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Updates

Ground Control Version 1.0.1.1
Sierra Studios and Massive Entertainment are proud to release the Ground Control Version 1.0.1.1 Update. In this update, a number of attributes have been modified to improve game balance. The update also introduces new functions such as added keystrokes, shortcuts, and expanded support for Windows 2000. Each change is documented in the readme.txt file included with the update.

Ground Control 1.0.0.7 - 1.0.1.1 Update 2.4 MB Ground Control 1.0.0.8 to 1.0.1.1 Update 2.4 MB Ground Control 1.0.1.0 to 1.0.1.1 Update 2.2 MB


Customer Service

Sierra's Customer Service department is able to assist your questions regarding Ground Control, including disk replacement and warranty service, via email at support@sierra.com.

You can also find immediate answers to many popular customer service questions, including information regarding Sierra's No-Risk Guarantee, online on the Sierra Customer Service Website 24 hours a day.


Known Issues

  1. "Ground Control won't start on my computer. An hourglass appears and then nothing else happens."

    UPDATE: 6/17/2000
    Download the latest Ground Control Update (see above) to address this problem. It is important that this is the first patch you apply to your game. If you have already applied another patch to your game, uninstall your game, reinstall Ground Control and then apply this patch.

    If the updated patch does not solve the problem, try the tasks below before contacting Sierra Technical Support.

    1. Uninstall any antivirus software on your system and remove all antivirus entries from your autoexec.bat file. Reboot.
    2. Uninstall Crash Guard programs from your system. Reboot.
    3. Verify that CD-ROM drivers (known as real-mode drivers) do not reside in your config.sys file in your main root directory. If they exist, remove these entries, and have Windows autodetect your CD-ROM via the Windows Control Panel. If this is not easily accomplished, please contact your computer's manufacturer for assistance.
    4. Verify that a CD-ROM drive is listed in Windows: click on the Start button, choose settings Control Panel, double click on System, click on the device manager tab, verify that there is a CD-ROM entry near the top of the list. If there is not, contact Sierra tech support.
    5. Verify that you have the latest driver for your sound card or sound hardware.
    6. Try disabling the joystick port of your sound hardware. Reboot, and try running the game.

  2. "Ground Control crashes or gives me a illegal protection fault when I try to run it."

    1. Go to the website of your video card manufacturer and download the latest video drivers for your video card and your operating system version.
    2. Go to the web site of your sound card manufacturer and download the latest sound card drivers for your sound card and operating system.
    3. Reinstall DirectX7.0a (included on the Ground Control disc) once you have updated your video or sound drivers.

  3. "Ground Control won't install on my computer or I get a "can't load cutscenes.sdf" message" (most if not all users who report this problem have Kenwood CD drives)

    1. We are in contact with Kenwood to provide upgraded firmware for that drive to bring it into full yellow book compliance. Ground Control will only work on yellow book compliant drives. We are told that a CD drive firmware upgrade is coming and will be available soon.
    2. Some specific models of Kenwood drives (not all, unfortunately) can be made to work by disabling the DMA setting in Windows' control panel and in the BIOS. Reboot your computer for these settings to take effect.
    3. Sometimes this message will come up even after you have been playing the game for a while. In those cases, the message should actually read "you are low on System resources" and your computer is due for a reboot and/or deleting any files in your windows/temp directory. In that situation, after rebooting, you should not encounter that error message again. If you do, remove other programs running in the background and check to make sure you have 100MB or more of free hard drive space.

  4. "Ground Control freezes up every 15-20 minutes or so." (usually TNT2, GeForce, GeForce2 or Voodoo 3 cards)

    5. It turns out that users with the cards listed above who set their video settings too high (moving the Ground Control video options sliders too far to the right to try to have the highest visual detail and view distances) can actually overheat their video cards since Ground Control is scaleable to run on currently unavailable graphics boards.

    When the temperature of the processor on these video cards gets too high, they shut down and the computer appears to freeze. This has been fixed by either pulling off the computer case to allow more ventilation, adding an additional fan, or reducing the visual detail and view distance in the game by moving the options sliders more to the left. Essentially, Ground Control lets you run your video hardware beyond its actual limits.

  5. "Ground Control's camera keeps changing altitude when I move my mouse."

    6. Some mouse drivers conflict with Ground Control. The solution is to click the "disable mouse wheel support" button in the mouse controls options menu in Ground Control or upgrade your mouse drivers if available.

If you are experiencing an issue other than those described above please contact Sierra Tech support by either emailing simulations@sierra.com or calling the number in your game manual.

Thanks for your patience as we continue to update solutions to the problems you may be facing.


Technical Support

Free round-the-clock assistance for Ground Control is available online through Sierra's Interactive Knowledge Base. If you prefer, you can contact us directly via email.

Sierra offers a 24-hour automated technical support line with recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. A touch-tone telephone is required.

North America
+1 (425) 644 4343

United Kingdom
+44 (0)118 920 9111

France
+33 (01) 46 01 46 50

Germany
+49 (0) 6103 99 40 40

Spain
+34 (1) 91 383 27 60


Sierra Warranty and Legal Information

Sierra's end user license agreement, limited warranty and return policy is set forth in the EULA.txt file found on the game CD, and is also available during the install of the game.

We want you to be happy with every Sierra product you purchase from us. Period. If for any reason you're unhappy with Ground Control, return it within 90 days for an exchange or a full refund. Please include the original sales receipt and a short note explaining the reason for the return. If sending back your product via the US Postal Service, please choose signature required.

Product Returns*
Vivendi Universal Interactive North America
4247 S. Minnewawa Avenue
Fresno, CA 93725
*Returns to this address valid in North America only.


Hints

The best place for news, hints, and strategy tips can be found on the official Ground Control forum. Sorry, we're unable to provide hints through our customer service and technical support areas.


Manual and Disc Replacement

To replace your Ground Control CD please send only the CD and a copy of your dated receipt, if less than 90 days after purchase. After 90 days please include a US $10 handling fee along with the game CD. (UK customers please include £6). For documentation, please include a US$5.00 handling fee and a photocopy ONLY of the game CD. Please include payment with your request. Sorry, no credit cards.

Vivendi Universal Interactive North America
Fulfillment Department
4247 S. Minnewawa Avenue
Fresno, CA 93725
*Returns to this address valid in North America only.

United Kingdom
Vivendi Universal Interactive
2 Beacontree Plaza
Gilette Way
Reading, Berkshire
RG2 OBS United Kingdom


Development Team Contact

The Ground Control team can be reached via mail at the following address:

Ground Control / Massive Entertainment
c/o Sierra On-line, Inc.
3060 139th Place S.E. Suite 500
Bellevue, WA 98005
USA


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