General Technical Instructions and Tips

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Here you can find a collection of general technical instructions that could help run the game smoothly.

Adobe Flash Player

• Adobe Flash Player

Browser Cache, Cookies, Etc.

• How do I clear the browser cache & cookies?
• How do I delete the Flash Player cache?
• How to clear the DNS Cache?

Common error messages

• Solutions to some known technical issues
• Zone crashed message

Miscellaneous

• How to make a screenshot?
• How can I post a screenshot?
• Structure Forum Titles, Manuals and Strategies
• Browser plugins, Spyware, Adware

This thread will be updated and revised when necessary.
You may contact any of the moderators via private message, if you have feedback & suggestions, or if you would like to suggest a topic to be included in this thread.

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Keeping Adobe Flash Player up to date

The Settlers Online requires the latest version of your browser and the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player.
Each browser requires a separate installation of the Adobe Flash Player. If you want to play The Settlers Online on different browsers, you may have to install Adobe Flash Player in each browser.

“Google Chrome” is an exception as an updated version is always provided with the latest Chrome browser update.

Depending on which version of the Flash Player you have it may be necessary to uninstall the older version before you can replace it with the latest version.

>Click here< to check if Flash Player is installed on your computer.
>Click here< to download the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player.

Firefox users, who still experience in-game issues can try the NPAPI version of Flash Player. You can get it >here<. This version specializes in "browser games". To install, download this version and ignore the message "you already have Flash installed" and proceed with the installation. It is signposted for Firefox but can be used for Chrome and other browsers.

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The browser cache is a collection of files where data from web pages is cached, such as graphics and formatting information. Cookies are small files in which user data can be stored, e.g. log-in name etc. Here you will find further information on Wikipedia: Cache, Cookies.
Clearing your web browser's cache, cookies, and history periodically may prevent or resolve performance problems but before doing so, you may want to record some of your saved information first.

Clearing your web browser's cache, cookies, and history may remove data such as the following: Saved passwords, Address bar predictions (e.g., Chrome, Firefox), Shopping cart contents, etc.

In most computer-based web browsers, to open menus used to clear your cache, cookies, and history, press Ctrl-Shift-Delete (Windows) or Command-Shift-Delete (Mac). If this doesn't work, follow the appropriate instructions below.


Chrome

1. In the browser bar, enter: chrome://settings/clearBrowserData
2. Select the following:

   -Browsing history
   -Download history
   -Cookies and other site and plug-in data
   -Cached images and files

   From the Obliterate the following items from: drop-down menu, you can choose the period of time for which you want to clear cached information. To clear your entire cache, select the beginning of time.
3. Click Clear browsing data.
4. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser. For more information, please click this link.

Firefox

1. Click the menu button and choose Options.
2. Select the Privacy & Security panel.
3. In the Cached Web Content section, click "Clear Now".
4. Close the about : preferences tab. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved. For more information please click this link.

Microsoft Edge

1. Click the Hub icon (looks like three horizontal lines).
2. Click the History icon.
3. Click the link labeled Clear all history.
4. Check the boxes for each item you want to clear.
5. Click the Clear button. The message "All Clear!"

Internet Explorer 9 and higher

1. Select Tools > Safety > Delete browsing history.... (If the menu bar is hidden, press the ALT key to make it visible.)
2. Deselect Preserve Favorites website data, and select:

   -Temporary Internet files or Temporary Internet files and website files
   -Cookies or Cookies and website data
   -History

3. Click Delete. You will see a confirmation at the bottom of the window when the process is complete.
4. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser. For more information, please click this link.

Opera

1. From the Opera menu, select Settings, and then Delete Private Data....
2. In the dialog box that opens, select the items you want to clear, and then click Delete.
3. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser. For more information, please click this link.

Safari 8

1. From the Safari menu, select Clear History and Website Data....
2. Select the desired time range, and then click Clear History.
3. Go to Safari > Quit Safari or press Command-Q to exit the browser completely.

Safari 7 and below

1. From the Safari menu, select Reset Safari....
2. Select the items you want to reset, and then click Reset. As of Safari 5.1, Remove all website data includes both cookies and cache.
3. Go to Safari > Quit Safari or press Command-Q to exit the browser completely.

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The Flash Player also has a cache and it contains data stored by websites on your computer. There are several methods to clear the Flash Player cache.

1. Using the Flash Player Settings website
Simply click on the following link http://www.macromedia.com/support/do...manager07.html and then click on "delete all websites".

2. Using the Flash Player Settings Manager
Click using the right mouse button in the game and select "Global Settings ...". Change the tab to "Advanced" in the settings window and click on "Delete all".

3. Open your system control panel or preferences and open the Flash Player control panel. Select the Storage tab and click the "Delete All..." button. Please note that the "Advanced" tab also contains a "Delete All..." button and the behavior and functionality are identical. Verify that the "Delete All Site Data and Settings" checkbox is checked and click the "Delete Data" button.

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If you are having problems logging in or connecting to the game or if you encounter a lot of 404 error codes, you may need to clear your DNS cache. This will force your PC to retrieve the IP address of the game world for the new DNS information instead of retrieving it from the cache.

Windows

• Step 1: Open the Command Prompt

  *Windows XP: Click on the Start Menu and click Run.Type in cmd and hit enter.
  *Windows Vista/7: Type cmd in the search bar and hit Enter.
  *Windows 8: Press Win key (windows logo key) and X on your keyboard. Click on Command Prompt.
  *Windows 10: Press Win key + R.

• Step 2: Flush DNS

  Type ipconfig /flushdns and hit Enter.
  
  
  
  Job done!

Mac OSX

• Step 1: Open the Terminal

  *Navigate to Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal

• Step 2: Flush DNS - Type the following command and hit enter.

  *Mac OS X Yosemite and later
  -sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

  *Mac OS X Yosemite v10.10 through v10.10.3
  -sudo discoveryutil mdnsflushcache

  *Mac OS X Mavericks, Mountain Lion and Lion
  -sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
  *Mac OS X Snow Leopard
  -sudo dscacheutil -flushcache

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This is how you make a screenshot

A screenshot is a picture that shows everything being displayed on your screen the moment you take the screenshot. Screenshots can help support and developers better understand issues that are sent to them. It is not a substitute for a clear description of an issue but is more of an addition.

To take a picture of the screen or just a section is not difficult - just do the following.

1. Copy to clipboard

On your keyboard, find a key with “print screen”, “Drucken” or “PrtScr”. It may appear differently, depending on the keyboard. Usually this key is located in the top row next to the F12 key or nearby. To make a screenshot, press this key once at the precise moment you want to "save" what is currently displayed on your screen. It may appear as if nothing had happened but an image of your current screen will be copied to a clipboard at the moment you pressed the "print screen" button.

2. Paste image from the clipboard into a graphics program

You can do this by opening Paint via “Start -> All programs -> Paint” where you simply need to paste or copy the image. You can do this by pressing “CTRL" + "V” or by pasting it in via the edit function (right click and then choose the paste option from the drop down menu).

3. Edit screenshot (if needed)

Now, you can crop the picture or paint over player names if necessary.

4. Save screenshot

It is very important that you save your screenshot. In the upper left corner, click on File and select “save as” and choose the file format to save the picture. “JPEG” is recommended for most cases. The file name and the location in your computer where to save the screenshot is up to you.

You can also take screenshots with the Screenshot-Captor tool

Here a Guide for Screenshot-Captor

1. You can download the program “Screenshot-Captor” tool from the website below.
http://www.donationcoder.com/Softwar...eenshotcaptor/
This will be a *.exe file and will not need to be unzipped. Just run the .exe and it will install. If at the end of the installation a question bar or toolbar is option to be installed please remove the check-mark.

2. Open the program and minimize it into the taskbar

Icon in blue = No picture in the memory
Icon in red = picture in the memory
(Once you have used the “print” key the icon in your taskbar will change from blue to red and once it has been saved it returns to blue)

3. Open website of which you want to make a screenshot
4. Press the “print screen” key (usually in the upper right of your keyboard)

Now a new window will appear containing the screenshot and you are given a large number of options:

1. Discard
2. Print
3. Save as
4. Store in cache
5. Open the picture editor (opens the picture editor of Screenshot-Captor)
6. Into the editor and hidden
7. Thumbnail image picture editing
8. File name into the memory
9. Options
10. Send picture as mail

5. Upload the saved picture and integrate it on the forum. You can upload pictures to picture hosting websites such as Imgur or ImageShack.

You can also use the Windows integrated snipping tool

What is a snipping tool?
The snipping tool is a program which is preinstalled on Windows OS systems. This tool allows you to make a screenshot of sections of your screen instead of the whole screen. This is useful if you wish to exclude some information in your screenshot.

Where can I find it?
The snipping tool can be found using the internal windows search function. Just hit the Start button and type “snipping tool” in the search box. It is recommended to make a shortcut for the tool on the desktop.

How to take pictures with it:
1. Open the snipping tool when your ready to take a screenshot.
2. Click on "New Snip". The screen will be over-layed in white. Click and drag the mouse pointer to the area of your screen that you wish to take a screenshot of, then release.
4. After a short wait your screenshot will appear in a new window.
5. In this window, you will be able to highlight some information in your screenshot. You can select the highlighter or the pen in the upper bar and mark accordingly.
6. File -> save as… -> choose save directory.

Here are some videos demonstrating how to make screenshots:

Windows screenshot with Snipping tool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S22cpmcyNAc
Screenshots on a MAC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P57y-fH_y-E

Uploading pictures to the forum directly is not possible, therefore, you will need to make use of image hosting sites. You will have to upload your picture to an image hosting site (Imgur or ImageShack, etc.) and obtain the link / URL of the picture. You can then use the picture link / URL on the forum to post your picture.

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Uploading pictures to an image hosting site

Most image hosting sites (Imgur, Flickr, PhotoBucket, etc.) have clear instructions on how to upload pictures and what other options are open to you. However, the process for uploading pictures is similar with most of these sites.

In general, the process is as follows:

1. Open the image hosting site in your browser.
2. Locate and click the 'Upload Image' icon or something similar.
3. Click the 'Upload Files From Your Computer' button to choose the image from your computer.
4. Once located, double click the image and click 'Upload Image' to upload it to the image hosting site.

Inserting pictures into the forum

To insert a picture here in the forum you click on the picture symbol on the input screen:



The following window will open in which you can enter the link:



Now you press on “OK” and the following text will appear:




Here the part “Address to your picture link” should be replaced by the link you placed.
Now you can place further text before and behind the picture and can insert more pictures. These will be automatically embedded into your post.


Hopefully this helped and we wish you a lot of fun uploading pictures and placing them into the forum

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When you see this message, close the game and delete your browser cookies, browser cache and Flash Player Cache.

If this message still appears at the start of the game or when switching to an adventure zone, you must contact Support . This issue can be fixed by the support.

If you contact the support, please provide the details of the issue as accurately as you can.

• When did the zone error occur (date / time):
• If the zone error occurred first during an adventure (which adventure):
• Does the zone error only occur in the home zone? (Yes / No):
• What did you do last?
• Did you log-out then log-in?
• Did you delete your cookies, browser cache and Flash Player Cache?
• What is your Browser and browser version?
• What is your Flash Player Version?

Helpful links:

• How do I clear the browser cache & cookies?
• How do I delete the Flash Player cache?