README NHL 09 PC 09/12/08 **************************************************************** I English **************************************************************** Thank you for purchasing EA SPORTS NHL 09. This README file contains information on features not covered in the manual, as well as more detailed information on certain features already covered in the manual. This README file also contains information on known issues, multiplayer issues and hardware issues. Content of Web Links within this document may not be under the control of Electronic Arts . ################################################################ 1. 2. System Requirements Installation a) Installing NHL 09 b) Digital Retail Installation c) If your "Autorun" feature is disabled DirectX 9.0c Uninstalling Memory Requirements Performance Issues and Troubleshooting a) Video Cards b) Improving Gameplay Performance c) Improving Graphic Details d) Memory e) Sound Card f) DVD-ROM (disc Users only) g) Controller h) Modem i) Internet Dynasty Mode Gameplay Settings Game Controls EA SPORTS Online Requirements Stat Abbreviations

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################################################################ ============================================================= 1. System Requirements ============================================================= Minimum: 1.3 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent (1.5 GHz for Windows Vista ) 256 Megabytes of RAM (512 MB for Windows Vista ) DirectX 9.0c Compatible 3D accelerated 64 MB video card or equivalent (see supported chipsets in section 6) 3.01 GB free hard disk space Additional space required for DirectX 9.0c installation and for saved ga mes) 8X Speed DVD-ROM (disc Users only) DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card Broadband connection for online activation and online gameplay

MS compatible mouse Keyboard EA Download Manager Users require 2.7 GB additional space for temporary installa tion files Required Operating Systems: Windows XP SP2, or Windows Vista Note that Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000 are not supported. *NOTE - To install the game properly on Windows XP/Windows Vista , you will need administrator access to your machine. Consult your Windows XP/Windows Vista documentation for more information. Required Software: DirectX 9.0c ============================================================ 2. Installing the Game ============================================================ a.) Installing NHL 09 Windows (disc users): * Insert the disc into your disc drive and follow the on-screen instructions. * Once the game has installed you can launch it by locating the game through th e Start menu. * Games on Windows Vista are located in the Start > Games menu and on earlier ve rsions of Windows in the Start > Programs (or All Programs) menu. Windows (EA Store users): * Once the game has been downloaded by EA Download Manager, click the install i con that appears and follow the on-screen instructions. * Launch the game (once it is installed) directly from the EA Download Manager. In Windows Vista Classic Start menu style, games are located in the Start > Progr ams > Games > Games Explorer menu. b.) Digital Retail Installation Please contact the digital retailer through whom you purchased this game for ins tructions 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 pat ches please visit http://www.ea.com or http://www.eastore.com. c.) If your "Autorun" feature is disabled If for some reason your "Autorun" feature is disabled, you can install the progr am by running AUTORUN.EXE directly from the root directory of the DVD.

============================================================= 3. DirectX 9.0c ============================================================= Direct X 9.0c will be installed as part of the EA Sports NHL 09 Installation on Windows XP operating systems. For your convenience, we have included DirectX 9.0c on the NHL 09 Disc. a.) Installing DirectX directly from DVD If you would like to install it manually, make sure the NHL 09 Disc is in the DVD -ROM drive, and access the following path on your DVD-ROM drive: "\DirectX\DXSETUP.EXE" Double-click on DXSETUP.EXE to begin DirectX 9.0c installation. b.) DirectX and supported hardware We recommend that NHL 09 be run with DirectX 9.0c compatible sound cards and video cards. We also suggest you update your sound card and video card drivers to the newest release from the vendor or chipset website. ============================================================= 4. Uninstalling NHL 09 ============================================================= Windows has an "Add/Remove Programs" icon in the Control Panel that you can use to uninstall the game. Windows Vista has a Programs and Features icon in the Control Panel that you can use to uninstall the game. ============================================================= 5. Memory Requirements ============================================================= a.) Memory requirements in Windows NHL 09 requires a minimum of 256MB of RAM (512MB in Vista) to run. Note: The more system memory available, the better the game will perform in all areas. b.) Running the game under stressful Windows conditions At Electronic Arts we strive to bring you the best in graphics, audio and gameplay. We are always pushing the envelope of computer performance. While we have made every effort to ensure that NHL 09 multi-tasks with all Windows applications, we recommend that you shut down other applications (including virus scanners) and run NHL 09 by itself when possible. c.) Virtual memory We recommend that you let your operating system automatically manage the amount of virtual memory. ================================================================ 6) Performance Issues and Troubleshooting ================================================================ ----------------------------------------------------------------

a) Video Cards ---------------------------------------------------------------NHL 09 Supports the following Video Chipsets: ATI Radeon 9000 series ATI Radeon Xpress 200 ATI Radeon X550 ATI Radeon X600 ATI Radeon X700 ATI Radeon X800 ATI Radeon X850 ATI Radeon X1000 series ATI Radeon HD 2600, 2900, 3450, 3850, 3870 X2 NVIDIA GeForce3/Ti series NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti series NVIDIA GeForce FX series (FX 5900 is not supported in Windows Vista ) NVIDIA GeForce 6000 series NVIDIA GeForce 7000 series NVIDIA GeForce 8000 series NVIDIA GeForce 9000 series NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 Intel 915 Intel 950 Intel 965 *Note: Laptop versions of these chipsets may work, but are not officially suppor ted as they have not been tested. The NVIDIA GeForce MX series are not supported. It is recommended that you update your video card drivers to the ones most recently released by the manufacturer. DirectX 9.0c is required to run the game and is included on the NHL 09 DVD. *Note: Users with ATI Radeon HD Crossfire cards may experience flickering on som e load screens. Disabling Crossfire will prevent the flickering. Please use the following links for additional support: www.ati.com, www.nvidia.c om, www.intel.com . ---------------------------------------------------------------b) Improving Gameplay Performance ---------------------------------------------------------------To improve gameplay performance, go to Display Settings in the Pause Menu. Click on Display Options and adjust the sliders to minimum. Also make sure you run the game with the lowest resolution. On-Play Player Detail -- the detail level of the players during gameplay. Off-Play Player Detail -- the detail level of the players during offplay sequences (whenever the clock is not running.) On-Play Arena Detail -- the detail level of the arena during gameplay. Off-Play Arena Detail -- the detail level of the arena during offplay sequences (whenever the clock is not running.) ---------------------------------------------------------------c) Improving Graphic Details ---------------------------------------------------------------To improve Graphic Details, go to Display Settings in the Pause Menu. Click on Display Options and adjust the sliders up.

This will decrease your frame rate but improve the detail quality of the players and arena. On-Play Player Detail -- the detail level of the players during gameplay. Off-Play Player Detail -- the detail level of the players during offplay sequences (whenever the clock is not running.) On-Play Arena Detail -- the detail level of the arena during gameplay. Off-Play Arena Detail -- the detail level of the arena during offplay sequences (whenever the clock is not running.) You may also increase the game resolution. ---------------------------------------------------------------d) MEMORY ---------------------------------------------------------------NHL 09 requires 256 MB RAM in Windows XP (512 in Windows Vista ) and Virtual Memory Enabled. We recommend that you let your operating system manage the amount of virtual memory automatically (the default setting.) You must have at least 3.01 GB of free hard disk space to install the game. We recommend you maintain more than 200MB of free hard disk space. Suggestions to free up space: * Delete old Temporary Internet files and Temporary installation files. * Empty Recycle Bin * Run Disk Clean Up utility * Defragment your hard drive. ---------------------------------------------------------------e) SOUND CARD ---------------------------------------------------------------NHL 09 Supports the following Audio Chipsets using DirectSound: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Creative Labs Sound Blaster MP3+ Creative Labs Sound Blaster Extigy Hercules Gamesurround Muse (5.1 DVD/XL/LT/Pocket) Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo II Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo III Hercules Digifire 7.1 Hercules Game Theater XP 7.1 NVIDIA nForce2 Audio AC 97 Compliant Audio Controller Intel High Definition Audio SoundMAX Audio Controller SoundMAX HD Audio Controller M-Audio Revolution 7.1 M-Audio Sonica USB (5.1/ Theatre 7.1) M-Audio Transit USB Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 Audiotrak Maya (5.1/7.1/EX5.1/EX7.1) TerraTec Aureon (5.1 Fun/7.1 Space) Turtle Beach Santa Cruz 5.1 *Note: Some issues may occur due to hardware/driver

limitations. Support also depends on the Operating System in use. NHL 09 supports DirectSound. If your sound card driver does not support DirectSound you may experience choppy or stuttering sound or sound that cuts in and out. If your sound card driver does not support DirectSound, we recommend obtaining updated drivers from your sound card manufacturer. INSTALLED SOUND CARD, BUT THERE IS NO SOUND *Make sure your speakers or headphones are plugged into the appropriate jack and the volume control is turned up. If this does not solve the problem make sure your sound card is installed correctly. GENERAL SOUND CARD INFORMATION *During DirectX installation, the DirectX setup program attempts to install a DirectSound supported driver for your sound card. If your sound card driver does not support DirectSound, the DirectX setup program attempts to replace your existing sound card driver. *Please consult your sound card manufacturer for updated drivers if DirectSound drivers are not available in the included DirectX files from Microsoft. Extra Notes: NHL 09 requires a sound card to play. ---------------------------------------------------------------f) DVD-ROM (disc Users only) ---------------------------------------------------------------NHL 09 disc Users requires an 8x DVD drive. DVD-ROM PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS *Be sure that you use a 32-bit native driver of your Windows operating system to control your DVD-ROM drive. To configure a driver, access the Device Manager tab in Control Panel > System. *Do not use a DOS-based 16-bit driver (loaded in CONFIG.SYS) to control your DVD-ROM. Performance may be significantly reduced. ---------------------------------------------------------------g) CONTROLLER ---------------------------------------------------------------CONTROLLER ISSUES Controller Calibration In order for your controller to work properly in NHL 09, you must install and calibrate it in Windows. To install or calibrate your controller in Windows, access the Control Panel, and launch the Game Controllers applet. Note that some gaming devices use their own applets or software for installation and calibration. NHL 09 recommends the Logitech Dual Action controller. This controller will give access to all the gameplay features. This is a list of all supported controllers for NHL 09:

Logitech Logitech Logitech Logitech Logitech Logitech Logitech Saitek P2900 Wireless Pad P2600 Rumble Pad P2500 Rumble Pad P990 Dual Analog Pad P880 Rumble Pad Thrustmaster Dual Trigger 2-in-1 Rumble Force Rechargeable Wireless 2-in-1 Dual Trigger 2-in-1 Dual Trigger Gamepad Wireless Dual Trigger Gamepad FireStorm Dual Power 3 FireStorm Wireless Gamepad FireStorm Dual Analog 3 Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller for Windows ChillStream Cordless Rumblepad 2 Rumblepad 2 Vibration Feedback Gamepad RumblePad Dual Action Gamepad Cordless RumblePad

Note: NHL 09 does not support force feedback on controllers. ---------------------------------------------------------------h) MODEM ---------------------------------------------------------------NHL 09 requires a Broadband connection for online play. ---------------------------------------------------------------i) INTERNET ---------------------------------------------------------------Your game will require online activation the first time you start it. This will require an internet connection. Recommended for Internet Play: *DSL or Cable Internet connection. *Play with an opponent that is in the same general region as you. ================================================================ 7. Dynasty Mode ================================================================ In this section you will find more details about certain Dynasty screens.

OWNER'S TRUST SYSTEM : Each game is evaluated by the owner of your team in relation to your capacity to achieve victory. You will earn or lose Trust Points in relation to those owner's expectations. Try to achieve what is expected from you and you will accumulate Trust Points to invest in new upgrades for your team. UPGRADES SCREEN: This is where you will decide how to upgrade your organization and team. Once you save the upgrades you will not be able to reverse the decision. Upgrades affect your team in different ways, so make your decisions wisely. Upgrades can be bought with Owner's Trust Points obtained by accomplishing owner's expectations. See above for Owner's Trust System explanation. PROGRESS REPORTS SCREEN: This screen is used to track the progress of your team. The player's attributes will change with practice schedules, upgrades, player morale and injury. Keep an eye on your players attributes and see what you, as the GM, can do to keep everyone performing at peak levels. PLAYOFFS CENTRAL : Now you can attend the playoffs, even if your team didn't make it or is eliminated. You will be able to sim rounds or the entire playoffs and follow the action by accessing the Playoffs Tree. SCOUTING REPORTS SCREEN: This screen shows you the upcoming players available in the entry draft. Your scouting upgrade level will determine how many ratings are visible and the accuracy of the information you have. You can now follow the progress of potential rookies by marking them with an X. CONTRACTS SCREEN: This screen is used to re-sign players or release players from your team. When a player has 0 years left that means they are going to need a new contract or they will be released to free agency at the end of the season. ================================================================ 8. GAMEPLAY SETTINGS ================================================================ NHL 09 allows you to adjust a variety of settings to customize how the game plays . The AI options and what they do are as follows: Master Settings SKATING SHOOTING Determines the rhythm and speed of the game. Players skate faster; this makes for a speedier game. Determines the general accuracy and power of the players on the ice. Augment this setting if you want the players to be more accurate when shooting. This sets the amount and general quality of all passes. Augment this settings if you want the passes to happen more often. Determines the strength and effectiveness of the defense. Determines the intensity of the best player at the end of a match, when their skills can change the outcome in a big way.

PASSING DEFENSE INTENSITY

DUMPING INJURIES

Determines the frequency of the AI controlled players dumping the puck. Determines how often players get injured. NOTE* This setting does not affect gameplay unless the Injuries option on the Rules screen is set to ON. Move the slider to the left to decrease the game speed or to the right to increase it. Adjusts the percentage of your player s speed burst. The higher the value, the more power his speed burst has. Determines how quickly your players recover from fatigue. Adjusts how fast players accelerate from a standing position. Determines how well your players control the puck. Determines how quickly your players tire.

Skating GAME SPEED SPEED BURST FATIGUE RECOVERY PLAYER ACCELERATION PUCK CONTROL FATIGUE EFFECT Checking HITTING POWER HITTING DIFFICULTY

AGGRESSION Passing PASS ASSIST PASS SPEED SAUCER PASS SPEED GOALIE PASSING Shooting SHOT ACCURACY SHOT POWER Defense SHOT BLOCKING HOOK EFFECTIVENESS POKE EFFECTIVENESS PASS INTERCEPTIONS Dumping DUMP SPEED DUMP HEIGHT SOFT DUMP SPEED SOFT DUMP HEIGHT n softly.

Adjusts the power of players hits. Move the slider to the left/right to decrease/ increase the difficulty of lining up a body check and hitting an opponent. Sets the level of aggressiveness. Move the slider to the left/right to decrease/increase CPU assistance in completing passes. Adjusts the speed of passes. Determines how fast saucer passes are. Sets the accuracy of goalie passes.

Adjusts the accuracy of shots. Adjusts the power of shots. Determines Determines Determines Determines how how how the often the effective effective frequency CPU blocks shots. hooking a player is. poke checking a player is. of interceptions.

Sets how fast the puck will travel when dumped in. Determines the height of the puck when dumped in. Determines the speed of the puck when dumped in softly. Determines the height the puck will travel when dumped i

*NOTE: The difference between a soft dump and a normal dump is how long you hold the shoot button down. A soft dump is a tap of the button.

================================================================ 9. Game Controls ================================================================ Additional info on game controls: The following controls are mapped to the keyboard and cannot be changed: Defensive and Offensive Strategies are mapped to NUMPAD4 and numpad6. Cycle through them by pressing NUMPAD4 or NUMPAD6. To change lines, press NUMPAD8. Cycle through lines by pressing NUMPAD8. On the Configure Controller screen, please note that the characters displayed are based on an English keyboard layout. ================================================================ 10. EA SPORTS Online Requirements ================================================================ To play online, you have to ensure: a. Firewalls Note that if you have a firewall and want to play online, the following TCP/IP ports must be open in the outbound direction: HTTP 80 TCP/IP HTTPS 443 TCP/IP MsgConn/IM 13500-13599 TCP/IP Roomsvr 32600-32699 TCP/IP The following UDP ports must be opened for game packets, for the outbound and inbound connections Game Packets 3658 UDP When attempting to host or join an Internet or Network game under a Windows XP Limited User Account, please ensure that all critical Windows Updates have been installed. Failure to have these updates installed could cause the game to crash or hang when connecting to another user. ================================================================ 11. Stat Abbreviations ================================================================ The following are explanations of the stat abbreviations used in NHL 09: Team Standings GP W L T OTL P GF Games Played Wins Losses Ties Overtime Loss (also known as RT, Regulation Tie) Points Goals For

GA L10 Team Stats GP W L T OTL P GF GA PPGF TPP PP% SHGA PPGA TSH PK% SHGF Player Stats GP G A P +/S S% H PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG FOW FOT GV TK m Min

Goals Against Record in their last 10 games

Games Played Wins Losses Ties Overtime Loss (also known as RT, Regulation Tie) Points Goals For Goals Against Powerplay Goals For Total Power Play opportunities Powerplay percentage Shorthanded Goals Against Powerplay Goals Against Times Shorthanded -- how many times did the team have to kill a penalty Penalty Kill percentage Shorthanded Goals For

Games Played Goals Assists Points Plus/Minus Shots Shooting Percentage Hits Penalty minutes Powerplay Goals Shorthanded Goals Game Winning Goals Game Tying Goals Faceoffs Won Faceoffs Taken Giveaways -- how many times did he give the puck away to the other team Takeaways -- how many times did he take the puck away from the other tea Minutes Played

Goalie Stats GAA W L T GA SA SO Min PIM Save% Goals Against Average Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Shots Against Shutouts Minutes Played Penalty Minutes Save Percentage