Westwood Studios Official "Westwood Online" Frequently Asked Questions List Last Update: April 28th, 1998 Version 1.60 About this document.... This FAQ file contains many of the commonly asked questions about the Westwood Online System and associated client program now available for the PC and the Macintosh. An updated version of the FAQ sheet can be found at the Westwood web site : http://www.westwood.com All information contained herein is copyright 1996-8 by Westwood Studios. You are allowed to distribute it freely, but not to make changes. --- PART 1 : GENERAL INFORMATION ------------------------------------------- 1.1 What is Westwood Online? 1.2 How much does it cost? 1.3 What do I need to connect to Westwood Online? 1.4 Where do I get the free software and login account? --- PART 2 : INTERACTING WITH OTHERS --------------------------------------- 2.1 What are the rules for conduct while I'm on Westwood Online? 2.2 What is a SYSOP? 2.3 I saw someone causing trouble or bothering me. What can I do? 2.4 How can I become a SYSOP? 2.5 Kicks, Bans, and other bad situations. --- PART 3 : TROUBLESHOOTING ----------------------------------------------- 3.1 I forgot my password. How can I find out what it is? 3.2 What should I do when my account information has changed? 3.3 I'm having trouble connecting through America Online. 3.4 I want to change my nickname or password. 3.5 How do I get the newest version of Westwood Online? 3.6 How do I play other Internet games not created by Westwood? 3.7 I can't access WOL from your web site. 3.8 I get a "Winsock Error" when trying to connect. 3.9 I have Windows 3.11 Can I still use WOL? 3.10 I get a "too many logins" error when registering for a nickname. 3.11 My Password doesn't work! **************************************************************************** * 1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION * **************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1 What is Westwood Online? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Westwood Online is an online service hosted by Westwood Studios for people of all interests and ages. On Westwood Online, people can talk with others, play Internet-ready games like Command & Conquer, Red Alert, and, the Monopoly CD-ROM game. Westwood Online includes direct support for only those games released by Westwood Studios. But, since there is an IP address button, you can arrange any internet- ready computer game that requires an IP address to connect. Because Westwood Online is available worldwide, you'll often see people speaking many different languages online. Regardless of where people are connecting from, all Internet compatible games can be played across several languages, and over different platforms. (i.e. A Macintosh user in France can play a PC user in the UK). Whether you're online to play a game against a friend, or just meet others from around the world and talk about your favorite hobby, Westwood Online is intended to be a fun place, courtesy of Westwood Studios. (Note: Westwood Online is not an Internet service provider. You cannot "surf the web" with Westwood Online, nor can you send email. However there are no additional costs or long distance fees to pay, other than what you are already paying to your Internet service provider.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.2 How much does it cost? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Westwood Online service, software, and login account are all free. There is no cost to connect to Westwood Online. However, you will need to have service provided by an internet provider. Because you connect to Westwood Online through the internet, there are no direct long-distance fees or additional costs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.3 What do I need to connect to Westwood Online? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- You'll need the following to hook up to Westwood Online : * A Computer : PC Owners : 486 or better with Windows 95 MAC Owners : 68040 or better with System 7.5 or higher * A SLIP or PPP connection to the internet. * A copy of the Westwood Online software for either the PC or MAC. * A login account. If you want to play games on WOL, you must have at least a 28.8 modem. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.4 So how do I get the software and a login account? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Westwood Online software is available for downloading at the Westwood Studios Web site: http://www.westwood.com. You can also find Westwood Online distributed with many of Westwood's software titles available in stores. To get a login account, just run the registration program included in your Westwood Online software. Simply install the Westwood Online software, then run the INTERNET REGISTRATION program by clicking on the appropriate icon in the Westwood Online folder. The nickname you selected while signing up, along with a new password will be emailed to you immediately after completing the sign-up form. Getting a free account usually doesn't take more than 3 or 4 minutes. **************************************************************************** * 2.0 INTERACTING WITH OTHERS. * **************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.1 What are the rules I must follow while online? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because Westwood Online is a system designed for people of all ages, we do NOT condone foul or abusive language, racial slurs, or sexual references. SYSOP'S are online at all times and will remove anyone violating any of the rules below. Violations can result in temporary or permanent removal from the Westwood Online system. 1. Please watch your language. Westwood Online is a place for all ages, this includes children. Any public profanity or sexual references are grounds for removal. Consider any word that you would not allow a 10 year old child to say as offensive. 2. When choosing your user handle or creating channel names please remember - no profanity or sexual references in the title. 3. Be courteous to others. Westwood Online should be a fun and enjoyable place for all. Do not pester or annoy your fellow users! 4. Users engaging in illegal activity will be removed from the service at once. 5. Please do not make references to race, religion, or sexual preference. The person you insult might have been your new best friend! 6. Impersonation of Westwood Studios employees will not be tolerated! Westwood employees often use (and help monitor) Westwood Online, but they won't reveal their identity to the public unless it is a special Westwood Online event. If you see someone bragging or openly announcing that they work at Westwood, don't be fooled! 7. Most of the time, users of Westwood Online will find that simply squelching a trouble maker will solve a problem until a SYSOP deals with the offender. If a situation arises that squelching won't remedy, you can write us email with a log of the offense that took place. We'll look into the matter at our first opportunity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.2 What is a SYSOP? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SYSOPS or System Operators help us monitor the system for people who would abuse the system or others. Anyone causing trouble and refusing to follow the rules can and will be removed by a SYSOP when caught. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.3 Someone was causing trouble online. How do I report them? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can report troublemakers to any of the SYSOPS currently online. A listing of SYSOP names are displayed in the login message which is displayed when you connect to Westwood Online. In the rare event that you cannot find a SYSOP to help you, please remember that you can use the SQUELCH command to block all incoming messages from the offending Westwood Online user. We will also review email on a daily basis. If you wish to send us a log of the offense that took place, you may email us at : virtualted@westwood.com. We will look into it at the earliest possible opportunity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.4 How can I be a SYSOP? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Very few people are picked to become SYSOPS on Westwood Online. The requirements for being a SYSOP are many, and you must be able to be online for many hours each day. SYSOPing is a volunteer position, and in no way makes you an employee of Westwood Studios. Westwood does NOT accept applications for the position of SYSOP. SYSOPs are nominated either by a Westwood employee or other SYSOPs. Once nominated, the person is judged based on time online, behavior online, and other similar qualities. If you have what it takes to be a SYSOP, you will be contacted. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.5 Kicks, Bans, and other bad situations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you violate the rules of Westwood Online, you can be kicked offline, or banned from the service. There are three ways this can happen: 1) A SYSOP catches you breaking a rule. In this case, you will usually get a warning, unless the violation is really severe. If you are kicked, the SYSOP will usually tell you why before you leave. In this instance, you may be banned from a particular channel only, or banned from WOL for anywhere from a few minutes to permanently, depending on the situation. 2) You are banned by HELPBOT. There are bots in several channels who monitor language being typed. If you use a word that is on the offensive list, you can be kicked or banned by the bot. Usually these bans are only for a few minutes, though longer times are possible depending on the word used. 3) You can be banned from any user-made channel for any reason, at any time. In this case, the channel operator has the ability to ban anytime he wants to, without asking the SYSOPs. These type of bans are usually for the life of the channel. In most cases Channel operators will only kick you out if you are being offensive, or the channel is a private discussion. If you are banned, you will just have to wait out the time. Support@westwood cannot help you clear a ban, though if you are banned by a SYSOP, Support can tell you how long the ban will last. **************************************************************************** * 3.0 TROUBLESHOOTING * **************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.1 I forgot my password that I use to connect to Westwood Online! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can get the correct password for your account by visiting the Westwood Online help page at : http://www.westwood.com/westwoodonline/memberservices/forgotpw.html After answering two simple questions, your password will be re-mailed to you immediately. You can also get your password resent by using the registration program included with WOL 3.04 and higher - see section 3.2 for information on this program. If you have lost/forgotten your password AND you have changed your email address since registering, you can send to helpdesk@westwood.com to get it resent. In this case, please remember to include your nickname(s). This is the ONLY case where Helpdesk can provide passwords. For more information, see the file PASSNICK.TXT, which is available from the support@westwood auto-response system. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2 I changed my email address/mailing address/phone number/etc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can use the registration program included with WOL 3.04 and higher to change any of your personal information you want, except for your nickname. To do this: 1) Log on to the Internet as normal. 2) Run the REGISTER.EXE program from the WOL Directory on your hard drive. 3) If you want to register a second nickname, click the WESTWOOD Online button and follow the instructions. Otherwise: 4) Enter your nickname and password. If you forgot your password, you can click the I FORGOT MY PASSWORD button, and it will be resent to you via email. 5) Click the UPDATE REGISTRATION INFO button. From here, you can update any of the information in the registration form that you want, including email address, mailing address, machine information, etc. 6) Once you have looked through all the screens and changed the necessary information, click the 'SUBMIT' button - this will update your WOL data. Please note that changing the information on one nickname will NOT change the information for your second nickname. If you wish to update both nicknames, you will have to follow this procedure twice. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3 I cannot access Westwood Online through America Online. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unfortunately, this is a common problem with America Online. AOL does not seem to allow for UDP connections on most of their servers, which we use for some of our games. UDP is a specific type of TCP/IP connection which allows for faster data transfer and smaller packet sizes. Some of AOL's dial-up connections in some cities now seem to use this protocol, but chances are good that if you are having trouble connecting or registering, yours currently does not. Unfortunately, there is presently nothing we can do to help resolve this issue. If you still wish to attempt using AOL, we recommend trying during non-peak AOL hours, and you should be able to connect if you are persistant. If you still cannot get registered, send 5 choices for a nickname to helpdesk@westwood.com, and we will register you manually. However, even if you are registered, we cannot guarantee that your connections will be stable, or that you will be able to play games to completion without disconnections. If Internet gameplay is your main reason for being online, we suggest that you might look into alternate Internet providers that support standard UDP connections. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4 I want to change or delete my nickname/password. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Currently Westwood Online does not allow you to change your nicknames, unless you are requested to do so by a SYSOP or Westwood Employee because it is offensive in some way. Passwords can be changed by request in emergencies. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5 How do I get the newest version of Westwood Online? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- With Westwood Online version 3.04 and later, updates are downloaded automatically when you log into Westwood Online. There is no need to download Westwood Online over and over to get the most recent version. You will be notified when updates take place, and whether you want to start the update process. Please note that the server location was changed as of version 3.30 (PC) and 3.40 (MAC). If you have a lower version than that, you MUST auto-update or download the current version, otherwise you will not be allowed to connect to the new server. You can download the newest version from the Westwood Studios web site: http://www.westwood.com/techsupport/faqs.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.6 How can I play other Internet games over Westwood Online? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can use Westwood Online to play other Internet-ready games by using the IP address button on your menu bar. Any game that requires an IP address to connect two computers via the internet can be used with Westwood Online. Current games like Red Alert and Sole survivor have WOL support built in. See the individual game's help files for instructions on how to connect. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.7 I can't access WOL from your web site. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WOL does not require a web browser to connect - all you need is your Internet connection running. The Online NOW! button on our web site which was originally for old versions of WOL is now gone. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.8 I get a "Winsock Error" when trying to connect. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- These errors are actually a catch-all error. In most cases, they are caused by server traffic. We are updating our servers and lines to support more calls, so these errors should decrease in frequency. If you get them, wait a bit, then try again. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.9 I have Windows 3.11 Can I still use WOL? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- As of version 4.0, WOL no longer supports Windows 3.1X. You must have Windows 95. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.10 I get a "too many log-ins" message when trying to register. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are only allowed two nickames per email address. If you receive this error, it means you have already have two nicknames assigned to your account. You DON'T need to re-register when updating to a new version of Westwood Online or when reinstalling the software. See 3.1 above for information on how to get passwords for these nicknames in case you forgot them. If you are using the version of Westwood Online that came with Red Alert or C&C Gold, make sure that you are NOT using the "Play it on Westwood" Icon to run Westwood Online if you are already registered. Instead, use the icon for WOL.EXE, or use the Internet button on the main menu of the game. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.11 My Password doesn't work! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many people have written to support claiming that their passwords were incorrect. In most cases, these problems are caused by mistaking one character for another when typing the password into WOL. Be sure to check carefully - characters like 1, l and I can look very similar in an email message. The best thing to do is cut and paste the password from the email message to WOL. In other cases, this problem can be caused by our database going down. When this happens, EVERYONE'S password will come up as wrong. If you think this is the problem, wait an hour or two and try again. Chances are, the database will be reset within that time. **************************************************************************** * 4.0 SUPPORT * **************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.0 Where to get help ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you can't get Westwood Online working for you after reading the troubleshooting tips in this FAQ, don't panic! Help is only an email away. Support is available from the following areas: The Westwood Studios web site: http://www.westwood.com/techsupport/ We also run live tech support sessions on WOL from time to time. See the web site for scheduled times. Westwood Chat is operated and maintained by Westwood Studios. Please DO NOT call the Electronic Arts customer support line for Westwood Chat problems, as they are not equipped to support it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- END OF DOCUMENT 12/04/96