This file contains general information about Billy.
OS/2 users should also look in OS2HELP on the CD.

This text is available in the international language Esperanto in LEGUMIN.TXT.
^Ci tiu teksto legeblas en la internacia lingvo Esperanto en LEGUMIN.TXT.


Installation problems.
----------------------

If your screen turns black or INSTALL.EXE reports problems with VESA graphics
try to run "INSTALL.EXE -g640x480 -nocol" and look in section 
"Running Billy in 640x480". 

Maybe the problem is that you need to install a VESA graphics driver, e.g. 
UNIVBE.EXE. You can download a shareware driver from http://www.scitechsoft.com/
or ask for a driver where you bought your graphics card.


How to set options manually.
----------------------------

The game's settings are saved in the file SETTINGS\OPTIONS.TXT. Using an 
editor you can manipulate the settings manually. Here is an example of what
the file could look like.
 
sound: fx=100, cd=26;
misc: language=dansk, memory=16, playintro=1, cddrive=d;
screen: brightness=50, contrast=50;

 - fx is the volume of the sound effects and can have a value from 0 to 100.
 - cd is the volume of the cd music.
 - language is the language used in the game. This can be changed to any of 
the other supported languages.
 - memory is the amount of memory available on the system, this can either be
set to 8 or 16, all other values are invalid. If you have more than 16 
megabyte RAM set memory=16, if you have between 8 and 16 megabyte RAM, set
memory=8. Instead of changing the memory setting, you should really reinstall
because the 8 and 16 megabyte versions use different files.
 - playintro=1 means that the intro is played each time Billy is started. 
It can be set to playintro=0.
 - cddrive is the drive letter of the cd player with the Billy cd. If the 
drive letters on your system changes you should change this letter 
accordingly. cddrive=d means that the cddrive letter is "d". Remember NOT to
put ":" after the drive letter.

If the game won't start after you have changed the OPTIONS.TXT don't panic,
because you can always delete or rename the file and then the game will 
create a new default file.



Command line parameters.
------------------------

Some options can be changed with command line parameters. 
Run "BILLY.EXE -help" to view available command line parameters.



I upgraded my system and now Billy won't run.
---------------------------------------------

Either reinstall or change OPTIONS.TXT (see section "How to set options
manually") and run SETSOUND.EXE.



Problems with sound.
--------------------

Billy uses the DSIK sound system for sound effects. In the DSIK directory
on the CD-ROM there are help files which may solve your problem.



Running Billy in 640x480.
-------------------------

If you want to run Billy on a laptop or a system which doesen't support
800x600 graphics mode you can actually play Billy in 640x480 resolution 
with the -g640x480 parameter. This also speeds the game up on some systems.
This has been tried on a 486 25 MHz with excellent results.
In this resolution the keys End, Home, PgUp and PgDn will control which
part will be visible on the screen.



Savegames.
----------

Each time you complete a world your game is saved. There is only one savegame
per world per difficulty level so if the same world is completed again later,
the old savegame is overwritten. To prevent this you can backup the file 
SETTINGS\SAVEGAME.



Languages.
----------

If you change text language it will not take effect until you have restarted
the game. If you by mistake change into a language you don't understand you
can change OPTIONS.TXT directly (see section "How to set options manually")
or use the -lang parameter.

Speech language can be altered in the options menu and take effect
immediately. As for now only Esperanto and English are available.

The files in the TEXT directory define the different languages. If your
favorite language is not included you should be able to translate yourself.
As for now you can only translate to languages using the Latin alphabet, 
though. 

Feel free to contact us if you are interested in translating the game to 
other languages.



Joystick.
---------

Only joystick in port A is supported. The buttons are defined as follows.
Button 1: Dig/fill hole
Button 2: Fill hole
Button 1 and 2 simultaneously: Throw ball
Button 3: Throw ball (only on three-button game pads and joysticks)



More help.
----------

Look at the self-displaying demos (they will be played when the game
is idle in the main menu).

If you need more help and hints visit our homepage:
http://www.esperanto.dk/billy/
A mirror is located on the CD in the \WWW directory (provided "as is").
