INSTALLATION

Installing HardWar couldn't be easier. First make a directory where you want HardWar installed. The default directory is in Program Files.

Next run 'Setup.exe' from the first CD. Just follow the instructions in the dialog boxes and the game will load the needed files.

After the installation is finished, you will be directed to register your game. This doesn't cost anything. Just make sure you are not online. The game will ask for some information and call a toll free number to register you. You don't even need an Internet connection to register. You may cancel the registration and do it later from the 'Info' button on the games main menu.

WINDOWS 2000/Me WORKAROUND

The following workaround comes from timski's Hardwar FAQ.

The secret is to fill your hardrive until you have less than 2 GB of space on it. Then, install Hardwar. Then, remove whatever you used to fill the hardrive.

Hardwar is an older game and doesn't see your free space. The trick, again, is to fill up your hard drive to just below 2 GB. Then the game sees the trailing free space and installs.

Notes: A good way to fill up your hard drive is to copy an audio CD onto it. No compression, .WAV files. Copy these into a few folders and that free space will get sucked up fast.

It's a good idea to defragment you hard drive after removing all of the "filler". This will bring the Hardwar files in an easier to find position (from your machine's standpoint). Your hard drive may slow down overall after such a large delete due to over-fragmentation.

EASY XP WORKAROUND

The following is an easy installation workaround for Windows XP that was sent to me by Zero-Saber:

I downloaded and installed the 2.04 patch. when ever that patch is installed and I put the disk in it asks if I want to downgrade to the old version. I say yes and then it installs.

-- Zero-Saber

WINDOWS XP WORKAROUND

A good guide to getting older programs, including Hardwar, to work under Windows XP is at: The Home Of The Underdogs.

When installing Hardwar on Windows XP, you may get an error that you don't have enough disk space. Loyal and Greedy pilot solidox has discovered a simple workaround for this:

To install hardwar without getting the "not enough disk space" error on XP, go to the CD directory (in a file management program like Windows Explorer) and right click on "install.exe" and choose Properties from the pop up menu. Next, turn on compatibility mode for win98 and try and install. It should work fine. This does not work on Windows 2000.

-- solidox

Another XP Workaround

This workaround involves copying the CDs to your hard drive for the install. It was sent to me by Sniper.

Copy the contents of disk 1 to the hard drive(preferably in a folder) and double click on the HARDMAN icon, then the install button. It should install. Please note, after doing this you must not delete the folder that you copied disk 1 into because that is where your computer will get the information instead of the CD-ROM, and you need not your disk 1 unless the folder somehow gets deleted. Also it may be nessasary to download and install patch 2.04 to be able to play the game in window mode for XP(because it didn't work on my computer unless I did this).

-- Sniper

THE MAIN LAUNCH SCREEN

When you start HardWar from the provided shortcuts (leading to a file called Hardman.exe in the main HardWar directory) you'll get an initial tabbed screen that provides you access to the game's configuration. The default tab is the 'Game' tab and let's you start a new game or play a saved one. To start a game click the 'Launch' button and a selection screen will appear. You can select your choice here and the game will begin.

You can escape the first initial screen by pressing the 'Esc' (Escape) key. The movie and following screens can be bypassed by left clicking your mouse until the loading screen appears.

If you are beginning a new game, you will be asked to enter a pilot name. Do so and click accept to move to the next screen. The next screen will ask you to pick an initial occupation and describe the type of Moth you'll begin using. Make your selection and you will start in a hangar relative to your chosen occupation. Now launch your Moth, exit the hangar, and play!

SAVING A GAME

You can save your game at any point by pressing the 'Esc' (Escape) key and clicking the 'Save Game' option on the closing screen. The save will be confirmed and you will go back to the closing screen where you are given the option to shut-down or continue. Save your games often. It will save you a lot of backtracking if you get killed.

SHUTTING DOWN

As much as we'd all like playing HardWar forever it pays to eat, sleep, and bathe from time to time. To shut the game down just press the 'Esc' key at any time. You will be presented the shutdown menu. You may save your game if you wish. Click the shutdown button and then click 'Yes' in the confirmation screen. That's all there is too it.

ARCHIVING SAVED GAMES

Archiving saved games means to copy them off on a floppy disk or other removable media. This comes in handy in case you crash. You can install your saved games right after you re-install HardWar. You won't have to start from the very beginning. You can also share games with other pilots and use other's saved games like the one's on my site.

The saved game files are in your main HardWar directory. This is the directory you installed the game in. They carry the file extension '.sav'. If you can't find your HardWar directory, you can use Windows Find function to find '*.sav'. This will find them and lead you to the directory. The filename will be whatever you typed in when starting a new game. For example, one of my favorite saved games is 'wealth.sav'.

It really pays to 'zip' or compress your saved game files once you find them. I use WinZip available here. This makes most saved games only a few hundred kilobytes. Once archived, you can attatch the files to e-mails and send them to fellow pilots or to me to put in my Downloads Section.

RE-INSTALLING SAVED GAME FILES

To install a saved game just decompress, or 'unzip', the file and copy the .sav file to your main HardWar directory. You can find the directory by using Windows Find function and looking for Hardman.exe. Put the .sav files in the same directory.

Once installed, you will see the file present when you select to play a saved game.