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Registration / Upgrades / New Computers |
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Q. How do I register?
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A. Most people register by copying and pasting an order form into
email.
You can also send an order via conventional mail, fax or phone (see the order form).
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Q. What do I get by registering?
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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 USR game map (same as USA map, except with more balanced RR prices).
After registering, you'll be able to play on alternate game maps.
If you pay for shipping, your passcode and map(s) will be sent on CD via
conventional mail. Registration also grants you discounts on other
maps purchased at the same time, technical support via email, and discounted
shareware upgrades. Limited live tech support via phone is available business
hours to registered users at the discounted rate of $60 per call of up to
15 minutes duration.
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Q. How do I upgrade to the newest/current version?
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A. For registered users, RBP shareware upgrades are ALWAYS FREE! The
easiest way to upgrade from version 3.x is via the automated method: run RBP and
choose the File, Download Update pull-down menu. If you experience trouble, or prefer
the manual update method, download RBP (from the main RBP page)
and install a new copy to replace the old. As long as you keep all the RBP related
files in the same subdirectory/folder, your registration will be maintained.
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Q. I got new computer equipment and installed RBP on it, but the program doesn't recognize my prior registration or my old passcode.
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A. Registrations are bound to the computer equipment. Our approach with RBP
is to charge a small fee per computer, but provide RBP upgrades at no charge.
Customers love this because they get upgrades for free and it's
easier to keep up with the latest versions. When you get new computer
equipment, you need to obtain a new passcode from us. As a registered user
you qualify for a discount (basically half price).
The steps are 1) load RBP on your new computer and run to check that it's
operating acceptably, 2) obtain the new pre-registration number from the new
computer via the game's Help, Registration Numbers pull down menu, 3) send us
an order for a secondary copy, and specify
the pre-registration number from the new computer, 4) with your order, include
enough information so we can find you in our database (approximately when you
last registered and what your email address was at that time, or if your order
was sent via conventional mail, what your zip code was).
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Q. I'd like to run RBP on my second computer or hard disk 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 deleted my registered RBP from one computer and want to run it on another.
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A. Registrations are bound to a particular computer. But we offer additional
registrations for your computers at a discount.
Order a recovery copy.
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Q. I downloaded RBP from a site other than yours. Is that OK?
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A. We recommend against it because too often other sites add malware, spyware or even viruses
to downloads after luring you in with a claim of free software. You can get a free trial with
the game download right from our official site. Even if an alternate site is honest, they
might supply you an older version. You can get the latest and greatest by downloading
from our RailGameFans site.
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Q. My system crashed and I had to reinstall Windows. The process took my RBP registration with it.
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A. Each full-price registration is entitled to one free "recovery registration"
to handle such lost registrations. Once you get your computer working, reinstall
RBP and email us the pre-registration number from the program. We'll reply with
your new passcode. Such free recovery registrations are limited to one lifetime,
and cannot be used until 30 or more days after receipt of a paid registration.
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Q. I lost my registration yet again! How can I preserve it?
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A. If you lose your registration, and have already consumed your one free
"recovery registration", a discounted registration fee will apply to re-register.
To prevent this from happening in the future, back up the disk drive(s) on which
RBP and your operating system are installed (sorry, we can't provide more
specific details than that). If you don't have a proper backup,
order a recovery copy.
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Q. Can I upgrade my version of Windows without losing my RBP 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 RBP 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. That's not a good computer on which to register RBP because you'd be
trashing your registration each time and would need to pay for a recovery
copy repeatedly. Of course, you can do so if you wish though.
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Q. How do I upgrade to RBP version 3.x from 2.x?
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A. Download the shareware version 3.x, install it into the same directory
as your version 2.x.
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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 RBP.EXE game program something else, such as RBP25.EXE,
2) download the latest version, 3) install it. After you try
it, if you don't like it, simply delete the new RBP.EXE, and rename the old one back.
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Q. Can I get an upgrade sent to me on CD?
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A. Yes. RBP upgrades are free, but a Shipping/Handling fee applies. See
the order form for the S/H cost. Simply write
in the order form's margins or in your email that you want an upgrade. Note
that the contents of the disc we will send you are EXACTLY the same as
what you can download freely from our site. Consequently, a CD copy
is useful only if you have trouble downloading, or if you believe the CD
has some sort of collector value.
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Q. I lost the maps you sent me previously. Can I get
a replacement on disc?
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A. Yes. A service charge applies to replacing a group of lost maps, plus
for a CD add the Shipping/Handling fee. See the
services order form to determine the costs.
Simply write in the order form's margins or in your email which maps need
replacing.
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Game Operation |
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Q. Why do I get the message "When preparing to load images and sounds for
use with this map, RBP found existing files such as USARR8.BMP.
Do you want to delete these file(s) and use the new ones now?"?
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A. This message appears if you run RBP while temporary multimedia files
still remain on your computer from a prior use of the game. The most
common cause of this is a crash during RBP's prior use. In that case,
you can safely answer Yes to this message.
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Q. At the end of a game I won, I get an "Error 5 in winner illegal function call" message.
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A. A few people have reported this, but we've not been able to reproduce it.
It may be related to the font you are using or the resolution of your display.
It seems to not occur in RBP version 3.x.
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Q. Why won't RBP let me play on an alternate map?
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A. First, note that RBP requires registration before you can play on
alternate maps. You must keep all your alternate maps (.RBM files) in the
same folder/subdirectory as the RBP.EXE program.
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Q. On the US2 map, why don't the computer players buy many railroads?
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A. Because they have determined that is a good strategy. If you want
the AI players to buy more railroads, try a match with 6 players and the
winning cash level set to $500,000.
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Q. RBP displayed an unusual/unexpected message or crashed (stopped running) mid-way through the game. What's the problem?
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A. Based on the total number of downloads and usage, millions of games have been
played to completion with RBP so far. Here are assorted things you can
try to resolve the problem:
- Shut down the computer, restart it, and run RBP first. If RBP works, that
means some other software was interfering with RBP.
- Run a virus check on your computer.
- Temporarily turn off your virus checker and restart RBP.
- Check if your problem is known and has been fixed: see the version history page.
- Exit RBP, temporarily rename the RBP.INI file, restart RBP and play a match under the game's default
configuration. If the problem goes away, it had been related your altering the program's initial configuration,
for example, choosing different display settings or game options. RBP is so customizable, certain particular
combinations of options are infrequently used, thus might hide a bug. If you can isolate which configuration
setting is related to the trouble you observe, and we can repeat the RBP fault here, we'll fix it.
- If you have trouble with network or Web play, further below see "How can I check that multi-player RBP is
working properly?"
- Reinstall RBP from a fresh download; if you had installed RBP into into a subdirectory of its own, first delete that subdirectory
- Reinstall the VBRUN drivers: download VBRUN60.EXE (approx. 1000k) and run it
- Explore what is "unusual" about your computer's configuration. Non-USA settings? Atypical disk drives or network?
Uncommon virus checker? Temporarily reconfigure settings to more common ones and restart RBP.
- 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 RBP. 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.
- Minimize the game map graphics available. To do so, temporarily rename
the USABGND.BMZ and USARRS.BMS files found in the directory/folder in which
you installed RBP.EXE. Restart RBP and play on the USA map. If the problem goes
away, it means the display drivers of your computer contain bugs that prevent RBP
from showing the proper graphics. You might be able to obtain display driver
updates from Microsoft or your computer's manufacturer.
- Temporarily rename the RBP.INI file. If the problem goes away, it was some
bad data in RBP's configurations storage file.
- Search your system for copies of the file CP5DLL32.DLL.
If any are found outside of the directory/folder in which you installed RBP.EXE,
rename them. Then shutdown and restart the computer. If RBP now works, it means
the problem is being caused by the "rogue" CP5DLL32.DLL file.
This problem is the most common cause of errors "9" and "35" during play.
Note: this might cause other programs on your computer to malfunction because
they can't find the renamed files (in that case, rename them back).
- Was RBP 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 RBP. Try uninstalling it.
- Reinstall Windows, then reinstall RBP as your first application
(drastic, but it usually works). If this solves the problem, it means that some
other application was interfering with RBP. Note: this will cause you to lose
your RBP registration, and you will need to re-register!
If you discover the solution, please describe it to us so we can pass it along to
others who might encounter similar trouble in the future.
We estimate that problems will remain unresolved (after all the steps above)
on about 1 of 10000 computers. If you encounter such an uncooperative computer,
we recommend you run RBP on some other computer instead. Do not register RBP
until you are satisfied with how it is working on your computer.
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Q. I want it to run on my current computer!
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A. RBP works fine on the vast majority of computers. If the steps above do not
resolve the problem on your computer, the cause is some unusual configuration or
conflicting software on it. It is not economically practical for us to remotely
track down such a cause. If you are serious about us doing so, we can help if you
are willing to pay labor and expenses (contact us). Since the average such fee
can quickly exceed $1000, it is usually cheaper to simply buy a new computer.
Alternatively, you might hire an inexpensive local consultant, such as one from
Geek Squad.
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Q. Windows reports that RBP caused an error in module xxx... at yyy...
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A. That's Microsoft speak for "RBP 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. The program doesn't crash, but does not seem to operate right.
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A. Retrace your steps, and if the problem keeps occurring, send us a list of
the minimum steps that we need to reproduce it here. If we can replicate the
problem, we can almost certainly fix it. If the steps you provide work
properly here, we almost certainly cannot do anything to address it, and it
gets chalked up to some unknown difference from the norm of your computer.
Often it is useful to send us a saved game to demo the problem you
observe. Reload the saved game and retrace your steps. If the problem is
repeatable, send us the game saved at a point immediately before the failure,
plus a list of the steps and we'll be happy to look into 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 RBP's AutoSave feature had been enabled. If you experience
crashes, restart RBP 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 by the name AUTOSAV#.RBx (where # is a number
from 1 to 6, and x is either G or H). The AUTOSAV1 file was saved just
before the first player's most recent turn, the AUTOSAV2 file was saved
just before the second player's most recent turn, etc. Restart RBP, and
open the newest AUTOSAV# 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 AUTOSAV#.RBG and AUTOSAV#.RBH 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. Why does RBP sometimes make me move one dot further than the dice roll?
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A. The small square dots on the map ("intersection-only dots") do not
count for movement. You can find one such square dot on the USA map
just west of Boston. Your route probably moves through one of these
square dots.
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Q. Sometimes RBP does not let me mark a route I want. What's wrong?
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A. First, note the rules do not let you backtrack between two given dots on
a RR you have used previously (since the last destination). However,
where two RR parallel each other, you can backtrack via the unused RR. If
you have trouble getting RBP to recognize a route, Shift+Click on the
desired dots of the route. Doing so displays a list of RRs and you can
choose the one you want.
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Q. I obtained an alternate map, but it lacks RR pictures and sounds!
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A. Many, but not all, alternate maps have optional multimedia add-ons.
When you order maps from us, we do NOT ship add-ons with it. You can
download free add-ons from the multimedia page.
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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 RBP'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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Play by Email - Pbem
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Q. How do I play Rail Baron by email?
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A. Starting with version 3.4, RBP automates the Play by email process. For each
human player in a match, you input an email address. During play, RBP sends a copy of
the match to the person when it is their turn. See the details in the Play by email
topic of the in-game help.
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Q. How can I find more people for Pbem?
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A. Feel free to send a "looking for Pbem opponents" message to the members of the
RailGameFan group at Yahoo! Groups.
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Q. I tried using my Gmail account and the self test returns
"Problem 530 detected during Pbem test. SMTP responded 530 5.7.0
Must issue a STARTTLS command first.; response should have been: 334"
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A. That means you have the wrong value in the "SMTP Mail Server"
field of RBP's Display Settings. In most cases, Gmail is not
your outbound mail server, instead your ISP provides your mail service.
Popular ISPs in the USA are Comcast and Verizon.
Yes, you can still use your Gmail (or Hotmail, or Yahoo, etc.) address for
Pbem purposes in RBP's "My Email Address(es)" field, but in the "SMTP Mail Server"
field you must point to your ISP. The proper entry might resemble smtp.comcast.net
Check with your ISP to learn the address of your SMTP Mail Server
for outbound email. Some of the more common ones are in
this off-site list.
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Q. My regular email service doesn't work, help!
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A. Use a free Yahoo email acccount instead. We have tested Yahoo and found it to
work with RBP's Pbem. If you do not already have an account there
visit Yahoo's site and register.
Once you have a Yahoo email account, inform RBP of your info as follows:
- run RBP version 3.4.x or newer
- choose the File, Display Settings pull-down menu
- in RBP's Display and Web Settings window, in the panel on the right, for
My Email Address(es) enter xyz@yahoo.com where xyz is the Yahoo ID/email name you
selected when you registered at Yahoo
- for SMTP Mail Server enter smtp.mail.yahoo.com
- for Username enter the Yahoo ID/email name you selected when you registered there; do not include @yahoo.com
- for Password enter the password you chose when you registered at Yahoo
- for SMTP Port Number enter 25
Then re-run RBP's Pbem self-test as described in the in-game help.
Check your email at Yahoo's site to see if the self-test message arrived there.
If so, you are ready to play via email! During play, when it is your turn, the match
will arrive at your Yahoo account as an email attachment.
If you prefer the incoming Pbem attachments to instead arrive in your regular (non-Yahoo)
email box, when setting up the Pbem match and RBP asks to "Enter/confirm email address"
simply specify your regular email address.
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Q. I'm still having trouble!
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A. We're considering the possibility of providing
SMTP email access for use with RBP Pbem for a small fee. This is not yet available,
but will be arranged if there is enough demand. Let us know if you need and would be
interested in such service.
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Install / Hardware / Internet Issues |
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Q. Can I run RBP on a Mac or under Linux?
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A. Many people have reported success running RBP via Windows emulation
software for those operating systems such as Parallels or
VMware Fusion for the Mac,
Wine for Linux.
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Q. Can I run RBP on a tablet?
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A. If you can run Windows apps on the tablet, you should be able to run Rail Baron too.
Early tests with the Windows 8 tablet expected to be released in 2012 indicate Rail Baron
runs on it. There's an easy way to check any hardware for compatibility: try the
free trial download on it.
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Q. When I enter my passcode, I get Error 75.
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A. Retry doing so after turning off virus checkers. If you are using
Windows Vista you may need to run RBP in Vista Administrator mode while
entering your passcode. See Running Windows as Administrator
is not enough, you have to run RBP as Administrator; for how to do see
Vista info above.
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Q. I'm getting the messages "A required .DLL file, MSVBVM60.DLL was not found." and
"Cannot find file 'C:\RBP\RBPEDIT.EXE' (or one of its components)." or
"Cannot find file 'C:\RBP\RBP.EXE' (or one of its components)."
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A. You need to download and install some files RBP 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; it may
occur in some newer drivers too. You must update the drivers RBP needs to operate. Do this:
- 1) if your copy of RB Player came on CD, insert the disc
- 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. There are several known problems with versions of Microsoft's Winsock drivers dated before October 2008
and in Windows Vista. You must update the drivers RBP needs to operate. Do this:
- 1) if your copy of RBP came on CD, insert the disc
- 2) right click on the disc's MSWINSCK.INF file and choose Install
-or-
- 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 RBP'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. 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, RBP will show the IP address of that
router. You employ 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 my friend via the Web, but the game requires at least
3 players.
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A. On the computer of the GM for the Web-based match, simply choose
one of RBP's built-in computer players to fill additional player slot(s).
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Q. Two-human-player live matches work fine, but trouble happens with more than
two of us.
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A. This is a known problem in Windows if your C:\windows\system32\mswinsck.ocx
file is old. If your copy of that file is dated before October 10, 2008, you
should install a newer one as described above.
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Q. How do I play over the Web?
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A. You don't need a special server to play, instead your copy of RBP can communicate
directly via the Internet with a copy running on another computer. Basically, you
and your friend(s) all run RBP and decide which person will be GameMaster. The GM
tells his IP address to the others (via phone, instant message, etc.) and they follow
RBP's prompts to connect for play. For details, see the "Web Play" topic in the
game's on line help.
When the GM chooses the "Make me GameMaster" option, RBP displays his dot address(es).
For play over the Web, the GM should tell opponents his external dot address.
For play over a local network, the GM should tell opponents his local dot address.
If RBP is not displaying the dot address, the GM can use his web browser to obtain
it manually by visiting Web sites such as http://checkip.dyndns.org
or http://ipdetect.dnspark.com. Both sites
show the external dot address of the visitor; the GM should tell that dot address
to the players who are attempting to connect to him for a game.
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Q. My friend and I have been unable to connect for a Web match.
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A. If you are unable to connect, (such as connection attempts to the GM
timing out), it is likely 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. If the problem persists, you probably need to tell your firewall or router
to allow the connection (see the next question and answer).
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Q. We think the connection trouble is due to his router acting as a firewall. Help!
Sample router setup screen
as viewed in your browser
(click to enlarge):
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A. To configure your router to allow incoming connections, you need to open ports
3011 and 3012 for use by RBP. The steps below, kindly provided by Rich Shipley,
describe the process for a Linksys router; you may need to adjust them for
other brands:
"You need to go into the admin web interface on the router, usually 192.168.1.1 unless
this has been changed. (Do this by running your Web browser and manually
entering 192.168.1.1 in its URL/location/address
field. If that value fails, consult your router's documentation to look up the value
your model needs.)
"The user name is left blank and the password is 'admin', unless it has been
changed. (If that fails, also try admin as user name and leave the password
field blank, or enter admin in both fields.)
"To find the web address of the router (this is what you would need to enter
in RBP) click the 'Status' tab and find the IP Address in the 'WAN:'
section. (Normally you can skip this because RBP shows you your IP Address.)
"Unless the user's computer is set up as a DMZ (usually not a good idea), you
will also have to configure the 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 RPB application (RBP uses ports 3011 and 3012)
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. Can the connection trouble be due to a software firewall?
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A. If your software-based firewall is the culprit, "Connection is forcefully
rejected" is the most common message seen when a player attempts to connect
to the GM. If this occurs when playing
via your local home network/router, the problem is most likely your
software firewall rather than a hardware firewall. In that case,
you need to tell your software firewall to allow RBP to connect.
For example, in Windows Vista do the following: go to your
Windows Control Panel, look in the Security area, click "Allow a program
through Windows Firewall". This opens the Windows Firewall Settings
window, Exceptions tab. In the list of programs, look for Rail Baron,
RB Player or RBP (if it is not already in the list, use the "Add program"
feature). Enable an exception by clicking RBP's check box.
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Q. How can I check that multi-player RBP is working properly?
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A. To check, run two instances of RBP on the same computer and connect
the two for a Web game by using the local dot address 127.0.0.1
Detailed steps:
- 1) run RBP
- 2) use Game, Start then the Web, Make Me GameMaster pull-down menus
- 3) start another instance of RBP on the same computer
- 4) use Game, Start then the Web, Make Me a Player pull-down menus
- 5) as the dot address to which to connect enter 127.0.0.1
This links the two instances of RBP together such that in the GM
instance you can use the Web window's Match, Begin/Resume menu to get
things going. When you take a turn in one instance of RBP, it will also
show up on the map of the other instance, just as if you were playing
over the Web. Note having the two RBP game windows open and running
simultaneously on the same display monitor can get confusing in a hurry.
This test isolates all network play connection and communcation to within
your computer. Internally RBP is processing the match just like it would
if the players were at different physical locations.
Success of this test proves a connection problem lies outside of RBP and
its drivers. If you pass this test, but still have problems, then you've
isolated the
trouble to the configuration of your router, firewalls, other items that
control/permit access to your computer, or the interference/malfunction
of third-party software. For assistance, consult online references and
the third party manufacturers.
If you can't unblock your computer for Web play, consider using RBP's
Play-by-email feature instead, which is less subject to firewalls.
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Q. Any other "gotchas" to watch out for?
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A. Some routers periodically change the local address, for example
192.168.1.100 the next day becomes 192.168.1.101. This unannounced
change can render useless the local IP address for which you previously
had opened ports. If player have trouble connecting to the GM, the GM
should verify that the local address RBP shows remains the one for which
he had opened router ports.
Another gotcha is that some router configuration screens require your
browser's Javascript to be enabled while you are changing their settings.
If Javascript is disabled, it may look like the router accepted your
port opening settings, but in reality it hasn't.
If you want to check the status of your cable modem, via a browser
view http://192.168.100.1.
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Q. I get error 75 or 76 and a message about REMOTEGM.RBZ when I try to
play an Internet game. What's wrong?
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A. Your temporary file path is set wrong or employs non-8.3 format names.
One way to fix it is to go to RBP'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. 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 RBP2 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 RBP2 directory (whatever you call it) is at
the top level. I had things stored in C:\Program Files\RBP2\ and
it did not work. When I moved it to C:\RBP2\ it worked just fine."
Thanks for sharing that info, Chuck!
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Q. Will you create a version of RBP specifically for the Mac, iPad
or device with 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 RBP
registration than most people would be willing to pay.
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Display Issues |
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Q. During a game, the map replots oddly, and sometimes only shows one
player's RR network. Is something wrong?
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A. Nope, that's the "Auto RRs" feature working as intended. What
version 2 is doing is showing you a player's network after he purchases
a RR. It allows the image to linger longer than version 1.x did. We
made this change because version 2 is so much faster, we found that
the AI's RR purchases were flashing by too quickly. When it becomes
your turn again, RBP will replot and show all RRs. If you dislike
this feature, you can disable it: go to the Display Settings window and
un-check the "Auto rail display" checkbox. Also, in the map window,
change the drop-down menu near the upper left from "Auto rails" to "All".
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Q. In the Map Settings window, for Name Length when I select 'full names', the full names don't show up until I manually widen the RR list using the map-resize box. Why isn't the width automatically adjusted when I choose full names?
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A. The majority opinion of the play testers was that the map always deserves higher priority in this case. To manually resize the RR list, drag the resize icon at the lower-left corner of the map.
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Q. The dashed and dotted Rail Draw Styles work only when Thin or Medium line thickness is selected. Why?
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A. This feature works on some computers, but not others due to a bug in the Windows display drivers.
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Q. What is the "Finder #" along the left edge of the window above the Cash box?
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A. That's mainly for debugging. During a game, each time RBP looks for a good route, it uses a series of AI trip finders. A number representing the trip finder that found the best route is displayed here.
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Q. How can I maximize the speed of map scrolling and display?
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A. In the Display Settings window, for RR draw thickness, choose Thin. Also, try disabling the background bitmap as doing so improves display speed on certain computers.
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Q. That colorful map background is hard on my eyes. Can I get rid of it?
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A. You can disable the "map bgnd image" via RBP's Display Settings window. Note also that some maps have multiple background images available; a list will be displayed in the Map Settings window.
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Q. The colors in the map background look very strange on one computer, but not on another. Why?
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A. If your computer's display is set to 256-color (8-bit) mode, some graphical items will have unusual colors. Exit the game, reconfigure your copy of Windows to employ more than 256 colors, and then retry. If that fails, contact your computer's manufacturer to obtain a display driver update, which may contain bug fixes. Or, turn off the "map bgnd image" entirely via RBP's Display Settings window.
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Q. The box that normally shows the RR heralds (logos) is mostly black. Why?
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A. This is because Windows needs to display the (normally) color image in a monochrome (black and white) form, but is unable to convert it properly. This can occur if your display is set to 256-color mode and the map background image is enabled. You can either 1) change your Windows display mode to more than 256 colors, or 2) turn off the "map bgnd image" entirely via the Display Settings window.
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Miscellaneous |
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Q. Has RBP been rated by the ESRB?
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A. No, it has not. We consider RBP 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, RBP 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 RBP's online Web play feature.
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Q. How does RBP calculate the game score?
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A. This is described in the Hall of Fame topic of the on-line help.
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Q. The AI turns go by so quickly. Can I slow them down?
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A. Yes. To do so, in the Game Options window, enter a non-zero
value in the "Pause after computer turns" field. If you enter -1 in
this field, RBP will pause and wait for you to click OK (done) after
each AI player's turn. This gives you more time chance to examine
what he did.
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Q. The USB map did not come with a colorful background. Can I get one?
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A. You can use the map background image from the USA map. Here's how:
1) uncompress USABGND.BMZ (it's a .ZIP file) to get USABGND.BMP, 2) copy
USABGND.BMP to USBBGND.BMP, and 3) (optional) ZIP compress USBBGND.BMP
to USBBGND.BMZ. The previous directions posted here for doing this were
outdated.
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Q. Can I add sounds to the game?
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A. You can do so with the RBNYC map. These are authentic NYC subway
train and bus sounds that were
recorded over the past 40 years by a Transit Authority employee. You
can download them free from the multimedia page.
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Q. How come I can't win? RBP's gotta be cheating...
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A. We hear this comment surprisingly often, and well, we have to admit, we find it rather
amusing because we know the AI does not cheat. Yes, it may be tough to beat,
but the random elements in the game (dice and destinations) are not 'fixed'
in any way. To make the game easier to win, use fewer players, and set their
skill level to Avg or lower. Also, note that while the various suggestion features
in the software (suggest a route, RR purchase advice, etc.) are helpful, if you
always accept their advice, you'll be playing no better than the AI. You need to
think differently (i.e. better) than the AI to win. As a last resort, make all
your AI opponents the IA Newby type...he purchases RRs randomly and is quite easy
to trounce.
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Q. Can I get paper copies of an alternate map to play on?
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A. Yes, some paper (i.e. board game format) maps are
available. See the alternate maps page.
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