The following is a description of the minimum system you can use to run Outcast. If your system does not meet or exceed these requirements, then the game will run incorrectly, or not at all.
An IBM PC or compatible computer
An Pentium II 200 MMX or faster processor
Windows 95, 98 or NT 4.0
32 MB RAM
A Super VGA Graphics card
A 4x or faster CD-ROM Drive
A 100% Windows compatible 16-bit sound card
A 100% Windows compatible mouse and Keyboard.
For optimal performance, you'll need a Pentium II 300 or faster processor, 64MB of RAM, and an 8X CD-ROM drive.
This game supports the Windows AutoPlay feature. Simply insert the game CD into your CD-ROM drive and wait for the installation screen to appear. Then, simply follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
If the AutoPlay program does not start automatically:
Double click the My Computer icon on your Windows desktop
Double click the Outcast icon.
Double click the Setup folder.
Double-click the Setup icon.
Follow the on-screen instructions.
DirectX Installation:
This game requires that Microsoft's DirectX version 7.0 is installed on your computer prior to playing the game. You will be prompted to install DirectX from the game CD during the game's installation procedure.
If you do not already have DirectX version 7.0 or higher installed on your machine and you did not choose to install it during installation, or you need to re-install it for any reason, just follow these steps.
Double click on the "My Computer" icon.
RIGHT click on the Outcast icon.
LEFT click on "Open".
Double click on the Setup folder.
Double click on the Instdata folder
Double click on the DirectX folder
Double click on the file named Dxsetup.exe.
Click on "Install DirectX" or "Reinstall DirectX", and select OK or YES to each question.
Ignore any warnings you may receive by clicking on YES.
"The game installs, but when it's done, the files are not on my hard drive."
This was a problem found on the European version of the game. Take the Outcast CD out, download the latest patch from the UK section of http://www.outcast-game.com and run it. The patch is an alternate installer that will prompt you for the CD later.
"After I install the game, Outcast keeps running the setup program. I used second disc and it asks for the first CD."
You'll need to launch the game from your hard drive to skip the AutoRun sequence like this:
Put the 2nd Outcast CD in the drive.
Double click the folder where you installed Outcast.
Double click the "oc" folder.
Double click the file named "loader.exe".
Follow the on-screen instructions.
"I have Windows NT and I can't install the game."
The System Checker that verifies you have the proper system requirements to run the game did not include Windows NT as a valid operating system and will halt the installation. To run the game with NT, you'll first need to de-activate the system checker like this:
Click the Windows Start button.
Select Run.
Type in D:\Setup\Setup.exe NOSYSCHECK (If D: is not your CD-ROM drive, substitute the appropriate letter).
Click OK.
"Nothing happens when insert the game CD into my CD-ROM drive."
The AutoPlay feature is disabled on some computers. To run the game without AutoPlay, please see step 2a of the Installation section above. To enable AutoPlay, contact your computer's manufacturer.
"During launch or while the game is playing, an error message comes up that mentions a 'General Protection Fault'."
This type of error can come up for many reasons. Usually, you can solve the problem by updating your video and/or 3D hardware with the latest drivers available from the manufacturer. If this doesn't help, make sure that you have shut down all of your other applications before playing the game.
"During Launch, the screen just turns black or quits back to Windows without any error message."
There are several methods that you can try to fix this problem:
Shut down any other applications that you may have running on your system such as screen savers, virus scanners, etc.
If you are using a fast machine such as a Pentium 233 or faster, you may need to turn down video hardware acceleration. See the section below on "Turning down Windows' video hardware acceleration".
Try resetting your computer's video resolution to 640x480 with 256 colors.
Update your video card drivers.
For further information on any of these solutions, please see the following documents:
"The game randomly freezes, crashes, or locks up the computer."
First, shut down all other applications that may be running on your computer. Other applications can interfere with the game's operation. For instructions on how to do this, please see our Windows 95/98 General Troubleshooting FAQ.
If this doesn't help, then the software drivers that Windows uses to communicate with your hardware may be out of date, or incompatible with the game. Install the latest DirectX compatible drivers available for your video and sound card from the card's manufacturer. If you have already updated to the latest driver version from the manufacturer and the problem persists, you may want to see if there are any reference drivers available from the chip manufacturer. Reference drivers are usually more standardized than the manufacturer's versions and may work better with a wider variety of games.
For more information on this topic and contact information on a wide variety of hardware vendors, please see our How to Update your Drivers FAQ.
"My graphics are all glitchy and different pieces of the screen bounce around."
Check to see if you have Framed mode AND Cinemascope turned on. There is no reason to have both checked, use one or the other, not both.
"I start the game and hear sounds, but the screen stays black."
Prior to starting or loading a game, go to the options screen and choose Framed mode.
"My graphics are all glitchy and different pieces of the screen bounce around."
Check to see if you have Framed mode AND Cinemascope turned on. There is no reason to have both checked, use one or the other, not both. If this does not help, see standard video troubleshooting below.
"I start the game and hear sounds, but the screen stays black."
Prior to starting or loading a game, go to the options screen and choose Framed mode. This has
mostly been found to be the case on ATI cards, but it has fixed others.
Disable the 3D Sound option in the options menu prior to starting or loading your game. If this does not help, you will need to update your sound card drivers.
Make sure that your speakers are turned on and any volume controls on them are turned up.
Check your Windows volume settings by clicking on the small yellow speaker icon on your taskbar.
Check the in-game volume settings in the "Sound Options" menu (available from the main Options menu)
If none of the steps above work, then make sure you have installed DirectX from the CD, or the latest version available from Microsoft. If you have already tried this too, then you'll need to update your sound card drivers to the latest version available from the card's manufacturer.
To learn how to install DirectX from the CD, see the section of this document labeled "DirectX Installation".
"The problem I've encountered wasn't listed in this document!"
Make sure that your system meets the minimum requirements as listed at the top of this document. If your system does not meet these requirements, the game will run poorly or not at all.
Shut down all other applications that may be running on your computer. Other programs can interfere with the operation of the game. For more information, please see our Windows 95/98 General Troubleshooting FAQ.
Make sure that the CD itself is not dirty or damaged in any way, and then try re-installing the game from scratch using the instructions at the top of this document.
