Westwood Studios Official Monopoly CDROM Frequently Asked Questions List Last Update: April 28th, 1998 Version 1.4 About this document.... This is the long-awaited information about our Monopoly game. If the information you want is not here, chances are it is already available in the Monopoly help file or readme file on the CD. Otherwise, if you think something needs to be added here or is in error, please e-mail me at the address below and I will add/correct it. This FAQ is generally available from our web site (www.westwood.com) as well as most online services. All information contained herein is copyright 1996 by Westwood Studios. You are allowed to distribute it freely, but not to make changes. Pat @ Westwood (pat@westwood.com) --- PART 1 : GENERAL INFORMATION ---------------------------------------- 1.1 What is Monopoly CDROM? 1.2 System Requirements 1.3 Are there screenshots or maybe a Demo available to download? 1.4 Can I play Monopoly with other people? --- PART 2 : PLAYING THE GAME ------------------------------------------- 2.1 Help! I went Bankrupt and I can't exit the game! 2.2 How do I cheat? 2.3 Rules variations - the details. 2.4 What exactly are the International Options? --- PART 3 : MODEM/NETWORK/INTERNET HELP -------------------------------- 3.1 Can I play Monopoly modem to modem? 3.2 Can I play through my favorite online service? 3.3 How do I play Monopoly on a local network? 3.4 Can I play Monopoly using a dial-up network connection? 3.5 How do I connect to an Internet game? 3.6 Do I need more than one copy to play on the network? --- PART 4 :AI PLAYER CONSTRUCTION -------------------------------------- 4.1 The help file mentioned secret AI variables. What are they? 4.2 What to all the AI variables mean? --- PART 5 : TROUBLESHOOTING -------------------------------------------- 5.1 What is SHARE.EXE and why do I need it? 5.2 What is Win32 and why do I need it? 5.3 What is WinG and why do I need it? 5.4 Background tasks and Monopoly 5.5 What about OS/2 and Windows NT? 5.6 Why won't Monopoly work from my second CDROM drive? 5.7 Is there a patch available? 5.8 Why can't I sign on to Westwood Chat/Online? --- PART 6 : INTERNET TROUBLESHOOTING ----------------------------------- 6.1 What you can do to get a better connection. 6.2 How to find your IP address. 6.3 What to do if nothing works. --- PART 7 : GETTING HELP ----------------------------------------------- 7.1 How to Order Monopoly. 7.2 Contacting Westwood Studios directly. 7.3 Our Internet WWW and FTP sites. --- PART 8 : LEGAL STUFF ----------------------------------------------- 8.1 Copyright Notice. ******************************************************************* 1. GENERAL INFORMATION ******************************************** ******************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1 WHAT IS MONOPOLY CDROM? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monopoly CDROM is the newest computer version of Parker Brother's game of high finance. PRESS RELEASE: How do you make a great game even better? Simple! Bring together some of the best artists, musicians, and programmers to re-create Parker Brother's Monopoly game in fully animated 3D! Westwood Studios and Parker Brothers have teamed up to enhance the best selling game ever for the PC. If you think this is the game your parents played, think again.... Westwood Studios' animators have worked for over a year to compile more than twelve thousand frames of smooth 3D animation for Monopoly CD-ROM. Players will instantly notice that each character comes to life with it's own personality as they sail, drive, and hop around the multi-colored properties of Atlantic City. Get away from it all and take a ride on the Reading Railroad. It's all there, it's all animated, and it's more good-natured fun than you've had on your computer in a long time... What's more fun than forcing your best friend into bankruptcy? Well, for starters how about forcing SIX of your friends into bankruptcy! Better yet, use your suave negotiation skills to throw your business partners into the poorhouse while the boss is away! With Monopoly CD, you'll be able to play up to six people over a computer network, or compete against rivals half-way around the world with built-in Internet support. French, German, and United Kingdom versions of the game are fully compatible, so you can use either pounds, francs or dollars as you purchase Oxford Street or force your opponent to mortgage Parkstrasse. With Internet capability, fame and fortune can now be yours as you capitalize on the rest of the civilized world. Plus, lots of player choices and game variations are available to allow you to keep friends and relatives on thier toes. Can't find someone to play? Then add a few computer opponents to negotiate with. Our programming & design team has worked hard to allow the computer to exact it's revenge for every bit of user abuse you've given it over the past few years. Believe us, from now on you'll think twice about reformatting that hard drive. And as with all our previous games, our audio department has worked overtime to make the soundtrack for Monopoly CD one of the best ever. Go back to the 1930's with a cool jazz/ragtime beat, or decide on something a little more modern. All the while, you'll be delighted with the array of neat sound effects we've cooked up for you. Amazing graphics, Internet and network support for multiplayer games, an enhanced artificial intelligence, and a cool soundtrack you'll want to hear over and over again make Monopoly CD-ROM one of the most awaited games ever! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- IBM 486/33 MHz (or 100% compatible) Minimum 8MB of RAM Windows 3.1 or higher; Windows for Workgroups 3.1 or higher; Windows 95 Display at 640x480, 256 colors 10MB of uncompressed hard drive space Double speed CDROM drive Network and Internet play requires TCP/IP network protocol stack with a WINSOCK.DLL version 1.1 or equivalent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.3 ARE THERE SCREENSHOTS OR MAYBE A DEMO AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is currently no demo of Monopoly available. Screen shots are available from our web site. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.4 CAN I PLAY MONOPOLY WITH OTHER PEOPLE? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Of course! Monopoly was designed primarily for play across the Internet. The CD includes a copy of Westwood Online, your connection to the Westwood IRC server. WOL serves as a meeting place to find players for Monopoly and other Westwood games. Be sure to check out our web site for the latest version of WOL. See section 3.5 for step by step instructions for getting on-line. You can also play using a TCP/IP compatible network or a dial-up networking connection. If you don't have any of these things, you can play with other people on the same machine using the hot-seat method. ******************************************************************* 2. PLAYING THE GAME ******************************************** ******************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.1 HELP! I WENT BANKRUPT AND I CAN'T EXIT THE GAME! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are playing against an AI player or two and you happen to go bankrupt, you sometimes can lose access to the menu bar. All you need to do is click on any AI player in the player section of the board - a small option menu will appear. Click OFF the option 'AI ROLLS FOR ITSELF'. When it gets to that AI's turn, the menu will become active again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.2 HOW DO I CHEAT? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note that the CHEATING option must be turned on in the options menu for this to work. When it is your turn, roll the dice. When you are moving, you can hit the '+' or '-' keys to affect your movement; each key press makes you move one space more or less. If you think someone else is cheating, press his player number (1-6 from top to bottom). If you accuse and he is cheating, he will not be able to do so for the rest of the game. If you falsely accuse people of cheating too many times, you will lose the ability to accuse. This will, of course, allow the other players to cheat all they want. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.3 RULES VARIATIONS - THE DETAILS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Free Parking collects fines: When this option is on, all of the fines from the cards and the board are placed in a 'pot'. When someone lands on FREE PARKING, the money in the pot goes to that player. If the option is turned off, the money goes to the bank. Landing on GO doubles salary: Landing on GO gives the player $400 instead of only $200 for passing GO. Have Auctions: If this is on, Auctions for properties are allowed, otherwise the option will not appear when you land on a property. Cash is hidden: With this option on, other players cannot see how much money you have. Transactions only on your turn: Buying houses, unmortgaging property, initiating a trade and other options are normally available at any time by interupting the game. With this option on, you can only do these things during your turn. Transactions allowed from jail: Normally you cannot buy, sell or trade when you are in jail. Turning this option on gets rid of this limitation. One lap required before purchasing: If this option is on, no one can buy properties until you have circled the board once. Immunity from rent allowed in trades: With this option on, you can use rent immunity in your trades with other players. This option will show up in the trade window as a property with wings. Infinite houses and hotels in Bank: Normally there are not enough houses and hotels to cover the board. With this option on, there will be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.4 WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE INTERNATIONAL OPTIONS? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The international options allow you to play with the rules used in foreign versions of Monopoly, as well as add the special Chance and Community Chest cards from foreign versions. These are especially useful when playing an Internet game with players in foreign countries. These options will NOT change the graphics of your board or title cards, or the currency to the foreign version - they only effect the random cards and the rules variations. Note that when playing in a game where multiple language versions are connected, the rules concerning the board differences default to the HOST'S setup unless changed. ******************************************************************* 3. MODEM/NETWORK/INTERNET HELP ************************************ ******************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.1 CAN I PLAY MONOPOLY MODEM TO MODEM? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monopoly does not support modem to modem connections except for dial-up network connections (see below). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2 CAN I PLAY THROUGH MY FAVORITE ONLINE SERVICE? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- As of this FAQ, Monopoly has only been tested with two online services: America Online and CompuServe. The service through large provider varies. In general, if you play during non-peak hours, you should be OK. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3 HOW DO I PLAY MONOPOLY ON A LOCAL NETWORK? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monopoly will run well on a network system that is running a TCP/IP protocol stack (if you have a network administrator, ask him). Each machine must have a unique IP address that can be seen by the game (you may have to assign these). For those using Windows for Workgroups, you will need to get the protocol from Microsoft, as it is not generally included. Windows 95 users can see the next section, as the instructions there will work for standard networks as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4 CAN I PLAY MONOPOLY USING A DIAL-UP NETWORK CONNECTION? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes you can! You will need Windows 95 and the Plus! Pack for Win95. Follow these instructions: One system must be set up as the Server. Microsoft Plus has an option to install dial-up server capabilities. The other system needs to be configured as the client. The Dial-Up Client will call the Dial-Up Server and establish a TCP/IP connection. You will most likely need to have used the Internet Setup Wizard to add your dial-up adapter to the list of network adapters in the Network Control Panel. NOTE: This is by no means a trivial configuration. Setting up a Dial-Up Server on a Windows 95 system to play two player Monopoly CD-ROM requires some technical savvy and experience with Windows 95. If you are unsure of how to implement the procedure outlined below or are still having problems, call Microsoft Technical Support. DIAL UP SERVER- 1) Start "Network" under Control Panel 2) Highlight the "TCP/IP -> Dial-up Adapter" protocol and select "Properties." 3) Click on the "Specify an IP address" radio button. 4) Enter a semi-legitimate IP address such as: 199.3.240.101. If you already have an IP address here, it is OK to leave it. 5) Enter a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 6) Click "OK" to go back to the previous screen. 7) If you do not want the player connecting to your system to have access to your files and network, you need to do the following: click on the "File and Print Sharing..." button and make sure that both options are not selected. Then, click on "Access Control" and select the "Share-level access control" option. 8) Click "OK" and restart the computer. 9) Start the Dial-Up Networking program. 10) Click on "Connections," then "Dial-Up Server." 11) Select "Allow Caller Access." 12) Click on "Server Type..." 13) Under "Type of Dial-Up Server," select "PPP:Windows 95, Windows NT 3.5, Internet" 14) Under "Advanced Options," only the "Enable software compression" option should be checked. 15) Click "OK" and then "Apply." 16) Wait for the other player to call your system. Make sure that the other player knows your password. In the Dial-Up Server dialog box, you can watch the Status Line to see if the client has connected to your machine. 17) If you try to start a multi-player game of Monopoly and it brings up a Dial-Up Network dialog box, click on "Cancel;" DO NOT click on "Connect." NOTE: If you want to use your Internet Service Provider after playing Monopoly as a Server, go into the Network Control Panel, change the "TCP/IP -> Dial-Up Adapter" protocol back to it's original settings (if needed) and restart your computer. DIAL-UP CLIENT 1) Start "Network" under Control Panel 2) Highlight the "TCP/IP -> Dial-up Adapter" protocol and select "Properties." 3) Click on the "Obtain an IP address automatically" radio button. 4) Click "OK" to go back to the previous screen. 5) If you are asked to restart the computer, click on Yes. 6) Start the Dial-Up Networking program. 7) Make a "New Connection" to the system that will call the Dial-Up Server. 8) Start the properties dialog box of this New Connection by right-clicking on it and selecting "Properties." 9) Click on "Server Type..." 10) Under "Advanced Options," only the "Enable software compression" option should be selected. 11) Under "Allowed Network Protocols," only the "TCP/IP" protocol should be selected. 12) Click on "TCP/IP Settings..." 13) Click on the "Specify an IP address" radio button. 14) Enter a semi-legitimate IP address such as: 199.3.240.102. If you already have an IP address here, it is OK to leave it. This IP address must be different from the Dial-Up Server 15) Click on the "Server assigned name server address." 16) The "Use IP header compression" and the "Use default gateway on remote Network" option should be selected. 17) Click OK to exit the TCP/IP Settings dialog box. 18) Click OK to leave the Server Types dialog box. 19) Click OK to leave the properties of the New Connection. 20) Start the New Connection and click on Connect. After connecting to the remote Dial-Up Server computer, you can start Monopoly and play multi-player like you would over the Internet, except you should use the Internet/LAN IP Address Autodetect. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5 HOW DO I CONNECT TO AN INTERNET GAME? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Connect to your Internet provider using your favorite dialer software (Remember that your Internet connection must be TCP/IP compatible - a true PPP/SLIP connection). Once you connect, minimize the dialer. 2) Start Westwood Online, and find some players. Choose one of you to be the host, and get his IP address. 3) Exit WOL, and start Monopoly. Enter yourself as player 1, then for player 2, select 'Friend on the Internet'. 4) Click 'Autodetect IP address'. Once it finds it, choose 'Host a game' or 'Join a game'. When prompted, enter the host's IP address (or wait for the players to join if you are the host). 5) If all goes well, you should see your players show up on the game screen. Once everyone is there, the host will start the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.6 DO I NEED MORE THAN ONE COPY TO PLAY ON THE NETWORK? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes. Monopoly was designed for remote Internet play, and as such required a minimal copy protection scheme - requiring the CDROM to be in a local drive. Therefore, on a local network, each machine that wants to play will need a copy of the game. If you want to play with other people in one location, we would recommend using the hot-seat method: start a game with up to 6 human and/or AI players. Each player takes a turn at the same machine. ******************************************************************* 4. AI PLAYER CONSTRUCTION ***************************************** ******************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.1 THE HELP FILE MENTIONED SECRET AI VARIABLES. WHAT ARE THEY? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the last minute, it was decided not to include secret AI variables. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.2 WHAT DO ALL THE AI VARIABLES MEAN? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- All of the AI variables are explained quite well in the MONOPOLY.HLP file on the CDROM. It also includes the basic instructions needed to create the file for your AI. The best thing to do when making an AI is to test it (or give it to a friend to test). Also, check out the AI files for the supplied AIs - you may get some ideas from those. ******************************************************************* 5. TROUBLESHOOTING ************************************************ ******************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.1 WHAT IS SHARE.EXE AND WHY DO I NEED IT? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To quote Microsoft's DOS help file: "Typically, you use SHARE in a network or multitasking environment in which programs share files. SHARE loads the code that supports file-sharing and locking in these environments. Once you install Share, MS-DOS uses the code loaded by Share to validate all read and write requests from programs. For example, if two people are accessing the same data file, SHARE manages the file so both people do not write to the file at the same time." Monopoly requires SHARE to run in Windows 3.11 (Windows 95 handles things differently, so it is not needed). Generally the default values are good enough. All you need to do is add the following line to the end of your autoexec.bat file: C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.2 WHAT IS WIN32 AND WHY DO I NEED IT? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monopoly is a 32-bit Windows application, Windows 3.11 is a 16-bit interface; to allow a 32-bit application like Monopoly to run you have to install special drivers - these are called Win32s drivers. The MONOPOLY CD-ROM Game installs the correct drivers on your system as an option at SETUP time. Since Windows 95 is already a 32-bit operating system, it is not necessary (or recomended) to install the Win32 drivers if you are using Win95 - the setup program will automatically turn off the check box for installing Win32. For more info on troubleshooting Win32 problems, see the readme file on the CD. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.3 WHAT IS WinG AND WHY DO I NEED IT? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Microsoft provides WinG version 1.0 as an add-on to Windows to provide fast screen update performance under Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, and Windows 95. Although WinG itself is provided by Microsoft, it depends on Windows display drivers written by independent hardware manufacturers for much of its speed. Bugs or performance problems in third-party display drivers may cause problems in WinG. In many cases, the video card manufacturer has already fixed the bug, and upgrading your display driver will often clear away problems. In some cases, you may already have a version of WinG installed on your machine from another application (this is more likely the case for Windows 95 users). If you have problems with Monopoly, it is recommended that you install the version of WinG that comes on the CD. For more info on WinG related problems, see the readme file on the CD. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.4 BACKGROUND TASKS AND MONOPOLY ------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is strongly recommended to turn off all background applications when running Monopoly. Many applications can cause errors such as GPFs, color scrambling, loss of sound effects or music, etc. Taking a minute to turn off these aps can save you the trouble of rebooting later. Background aps include such things as System Agent, Norton Utilities for Win95, Westwood Online, Virus checkers and screen savers. Crash guard programs such as First Aid for Windows can also cause problems. We also recommend against using alternate Windows desktop packages, such as PC Tools, Dashboard, Packard Bell Navigator, Norton Desktop, Kid Desk etc., as these can gobble-up precious memory. Use Program Manager instead by typing "WIN PROGMAN" at the DOS command line. This will start Windows using the regular Program Manager rather than the alternate desktop shell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.5 WHAT ABOUT OS/2 AND WINDOWS NT? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Westwood Studios currently does not test or support games under OS/2 or Windows NT. Monopoly may or may not run under OS/2, but has been found to be incompatible with Windows NT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.6 WHY WON'T MONPOPOLY RUN FROM MY SECOND CDROM DRIVE? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monopoly will not recognize multiple CDROM drives or jukebox setups. If you have such hardware, you will need to place the Monopoly CDROM in the first drive in the series. For example, if you have CDROM drives with letters D,E,F and G, Monopoly must be located in D. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.7 IS THERE A PATCH AVAILABLE? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is a patch file for Monopoly CDROM which can be retrieved from the Westwood Studios web or FTP site (see 7.3 below for addresses). This patch file addresses a movie playback problem which caused lockups on some systems. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.8 WHY CAN'T I SIGN ON TO WESTWOOD CHAT/ONLINE? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Monopoly CDs were created several years ago (1995 to be precise). Because of this, the version of Westwood Chat (now Westwood Online) that is included on the Monopoly CD is very outdated. You can find the newest version of the Westwood Online software on the following web page: http://www.westwood.com/techsupport/faqs.html After downloading this version, install it, then run the included registration program. This program will set up your account and log your new nickname. Once this is complete, the system will automatically send you a password in email within a few minutes. ******************************************************************* 6. INTERNET TROUBLESHOOTING ************************************** ******************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.1 WHAT YOU CAN DO TO GET A BETTER CONNECTION? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- By its very nature, the Internet is a huge, ever changing and crowded place - getting a good, steady connection required for game play can be difficult, but not impossible. There are several things you can do to insure a steady connection to your fellow players. 1) When running Monopoly, make sure that you have turned all of your other Internet applications off (such as web browsers and FTP connections - even WOL should be turned off). The only thing that should be running is your dialer (connection to your provider) and the game. 2) As stated above, make sure that all standard applications are turned off as well. A GPF on one machine can cause all the other connected machines to lock as well. 3) If you are having trouble connecting, try limiting the size of your games to 2 or 3 players. 4) Try calling during non-peak Internet hours (peak hours are generally early afternoons and mid-evenings in the US). 5) Do not attempt to connect from behind a firewall. 6) Make sure that your Internet connection is a TRUE PPP or SLIP connection, and not an emulated one (such as SLIrP). 7) Make sure that all movies are turned off BEFORE you connect to the host. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.2 HOW TO FIND YOUR IP ADDRESS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- An IP address is similar to your home address - it is a way of locating your individual computer on the Internet. If you are using an Internet provider other than an online service, you can usually find your IP address in the text of your dialer login (after you connect to your provider and enter your ID and password, the provider generally sends your new IP address to the dialer). In most cases, your IP address will be different every time you login. If you cannot find your IP address this way, There are three ways you can find it: 1) When you start WOL, there is a button at the top of the screen that will broadcast your IP address to fellow players when you want to host a game. Clicking this will detect your IP address for you and tell your fellow players. 2) If you are not hosting a game, you can use the autodetect IP address button when you are connecting to a host. 3) Once you have signed on to your provider, click your START button, then click RUN. In the box type "WINIPCFG" then click OK. This will bring up a box containing information about your connection, including the IP address. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.3 WHAT TO DO IF NOTHING WORKS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you're having a problem that is not covered here, please let us know! Go to the SUPPORT section of our web site, and you will find tons of information to help you out. ******************************************************************* 7. GETTING HELP / ORDERING INFORMATION **************************** ******************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.1 HOW TO ORDER MONOPOLY. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the United States, call...................1-800-874-4607 Everywhere else..............................1-303-739-4041 You can also order Monopoly via the Web Store on our website. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.2 HOW TO CONTACT WESTWOOD STUDIOS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can email Westwood Studios at : support@westwood.com (this is an automated address) For human support information, use the web site's Support center. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.3 WESTWOOD FTP / WWW SITE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can get to our web site at : http://www.westwood.com Or our FTP site at : http://ftp.westwood.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ******************************************************************* 8. LEGAL STUFF **************************** ******************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.1 COPYRIGHT NOTICE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- MONOPOLY, THE DESTINCTIVE DESIGN OF THE GAME BOARD, THE FOUR CORNER SQUARES, AS WELL AS EACH OF THE DISTINCTIVE ELEMENTS OF THE BOARD AND THE PLAYING PIECES ARE TRADEMARKS OF TONKA CORPORATION FOR ITS REAL ESTATE TRADING GAME AND GAME EQUIPMENT. Copyright 1935, 1936, 1947, 1952, 1954, 1961, 1973, 1994 PARKER BROTHERS, DIVISION OF TONKA CORPORATION, BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS 01915. END OF DOCUMENT 04/23/96 -PP