Getting Started

## System Requirements

When installing the game it is recommended to have about 15 GB of free space before starting the install process, otherwise you may run into a SevenZipSharp error.

The minimum system specs to run Firefall are:

Windows XP (32-bit) Windows vista/7 (32/64 bit)
Processor
* AMD: Dual Core @ 2.6 Ghz (Athon 64 x2, Athlon II x2, Phenom II x2)
* Intel: Dual Core @ 2.2 Ghz (Core 2, Core i3, Pentium Dual Core)

GPU
* AMD/ATI Radeon HD 4550
* Nvidia Geforce 8600
* Intel Graphics is NOT supported

System Memory (RAM) 4 GB

The recommended system specs to run Firefall are:

Windows 7 (64 bit)
Processor
* AMD: Quad Core @ 2.8 Ghz (Athlon II X4, Phenom, Phenom II X4)
* Intel: Quad Core @ 2.4 Ghz (Core 2 Quad, i5, i7)

GPU
* AMD/ATI Radeon HD 4850
* Nvidia Geforce GTS 450

System Memory (RAM) 8 GB

Note
* The requirements are based on the Desktop Versions, for laptops you would need hardware with similar performances.
* Graphics cards older than the minimum requirements are NOT supported.

If your system meets these requirements, then this is the software necessary to run it. The installer will attempt to install this, but just to be on the safe side go ahead and preemptively install them.

* .NET Framework 3.5 SP 1
* Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)
* DirectX End-User Runtime June 2010

If DirectX fails to install when trying to install firefall, ignore it as it usually happens.

## Common Terms

#### Dxdiag

Dxdiag refers to DirectX Diagnostics which is a tool that has become a system information panel that now allows support staff to know what hardware you are using and also display various information about a number of drivers.

#### MSinfo32

This is another diagnostic tool that Microsoft designed and has been a part of Windows operating systems. The main purpose of this tool is to give information on your installed applications, windows settings, recent crashes, drivers and various network settings as well as other information.

#### ISP

This is an abbreviation for Internet Service Provider, if you have cable internet it's probably the same as your television provider. When someone asks you for this information it's used to group people with common network issues together if they're within the same ISP. It can also be used for various other network related issues that Red 5 Studios could be aware of.

#### VPN

This is an abbreviation for Virtual Private Network, if you are experiencing network issues they can commonly be caused by added latency as a result of using an out of state or out of country VPN to bypass regional restrictions or increase your security while on the Internet, among other uses.

#### CPU

This is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit. This term is used to refer to the processor in your computer, which is essentially the brain.

#### GPU

This is an abbreviation for Graphic Processing Unit. Some people tend to use this term to describe the video card as a whole, while in reality a GPU is a component within your video card. There are other terms for GPU that can be seen frequently such as VPU (Visual Processing Unit) and APU, which refers to an Accelerated Processing Unit within your CPU that is normally responsible for assisting or acting as your GPU.

#### Video Card

This is an expansion card within your computer, it is responsible for accelerating various rendering applications and also functions as one of the main processing units for 3D and 2D applications such as Video Games (Like Firefall!!). Some commonly refer to this as a GPU, though a GPU is actually part of what makes up a Video Card and allows it to function.

#### MOBO

This is a common abbreviation for motherboard. A motherboard is the main circuit board within your computer and is responsible for determining what hardware you can use and also providing the expansion slot(s) for additional pieces of hardware to be added.

#### Drivers

This is the term commonly used to refer to device drivers. These pieces of software are responsible for allowing the various pieces of software within your computer interact with the various pieces of hardware in your computer. An example of a Driver are Video Card Drivers, which are responsible for allowing a lot of the latency between the user and the hardware to be eliminated. This allows programmers to create complex applications (Video Games) that interact directly with the GPU without requiring a large number of steps for the end-user. They are also responsible for many issues if they are not kept up to date.

**Note:** This is a simplified description of what drivers actually do.

## How to

### DxDiag

1. Open a Run window by simultaneously pressing the "Windows" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
2. Type "dxdiag" and press "Enter" or click "OK".
3. Select the option "Save All Information" which should be near the bottom right of the DirectX Diagnostic window. Select any location for the file but remember where it is for #the fourth step and save this file as a Text File (\*.txt).
4. Upload your dxdiag by either selecting "Upload a File" in a forum topic, or "Attach a file" when submitting a support ticket for Ranger assistance.

### MSinfo

1. Open a Run window by simultaneously pressing the "Windows" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
2. Type "msinfo32" and press "Enter" or click "OK".
3. At the top left of the System Information window Left-Click with your mouse on "File" and then Left-Click on "Export". Select any location for the file but remember where it is #for the fourth step and save this file as a Text File (\*.txt).
4. Upload your msinfo file by either selecting "Upload a File" in a forum topic, or "Attach a file" when submitting a support ticket for Ranger assistance.

### Console Log / Last Run Log

1. Open a Run window by simultaneously pressing the "Windows" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
2. Type %localappdata%\Red 5 Studios\Firefall and press Enter.
3. Locate the text document named "console" (This may at times not exist) and "\_last\_run" (There will be multiple of theses with numbers in-front, find the latest ones by checking the modified date).
4. Zip up all the logs (Must be zip not rar or 7z).
5. Upload your console log by either selecting "Upload a File" in a forum topic, or "Attach a file" when submitting a support ticket for Ranger assistance.

### Patcher Log

1. Open a Run window by simultaneously pressing the "Windows" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
2. Type in %temp% and press Enter.
3. Locate the file FirefallPatcher. This is a text file log of the files the patcher is downloading.
4. If it does not exist then run the patcher again until it fails then immediately go into %temp%.
5. Zip up the log (Must be zip not rar or 7z).
6. Upload your patcher log by either selecting "Upload a File" in a forum topic, or "Attach a file" when submitting a support ticket for Ranger assistance.

## Hardware Drivers

### AMD

You can update your ATI / AMD graphic drivers by going to the following website: http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/downloads.aspx.
If you do not know which video card you have, you can use the ATI / AMD Autodetect utility by visiting the following link: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/auto\_detect.aspx

You will also be required to install the AMD Application profiles: http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/crossfirex-app-profiles.aspx
This is required to properly play Firefall for both single card and crossfire users.

### Nvidia

You can update your NVIDIA graphic drivers by visiting the following link: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us. If you know what Video Card you have enter the details in the drop down menu boxes starting from the top and then moving down.

If you do not know which video card you have you can use the NVIDIA detection applet that they have written for their customers. You can find this application at the following link: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Scan.aspx?lang=en-us.

Note: It requires Java to operate, you also may need to give it permission to run depending on which browser you use and what settings you have enabled/disabled.

### Other Drivers

These should really be dealt with on a case by case basis but here are a few of the common driver websites for people that are interested or require them. These aren't all of the manufacturer driver websites but they are the most common:

Intel Drivers: http://www.intel.com/p/en\_US/support/detect/

RealTek Drivers: http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/

Razer Drivers: http://www.razersupport.com/index.php?\_m=downloads&\_a=view

SteelSeries Drivers: http://steelseries.com/support/downloads

Logitech Drivers: url=http://www.logitech.com/en-us/support

Asus Drivers: http://support.asus.com/download/options.aspx?SLanguage=en&type=1

Gigabyte Drivers: http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/support-downloads.aspx

MSI Drivers: http://www.msi.com/service/download/

Western Digital Drivers: http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?lang=en

## Installation

You have two options to download the Firefall client. You will end up with the same copy of the game no matter which one you choose - there's no difference in the game, only how it installs.

### What is the difference between the Full Installer or the streaming Download?

The end result of both the Streaming and Full Installer are the same. The only big difference is how the installer bundle gets downloaded before the extraction takes place.

The streaming installer has an initial small download and then streams the rest of the files via content providers. The full Installer packages all data into one large download (this is usually recommended for people who have bandwidth caps/internet issues). It is also recommended that players utilize a download manager when attempting to use the Full Installer method to mitigate errors/missing files/partial downloads.

### Streaming Installer

The streaming installer is a small executable which then downloads the rest of the game files and installs them. It will recover from partial downloads and resume downloading if interrupted automatically. Although sometimes it will fail to resume or recover.

#### Using the Streaming Installer

1. Select “Streaming Installer”, a confirmation box should pop up
2. Select “Save File”. Once the file downloads, double click on the file in the downloads window. If your browser does not have a downloads window, you should be able to find the “Downloads” folder by going to “Start”, then type in “Downloads” in the “Search files and folders section”. You should see a file that say “Firefall Installer”
3. After selecting run, an extractor will pop up. Leave the default destination folder (usually desktop). Important: Do not extract the files to the same location that you intend to install the game to.
4. After you click on install, the game will begin downloading. The download speed will depend on your connection type.

### Full Installer

The full installer includes everything you need to start installing. If you are going to download the installer on one computer and install it on another, this is the better option. This download requires an application that can open .7z files - like 7-Zip - to extract its contents.

#### Download

Download the standalone installer from the FireFall homepage

or

Install via Steam if you prefer playing games in the Steam client.

#### When using a download manager

1. Download the full installer in Chrome or Firefox (Must be these), do not wait for the download to finish.
2. CTRL J while inside the browser to view current downloads then Right Click -> Copy Link Address on the download.
3. Then stop it from downloading.
4. Next, start up your download manager and add a new task/download using that copied link.

Recommended Download Manager
Flashget - http://www.flashget.com

#### Using the Full Installer

1. First, in order to be able to open the “Full Installer” file, you need to have an extraction tool called 7-Zip. Download and install this before you finish the “Full Installer” download.
2. Once the files have finished downloading. Right click on the file -> 7-Zip -> Extract To "FirefallInstallerComplete\".
3. The files should start being copied over at this point, and a new box with a green bar will come up with the percentage complete.
4. Once the files are extracted 100%, locate the directory where the files were extracted and run the “setup.exe” as Administrator. DO NOT Install to where you extracted the installer.
5. Allow the game to install completely.