Fiends.com Frequently Asked Questions

FAQS ::: Frequently Asked Questions

Trouble Shooting FAQs

Last Updated: 2006-07-25

Back To FAQ Index

: : : : Trouble Shooting FAQs : : : :

General Questions
1) I need a Password, but it has not Arrived yet.
2) I Used to Play, but Can't play now

3) The Game Screen is Gray or just a little Red X.
4) It keeps saying 'Server Not Responding', what do I do?

Portal, DC2, and StarDart
5) It keeps saying 'Session Has Expired', what do I do?

DC1 Specific Question
6) In DC1 it says 'A New Hero Arises ... ', what do I do?
7) In DC1 it says 'Record Corrupted', what do I do?
8) It keeps saying 'Error: LDH=Invalid Session ID', what do I do?

Other Possible Fixes / Issues
10) How do I Clear my Cache?
11) How do I install a new JVM?

12)What if I use a different browser?
13)What is a Spybot and how do I get rid of it?
14)Is there a way I can help to fix problems?

Contacting Site Support
15)Nothing Works, how do I contact Site Support?

1) I need a password, but it has not arrived yet.

The following email addresses are used to contact players. 'NoReply' is for sending passwords
or updating accounts automatically. 'Support' is when staff is trying to contact you.

NoReply @ (no spam) Fiends.com - to recieve passwords
Support @ (no spam) Fiends.com - to recieve help and support
(remove the 'no spam' phrase)

IMPORTANT:
We never send mail with attachments.
We never send mail with special offers or bonuses.
If you get an email doing either of these things, it is *not* from us.

First step, check your 'gray mail', 'bulk mail', or 'spam' folders to see if anything
from the above addresses was put there.

If you have spam blocking, you need to be sure that the above addresses are on
your permission / safe list.

If you still are not recieving mail - try using the find password utility (wait for
two minutes at most) then contact us via site support: Contact Support

ALERT! 2006-08-22, Hotmail + MSN
If you have a Hotmail or MSN email account, you might *not* be able to get
messages from Fiends.com. Microsoft is experimenting with new spam filters,
and we sometimes get completely blocked. I recommend you create another
email account using either: Yahoo, Mail.com, or GMail

2) I used to play, but can't play now.

There are three major possibilities:

1) We may have recently altered the game applet (this occurs every few months).
When the applet changes, it gets re-downloaded to your system. If this has
broken the game, then you can try to fix it by clearing your cache.
Please read: Clearing Your Cache

2) If you recently made changes to your operating system or browser, this could
have damaged the java environment. This includes Windows Update.
In the last year, Microsoft has deliberately removed all java support.
Please read: Screen is Gray or a Red X.

3) If the browser is crashing repeatedly or causing the system to reboot, then
either your machine has insufficient memory to operate the game or it has
a lot of spyware or a virus.
What is a Spybot and how do I get rid of it?

3) The game screen is Gray or a little Red X.

1) Some of our games are larger than others. They can take a while to download.
If you have waited five minutes or more, then it is another problem.

2) You need a JVM to play the games. Recently, Microsoft stopped including
JVMs with Internet Explorer. Look at the box below. If it is gray
or says 'Unable to display Applet', then you need a JVM.

You need to have 'JVM 1.1.4' or better. If the box below says 'JVM 1.0.2'
or the like, then your JVM is too old. Again you will need a better JVM.

Unable to Display Applet

3) The FIRST thing to try is to clear your cache. If you have been able to play
in the past, then it is possible that the applet just downloaded wrong.
Please Read: Clearing Your Cache

4) The next simplest answer is to install Netscape. It comes with a JVM as a
standard feature. If you want to stick to IE then go to next line.

5) You need to download and install a new JVM. To find the download, please
read: Install a New JVM

6) If you are still having problems, then try re-installing your browser followed
by re-installing the JVM. If that doesn't work, then I apologize for
putting you through a lot of work for no result.

4) It keeps saying 'Server Not Responding', what do I do?

IF you see the message 'Server Not Responding', THEN the game is loading
successfully BUT for some reason it cannot talk to the server. There
are three possible reasons why the game cannot talk to the server:
A) Our servers are down
B) You are using a 'Fast' ISP.
C) You have virus protection that blocks Java Applets.

It is possible that for StarDart or DC2 that the server is down. This happens
infrequently. For DC1 the server that sends you the web-page is the same
as the game server, so if you can load the game, it should work.

'Fast' ISPs use a trick to get their speed. They keep a copy of the game
on their servers. When they send the game to you, your browser security
will prevent the game from contacting the correct server.

NetZero if you disable 'Highspeed' then the game works.

*NOTE* NetZero and Juno are 'Fast' ISPs.
*NOTE* Anything that says Web-Accelerator may be 'Fast'.
*NOTE* One player disabled 'Telus Fast Dial up' and was able to play again.

If you think you have an ISP that prevents you from playing, please let
us know. This will help us to fix things.

Anti-virus Software, such as Norton Antivirus or McCafee VirusScan, can block
java applets. You need to look for settings related to JAVA, APPLET,
or JVM. Do *not* change java-script settings (nothing to do with us).
You may need to give specific permission for the 'DCourtApplet' to communicate.

It seems that the Windows Updates can damage JVM 1.1.4 (the default windows JVM).
You can try installing a better JVM. Please Read: Install a New JVM

< a href = "#topofpage" > Back to Top < /a >

5) It keeps saying 'Session Has Expired', what do I do?

The Portal uses Cookies to create secure sessions. If you have cookies disabled,
then the sessions will say that they have expired. You need to enable cookies.

You do not have to enable cookies for all web-sites. With modern browsers you can
turn on your cookies for just our site - [www.Fiends.com]

On Internet Explorer, open the 'Tools' menu, then 'Internet Options', then click on
the 'Privacy' tab. There should be an 'Edit' button for cookies on this page.
Just type in our web-site [www.Fiends.com] and allow cookies.

On Netscape Navigator, open the 'Edit' menu, then 'Preferences', then select the
'Privacy & Security' tag. It should be sufficient to 'Enable Cookies for
Originating Website Only'.

** NOTE ** I have not tested the Netscape settings, if someone could please write to
confirm this information I would appreciate it.

6) In DC1 it says 'A New Hero Arises .. ', what do I do?
Updated: 2005-12-26

Our game is an Applet running in your Browser. When it loads a hero it is contacting
the home server to load your hero record. Sometimes this record is damaged
when it is transmitted over the internet (loaded or saved).

This message is SUPPOSED to appear the very first time you play a new hero.
If you see it later on, then there has been an error.

AOL 9.0 2006-09-08: the AOL problem now presents itself with the message
'Record Corrupted' instead of 'Hero Arises'. See the next question
for more details: Record Corrupted

When you see the message 'a new hero arises', do not play or save. Close your browser,
then re-open and try to play again. If you still see the message, then something
is wrong. It may be your settings or ISP (see 'server not responding' section).
It may be an error on our side.

It is possible, but unlikely, that clearing the cache will help (see 'clearing cache' section).

If you continue to see this error, then please: Contact Site Support
NOTE: Heros are stored once a week on mondays.
If a hero is damaged, I can restore them.

7) In DC1 it says 'Record Corrupted', what do I do?
Updated: 2005-09-08

This condition occurs in three circumstances:
A) Your record was corrupted as it was loaded.
B) Your record was corrupted as it was saved.
C) You are using AOL 9.0

A) Record was corrupted as it was loaded.
Close your browser, open it to the game page and try playing again.
http://wild.fiends.com

If you get the same error, then go to B)

B) Record was corrupted as it was saved.
You will have to Contact Support
I will look at the record, fix it, and send you an email.

C) You are using AOL 9.0. This browser will prevent you from loading your
saved hero record. Thus, it can say 'Record Corrupted' every day
after your first.

Solution: install a second browser on your system, either
Internet Explorer or Firefox. Start AOL as usual, then minimize the
window (click on the little underscore box next to the close window box).
After minimizing, open another browser. You will now be able to play.

8) It keeps saying 'Error: LDH=Invalid Session ID', what do I do?
Updated: 2007-09-12

This error can occur if Dragon Court is not being served from Fiends.com

This error has also occurred when the Host Machine has stopped saving records.
This has happened *twice* in the past. The hard drive on the host
will still serve up the page, but won't save any record information.

You have to contact site support, then I have to contact the ISP providing
the Host Machine. It can take days to resolve.

10) How do I Clear my Cache?

Clearing your cache can repair bad downloads of the game applets. This is
occasionally needed, but is not usually the problem.

Before you clear your caches, you need to consider if you have any important
cookies. Some web-sites store your online identity with your browser,
and if you simply clear your cache you may have trouble logging in to
these sites.

Below are instructions for clearing caches for: Internet Explorer, Firefox,
Netscape and the JVM 1.5 plugin.

Internet Explorer
Open the TOOLS menu.
--> Internet Options
--> General
--> Temporary Internet Files
--> Settings

Be sure that 'Check for Newer Versions' is something other than 'never'.
'Automatic' usually works well, although 'Every Start' is
preferred. This can result in a lot of pages taking extra time
to download.

Move back up one level to Temporary Internet Files. 'Delete Files' will
delete your temporary internet files. If you want, you can also
'Clear History', although this is generally uneccesary.

Firefox
Open the TOOLS menu.
--> Options / Internet Options
--> Privacy *ICON*
--> Cache *TAB*
--> Clear Cache Now

Netscape
Open the EDIT menu
--> Choose
--> Preferences
--> Advanced
--> Cache

This will open the cache controls. Set your 'Compare Page' to either 'Every
Time' or 'Once Per Session'. This will ensure that game pages are
frequenly updated. If this cause your browser to spend too much time
reloading pages, then change the settings back.

You can clear your Memory Cache and your Disk Cache. You can also clear
your History under Preferences, although this is usually not necessary.

JVM 1.5+ Plugin
--> Open Control Panel
--> Java Plugin *ICON*
--> Cache *TAB*
--> Clear Cache button.

11) How do I install a new JVM?
Updated: 2006-07-25

The quickest way to get the latest JVM is to use: http://www.java.com/en/

You may not want the absolute latest JVM. The latest can be very large.
The version that works best with our games is JVM 1.3.
Here is the link:
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/downloads/index.html

*IMPORTANT* you want the *JRE* for your operating system (probably Windows).

Also reliable is JVM 1.4.2, and here is the current link to the downoad page:
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

You can look for EVEN OLDER VERSIONS of java in the Sun Java Archive.
If you have an older system then you could try JVM 1.2 or JVM 1.1:
http://java.sun.com/products/archive/index.html

After installing your JVM, return here to check the detector:

Unable to Display Applet

The above box should name the JVM you installed. If it doesn't, then you still
need to edit your java settings:

Open your Control Panel
Open the the Java icon.
If you are using JVM 1.5 then:
Click on the Advanced tab
Open the <Applet> Tag Support
Enable whichever browser(s) you use
If you are using an older JVM:
Click on the Browser tab
Enable whichever browser(s) you use

This should attach the JVM to your browser.

12) What if I use a different browser?

1) First, many people THINK they cannot use a different brower. AOL, MSN, and
other ISPs will provide you with a proprietary browser, then imply that you
cannot use anything else. This is a false impression. I do not have the
DETAILS, but you should be able to install another browser.
** Could someone please experiment and send me details on doing this? **

2) Installing a different browser can make things easier for several reasons.
First, a fresh install does not have any old plug-ins that might
conflict, such as multiple installs of java. Second, newer browsers
are usually smarter about their plug-ins and have better compatiblity.
Third, some browser will automatically install a JVM for you.

3) There are three major browsers available: Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator,
and NOW Firefox. If you are picking an alternative browser, we do NOT
recommend IExplore - it has recently acquired problems with Java.

4) Internet Explorer from Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.mspx
Microsoft in 2004 explicitly STOPPED supporting Java. You can still install
a JVM with their browser, but by default the browser not comes without Java.
Plus, they are working on a competing product, so MAY deliberately undermine
Java performance.

5) Netscape Navigator owned by AOL: http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp
The more recent versions of Netscape are based on the Mozilla engine, which
is itself written in Java. You MAY need to install a more advanced version
of Java, but Netscape has good compatibilty with all JVMs.

6) Firefox from Mozilla: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
Firefox will automatically install the LATEST version of Java. This is a
mixed blessing. Our games are not completely compatible with JVM-1.5beta.

13) What is a Spybot and how do I get rid of it?

As you browse the internet, small programs called Spybots will install on your machine.
Most are for advertisers who want to sell you stuff. Some become Viruses.

Each Spybot will use a little bit of your memory and speed. If you have a lot on your
system, then your performance will start to drag.

There are a lot of applications for removing spybots. The best *free* one is:
Spybot Search & Destroy

Try one of these links, or look for it at Downloads.com

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

http://spybot.safer-networking.de/en/mirrors/

14) Is there a way I can help to fix problems?

1) First, let me know when you have problems. If something was not covered by this FAQ,
then please send me a support message with all the detail you can provide.
See below for contact link.

2) Second, post to the forums and read the forums. Look for others with similar problems.
If I can associate a problem with some specific cause, then I should be able
to fix it.

3) Third, you can examine your 'Java Console' to look for more information. If a game is
breaking or not responding, it is often sending error messages to the console.
If you open up the Java Console, you should be able to Cut & Paste messages.

Console on IExplore: Menu=Tools - Internet Options - Advanced - Microsoft VM -
Java Console Enabled / Java Logging Enabled
THEN restart, Menu=Tools - Java Console

Console on Netscape: Menu=Tools - Web Development - Java Console

Console with Firefox: when you play a game, an icon will appear in the bottom
right corner. This lets you open the Java Console ... BUT since the
default JVM is still beta, this icon can mess up your displays.

4) Fourth, look for gaps and missing information in the FAQs. Visit help pages built by
players. If you find something I SHOULD include in the FAQs, then contact me.
See below for contact link.

5) Fifth, report back! If you find a fix, please let me know what you did. THEN I can
post that information to help other players.
See below for contact link.

6) Scroll down to see how to Contact Support

- End of Page -
Back to Top

15) How do I contact Site Support?
Choose your primary topic to select a site support link from below:
General Site Support
original Dragon Court
Portal & Dragon Court vII

END OF DOCUMENT