Technical Support and Frequently-Asked Questions

The games don't run!

To play the games in Global Arcade, you must have the Shockwave plugin installed in your web browser. Shockwave is available as a free download from Macromedia at http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download.

Shockwave runs on Macintosh and Windows computers in Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer and America Online. For best results, use the newest version of Shockwave (version 7) and the newest version of your web browser. However, Global Arcade's games should work with Shockwave 6 and Netscape Navigator versions 2.0 and newer, and Internet Explorer version 3.0 and newer. Certain older computers may not be able to run Shockwave. Check the system requirements for Shockwave at http://www.macromedia.com/support/shockwave/plug/brow/.

Common Problems and Questions

If you are having trouble running the games, read the following trouble-shooting tips for common problems.

I get the message "Could not load plug-in for MIME type application/x-director."

This means that your web browser does not recognize Shockwave as one of its installed plug-ins. The easiest solution is to reinstall Shockwave. If you have the installer application for the latest version of Shockwave, run it again and make sure that the browser it installs Shockwave into is the copy of the browser that you use.

If you do not have the Shockwave installer, or you believe that the version you have is not up-to-date, then download the latest Shockwave installer at http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/.

When I use the keys for the game, nothing happens!

This may happen on Internet Explorer on Windows. Try clicking in the game area again. If you are having problems with the arrow keys, try using the "Z" and "X" keys instead.

My computer or web browser crashes while loading the game or as the game is starting.

This might be caused by conflicts with the system configuration, incompatible versions, or not enough memory allocated to the browser. If you haven't run Shockwave for a long time, or haven't downloaded the latest version, try downloading it and reinstalling it.

If you believe the installation is correct, you may have to consult the Shockwave help pages. On a Windows system, consult the Shockwave for Windows troubleshooting page at http://www.macromedia.com/support/shockwave/ts/documents/tn3908.html. On a Macintosh, you may also want to try to increase the memory partition allocated to your web browser, using the "Get Info" menu option. The troubleshooting page for Macintosh is at http://www.macromedia.com/support/shockwave/ts/documents/tn3907.html.

On my Macintosh, I get the message "Unable to load the plug-in 'Shockwave for Director' for the MIME type 'application/x-director. Make sure enough memory is available and that the plug-in is installed correctly."

This is a known error with Netscape 4.5 and Shockwave. The fix is to increase the Preferred Memory size of Netscape 4.5 to 8-10 megabytes (if Virtual Memory is turned on) or 15-17 megabytes if Virtual Memory is turned off. If that doesn't fix the problem try increasing your browser's cache size to a larger amount and/or deleting the cache files (via the Preferences window).

It still doesn't work!

If these tips do not help, try the Shockwave installation Virtual Technician at http://www.macromedia.com/support/shockwave/svt/.