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Troubleshooting FAQ

Q: Rebel Dawn crashes or freezes up. What can I do to fix this?
A: This is most likely caused by the 3D graphic elements in the game. In order to display the 3D graphics, you will need a fairly recent computer with a good graphics card, and up-to-date system software. On Windows, you should have the latest version of DirectX, which is a free download. You can also use OpenGL if you prefer. Mac users will need the latest version of OpenGL from Apple. Most computers will have this latest 3D software already installed, but older machines may not. The same is true for graphics cards: most newer computers will have powerful graphics cards capable of handling Rebel Dawn, but some old machines may not. See Macromedia's list of 3D hardware that supports Shockwave 3D.

Q: When I try to play the game, I just see a blank page, a page with a broken icon, or I get a message about needing a plug-in.
A: You need to get Shockwave 8.5.1. Go to Macromedia's site to get Shockwave. If you already have Shockwave, go to this page to test it to make sure you have Shockwave verison 8.5.1 or newer.

Q: The game starts to load, and gets to "100%." But then nothing happens, even after I click repeatedly for the game to start.
A: This will happen if your browser does not load the game properly or there is an error while it is loading. Simply clear your browser cache and reload the page.

Q: I haven't played in a while. When I tried to log in, it said that "ID not found." What happened?
A: During the beta test phase, we'll be periodically clearing out characters that haven't been used in a while. Any character that hasn't been used in more than a week may be cleared out. Once the beta phase is over, subscribers won't have to worry about this.

Q: The loading music and radio stations sound choppy
A: The loading music and radio sounds are streaming from the Internet. If you have a modem connection, chances are that you will not be able to stream the sounds fast enough to play smoothly. In the future, we may offer lower quality streaming options.

Q: I am trying to create a character, but near the beginning of the process I get a message saying that I can't connect to the server.
A: Near the start of the character creation process is when the game will first try to contact the server. If you are behind a firewall, this will probably fail. Unless you are able to control your firewall, there is no way for you to be able to play the game. That extra security comes with a price.

Q: I have created a character and can sometimes play, but at other times I can't logon. Sometimes I get a message saying that the server is down and to try again in an hour.
A: We only bring the server down once or twice a week for updates. So if you get this message often, then this must be another problem. Unfortunately, it might be a problem that cannot be solved. There are many steps between you and our server that we have no control of: your computer, your OS, your browser, Shockwave, your modem or networl card, your phone line or network line, your ISP or company router, and any number of routers above your ISP or company. I'm sure these all work great for loading simple Web pages, but for more complex tasks like our multiplayer game, they may not work well. Please understand that there is little we can do to troubleshoot these issue for you. We understand that a small percentage of people may never be able to reliably play our game and there's not much we can do about it.

Q: I created a character, but have not yet received my email yet. How long does it take?
A: Most players will get their email within a minute or two. Some email services, such as AOL, Yahoo and Hotmail, seem to take longer. It could take up to 24 hours, especially with a free email service. You get what you pay for. If you don't receive an email, it could be because you or your email service are using a spam filter that erroneously determined that the email was spam.

Q: I got my email, with my PIN number, but where do I enter it?
A: When you first sign on, you will be asked for your ID and password. The very next screen will prompt you for your PIN number.

Q: I got thrown in jail and now I am told I need to wait a very long time before I am released. What do I do?
A: If this is your first time, you can use the BAIL command to get out. But if you already have a bail loan and have not paid it off, then you will have to serve your time. This time will move forward while you are offline. If you are impatient, you can always start and play a new character in the meantime. This is a real-time massively-multipler game and actions need to have consequences.