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Interstate '76 FAQ

About this FAQ:

This seems like a mandatory section nowadays. This FAQ was created to answer some common I '76 questions at The Local Ditch Gaming Emporium (http://www.localditch.com). This FAQ is to help out anyone still playing (or attempting to play) I '76 and is freely distributable. The only thing that I ask is that the FAQ not be altered and that a link to this site remains.

  1. How can I buy/download/find Interstate '76/Nitro Pack/Gold Edition?
  2. I '76 will not install on XP or Vista. What should I do?
  3. How can I get I '76/Nitro/Gold Edition to run on Windows XP?
  4. When I go to join an online game, no servers show up. What is going on?
  5. Why can I only set the resolution to 640x480?
  6. When will Activision make another sequel to the Interstate series?
  7. Any good I '76 websites still around?

How can I buy/download/find Interstate '76/Nitro Pack/Gold Edition?

If you're looking for a sealed box with a CD in it, good luck. Amazon, ebay or another auction site may have one pop up from time to time, but it's pretty rare. If you just need the game CD, the odds are a little better. My recommendation: start with Amazon, then head to ebay.

The easiest way to play the game, though, is to head over to GameTap (http://www.gametap.com/home/play/browse/index.html?searchTerm=interstate). Sure, it'll cost a few bucks, but it might well be worth it.

I '76 will not install on XP. What should I do?

Step One:
Apparently, there's a glitch on some of the game discs that makes installation a little testy. Keep trying. Twenty to thirty unsuccessful attempts before a good installation is not uncommon.

If that doesn't work:
On Windows XP SP3 and Vista, the installer won't run. There is hope, though. The game data for I '76 is not compressed on the disk, which means that it can be copied directly from the CD over to your hard drive.

Start off by creating a new folder on your hard disk to hold all of the I '76 files (usually C:\Program Files\Activision\Interstate '76\). Now, throw the I '76 install CD into your computer, open it up, and copy everything except the "AVI", "Demo", and "Direct X" folders and place the data into the newly created I '76 folder.

Last step: Though I '76 should run just by doing the above, you won't be able to install any patches because Windows won't acknowledge that game has been installed.

To rectify this, modify the registry and add the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\I76.exe. In here, add the following strings:

Name Type Data
(Default) REG_SZ C:\Program Files\Activision\Interstate76\I76.exe
Path REG_SZ C:\Program Files\Activision\Interstate76

How can I get I '76/Nitro/Gold Edition to run on Windows XP?

Apparently, there are just a couple of sounds in the shell that cause the game to crash. If the links to those sound files are changed so that the game doesn't point to them, there will be no crashes. The end result: I '76 runs without having to disable the sound acceleration or use any other bizarre tricks.

Download the fix:
I've already done it. Just download the database.mw2 file and unzip it in your I '76 directory (typically: C:\Program Files\Activision\Interstate76).

Do it yourself:
To take care of this, open up the database.mw2 file in a hex editor and find the last two "RIFF" extensions. Change them to something else, such as "PIFF" and that should do the trick.

This is my favorite method. Set it once and forget it.

If that doesn't work, try the following:
Before you install and run the game, be sure to turn the Windows Sound Hardware Acceleration all the way down. You can do this by going into Control Panel, click the Sound and Audio Devices icon, choosing the Audio tab, and clicking on the "Advanced" button in the Sound Playback category. Once here, choose the Performance tab and drag the top slider, "Hardware acceleration" all the way to the left.

If it still won't start, try this:
First off, make sure you are attempting to run the game in Software mode.

Run the game in compatibility mode:
Create a shortcut to I76.exe or Nitro.exe, right click on the shortcut properties, choose the Compatibility tab and run the game in Windows 98 or Windows 95 mode.

Turn Sound Off Inside the game:
If you can get inside the games shell and you have set your Hardware Acceleration down, but it fails to load a mission, go into the game's settings and turn the Audio Channels down to Off.

Disable any USB Controllers.

Safe Mode:
If none of the above works, restart Windows in Safe Mode and run the game in a window.

When I go to join an online game, no servers show up. What is going on?

Originally, I '76 came set up to use Activision's Anet (Alink, Activelink, Activenet) servers. As the years have gone by, these servers have been shut down. Fortunately, Dan Kegel of Activision has released the source code, meaning anyone can run their own server.

As of now, there is only one server currently in operation, available at http://www.bz911.com/anet2/.

I '76 games rarely run, but in order to connect to the server, you'll need to type in that server address.

For more information on ALink servers, please visit Dan Kegel's Anet page (http://www.kegel.com/anet/).

Why can I only set the resolution to 640x480?

The software version will allow you to play in up to 1024x768, but if you play I '76 Gold Edition in Direct3D, it's locked at 640x480. If you want higher resolutions, just switch back to software mode.

If you're adventurous, try using a glide wrapper for higher resolutions. This will let you emulate the 3dfx cards of the day, allowing I '76 to run in 3D-accelerated mode, as well as giving the options to run in a higher resolution. Another advantage is that the textures in the Glide-enhanced I '76 are clearer than its Direct3D counterparts.

Glide Wrapper and dgVoodoo are two popular choices. Mileage may vary, so if one isn't working as well as you'd like, try out the other.Be sure to make sure that the i76.exe, nitro.exe, and splash.exe files are to use the wrappers settings.

If you experience texture corruption, where (typically) after explosions, all of the textures get scrambled, check the option to limit texture memory to 4mb in your wrapper of choice. Alternatively, just hit the "Esc" key twice during the game. Good luck.

When will Activision make another sequel to the Interstate series?

The simple answer: They won't. I '76 got some pretty good reviews, but sales weren't anything spectacular - it wasn't another Mechwarrior 2. It did warrant enough to create the Nitro Pack add-on. Unfortunately, Nitro didn't sell well at all, leading to the cancellation of even the patches and bug fixes for that game. I '82 came out, got poor reviews and sold just as badly, pretty much wiping out the possibilities of future Interstate games.

Any good I '76 websites still around?

http://www.jeffwofford.com/i76_poems.html - All about I '76 Poetry with comments from Zach Norman himself.
http://www.interstate76.com - A good place to start off
http://www.interstateoutlaws.com - Fan community made game. Could be interesting.
http://www.bellbottomblasters.com - The last active message board? Quite possibly

4/20/09