Mplayer 1.0 Readme

Troubleshooting for Mplayer 1.0 and tips on configuring your PC.

Thanks to thousands of Mplayer Beta testers who logged hundreds of thousands of hours, we've squashed countless bugs, stabilized our servers, and have released Mplayer 1.0.  Our work continues, so we encourage your feedback to help improve and refine Mplayer.  Please report problems and request support through the Technical Support Form [http://www.mplayer.com/help/tech/tech-form.html]on our Web site or email support@mplayer.com. For non-technical issues, send email to feedback@mplayer.com. 

Mplayer is currently available in the continental United States and the metropolitan areas of southern Canada. Mplayer is accessible from Alaska and Hawaii if you
have a T1 connection;  a modem connection may be inadequate for satisfactory game play.

1. Automatic online updating of Mplayer software 
2. Use MindSpring/ PSINet if your connection is too slow
3. Already have PSINet?  Here's an Update...
4. Configuring email and news programs for your MindSpring/PSINet account
5. Windows 95 patches for improving your Internet connection 
6. Mplayer and Firewalls 
7. Adding Microsoft Internet Explorer after set up is complete.
8. Tips for voice-chatting using a Sound Blaster or compatible sound card 

1. Automatic online updating of Mplayer software
From the time it takes to produce and distribute software for a CD-ROM or download, we usually make many upgrades.  When you first connect to Mplayer to create an account, and each time you connect to play games or use chat rooms, our server will download upgrades to make your Mplayer software current.  Depending on your connection to the Internet, some upgrades can take up to fifteen minutes. 

2. Use MindSpring/ PSINet if your Internet connection is too slow
When you log on to Mplayer and enter a Game Lobby, you will see a number of graphics within that Game Lobby.  The green and red spheres represent Game Rooms where players go to launch a multiplayer game.  

If you're encountering lots of RED Game Rooms, your connection to the Internet is not adequate for fast game play on Mplayer. We therefore  recommend MindSpring as  your Internet Service Provider.  MindSpring is the Internet Service Provider that recently acquired PSINet's consumer customer base.  MindSpring utilizes the PSINet state-of-the-art national backbone, one of the fastest and most reliable connections available which provides the lowest latency and fastest action on Mplayer. Only MindSpring prioritizes Mplayer game packets, so your game data takes priority over email and other types of Internet file transfers.

For details on pricing, the MindSpring/PSINet transition, and software, check out the MindSpring Web site at http://www.mindspring.com. 

To install MindSpring/PSINet from your Mplayer CD-ROM, run the Setup program again.  Setup will offer you the opportunity to add PSINet support and set up an account.  Please note, however, that earlier versions of the Mplayer CD offer a PSINet one week free offer.  Unfortunately, this offer is no longer available.

3. Already have PSINet?  Here's an Update...

PSINet has undergone several changes since the middle of 1996.  Everyone who signed up for PSINet for use with Mplayer created a PSINet/InterRamp account.  PSINet has agreed to sell its InterRamp accounts to MindSpring, an ISP from Atlanta, Georgia.  Though you're now a MindSpring customer, your Mplayer game data is still routed across PSINet's high speed, state-of-the-art Internet backbone.  MindSpring/PSINet prioritizes Mplayer game data thereby giving us consistent performance, reliability, and speed.

If you need help during this process, contact MindSpring: 
Email: itsfixed@mindspring.com
Phone: (800) 719-4660 

PLEASE NOTE:   Some of you may remember that PSINet once offered a free seven day trial.  Unfortunately, the free trial is no longer offered.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

4. Configuring email and news programs for your MindSpring/PSINet account

If MindSpring's/PSINet your Internet service provider, you'll probably want to configure an email package, such as Microsoft Exchange, Eudora, or the mail features in Netscape, and possibly a news reader program, for use with MindSpring/PSINet. The following information will help you configure these programs for your MindSpring/PSINet account. To configure software for a different Internet service provider, you'll need to obtain similar information from that provider. PSINet recently announced that it will use MindSpring to handle consumer accounts. This change may affect contact or server information given below and in the Mplayer software.

If you need help during this process, contact MindSpring:

Email: itsfixed@mindspring.com
Phone: (800) 719-4660 

- Your InterRamp (now MindSpring) email address is in the form <account number>@interramp.com where <account number> is your login id. (example: us000000@interramp.com). 

 - Your email account on the mail server is your normal account number (example: us0000000) 

- Your password for receiving email is the same password associated with your account number that you use to log in. 

- Your POP server for receiving mail is pop.mindspring.com. 

- Your SMTP server for sending mail is mail.mindspring.com. 

- Your Usenet news server is news.mindspring.com. The server does not require a separate log in procedure or other authentication. 

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, be sure to configure it to use the email and news software you just set up as the default programs.

5. Microsoft Windows 95 Service Pack 1 improves TCP/IP support
Microsoft has released update patches to Windows 95 that makes Mplayer more reliable. For example, one patch corrects a memory leak problem in Dial-Up Networking that can cause Mplayer and other Internet applications to fail after an unpredictable period of use. We recommend downloading and installing three patches before using Mplayer. 

Kernel32 update
Exchange update
Service Pack 1 

These updates are located in the Mplayer CD-ROM in a sub-folder called Microsoft Updates. Users who obtained the Mplayer software on Deadlock
game CD-ROM or an Mplayer demo CD-ROM can download these patches from Microsoft's Web site. 

6. Mplayer and Firewalls
Mplayer game play is usually fastest over a direct Internet connection. If you want to use Mplayer through a LAN that has a direct Internet connection, you need to
confirm that your LAN's firewall is not blocking access to the Mplayer game servers. A firewall is a system that acts as a gateway monitoring all traffic between your company's LAN and the Internet, to prevent unauthorized traffic in either direction. Many firewalls can selectively block access on certain ports, and disable certain protocols. Mplayer requires access to ports 8000-8999 and uses the TCP/IP and UDP protocols. If a firewall is blocking access, you may find that you can reach the Mplayer Web site, but when performing an action that starts Mplayer (to play a game or enter a chat room for example), you can not. Ask your system administrator if the blocks to Mplayer ports and protocols can be removed. 

7. Adding Microsoft Internet Explorer after set up is complete.
Microsoft has made available a new version of Internet Explorer. To add Microsoft Internet Explorer after Mplayer is already installed, or to reinstall it later, find and run the program MSIE30.EXE from the Mplayer CD-ROM.

8. Tips for voice-chatting using a Sound Blaster or compatible sound card 
If you have a Creative Labs Sound Blaster or fully compatible sound card properly installed in Windows 95 and your microphone plugged into the right jack, these hints will help your voice sound clearer to others on Mplayer. 

a. Double-click on the speaker symbol located in the lower right corner of your screen on the Windows 95 Task Bar. This should bring up a Volume Control Dialog Box.  If you only see a volume dial, you didn't double-click fast enough.

b. From the Options Menu, select Properties.  You can control the volume for Playback, Recording, and Other. You'll switch among all three.

c. Make sure 'Recording' is selected, and under 'Show the following volume controls,' make sure 'Microphone' is checked. Then click OK.

d. On the Recording Control panel move the Microphone volume temporarily to the middle and make sure the checkbox underneath it is checked. 

e. From the Options Menu, select Properties again.

f. Make sure 'Playback' is selected, and under 'Show the following volume controls,' make sure 'Microphone' is also checked. Click OK.

g. On the volume control panel at the bottom of the Microphone volume control, make sure 'Mute' is checked. This does not prevent others from hearing you, it prevents your speakers from feeding back into your microphone.

h. Under the Options menu, look at the Advanced Controls option and make sure it's checked. If it's not checked, select it, otherwise leave it alone. 

i. Move the Microphone Volume bar to its highest setting. Click on the button underneath labeled 'Advanced.'

j. At the bottom of this dialog box may be a checkbox labeled 'AGC for WaveIn' or 'Microphone Boost.' Check this box, and Select Close.

k. From the Options menu, select Properties again.

l. This time, make sure 'Other' is selected, instead of Recording, and click OK to show the Voice Commands panel.

m. Again, move the Microphone Volume slider to its highest setting. Click on the button underneath labeled Advanced.

 n. Check the 'AGC for VoiceIn' or 'Microphone Boost' box, then click on the Close button.

o. On Mplayer, enter the Help Desk lobby and create a test Room such as 'Mike test.'

p. Position the microphone where you'll normally use it and press the Push to Talk button.  Speak at a normal distance from the mike. 

q. Observe the simulated VU meter under the 'On the Air' button. The VU meter should peak in the yellow area, but never reach the red zone, or your speech will sound distorted or unintelligible.

r. To make adjustments, open the Mixer panel again, select Properties and Recording to show the Recording Control panel.

s. Use the Volume slider while you are speaking to keep the VU from reaching the red zone. 

t. That's it. You've adjusted your microphone volume settings.  Close the dialog box and start talking on Mplayer.

Rudolf

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