U LTIMA: T HE D ARK C ORE
Just Another Bug Hunt

In the tradition of modern software development, Internet Explorer and Netscape are alive and well with bugs. Below are some browser idiosyncrasies that I have noticed while playing The Dark Core. This document also serves as a basic troubleshooting guide.

- Nothing happens when I click on the view window (IE 4.0 and Macintosh Only): Well, you're outta luck, pal. The Macintosh version of IE 4.0 apparently will not handle its own DHTML and document object model. Write your nearest Microsoft/Macintosh representative today.

- Netscape keeps crashing like a flaming F-15: Generally, using the control panel to disable both sound effects and music will halt most disruptions. If the game continues to crash, contact your local--and only--Dark Core representative at mhilborn@bilbo.bio.purdue.edu Please take some time to describe the problem in detail, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

- The sound and music aren't playing properly... What's the Deal? (Netscape Only) First, make certain that both LiveAudio and Crescendo have been installed. On Windows95, you MUST have the Crescendo plug-in installed to hear the music properly.
  There has been a report where Crescendo did not work properly while playing over the internet. If Crescendo has been installed and you are playing over the internet, trying downloading The Dark Core to your hard drive and playing from there.
  If all esle fails, deactivate sound and music in the game control panel.

- When saving your game isn't (Netscape and IE 4.0): See Dark Cookies for details on this splendid little quirk.

- Stupid mouse tricks (Netscape Only): When you click on the frame that contains the view and the backpack, you may notice that the cursor changes shape into a text bar or an hourglass and then refuses to change back into an arrow. Don't be fooled. The mouse will act normally (I've played a good portion of the game with the hourglass). But if you perfer a normal cursor, simply position the cursor over the text window or control panel and it will return to normal.

- Sound effects surrender to spectacular system shut-downs (Netscape Only): Netscape's implementation of its LiveAudio plug-in seems a little unstable at best and can really hose up your system if given a chance. In one memorable incident, it somehow took out my TAB key while leaving the rest of my system functional. Although I managed to conquer the LiveAudio beast, it will act up on occasion if given a chance. Here's how to keep it tame. First, every sound you hear is due to a LiveAudio plug-in embedded in a hidden "sound effects page" (manipulating the plug-in with Javascript was a recipe for disaster, so I resorted to this). This usually works very well, except when you go absolutely nuts reloading the hidden page. To avoid this, watch the status bar. A "Loading Plug-In. . ." message usually indicates that a sound is loading. Wait for the sound to start playing before trying anything else. Also, if a sound effect plays "over" an ambient, background effect, The Dark Core will take a second or so to reload the ambient sound once the other sound is finished playing. Again, it's worthwhile to wait for this load to finish before continuing the game.

- In this frame, Crescendo is demonstrating how not to be seen (Netscape/Windows95 Only): For some reason, the Crescendo plug-in likes to hide from you. Don't let it fool you with its charming illusion. The plug-in is still there. Right-click on the empty space and you will see what I mean.

- Shut that bloody bouzouki up! (Netscape Only) If you do not want MIDI music playing, then click on the mandolin. Although the Crescendo plug-in can deactivate music that is currently playing, it will not prevent new music from loading when the game deems it necessary.

- High resolution? I think not! (Macintosh users only) If you are playing with thousands or millions of colors, Netscape will sometimes decide to portray your images as if you're looking at them with a 256-color monitor (the images are overcome with speckles). Save your game and restart Netscape to alleviate this.

- Seamless sounds aren't so seamless (Windows 95 only). Due to Netscape's LiveAudio implementation, you may hear clicks from your sound system when ambient sound effects loop. With IE 4.0, you might hear a pause.

[This spaced reserved for the inevitable increase in this list]

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