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CAVERN BASICS SEMINAR
PART TWO
[a class for new explorers in MOUL, created by Inanna of Myss Terrie's bevin]
INTRODUCTION
For those who have just arrived in this second hour we will tackle technical issues that affect computer performance.
I am not an ubergeek, but I am familiar with many problems that occur in the course of playing URU and can help you solve some of the technical issues that arise. I use a PC and have no experience at all with MACs. We have explorers from all over the world with a wide variety of machines of varying age. Please take the information I give and adapt it to the machine you are using.
All online games have problems with lag, crashes, and bugs. URU is no different and in fact, may have more such issues because it is unique in many aspects.
The First Rule of the URU Community: Do not ascribe to ill intent what can be as easily blamed on technical difficulties.
LAG
We will start with lag when everything appears to move in slow motion or freezes up entirely. Clicking faster and more often will only make it worse. Every player here should understand that lag is the primary reason for response problems.
The best thing to do when a lag hits is to type lag problem and then head off to the bathroom, get a sandwich and a soda. By the time you return you should be free to move again. If you are in the middle of some critical operation, such as opening a door, someone will cover for you or the team will just have to wait until your machine clears.
Some tips that may reduce lag:
make sure that the computer does not overheat
turn off shadows this is under the WRENCH UTILITY/GRAPHIC SETTINGS
turn off all programs running in the background email, AIM, CD player, anything that occupies your computers functions while you are in URU
increase the amount of RAM in your machine a gig of RAM costs about $116, but is worth it if you are struggling to enjoy URU
if you are using a desktop model, then you may need a better graphics card
CRASHES
Enough lag, enough frantic clicking and your machine may well crash. Or you may be doing nothing at all and still be dumped off the server. Sometimes it is just you; sometimes it is everyone online at the time. Sometimes you just get dumped back to the GameTap screen. Other times the machine goes to BSOD now known as the black screen of death and you will have to reboot. It is time consuming and frustrating, but that is life. Get used to it.
When your machine crashes the computer does its best to save every scrap of information that was there when it went down. Over time these little scraps add up. Enough crashes and you will find megs of junk files clogging up the memory. You need to keep the memory and the registry clean.
Most machines come with utilities for cleaning up memory and fixing the registry. The utility I use is called Easy Cleaner freeware from
HTTP://PERSONAL.INET.FI/BUSINESS/TONIARTS
Run the cleaning software once a week and after every crash. You will be amazed at the thousands of tiny graphics from webpages you dont even remember visiting.
One set of files that you do NOT want to delete are your COOKIES. Leave cookies unchecked from the file list of those you are removing.
KEYBOARD CONTROLS
Some of these are general, some are URU specific. The first two are general; the latter list is for use within the Cavern.
ALT + TAB returns you to the desktop while in game. You can use this function to look up information on websites and forums.
PRINT SCREEN takes an image of the screen as it appears. This is not the same as taking a ki image. PRINT SCREEN captures everything including the ki interface, chat, avvies and the cursor. To retrieve the image from the clipboard, hit ALT+TAB and open any graphics program such as Paint. Under EDIT find PASTE and the image will be moved to the graphics program where you can save it. You can include such an image in your URU LOG when contacting DRC for help.
Remember that PRINT SCREEN can save only one image at a time to the clipboard. If you hit the key again, the previous image will be overwritten.
Many of these functions can be reached other ways, but knowing the shortcut can be valuable especially if you are having lag problems and little control over your cursor.
F1 toggles between 1st person and 3rd person views
F2 opens the KI interface
F3 opens the RELTO book
F4 opens the WRENCH
F5 takes a ki PICTURE
F6 opens the JOURNAL
F7 places a MARKER for a game
F8 opens the MARKER GAME FOLDER
LOGS
As I mentioned earlier you can create a log by typing /startlog. The log will end when you exit from URU, when you begin another log within the same session or when you type /stoplog. The log function is valuable not only for recording classes such as this, but also for meetings, events, as well as conversations of personal or historic value.
Another purpose for creating a log is to document a problem with another explorer. While rare, we do occasionally get unruly jerks, unsupervised children, and just plan troublemakers. Should you run into such a person or situation immediately type /startlog so that DRC will have a record of the problem.
To retrieve your logs go to MY DOCUMENTS URU LIVE LOG. Much of what you see are files written in an archaic Dni dialect which is only readable by DRC engineers. The text files are marked as .log and are named as ChatLog0, 1, 2, 3. There are only 4 at any one time and each will be over-written if not renamed. Unless you intend these to be delivered to DRC I recommend creating a separate file for URU ChatLogs, and name each log by date or topic. These logs can be posted to forums or sent to others via email. Be mindful what you say and to whom.
When you need to attach your logs to a ticket for the DRC, you must put the log into a zip file. Any common zip program will work. I use WinZip. You can also use the /dumplog command if a folder for the zipped log has been specified. Once the log has been zipped you can add to it as needed from the File Menu. Log files of all sorts are overwritten at regular intervals and rarely attain a size too large for attachment.
CONTACT SUPPORT
Under the WRENCH icon in the lower right corner of the screen is your connection to in-game support. This opens a webpage outside of the game, so be patient. You can chat online with a DRC engineer about any issue that arises, including getting stuck, a game bug or dealing with other explorers, such as harassment and abusive language.
The ResEng may suggest that you SUBMIT A TICKET, which also opens a webpage. You give the ticket a name, describe the problem, and attach your logs as discussed before. Depending on the severity of the problem you will see results as soon as possible. It may be a problem that all are experiencing or it just may be yours alone. In either case, you will receive an email from the ResEng, confirming your ticket submission, asking for more information or describing the resolution to the ticket.
Patience and persistence are the keys to success in URU.
SETTING THE MICROPHONE
Most laptops have a microphone already installed. Other machines require an external microphone. It is also possible that the microphone you have is not of sufficient quality to make broadcasting a pleasant experience for those around you.
Before you start talking keep in mind where you are and with whom. If you are in a large group it is usually better to type rather than talk. Many do not have microphones; some do not have voice chat enabled; some may not have on headphones and the sound is turned down for the sake of those in the room on the surface. In a large group it is easy to become confused as to who is talking. Also, if everyone talks at once we have the same problem in the Cavern that we have on the surface everyone is talking and no one is listening.
If you already have a microphone installed, check under the WRENCH icon for AUDIO SETTINGS and make sure that VOICE CHAT is enabled. Press the TAB key to talk. You will see your avatar speaking, but if no one responds then ask by typing if others can hear you.
If you are installing an external microphone or are having problems with settings of an internal microphone, go to the CONTROL PANEL to find SOUNDS & AUDIO.
Under AUDIO SOUND RECORDING, set the volume to just under the mid level. Other explorers will tell you if your sound is too high or too low, then you adjust the volume accordingly. There is also a volume setting under the WRENCH AUDIO SETTINGS that should also be set.
Under VOICE TEST HARDWARE, speak normally to see how the on-screen gauges respond. Adjust the sound according to your machines specifications.
There are programs available that will record sound and video within the Cavern. I am currently researching this option. At present, though, what is said in Voice Chat can not be saved in the same way as a typed log.
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