Getting the game running

[nunnbt473]

I see a lot of people in the ShoutBox having issues, so I thought I'd write a quick guide to help the average joe try and get connected.

Dont use capital letters in your username/password if at all possible. The game doesn't like it. (Though the website should automatically convert it to lower case for you I am told)

Crack Mode doesnt work, so forget about that.

Alt+Tab and full screen dont mix. Either use windowed / widescreen mode or

http://westechsolutions.net/sites/WindowedBorderlessGaming/download

Connecting / Internet issues

I cannot be 100% sure. However if you wish to limit what your firewall allows through, the game seems to operate in the 60-61k range. . I have noted..

cmd.exe w/admin.. netstat -B

local:60241, 60867 - 60875

to

192.99.131.107, ports 5278, 5279, 11000, 11001, 12000, 12001

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Before you begin, just do a full shutdown (not restart) on your PC for 30 seconds. And unplug your router for a full 5 minutes. These simple resets often can fix many problems.

• First off, download a fresh copy of the game installer from the server. Either uninstall previous servers/versions. The uninstall may not be required, but is a general 'best practice' to avoid conflicts of files being misread or mismatched versions. Either way, install this version to a unique location. Its always possible something went wrong with a copy you have sitting in your downloads folder or that it is out of date, get a fresh copy.
• Some anti virus programs have trusted or installer modes. I personally just turn off my AV, then start it back up after install and allow it to detect the programs then manually allow them. As a last resort, you can try restarting into safe mode (F8 during boot, Safe mode with networking) and turning off your firewall for install purposes if you think something may be blocked.

*IMPORTANT: Even if you turn off an anti-virus, many of them still have pieces that quietly run in the background. Some will not even show up in the task manager process list. For this reason, it is highly recommend that you manually open your anti virus/firewall program and allow the game. Allow ALL of the .exe files full/trusted access.

• Windows Firewall. Again you can try turning this off just to see if the game works and eliminate that is a 'possible blockage' for getting your program to run. However, in my experience these things do not always 100% shutdown. Again, I recommend allowing all the .exes on both public and private to be sure.

*IMPORTANT: If turning off windows firewall, note it has TWO shut offs on some windows versions. Most notable Wins 7. One for public and one for private.

• As a general rule VPNs and the game don't mix well, don't use them if you can.
• Go My Computer > Control Panel and check your internet settings. Specifically, make sure you do not have a proxy enabled there.
• There is a small chance that your router could be filtering it out or have some type of built in firewall of its own. You can try a factory reset or a firmware upgrade (though the upgrade is less likely to fix your issue, granted). I recommend doing backups before performing these resets incase you have other programs which may need those forwarding settings.

That should eliminate the connection side of the problems.

Now for the graphical side.

If you're seeing through walls and things are a bit too transparent. And if you're running AMD, turn off Rapture! Yep, just that simple

Some programs (like Prism GraphPad) might end up 'locking out' the advanced graphics card or features while it is running. Even after shutting the program down, it may require a couple of minutes for the program (and background services..etc) to fully turn off. I recommend turning off any advance picture/video editing software if youre having problems. Also under the heading of things not shutting off properly, once they startup it can sometimes be difficult to confirm they are 100% off. Try restarting (without the program auto running) and see if that makes a difference.

• Go to your manufacturer's website (Toshiba / Dell / Sony ..etc) and download the most up to date graphics and BIOS drivers. For many people you may need to go to your graphical card manufacturer instead for the most up to date drivers. (Nvidia, AMD..etc).

*IMPORTANT: My personal experience with Nvidia has taught me the 'basic' driver may not be enough. Try installing GeForce Experience.

• Google a directX update from the microsoft Website.
• If / when you get into the game, be sure to patch it before playing!!!

Other options you can try:
Right click shortcut, Properties. Compatibility.
Running the game as admin.
Disable desktop composition (This temporarily disables windows Aero, the glass theme, amongst other minor things. Which interferes with many games and full screen programs).

Settings

In my experience ..

Normal (I dont use wide, however supposedly it uses a PsOBw.exe instead of PsoBB.exe if I am not mistaken)
1024x768 or 800x600 work best. (The ? will tell you anything above 1024x768 is not supported!)
Color 32 bit (always IMHO). No Vsync.
.

Graphics any. Advanced, if you are on a low end PC that struggles just to stay powered on, you might try the frameskip. However, 0 should be fine. I personally use High End Graphics / Advanced Effect on. Fog type - pixel.

Sound Any.

Language English (I havn't tried the others. They may work. However, Trying to read a file that doesn't exist or is incomplete might cause errors)

Font system
Textures default.

Difficulty, normal.

Then backup/save.

Other

• Try making sure you are using the default game settings such as default skins.
• Run an actual virus scan, or two.
• Try actually launching the game from safe mode with networking (You may need a higher resolution or to change between windows / full screen mode). This will help narrow the problem (it will at least tell you its something starting up on your PC blocking the program)

*Note: Safe mode may or may not work because of the lower available graphics..etc.

• Logging into a regular windows admin account to play.

Sound

• Try deleting the registry entries at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\SonicTeam\PSOBB then reinstalling the game.

A Last Resort

Below is not recommended and I do not anticipate it helping, however there is a chance it could help, so I will list it. Proceed at your own risk.

Control Panel > User Accounts..Disabling UAC for your windows account

• Turning the slide down to the next to last option or off

This may enable you to dual log without having a non-english message popup and close the first open copy of the game. This can leave you somewhat more vulnerable to viruses, especially if you do not have an AV. This is a 'final check' which prompts the user before many things try to install or change vital system files. If disabling this does not help, I highly recommend turning it back on.

• Adding all the .exes to the Windows DEP (Data Execution Prevention) list.

Right click my computer to access System Properties. Advanced > Performance > Settings. "Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select:"

Edited August 7, 2015 by nunnbt473