I'm a Linux newb.  I've been playing multiple players Return to Castle
Wolfenstein online on Windows XP Home Edition thus far and I'm looking
for increased FPS by using Linux instead.  I'm using the Mandrake
distribution and I've gotten as far as creating a partition on my hard
drive and installing the Mandrake Linux OS.   I realize that I just
can't start up Linux and insert my RTCW game CD and expect it to start
the installation process.  I've been told that I need a driver for my
vid card and sound card.  I also understand there are a few Linux
commands I need to run to run the game on Linux as opposed to Windows
where I just install the program and double-click the icon on my
desktop.  Basically, I need step-by-step guidance on finding,
downloading, and installing these drivers as well as installing and
running the game on Linux once I have the drivers.  Here are the
details of my system:

Vid card: ATI Radeon VE; ASIC ID 5159; Bus type AGP1X, 2X, 4x; Bios
version 6.0;  Memory size 64MB;  Memory type SDR SGRAM 1:1/SDRAM; 
Driver file ati2dvag.dll -  release version 7.60-010914b-1523C-ATI -
Location PCI bus 1, device 0, function 0.

CPU:  AMD Athlon XP 2000+;  1.67 GHz;  Driver version 5.1.2535.0; 
amdk7.sys

Sound:  Avance AC97 Audio;  Driver version 5.10.0.3800

512MB RAM

Please help.  Thanks.

Hi ifyouseekay28-ga,
     Although you have not specified which version of Mandrake you are
using, I assume that you have either version 9.0 or 8.2 installed.
Both these versions support ATI Radeon VE, and install the relevant
driver during setup.
     ATI does not provide seperate Linux drivers for the Radeon VE, as
specified on its drivers page :
            - LINUX and XFree86 Information
              ( http://www.ati.com/support/faq/linux.html)
     If you are able to get to the graphical user mode in Mandrake,
then your Ati card has probably been recognized perfectly. If you
start in console mode, type startx and press enter. This should take
you into graphical mode.

    The support for an Avance AC97 soundcard on Linux is pretty poor
though. The Mandrake installer should have installed a basic sound
driver for your card . If sound does not work for you, the following
Google Groups discussion details steps you can take to solve this
problem :
            - Subject: Mandrake and Avance AC97 sound card
              Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mandrake
              ( http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&threadm=g9idra.f83.ln%40vk3bvp-3.ampr.org&rnum=1)

    Installing RTWC on linux requires a few additional steps, as you
noted yourself. You will need the original CD or an installation of
RTWC on your Windows partition.
   Here is a simple tutorial that tells you how to setup RTWC under
Mandrake Linux :
       - Return To Castle Wolfenstein On Linux
         ( http://www.geocities.com/desktopmandrake/rtcw.htm )

   You should also check out ID Software's step by step installation
instructions for Linux at :
       - RTWC : IMPORTANT INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS   
         ( http://zerowing.idsoftware.com/linux/wolf/INSTALL )

   If you have any problems during installation, be sure to check out
the following FAQ's for solutions :
       - Linux Return To Castle Wolfenstein FAQ
         ( http://zerowing.idsoftware.com/linux/wolf/)
       - Linux Quake III Arena Known issues
         ( http://zerowing.idsoftware.com/linux/q3a/)

  I recommend that you print out all the above documents, and have
them on hand while you attempt to install RTWC.
With a little luck, you should be up and running in no time.  :-)

====================
Hope this helps!
If you need any clarifications, just ask!

Best Wishes for the New Year,
Theta-ga


====================
Google Search Terms :
   mandrake linux Avance AC97 Audio
   castle wolfenstein mandrake linux tutorial
   "ati radeon ve" linux drivers download

ifyouseekay28-ga,

Unless the game is -optimized- to run on Linux and to take advantage
of special video driver features I would not expect an FPS increase of
any significance.

krobert-ga