GameColony Online Help

GameColony.com: Online Games for Desktop and Mobile Devices

GameColony.com offers modern HTML5 web app games that will run on any new browser on a desktop (like Windows or Mac) or on a mobile device like iPhone or iPad or Android phone or tablet.

HTML5 web app games (blue and green themed apps) are currently available for: Gin Rummy, Cribbage, Backgammon, Dominoes, Mahjong, Pyramids, Solitaire.

GameColony.com also offers native iOS apps and native Android apps for Gin Rummy, Cribbage, Backgammon, Dominoes, Mahjong, Pyramids, Solitaire.

Certificate Problems?
If you get a certificate-related error upon entering a room:
Please download and install an extra certificate for your Internet Explorer from HERE
To install the downloaded certificate file (e.g. in Internet Explorer 10), select Internet Options -> Content ->Certificates->Import

Login Problems?
If you cannot login, please make sure that:
* you are using correct user name and password - correct caps/non-caps!
* make sure not to confuse your user name with your email - it is NOT your email! Your unique user name is what you had previously registered as a 'New User'.
* your Caps Lock, Scroll Lock and Num Lock keys are OFF
* your browser allows frames, javascript & cookies -- this is a default setting and serves as a security measure
* you have access to a secure test site: https://secure2.gamecolony.com
* your browser's security level is at default: Medium

To change security to a (default) medium-high setting:
For Internet Explorer, click on Tools > Internet Options > Security Tab Change to Medium-High.

Also see Recommended browsers and How to login as a new user Back to top

Recommended Browsers

If you cannot see or enter a play/chat room ...
You will only be able to enter playing rooms that are not marked as 'temporarily full'. For $Ticket players the rooms are never full.
Also see Java Problems?.
If the pop-up window for the playing room does not come up at all, please make sure that this window is not minimized - as icon on the Task Bar below. If it is minimized - maximize it.
Please make sure you have at least 30MB of free disk space on drive C:
This space has to be contiguous (non-fragmented), which means that your hard disk drive may have to be defragmented.
Also see Firewall Issues

Firewall & Anti-Virus Issues
Your computer may have firewall and anti-virus programs that act as network protection shields. These programs may occasionally display the state of 'excessive paranoia' and may block the connection between the Java applet and the server. Norton, for example, can block connections based on addresses or ports. Usually, most of these programs offer a way to unblock necessary communications.
If you access the net from work or using corporate access or some other non-open Internet provider, this provider may also be utilizing a firewall. Most corporate firewalls have one (possibly intended) consequence: they disallow interactive games to be played between you and other live opponents on the net.

Some corporate firewall policies may allow access adjustment: ask your system administrator to open up ports 15000-15099 for direct access to gamecolony.com via standard protocol TCP/IP.
Also see Recommended browsers Back to top

If you experience any problems while playing ...
1. Please try to refresh the cache of your browser -- if you are using an open Internet provider, for your Microsoft Internet Explorer please do this: while in your browser, but BEFORE entering the playing area, hold the Cntrl key while pressing F5 key. For Netscape, please hold the Shift key while clicking your browser's Reload button 2-3 times. (The above procedure performs a fast cache refresh. ) If the above doesn't help, please check that
  -- you have at least 50MB of free disk space on your C: drive
  -- that your browser has not turned Java or caching off (see Java problems?)
  -- that your browser version is up-to-date (see Recommended browsers) -- Have as few as possible other programs running [no email, etc.]
2. Your connection to GameColony.com servers may have been (at least temporarily) lost due to your ISP or Internet congestion or low available bandwidth (see Disconnection & Reconnection). Back to top

To log in as a new user, please select the 'New Users' link at http://www.gamecolony.com/ Fill in your User Name (same as Screen Name or nickname) and password. Please do not forget your password. You can check whether your selected User Name is already available by selecting the 'is name available' link. After a few tries as a new user, you will be asked to register. Registration is free but required -- you will be able to select US or non-US registration -- both FREE. Back to top

Recommended Browsers

Recommended browsers are:
up-to-date version of Google Chrome
up-to-date version of Mozilla Firefox Back to top

Display/game seem slow?
- Three things may make the game/display slow:
  (1) display issues with older computers (2) connection lag or packet loss
  
  (1) select Control Panel / Display / Settings. If Color is set to True Color (or 32-bit color), please change it to High Color (or 16-bit color). Your display will be much faster while there'd be no visual difference in picture clarity. This especially makes a difference for older Windows such as Windows XP as video drivers are noticeably slow with True Color setting on.
  
  (2) player connectivity problems such as sporadic connection fluctuations, loss of packets, etc. may cause slowdowns and disconnections. For speed, at GameColony with Java we use fast TCP/IP connections (as opposed to HTTP connectios) which are more demanding of the quality of connectivity and less tolerant of the loss of network packets. A very frequent cause of a periodic loss of signal is an overheated or aging wireless router that starts losing packets. Before replacing a wireless router, you can try a wired connection.

What is Ladder?
If you select a 'Ladder' option ('L'), the game will count as Ladder game.
Ladder is a whole NEW way to compete with other players on this site.
For Example: every 1st of the month Top 10 Ladder players receive prizes in Bonus $Tickets that can be used to win prizes in any game.
For your Ladder you can see the results/extended ladder stats, etc. by selecting a Ladder blue button [bottommost button on the left your room listings page]
Full Ladder rules described HERE Back to top

How to select opponents
To select opponents, you can sort the list of players by rating, by board, by name. Sorting can be performed by clicking on a column heading button for the list (such as Rating button). Back to top

How to start a game
To start a game, you must first log in and select and enter the playing room. In the playing room, you may want to create your own table. Use 'Create table' button and choose from the various table options available. You will be in control of the table -- you can select all table options, choose time control options, etc. After the table has been created, you will have either to wait for somebody to join your table or you might want to invite others to join your table. Also, instead of creating your own table, you might want to join an existing table with a player who is waiting. Back to top

How to join a game
To join a game, you will have to select (click and highlight) one of the available tables (from the top portion of the window) and press the 'Join Table' button. If the highlighted table already has two players, you can only select a 'Watch Table' button [if it is a $ game - watching will be disallowed]. You can also join a game just by double-clicking on a table where one player is waiting for an opponent.
There are also tables (marked with 'X') - they are invitation-only & cannot be joined unless the owner of the table sends you a personal invitation. Back to top

How to watch a game
To watch a game in progress, you will have to select (click and highlight) one of the available tables (from the top portion of the window) and press the 'Watch Table' button. You can also watch a game just by double-clicking on a board where 2 players are present. If just one player is present, double-clicking would result in joining this table as an opponent. Note: $ games cannot be watched. Back to top

How to send messages
To send messages, select (highlight) the person you want to send messages to. If you want to send message to everybody, select 'Everybody'. Type your message in the lower right corner of the window and press the 'Send' button. If you cannot see the 'Send' button, please be aware that the current board was optimized for common resolutions of 800x600 pixels or higher. Please try increasing your resolution from Control Panel/Display. You will be able to do it only if your video card and monitor can support a higher resolution. Back to top

How to invite an opponent
To invite an opponent, first you have to create a board (table), then select an opponent from the list in the lower left corner and press the 'Invite' button. Your opponent will receive an invitation that he/she can agree to or decline or ignore. To invite any player, select 'Invite' button without selecting any particular player. Your invitation would just be displayed in the chat area. Back to top

How to ban an opponent
To ban an opponent, press the 'ban' button next to your opponent. This button is available only if the board was created by you. Banning the opponent results in ejecting your opponent from the board. You can only ban an opponent if the game is not in progress. To make sure that the banned opponent does not return to your table , it is better to create a private table with the option 'on invitation only'. (Also see How to mute a player) Back to top

How to mute a player
If you find the conversations of any player unwanted or inappropriate, you can type the following command in your chat area:
/m PlayerName
The 'PlayerName' above is the User Name of the player in question. After this, when you press the 'Send' button, you will no longer see any chat messages from the above player. Back to top

Timing Issues
When the table is created by any player, that player will be in control of the table and will be able to select the time control or select a non-timed game. Non-timed game is listed with -T. T shown with -R denote invitation-only (restricted) games. Default time control is 5 minutes with no time increment, but any other time/increment can be set. When the time expires, the player whose time expired, loses. (Exception in chess: if there is an insufficient mating material on the board for the opponent -- the game is drawn. In chess/checkers -- the increment is the number of seconds added per each move. Games without time control are shown as: -T(x) where x is the maximum time in minutes allowed per move. Back to top

Rating Issues
The rating system follows the published official formulas of USCF (United States Chess Federation) ELO calculation. If there is a significant difference in ratings, and the higher rated person wins, ratings may not change at all. New players start with the rating of 1400. There is a special formula for the first 20 games for provisional rating calculation. Provisional players can ramp up their rating faster. If you win against a provisional player, you may not see any increase in rating. Back to top

Easy Basics for Staying Connected
The tips below will help stay connected especially if you experience problems

CHECK YOUR FREE DISK SPACE
You should have at least 30MB of free disk space on your C: drive. To check, right click Start, left click Explore, right click C: drive & select Properties.

CLOSE
Via table Options, turn ALL sound OFF. There will be some inconvenience regarding instant notifications about opponent's moves, but your older system will be more stable after that. Also have as few as possible other programs running [no email, etc.]

CLOSE all other programs. Have as few as possible other programs running in the background. Close any instant messaging programs (e.g., ICQ, AOL, MSN). Close any email programs (e.g., Outlook, Incredimail).

LOAD COMPLETELY
Make sure you allow your browser to FULLY load while on the Game Room page before you click into which room you wish to enter. Allow to fully load before creating tables or typing messages.

CLEAR CACHE
1) From your Desktop, right click on the My Computer icon, and select "Explore".
2) Open the "Windows" folder under your hard drive (should be the "c:" drive).
3) Open the "Temporary Internet Folder". On your menu bar click "Edit", then "Select All". Then click "File", and "Delete".

INTERNET CONNECTION
You can test your internet connection to the game room HERE.

The above connection test does not show 'lost packets' - a frequent cause of network errors and delays. The best connectivity test can be achieved with a shareware product VisualRoute available from VisualWare.com
Remember: A frequent cause of a periodic loss of signal is an overheated or aging wireless router that starts losing packets. Before replacing a wireless router, you can try a wired connection.

Disconnection & Reconnection

Disconnection
GameColony has fast & underutilized servers & a direct internet backbone connection via an extremely fast 100 MB/S full duplex lines. Depending on your location, however, there can be up to 20-30 intermediate networks that connect you to GameColony - each of them is a potential point of 'occasional' failure. Although it is quite rare, but GameColony.com Tier 1 network has short term outages as well. To minimize the chance of a disconnection, when you are playing avoid whenever possible to download files, receive mail, or use ICQ or other bandwidth-consuming applications. The fewer applications you are running, the better.

If the game slowed down or stopped, there are 2 ways to check your connection during the game:
(1) when you double click on the small picture in the left corner under your table. Under normal conditions, you will see the network delay both for you and for your opponent. If your network delay is listed as ' trying...' for more than 15 seconds, then you are not connected. If your opponent's network delay is listed as 'trying...' for more than 15 seconds, (while yours is not) then your opponent is not connected.

(2) you can type a message to your opponent, e.g."are you there?" and press Send button. If you do not see that message reflected in chat, then you are not connected.

If you keep experiencing connection problems, please test your internet connection to the game room HERE.

For detailed connection test:
1) Click "Start", "Programs", "Accessories", "MS DOS Prompt".
2) At C:\Windows>, type tracert 216.52.50.130 & then press enter.
3) Any number that exceeds 200 along your connecting route is a poor connection. Consider upgrading to DSL or cable to optimize your connection. The output will show your REAL connection speed and various bottlenecks as the information packets flow through MULTIPLE networks from your location to GameColony.com. You can run this diagnostics multiple times for comparison, especially at the time the problems appear.
Your speed may seem slower due to the slowness of the OVERALL connection (i.e. net congestion) as seen from your location. Again, this may vary with time....The rule of thumb: if at any point it will be shown in the output of the above 'tracert' command that the path from one 'hop' to the next one took more than 300 milliseconds -- you might think of changing your ISP provider...
If you have a dial-up connection - it really belongs to the previous millenium. Please inquire whether DSL or at least cable connection is available in your area. Those are up to 100 times faster and far more reliable...

The above connection tests do not show 'lost packets' - a frequent cause of network errors and delays. The best connectivity test can be achieved with a shareware product VisualRoute available from VisualWare.com

Reconnection
In the case of a temporary internet disconnection or browser-related problems, GameColony provides you with the capability to reconnect without penalty to the same game. Reconnection without penalty has its limits -- your opponent will only wait for up to 5 minutes for you to reconnect. To reconnect, re-establish your Internet connection (you may have to close/re-open your browser, re-dial your ISP, etc.).

While each reconnection may take at most 5 min, a maximum of 10 minutes total reconnection time is now allowed per game
A maximum of 7 reconnections is allowed per game

A typical message on (1st) reconnection:
Reconnection completed. 6 reconnections left. Time remaining for reconnections 9 min. 1 sec.

Recommended way to reconnect:

Do not close your table at all!
Instead.. start closing ALL of the other browser windows. The table, then, will close by itself.
Now restart browser & proceed to the same room to continue your game.

What happens during disconnection/reconnection:

When the server detects that one of the players had lost connection, the remaining player will see a dialog, explaining the situation and showing the countdown (starting with 5 min). This time interval was introduced to allow the opponent to reconnect while the countdown is in progress. After the countdown reaches zero, the remaining player will have the opportunity to Abort the game OR to Take a win OR to keep waiting for opponent to reconnect.
There is also now an additional capability to reconnect to the same game in progress in case of problems other than loss of connection (e.g. local browser-related problems) - to accomplish that you can start closing the table (e.g. via the standard 'x' control in the upper right) and when the warning dialog appears select the 'reconnect' button. The above method can in most cases reload the applet and re-establish connection to the game.
While the game is continuing, it is even possible to fully reboot your machine and reconnect to the game. By default, you will have 3 minutes to do it unless your opponent allows you more time (by pressing 'Wait again' button)