Frequently Asked Questions

• i1) How do I install the game?
  Unzip the software using any Pkware compatible program, then run setup. The program can also be installed from floppies, or installed manually by fully unzipping each disk and running setup.
• i2) How do I patch the current version to a later version?
  Simply, unzip the patch file in the Qwxyz directory, overwriting any existing files.
• i3) When is the best time to play?
  Some people swear by Saturday mornings for the best internet speeds.
• i4) What is ICQ?
  ICQ is not made by us, but is an excellent companion product. It lets you see when your friends are on the internet, lets you look up their IP addresses, and lets you have a private chat with them. It can be found at www.mirabilis.com.
• i5) How do I set up on a network?
  Consult your lan software how to set up a TCP/IP protocol. For windows 95, settings/control panel/network/add/protocol/TCPIP adds the protocol edit the hosts.sam sample file in the windows directory with your computer names and save it as hosts. For example:
  127.0.0.1 localhost
  128.1.1.2 alpha.home
  128.1.1.3 beta.home
  128.1.1.4 gamma.home
  128.1.1.5 delta.home
  Careful not to make this default or your TCPIP internet dialer may not work
• i6) Any tips for AOL users?
  AOL is not fully compatible with Qwxyz, but you can still play. Another player will need to be host since AOL does not accept the external connection. Also, you will need to tell Qwxyz where your winsock is by opening "options/advanced options" and clicking the "?" next to "winsock" to search. When the search is complete, click the "down arrow" and select the name with "AOL" in it. Also, you can chat with non-AOL users through the game interface once you are connected, since the other chats may not be compatible with non-AOL users.
• i7) How do I remove the game?
  Just delete the contents of the \qwxyz directory and delete the qwxyz icon.

• g1) Why play in teams?
  This gives the newer players a chance to catch up and gives the more experienced players a little more challenge.
• g2) Is there any better way to navigate besides...?
  There are several ways to navigate:
  - click the world map
  - drag the scroll button
  - click the scroll arrows move slowly
  - click the scroll bar moves fast
  - drag the battlefield (must not be a unit)
  - click the report centers on the named city
  - click the locate units button centers on a unit (question mark)
  
• g3) Someone sent me some funny sounds... how?
  Go to "main/taunts" and select a phrase.
• g4) Someone sent me a picture... how?
  Drag the scissors to cut a piece of art. Then click the arrow to begin sending (usually takes a minute or two). If you like a piece of art, you can click it and save it for later use.
• g5) Can I send a private message to someone?
  Yes, there is a private chat on the players window. Just select which players you want to send it to, then type your message and press "enter".
• g6) What can I carry in a transport?
  You can carry any land unit. To get in, drag and drop the unit onto the transport. To get out, click the transport and use the mini-map as though you were taking them out of a city.
• g7) Can other players see my submarines?
  When you hide them, they are invisible to other players (and appear brighter on your display) until an enemy unit is adjacent.
• g8) I surprise attacked another player, but his armies still jumped me... how?
  He probably had the unit programmed with a combo. You don't need to know combos to play, but they're fun. He may have been using this one to auto-defend:
  (loop)(guard)(repair)
  
• g9) Why do experienced players have engineers following their robots?
  If you drag and drop an engineer onto a unit, it will follow that unit around, repairing it.
• g10) My fighters fly and then stop... why?
  Fighters have a limited range from a city or carrier base. As you gain more cities, your controlled air space will grow.
• g11) Can engineers walk on water?
  They can wade off shore. It is part of their ability to create land squares.
• g12) Can you hurt yourself on your own mines?
  Yes, mines hurt all teams... they have no friends.
• g13) Can you remove a mine?
  An engineer standing on a mine can remove it as one of his options.
• g14) Can you detect mines without getting hurt?
  An engineer will reveal a mine without getting damaged.

• p1) What if I can't get the software from the website?
  You can also install from any player that has a set of master disks.
• p2) What my game will not install
  You can try manually installing by unzipping each disk and then running "setup" to set up an icon.
• p3) What if I don't get sound when I run my game?
  This can be caused if your system has less than the recommended 16 Meg of RAM.
• p4) What do I do if the colors occasionally flicker?
  Remove any animating windows from behind the game (eg. moving browser to non-animating web page).
• p5) I can't host a game with my AOL account
  I have noticed this too... and don't know a solution yet.
• p6) What if my game appears sluggish?
  - If you have a slow system with a high screen resolution, try reducing the playfield size or changing the screen resolution to 640x480.
  - You may be extremely low on system resources (hard drive space or low DOS memory). - If you are running faster than normal speed your system may not be able to take it.
• p7) What if the units jump from place to place?
  You can see how bad it is by looking at the game clock.
  - If you hard drive light keeps coming on you may be low on hard drive space or low on RAM.
  - There may be a program that competes for your internet connection, (eg. downloading a file).
  - The internet may be particularly busy or broken between one player and the host.
  - The host player's system may be running fine but he may be browsing or downloading or halting the system by moving windows around
  
• p8) What if I can't build anything?
  - You may be paused.
  - You may be disconnected from the host.
• p9) What if my game disconnects?
  - If it has not been under a minute, simply click "call" to hang up and "call" again. Your game will be updated little by little over time.
  - If it has been longer, it may be better for the host to pause and "game/inform" everyone to get back in synch.
  - Or pause and save the game to continue playing later.
  
• p10) How do I fix disconnects?
  - Check if your dialer or ISP timeout disconnects (eg. AOL's time out). Some 'stay connected' programs may be able to solve this.
  - If you suspect your ISP is unreliable, try using another application (eg. your web browser) and see how often you disconnect. Also, I've found some modems models to be much more reliable with particular ISP's than others.
  
• p11) What if the games get out of synch?
  - If everyone is experiencing the problem, try changing who is hosting. The client interface does not work as hard as the host interface.
  - It can also be caused by data being dropped.
  - The host resynch everyone by doing a "pause" and "game/inform".
• p12) What can cause data drops?
  - Your serial port speed may be set slower than your modem.
  - If you are the host, don't figure it out, just let someone else host.
  - If you are on a radio modem, check the documentation on improving reception or let someone else be host.
  - Your internet packet parameters may not be set right. If you suspect this, check your internet provider what is right for them
  - Try using a different dialer. Some do not work well under heavy loads.
  

home press release first time chat forum guestbook instructions combos strategy poster frequently asked questions error messages