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Magic: The Gathering for Windows 95
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Last revised: March 26, 1997
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System Requirements
===================
IBM PC 100MHz 80486DX/4 compatible or faster
Windows 95
16MB RAM
Quad-speed CD-ROM drive
Hard drive (92MB free)
Super VGA graphics for 640 x 480 x 256 colors
Mouse
Windows 95-compatible sound card
Recommended
-----------
IBM PC 120MHz Pentium compatible or faster
32MB RAM
High Color graphics for 1024 x 768 x 16-bit color
(2MB video RAM minimum)
Installation
============
Q: I have the demo for Magic: The Gathering installed. Will
this cause any problems when I install the complete game?
A: We recommend that you either delete the demo directory or
rename it before installing the complete game. By default,
the complete game uses the same directory name (\MAGIC)
that the demo uses.
Q: The manual mentions online registration, but I don't see
any option for this in the game.
A: Unfortunately, at the last minute we had to remove this
option. Please fill out and send in the registration card
that was in your box in order to register the game.
Compatibility
=============
Q: Is Magic: The Gathering compatible with Windows 3.1,
Windows 3.11 or Windows NT?
A: Unfortunately, because the program uses Microsoft's
DirectX version 3.0a, it does not work properly with any
operating system except Windows 95.
Q: While installing the game, I got an error code of "38."
A: This problem is caused by insufficient hard drive space.
The game requires a minimum of 92MB free on your hard drive
(and perhaps more depending on the total size of your hard
drive). Please remember that you will need an additional 20MB
to 30MB of hard drive space for the Windows 95 swap file.
Q: While installing the game, I got an error message of
"Assertion error, cannot open sprite file." I am using
Corel CD-ROM drivers.
A: Unfortunately, the installer is not compatible with Corel
CD-ROM drivers. You must load Windows 95 drivers for your
CD-ROM drive.
Q: I got an error while uninstalling or reinstalling the game
that says there is a file that is write-protected or otherwise
cannot be deleted.
A: Just reboot your computer and try again. Sometimes Windows 95
thinks one of the files is write-protected until the computer
is rebooted.
Sound
=====
Q: I don't have a Windows 95-compatible sound card, and the game
crashes on me.
A: Unfortunately, the game requires a Windows 95-compatible sound
card. Without one, the game will crash in certain parts of the
game (usually when you try to duel in Shandalar).
Q: I am having problems with the sound in Magic: The Gathering.
A: Please note that the game requires DirectX version 3.0 working
in order to hear the sound and music. If you are not hearing
any sound, the problem is most likely caused by a problem with
DirectX not working with your sound card. Please contact
your sound card manufacturer for the latest drivers that are
compatible with DirectX version 3.0a.
Q: I am experiencing glitches in the game due to sound repeating.
A: Please try first uninstalling the game and then reinstalling
the game using the full custom install. This will sometimes
take care of the problem.
Q: I'm having problems with sound in duels.
A: Try renaming the folder "DuelSounds" in the MAGIC\PROGRAM
directory to something else. You will no longer hear any
sounds in the duel.
Q: I have a Sound Blaster AWE32 card and am having sound
problems.
A: Please download the latest drivers from the Creative Labs Web
site at www.creaf.com or contact them directly for the latest
version of their Windows 95-compliant sound card drivers.
Q: I have an Ensoniq ViVo sound card, and I hear static through
my speakers when I play Magic: The Gathering.
A: Please download the latest drivers that should fix this
problem from Ensoniq's Web site at www.ensoniq.com or contact
them directly for the latest version of their Windows 95-
compliant sound card drivers.
Q: I have a Packard Bell computer with an Aztech Sound Galaxy
Washington 16 sound card, and I hear static when I play the
game.
A: Please download the latest drivers that should fix this
problem from Aztech's Web site at www.aztechca.com or contact
them directly for the latest version of their Windows 95-
compliant sound card drivers.
Graphics
========
Q: I am having video glitches or seeing graphic anomalies.
A: Please try changing your display resolution to either a lower
resolution (such as 640 x 480) or higher resolution (such as
1024 x 768).
If at all possible, we recommend running the game in High
Color graphics (16-bit color).
You can also try turning down the graphics acceleration
by selecting the System control panel and clicking on the
Performance Tab. Then click on the "Graphics" button and
slide the bar to the left in order to adjust the degree of
hardware acceleration. We recommend lowering the graphics
acceleration to "Most accelerator functions." If that
doesn't help, try "Basic accelerator functions."
In addition, make sure that you do not have any other programs
(such as Norton Crash Protector) running in the background.
Q: Sometimes when I exit Magic; The Gathering, the colors on my
Windows desktop are messed up.
A: Unfortunately, running Magic: The Gathering in only 256 colors
will sometimes cause this problem with the color palette. If
at all possible, please switch to High Color graphics (16-bit
color).
Q: I am running the game in a higher resolution than 1024 x 768
(such as 1124 x 864), and the game window is not full screen.
Instead it only takes up the upper left corner of the screen.
A: Magic: The Gathering is full screen in three different
resolutions: 640 x 480, 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768. If you run
the game at a higher resolution than 1024 x 768, it will not
run in full screen.
Q: I am having problems with the game returning to Windows
unexpectedly.
A: This problem may be caused by graphics hardware acceleration.
Please try reducing the graphics acceleration hardware
by selecting the System control panel. Then click on the
Performance tab and click the "Graphics" button. Slide the
bar to the left to lower the graphics acceleration. We
recommend lowering the graphics acceleration to "Most
accelerator functions." If that doesn't help, try "Basic
accelerator functions."
Q: I have an ATI Mach 64 video card and am experiencing problems.
A: Please download the latest video drivers from the ATI Web site
at www.ati.com or contact ATI directly for the latest version
of their Windows 95-compliant drivers.
Q: I have a Diamond Stealth 3D video card and am experiencing problems.
A: Please download the latest video drivers from the Diamond Web
site at www.diamondmm.com or contact Diamond directly for the
latest version of their Windows 95-compliant drivers.
Q: I have a Chips and Technology video card and am experiencing
problems.
A: Please download the latest video drivers from the Chips and
Technology Web site at www.chips.com or contact Chips and
Technology directly for the latest version of their Windows
95-compliant drivers.
Q: I have a Matrox Millenium video card and am experiencing problems.
A: Please download the latest BIOS update from the Matrox Web site at
www.matrox.com or contact Matrox directly for the latest version
of their Windows 95-compliant drivers. This BIOS update fixes many
DirectX-related issues.
Troubleshooting
===============
Q: I am experiencing DLL errors, assert errors or lockups.
A: Please make sure that you do not have any other programs (such
as Norton Crash Protector) running in the background. The only
programs that should be loaded are Magic: The Gathering and
absolutely necessary Windows 95 programs.
Q: The game is locking up when I try to load a saved game, or I am
experiencing "Page fault" errors.
A: Magic: The Gathering requires at least 15MB to 20MB of virtual
memory. Please check your virtual memory by selecting the System
control panel. Then click on the Performance tab and click the
"Virtual Memory" button.
Q: I am receiving an error message of "Error vids:iv41 decompression."
A: This error is caused by the Indeo video drivers. Please run the
SETINDEO.EXE program by inserting your Magic CD-ROM, changing to
your CD-ROM drive and typing "\autoplay\setindeo" [Enter] at the
DOS prompt. You need to restart your computer for this change to
take effect. If you continue to experience this error message,
please download the latest version of Video for Windows from
Intel's Web site at www.intel.com.
Q: I am having problems with "Assertion failed" or "Add card" error
messages while playing in the Shandalar part of the game.
A: If your graphics resolution is set to something higher than
1024 x 768, please try lowering it to 1024 x 768. If that doesn't
work, please try lowering it to 800 x 600.
Q: When I bring up the Duel, the program isn't listing any decks
in the opening dialog box.
A: When you install the game, the directory name must be no longer
than eight (8) characters. Exit the game and rename the directory
in Windows 95 to fix this problem.
Q: Sometimes the game quits back to Windows unexpectedly.
A: Applications running in the background may cause the game to close
without notice. Please shut down all other applications before
running Magic: The Gathering.
Gameplay
========
Q: Will you add multiplayer support to the game?
A: Yes, our goal is to add multiplayer support to Magic: The
Gathering by the end of this year. We are exploring various
options as to the exact specifics.
Q: Do you plan to release expansion sets for Magic: The Gathering
(like the Legends expansion)?
A: Yes. Our goal is to mirror the paper card game completely by
producing expansion sets as add-ons to the initial Magic
program. We plan to release the first of these expansions by
the end of this year.
Q: The computer AI is making strange or seemingly stupid decisions
in how it plays its cards.
A: The computer deliberately makes some mistakes at the easier
levels of the game in order to give beginning Magic players a
fighting chance. If you feel these AI decisions are annoying,
please try increasing the difficulty level.
Duel Interface
==============
Q: The game isn't stopping at my upkeep phase. Therefore, I can't
do optional upkeep effects such as paying to untap my Brass
Man or paying to untap my Paralyzed creature.
A: You must put a Stop marker on your upkeep phase for the program
to stop there. Otherwise, the game will only stop at your upkeep
phase for mandatory effects (such as a creature getting a counter
for Unstable Mutation or taking damage for Cursed Land). To put
a Stop marker on any phase, right-click on the Phase Bar at the
phase that you want the game to stop at and select "Mark this
phase to always stop" from the pop-up menu. This will mark the
Phase Bar with a red dot which means that the program will stop
there if you have a valid action. Please refer to pages 116-118
of the manual for more information.
Q: When I double-click a card to cast it, it's tapping some lands
that I don't want to tap.
A: You can instead single-click on a card in your hand to cast it.
If you single-click, you'll be prompted to click on your mana
sources manually. Or you can right-click the lands that you
don't want to be automatically tapped and choose "Don't auto
tap this card" from the mini-menu.
Q: I clicked on the title bar of the Combat Window, and it
disappeared. How can I get it back?
A: Just click on the sword icon that's between the two phase bars
to make the Combat Window reappear (see page 126 of the manual).
Q: I have more than four creatures in combat, but I can't see beyond
the first four in the Combat Window.
A: To scroll the Combat Window, just click on the little white
mouse (that's between your creatures and your opponent's). Drag
the mouse icon to scroll the Combat Windows so you can see the
creatures on the right-hand side.
Shandalar
=========
Q: I am just starting in Shandalar and am getting beaten up on a
regular basis by all those creatures that keep attacking me.
What can I do?
A: One of your first steps should be to run to the nearest village or
city as fast as possible so you can edit your starting deck. You
want to edit your deck to the best cards possible while remembering
the minimum deck size depending on your difficulty level (30 cards
for Apprentice, 35 for Magician, 40 for both Sorcerer and Wizard).
If at all possible, reduce the number of colors in your deck to
two or at the most three.
Next, pick your battles wisely. As the manual says on page 41, the
weakest creatures are those that walk. The next hardest are those
that are mounted, and the toughest are those look like dragons or
other flying creatures.
Try to run away from the more powerful creatures until you build up
a stronger deck. You can run away by moving to a terrain type that
the creature can't follow you onto. Each creature sticks to the
terrain type corresponding to its color (for example, red
creatures stay near mountains). Of course, some creatures are
multicolored and can survive on two different terrain types. Once
you cross a terrain boundary, the creature will be unable to
follow you.
Stay on the roads if at all possible. You will move much faster if
you walk on roads and can many times outrun the other creatures.
Don't forget that you can bribe many creatures. Discretion is
sometimes the better part of valor, and if you can afford the gold,
it's probably better than losing a card from your deck in ante.
As your deck becomes stronger and you beat more creatures, you'll
notice that the weaker ones will start running away from you!
Q: When I defeat one of the creatures, I see an animation of the five
major wizards. What do all those things represent?
A: As noted on page 32 of the manual, each skull represents a victory
by you against one of that wizard's creatures. The wizards' staffs
represent their total life points. Each red dot represents one fewer
life point for that wizard. (You can only knock them down by 10
points, though, to a minimum of 20 life.) The tiny floating spheres
represent mana taps (see page 46 of the manual). You will lose the
battle to save Shandalar if any one wizard accumulates enough mana
taps and is able to cast the Spell of Dominion.
Q: Everytime I receive a notice that a wizard is attacking a particular
town, I don't arrive in time to save it.
A: If a wizard gains control of a city, it will be converted into a
mana dome. You can still battle the wizard there to free it. You
will not regain your mana link, however, if you had one there
before.
The best defense, though, is to get to the city in time to defend it
before it is turned into a mana dome. The Sword of Resistance, one of
the World Magics, is perfect for this since it magically teleports
you to that city at the cost of a white mana stone.
Q: I'm building a deck in Shandalar but there seem to be limits on how
many duplicates of one card I can put into my deck.
A: As noted on page 139 of the manual, the number of duplicate cards
allowed in your Shandalar deck depends on the total size of your
deck and whether you have the Tome of Enlightenment (one of the
World Magics). If you don't have the Tome of Enlightenment, you
can only have one card if your deck has 19 or fewer cards, 2
duplicate cards if your deck has 20 to 39 cards, 3 duplicates
if your deck has 40 to 59 cards, or 4 duplicates if your deck is
over 60 cards.
Q: Even though I've edited my deck and know exactly which cards are
in it, I keep getting random land.
A: As the manual says on page 138, if your deck does not have the
minimum number of cards in it, random basic lands will be
temporarily added to your library (after the ante but before
the shuffle). Your deck must have 30 cards at Apprentice level,
35 at Magician level, or 40 at both Sorcerer and Wizard level.
Q: Everytime I try to look at my deck or edit my deck in Shandalar,
the game crashes.
A: Unfortunately, if you have more than 500 cards in your deck in
Shandalar, the game will crash. The workaround is to duel some
creatures, concede the game and thereby lose your ante card.
Continue to do this until your deck size is below 500 cards.
Then you can sell some cards once you're in town.