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Game Operation |
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Q. Why won't EBP let me play on an alternate map?
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A. First, note that EBP requires registration before you can play on
alternate maps. You must keep all your alternate maps (.EBM files) in the
same folder/subdirectory as the EBP.EXE program.
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Q. How do I play online?
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A. There's no need for a special Web server, instead your copy of EB Player communicates
directly via the Internet with a copy running on another computer. Basically, you and
up to 5 of your friends all run EBP and decide which person will be GameMaster. The GM
tells his IP address to the others (via phone, instant message, etc.) and they follow
EBP's prompts to connect for play. For details, see the "Web Play" topic in the game's
on line help.
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Q. Can I play via my home network? How?
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A. Most likely you can, even if you haven't set up full networking and
instead simply have your home computers connected to the same router.
When you start an online game, EBP will show the IP address of that
router. You use that address to connect for a game within your
local router/network, with each person using their own computer.
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Q. I want to play one friend via the Web, but we want a 3-player match.
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A. On the computer of the GM for the Web-based match, simply choose
one of EBP's AI computer players to fill additional player slot(s).
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Q. Can I test the Web play features during my free trial period?
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A. Yes, those features are operational during the trial period before you register.
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Q. Is dialup fast enough for Web play?
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A. Yes. During Web play EBP communicates the game info among the participants
by sending very small packets of data. A high speed connection is not required.
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Q. The program crashed (stopped running) while I was using it. What's the problem?
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A. Here are assorted things you can try to resolve the problem:
- Shut down the computer, restart it, and run EBP first. If EBP works, that
means some other software was interfering with EBP.
- The most likely cause of a mid-game crash is the display
driver for your copy of Windows. Try changing your Windows
Control Panel, Display settings to some other resolution (screen size)
and/or color depth, then shutdown the computer, restart it and run EBP. If the
problem goes away, it means the display drivers for the resolution and/or color
depth you had been using contain bugs. You might be able to obtain updates from
Microsoft or your computer's manufacturer.
- Reinstall EBP. If the problem goes away, a file had been damaged.
- Via your Windows Control Panel, check that you have at least one printer driver
installed. A bug in Windows can cause the program to hang if your computer has
no printers set up. Use Windows to set up a "generic" or "text only" printer
if you have no physical printer.
- Minimize the game map graphics available. To do so, temporarily rename
the USABGND.JPG file found in the directory/folder in which
you installed EBP.EXE. Restart EBP and play on the USA map. If the problem goes
away, it means the display drivers of your computer contain bugs that prevent EBP
from showing the proper graphics. You might be able to obtain display driver
updates from Microsoft or your computer's manufacturer.
- Temporarily rename the EBP.INI file. If the problem goes away, it was some
bad data in EBP's configurations storage file.
- Was EBP working for awhile, and now it crashes? The problem is likely
due to a change you made on your computer. Try restoring older settings. If
you recently installed some other, new software perhaps it is causing conflicts
with EBP. Try uninstalling it.
- Run a virus check on your computer.
- Reinstall Windows, then reinstall EBP as your first application
(drastic, but it usually works). If this solves the problem, it means that some
other application was interfering with EBP. Note: this will cause you to lose
your EBP registration, and you will need to re-register!
We estimate that problems will remain unresolved (after all the steps above)
on about 1 of 1000 computers. If you encounter such an uncooperative computer,
we recommend you run EBP on some other computer instead. Do not register EBP
until you are satisfied with how it is working on your computer.
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Q. Windows reports that EBP caused an error in module xxx... at yyy...
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A. That's Microsoft speak for "EBP revealed that a bug exists" in that
software module (probably a component of Windows). You can report
the problem to the maker of that module, but don't hold your breath waiting
for them to fix it.
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Q. How can I send you a saved game after the program crashed?
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A. You can't, unless EBP's AutoSave feature had been enabled. If you experience
crashes, restart EBP and enable the "AutoSave before every turn" feature in the
Game Options window, then play a game. If the program crashes, the state of
the game just before the crash will be preserved in the files in AutoSave location
(configured in the Game Options window) under names that resemble ebAS###x.EBZ
where ### is the round number
and x is a letter A=player 1's turn, B=player 2's turn, etc. Restart EBP, and
open the newest autosave game file (i.e. the one that corresponds to the
player whose turn it was when the program crashed). Try to resume playing.
If the program crashes immediately, you have found a repeatable bug. Send us
that .EBZ file with a description of what error
messages you received. If we can duplicate the problem here, we can
almost certainly fix it. This process, while a bit tedious, is important
because without a saved game with which to reproduce the problem here, we
almost certainly can't fix it.
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Q. I'd like to suggest a new feature for or improvement to the software.
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A. Sure, send it to intersys@insystem.com.
Many of EBP's features had their origin in ideas suggested by users.
Obviously, we can't guarantee your suggestion will be added, but we'll
consider it. Lawyer-speak: Note that suggestions received become the
property of Intersystem Concepts, Inc.
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Q. Does Windows Vista work with EBP?
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A. Vista breaks with several long-standing traditions in Microsoft operating
systems, but it generally can be coaxed to work:
- The first time you run EBP or EBPEdit you must do so as a Vista Administrator.
- For the game's help system to function you must do one of:
- add the "winhelp" module (downloadable from Microsoft)
- or, rename or delete the EBP.HLP file (doing so tells EBP to use the supplied EBP.CHM alternate help file instead)
- For Web-feature support, install MSINET.OCX and MSWINSCK.OCX
- this can be done manually as described further below
- or, let EBP attempt to install automatically: use EBP's File, Download Update pull-down menu, which will detect any lack of the drivers and offer to install them for you
While viewing EBP's help, if you get a "Navigation to the webpage was
cancelled" message see a list of Vista fixes.
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Q. EBP asks me if my operating system Windows Vista and then exits. What gives?
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A. That's what happens if EBP is not run as Adminstrator. Try right-clicking EBP's desktop icon
and choosing Run as Administrator. Also review the
information about this from Microsoft.
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Registration / New Computers |
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Q. What do I get when I register?
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A. If you request your registration to be sent via email, we will send you a
passcode that allows use of the program past the free, initial 30-day trial
period, and a link to download a copy of the EB5 USA/Canada/Mexico game map.
If you pay for shipping, your passcode and EB5 map (on CD) will be sent via
conventional mail. Registration also grants you discounts on other
maps purchased at the same time, technical support via email, and discounted
shareware upgrades.
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Q. I replaced my old computer equipment with new and installed EBP on it, but
the program doesn't recognize my prior registration or my old passcode.
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A. Run the program on the new computer, choose the Help, Registration Numbers
pull-down menu, and send us the pre-registration number shown. We'll reply with
your new passcode. Registered users of a given version of the program are entitled
to one free passcode per 12 months. If it's been less than 12 months, or if the
version of the program is newer than one you last paid to register, you can get
a new passcode for a small fee: order a secondary copy,
and send us the pre-registration number from the new computer.
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Q. I'd like to run EBP on my second computer or hard drive partition, but the passcode doesn't work.
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A. Each needs its own registration. To loyal customers we offer
additional registrations at a discount.
Order a secondary copy.
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Q. I downloaded EBP from a site other than yours. Is that OK?
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A. Be careful: some sites add malware, spyware or even viruses to such
downloads. Even if not, they might have supplied an older version. You can
always get the latest and greatest by downloading from our site.
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Q. My system crashed and I had to reinstall Windows. The process took my EBP registration with it.
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A. You should be able to reactivate your registration on the same computer
by using the passcode we had sent before. If not, or if you lost your passcode,
you can get a replacement. Registered users are entitled to one free passcode per
12 months. Once you get your computer working, reinstall EBP and email
us the pre-registration number from the program. We'll reply with your
new passcode.
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Q. I lost my registration yet again! How can I preserve it?
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A. Back up the directory in which EBP is installed. If you don't have a proper
backup, and if you've consumed your free passcode within the past 12 months,
order a recovery copy.
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Q. Can I upgrade my version of Windows without losing my EBP registration?
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A. It should be possible, but might fail. Microsoft doesn't worry much about
being careful to not clobber non-Microsoft applications. Some people have
upgraded without losing their EBP registration, others have not. If you lose
your registration in this manner, you can get another as described for the
"Windows reinstallation" question.
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Q. I frequently wipe clean and rebuild my hard disk contents from scratch...
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A. You might be able to reactivate your registration on the same computer
by using the passcode we had sent before, but we cannot guarantee that.
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Q. Can I get a copy on diskette?
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A. No, EBP and EBPEdit are available via download and on CD only.
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Upgrades |
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Q. What's new in the software?
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A. See the version history page.
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Q. How do I upgrade to the newest/current version?
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A. To upgrade automatically: while running the program on
a computer with Web access, choose the File, Download Upgrade pull-down menu. This
will tell you if a newer version is available, whether it
is free or if there is
an upgrade fee, then ask if you want to download and install it.
During this process, if you encounter errors 339 or 372, or no response at all,
your Windows drivers need to be updated.
Or, you can
upgrade manually: download from the main EBP page
and install a new copy to replace the old.
Minor updates (for example, version 1.1.0 to 1.1.1) are free, others (such as
version 1.1.x to 1.2.0) are available for a small fee. After a fee-based upgrade, you
must contact us to pay the upgrade fee and get your new passcode. Use an
order form and be sure to send us your new pre-registration
number obtained from the Help, Registration Numbers pull-down menu.
The fee to upgrade from version 1.0 to 1.1 is $15.
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Q. Where can I find out which version I already have?
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A. Use the Help, About pull-down menu. The version number is displayed
at the top of the window that opens.
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Q. I'm reluctant to upgrade because of bad experiences with other software packages.
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A. We know what you mean, sometimes we prefer an older version! Here's what
to do: 1) rename your existing EBP.EXE game program something else, such as EBP25.EXE,
2) download the latest version, 3) install it. After you try
it, if you don't like it, simply delete the new EBP.EXE, and rename the old one back.
If you use the automated upgrade, this renaming (i.e. preservation) of the old version
is done for you automatically.
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Q. Will I be able to try out a new version for which there is an upgrade fee?
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A. Minor updates for which there are no fee can be installed and played
immediately. More significant updates for which there is a fee let registered
users of prior versions give them a try before paying: they allow play up to round 10.
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Q. Do I also need to upgrade alternate maps I purchased in the past?
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A. No, those maps are upwardly compatible with the new version. You do not
need to buy them again or pay extra to use them in the new version of EBP.
If you are looking for new game maps, there are
three new available for purchase.
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Q. Can my old saved games be loaded into the new version?
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A. Yes, saved games are upwardly compatible.
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Q. I'd like to buy some new maps when I pay to upgrade EBP. Can I get them at
the discounted price?
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A. Yes. Example: upgrade EBP ($15) + RIM Map set ($35) totals $50.
printable order form, emailable order form
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Install / Hardware / Internet Issues |
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Q. I'm getting the messages "A required .DLL file, MSVBVM60.DLL was not found." and
"Cannot find file 'C:\EBP\EBPEDIT.EXE' (or one of its components)." or
"Cannot find file 'C:\EBP\EBP.EXE' (or one of its components)."
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A. You need to download and install some files EBP needs to operate. Most computers
already have these files. Do this:
- 1) if your copy of EB Player came on CD, insert the disc
- 2) run the disc's VBRUN60.EXE and answer Yes when asked "Would you like to install the Visual Basic 6.0 run time files?"
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- 1) download VBRUN60.EXE (approx. 1000k)
- 2) run the downloaded copy of VBRUN60.EXE and answer Yes when asked "Would you like to install the Visual Basic 6.0 run time files?"
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Q. I get "Run-time error '372' Failed to load control 'Inet' from msinet.ocx. Your version of
Msinet.ocx may be outdated. Make sure you are using the version of the control that was provided
with your application."
or "Run-time error 339, Component 'MSINET.OCX' or one of its dependencies not
correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid."
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A. This is known to occur with versions of Windows internet drivers dated before June 1998,
and in Windows Vista. You must update the drivers EBP needs to operate. Do this:
- 1) look in your EBP folder or CD for a MSWINET.INF file
- 2) right click on the disc's MSINET.INF file and choose Install
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- 1) download http://activex.microsoft.com/controls/vb6/msinet.cab
- 2) open the downloaded CAB file by double clicking it inside Windows (or via Microsoft's CabView utility)
- 3) extract the files from the CAB (usually MSINET.INF and MSINET.OCX) to a folder
- 4) right click on the extracted MSINET.INF file and choose Install
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Q. I get "Run-time error '372' Failed to load control 'Winsock' from mswinsck.ocx. Your version of
Mswinsck.ocx may be outdated. Make sure you are using the version of the control that was provided
with your application."
or "Run-time error 339, Component 'MSWINSCK.OCX' or one of its dependencies not
correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid."
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A. This is known to occur with versions of Windows internet drivers dated before June 1998 and
in Windows Vista. You must update the drivers EBP needs to operate. Do this:
- 1) look in your EBP folder or CD for a MSWINSCK.INF file
- 2) right click on the disc's MSWINSCK.INF file and choose Install
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- 1) download http://activex.microsoft.com/controls/vb6/mswinsck.cab
- 2) open the downloaded CAB file by double clicking it inside Windows (or via Microsoft's CabView utility)
- 3) extract the files from the CAB (usually MSWINSCK.INF and MSWINSCK.OCX) to a folder
- 4) right click on the extracted MSWINSCK.INF file and choose Install
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Q. I get no response when I choose an item from the Web pull-down menu.
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A. This is most likely due to missing or old Windows internet drivers on your computer. Update
your drivers as described in the answers to the previous 3 questions.
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Q. Does EBP's Web capability work on my network?
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A. It should if your network uses standard IP (Internet protocol) addressing.
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Q. My friend and I have been unable to connect for a Web match.
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A. If the GM's computer uses a router, you should ignore the local IP address,
and instead use the external dot address. To do so, the GM can point his web
browser to either http://checkip.dyndns.org
or http://ipdetect.dnspark.com. Both sites
show the external dot address of the visitor; give that dot address to the players
who are attempting to connect to the GM.
If you are still unable to connect, it may be due to firewalls or other connection
inhibitors.
Try switching roles: let the other person be the GM of the match. Sometimes
simply reversing the communication like this allows the computers to
connect. Also see the question and answer below.
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Q. We think the connection trouble is due to his router or cable modem. Help!
Sample router setup screen
as viewed in your browser
(click to enlarge):
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A. To connect for an online game of EBP, you need to know the GM's IP (dot)
address as seen from the Web. A router can hide this info. Rich
Shipley kindly provided the following information:
"To find the actual IP address of a connection on a Linksys router, you need
to go into the admin web interface on the router (usually 192.168.1.1 unless
this has been changed).
"The user name is left blank and the password is 'admin' (unless it has been
changed).
"To find the web address of the router (this is what you would need to enter
in EBP) click the 'Status' tab and find the IP Address in the 'WAN:'
section.
"Unless the user's computer is set up as a DMZ (usually not a good idea), you
will also have to configure the Linksys router to forward an IP port to the
proper computer in order to accept external connections. To set this up:
"Click the 'Advanced' tab and the 'Forwarding' tab. On some router models,
you should click the 'Applications & Gaming' tab instead.
"You then enter the service port of the EBP application (EBP uses port 1103)
on the left and the local IP address of the individual computer on the right.
"To find a computer's local IP address you can bring up the command prompt in
Windows (Start-Programs-Accessories-Command Prompt) and enter 'ipconfig'.
Some OS versions use 'winipcfg' instead. Copy the displayed IP Address into
the router's IP Address field. Usually it is similar to that seen in
the sample screen shot at left.
"If the user has DHCP enabled, the IP addresses of computers may change once
in a while and you might have to adjust the local IP address above."
Thanks for that info, Rich!
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Q. I get error 75 or 76 and a message about REMOTEGM.EBZ when I try to
play an Internet game. What's wrong?
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A. Your temporary file path is set wrong.
One way to fix it is to go to EBP's File, Program Settings window and
change the "AutoSave and temp file location" setting to the root directory
of any drive.
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Q. Can I run EBP on a Mac or under Linux?
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A. Many people have reported success running EBP via Windows emulation
software for those operating systems such as Parallels.
Going further and attempting to
use EBP's Web features on such platforms is stretching your luck. If it
works, great, but obviously we can't guarantee it always will.
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Q. I tried to GM a Web game on my Mac with Virtual PC, but received "Error 76". Can that be fixed?
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A. This problem was discovered by Chuck Weinstock, who also found a
solution when using direct network connections. He writes:
"Virtual PC is a PC emulator that allows you to run Windows (various
versions) on your Macintosh. It works well in most cases. However,
when I went to use EBP2 on it, I found that it would not run properly
in 'Gamemaster' mode. It worked fine as a 'Player' when connected to
a real PC, but not the other way around.
"After much trial and error and with a little help from others, I
discovered that you need to do the following to get it to work.
1. Turn off 'Shared IP' in the Virtual PC preferences.
2. Go into the Network control panel in Windows and configure it
with exactly the same information that appears in your TCP/IP
control panel on the Macintosh after you connect to the Internet.
(Alternatively you can set up Dialup Networking and connect directly
from Windows instead of through the Mac.)
3. Make sure that the EBP2 directory (whatever you call it) is at
the top level. I had things stored in C:\Program Files\EBP2\ and
it did not work. When I moved it to C:\EBP2\ it worked just fine."
Thanks for sharing that info, Chuck!
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Q. Will you create a version of EBP specifically for the Mac or another
operating system?
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A. We have no plans at the present time to do so. The installed base
of those platforms is too small to justify the effort. Or, said another
way, to recoup our costs, we'd have to charge far more for an EBP
registration than most people would be willing to pay.
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Miscellaneous |
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Q. Has EBP been rated by the ESRB?
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A. No, it has not. We consider EBP to be a family game: both it and all game
maps created by ICI (that's us) are suitable for play by all ages. However please
note that maps created by others may contain content unsuitable for younger
players, for example, drug references. Also, EBP allows for online Web play, and
participants in such an online match can send text messages to each other. If
you have concerns, use only maps designed by ICI
and avoid use of EBP's online Web play feature.
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Q. Does Mayfair know of the EB Player computer version?
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A. Yes, we've been talking with Mayfair about this project for years, and it is made
possible via special arrangement with them. In fact, they are probably interested to see
what new maps people
invent with help from our EBPEdit map editor. Perhaps the best
will be published in the future in board game form.
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Q. Can I get paper copies of an alternate map to play on?
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A. You can print your own with the EBPEdit map editor.
See the alternate maps page.
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