Welcome To Battlestations Pacific

These FAQs accompany version 1.1

Battlestations Pacific
Developed by Eidos Hungary
Ported to Mac by Robosoft
Published for Mac by Feral Interactive


FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

This document is intended to help you answer any questions that you may have about Battlestations Pacific

  1. When I press the Function keys (F1-F19) nothing happens. How do I use the Function keys in Battlestations Pacific?
  2. Why does iTunes pause my music when I start playing Battlestations Pacific?
  3. I have two monitors attached to my computer—How do I change which screen the game runs on?
  4. Battlestations Pacific runs slowly on my computer. Is there anything I can do to increase the speed?
  5. How do I get technical support for Battlestations Pacific?
  6. Can I play this game on a Case-Sensitive File System?
  7. How do I take screenshots in Battlestations Pacific?
  8. Can I use a joystick to control planes in the game?
  9. How do I get out of periscope view?
  10. Is it possible to unlock everything in the game?
  11. Why are Shadows disabled in the game?
  1. When I press the Function keys (F1-F19) nothing happens. How do I use the Function keys in Battlestations Pacific?

    By default Mac OS X uses the F Keys to control items such as sound levels and brightness. To use an F Key for a game function hold the fn key first, and then press the F key. If you wish to have the F Keys always enabled, follow these steps:

    1. Open System Preferences ( MenuSystem Preferences).

    2. Click on Keyboard (or Keyboard and Mouse, depending on your system).

    3. Select the tab named Keyboard.

    4. Ensure the checkbox labelled "Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" is checked.

    The F Keys will now work without using the fn key.

    Back To Top

  2. Why does iTunes pause my music when I start playing Battlestations Pacific?

    You have the "Pause iTunes while playing Battlestations Pacific." option selected in the Battlestations Pacific pre-game Options window. To turn this feature off follow the steps below.

    1. Double Click on the Battlestations Pacific Application while holding the Command key (⌘) down. A window called Battlestations Pacific Options will appear.

    2. Select the tab named Extras.

    3. Deselect the checkbox labelled "Pause iTunes while playing Battlestations Pacific".

    4. Click Play to start playing Battlestations Pacific.

    To turn this feature back on at a later date just re-select the checkbox and then press Play.

    Back To Top

  3. I have two monitors attached to my computer—How do I change which screen the game runs on?

    If you have more than one monitor connected to your Mac that is capable of supporting Battlestations Pacific, you can choose which monitor is used for the game from the pre-game Options window. Select the Displays tab in order to choose a monitor.

    Holding down the Command key () while starting the game will display the pre-game Options window if you have previously disabled it.

    Back To Top

  4. Battlestations Pacific runs slowly on my computer. Is there anything I can do to increase the speed?

    There are several factors which have an impact on the speed at which Battlestations Pacific runs. Please see the section titled "Battlestations Pacific Performance Tips" in the ReadMe for a guide to increasing the speed at which the game runs on your computer.

    Back To Top

  5. How do I get technical support for Battlestations Pacific?

    Please read the technical support information in the ReadMe, this tells you what to check and if necessary how to contact Feral Technical Support with your issue.

    Back To Top

  6. Can I play this game on a Case-Sensitive File System?

    No. Battlestations Pacific has been tested with the basic formatting option for Mac OS X which is HFS+. This system is not case-sensitive and identifies files by name without checking capitalisation. The capitalisation of filenames is not consistent throughout the game. While this may not prevent the game from running on case-sensitive file systems, unfortunately such differences may lead to crashes and other unpredictable behaviour on the case-sensitive formats available on the Macintosh.

    If you have to run a case-sensitive setup and you experience problems with Battlestations Pacific please install the game on a standard formatted partition or read/write disk image. In most cases this will allow you to play the game on your machine.

    Back To Top

  7. How do I take screenshots in Battlestations Pacific?

    To take screenshots while playing Battlestations Pacific you should use the following key command.

    Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + P

    When you press all three keys at once the game will take a single image of the on-screen contents and save it to your Desktop. The picture will be in TIFF format and will be called "Battlestations Pacific Picture 1". If you take more than one picture the numbering will increase by one per screenshot. The TIFF image contains metadata with a string in the following format.

    GameName/Version Number (OS Version; CPU Speed; Installed RAM; Video RAM; Current Graphics Card)

    For example in Battlestations Pacific the string might look a little like this:

    Battlestations Pacific/1.0 (Mac OS 10.6.2; 2.8; 2.0 512; Radeon HD4870)

    This information can easily be removed by saving the screenshot into a different format using Preview or another image editing tool. It should be noted that none of the metadata stored can be used to identify the user.

    Back To Top

  8. Can I use a joystick to control planes in the game?

    Yes, you can! From the Main Menu screen go to OptionsControlsAir. Here you will find all the controls allocated to planes (three columns are displayed on this screen). Column one (left side) displays the specific action, column two (central column) displays the default key command for that action and the third column (right side) allows the user to enter a secondary input (such as a joystick).

    Using the cursor keys on the keyboard, move the selector down the third column until you reach the control you wish to modify (Pitch Up, for example) and press Enter. Now, using your joystick, move the stick in the direction by which you wish the command to be activated. Continue to do this with all the controls for which you wish to use the joystick.

    Once you have finished click on the Back button. A window will now appear asking you to either Accept, Discard or Cancel. Select Accept to activate your control changes. If you think you've made a mistake then you can either select Discard (this will delete all the control changes you have previously made) or select Cancel (this will return you to the Air controls screen without deleting your control changes).

    Back To Top

  9. How do I get out of periscope view?

    If you are using a Apple Magic Mouse you may find that you are unable to exit the periscope view due to the lack of a middle mouse button (scroll wheel click). To work around this we have enabled a secondary command (T), so that you may enter and exit the periscope view.

    This also applies to plane controls when you wish to enter or exit the cockpit view.

    Back To Top

  10. Is it possible to unlock everything in the game?

    If you are having trouble with one of the missions in the game, or just want to be able to use any of the available vehicles without unlocking them first, there is an option to unlock everything.

    To enable this feature click on the Advanced tab of the pre-game Options window and check the Unlock Everything box. When you next launch the game, all of the levels and units will be available.

    Back To Top

  11. Why are Shadows disabled in the game?

    The Shadows option in the Video menu is not available for users running Mac OS 10.6.4 with ATI graphics cards due to a problem with the ATI drivers. This issue has been fixed in later versions of the OS and shadows are enabled on 10.6.5 and later. Note: This issue does not affect users running 10.5.8.

    Back To Top