User Guide

32
INTERPLAY
MODEM PLAY TROUBLESHOOTING
• If your frame rate is lower in modem games than in standard games, try
setting your baud rate higher in the COM setup menu. The lower the baud
rate, the more time the computer spends writing data to the serial port, and
therefore the slower the game’s frame rate. If possible, outfit your computer
with an improved 16550 UART which will enable COM speeds of up to 38400.
• If your program hangs with the message Waiting for Opponent displayed,
this may indicate a failure in the serial link (errors caused by using too high
a baud rate, interference with the null-modem cable, or uncorrected errors
in the modem connection). However, in many situations it is normal to pause
for a long time at this screen. One case where this happens is after a level
is completed. If one player exits the mine early in the countdown, the game
must wait until the other player has either escaped or has been killed
before continuing. Since the countdown timer is up to 40 seconds and the
sequence of flying through the escape tunnel can take several more sec-
onds, a wait of 60 seconds or more at this screen between levels is not a
sign of problems. On the other hand, waiting for the opponent at the start of
a new modem game or establishing a connection should be brief - a wait of
more than 10 seconds is a sign of problems.
• If you are getting numerous errors in the serial connection, the program
will inform you with an onscreen dialog box. This is a warning to you that
you are probably driving the serial hardware in your computer at too fast a
rate. If you continue without reducing the baud rate, there is a chance
important communications between the two players will be lost and the
game will behave erratically. Try reducing the baud rate in the COM setup
menu or adding an improved UART to your computer.