Some tips for the demo that people might find useful (please add your own)

[Cpl Steiner]

1. If sounds seem too quiet - hold down the "M" key to increase the volume.

2. If you need to strafe/pan the camera rather than pivot it - hold shift whilst moving the mouse.

3. In "Solo" play, selecting "Montebello" for all three of "The map room", "Le Grande Armee" and "The Coalition" gives you a really big battle with Napoleon in it.

4. If you get a CTD whenever the battle starts, persevere. I have found it suddenly works after 10 or 12 attempts for no apparent reason.

5. Turn on "Antialiasing Mode - Override the Application", "Antialiasing x4" and "Anastropic Filtering x8" in your graphics card control panel for some really crisp looking graphics.

[Holdit]

1. If sounds seem too quiet - hold down the "M" key to increase the volume.

2. If you need to strafe/pan the camera rather than pivot it - hold shift whilst moving the mouse.

3. In "Solo" play, selecting "Montebello" for all three of "The map room", "Le Grande Armee" and "The Coalition" gives you a really big battle with Napoleon in it.

4. If you get a CTD whenever the battle starts, persevere. I have found it suddenly works after 10 or 12 attempts for no apparent reason.

5. Turn on "Antialiasing Mode - Override the Application", "Antialiasing x4" and "Anastropic Filtering x8" in your graphics card control panel for some really crisp looking graphics.

Re 1: How do you decrease it again?

Regarding the CTD issue, I've found that loading one of the tutorials, exiting it and then loading whatever you actually wanted to play usually works, although it's not guaranteed. All the same, I've only once in about 10-12 play sessions had to give up and do something else through failure to load anything at all.

Holdit

P.S. Is that le caporal Steiner from Northern Ireland who I remember from the --------- forums?

[Montecuccoli]

You decrease volume with L... anyway this is written in the "Book" inside the game in Options 

[dippysea]

Wow the Antialiasing and Anastropic Filtering make a major difference to the 3D Graphics.

I can now see the units in the distance close up look better.

[Holdit]

You decrease volume with L... anyway this is written in the "Book" inside the game in Options 

Merci monsieur, je aurais du le lire plus soigneusement.

Holdit

[Cpl Steiner]

P.S. Is that le caporal Steiner from Northern Ireland who I remember from the --------- forums?

From Liverpool actually but I am sure you have the right person. I have been posting on the ---------.com forum for years - mainly about CM:SF.

I hope people like the spirit of this thread. I wanted it to be a positive thread devoted to handy hints and tips to improve people's experience of the demo. There are plenty of other threads to express dissatisfaction with the game.

[Darsh]

5. Turn on "Antialiasing Mode - Override the Application", "Antialiasing x4" and "Anastropic Filtering x8" in your graphics card control panel for some really crisp looking graphics.

Great, the game looks much more better 

[Seydlitz]

I found that I always have CTD when theres the background pictures of the charging guards. HW always works for me when theres the background pictues with the charging Hussar.  Maybe someone could check this. It doesnt matter if I change options or not.

[dippysea]

The 3D view is far better now.

I have loaded Montebello Map with Tut3 forces.  I am coalition

Giving a Corps orders and choosing a central unit to F6 on and watching all units around march to the destination is a sight to behold.

Giving another unit garrison orders in a village and watching the barriers being built over time

.....

I think this game has potential as I find more new things.  I am starting to look forward to the main game with larger maps and better AI more and more.  With time, after the initial worry about vanishing units, I am liking it more. 

[Cpl Steiner]

I am really starting to enjoy this demo a lot now since switching to "Montebello" for all options. I am not seeing half the bugs I was seeing before. I have a strong suspicion it is just the tutorial modes that are really buggy. All I've really noticed since doing the "Solo" game with all the "Montebello" options on is the odd looping speach sample which is easily cancelled by switching between 2d and 3d mode.

Dare I say I'm even starting to like the graphics!

Here's another tip I find improves the game experience - more of a personal preference really:

In 2D mode (F2), hit the "T" key are few times to accelerate time to its max value of 06/60 (1 minute of real time = 6 seconds of game time). Also hit F8 and hover the mouse over the "orders" menu option that highlights all corps order arrows.

The game will now speed along at quite a pace and you will really get a feel for how orders are being passed around and how the battle is unfolding. As soon as some action starts to happen on the 2d map, hit F8 to cancel the order arrows, and press the "R" key a few times until time acceleration is at 20/60 (1 minute of real time = 20 seconds of game time). Now press F3 and switch to 3d mode.

I find at 20/60 time-acceleration, the game looks at it's best in 3d mode. Unit animations look much less "moon-walky" and everything seems to settle down into a nice time-frame - even the explosions and the bangs of the muskets seem to sound more natural.

[Hook]

Steiner, I love it.  I've got to try the graphics options.

I knew about the other tips, but I'm surprised at the number of people with crashes.  Here's hoping JMM can get that one figured out.

Hook

[Petrus58]

Thanks for the tip on graphics. I did change the resolution to my native one, but this makes it look even better. In fact, I cannot understand some criticism (elsewhere) of the graphics - for the size of maps and the number of units they look pretty impressive. Now does anyone know if it is possible to increase the draw distance?

[AP514]

 Hi Hook...Good to see you...long time no see..ANV was the last time I had seen you around...



   AP514

[Franciscus]

Thanks for the graphics tip. It looks great ! 

[ArtVandelay]

1. If sounds seem too quiet - hold down the "M" key to increase the volume.

2. If you need to strafe/pan the camera rather than pivot it - hold shift whilst moving the mouse.

3. In "Solo" play, selecting "Montebello" for all three of "The map room", "Le Grande Armee" and "The Coalition" gives you a really big battle with Napoleon in it.

4. If you get a CTD whenever the battle starts, persevere. I have found it suddenly works after 10 or 12 attempts for no apparent reason.

5. Turn on "Antialiasing Mode - Override the Application", "Antialiasing x4" and "Anastropic Filtering x8" in your graphics card control panel for some really crisp looking graphics.

Thanks for the tip. The graphic changes work well.