CrossCraze Support

CrossCraze 2 Support

Note: This on-line documentation may be more up-to-date than the similar information supplied with the game - please read carefully.

General Advice
Network Game Problems
Sound Problems
Slow Or Jerky Animation
Still Stuck?

1. General Advice

Most problems can be solved by the following advice:

Make sure you have read the game's instructions!
Check for program updates (your current version number will be displayed below the main menu). Uninstalling and then re-installing the game may also help.
Make sure you have the latest version of Microsoft DirectX (currently 10).
If CrossCraze fails to start at all, or if you are getting problems that are clearly related to graphics or sound, try downloading the latest drivers for your video and sound cards from the manufacturer's website.
Try running Windows Update. You should also check your PC is free from viruses and spyware.
Try re-starting your PC immediately before running CrossCraze. If the problem disappears, it is likely some other program you were running beforehand was failing to tidy up after itself properly.
Try disabling as many background programs as possible in case they are conflicting with CrossCraze (eg. wall-paper programs, screen-savers, email checkers).
If the picture disappears off one side of the screen, or if the graphics appear too dark or too washed out, try adjusting your monitor controls (look for buttons at the front or back of your monitor).

2. Network Game Problems

STARTING A NETWORK GAME

Make sure ALL the players have read our General Advice and the game's Network Instructions.
If you are trying to connect to a particular person, make sure you are both entering the same password (if any), the same language and the same connection method (if you connect via different servers, you won't see each other). Also, make sure that only one of you is attempting to host the game.

INTERNET GAMES

If there are no games advertised on our servers, try hosting your own game for others to join (hint: if you use the Main Server, stick to board 1 and avoid the Master AI, your games will be available to all opponents, not just those with the full version). You may also want to try the Player Directory, a free web-based service, where players advertise for opponents.
Check your internet connection is actually working (eg. try visiting www.microsoft.com). Leaving the connection open while you launch the game may also help.
If you are connecting via one of our servers, they may occasionally get busy, so try using a different server or try again at a different time of day. If problems persist, try making a direct PC-to-PC connection instead to avoid our servers altogether.
If you are trying to host a game, try joining one instead, and vice versa.
If you have several PCs sharing a single connection to the internet, try using a direct, non-shared connection instead.
Firewalls may block your attempts to connect with other players. Try disabling any firewall software on your PC and ask your opponents to do the same (eg. if you have ZoneAlarm, right-click on the "ZA" icon on your Windows taskbar, then select "Shutdown" from the pop-up menu). For safety, you should probably restore the firewall each time you exit the game.

If you are uncomfortable with disabling your firewall entirely, it may be sufficient to simply lower its security level slightly. Try experimenting to see what works. Alternatively, if you are very technically proficient, try manually configuring your firewall to allow traffic on ports 2300-2400, 6073 and 56683. Refer to the documentation that comes with your particular firewall to see if this is possible.

LOCAL AREA NETWORK GAMES

If you are connecting via a LAN, make sure you have the IPX protocol installed:

Open the Windows Control Panel, then double-click the "Network" icon.
If you are using Windows 98, you should now see your Network Properties. If you have Windows XP, you'll first have find your "Local Area Connection", right-click on its icon and select "Properties" from the pop-up menu.
If "IPX/SPX-Compatible Protocol" (or something very similar) is already included in the list of in-use components, then you don't need to do anything else.
Otherwise: select "Install/Add"; double-click "Protocol"; select "Microsoft" followed by "IPX/SPX-Compatible Protocol"; click OK; and finally, reboot your PC.

3. Sound Problems

First, check you are still hearing sound from other Windows programs and also that you haven't turned down the volume on the game's Options Menu. Then make sure you have followed all our General Advice, especially making sure you have the latest version of DirectX.

If the problem persists, and you are unable to run the game, you should at least be able to suppress any error messages by disabling the game's sound with the -SILENT switch.

4. Slow Or Jerky Animation

Very occasionally, the game may appear to freeze for a second - this is normal behaviour which occurs when Windows is busy in the background with general house-keeping tasks. However, if the game is consistently slow or if the animations speed up and slow down, it may help if you deselect "Use Shading Effects" or "Use Animated Board" on the Options Menu.

If that fails, and you've followed all our General Advice, you could also try experimenting with different frame-rates using the -FRAMERATE switch.

5. Still Stuck?

If you encounter a problem which isn't answered above, please email us.

If possible, please attach a copy of the file CCLOG.TXT which you will find in the same folder as the game (usually C:\Program Files\CrossCraze2). The program's progress is recorded in this logfile so it may help us pinpoint where things are going wrong. The logfile is reset each time the game is run, so make sure you take a copy IMMEDIATELY after the problem occurs.