Tdfix is a program to improve the joystick control of the program
Test Drive III, from Accolade.
To use TDFIX for the first time, have a BLANK formatted disk ready. Put
the program TDFIX.COM into the same directory as TD3 on your hard disk.
(If you run the TD3 from floppies, then TDFIX will not work for you in
its unregistered form.)
Now type TDFIX. The program will eventually ask you to insert a blank
formatted disk into A:. Put your disk in A:, and press a key. TDFIX will
then write a large configuration file to the floppy, after this is complete,
TDFIX will load the game TD3, and run it.
You will notice no difference right away. When you get to the driving
portion of the game, press 'c' to turn off the auto-wheel centering. Then
type cntl-J to enable the joystick. Now you will see a banner which says
'Joystick left press' upon seeing this message, move the joystick horizontally
all the way to the left, and hold it there while you press the joystick button.
Now do the same for the right, and then let the joystick return to its center,
and press the button.
Now push the joystick forward, and you should notice pretty quickly that there
is a big improvement.
Problems:
If the 'Insufficient Memory' error appears, then you don't have enough DOS
memory free to run TDFIX+TD3. You need at least 582k free RAM to run TDFIX.
Use the DOS utility CHKDSK to check the amount of RAM you have free. To free
up some RAM, you must reboot with no TSR's. The easiest way to do this is to
make a floppy disk which is 'bootable'. Do this with the DOS command
'format a:/s'. Then just reboot your computer with the floppy left in the
drive. Then type c: to get to the hard drive, and then chdir to your TD3
directory.
If you still don't have enough ram, then try using DOS 3.3 if you are using
DOS 4.0. DOS 3.3 leaves more memory free for use with TD3.
If the banner for 'Return to main menu(y/n)' or any other banner will not
stay up, type cntl-K to return to keyboard control. It should now work
normally.
If you get a 'Panic Error. Reboot Now' error, reboot. DO NOT CNTL-BREAK!
There are still vectors hooked, and when you run the next program, your
computer will crash unless you reboot. After the reboot, do the following:
1.) Make sure there is no file called 'tdfix.cfg' in your TD3 directory on your
hard disk. If one is there, and you are not a registered user, delete it.
Unless this file has exactly the correct codes, you will get the panic error.
2.) Reformat the TDFIX floppy disk. Your configuration floppy is only good
for the computer which created the TDFIX.CFG file on it. TDFIX cannot be
moved from system to system without reformating a new floppy.
If you get a 'divide overflow' or 'divide by zero' error, then you have not
done the joystick calibration steps correctly.
*NOTE* TDFIX will work with TDIII Version 1.0 ONLY!
Sometimes a Panic Error will result from trying to run TDFIX after you have
removed the TDFIX diskette from drive A:. This is because DOS had enough of
the TDFIX disk in buffer memory from the last time you ran it, that the program
determined that the disk was still in drive A:. This can lead to a panic when
the program finally discovers that the disk is actually no longer there.
This should not happen after you reboot. If it does, reformat your TDFIX,
and start another trial period.
If the wheel is shaking a little when you hold the wheel in a steady turn,
then wheel centering is probable on.
In any event, your driving will be easier if you press 'c' until the
wheel stops shaking.
If you are still not satisfied with the joystick response, keep in mind
that there were two problems in TD3 regarding control of the car. One is
with the joystick interface itself, this is the problem that TDFIX corrects.
The other problem is that the animation frames per second rate is too low.
This will be especially true if you have a computer with a clock speed of
16Mhz or lower. TDFIX cannot help this problem, as it is directly a product
of heavy calculation necessary to make those beautiful graphics. The problem
can be minimized by using F2 to lower the detail level to 'low', and hitting
'r' to turn off the rear view mirror. Also, racing against computer
opponents takes cpu time. Racing against the clock gives a slightly better
FPS rate.
Registration Information:
If you want to register your copy of TDFIX, after you complete your trial
period (play 6 times), a message will appear which informs you that your
trial period is over, and types out a registration number. Write down that
number. Send that number, a check for $5.00 made out to 'Pie in the Sky
Software' (or a $5.00 bill), and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the
following address:
Pie in the Sky Software
PO Box 4742
Durham,NC
27706
You will receive instructions on how to make your copy of TDFIX.COM work
with no configuration file on floppy. (And of course with no more trial
periods.) Note that you must send your code number, for without it, there
is no way to send the correct information back to you.
NOTE: The information that you will receive will work only on the computer
which you got the number from. If you would like to run TDFIX on more than
one machine, you must send codes for each of the machines. Add one dollar
for each additional machine for which you would like a return code for.
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