Before Posting in Troubleshooting, Read This!

[Shahared]

This is a guide to direct you how to properly use the troubleshooting forums so that your problems get the proper attention they deserve by the people who need to see it first. The following are the first things you should do before posting in the troubleshooting section:


1.Reading the Stickied Threads:A stickied thread is one that does not 'age' and move further down the list of posts like a standard thread, but is 'stickied' to the top, and will appear at the top of every page in the forum they are stickied in. Please read these threads before posting in troubleshooting, as they are filled with vital information to common problems, and may contain solutions to those problems. Now you may not have to read the entire thread, as some are very long in length, but always read the first page, as the poster will likely update all the players on the situation and provide the most important information about a problem on the first page of their post. Also notice the stickied threads that deal with specific problems you are having....because they bring me to my next point...


2.Posting the proper information:Troubleshooting is a forum dedicated to helping people diagnose, and determine the cause of, the following problems: Problems downloading the game, problems installing the game, problems updating the game and problems running the game. An example of a problem that does not fall under these categories is 'Bug Reports'. These problems occur in the game, and generally affect game play, such as not being able to use an item properly, being stuck in the game, or any unforeseen occurrences involving any other aspects of playing the game. As such the proper place to post them is here:
Bug Reporting (http://www.outspark.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=49)

Also please refrain from posting anything that is not a troubleshooting problem or reply in this forum, as keeping it clear of irrelevant posts is important to helping the community with its troubleshooting issues.


3.Posting in the proper section: Please check all sections that are stickied, and if your problem fits into the category then please keep your posting about that problem in that thread. An example: You are having a problem with logging in, and find there is a thread about that specific problem, this is where your posts should be instead of making a new thread. Research this thread extensively to see what the status is on the problem, if there is more then one problem this thread encompasses, and if there are any solutions to that problem.


4.Properly notifying Outspark: If you have a problem that involves billing, specific technical issues and anything that will involve the staff to resolve, please create a trouble ticket by going here: Outspark Support (http://support.outspark.com/index.php?_m=tickets&_a=submit) Please be as specific as possible and provide them with the following details and they should be able to assist you in greater detail.

1) Your complete computer specifications including your Operating System, Video Card, RAM, and CPU
2) Your Internet Connection speed
3) A screenshot if possible of the error message
4) Your Outspark.exe log file attached to the email

By default, this file is located at:
C:\Program Files\Outspark\Launcher\outspark.exe.log
To submit the log in the trouble ticket you will have to use the 'upload' function to upload a copy of your log for them to review.

If you for some reason are unable to obtain any of these details, just provide them with partial information if you can. Your information will help them locate the problem and solve the issue faster. Once they receive these details, they can then provide this crucial information to their developers to accelerate their progress towards an eventual resolution.


Why you should follow this guide: The above guidelines should dictate how you post in this forum, and if you follow these guidelines the chances that your posts and problems will be reviewed by the people who can help will increase. An example of not following these guidelines affecting your problems status:

You have a problem but instead of posting it in a stickied thread that is already discussing your problem, you post it outside of that thread. In this case the person who originally created the stickied thread may have it subscribed to, meaning that whenever they are online their forum account will notify them of any new posts in their subscribed threads. Since you did not post in the proper thread, this very busy person misses your post and is entirely unaware of your problem.

The above reason is a good example of why keeping a neat and organized troubleshooting forum is vital for successfully solving your troubleshooting problems. Thank you for reading my thread on how to use the troubleshooting forums, and good luck in all your endeavors to come!

[Shahared]

Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving that involves thoroughly investigated a problem and trying to deduce the cause by process of elimination. This section of my thread will deal with how to properly post a thread in troubleshooting. There are some basic guidelines you should follow to ensure that you give those trying to help a sufficient amount of information about your situation so that they can thoroughly investigate the problem.


Post all of your system information : As troubleshooters, we need to know everything there is to know about your computer, no matter how small the detail, it may be part of the solution.

This includes: Your operating system (VERY important information), the type of graphic card you own (if you don't know there is a stickied thread on the subject, use the search function to find it), how much RAM or memory you have, what type of CPU you own, how do you connect to the internet (cable, dsl, satellite etc.), what country you live in and the manufacturer of your computer (dell, gateway, hewlett packard, acer, compaq, sony etc.). We also need to know the brand of firewall and anti virus you have installed on your computer.


Include all pertinent information about the problem : As troubleshooters we need to know as much information about your problem as possible. This include any error codes given, any log files created and an accurate description of what the problem is/does. Screen shots should be included if at all possible. Also include when the problem first started, how long the problem has occurred and if you were every able to play without the problem. We also need to know if you have any other problems with your computer. Do you ever have problems connecting? Does your computer mysteriously restart sometimes? Any problem you have in other areas of your computer may be affecting how you run the game, and may be pertinent information. In general, include as much information as you can possibly think of, even if you doubt it has much usefulness.

[Shahared]

Ok, I wanted to extend this guide to include the first steps of troubleshooting. This should be done BEFORE you contact Outspark or post in the forums, and may save you the time and effort of doing so, so let us begin.


1. Update your operating system: This should be a no brainer, but keep your operating system up to date and install all the proper updates. If you have not done so use the windows update utility to check for new updates (located at Start>All Programs>Windows Update).


2. Check to make sure you have the latest version of Direct X: For Fiesta or Secret of the Solstice this will be Direct X 9. (There is a Direct X 10 version, but it is only supported on new cards, and none of its features are in use in any Outspark games. Only download Direct X 10 if you own a card that supports it and run Windows Vista.)

To check what version you have installed press your system/windows key+r at the same time. This will open up your run command prompt. Now type dxdiag and press enter. This will open your Direct X diagnostic utility. On the first screen of the diagnostic utility there is a box that says "System Properties". At the bottom of this box is the category 'DirectX Version'. This will tell you your version (should be 9.0c at the moment) If it is not the most current version of Direct X you need to download the newest version.

The installer for the Direct X End-User Runtime is found here: Direct X 9.c (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3&DisplayLang=en)


3. Check to make sure you have a compatible graphics card, and updated drivers: While you have the DirectX diagnostic utility open, you can check what kind of graphics card you have. In the utility there is a tab labeled Display 1. Go to this tab and there is a box labeled Device, and in it you will find the category Name. Listed there will be the name of your graphics card, and usually the name of the manufacturer as well. From here you can also ensure that all your DirectX features are enabled. In the box labeled DirectX Features ensure that each feature is listed as 'enabled' and you can also test these features to ensure they are working properly.

Now that you know what card you have, determine if it is compatible. You can find that information for Fiesta here: Fiesta (http://www.outspark.com/fiesta/download_requirements)
And for Secret of the Solstice here: SotS (http://www.outspark.com/solstice/downloads/game-client)
If you would like lists to compare your graphics cards features to those compatible with the games I will proved links to the two major manufacturers of 3d accelerated cards, ATI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_ATI_Graphics_Processing_Units) and Nvidia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_NVIDIA_Graphics_Processing_Units)
These links provide comparisons of not only features, but supply what versions of DirectX and OpenGL those cards support.

Now it is time to find the most recent drivers for your card (assuming it is compatible and supported by the games). Using Google (http://www.google.com) you should search for the manufacturer of your card like this: ["name of manufacturer" drivers] (without quotes or brackets of course, and example would be: Nvidia drivers). This should bring up a page where they provide the latest drivers for all the products they manufacture.


4. Troubleshoot your Firewall and Anti-virus: A typical problem is interference in operating the games caused by firewall or anti-virus programs. An easy and quick way to determine if this is the case is to shut off these programs. After they are off try the game and see if it works. If so then it is likely the firewall causing the problem. If this is the case turn the firewall back on and check if the game runs, if not its the firewall. If it's not the firewall then the likely cause is that your system is simply not powerful enough to run the game, the anti-virus and the firewall all at the same time.

Now it is not recommended that you leave these programs turned off, but if you determine one of them is a problem you should contact the makers of the program either through their website support or by phone to determine why they are causing a problem. (For example you could check the firewalls website to learn how to enable the games to run properly)


5. Attempt to run the games in a "Clean Boot": If the above has still not solved your problems, there is an easy way to determine if another program running on your computer is causing the issue. To do this we are going to "Clean Boot" our computers. To do this press the system/windows key+r to open the run command. Now type msconfig and hit enter. This will open your System Configuration Utility. Now do the following:

1. In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, click the General tab, and then click Selective Startup.
2. Click to clear the Process SYSTEM.INI File check box.
3. Click to clear the Process WIN.INI File check box.
4. Click to clear the Load Startup Items check box.
5. Click the Services tab.
6. Click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box.
7. Click Disable All, and then click OK..
8. When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.

Now that this is done you will have rebooted your computer into a clean mode with no other applications but those required to run windows running. Now test the games functionality. If it runs then the problem was another program running, if not then it is another issue.


Wrapping Up: Now that you have finished troubleshooting if you have found the problem be sure to set any features that were not to blame back to normal. For example turning on your firewall and anti-virus, or placing your System Configuration Utility back to 'Normal Startup'. If you determine at any point what the problem was you should use Google (http://www.google.com) to research the issue, and post in the forums if you require further help.

On the other hand if you were unable to solve the issue now is the time to contact the support team and to issue a post in the forums (in the proper section and thread of course).