Troubleshooting guide for Windows

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Requesting help from the PlaneShift forums

If you still have a problem after reading this document, then please post a message on the PlaneShift forums.

Please copy and paste the following text into your forum post, adding your details under each heading:


Operating System (Linux, MacOS, Windows XP, Vista, etc):


Graphics card (nVidia foo, ATI bar, Intel abc, etc):


The problem is:


Problems before entering the game

If you need advice before or while installing PlaneShift, then join the PlaneShift IRC channel.

Simple instructions for joining the PlaneShift IRC channel can be found here:

http://www.planeshift.it/IRC



Installing and reinstalling

If you require a fresh reinstall, where all previous configuration details and files are removed, then you will need to do some manual clean up. You will need to manually delete previous configuration files.


First run the PlaneShift uninstall program (Add and remove programs).


1. Simplest way to find all PlaneShift files is to press the F3 key on your keyboard. The Windows Find dialog will be displayed.

From here you can inform Windows which hard drives to search and what to search for so in the search field, enter:

PlaneShift

Then, from Find's search results, delete all directories/folders called PlaneShift.

Take care not to delete the installation file you downloaded: PlaneShift-vn.n.n.exe

You are now ready for a fresh install.


2. Slightly more technical way is to run the PlaneShift uninstall program (Add and remove programs), then find your Windows Application Data directory/folder.

Open the file manager (explorer) and in the Address field type:

%AppData%

followed by the enter key on your keyboard.

This will open your 'Application Data' folder. For example:

c:\Documents and Settings\aUser\Application Data\

In there you will find the PlaneShift configuration and logs directory.

Either delete it or rename it to: PlaneShift-old

You are now ready for a fresh install.



To update PlaneShift

From the Windows Start menu > PlaneShift > PlaneShift

If an update is available, the PlaneShift Launcher will prompt you. Select Yes from the prompt to update.

Updating may take a few minutes.

The updater can also be run from the command line:

pslaunch.exe --console


Graphics card drivers

Download the latest driver from the graphics card manufacturer's web site and install it.

NVIDIA: http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

AMD/ATI: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

Intel: http://www.intel.com/p/en_UK/support/graphics/


Make sure Windows is using the correct driver. Windows has its own set of drivers which are sometimes set as factory defaults, even when the manufacturer's drivers are available. To ensure you are using the correct driver for your graphics card, see:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Video-cards-frequently-asked-questions

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314854/EN-US



Black or grey screens

Turning off Vertex Buffer Objects may help.

From the Windows Start menu > PlaneShift > PlaneShift

From the PlaneShift Launcher click: Settings then Graphics

Unselect the check box: Enable VBO

Click: OK


Black or grey screens may suggests your graphics card is not adequate for running PlaneShift.

If the PlaneShift application just exits when creating a character, this is another symptom of an insufficient Graphics Processing Unit.



No audio

This message may also be displayed when you start PlaneShift:

could not load plugin 'crystalspace.sndsys.renderer.null'

Start the PlaneShift Launcher from the Windows Start menu > PlaneShift > PlaneShift

Click the Settings button, then from the Settings screen click: Audio

Select the check box: Enable sound

Set Sound Renderer to: OpenAl

Software rendering does not work on Windows so either use OpenAl or disable sound.



Unable to connect to server

1. The following page will inform you whether the game server is accessible.

http://planeshift.teamix.org/index.php

Check the Stats box for server status.

If the Total online is: 0, this probably means administrators are updating software on the game server.


2. If you have a firewall then you need to know that PlaneShift requires the outbound port: 7777

Then try to connect again.


3. Run the updater:

From the Windows Start menu > PlaneShift > PlaneShift

If an update is available, the PlaneShift Launcher will prompt you. Select Yes from the prompt to update.

Updating may take a few minutes.

The updater can also be run from the command line:

pslaunch.exe --console

Then try to connect again.


4. Edit servers.xml manually and replace planeshift.zeroping.it or planeshift.subhosting.net with planeshift.teamix.org

To find servers.xml, press F3 key on your keyboard and enter the following into the find dialog:

servers.xml

or

Open the file manager (explorer) and in the Address field type:

%AppData%

followed by the enter key on your keyboard.

This will open your 'Application Data' folder. For example:

c:\Documents and Settings\aUser\Application Data\

From there you will find:

PlaneShift\data\servers.xml

Then try to connect again.



Full screen mode crashes the client

Unfortunately full screen mode does not currently work reliably. It is recommended that you do not use full screen mode.

To turn off full screen mode:

Start the PlaneShift Launcher.

From the Windows Start menu > PlaneShift > PlaneShift

Click Settings

Unselect Enable Fullscreen

Click: OK

In game bugs (after loading world)

Generic Crashes

You can launch the client in a special mode to print out mode debug information. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the main PlaneShift installation dir. In that directory create a new file called psclient.bat

Inside this file add only one line and save the file:

 psclient.exe --verbose --console

Then doubleclick on psclient.bat to launch it.

You will see a new shell window coming up with a lot of additional text, this is the debug information you can review.

If you have trouble in creating the file, because Windows does not allow you to add the file, then create it in another directory first, then move it to the PlaneShift dir.


Performance

1. Run the updater to ensure the PlaneShift software has the latest bug fixes installed.

2. Update your graphics card drivers.

3. Set your desktop colour depth to 24 or 32 bit, sometimes called 'true colour'.


Start button > Control Panel

Under Appearance and Personalization, click: Adjust screen resolution

From Advanced settings, click the Monitor tab.

Under Colors, select True Color (32 bit).

Click: OK.


4. Enable Adaptive Distance.

Start PlaneShift, log in. Then from the game's tool bar, click the Options button.

From the Options window, under the Graphics item, click Details.

Select the Adaptive distance check box.

Click: Save


5. Texture down sampling.

Edit psclient.cfg and change:

Video.OpenGL.TextureDownsample = 0

to

Video.OpenGL.TextureDownsample = 4

To find psclient.cfg, press F3 key on your keyboard and enter the following into the find dialog:

psclient.cfg 


6. Turn off: Background loading

From the Windows Start menu > PlaneShift > PlaneShift

From the PlaneShift Launcher click: Settings then Graphics.

Set Background loading to: off

Click: OK


7. Lower Shaders values.

From the Windows Start menu > PlaneShift > PlaneShift

From the PlaneShift Launcher click: Settings then Graphics.

Set Shaders to a lower value.

Click: OK



Text corruption

From the Windows desktop, press F3 to display the Find dialog. Then search for:

r3dopengl.cfg

It will be located amongst the PlaneShift installed files.

Add the following lines to the bottom of the file.

Video.OpenGL.UseExtension.GL_ARB_texture_rectangle = false
Video.OpenGL.UseExtension.GL_NV_texture_rectangle = false

Find the following line:

Video.OpenGL.FontCache.UseMultiTexturing = yes

and change yes to no

Video.OpenGL.FontCache.UseMultiTexturing = no

Save changes.



Invisible NPCs

Turn off: Background loading

From the Windows Start menu > PlaneShift > PlaneShift

From the PlaneShift Launcher click: Settings then Graphics.

Set Background loading to: off

Click: OK



Intel graphics chips on Windows

There is an abundance of 3D gaming and OpenGL problems on Windows, related to Intel's own Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), which is found on some laptops and PC motherboards. The problem is related to their own Windows' drivers. It is possible that Intel will improve the quality of these graphics drivers over time so it is important to check their web site regularly for the latest drivers.

Intel: http://www.intel.com/p/en_UK/support/graphics/

Symptoms:

  • Ground stretches and smears.
  • Maps are broken.
  • Crashing during character creation.
  • Objects and maps flicker.

(Possible) workaround:

Install Xubuntu Linux alongside your Windows installation.

Linux is a free Operating System that can run alongside a Windows installation by way of dual booting and uses independent (not Intel's) graphics drivers. A minimum of ten gigabytes of disk space will be required for Xubuntu and the Linux version of PlaneShift.

http://xubuntu.org/

  • Xubuntu is an elegant and easy-to-use operating system. Xubuntu comes with Xfce, which is a stable, light and configurable desktop environment.

If you need hand-holding or some advice before installing Xubuntu, then join the PlaneShift IRC channel. Simple instructions for joining the PlaneShift IRC channel can be found here:

http://www.planeshift.it/IRC



Character appears to be stuck

From the the game's communications window type:

/unstick