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---                  MASTER OF ORION II: BATTLE AT ANTARES                  ---
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---                            DOS VERSION 1.50                             ---
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---                         INSTALLATION HELP FILE                          ---
---                                                                         ---
===============================================================================

INTRODUCTION

    This is an unofficial fan patch for Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares.
    It is not supported by a company or anyone at all. USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

    Installation of the patch does not break your current MOO2 installation. No
    original files are overwritten. To run your old version (e.g. GOG or Steam)
    use your old shortcut (it will not be deleted) and to run 1.50 use the MOO2
    Launcher shortcut created during installation.

REQUIREMENTS

    1. A working copy of MOO2 DOS version 1.31 or higher.
    2. MOO2 game directory MUST contain ALL game files (full installation).
    3. English, French, German, Italian and Spanish languages are supported.

INSTALLATION WITH MOO2 LAUNCHER

    1. Unzip installation package anywhere OUTSIDE of your MOO2 game directory.

    2. a. Windows:  run install-win32.exe.
       b. Linux:    run ./install-linux in terminal inside
                    unzipped directory. * **
       c. Mac OS X: right click install-macosx and choose open. ^

    3. You will be presented with a patch installation prompt, which should
       auto-detect GOG and Steam distros. If there was no auto-detection, then
       specify path to MOO2 game directory and path to emulator:
       a. Windows:  "DOSBox.exe"
       b. Linux:    "dosbox"
       c. Mac OS X: "Boxer Standalone" or "dosbox"

    4. Press Install.

    5. After reporting success MOO2 Launcher will switch to normal mode, from
       where you can run the game. Choose your mod & map, then press Launch!

    6. On subsequent runs MOO2 Launcher won't prompt installation and allows
       the game to start right away. To start MOO2 Launcher, use the desktop
       shortcut created during installation.

       *  To change directory to unzipped package do:
          $ cd "~/Downloads/MOO2-1.50.x"

       ** At least Ubuntu & Mint require installation of Tcl/Tk before step 2,
          run: $ sudo apt-get install tcl tk

       ^  Tested on Mac OS X Snow Leopard. MOO2 Launcher may not work properly
          on newer Mac OS versions. In such case, manual install without MOO2
          Launcher is still possible.

MANUAL INSTALLATION

    MOO2 Launcher runs on recent Windows, Linux and Mac OS X systems. However,
    it may happen that on your system it doesn't work. In that case you can
    still install the patch manually.

    1. Find in the 1.50 package the directory named "patch". Copy all its
       contents into your MOO2 directory. (So not "patch" itself, but what's
       inside.) The MOO2 directory is the one that contains ORION2.EXE, its
       location may vary depending on OS and distribution. If you already have
       a version of 1.50 installed then choose to overwrite files.

    2. Update your DOSBox .conf file to run ORION150.EXE instead of ORION2.EXE
       and make sure to MOUNT to the MOO2 directory ROOT.

    3. Run the game and confirm that the version number in the bottom right
       corner of MOO2's Title screen is 1.50.x.

    4. Edit file 150/ENABLE.CFG manually to change enabled mods.

TROUBLESHOOTING

    Q: Do I need to make a backup of my build lists before updating to a new
       version of the patch?

         Your build lists are automatically backed-up during installation with
         MOO2 Launcher. They can be retrieved in directory '150-backups'.

    Q: MOO2 Launcher runs but fails to install with 'permission denied' error.
    Q: MOO2 Launcher runs but cannot locate game files on your system.

         This happens if the destination is write-protected, for example for
         the CD-rom version installed to Program Files in Windows. Make MOO2
         directory accessible or move the game to an accessible location, like
         C:\GAMES\MOO2.

         In some cases you can workaround the issue by running MOO2 Launcher as
         an administrator, but you'll have to do it every time you run it, so
         that's not recommended. This problem doesn't affect Steam and GOG
         packages even though Steam installs to Program Files.

    Q: MOO2 Launcher runs but fails to install with 'Error creating backup'.

         This can happen if an instance of Windows Explorer is open that has
         focus on a directory or file inside the MOO2 game directory. Close
         Windows Explorer.

         It can also happen if you have a previous version MOO2 Launcher still
         running. Make sure you have that MOO2 Launcher closed before updating.

    Q: On OS X, MOO2 Launcher panel is black and no installation options show.

         The Tsch based menu has a black background, causing MOO2 Launcher to
         show black only. MOO2 Launcher is actually functional, and should you
         have all its fields memorized and skillfully TAB through all fields,
         you can still install the game. There is currently no real solution
         for this issue. Install the patch manually.

    Q: DOSBox crashes immediately after starting.

         Try setting output to 'surface'.

    Q: Game doesn't start, cannot find info.lbx, credits.lbx and diplomse.lbx.

         This happens when the game is installed from an original CD-rom, which
         by default does not copy all game files to disk. To fix it, copy all
         files from CD-rom to your MOO2 game directory (e.g. C:\GAMES\MOO2).
         Then remove the read-only attribute from all files, then install patch
         1.31, then install patch 1.50. The order of actions is important:
         Install patch 1.31 after copying the cd-rom files.

    Q: Game doesn't start, cannot find techname.lbx.

         This happens with manual install if the MOO2 game is not correctly
         mounted in DOSBox. To fix it, mount to the MOO2 directory root in your
         DOSBox .conf file, for example: mount C "C:\GAMES\MOO2" instead of
         mount C "C:\GAMES".
         (In latter case you'd also need: cd MOO2, which should be avoided.)

    Q: Music plays, but no sound effects.

         You need to make the file sound.lbx writable. On Windows right-click
         the file, choose properties, remove read-only checkbox.

    Q: Game interface lags, sound is crackling.

         May happen on Ubuntu with opengl output. Try 'overlay'.

    Q: How to edit DOSBox options not accessible via MOO2 Launcher?

         Edit file 150/dosbox.conf in the game directory. Note that settings in
         this file override MOO2 Launcher settings, for example if you force
         resolution there, changing it in MOO2 Launcher will no longer work.

    Q: I want the game to run in 16:9 mode.

         The game was designed for 4:3 monitors. In DOSBox windowed mode you
         can only have that. In full screen your monitor handles whether to
         stretch to maximum resolution, explore its OSD to figure out how to do
         it. Note that you will never have a true 16:9 picture, the game uses a
         fixed resolution and in 16:9 everything will look stretched.

    Q: I'm trying to create custom BUILD lists but editing the files doesn't do
       anything. The original BUILD lists are still loaded.

         You have edited the wrong files. Open the BUILD lists from the menu in
         MOO2 Launcher: 'Game>Build lists' so to make sure the correct files
         are edited.

    Q: I'm hosting multiplayer game, but get black screen after race selection.

         Make sure everyone runs MOO2 Launcher as administrator.

    Q: Trying to join a multiplayer game, but cannot find the game.

         Try running MOO2 Launcher as administrator.

    Q: Why can't I design ships?

         Select the "Tactical Combat" option when you start a new game.

UPDATES

    Find the latest version of this package at https://moo2mod.com/

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