Slave Zero - PC

Installation | Gameplay Problems | Error Messages | Installation Problems | Lockups & Crashes | Video Problems | Controller Problems | Sound Problems | Standard Troubleshooting | Hints & Cheats | Downloads

System Requirements

The following is a description of the minimum system you can use to run Slave Zero. 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 233 or faster processor
  • Windows 95 or 98
  • DirectX 7.0 or higher installed
  • 32 MB Ram
  • A Direct3D or Glide compatible 3D accelerator card
  • A 4x or faster CD-ROM Drive
  • 120MB of free hard disk space
  • A 100% Windows compatible 16-bit sound card
  • A 100% Windows compatible mouse or joystick
For optimal performance, you'll need a Pentium II 266 or faster processor, 64MB of RAM, and at least 220 MB of hard disk space available for a full installation.

Installation

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:
  1. Double click the My Computer icon on your Windows desktop
  2. Double click the Slavezero icon.
  3. Double click the Setup folder.
  4. Double-click the Setup icon.
  5. 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.
  1. Double click on the "My Computer" icon.
  2. RIGHT click on the Slave Zero icon.
  3. LEFT click on "Open".
  4. Double click on the Setup folder.
  5. Double click on the Instdata folder
  6. Double click on the DirectX folder
  7. Double click on the file named Dxsetup.exe.
  8. Click on "Install DirectX" or "Reinstall DirectX", and select OK or YES to each question.
  9. Ignore any warnings you may receive by clicking on YES.
  10. Restart windows to complete the installation.

Gameplay Problems

"After choosing to restart after death, I have a health count of 0 and cannot be killed. Picking up life packs also doesn't seem to add to the total health."
    In some rare instances, it's possible to become stuck in "god" mode. This can also occur at the end of mission 1a, if you pick up one of the health icons there and scoot through the door to mission 1b begins. When in GOD mode, you cannot die, and you also cannot save your game.

    To fix the problem, you must exit the game and then reboot (not just restart) your computer. Then, start from the last place you left off.

Error Messages

"I get an "AMD" error when attempting to install or play the game."
    To get around this problem, make sure that the Slave Zero CD is in the CD-ROM, and then follow these steps:

    1. Double click on the "My Computer" icon on your windows desktop.
    2. Right click on your CD-ROM drive and choose Explore from the pull down menu.
    3. Using your left mouse button, click on setup.exe and drag it out onto your Desktop to create a shortcut.
    4. Right click on the shortcut you created on the desktop
    5. Choose Properties.
    6. Inside the target window, type in "-nosyscheck" outside of the quotations
    7. Click OK to save the changes.

    After doing this, you should be able to use your shortcut to install and play the game without problems.
"I see a 'Renderer did not init' error when I attempt to start a new game."
    First, make sure you have chosen the correct renderer for your type of 3d accelerator in the video setting portion of the options menu. For instance, if you choose "Glide" and your card only supports Direct3D, then this error will surely appear.

    If this doesn't help, then you may need to update your 3d accelerator's drivers to the latest version available from the manufacturer.

    If you already have the latest drivers installed and the problem still occurs, then you'll need to edit the Szoptions.ini in your Slave Zero folder to turn off error messages. To do this, just follow these steps:

    1. Double click the folder where you installed Slave Zero.
    2. Double click the file named SZOptions.ini.
    3. Find the lines of text that look like this:

      No Error Messages=0
      No Renderer Error Messages=0

    4. Change these lines to look like this:

      No Error Messages=1
      No Renderer Error Messages=1

    5. Click on File.
    6. Click on Save.
    7. Exit Notepad.
    8. Try launching the game again.

    If you are still having problems, you'll need to update your video card drivers to the latest version available from the manufacturer.

    To learn how to update your video card drivers, refer to our Windows 95/98 Video Card Troubleshooting FAQ.
"My 3d accelerator uses an Nvidia TNT or TNT2 chipset and the game crashes with a "Video card has run out of memory" error on level 4, 5, 6, or 7."
    There is a bug in the drivers for these cards that causes this crash in levels 4-7. This should be fixed in a future driver update from Nvidia, so be sure that you have the latest drivers available.

    If you have the latest drivers and the problem still occurs, then you can get around the problem by editing the "Maximum Texture Usage Per Level" variable in the SZOptions.ini file. You need to add a zero to the end of the number associated with this variable like this:

    1. Double click the folder where you installed Slave Zero.
    2. Double click the file named SZOptions.ini.
    3. Find the line of text that looks like this:

      Maximum Texture Usage Per Level = 12582912

    4. Change these lines to look like this:

      Maximum Texture Usage Per Level = 125829120

    5. Click on File.
    6. Click on Save.
    7. Exit Notepad.
    8. Try launching the game again.

    To learn how to update your video card drivers, refer to our Windows 95/98 Video Card Troubleshooting FAQ.

Installation Problems

"Nothing happens when I insert the game CD into my CD-ROM drive."
    The AutoPlay feature may be turned off on your computer.

    If you wish to bring up the game without enabling AutoPlay, you can start the setup process manually by double clicking on the "My Computer" icon on your Windows desktop, then on your CD-ROM drive icon, then on "SETUP.EXE".

    If a CD-ROM icon does not appear when you open the "My Computer" icon, or if clicking on SETUP.exe doesn't start your game either, then your CD-ROM drive may be in "MS-DOS compatibility mode".

    To learn how to enable AutoPlay on your system, or to learn how to see if your CD-ROM drive is in MS-DOS compatibility mode, please refer to our Windows 95/98 General Troubleshooting FAQ.
"The Installer starts to copy files, but then just quits to the desktop."
    Make sure that you have enough hard drive space available on your system before installing. If you don't have at least 120 Megabytes free, the game can't install.

    If you have enough space, check the shiny underside of the CD for fingerprints, smudges, scratches, or anything else that may cause your drive to have trouble reading it.

    If the CD looks clean and undamaged, then your CD-ROM drive may be running in "MS-DOS Compatibility Mode".

    To learn how to see if your CD-ROM drive is in MS-DOS compatibility mode, please refer to our Windows 95/98 General Troubleshooting FAQ.

Lockups and Crashes

"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:

    1. Shut down any other applications that you may have running on your system such as screen savers, virus scanners, etc.

    2. 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".

    3. Try resetting your computer's video resolution to 640x480 with 256 colors.

    4. Update your video card drivers.

    For further information on any of these solutions, please see the following documents:

    Windows 95/98 General Troubleshooting FAQ
    Windows 95/98 Video Card Troubleshooting FAQ
    How to Update your Drivers FAQ
"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 are available for high-end 3D cards like the TNT, TNT2 and all 3dfx Voodoo cards. 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.

Video Problems

"The graphics are blurred, discolored or include missing or garbled textures."
    Make sure that you have installed DirectX version 7.0 or higher on your system before playing. If you have already done this and the problem occurs anyway, then you'll need to update your video card drivers with the latest versions available from the manufacturer.

    For more information about DirectX, please see our DirectX Frequently Asked Questions.

    To learn how to update your video card drivers, refer to our Windows 95/98 Video Card Troubleshooting FAQ.

Controller Problems

"Force Feedback is not working at all in the game."
    Download the necessary .IRF files from our patches page. Copy the files into the "Scripts" folder that is in the directory where Slave Zero is installed.

    To learn how to set up and configure your joystick in the Control Panel, please see our Windows 95/98 Controller Troubleshooting FAQ.

Sound Problems

"I can't hear any sound or music in the game."
    1. Make sure that your speakers are turned on and any volume controls on them are turned up.
    2. Check your Windows volume settings by clicking on the small yellow speaker icon on your taskbar.
    3. 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".

    For more information about DirectX, please see our DirectX Frequently Asked Questions.

    To learn how to update your sound card Drivers, refer to our How to Update your Drivers FAQ.

Standard Troubleshooting

"The problem I've encountered wasn't listed in this document!"
    1. 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.

    2. 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.

    3. Update your Video and Sound Card drivers. For more information, please see our How to Update your Drivers FAQ.

    4. 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.