Computer Issues
The Bopsy Game uses a lot of media programming features, so it doesn't always run on every computer. I just don't have the resources to support lots of platforms, so I've tried hard to make it run on a variety of the most up-to-date systems. The most important thing is to have an up-to-date Java Runtime Environment (see Java below). If you are having trouble with the game dying while you're playing, or no sound, or it just won't run at all, here's what you can do. First of all, if the game loads and you see the game map, but Wendell won't move on your command, or the music won't play, just kill that page and try again. If you see the halfigator moving, but Wendell won't move on your command, try left-clicking the mouse with the cursor on the map, then try to move. Internet connections The game has been tested successfully on DSL and Cable internet connections. If you have one of these connections and the game takes more than thirty seconds to load, then you probably have another problem (see Java below). After the game loads, it runs almost entirely on your local computer, so the network speed is not important. It may take a longer time to load over a dial- up connection. Screen resolution The game cannot be played comfortably on a screen with less than 1024x768 resolution. With 768 lines, you will have to vertically center the game map to see the whole playing field. Resolutions of 1024x900 or larger show all the game features without scrolling. You may need to scroll down on pages associated with the game. For example, you may have to scroll down to enter your password on the login page or to read all this page. Browsers The game has been tested on Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. It runs well on all of them, but Firefox has the annoying tendency to continue playing the music sometimes after you close the game window. It will stop when it comes to the end of the current song.
Java The game is written in Java and uses many of the multimedia facilities of Java. Java is a feature used by web browsers. If you haven't disabled it, you probably have it right now. If you don't have it, see the instructions for updating below. The Bopsy Game has been built and tested using the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), version 6. As of August 22, 2010, the latest version is 1.6.0_21. The game probably will not run well on an older version of the JRE, certainly not on 1.4 or older. See the PC and Apple discussions below for how to update your JRE. An old version of Java is the most likely cause of the game not running properly. PC You need a reasonably up-to-date PC running Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or 7. It runs just fine on an old (>5yrs.) Dell laptop with only 500 MB of memory and Windows XP. If you have enabled automatic Java updating on your computer, you should have the latest version. If you have a "Java Update" button at the lower right of your desktop, use it to update. Or, you can manually update the JRE on your computer by going to http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp and selecting the latest version and installing it. The installation is simple. Just run the file you download and answer any questions you are presented. You do not have to accept any offers of toolbars, etc. Just answer the query "no." If you are asked if you want to use Java with your browser, answer "yes."
At present, I haven't tested the game extensively on Apple products, but it runs on a recently purchased Mac. Check back for more info. Java updates for Apple products have to be obtained from Apple. It's not very slick. For OS X 10.6, go to http://support.apple.com/downloads/Java_for_Mac_OS_X_10_6_Update_1 For OS X 10.5, go to http://support.apple.com/kb/dl971 It is unlikely that an older Apple operating system can be updated sufficiently. Please let me know if you manage it. |
| Copyright 2010 James W. Wiggins. All rights reserved. |