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The Klik & Play FAQ, 10 August 1999, version 1.4
Created by Cosmo Bowden
Modifications by Sprite (sprite_gf@yahoo.com)
About the Klik & Play FAQ
This FAQ was originally written by Cosmo Bowden, who, I presume,
was part of Maxis Technical/Customer Support before Electronic Arts
took his job ^^;; and since Klik & Play is now available for
free download, I put his FAQ and his K&P Pack up for use. I
modified it a bit to make it more current, but otherwise most of
it is the same. If I receive enough requests I will add as many
tips I know of that were discussed at the old Silky's Klik &
Play site, but till then, enjoy!
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#1 on 19 August 1999
Formatted FAQ into HTML.
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General Questions and Answers I
How do I get a license and how much does it cost?
General Questions and Answers II
- What kind of games can I make with KNP?
Game Creation Questions I
- The Five Game Editors
- Where are they?
- What do they do?
Game Creation Questions II
- Random Numbers?
- Variables?
- Tips & Techniques
Game Creation Questions III
- How to get things done in KNP
- The Bugs + Patch
Technical Support I
- Screen/display problems!
- I'm getting an error message!
- KNP crashes!
Technical Support II
- Phones, Addresses, And people to contact when all else fails...
* NOTE: "KNP" is used throughout this document to represent
the "Klik & Play" game creation software produced by
Europress,distributed and supported in the United States by Maxis.
Want to see how to do things in KNP, or have a specific question
about something? You've come to the right place! This is the KNP
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and covers just about every possible
question that I've personally had, and scores more from all the
Klik & Play kids out there that have emailed me. Thanks go out
to all you loyal KNP game designers. Keep up the good work.
To "see" examples of how to do certain things with KNP, I also
have provided the KNP Examples Pack, which has little sample games
of things like how to click on a button to call up another frame,
or how to scroll objects. This "Examples Pack" & "FAQ" should
answer any question you could possibly ask, so read, re-read, and
re-read again this FAQ before contacting us, because the answer
will most likely be here. The FAQ & Examples Pack are available
as a single file download from the Maxis Web Page on the internet:
WWW.MAXIS.COM, or emailed to you as a last resort. Please try
the web page first.
[ Note: Maxis no longer supports Klik & Play anymore, so
the FAQ & Examples Pack is now available for download at Sprite's
Klik & Play Resource Center ]
The Examples Pack:
1. Buttons example 1, Click on a button to display text,
or jump to another level.
2. Buttons example 2, Frame control. Click on menu of buttons
to jump to different levels or frames.
3. Clickit, An example of how to click on an object to move
it to another square space or area.
4. FiveHits, an example of destroying an alien after shooting
it 5 times.
5. Platform, an example of how to jump on platforms, and
jump on top of a monster to squish him.
6. Questions, this example would allow you to play a game
if you answer 2 questions correctly.
7. Scrolling, the Scrolling example shows how to run through
an entire world outside of the play area.
8. Shootat, an example to show how the "shoot at" option
is used to direct the fireball at the monster.
9. TwoPlayers, Shows how two characters can be moved on the
screen at the same time controlled by two players using the keyboard.
When you double clicked on the KNPpack file from the diskette or
the file you downloaded from the internet, it installed the examples
and FAQ in the KNP folder, also giving you an option to change the
folder to one of your choice. If you let Klik & Play install
into the C:\KNP directory or folder, then the examples will be in
a folder called "KNPpack" in the KNP folder.
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General
Questions and Answers I |
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How do I get a license and how much does it cost?
I've just created this terrific game using Klik & Play, and
I've had all my friends and family test it, everyone is very impressed
and so I want to sell it for cash just like the big game companies!
You are allowed to GIVE all your friends, family, and even post
on the internet a copy of any game you make, but you can't
charge them for it. If you want to do that then...
If the game is super good, really fun and polished like the professional
games currently available then selling it could be very profitable.
But before you start selling or distributing your games for cash,
Europress (the
company that makes Klik & Play) requires that you have
the "developers license".
PLEASE NOTE: The Developers License must be purchased directly
from EUROPRESS. Maxis
does not sell, distribute, or give out the licenses. You will
need to contact Europress directly for the PRICE of the license
and licensing information. To reach Europress, SEE: pages II &
III of the Klik & Play users manual, and section 7 of this
FAQ.
Recently callers contacting Europress
have been told they need to upgrade to a more powerful game creator
program, which is the same price as the license. The games you
make with the new games creator program won't require a license
to sell them, and you can create even more professional games
with it. Contact Europress for more information.
[ The new programs are called Multimedia Fusion Express (formerly
Corel Click & Create) and Multimedia Fusion, and are not sold
by Europress, but by IMSI Software.
They are really cheap, under a hundred bucks. ]
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General
Questions and Answers II |
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>>What kind of games can I make with KNP?
What kinds of games can I make with KNP?
All kinds of games. The limit is your imagination. The limit
is your ability. And the final limit comes down to the 5 KNP game
creation editors that allow you to create your imaginations.
KNP was designed for everyone, and is priced incredibly low for
the amount of power that it gives you. However, there are some
limitations to what KNP can do. It can't scroll entire screens,
backgrounds, or Scenery. So to put it simply, a "Doom" or "Quake"
style game is out of the question. [ And it doesn't have a
"save game" function, or multiplayer over the internet, modem,
serial ports, or windows controls... ]
KNP was designed so that just about anyone of any age could learn
its editors, and create simple shoot-the-badguys or destroy-the-aliens
type of games. The better you become at using the editors, the
more you will start to notice that you can do some pretty impressive
& complex games.
Finally when you have mastered the editors, you can learn a little
about making your game complete, things to look for to make it
fun, and how to put a professional image on it.
(See: "5. Game Creation Questions III", below.)
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Game
Creation Questions I |
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>>The Five Game Editors, where are they?, what do they do?
First you should know certain terms:
A Quick Backdrop Object is just basically used for a screen
pattern or a solid color background like a black screen for example.
Characters that you create will not be able to detect collisions
with this backdrop you make. The background or pattern that you
make is placed once and is not moveable from within the game.
A Backdrop Object are all the objects that you make that
you want to have collisions be detected with. Like you could create
a border around your entire playfield and then make it a collision
backdrop object. This way when your moveable characters that you
create collide with the border you can issue a command to stop the
character from moving or bounce the character off the wall. Either
way you have effectively just stopped the character from leaving
your playfield. The Backdrop Object is not moveable from within
the game.
Active Objects are what you create for all your moveable
characters. You can assign a variety of movement patterns or logic
to the Active objects. They can detect collisions with each other
and with Backdrop Objects. You can make many frames for you animated
objects giving the illusion of the player running, or the many stages
of a bomb exploding for example.
A Text Object is a string of text that you can place wherever
you want on the screen. The Text Object editor allows you to select
from many different fonts, sizes, and characteristics.
A Questions Object allows you to design a dialog box with
a question that you can pose. Then you can list several answers.
The player can click on one of your answers in the list and if it's
right you can display a message or do something, if it's wrong you
have the same options. It's also used for buttons for the player
to select and jump to other frames. See: [KNP Examples Pack]
Score and Lives Objects allow you to setup and display
the players score and lives. Score and lives can be setup individually
for up to 4 players. I wouldn't suggest trying to have 4 people
control 4 players on the screen at the same time, it would be very
difficult at best. Score and lives can also be used for carrying
values over to other frames. See: [4. Q #4.]
A Counter Object is just a storage place that you can store
a number. The number can be very small or very large. You can have
the number hidden for your internal game use, or display the number
on the screen in the form of a number or a power bar. This object
is very useful for all kinds of things.
You may want to have a counter set to display as a number
for use as a timer that counts down to 0. Say your player just uncovers
a bomb from under a rock. You set the counter to 100, and start
decreasing it- the player sees the counter clicking down on the
screen. When it hits 0 you explode the bomb. If the player didn't
get away fast enough, then he's caught in the explosion. Or maybe
you would have an invisible or hidden counter that would
say keep track of how many hits the player takes before destroying
the players life. Start the counter at 10. Each time the monster
slashes the player subtract one from the counter, when it hits 0
then the player has been slashed 10 times and you could start up
the player destroyed animation sequence. Then decrease player lives
by one, and reset the slash counter to 10 for another go at it.
1. The Story Board Editor: This is where everything starts,
and is where you can view all the frames of your game. A "frame"
is one whole level of your game. It can be your whole game, or your
game may consist of completing one level then moving on to the next
frame until all frames are complete, or you may have set up your
levels so that if the player goes through a door on the right of
the player area- then level #5 is called for example. How you set
up the frames in your game is up to you and what kind of game your
trying to make. Every time you start up Klik & Play you will
start in this editor.
The StoryBoard editor is also where you can add an animation file
of the type ".FLI" and ".FLC". The AutoDesk Animation that you make
could be a nice introduction to each level or you could even set
up a big animated opening sequence like the professional games on
the market. If you're not familiar with this subject don't worry-
it's not needed to use KNP.
2. The Level Editor: This is by far one of the most important
editors, second only to the event editor, which is the single most
important editor in Klik & Play. You get to the Level editor
from the StoryBoard editor by right clicking with
the mouse on the actual frame that you want to edit. From
the menu that pops up, select level editor.
Now this is the editor where you can create, import, or select
one of the background images (supplied with KNP) for your playfield.
Or you can just use the white default screen, and concentrate on
just placing supplied animated objects on the screen and then learning
how to make them move by right clicking on that object and then
selecting object movement from the menu.
You can edit or make your very own animations for your games
characters. To edit a character right click on the
character and select edit animations. To createa character
from scratch, click on the Tools button, and select Create
New Active Object. Then use the editor that pops up to draw
your character. And finally the Level editor is used to display
and position text, and import a picture that you created
with a paint program saved as a .BMP file format. See: [4.
Q #9.] on color import problems.
The Level editor is also where you set and display Players Lives.
If you play around with the little pictures of your players lives
(the default is 3) you can have your own custom icon symbols for
your players lives. You can also set up counters for things like
energy levels and whether the counter will be displayed as digits
or as a bar graph.
If you have less than 4 players you can use the extra players
lives and scores to hold values to the next level or frame of
your game. See: [4. Q #4.]
3. The Step Thru Editor: This editor is by far the weakest
of all of them and I won't go into much detail here about it, but
here's a description of what it is for: The idea behind this editor
is that after placing your objects down and assigning movement to
them you then go to the stepthru editor creates conditions
in the Event editor for things that would happen in your game.
The editor simulates your game from the start, and gives you options
of what effects you want when conditions are met. When the ball
hits one of your objects that you placed on the playfield the stepthru
editor will give you a box of possible actions to select- then you
might select destroy object, and make a crashing sound.
There is no logic in the stepthru editor for creating your
objects off the playfield area and out of sight, then having the
character walk onto the playfield. There is no logic for creating
monsters randomly on the screen at different locations and different
times throughout your game. For each object that you have in your
game the stepthru editor creates all kinds of default conditions
in the event editor that you may never ever need, and then
have to delete!
I highly recommend that you learn the event editor really,
really well, and then never use the stepthru editor!
4. The Event Editor: Ahhhh, finally we get to the most powerful
editor in Klik & Play. This editor is the brains and operation
of your entire game. Want to create a monster off the screen and
then move him on to the playfield? Here is where you do the logic
for it. Want to create an alien every 10 seconds at a random place
on the playfield? Here is where you do the logic for it. Want to
have the player click on different buttons (that you created with
the animation editor) to start your game, change the games difficulty
level, go to a demo frame, or go to a frame where you display instructions
for you game?
Here is the final answer. Go to the Event Editor by clicking
on Game from the menu bar, then selecting Event Editor
from the menu that pops up. Your game will consist of a list of
conditions on the left, and across the top are the different objects
that you have created for your game. At first you may not see any
list because there is no logic created yet for your game. This is
your job and this is where the real challenge of making a serious
game comes in to play.
The basic idea is that you click on the big plus "+" sign
on the options bar to add a condition like when the ball collides
with the lamp. Clicking on the plus sign causes a window to pop
up that wants you to double click on the object to test. If you
created a ball in your game then go ahead and double click on the
ball. Now a menu of options for what you can test the ball with
will pop up. You would then select collisions, and then active
object, then double click on the object you want to test for
the collision with. (Like a lamp for example if you had made one).
Then presto! Your first conditional statement will appear on
your event list to the left.
Now follow that conditional line that you just made from cell to
cell going right until you get to the cell that is under the column
of the lamp. Right click this cell and a menu will pop up
giving you options of what you can do with the lamp, select destroy
and now you will notice that the cell now has a check mark
in it. If you roll the mouse arrow onto that cell where the
check mark is, a little description of what that check mark is will
pop up. (In this example the word "destroy" would be displayed).
Congratulations! You have now made a condition in the event
list that checks to see if the ball has collided with the lamp,
and if it has then the lamp will be destroyed. You can add the crash
sound effect by right clicking the very first cell on the condition
line that you made, (under the picture of the speaker facing left)
and a menu will pop up of options for sound effects. Select one
of the crash sound effects, and then presto- you now have a check
mark in the first cell for making a crashing sound WHEN the condition
that you made becomes true. When the game is running the
condition you made will become true when the ball
collides with the lamp, and then you will hear a crash sound,
and the lamp will be destroyed.
Things to know: On the top of this editor going to the right
are pictures of all the objects that you created in the level editor,
each one has it's own column going down. As you add conditions in
your event list on the left, another line of cells is created for
all the objects on the top. This way no matter what condition you
create- you will have a cell for each of your objects so that you
can do things with your objects if that particular condition is
met.
One important note is about the first four icons pictures
at the top that are always the same. These are game icon pictures
and handle the game control such as making a sound effect,
playing a music file, jumping from one level to the next,
or selecting any level that you want to jump to. Adjusting player
lives and score, and creating random numbers are all
done with these four key icon pictures.
From left to right: What looks like a speaker facing left,
this column is for adding sound effects and playing music scores.
What looks like a pair of paddles with a ball between them,
this column is for jumping to other levels, and for re-starting
the current level or ending the game. What looks like a cracked
egg, this column is for creating objects like an explosion or
a new monster on the screen somewhere. And finally what looks like
the face of a smiling kid with a baseball hat on, this column
is for changing the players score, lives, and disabling player control
so that the player can't move even though the mouse is rolling or
arrow keys pressed.
One last note, I can't possible tell you how to do everything
you need to know how to do in this FAQ. If you want to create
a very impressive, complex game, then you will need to learn the
editors very well first. The users manual may not be easy to
read, but you should read it. Also the information in this FAQ is
very useful. But what you really need to do- before creating that
game of your dreams is to learn all the editors really well, most
significantly the Event Editor. Your process of learning should
be to try everything, click on everything, add every possible condition
you can imagine into your event list, trying out every menus and
options in Klik & Play and eventually you will become very familiar
with how things work and then will be ready to tackle that awesome
game. Your learning process may be helped by making small test
games to get yourself familiar with and gain experience from
the process. A good starting point is to follow the Toyland example
tutorial included on the CD ROM version of KNP.
5. The Animation Editor: This editor is where you can edit
the existing animated (or non-animated) characters in your game,
or you can make your very own. This editor is started only from
within the Level Editor, and to edit a character just right
click on the character and select "Edit Animations" from
the menu that pops up. You can make your very own character from
scratch by clicking on the "Tools" button (in the lower left
corner of the Level editor) then selecting Create New Active
Object.
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Game
Creation Questions II |
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>>Random Numbers? Variables? Plus: Tips & Techniques.
NOTE: This entire section presumes that you know the EVENT EDITOR
pretty well, or at least are experimenting around in that editor.
All the discussion and examples below use and reference the Event
editor, or take place in that editor, and presume that you know
how to do the basic things like create a condition and place an
action for that condition in the editor.
I'm trying to create a random number between 0 and 10, but
the manual has me lost. How do I create a random number?
Random numbers are created and used in the Event editor.
You should become familiar with this editor and know how to create
a "Counter Object" in the level editor first.
The KNP random number generator creates a range of numbers that
is between "0" and one less than the number you specify. For example
you want a number that is between "0" and "10" then you must specify
your random number as "11". And here's how:
- Create a counter object in the level
editor. Name it "Random Number".
- Go to the Event editor and click
on the "+" sign to add a new condition to the event list.
- Double click on the picture of the
wrench and select "always", (which means that random numbers
will be continually created during the game). You will notice
that a condition has been added to your event list that says:
"Always".
- Now follow this line out to the
"cell" or "box" (in the column of the counter object named Random
Number) right click on this box and select "set counter" from
the menu list.
- Erase the "0" (zero) shown in the
box and click on the button labeled "Edit".
- Click on the button labeled "Retrieve
data from object".
- Double click on the picture of the
wrench again and select "Generate a random number".
- Enter the number "11" which
will create a random number in the range of "0" to "10". Klik
and play creates a random number from "0" to one less than the
number you specify ("11" - "1" = "10").
- Your expression will now say "random[11]".
Click on "ok" again and now you will see that the box under the
counters column has a check mark in it for creating a random number
between 0 and 10.
- The event list of all your conditions
(including the one you just created) cycles again and again as
long as your game is running, so in effect you are setting the
counter to a random number all the time. You can now use this
random number to do whatever it is that you created the random
number for.
Some uses for a random number: As an event starter, say after
the player destroys a monster you might want a random amount of
time to pass before another monster appears on the screen. Perhaps
you want to start from 1 to 10 monsters per level. Placing monsters
at random places on your playfield, (random x and y coord's.,
or starting positions). These are just a few things a random number
is used for.
What the heck are "Alterable Values" or "Variables"?
What are they good for, and how do you set them up with values?
These are great little storage areas for like keeping track of
the things in a game. All Active Objects have a set of variables
A, B, and C. You can plug these with either positive or
negative numbers. Your player for example has these, and lets
say for example to complete the level your character has to fight
through a horde of monsters, to get to a key, then fight through
another obstacle to use the key on a door which leads to a room
where you search for and find the gem, at which point you go to
the end area of the level and warp to the next level.
Now lets say the player can go to that end area of the level
anytime, and how are you going to know if your character has all
the requirements to complete the level when he goes to that area?
Well you would know because you would check the "A" variable in
the event editor to see if it's set to a "1", which would indicate
that he has gotten the key. All values are assigned "0" at the
start of all frames or levels. When the player got the key, you
would have a condition in the event editor that sets the characters
"A" variable to a "1". The "B" variable could be set to a "1"
when the player uses the key to enter the room, and the "C" variable
when the player finds the gem. Now you only have to have one condition
in the event editor like: Alterable Value 'A' = 1 + Alterable
Value 'B' = 1 + Alterable Value 'C' = 1. Then you would click
on the box in the "game paddles" column and add a condition to
jump to the next level. (or whichever level you want). You set
a value for the A, B, and C values by right clicking on your objects
cell and select "Values".
I'm doing this game where my character collects things and needs to
hold these over from one level (or frame) to the next. I'm using the
Alterable Variables A, B, and C for my objects and storing the jewels,
and gold my player character collects in his A, B, and C variables
but every time my character finishes the level and then he is on the
next level all the values are gone! Completely "0". Big fat 0's for
all values. What am I doing wrong? Is this a bug?
Yeah I've had somewhat agitated KNP kids email me about this
one. Quite frankly KNP should have allowed for this glaring little
problem. Technically it's not a "bug" but it sure bugs me too.
BUT hey- all is not lost! The players score and lives values
do indeed carry over from frame to frame. THANKFULLY there
are 4 players, and each player has one score values and one lives
value. This means that a one-player game will leave 3 players
lives and score values free. That's 6 or six, no matter how you
slice it, different values that can hold over from one level to
the next.
[ In addition to this, you can store more than one value into
a live/score value using the modulus/division functions. Look
at the MOD Demo in Sprite's Klik & Play Resource Center. ]
How do I setup up more than one player in my game? There doesn't
seem to be an option for it anywhere! I want up to 4 people to have
turns and each player needs to have their own score and lives.
Yes. You're quite right, this is not clear but the answer
probably is hidden in the users manual somewhere. You can set
up your very own animated 4 player characters, assign movement,
and "moved by" options, but I would suggest not trying to have
them all controlled and moving out on the playfield by 4 players
all at once. Theoretically possible using a combination of two
Joysticks, a mouse and the keyboard all at the same time, but
how many people would be able to use your game? Don't call me
if you're attempting to do this.
Anyway to add players, or to just use their score and
lives values you simply create a new active object. I would
click on Tools then on Create Active Object, then in the
Animation editor edit the first frame, select the fill tool, select
the color black and fill the box. This way you will have a black
box Active Object. Click ok place it anywhere then "right click"
on that object and select Movement. Select 8-way movement and
ok. Then right click again on that object, select movement again
and BAM! There it is, the option to move the object by another
player. Select Player 2, and you now have a new head in the
event editor. Did you just say head? Yup there is now a smiling
boy with a baseball hat on labeled "Player 2". You can now plug
those score and lives values with numbers.
If you are setting up multiple players then just delete
that black block you created and go use your animated characters,
you now know how to setup more than one player.
If you are setting up additional values to hold over
from one frame or level to the next then you should follow
the above example for each player until you have set up 4 players.
(or whatever number of value storage locations that you need)
When you're done you should have 3 black boxes and one player
character. Each black box will be needed to keep the Score &
Lives counters for the game. You have now setup 4 smiling little
heads in the event editor, which you can use to store hold over
values from one frame to the next.
I can't seem to end the current level. I have a condition that
checks all aliens have been destroyed in the event editor, but when
I shoot all the aliens the level still doesn't end, help!
A: Did I mention somewhere in this document about bugs? Well
you never really know about these things. If you're sure that
there isn't some extra aliens hanging out just off the screen
where you can't see them when your playing the game, (which means
you haven't destroyed them all) then you might as well set up
a counter in the level editor, and call it "aliens
left". Set it to the number of aliens to destroy in your game.
In the event editor every time you shoot an alien and
issue the "destroy" check mark, put a check mark in the new counter
column's box to subtract one from the "aliens left" counter.
Put a condition in the event editor to check the
status of this counter and see if it has dropped to zero.
Your condition line might say "if Aliens Left counter = 0" and
then you would put a check mark in the game paddles column
to "end the game", or "jump to next level".
I'm trying to make a game with two players battling each other
with swords, and I am wondering how to make the swords stay in
the characters hands.
A: I would suggest making the swords and the character one
piece instead of two. It would be a lot easier to keep track
of and animate the sequences. If I were going to do this type
of game that is the logic I would use in starting it. See also
the KNP Example Pack, which has a sample of two characters
that can move on the screen at the same time being controlled
by two human players. The player using the arrow keys has
much better movement ability.
I have an animated explosion that is several frames long.
The explosion always leaves some garbage behind on the screen. How
do I clean that up?
Put in a condition in the event editor to check
for the last frame of the animation minus one. So if the
animation is 10 frames long, then you would put a condition to
check if the "current frame of the animation = 9" then issue the
destroy check mark under the explosion column.
How do I get a sound track to play in the background while
the game is running?
A: In the event editor create a new condition line called
"Start of Level" (event editor "+" then double click on
the game paddles). Then in the very first box on the line you
just created you can add a check mark for playing a midi or wave
file. (".mid" & ".wav"). A midi file is generally music, while
wave files are usually for sound effects, like a bell, or clap
sound. The check mark that you create to play the ".mid" file
will start up the music as soon as you start the game ("Start
of Level") and continues until the music is over.
I'm importing a graphic to use in my game but the colors
of my image do not seem to come through correctly in KNP.
One thing to check is what color depth your computer is
set at, (which is also what KNP will be running in) and see if the
conflict is there. For example: Your computer is set to 256 colors,
but the image you're trying to import is a 16 million color image,
well there is the problem. Switch your computer to 16 million colors,
start KNP and import image. KNP does support file formats other
than ".BMP". There is also a special procedure you can try if you
are still having import color problems. See: Page 116 users manual.
The Event editor seems difficult, any advice on how to get things
done?
Tricks & Tips of the trade:
- You can delete a condition line
by dragging the number in front on the line to the trash can.
- You can create a new condition by
clicking on the plus "+" sign, or by right clicking on the basic
condition line called "New Condition". (This line is always in
the event list and never goes away.)
- You can test your game by clicking
on the "right triangle" with the "00:00" above it.
- If your computer is set to 800x600
screen resolution and you test your game in the event editor (see:
#3 above) then you will be able to see your entire play area PLUS
the outside area around the play area. This is great for testing
you game that has objects that start off the screen and then move
on. This way you can see your objects off the sides of the screen
as you play your game.
- You can set how big or small the
grid size is by clicking on "Edit" then select "Preferences".
- You can (and should) go to the Preferences
and make sure that "Show empty events from Step Through editor"
IS CHECKED. And the other two options listed in that same area
should be UNCHECKED.
- Click on the "Info" button to find
out memory usage and information about your game objects.
- You can very quickly make conditions
for events by simply dragging the picture of your object from
the top of the event columns to the line in the event list labeled
"New Condition". This will pop up a list of things you can do
with that object. For instance try dragging the picture of the
game paddles to the New Condition event line. A menu will pop
up with the ability to add a condition to check for the start
or end of level. The speaker icon is the only one that I know
of that doesn't work this way. This dragging method can be a lot
faster and more direct than click on the plus sign, then location
the object to test, then creating the proper condition.
- If you just want to set some things
up once at the very beginning of the level or frame, then add
a condition called "Start of Level" and put the things you want
done on that condition line.
- You should group items of similarity
together in your event list for keeping track of things and keeping
your list clear and easy to edit. For example you could group
all collision checking event lines together.
- You can display a readout of any
of the counters or values of the internal objects values by creating
a counter called status, displaying it on the play area as numbers,
then creating a condition to always set that counter to the "A"
value (for instance) of one of your objects. This way you can
always "see" the values displayed on your screen as you test the
game.
- To continuously plug a status counter
with a number or value, click on the "+" to add a new condition,
then double click on the wrench and select "Always". You can "plug"
a status counter with a value of an object by using that "always"
condition you just created, and clicking the cell under the counter,
select "Set Counter", clear out the "0", click on the "edit" button,
then on "Retrieve data from object", then double click on the
object to get the value from, finally clicking on the value that
you want displayed. (A, B, C value for example). This will setup
a condition that constantly displays the value.
|
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Game
Creation Questions III |
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>>How to get things done in KNP and The Bugs + Patch.
I've made a few "games", but they don't seem to be that much
fun or professional or complete. How do I get my game to look like
the professional games that people buy?
Making a "game" is more than just putting some monsters on the
screen and having your "player character" shoot them up.
All games consist of 3 basic elements. A starting place. Game
play. The end game.
The starting place is where your game starts. Do you want
to have an animation introduction with a musical score playing
as you present your game in a professional opening sequence? Do
you want a title screen where the game player can select options
that effect the game?
The game play is the actual mechanics of what you want
to happen out on the playing field. How does the game begin? What
is the sequence of events that you want to unfold? What kind of
timing considerations do you need? What are the main goals and
accomplishments and rewards of the game? What causes the game
to end or call the next frame? (i.e.: next scene to unfold, or
end game)
The end game is where the game is finished in a logical
fashion. What causes the game to end? Do you want a fancy animation
when the player has used up his last life? Do you want to give
the player options or just return to the title screen to select
another game? Do you want to do an end of the game sequence of
animations?
Now that you have made your game "complete" you can focus on
fun and polish.
The fun comes in when the player is getting something
out of the game. The exciting journey or quest the player is on,
rewards for completing tasks, finding hidden treasures, solving
puzzles, and discovering things are all good examples of fun
stuff. Forcing the player to do something, which is too hard,
not clear, or otherwise tedious and difficult is considered examples
of "not fun stuff". Levels that are hard to jump up on,
areas that are hard to get into, your player getting "stuck" in
places, and bad movement of the player due to the way you control
the player via keyboard, mouse or joystick are also examples of
not fun stuff.
The polish comes in when you make everything "look good"
and work right. Your title screen should look good and not look
like it was created by a 3-year-old (unless you are a 3 year old).
You should have nice looking "buttons" to click on with the mouse
to select logical options. Things should look clear, and run clean
& smooth. You can add instructions for you game, and a demo
mode that automatically shows your game in action.
With all these elements in effect you too can create a professional
polished game. Why not holler out and give it a go?
BIG QUESTION!!! I want to know how to move objects around, but
without assigning any movement to them. I want to control their movement,
but I don't want the "Path" movement, and I don't want the "Ball"
movement. I want to be able to assign "Static" movement so that they
won't move on their own. Then I want to move the objects just a little
way on the screen and stop, then change direction move a little ways
then stop, etc…
This is mainly for advanced users who want total control over
the objects movement. All objects have an X-coord and a Y-coord.
that correlate to the actual position of the objects on the screen.
Your screen is 640 pixels or dots wide, and 480 pixels or dots
tall. Now when the object is in the upper left corner of the playfield,
the X & Y positions will probably be something like 5,5. If
the object is in the lower right corner of the playfield then
the objects X & Y coordinates might be something like 580,460.
You can move an object across the screen by simply increasing
or decreasing the X-coord. by a small amount. Increasing the X-coord.
by 8 pixels by adding a conditional line in the event editor,
will cause the object to zip from left right across the screen.
This is a totally advanced technique for moving objects and you
should not even attempt to do this kind of thing unless you are
very familiar with the event editor. Also I'm not going into any
detail here on how to do this kind of thing. What you need to
do is just play around with the event editor and with setting
coordinates for objects. Eventually you will figure out how to
do X/Y coordinate adjustments. You can study the KNPpack Scrolling
example to see this type of movement in action. Please don't call,
email or ask in any way for more information on this. You will
just need to learn these techniques on your own.
Bug Hit Parade [ Note: Many of these bugs no longer
exist anymore as this FAQ is relevant to version 1.1, not the latest
version 1.2o. ]
The BUG #1:
PLEASE NOTE: there are some known conflicts or "bugs"
in knp, but most of them are minor. HOWEVER THERE IS ONE THAT
CAN CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO YOUR GAME, AND MAY MAKE YOUR GAME
CRASH AND BECOME UNRECOVERABLE SHOULD YOU SAVE IT AFTER IT HAS BECOME
CORRUPTED.
If your game is pretty large, and you create an active
object in the "level editor", then create several events in
the "event editor" with references to the active object , or linking
it to other active objects , then go back to the "level editor"
and delete the active object, you can cause serious problems
because the "event editor" still had references to
the object.
BOTTOM LINE:
ALWAYS DELETE ALL REFERENCES, EVENTS, AND LINKS FOR AN ACTIVE
OBJECT IN THE "EVENT EDITOR" BEFORE DELETING THE OBJECT IN THE "LEVEL
EDITOR". I.E.: No check marks in the column of the object to be
deleted.
The BUG #2:
This is the "empty event line bug" in which you have created a
condition line in the Event editor which has no actions associated
with it. I've found very strange things can happen, including getting
an error message that crashes your game. I found this one because
I added a condition in the event editor to check for a collision,
but then I never put any check marks for it- so what I had was an
"empty event line". Then when I went to test my game, some stupid
error message popped up and my game crashed then I had re-start
KNP, and re-load my game. Then it kept happening, so eventually
I figured out that I had a condition line with no actions happening
on it, so I just deleted that condition line- and everything worked
just fine after that. I've also had kids send in their games because
something wasn't working the way it should, and after deleting empty
condition lines things would work. The story here: If you create
a condition line in the event editor- make sure you assign at least
on check mark action on that line.
The BUG #3:
This is an incorrect movement bug that happens when you select
Platform style of movement for the players character. This happens
when you place an active object (moveable character) on to the playfield
area, and then right click on that object and select "Movement",
then click on the option "Select movement", and from the movement
selection screen click on "Platform movement". This will setup the
players movement for a platform style game, where you can setup
levels, and ladders. Then place a background object down about an
inch or two below the character and make it an collision obstacle.
Well that's all very good and everything, but when you go to test
or play your game you will notice that the character takes off rapidly
towards the bottom of the screen, goes right through the obstacle,
and then actually goes right off the screen and is gone for good.
I've noticed this happens after I've placed my character, then selected
platform movement, then soon as I place another active object on
the screen then this bug always happens- even after I ran the patch.
Nothing you change about the characters attributes makes any difference.
Uncheck the moving at start- no difference, set the initial movement
direction to anything other than down- it makes no difference. I
even checked this on other computers to make sure it wasn't just
my computer.
The solution on this one is pretty simple. Create your levels (platforms)
that the player will be walking and jumping on as background objects.
Then right click on the platform object you just made. Select "Obstacle"
and make sure "Yes" is checked. Next place one or more of these
levels on the screen (like all the way across the bottom of the
playfield). Next place the character a couple inches above that
platform.
Next go to the Event editor and create a condition to detect a
collision between the character and the backdrop. (See section 3.
Game Creation: #4. Event Editor for useful information). Next, on
that same condition line that you just created find the column for
the player (little picture at the top of the event editor that looks
like the character you created for your player) and in the cell
under that column (and on the condition line you just made) right
click on the cell and select "Movement", and then click on "Stop".
Now a check mark will appear in that cell to stop the player if
it's colliding with the platform (level backdrop) that you created
earlier. Now go and test your game.
Your character will immediately take off towards the bottom of
the screen, but since you now have a platform there, AND have put
a condition in the event editor for the character colliding with
it, the character will drop the two inches from above and stop right
at the very top edge of the platform. Your character can now walk
left or right and jump up on to other platforms you have placed
as well.
The BUG #4:
The "display priority bug": I'd say the scrolling example from
the KNP Example Pack really shows the problem perfectly, or rather
it showed me the problem early in the development. Basically I would
issue the "destroy" command in the event editor when the objects
left the play area completely, and I would be creating objects to
enter the play area. Ala Le Scrollin Exampl Per Cosmo
Well this was working great, only when the newly created mountain
range scrolled behind the running man- it did just the opposite.
The mountain segment had lost its display priority of being behind
the running man and as such it scrolled in front of him. So I quickly
learned that if you want to have display priority for your objects
you can not destroy them, then must always remain active.
As such you won't find a single create or destroy check mark anywhere
in the entire listing (in the event editor) for any of the objects
in the scrolling example.
The BUG #5:
The "lost object bug": You can create objects and assign them the
"path" movement and then place them off the screen with a path on
to the screen. They will move on just fine. But I don't use "path"
movement hardly ever. I find it quite limiting. I don't use it for
the scrolling example in the Example Pack.
The lost object bug: Scrolling example again. This time I'm creating
the objects outside the play area like some distance from the side
of the screen. I was experimenting with having them all lined up
outward from the left side of the screen and outward from the right
side of the screen. Then I set the guy in motion. Walking right,
things seemed to scroll on going left ok, but walking left and nothing
was appearing. The objects were lost.
I knew something was up, so I experimented around. Finally the
answer is this. You can't create an object that is anywhere off
on the left edge and scroll it on (unless you are using "path" movement)
but if just one little edge of the object is just barely touching
the screen edge then the object will appear and scroll on. So that's
what it finally came down to. I create the objects that are going
to scroll on to the play area, right on the very edges of the screen
and it works perfectly. I love this game designer program KNP even
if it is a little problematic.
The BUG #6:
The common household everyday bug. You'll run into lots of these
if you are into computers, games, programs, software, etc. And you'll
probably find things don't always work right in KNP either. Off
hand comes to mind the "shoot an object" ability in the event editor.
Although very nicely automated to launch the projectile with a simple
check mark in the box- it doesn't always work. Or to be honest,
it sometimes stops working.
I've had two kids that have sent me their games now and everything
was just fine in the games, but after shooting about a half dozen
or so objects the shooting sound would still come on- but no objects
would be shooting. The event editor showed that these kids were
doing nothing wrong, but the shoot object function of KNP just stopped
working. So I take that check out, and instead I have the object
appear on top of the object launcher, then set the direction of
the projectile to the direction that the launcher is facing. Finally
issuing a command to start the object moving. Basically just doing
manually what was being done automatically by the one "shoot an
object" check mark.
You're going to run across some bugs yourself no doubt, but keep
in mind with your creative and inventive mind you will always find
a way around the problem to accomplish what you are trying to do.
Just like I've demonstrated with this, and the last 2 bug examples
above.
The BUG #7:
Actually this is not so much of a bug, but rather is a limitation
factor to Klik & Play: You may have set up several counters
storing important numbers or statistics of your game (like how many
diamonds the player has in his inventory, or how many monsters the
player has slain). Then when the player finishes the current frame,
you transport the player to another frame in the game for the quest
to continue, only surprise, surprise- all your counters are 0! Bummers
dude.
Actually there is a way to transport key numbers from one level
to the next. Counters and Player Variables (A, B, and C) are
not transferable between levels, however the players score and
lives are. Since you can have up to four players, you can effectively
store important numbers in the players score & lives. You may
already be using players #1 score & lives, and that fine. In
the next frame they will still have the players score and lives
totals. If you are not using players 2, 3, and 4, then you can use
those players scores and lives to store important numbers for keeping
from frame to frame.
See: [4. Q #4.] for more information on this.
For instance plug the number of diamonds that the player has accumulated
into players 2 score. Plug the number of monsters slain into players
2 lives. Then jump to the next frame. Now you will still have those
numbers available to continue to add diamonds to the players inventory
total or monsters slashed to that total. This would give you 6 storage
areas to hold over numbers from frame to frame. Since you're not
using players 2, 3, and 4 then you're not displaying their scores
or lives totals on the screen either- so in effect the numbers of
your inventory won't be seen by the player. Of course you could
display those inventories or statistics on the screen if you wanted.
The PATCH: (it doesn't fix the above mentioned buggies-
it's for other stuff)
Europress has a patch that is available from their web page on
the Internet. It updates Klik & Play from 1.0 to 1.1, but I
haven't found this patch to do very much for me. If you are having
problems with video display or with the speed of your game this
patch may help, I should clarify these two areas though. For a display
problem, like you only get a blank screen or the display doesn't
look right you should first consult the sections 6 and 7 (below)
of this FAQ for technical support information and see if there is
something you can try before contacting Maxis.
If after talking with a live tech (or getting an email response
from a tech) we have determined that you need that patch then I
would suggest using it, otherwise your video or sound related problem
may simply be due to outdated drivers. You might however try running
the KNP setup program again, and then changing the video drivers
that are used internally by Klik & Play. See: [6. Q #4]. By
default when KNP installs into Windows3.1 or Windows95 it uses it's
own set of internal highly optimized windows drivers, however they
are not always 100% compatible with your computers video capabilities.
Strangely enough many crash problems can be directly blamed on
your computer system using older sound card drivers as well. Anyway,
see the tech support sections below, try things, if you still need
help call, if all else fails you can download the patch from the
Europress web page, or we can send it to you via email or on diskette.
If you just want to run the patch it certainly wouldn't hurt anything
perhaps it may even improve the way Klik & Play runs under Windows
95, but then again it may not solve your video or sound problem
in which case you'll still need some technical support from us or
this FAQ may solve your problems.
The patch comes with a help text file, and it does mention that
the patch adds the ability for your game to run at the same speed
on all computers. So if you made your game on a slow computer, and
I play it on a super fast computer then game will run at the same
speed on both computers- that way when I play your game I won't
have the monsters and everything flying all over the screen at super
fast speeds preventing me from enjoying your game! [ This is
done by adding an active object, naming it "Machine Independant
On" without quotes, and with that exact spelling. ]
[ Note: The patch is available on the developer's website, ClickTeam,
at http://www.clickteam.com/.
There are patches for all international versions of Klik & Play.
]
|
>>No Display! Or I'm getting an error message! Or KNP crashes!
Whenever I select the option to play my game as finished, or even
when testing my game I can never seem to get the whole play area
on the screen. The sides are slightly cut off and I'm missing the
top or bottom or both top and bottom edges of my playfield are cut
off. How can I get the whole play area to show up?
This is a known situation with KNP when your resolution is set
to 640x480. If you set your computers resolution to 800x600 you
can see the whole play area in the level editor as you are making
your game AND when you play the game you will notice that the
whole play area shows up on the screen as well.
However, if someone else's computer is set to 640x480
and they want to play your game then you're right back to square
one. Your games edges may be missing or incomplete as the player
uses your game.
THE SOLUTION: In the Story Board Editor click on Edit
(from the menu bar) then select Game setup from the drop down
menu. In the Game setup dialog box half way down there is an outlined
area labeled Window. Make sure that all boxes are unchecked
except the one labeled Maximized on boot up. In that same
area you should see a Size: setting right above the Border color
button. This size setting should be set to 640 by 480.
Now when a person plays your game they will see the whole play
area. Unfortunately unchecking those boxes means that the
game will not have a menu bar for the player to click on while
using your game to get to things like your instructions, or on
File then Exit (for example) to exit your game. Yup, no menu bar.
That is the draw back, however you can put a condition in the
Event Editor to check for the player pressing the Esc key and
if the player did press that key you could issue the command to
exit your game and return to windows so that the player can get
control of their computer back.
For instructions- instead of using the built in KNP instructions
system you could make a title screen for your game with buttons
to click on for starting the game, buttons for a demo of your
game or setting difficulty levels, and a button for an instructions
screen that you could create which would display text about how
to play your game. Learn Klik & Play, then take control of
your destiny.
I'm installing the KNP Updater "Patch" that I got from the Europress
web page, and I'm getting an error message: "KNPRES.DLL in use, close
all programs try again" and it won't update Klik & Play.
KNPRES.DLL is a windows linked file, and when you start windows
it may be linked into the system so that windows "thinks" it is
being used- but actually it isn't. OR you may have KNP running,
in which case you need to exit KNP then run the updater, then
re-start KNP. If this doesn't work exit, and re-start windows
and try the updater again. Sill not working? OK, find the file
(using Explorer or File Manager) and DELETE IT. The updater writes
a newer version of the file anyway.
I'm getting an error message, says something like: "Divide by 0 error",
or "Insufficient Memory", or my level, frame, or event editor wont
load or work. I have lots of memory, what's wrong?
A: These are all related problems. Basically your computer is
probably trying to multitask too many things. In order to troubleshoot
this problem you need to "shut off" all applications running in
the background, shut off screen savers, make sure your resolution
is in 640x480 with 256 colors, and end any virus protection programs
or third party shells. The level, frame, or event editor not loading
could be due to other circumstances like an empty event condition,
or corrupted game file due to deleting objects in the level editor
without FIRST deleting the conditions for it in the Event editor
See: [5. Bugs section, and 6. Last Information]
For information on how to shut down screen savers, background
applications, and setting resolution + KNP optimized video drivers
see (and follow) the following several questions below.
There's something wrong with my video display I think, sometimes KNP
just crashes on me when I go to one of the editors, it's either jerky,
slow, I get an error message, or I don't even get a display it's just
blank!
Do the usual logical reasoning and start with the basics. Make
sure your computers resolution is set to 640x480 and color depth
of 256 colors. Make sure programs running in the background taking
up valuable system resources are closed down properly and completely.
Like screens savers. See the next question immediately following
this one for a complete list of steps you should undertake when
it comes to video, and or sound problems. Then come back here
and try this procedure an additional technique, IF those
things you tried didn't work:
You will need to run the program called "Setup.exe" off the KNP
CD and then click on the button that says "Re-install selected
graphic, sound and game files", then on the button that says "Change
graphic mode" then in the dialog box if the "Klik & Play driver
(recommended)" option IS SELECTED you can click on the other option
for "Standard Windows driver" to change the drivers from KNP specialized
drivers to generic windows drivers, and click on the "OK" button.
This may solve your problem. If not you may need to get older
video card drivers on your computer updated from the manufacturer
of your video card. If the generic windows driver is the one already
selected you might try switching to the KNP specialized drivers
and try those.
I'm getting an error message similar to this: "KNP caused a General
Protection Fault (GPF) in module USER.EXE at <some numbers>".
Exit Windows, restart Windows (this gets windows resources back
up again), then turn off any screen savers you may have on (like
After Dark, Imaginaria, or any screen savers that came with windows),
and shut down any applications you may have open. (After Dark
and screen savers in general should be setup so that they are
not active when windows starts up.) Then try starting KNP again.
For Windows 95 right click on your desktop background image and
select "Properties", then click on the "Screen Saver" tab, and
in the selected "Screen Saver" box, click on the down arrow to
list the screen savers available, scroll to the top of the list
and click on "none". Next check to see that your resolution is
640x480 and 256 colors by clicking on the last tab labeled "Settings"
and then switch to that resolution which is the best resolution
for KNP to work in and for your games to be compatible on everyones
computers.
For Windows 3.1 you should double click on the "main group" from
the program manager, and then double click on the "windows setup"
icon, and make sure that the top display line indicates that you
have a driver which is set to 640x480 256 colors or 640x480x256
or something to that effect. If it's a generic windows driver
it might just say "vga" or "vga3.0".
*In Windows 95 you should check to see what applications are
running by looking at the task bar (the one with the start button
on it), and if any applications appear on that bar then right-click
on the name and select "close" to shut down that application.
Then while holding down the "Ctrl" key and the "Alt" key, give
the "Delete" key a tap to display the "Close Program" window.
Select all programs one at a time, and click on "End Task" to
stop that program from running, and possibly conflicting with
Klik & Play. EXCEPTIONS: You can leave "Explorer",
"Systray", and "Mapisp32" if they appear there since those are
needed by Windows 95.
*In Windows 3.1 you can check to see what applications are open
by pressing both the "Ctrl" key + "Esc" key at the same time,
which brings up a "task list" window. If anything other than "Program
Manager" is there, then highlight that application and select
"end task" until each program is terminated, but leave Program
Manager there. EXCEPTIONS: When you have a Desktop Main
icon that you click on to open the Program Manager window, (or
opens a window that has the Program Manager icon in it) then you
will have two items that show up in the "task list" window for
the two icons. You can leave those.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*NOTE: The next time you start either Win 95, or Win
3.1, all the programs you may have closed down will all be back
and will show up in the "Close Programs" window, or the "task list"
window again. The changes you made were only temporary.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm getting a "write error" when trying to save my games sometimes,
which prevents me from saving all the work I've just put into this
game. How can I stop this from happening?
Check to see that you have at least 10 MB of hard disk space.
Your "hard disk" is the disk in your computer that stores all
your games. Windows (and KNP) needs temporary space for storing
files so always keep 10 MB free + 1 to 10 more for your game which
could grow to use quite a bit of disk space. Also make sure that
you're not trying to save your game to the KNP CD ROM or KNP DISKETTES.
This could result in a similar type of message.
I'm getting a "read error" when trying to load a game that I've saved
before. I just can't get it to load in, how can I?
Check for free hard drive space (see above), and if loading your
game from a floppy diskette then make sure it is in the disk drive.
If your game is still having trouble loading, then exit KNP, and
exit Windows, re-start Windows, re-start KNP and try it again.
Also see above for how to shut off other programs that could be
causing conflicts with KNP.
No luck? That means your file (game) has probably become corrupted.
Hopefully you were saving a backup copy that you can now retrieve-
otherwise your game is most likely unrecoverable and you will
have to start over from the beginning. Always save a backup copy
(or several) at different points of creating your game. That way
if you game file becomes corrupted you can load an older backup
copy and you will only lose your most recent work and not the
whole game.
[ Note: If your game is corrupted, ask the developers at ClickTeam
to see if they are able to repair it for you. ]
I'm trying to install KNP and I'm getting this error message that
"KNP caused a GPF in module KNPS.DLL or KNPG.DLL" and I'm not able
to continue the installation.
The two files already exist on your computer, and so they need
to be deleted for the installation to continue. This might be
because you had the demo version on your computer before.
In Windows 95 click on the start button, then select "find files",
and enter "KNP*.DLL". The two files "KNPS.DLL and KNPG.DLL" should
be there. Highlight the two files that are there and delete them.
If you get an error message that the files are already in use
by windows, exit to DOS and delete the files from there. Note:
Write down the directory path that is before the file names.
(i.e.: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\KNPS.DLL)
In Windows 3.1 start "file manager" and click on "File", then
select "Search..." and in the box enter "KNP*.DLL". Make sure
the search from box says "C:\". Click on ok, or hit the Enter
key, and when the search finds the two files "KNPS.DLL and KNPG.DLL"
highlight them, hit the "Delete" key and answer "yes" to delete
them. If you get an error message that the files are already in
use by windows, exit to DOS and delete the files from there. Note:
Write down the directory path that is before the file names.
For DOS: Make sure that you completely exited windows and are
not just using a "dos prompt in windows". Now at the real DOS
prompt type in "CD" and a space, then the path name that you wrote
down from the previous paragraph listed above. Your command line
might look like this: "C:\WINDOWS>CD C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM", in which
case your new DOS prompt will look like this: "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM>".
Now at the prompt enter this line: "DEL KNPS.DLL" and hit the
Enter key to delete the file. Do the same for the KNPG.DLL file.
NOW THAT THE TWO FILES ARE DELETED, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY
INSTALL KLIK & PLAY.
I've just started the install program and it's asking for a serial
number. I've found it on the inside front cover of the users manual-
but the install program won't take that number. What's wrong?
There were a few manuals that had a slight mistake in the printing
of the serial number. A correct serial number will start with
KPU and then have exactly 8 numbers following it. If you have
9 numbers after the KPU then just enter the first 8 and the install
program will continue. If you only see 7 numbers after the KPU
then email: cbowden@maxis.com
or tech@maxis.com or phone:
1-510-927-3905 for a live tech who will give you a special serial
number to use.
AND FINALLY, HERE IS SOME LAST MINUTE INFORMATION
ABOUT KLIK & PLAY AND YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM:
NOTE: YOU SHOULD ALSO READ THE "REAME.DOC" FILE
IN THE "C:\KNP" DIRECTORY OR IN THE KNP FOLDER. YOU CAN ALSO FIND
THIS FILE ON THE KNP CD ROM.
KNP optimized drivers
Klik & Play uses special video graphics programing to achieve
high-speed games. This allows KNP to support any video resolution
or color depth that your video card will support.
To achieve the best performance it is suggested that a specific
color depth be used (especially on 386 PC's), the recommendation
is that you run Windows in 256 colors. However if KNP works just
fine at a resolution of 640x480 and 256 colors then you can experiment
with increasing your resolution to 800x600 and either 16 bit or
24 bit colors.
Older systems use 386 Enhanced Mode
Klik & Play requires that you run Windows in 386 Enhanced
Mode (Microsoft calls it that whether you've got a 386, 486 or
a Pentium). You can check to see if you are in Enhanced Mode by
choosing Help in your Program Manager, then going to About Program
Manager.... If About Program Manager says you are in Standard
Mode, exit Windows, then restart with the command WIN/3 instead
of WIN. This will force Windows to start in Enhanced Mode. If
you cannot run Windows in Enhanced Mode, please verify that your
system meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements printed
on the system requirements label on the box your copy of Klik
& Play came in.
LOW ON MEMORY OR RAM
If you don't have enough memory available to run Klik & Play,
first ensure that you close any other program that may be running
to free up the necessary memory to run Klik & Play Windows.
If this doesn't correct the problem, consult your Windows manual
and refer to the section entitled MEMORY. There are several different
options explained within this area, from editing your startup
configuration files to using Virtual Memory. Virtual Memory actually
uses your system's hard disk drive to temporarily store information
that would normally be kept in the system RAM memory. See below
to setup your computer for Virtual Memory.
DON'T USE VIRTUAL MEMORY IF YOU ARE USING DISK COMPRESSION!
DoubleSpace/DriveSpace, Stacker, Super Stor, etc. Most of these
programs will come with their own utilities to use virtual memory,
so refer to the documentation that came with your compression
program for more information.)
You may run Virtual Memory by following these steps:
- Open the Main window from within
the Program Manager.
- Double-click the Control Panel
icon to open the Control Panel Window.
- Double-click the Enhanced icon
(the icon looks like a computer chip -- if it is not there,
you are not running Windows in Enhanced Mode. See the instructions
above on how to start Windows in Enhanced Mode).
- Click the Virtual Memory... button
located on the right side of the window.
- This will open the Virtual Memory
window from which you can view the current virtual memory settings.
You can increase the size by clicking on the Change button and
increasing the size of virtual memory available on your system.
We recommend that you have at least 5 MB of virtual memory.
- Please see your Windows manual
for more information concerning virtual memory.
Do you have Program Manager or Windows 95 when you start your computer?
Windows 3.1 & my normal open window is not
"Program Manager"
Shell programs are third party replacement programs that you
can use in place of the standard Windows Program Manager, such
as HP Dashboard, the Norton Desktop, and XSoft's TabWorks (which
comes installed on most Compaq computers). If you are having trouble
installing or running Klik & Play, try either turning off
the shell you are using, or using that program's File - Run command
to run Program Manager. The command line to run Program Manager
is C:\WINDOWS\PROGMAN.EXE.
Windows 95
You could have a shell going there too, if you have something
in your startup menu. Generally you just want to have a clean
desktop meaning you can see your background image and that the
task bar or menu bar is clear of all programs. Any applications
that show up as buttons next to the Start Button, you will need
to right click on the button and select "Close".
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>>When all else fails...
Tech Support Email: tech@maxis.com
Maxis Tech Support Phone: 1-510-927-3900
Maxis handles the tech support for Klik & Play, please contact
us first for problems or help.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Visit MAXIS on the World Wide Web:
http://www.maxis.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional Support Europress: (England)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Europress phone number: 011-44-625-859333
Europress web page: http://www.europress.co.uk
Europress email address: support@europress.co.uk
Europress mailing address: Europress Software Limited
Europa House
Adlington Park, Macclesfield
SK10 4NP, England
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: see pages II & III of the Klik & Play users manual
for complete licensing agreements with Europress including general
use of the software and distribution rights of the software.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Learn Klik & Play, and have fun making the games of your
imagination become real.
----Cosmo Bowden Tech/Customer Support, Maxis
[ Note: Maxis no longer supports Klik & Play. You can either
ask me (sprite_gf@yahoo.com) for help or post a message requesting
help on the ClickTeam
forum. (Btw, ClickTeam is the guys that made Klik & Play,
with François Lionet and Yves Lamoureux.) ]
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