== Table of Contents ==
General
System Requirements
Performance Tips
Notes
Controls
Compatibility Notes
GENERAL
===================
Welcome to Spore Creature Creator! We hope you'll have a lot of fun with it. For the latest up-to-date information on the Creature Creator and on SPORE™ the game, please visit http://www.spore.com
System Requirements
===================
Spore Creature Creator requires at least the following:
FOR WINDOWS XP
* 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
* 512 MB RAM
* A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
* The latest version of DirectX 9.0c
* At least 190MB of hard drive space for installation, plus additional space for created creatures.
FOR WINDOWS VISTA
* 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
* 768 MB RAM
* A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
* At least 190MB of hard drive space for installation, plus additional space for created creatures.
FOR MAC OS X
* Mac OS X 10.5.3 Leopard or higher
* Intel Core Duo Processor
* 1024 MB RAM
* ATI X1600 or NVidia 7300 GT with 128 MB of Video RAM, or Intel Integrated GMA X3100
* At least 260MB of hard drive space for installation, plus additional space for created creatures.
This game will not run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems (PowerMac).
For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game
requires at least:
* Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA 950 for Windows, GMA X3100 for Mac OS X
* Dual 2.0GHz CPUs, or 1.7GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
Mac OS X:
Intel(R) Extreme Graphics
GMA X3100
On the Mac, this game will not run on the GMA 950 class of integrated video cards.
Laptop versions of these chipsets may work, but may run comparatively slowly. Standalone cards that are installed in vanilla PCI slots (not PCIe or PCIx or AGP), such as some GeForce FX variants, will perform poorly.
Integrated chipsets such as the ATI xpress 200 and the NVIDIA TurboCache variants will have low settings selected, but will run satisfactorily.
Please note that attempting to play the game using video hardware that isn’t listed above may result in reduced performance, graphical issues or cause the game to not run at all.
The NVIDIA GeForce FX series is unsupported under Vista.
Known Hardware Issues
----------------------
The game may become unresponsive while painting your creature, or after switching between fullscreen and windowed. To fix this, update your graphics drivers from the vendor website.
When changing the display size, in some situations the monitor may not respond to a resolution it claims to support, showing a black or distorted display. If this occurs switch to windowed mode, and then change the resolution and refresh rate back to smaller values.
Windows XP:
Nvidia nForce2 Audio – An issue has been observed in Surround 5.1 Mode. Static is heard when in Creature Creator Mode that lasts about 8 seconds.
Windows Vista:
When launching the game, some Microsoft Vista users may receive a warning about running out of address space along with a link to the Microsoft Knowledge Base. If you see this message, it is recommended that you follow the instructions and go to the website listed in the message to update your system.
Turtle Beach Montego DDL – Surround 5.1 is not supported. This mode is available in the options, but sound will be in Stereo (2 Channel) for all speakers.
Mac OS X:
On Mac OS X systems that have NVIDIA cards with less than 256 MB of VRAM, you may need to reduce the graphics quality through the methods described in General Troubleshooting
for improved graphics quality.
If running the game on a Mac Book Pro with display mirroring turned on, ensure that you select a resolution which is supported by both the internal and external displays. A workaround for this issue is to ensure that the internal LCD is the main system monitor before turning on display mirroring, and you will be presented with the proper resolutions.
Occasionally the game audio will stop playing when headphones are connected after the game is started. In order to prevent this from occurring, please ensure that your headphones are connected to your Mac before starting the game.
Performance Tips
===================
When you run Spore Creature Creator for the first time, the game will automatically select the most appropriate options for your graphics card, CPU, and audio card. To improve performance, use the Graphic Settings tab on the Settings menu to lower settings to "medium" or "low".
You can also improve the performance of the Creator by lowering the resolution the game runs at, to 1024 x 768 or 800 x 600. It is not recommended that you run at full screen resolution if your monitor resolution is 1600 x 1200 or above.
Spore Creature Creator is a real-time 3D game that requires a certain amount of your computer's processing power. Other programs operating in the background can slow it down. For best results, be sure to close any background applications while playing Spore Creature Creator.
Some systems may run more smoothly in full screen mode, rather than "Windowed" mode.
Notes
===================
Online Help
----------------
The Electronic Arts Customer Support site is located at http://support.ea.com for North American users or http://eusupport.ea.com for European users. Use the search tools to find the information you need. The Knowledge Base is updated as new information is available, so check back for the latest news and information.
Locations On Disk
----------------
Spore Creature Creator keeps your creatures, movies, pictures, and animated avatars in a folder called "My Spore Creations". The location of this folder depends on your OS:
Windows XP:
* “My Spore Creations” is located in your "My Documents" folder.
Windows Vista:
* “My Spore Creations” is located in your “Documents” folder.
Mac OS X:
* “My Spore Creations” is located in your “Documents” folder.
This folder also keeps a cache of the graphics assets for creatures you have downloaded. If you are short on disk space, try reducing the size of that cache in the graphics options.
Digital Retail Installation
----------------
Please contact the digital retailer through whom you purchased this game for instructions on how to install the game or how to download and reinstall another copy of the game.
Note: If you’d like additional information about your game as well as tips and patches please visit www.ea.com or www.eastore.com.
Installing the Game
----------------
Mac OS X:
* Insert the game disc into your CD/DVD-ROM drive. A CD icon representing the game disc appears on your desktop. Double-click the icon to open the game’s launcher.
* Select the game’s installer icon at the bottom of the launcher to prompt the installation menu.
* Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
Uninstalling the Game
----------------
Windows XP
* Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
* Click on Change or Remove Programs.
* Click on the SPORE Creature Creator Trial Edition program entry.
* Click on the Remove button.
* Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation.
Windows Vista
* Open the Programs and Features control panel.
* Click on the SPORE Creature Creator Trial Edition program entry.
* Click on the Uninstall button.
* Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation.
Mac OS X:
* Ensure you are logged in using an account which has Administrative privileges.
* Delete the SPORE folder from your Applications folder.
* Additional files can be found in /Users//Library/Preferences/SPORE Creature Creator Preferences.
Controls and Shortcuts
===================
- Editing -
Left Click to select and move parts.
Left Click to move the arrow-shaped handles on the currently selected part, which changes its shape.
Left Click and drag parts off the creature to sell them back.
Mouse over a part or a spine segment and use the mousewheel to scale the size. Or, select the part, and use the up and down arrow keys.
Hold Alt while clicking and dragging a part to copy it. On Mac systems, use Option instead of Alt.
Left Click and drag directly on the spine to change the spine shape. Use the arrows to length or shorten the spine.
Left Click on the torso skin (not the spine) to move it.
Hold Control while dragging a limb segment to attach it to another limb.
Hold Tab when a part is selected to reveal additional rotation handles.
- Camera -
Left Click on the background moves the camera around.
In test drive, mousewheel zooms the camera in and out.
In parts and paint modes, shift and mousewheel zooms the camera in and out.
< and > Rotates the camera
+ and - Zooms in or out
- General -
Control-N Start New Creature
Control-Y Redo
Control-Z Undo
Control-S Save Creature
Control-H Toggle whether the UI is hidden
H or ? Bring up or close the Spore Guide
B Bring up the Sporepedia™
Alt-Enter Toggle between windowed and fullscreen.
- Fullscreen -
Windows:
Alt-Enter Toggle between windowed and fullscreen.
Mac OS X:
This title supports the ability to toggle between fullscreen and windowed modes. Use the following keys combinations to enable this feature:
Command + Return: Toggles the game between windowed and fullscreen modes.
Command + Tab: Minimizes the game when in fullscreen mode.
Note that when the game is minimized, it will not pause, but will continue running in the background.
- Right Mouse Button Functionality -
Mac OS X:
This game contains features that require a right mouse button. If you have an Apple Mighty Mouse, you can enable the Right Mouse Button in System Preferences->Keyboard and Mouse. Change the "Right Click" drop down to Secondary Button.
As well, most PC USB mice are supported on the Macintosh. The Left and Right mouse buttons are detected and work correctly on these mice when first plugged in.
If you have an Apple legacy single button mouse, or a Mac Book Pro with only a Track Pad, you can emulate a right mouse button by holding down the Command key while clicking the Mouse Button.
Command Line Options
---------------------
The following command-line options are supported:
-w Run in windowed mode.
-f Run in fullscreen mode.
-r:x
Run at the given resolution.
-safe Force a minimum set of configuration options, and don't load any optional plugins.
Cheats
------
To enter cheats in the game, first open the command console by simultaneously pressing ctrl-shift-c. Press enter to close the command console. Some of the cheats that can be used
here are as follows:
help: lists all the cheats in the game.
help [cheatname]: displays specific information about the cheat.
quit: quit game.
Compatibility Notes
===================
Spore Creature Creator is designed to run on Windows XP compatible graphics and sound cards. Drivers for these devices are provided by the respective card manufacturer and may result in compatibility issues beyond our control.
If you are experiencing any issues, it is always recommended that you obtain and install the latest drivers for your hardware. The majority of hardware vendors have the latest drivers available for download via their websites.
More information on known technical issues is available on http://www.spore.com.
Thanks for Playing Spore Creature Creator!
The Spore Team
MAXIS
Warranty Information
-----------------------
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WHICH ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT WILL ELECTRONIC ARTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM POSSESSION, USE, OR MALFUNCTION OF THIS ELECTRONIC ARTS SOFTWARE PRODUCT. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS AS TO HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS
AND/OR EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITATIONS OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS AND/OR EXCLUSIONS OF LIABILITY MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE. ELECTRONIC ARTS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN THIS FILE AND TO THE SOFTWARE AT ANY TIME AND WITHOUT NOTICE. THIS FILE AND THE SOFTWARE HEREWITH IS COPYRIGHTED. ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS FILE OR THE SOFTWARE MAY BE COPIED, REPRODUCED, TRANSLATED, OR REDUCED TO ANY ELECTRONIC MEDIUM OR MACHINE-READABLE FORM WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF ELECTRONIC ARTS, P.O. BOX 9025, REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA 94063-9025, ATTN: CUSTOMER SUPPORT.