you must select the first three Instillation buttons. These are Samples, Mugshots and Game GFX. This amounts to 33Meg of files. In a future update I will provide extra filter options to allow you to install `AGA only' or `RTG only' files.

Q. Why do I have problems running the game in Hires modes with the AGA version?

A. The AGA version was developed with `low end' support in mind. This means I made every effort to allow users to play the game on a 640x256 size screen but anything bigger than that was going beyond the limits of AGA (playability). The preferences program should really have been designed to stop users from selecting screens bigger than 640x256 but the limit was never implimented.

Q. Why is the Intro Anim so slow in AGA?

A. I had a few small problems with the AGA anim playback routines in the last few days of development. These problems forced me to use an older (Chip Mem based) routine for the AGA version which made the playback safer but slower. This is something I will replace in one of the first updates. The RTG anim playback has room for improvement too.

Q. Where is the game documentation?

A. There is documentation on the CD but when it was created we discovered the Icon for the html drawer was missing. The documentation can be found on the CD in the html drawer. If you insert your Foundation CD now, you can access the instructions here... English Documentation ... Deutsch Documentation. I will also create a detailed Players Guide to provide more help soon.

Q. The manual states that new trees can be created `at any time'. Is this true?

A. I'm afraid this is not true. In order to create new trees and rocks you must develop the required commands in the Laboratory. The `Summon Rocks' spell will be developed durring Tech Level 6 and the `Summon Trees' spell will come durring Tech Level 8.

Foundation Mailinglist
The Foundation Mailinglist is an ideal place to meet other Foundation players and discuss all aspects of the game.
To subscribe, you only have to send an email to mushypd-foundation@redrose.net with your subject line containing the word SUBSCRIBE. If you would prefer to access the mailing list in the form of a `Daily Digest' then you can subscribe with SUBSCRIBE DIGEST in the Subject. If you want to subscribe from your Browser then be sure that it is properly setup with your real Email address.
The Mailinglist accepts other commands including UNSUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE DIGEST, FAQ, INFO and HELP. The Foundation Mailing list is run and moderated by Andrew Kellett mushypd@redrose.net. You should use the automated SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE system to join/leave the Mailinglist but if you prefer to speak to a Human then I'm sure Andrew would be happy to deal with your requests but it may take an extra day to deal with you this way.
For more details about the Mailinglist contact Andrew Kellett at:- mushypd@redrose.net

Future

I plan to spend the next month working on requested improvements and general changes to the game. Some early attempts to add TCP/IP support will be made with a view to full TCP/IP support in June. The first month will probably see some very regular updates (almost daily). Then the updates will be made on a monthly basis with some large features added as well as large graphic and audio updates.

The split-screen mode will be enabled soon. I did hope to get this important feature added as soon as possible but I decided to work on some of the compatability problems first.

I will prepare some iff map files to be used in the games import feature. I'm afraid the import map features of the game were not developed as much as I had planned but this will be put right with some example maps and some extra features added for importing your own maps. Also a new Map Editor will be developed to allow for the creation of finely tuned maps.

Extra Mugshots are planned for the regular updates so please feel free to send your picture if you haven't already done so. I will also create a utility to allow you to create your own MugShot files.

Thank you,

Paul Burkey - burkey@bigfoot.com