1. Having problems downloading, can you explain in detail what to do?
2. Having problems installing the full version, can you help?
3. How do I upgrade to the latest version? How do I apply the patch?
4. Why do the computer opponents always start with extra points?
5. Why can't I set both the difficulty and players or handicap?
6. The gameplay is too slow, fast, jumpy, or uneven. Can I adjust it?
7. How can I disable the mouseover legal card popup feature?
8. I never get a good deal! Is the computer cheating against me?
9. I have my own MIDI, MP3s, or CDs. Can I listen to them instead?
10. The computer makes poor plays, why does it play so stupidly?
11. How do I report a bug or bad play if I see one?
12. How can I send a screenshot of a bug I found?
13. I am getting a page fault in some DLL, or a message like 'wrong dll, or 'dll missing', what is wrong?
14. The game sometimes crashes or locks up, what is wrong?
15. Any tips for configuring my wave-table sound card for quality music?
16. I cannot hear the music or sounds, or the volume is low and they sound 'scratchy'. What is wrong?
17. The MIDI background music sounds of poor quality, what is wrong?
18. My colors appear wrong or some cards are distorted, what is wrong?
19. Is there any way to have multiple player statistics, or reset my own win statistics?
20. Is there any way to make the cards bigger or change the spacing?
21. Is there any way to slow down the computer playout feature?
22. Do I need disks? Can I make my own transfer disks or as a backup?
23. Can I link to or distribute these games on our site or CD?
24. How to (un)subscribe to our newsletter? Please unsubscribe me! Privacy policy?
25. Do you offer a WebTV, Macintosh, Java, Palm, or Linux version?
26. What games will DreamQuest be coming out with next? Can I suggest one?
27. I am getting a "Your system is short on free GDI resources" error?
28. Is it possible to play your card games without installing them?
29. I want to author my own themed skin, how do make one?
30. Do your games run under the new Windows XP operating system?
31. Can someone spy on me or give me a virus using a custom face picture?
32. Since upgrading to 4.0, my sounds are scratchy and/or the game is much slower?
33. When I click the desktop icon to play, it takes me online. I dont want to play online! How do I just play a normal game by myself?
34. My game is slow to startup and pauses at the end of every hand?
35. I don't like the cards popping up, how do I stop them from doing that? Also, how do I turn off the hashmarks in the score card, and use numbers instead?
36. How do I move my games to a new computer or upgrade to Windows XP?
37. My antivirus software says there is a virus in your game!?

1. An online player is harrassing me, cheating, or cursing. How do I report them?
2. Can you tell me more about your rating system, ladders, or tourneys?
3. The game says a duplicate license has been detected. Why can't I play LAN games with other people like I have been?
4. I cannot host games, but I can join them. Maybe a proxy or firewall?
5. I am using LAN play and it is very slow to connect. Whats the problem?
6. What ports are used by the game so I can authorize or map them?
7. My Multiplayer menu says 'No network detected'
8. How can I make a secret game that won't show in the lobby?
9. What are all the chat commands and special emotes?
10. What are all the special command-line startup arguments
11. Can I play another computer via a direct cable connection?
12. Do your games support voice chat for online play?
13. It says my name is GuestXYZ or Free1234 when online and I can't change it?

Blackjack-specific Questions and Issues

1. It says I'm not registered but I am! How do I replace my key?
2. How do I enter my key? My key won't work in this version!
3. The game says my evaluation period expired, but I just started!
4. The game says it has expired and a newer version is available?
5. What is shareware? I already paid, why do I have to pay again!
6. Is there any way to decrease the long 'nag' dialog delay?
7. I registered several days ago and still have not received a key!
8. I don't have a credit card, can I still order your game, and register, some other way?
9. Is it safe to use a credit card? Why do you ask for my bank name?
10. Why do you charge so much? I can buy some CD games for $9!
11. Can I get a free copy? Do you offer a hardship discount?
12. I am registered, now how do I download the tutorial?
13. I already registered, can I get a refund for the discount price?
14. Do I need two licenses? Can I get a discount on the second?
15. Can I share licenses for your game between computers?
16. The game locked me out at 7 days, I thought I got 10 days free?
17. What are the differences between the classic Spades 7.1 release and Pro?
18. I am upgrading from the Free or an older version to Pro, but I dont like the new face artwork. Can I have my old player faces back?
19. I want to upgrade, but I am afraid of losing my statistics!?
20. Your game accepted the unlock code, but after upgrading, I get a 'Registration Key Error' on startup?
21. Your game is not accepting my unlock code?
22. How do I order this game for a friend or family member other than myself?
23. I bought 1 game and really like it, can I still get the bundle discount?

Obtaining support or reporting a bad play via email

• Championship Euchre - Email

General Game Questions & Answers

1. Having problems downloading, can you explain in detail what to do?

1. Print this document out for later reference.
2. Connect to the Internet and run your favorite Web browser (Netscape, IE, etc.).
3. Choose Open from the File menu (or use address line at top).
4. For Championship versions enter http://dq.com/download.html
5. Left-Click on the appropriate file. This will take you to a page where your download should start automatically. If you look towards the bottom of the page you will see more detailed downloading instructions. There are also instructions on how to find the file you just downloaded, if you need them. Some of our mirrors do not link directly to the EXE file. When you try and download the file from these sites you may be redirected to a web page where you can download the file. Once there, Left-Click on the 'Download Now' link and the download should automatically start.
6. Your browser will probably ask you where you want to save the file you are downloading. You should go to 'Save in:' at the top of the "Save As" window, and choose Desktop.
7. If the download fails or you get an error, try using the [US-1], [US-AOL], or other links which are alternate mirror sites, all of which contain the current versions of our games and may work better for you.
8. An alternative to downloading is to get our CD for $9.99 from http://www.dq.com/cd.html. If you have version 3.0 or higher of Championship Spades Pro or Championship Hearts, or any version of Championship Euchre, you can save some downloading time by downloading and installing the patch. To download and install the patch go to http://www.dq.com/upgrade.html, and follow the instructions.
9. If you continue to have problems, you may want to redial your ISP or try again at a less popular time of day, such as in the early morning.
10. If you cannot complete the download, consider getting a free download restart utility like those offered by http://gozilla.com, http://reget.com, or http://getright.com
11. After it is done downloading (2-10 minutes, depending on speed of connection), confirm the filesize is correct (exact size is listed on download page).
12. Exit your browser and disconnect from the Internet.
13. If you are upgrading with the full version, we suggest you first uninstall the old version. If you skip this step, you won't be able to uninstall the upgraded version later.
14. Now you can run the downloaded EXE to install the game (only once) and a Hearts, Spades, or Euchre icon should appear on your desktop so you can play.
15. You can delete the downloaded EXE archive once it has successfully installed.

2. Having problems installing the full version, can you help?

1. First, make sure you have a good download. Check the size of your downloaded EXE against the size listed on the download page. If it is smaller, you need to download it again.
2. If you downloaded to the Destop as we suggested you can just double-click the EXE on your Desktop. Otherwise, open an Explorer or File Manager window to the place you downloaded the EXE earlier (C:\?).
3. Double-click the EXE.
4. After the installer comes up, change the default installation directory if you wish. Otherwise, just press Next until done.
5. If you have problems, disable any virus-scanning software before you install.
6. You should now have a Hearts, Spades, or Euchre icon on your desktop to start the game at anytime. If not, you may have received an incomplete or corrupted download and need to download the installation EXE again.
7. When you startup one of our Championship games for the first time it will prompt you to take the 101 tutorial. Select Yes and the game will then explain how to play.
8. Enjoy your first hand of your new game as the computer guides you!

3. How do I upgrade to the latest version? How do I apply the patch?

With the newer releases, you can check for the latest release directly from the game itself by using the 'Check for newer version' on the File menu in the game. If there is a newer version, it will tell you and prompt you to download it. You can also get the latest version and instructions on how to upgrade from http://www.dq.com/upgrade.html

If the autoupgrade fails then you can upgrade by using the patch. To manually upgrade using the patch, follow these steps:

1. To use the patch you must have the full version of the game already installed. If you are upgrading Championship Hearts or Spades Pro the installed version must be 3.0 or higher. If you are upgrading Championship Euchre the installed version must be 1.0 or higher.*
2. Download the patch from http://www.dq.com/upgrade.html.
3. Install the patch by double-clicking on the EXE.
4. Click on 'Next', until finished.
5. The game must NOT be running when you install the patch. If you get an error try restarting the computer and running the patch again.

4. Why do the computer opponents always start with extra points?

This is correct behaviour. At the highest and lowest difficulty levels, Hearts, Spades and Euchre use a handicap to make the game extra tough for Master players by giving the computer a head start (or, in Beginner, you a head start).

If you do not want to play with a handicap, you can either select the middle difficulty levels which will automatically turn off the handicap but still let you play with and against expert computer players, or you can manually set the handicap to 0 in the Scoring Options dialog. Realize that turning this handicap off may increase or decrease your difficulty level.

Although at the highest level, the handicap may seem unfair, how often are you playing a hand over or undoing a play that you could not otherwise? If you disagree, you may find Challenger level is the most enjoyable difficulty for a strong, but even and fair game.

5. Why can't I set both the difficulty and players or handicap?

The Difficulty menu is simply a shortcut to set all players and the handicap to achieve the desired difficulty. Any player or handicap settings will therefore be lost when you use this menu. So, setting either one may possibly change the other setting.

The difficulty level is calculated based on the opponents' and your partner's skill and memory, as well as the handicap option. If you manually set all players (including your partner) to expert card-counters and disable the handicap, you will have a Challenger but not Master level of difficulty.

To create a more difficult game, you must choose a weaker partner, stronger opponents, and/or add a handicap. This is exactly what the Difficulty menu automatically does for you. The Master level is deliberately stacked against you. Although at the highest level, the handicap may seem unfair, how often are you playing a hand over or undoing a play that you could not otherwise? If you disagree, you may find Challenger level is the most enjoyable difficulty for a strong, but even and fair game.

6. The gameplay is too slow, fast, jumpy, or uneven. Can I adjust it?

Several seemingly unrelated things can cause our game (and other programs) to be slow or jumpy. Please try all of the suggestions listed here, even if they seem unlikely to solve the problem. 95% of the time, one of these suggestions does fix the problem, so please try them:

You can adjust the speed of gameplay using the slider under the Options->General menu to suit your own tastes. Since this slider only affects the delays and not the speed of your system, if you find the game speed starts getting uneven and choppy, you may wish to set the setting to a SLOWER, not faster, speed.

On many systems with the delays very short or disabled (slider to the far left), this can result in uneven, choppy play. If it seems jumpy or uneven, try a slightly slower setting (like halfway between the far left and the center of the speed slider, about 0.5). Also, occasional pauses to start a new MIDI music from the built-in MIDI jukebox are to be expected and are unavoidable. If speed is still a problem, some of these tips may help:

1. Upgrade to the latest release using the 'Download latest version' option under the game's Help menu. Performance, sound, and smoothness of gameplay are always being improved.
2. Consider shutting-down any applications you may be running in the background. In particular, network and system programs like FTP, Netscape, Explorer, Norton Utilities, and virus scanners can take significant CPU time & memory away from the game.
3. Try exiting the game, restarting your system, and then restarting the game. Several users have reported the game was very slow the first time after install, but speed was fine after that initial load.
4. Switch to 256 or 16-bit (hi-color) resolution. True color (24-bit and 32-bit) modes are often quite a bit slower on some graphics cards and older video drivers.
5. Is it intermittently pausing after a trick completes? If so, you may have taunts enabled but have the volume or sound turned down. Taunts are played synchronously, which means the game is paused until the sound finishes, which can take several seconds. You should see a balloon displayed on the player who is taunting. You can disable the taunts under either the General options or enable visual taunts instead under the Sound options dialog.
6. Verify your temp directory is empty (usually C:\TEMP or C:\WINDOWS\TEMP). If not, remove the files from it. Also, make sure your hard drive has a few megabytes of disk space left.
7. Try uninstalling and reinstalling the game from scratch. Some users have reported their initial install was very slow and a reinstall fixed the problem.
8. Switch to 640x480 256-color resolution. Higher resolutions eat more memory, and the graphics take longer to draw. The game will automatically switch over to an optimized pallette so it will look almost as good under 256-color but will run much faster. You may find the Microsoft Quikres PowerToy helpful for this. You can download it from ourWindows MustHaves page at http://dq.com/resources/musthave.html.
9. Make sure your disk is not too fragmented. Try running a disk optimizer/defragmenter such as Norton Speed Disk or Microsoft Defrag. If your system is several months old and you have never defragmented the disk, you will see noticeable slowdowns in fast-paced programs such as this.
10. Try disabling just the background music (Sound under Options menu). Older sound cards and/or drivers do a poor job of multitasking MIDI play. If disabling improves speed, you should check your sound card's manufacturer for newer MIDI drivers. This is particularly true if the songs seem choppy and the tempo uneven.
11. Due to the game's heavy use of memory for graphics and sound, systems with low memory (32MB or less) will have difficulty running smoothly and will be forced to use the hard disk as memory, making the system slow and uneven. Upgrading your memory is easy and inexpensive, and, suprisingly, is one of the easiest ways to speedup an older system.

7. How can I disable the mouseover legal card popup feature?

As a last-minute addition to 4.0, if you set your game speed setting in General Options on the Options menu to a number < 0.8, it will disable the legal card highlighting feature.

This feature was intended to show what cards were legal to play and to provide feedback for those that were having trouble clicking on the correct cards. While most of our Beta testers and players like this new feature, we know that some dont. So, like everything else, we have made it configurable. We may make it a completely seperate option in a future version, but for now the speed setting should work for you.

8. I never get a good deal! Is the computer cheating against me?

The game riffle shuffles the deck between 6-12 times (random) which guarantees a random deal. This method is preferred by card players and is used in most Bridge tournaments. It is possible to get several 'bad' hands in a row, just as in real life! I assure you the game does not 'cheat' or somehow stack the deck against you. I have tested and re-tested the game to verify the deals are solid so hang in there, your 'luck' will change!

9. I have my own MIDI, MP3s, or CDs. Can I listen to them instead?

To listen to CDs, MP3s, or MIDIs:

You can either move your MIDI files into the game's MIDI subdirectory and it will automatically find them the next time you start up the game or you can specify your own MIDI directory in the game's Sound Options dialog from the Sounds menu.

Use WinAmp (free and highly recommended), or your favorite player to play MIDIs, MP3s, or CDs in the background and simply disable the game's MIDI music under the Sound options dialog. The game sounds (dings, taunts, etc.) will still play along with your music. You can even adjust the volume of each using the Volume option on the Sounds menu.

You currently cannot play MP3 files directly from the game. We are considering adding support for this in a future release. For now, you can simply turn of the soundtrack music and run the free player from WinAmp.com or another one in the background while you play.

10. The computer makes poor plays, why does it play so stupidly?

First, make sure you are running the latest version of the game. We are constantly improving the computer's strategy based on player feedback. You can always upgrade for free to the latest release, see our Download Instructions. As a bonus, unregistered users of the Championship versions will have their evaluation period reset so they can give the latest release a full trial.

Next, make sure you are playing against expert computer players. You can look at the skills of each player by clicking on the player's face. You can quickly set all players and game options to a more challenging difficulty level by selecting Challenger from the Difficulty menu. Beginner players (notably Merlin and Junior) will make poor bids and plays fairly often. Average players (notably MsPotts, Ricky, and ProfPlum) usually play well but don't always bid or play an awkward hand correctly. They also don't know about signalling, finessing, aggressively setting, preventing moonshots, and other advanced techniques that expert players (LadyLuck, Sparky, and Red) do.

Other factors such as aggressiveness and memory can also affect a play since an expert player with a poor memory may 'forget' that a partner signalled or previously trumped a suit and, therefore, not lead it. Likewise, a shy player may not risk shooting the moon (Hearts) or sinking their own bid in an effort to sink a Nil (Spades). An aggressive player may also try too hard to shoot the moon (Hearts) or overbid a hand (Spades) sometimes. These factors are meant to make the game more realistic and to allow for more personality in the computer players. If you prefer a more predictable game, you can edit all the personalities to be boring, expert, card-counter, conservative, predictable players.

Finally, do not forget that the current game situation (score, other people's plays, etc.) can also affect a player's bid (Spades) or play strategy at an expert level. For example, a sly Spades expert may choose to bid low in the end game and dump in an effort to overbag the opponents and survive to another hand.

If you are already playing against expert players, and the computer still seems to be making poor bids (Spades) or plays, please use the 'Report a bad play' option under the Help menu or in the hand summary dialog. See 'How do I report a bug or bad play if I see one?' for details.

I believe the current release now offers the most competitive Spades and Hearts game available. I have received feedback from many users like yourself that have helped make the game what it is today. Please help improve the game even more by providing feedback with sample hands I can use. I welcome your helpful comments, especially with hands that I can reproduce. One benefit of our software is that you can be assured that we keep updating it, providing an even stronger challenge with each release.

11. How do I report a bug or a bad play if I see one?

I would greatly like to increase the challenge of the game and quality of the opponent's plays. I have already improved it dramatically over the last few releases using feedback from players like yourself.

Could you please use the 'Report a bad play' option under the Help menu the next time you see a misbid or poor play? You can even report a misplay from the scoring summary dialog under the 'Other' button or make a report on the previous hand. You can then email us the file and we can reproduce the exact hand, see how it was played, and figure out what was wrong so we can correct it and improve the challenge for the next release.

This file also lists all of the options you are playing with. Our products offer so many variations and options that almost every person is playing a slightly different game with slightly different effects on play. With so many variables (score, personalities, options, bids, previous plays, etc.) this report manages to list just about everything we need to reproduce the problem.

You can just paste the text from this badhand into your email program and send it to us at the correct email address for the product. Thanks for your support and feedback!

12. How can I send a screenshot of a bug I found?

Often, a picture is worth a thousand words. To send us a screenshot of a bug you are seeing, follow these instructions:

1. Run the game to the point that you see the problem and
2. Hold down Alt and press the PrtScrn key. Nothing will happen.
3. Choose Start->Run and type "pbrush" to startup MS Paintbrush.
4. Choose Paste from the Edit menu to paste your screenshot in.
5. Choose Save from the File menu and save it as a 256-color GIF.
6. It is VERY IMPORTANT to choose 256-color, otherwise you will get a really large file that will take quite some time to upload!
7. Email us an explanation at the correct email address.
8. Attach this GIF to your email message as you would attach any file.

13. I am getting a page fault in some DLL, what is wrong?

If the DLL is 'WINMM.DLL' or is sound-related, see crashes section instead.

This error is usually caused by a corrupt, incompatible, or older version of a DLL which another misbehaved program may have installed. Luckily, it is easy to fix.

All you need to do is download the VB DLLs that we use (but don't include with the game) and reinstall them. You can download the VB DLLs at http://dq.com/anonftp/msvbvm50.exe. Once the download is complete, double-click on the installer to install the DLLs. This should fix the problems you are having.

14. The game sometimes crashes or locks up, what is wrong?

The vast majority of the time this is a problem with your sound card drivers. Especially if the error message says something about WINMM.DLL or it frequently locks up when changing music soundtracks. You can quickly verify it is a sound-related problem by disabling all sound (Disable all from Sound Options...).

Unfortunately, we have little control over the sound drivers. Since DreamQuest card games use both MIDI background songs and WAV sound effects simultaneously during play, this is usually even more stressful on a sound card than typical shoot-em-up games. However, here are some tips that should help:

1. Download and install the most recent sound card drivers for Windows 95/98/NT/2000 from the manufacturer's site (for SoundBlasters, try http://www.soundblaster.com). This often immediately corrects any problems.
2. Try stopping all background programs/drivers in case of incompatibility. You can do this by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del and choosing End Task on all programs EXCEPT Explorer and Systray, which are required. For example, there is a known bug in some mouse/trackball pointing software that can cause intermittent lockups. I usually make a habit of doing this before running ANY game to improve performance and stability.
3. Our newest releases use DirectX if it is installed on your system. As a result, if you are having problems, there are two things that you can try. First, you can download the latest version of DirectX from http://www.microsoft.com/directx/. Also, you can just disable the DirectX playback by using the -nodx command line option in our game. For more information on command-line options see http://dq.com/faq_cs.html#cmdline
4. Try disabling just the background soundtrack (Sound under Options menu). I have had reports that older sound cards with older drivers do a poor job of multitasking MIDI play. You can still enjoy the game sounds but wont have the background music.
5. Change the IRQ and/or DMA settings for your sound card which may be conflicting with your mouse or other devices in your system. Consult your sound card documentation for additional suggestions.
6. If all else fails, and the game is too unstable with the sound on, you may just have to disable all the sounds from the Sound Options dialog. You can also force the game to startup without any sound by adding the '-nosound' parameter.

15. Any tips for configuring my wave-table sound card for quality music?

If you have any of the recent AWE or Live! SoundBlaster cards, there are some subtle configuration tips that they do not explain well. Incorrect configurations can cause slow play, poor quality, and intermittent lockups. These tips may also apply to other wave-table sound cards as well.

1. First, make sure you have the latest drivers for your card. Creative and other manufacturers regularly update their drivers every couple of months, with steady performance and stability improvement with each revision. It is easy to download and install them from their Web site at http://www.soundblaster.com.
2. Second, do NOT use WaveSynth as this bypasses your sound card and does MIDI via software. This slows your system down, can cause WAV files not to play, can cause problems in half-duplex mode and can also cause lockups. To verify/correct this, choose Start->Settings->Control Panel->Multimedia. Under the MIDI tab, make sure 'Creative Wave Effects for AWE' is selected, and NOT 'WaveSynth-WG'.
3. Third, if you want your MIDI songs to sound much better, make sure you have loaded the highest-quality (i.e. largest size) SoundFont you can. To do this, go to your AWE Control Panel (under your SoundBlaster group), select the main (first) bank and load your SoundFont from the SFbank directory. If you have a 4MB card (like the SB AWE64), then select 4gmsynth.sf2 and click apply. Your MIDI songs should now sound much better. If you don't have these files, you need to install them off the installation CD-ROM. Just make sure to re-update to the latest drivers AFTER you install off the CD-ROM.
4. Finally, if you still have problems playing sound files simultaneously with the MIDI music (especially if you MUST use WaveSynth for some reason), you might try disabling the full-duplex setting. This should be under the volume control panel or the Device Manager properties for your sound card. Uncheck the full-duplex box. Full-duplex is rarely used by most people and is for simultaneous recording and playback (such as for teleconferencing).

16. I cannot hear the music or sounds, or the volume is low and they sound 'scratchy'. What is wrong?

If you cannot hear either or both the game sounds and music, try:

1. Verify the volume for both Wave (game sounds) and MIDI (music) is high enough and not muted in your sound mixer (varies by card). Use Ctrl+V to bring up the Windows Volume Control or select Volume from the Options menu. The music soundtrack is labeled 'MIDI' or 'Synth' and game sounds are 'Wave' or 'DirectSound'. They can have different volume settings (usually MIDI is set lower so you can hear the game sounds over the background music). Adjust or unmute to suit your listening tastes.
2. Bring up Sound Options under the Options menu and click the 'Reset' button to reset the game sounds back to defaults and enable them.
3. Shutdown other programs. Some programs, especially games and MP3 players will 'lock' the sound card and refuse to share it with other programs.
4. If some sounds work, but not others, verify that your speed setting is not set too the far left. When the speed setting is set to the fastest (0), most game sounds are disabled to make the game faster.
5. If the sounds are 'scratchy', sometimes lockup your computer, or none of the game sounds work, you may have a sound driver bug. You can try experimenting with different options in the Sound Options dialog box under Play taunts using. DX uses DirectX and is usually the best choice, but some players may find other sound playback options work better with their sound card and drivers.
6. If songs are not playing but game sounds are, verify your MIDI mapping is correct. Choose Start->Settings->Control Panel->Multimedia. Under the MIDI tab, make sure 'Creative Wave Effects for AWE' or some other appropriate device is selected, NOT 'WaveSynth-WG' or 'Midi Out'. See your sound card manual/Help for more details on MIDI mapping. Many games do not use MIDI so Championship Spades may be the first one you have tried.
7. If you still cannot hear any songs and you have a budget sound card, your card may either not support MIDI songs or it may not have the MIDI drivers installed. Consider downloading the latest Windows 95/98/NT drivers for your sound card.
8. If songs are playing, but game sounds are not and you have an advanced PCI sound card, you might check your sound card's control panel under Start->Settings->Control Panel. In particular, users with a S3 sound card have reported that disabling the 'Power Saving' feature under Advanced Settings, allowed game sounds to play during the game.
9. Make sure you have a full install of the game. A minimal or custom install may have not installed the game sounds. Reinstalling the game again should add these sound files back and allow full sound in-game.

17. The MIDI background music sounds of poor quality, what is wrong?

This is usually because you have an older sound card using FM synthesis for MIDI musical instruments or it is not mapping properly. FM artificially-created instruments do not sound anywhere near as good as digitally-sampled instruments that a newer wave-table sound card would produce. MIDI files store the pitch and timbre of notes to replay the song rather than storing an actual digital recording. This makes the files much smaller and easily replayable. It does, however, also mean that the songs will only sound as good played back as the MIDI setup and sound card that they are played on.

If you believe your sound card does support wave-table sound (e.g. AWE or Live!), see wave-table configuration tips in the previous two sections.

I *highly* recommend the SoundBlaster AWE64 Gold or SB Live cards. They have excellent wave-table synthesis as well as gold connectors for static free playback. And, being a SoundBlaster, it is also compatible with all your older games. Break down and pay the $79 and enjoy an orchestra in your PC! In the meantime, you may wish to disable the background music and just enjoy the basic game sounds which should sound decent even on an older sound card.

18. My colors appear wrong or some cards are distorted, what is wrong?

If some of the card images are corrupted or the colors appear off, this is usually caused by a grapics card driver bug. There are a few things you can try to correct this (#3 is most likely the culprit, but the others are easier):

1. Use 'Reset to defaults' under the Options menu. This isnt likely to fix the problem, but it will reset the game graphics to the defaults in case a previous theme or other file was incorrect.
2. Try changing to a different resolution (256, hi-color, and true color) under the dropdown list from Start->Settings->Control Panel->Display->Settings.
3. The early drivers that ship with new video cards or computers often include some fairly serious bugs. Most players report that downloading the latest updated drivers from their video card or computer maker's Web site and then installing them fixed the problem. Contact your computer maker or video card manual to find the correct Web site and video driver update to download. In particular, there is a known bug with some ATI drivers under Windows 2000.
4. Try a full uninstall of the game (under Start->Settings->Control Panel and then Add/Remove games. After the uninstall finishes, you can manually delete the game directory if it does not uninstall cleanly. Now reinstall the full game from http://dq.com/download.html There was a bug in the 3.04 installer causing 'blank cards' on some systems. This reinstall should correct this.

19. Is there any way to have multiple player statistics, or reset my own win statistics?

All of our games track statistics separately for each player based on the player name used. When you change player names, you will track wins, losses, and other information by that name only. This means that members of your family can share the same game and even compare game statistics by simply entering their name when they play. You could also try different strategies using different names and then compare them. If you have multiple players, you may wish to enable the 'Name prompt on startup' option to remind them every time they start playing.

The Championship versions also restore different game variation and artwork settings for each player, if the autorestore option is also enabled.

From the Players Statistics dialog (off the View menu), Championship players can compare the last 4 player's statistics or reset the current player's stats by pressing the reset button. The game will track more than 4 players, although only the last 4 will show in the comparison dialog. The Free version just display wins and losses.

You can also delete any player/profiles by pressing the Delete button from the Change name... dialog.

20. Is there any way to make the cards bigger or change the spacing?

Yes. Switch to 640x480 256-color resolution or any other resolution that is more comfortable. The cards will be smaller on a high-resolution screen such as 1024x768. This is intended to allow people to more easily run multiple applications at once. However, this size may be too small for some to read, especially on a 14-inch monitor.

You may find the Microsoft Quikres PowerToy helpful for this. It allows you to quickly switch resolutions without rebooting. It is already included with later versions of Windows 95 and all versions of Windows 98. If you don't have it, you can download it for free from our Windows 95 MustHaves page.

All of our games will automatically space the cards out wider if you size the screen larger. If you find the spacing too wide, simply size the screen a little smaller and the cards will re-space properly. You can also maximize the window for the cards to space out more. If you find the hashmarks difficult to read, try disabling them under General Options in the game's Options menu. Finally, consider applying the 'HiContrast' theme/skin from the File menu.

We now offer a 'Big cards' option on the View menu that you can toggle on to double the size of the cards. This is mostly useful if you must run our game on a very hi-resolution but small size display.

21. Is there any way to slow down the computer playout feature?

Yes and no. The 'computer playout' function is designed to finish an obvious hand quickly and is not adjustable. If you wish to autoplay for just one trick, use the spacebar or popup menu 'default play' command instead. This command will play the hint-suggested card, much like the playout function. In this manner, you can basically 'step through' the tricks in a hand. You can even set the Confirm Practice Options under General Options to 'Never' to eliminate the prompt. You may also wish to adjust the game speed on the Options->Game so the computer players will play faster. The playout delay is relative to the game speed. Playout is always faster than normal play, but it is still based on game speed, so to slow down playout, slow down the game speed by a little.

22. Do I need disks? Can I make my own transfer disks or as a backup?

You can make your own disks from the downloaded Web version of any of our games free of charge. The simplest solution is to just connect your other computer to the Internet and download the game again. If you dont have Internet on your other computer, you can download the game installer and split it onto 3 disks which you can then install on some other non-Internet computer:

1. Print out your registration email or write down your name/key (Championship only).
2. Download HEARTS32.EXE or SPADES32.EXE or EUCHRE32.EXE by following our download instructions and then either:
3. a) Transfer the EXE file to your other computer via your network connection, IR, LapLink as you would any data file and then run the EXE on the other computer to install the game.
4. b) Burn a CD with this file (you may have to COPY and PASTE this file since dragging and dropping may not work) and then double-click the EXE from this CD on your other computer to install the game on your new computer. OR
5. c) Use WinZip (www.winzip.com) to ZIP the install EXE using the disk spanning feature. To do this in Winzip: 1) Start WinZip, 2) Drag and drop the HEARTS32.EXE file from your desktop to the WinZip window, 3) In the Add dialog box, type A:\HEARTS32.ZIP, 4) Click the Add button to create the Zip, 5) WinZip will automatically prompt you for additional diskettes, as needed, 6) Run WinZip on the other computer and place disk1 into your drive, 7) Extract the EXE file from the Zip onto your desktop (it will prompt for the other diskettes), 8) and then double-click the extracted EXE from your desktop to install the game on your new computer.
6. 'Register' your new copy using your name/key written down in step 1 (Championship only).

You can still upgrade via the Web regardless of whether you choose to have disks sent to you. The disk contains the same version that you can download. For Championship players, the registration key that is sent to you will unlock either the disk or the Web version. For this reason, the vast majority of people do not get disks.

23. Can I link to or distribute these games on our site or CD?

Absolutely! Feel free to link directly to any of our product, home, or download pages. For link images, visit http://dq.com/spimages.html. For vendor information, visit http://dq.com/vendor.html.

24. How to (un)subscribe to our newsletter? Please unsubscribe me! Privacy policy?

We apologize if you found our newsletter intrusive.

We do list a subscription to our card tips newsletter and notification of product updates as a benefit to registering our Championship Hearts and like to know about new releases, so, by default, we send it to all owners.

Privacy is an issue of growing importance that we greatly respect. Rest assured that we respect your wishes and we NEVER pass on your information to any other companies, including our partners. For details, see our public privacy policy at http://dq.com/privacy.html

You have full control over your preferences. Indicate if you would like to receive or not receive future newsletters or product announcements in the future by simply sending an empty email message to:

• dqsoft-subscribe@YahooGroups.com FROM THE ADDRESS TO BE ADDED
• dqsoft-unsubscribe@YahooGroups.com FROM THE ADDRESS TO BE REMOVED

We use a third-party YahooGroups for our newsletters to give you direct control over your preferences. If you have problems using the above steps, feel free to contact us directly at support@dq.com and we will remove you by hand.

25. Do you offer a WebTV, Macintosh, Java, Palm, or Linux version?

Sorry, we do not currently support WebTV, Linux, or Macintosh. You must have Windows to be able to play our card games. However, our games do run and have been tested on all the major Windows emulators for both Linux and Macintosh. We do also have a somewhat older but still excellent 16-bit version of Spades which will run on even old, free Windows 3.1 emulators. You can download both the latest 32-bit and the older 16-bit versions from our Web site at http://dq.com/download.html

26. What games will DreamQuest be coming out with next? Can I suggest one?

Absolutely! We love to get feedback from our customers on what games they would like to see created next. Euchre was a response to dozens of emails from fans who wanted to see a Championship version of their favorite game.

If you would like to suggest a game, such as Championship Rook, Bid Whist, Pinochle, Cribbage, Rummy, Canasta, Blackjack, 500, Five Hundred, Sheepshead, or something else, please send us a detailed email with the rules and variations you like to play with. Knowing how everyone plays and the rules and options they like is the biggest step that you can help us with! Thanks!

You should also consider signing up for Beta testing, if you have not already. For more information, on becoming a beta tester, see http://dq.com/beta.html

27. I am getting a "Your system is short on free GDI resources" error?

GDI resources are graphic objects used to draw in Windows. In Windows 95, 98, and ME there are a limited number of these resources (NT, 2000, and XP have no limit). This is not related to disk space or memory. This error usually means that some program 'leaked' and lost these resources. Closing other programs or rebooting should fix the problem.

In versions 3.04 and later, we added a resource check on startup. In previous versions, the game would sometimes show blank or missing cards and other bizarre graphics bugs when it ran out of GDI resources.

28. Is it possible to play your card games without installing them?

Yes, but it takes some effort. If you are unable to install the game (perhaps for use on a locked University, library, NT, or public access system) normally, you can put all the runtime files and directories on CD and run the game directly off of a CD, ZIP drive, or other media. The simplest solution is to order our demo CD which includes a 'Run directly off CD' button in the startup screen and the CD includes all the files for all of our games to run directly.

However, it is also possible to build your own CD/ZIP to run the game. You will need to first install the game on a system that you do have full access to and then copy the contents (including all subdirectories) of the installed directory C:\Program Files\DreamQuest\Championship to a directory on your CD. You will also need to copy the following DLLs which will have been installed in your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory into the top-level game directory on the CD (with the game EXE): Asycfilt.dll, Comcat.dll, Ctl3d32.dll, Msvbvm50.dll, Mswinsck.ocx, Oleaut32.dll, Olepro32.dll, Rsrc16.dll, Rsrc32.dll, SpyPeer.dll, Stdole2.tlb, Unzip32.dll, Vb5stkit.dll, Zip32.dll. Now you can just launch the game using the EXE directly off of your CD or ZIP disk!

29. I want to author my own themed skin, how do make one?

For detailed help on making your own skin, see the game's Help file, download sample skins from our Add-Ons Center at http://dq.com/addons.html and visit the Theme Maker's Dream Site at http://dq.com/themehelp.html.

30. Do your games run under the new Windows XP operating system?

Yes. We have several players and Beta testers (and one of our test systems) using Windows XP. The latest releases do work under XP, although we have had some reports of sound problems. Others have reported sound and video-related issues due to drivers that are NOT certified for Windows XP use.

If you are having problems with the game crashing or with corrupted video, try obtaining updated Windows XP drivers for your sound or video card. For details on this, see 'I cannot hear the music or sounds . . .'.

Finally, do make sure you have the latest release from http://dq.com/download.html. Earlier versions are known not to work under XP.

31. Can someone spy on me or give me a virus using a custom face picture?

No. Viruses and 'spy' programs can only be transmitted via executable or script files (things you actually run). Picture data cannot contain this. However, as an added security measure for our players, we delete these custom faces as soon as you go offline in the 4.02 and later releases.

32. Since upgrading to 4.0, my sounds are scratchy and/or the game is much slower?

As of the 3.50 release, we now use the newer DirectX method for sound playback. While this works much better under XP and with newer sound cards, it does seem to have problems with some older sound card drivers. If you find the game sounds make scratchy sounds and/or the game is slow to startup or end each hand, you may have an older sound card driver that doesnt work well with DirectX. To fix this, there are four things you can try:

1. Disable the use of DirectX by our games by adding a -nodx command-line argument to the game launcher icon. The game will use the old sound playback as it did in older releases. Right-click on the 'Play Game' icon on your desktop and choose Properties. Then, click on the Shortcut tab and add the parameters to the Target field. Make sure you enclose the full path inside of double-quotes and place the -nodx after the quotes. Example: "C:\Program Files\Championship Spades Pro\ChampSpades.exe" -nodx
2. Upgrade to the latest version of DirectX (currently 8.x) from http://www.microsoft.com/directx
3. Upgrade the drivers for your sound card from their Web site or upgrade to a more modern sound card and enjoy faster and better sound playback!
4. If you still have problems, please type 'dxdiag' using Run under Start menu and try the Sound diagnostics under the Sound tab. You can also use the Save... button there to email me information on what sound card and driver you are using.

33. When I click the desktop icon to play, it takes me online. I dont want to play online! How do I just play a normal game by myself?

When the game is installed, it creates two desktop icons for you, one for playing offline and one for playing online. Most likely you are accidently clicking the online icon or you have deleted the offline icon. There are three ways to fix this:

1. Launch the game from the Championship Spades Pro group in your Start menu. You can also copy this shortcut back to your desktop.
2. Right-click on the desktop icon and choose Properties. Click on the Shortcut tab and then the Target field. Delete the '/host' text and press Ok.
3. Reinstall the game and it will automatically recreate both icons.

34. My game is slow to startup and pauses at the end of every hand?

After much investigation, we have determined that the usual cause of the 'slowness' on startup and between hands is due to an incompatibility between our games and McAfee VirusScan. The quick solution is for you to disable your virus scanner in your computer's tasbar along the bottom. We have alerted McAfee of this problem and they are investigating it.

We have attempted to fix the incompatibility on our side and have made some changes in our latest 4.05 release that may allow our game and McAfee to operate at the same time without these delays. Please use the 'Check for new version...' in your game's file menu to have the game upgrade itself.

Since we are still unable to recreate this on our test systems, please email us back and let us know if either (or both) of these solutions fixes the problem for you. If it still doesn't work, we have compiled every speed-related tip we know (most reported back from player's like yourself) in another FAQ question here.

35. I don't like the cards popping up, how do I stop them from doing that? Also, how do I turn off the hashmarks in the score card, and use numbers instead?

To turn off the pop up card feature you can simply right-click on the cards in your hand and select 'Pop up valid plays'. This should turn off the feature that pops up the cards. You can also enable or disable the 'Allow play ahead' option by right-clicking on your cards. In our newest versions, both the 'Pop up valid plays' and 'Allow play ahead' options are configurable in the 'General options' menu. To modify the options click on 'Options', then 'General options'. When the 'General options' dialogue comes up, look for ''Pop up' card plays?'. This is where you will configure the two options.

To change the hashmarks to numbers in the score card, just click on the score card and select 'Show numbers'. If you want to change back, simply click on the score card again and select 'Show hashmarks'.

36. How do I move my games to a new computer or upgrade to Windows XP?

If you upgrade your operating system or transfer between computers, you will lose your game settings/statistics which are stored in the registry.

Follow these steps to move your game to a new computer or upgrade your OS:

1. Download the latest version from http://dq.com/download.html
2. Print out your unlock key or use http://dq.com/lookup.html to request it.
3. Install the newly downloaded version by double-clicking on the EXE.
4. Enter your name and unlock key provided in step #2.

37. My antivirus software says there is a virus in your game!?

All of our games are thoroughly tested with the latest version of both McAfee and Norton AntiVirus before they are released and are certified virus free. Unfortunately, some older shareware and freeware virus checking programs wrongly detect ANY compressed program as having a virus. Please upgrade or disable your antivirus software to solve this problem. If you continue to have problems, we suggest you look at one of the two leaders in antiviral software protection tools: www.mcafee.com and www.symantec.com as these quality programs will not detect false viruses like this.

Multiplayer Questions and Answers

We try our best to provide a clean, fun, safe place for people to play card games. However, as our site grows, so to does its attraction to people who are sore losers, badmouthers, cheaters, and bigots. As our lobby is a public lobby, we cannot (and frankly don't want to) become a policeman. However, we also realize that everyone wants a fun place to play without being harassed by these people.

The first and most obvious solution to people like this is to just ignore them and dont play with them. If they anger you or skip out in the middle of games often enough, they will develop a reputation and no one will play with them. This is only a game, so play with the people that you enjoy playing with!

We have implemented several tools to help you combat these players:

• Type /report in your chatcard to file a report about a harassing player. Provide a description and the game will also store the last 10 lines of the chatcard so report them right AFTER their offending comment. If they are consistently a problem and you have filed several /reports on them, then email us and we will consider warning and revoking their license, if necessary.
• Use /mute to ignore that player. You will not see chats or whispers from this player and they will be unable to join your game. This is the best solution to those that are badmouthing you or anger you. With you ignoring them and not responding to their ploys for negative attention, they will likely go away or at least cool down.
• If a player is truely being offensive to more than just you in the lobby, and you are a registered player, you may use the /supermute command to have ALL players in the lobby mute that player, blocking them out. This should only be used if the player is cursing obscenities or racist crap and offending multiple players. You will be asked to provide a reason why you are using this and it will be logged (like /report). You should only use this command after warning the player verbally first.
• If a player being blatantly disruptive, clearly out of line, asking for unlock codes, shouting racial obscenities, then use the /boot command to both supermute them and kick them out of the lobby for an hour. Obviously, this is a last resort.

For info on ratings see http://www.dq.com/ratings.html. For info on tourneys or ladders, please see http://www.dq.com/tourneys.html, or http://www.dq.com/ladders.html.

Our apologies, but the widespread sharing of registration keys, has forced us to implement license checking in the current versions of Championship Hearts, Spades, and Euchre.

Our licensing for our games has not changed:

"The registered license gives you non-exclusive permission to make and load up to 2 copies of this game (16-bit and/or 32-bit versions) on computers that you own, provided that no more than one of those copies of this game are ever in use at any one time. For example, one copy at home and one at work is acceptable as long as the wife/husband/family are not playing it while you are gone...

This unlock key is unique to your registered name. You may NOT share this key with other family members and friends or post it for public use."

We apologize that you are no longer able to share your license with family and friends, but you can't blame us for enforcing our licensing. If multiple people are playing and enjoying our games, then those people should each pay for it. If two people enjoy a movie, two people pay for it. Any other retail game works in the same way and most online games now check as we do.

However, we have tried to come up with a way that is fair and easier on families and friends to buy multiple copies. To this end, we have recently done two things:

• We have enabled full LAN play (both hosting and joining) in demo mode as of the 3.68 release. This means that if you want to play with another friend or family member, you can just install the game in demo mode (enter 'demo' in for the name if you already put your license in) and play it free for 10 days on additional computers without another license. Upgrade or get extra copies for free at http://dq.com/download.html
• We have created a special discount price for each game that will allow you to order additional games and licenses for only $19.99. To get the discounted price, make sure to order it from inside a registered Pro game.

In order to host games, other players (and GameSpy) must be able to see and connect to your computer. Your hosted game may not show up if you are using some type of port monitoring software or a proxy, or if your UDP port has otherwise been blocked. Many cable modem and DSL systems use some sort of proxy (often NAT). For details on configuring your software or proxy to allow you to host games, see authorizing or mapping ports. For information on how to configure a Linksys router, please see their support page at http://www.linksys.com/support/support.asp. For other firewall programs, please see the documentation included with the program.

If you are having problems with your game not showing up you should upgrade to 4.10 or later where we have automatic firewall and NAT detection which will allow hosting through our relay server. If your hosted game STILL doesn't show up under a firewall you may want to use the command line parameter -forcerelay. Please see our section on command line parameters for more information.
Please Note: when using our relay server the game response times may be a little bit slower.

Our latest version offers custom faces for players. This requires access to our Internet server to store and transfer the faces between players, even for LAN play. This means that if you do not have Internet FTP access behind your LAN firewall, it will be slow to host or join games as it tries to upload your custom face before it finally times out. To avoid this delay, simply choose a non-custom face in your profile and it wont even try to connect.

As of version 3.80 of our games we have added support for a NAT relay proxy server. The game will detect if you are behind a NAT router or firewall and attempt to use the relay server. You can tell if the game is using our NAT relay server by looking at your game in the lobby. If there is a white 'P' in a blue circle at the end of your game description, then you know your game is using our NAT relay proxy server. If you are behind a firewall, but want to directly host WITHOUT the relay proxy, you will need to use a -norelay cmdline argument. To see more information about our command line arguments go here.

The ports used by our games, and what the ports are used for, are listed below.

• 3782 TCP (Voice chat hosting for all games, if you use RogerWilco)
• 3782 UDP (Voice chat hosting for all games, for details see RogerWilco FAQ)
• 6667 TCP (GameSpy/IRC lobby chat for all players and games)
• 7015 TCP (Championship Hearts hosts game at)
• 7016 UDP (Championship Hearts lobby info)
• 7017 TCP (Championship Spades Pro hosts game at)
• 7018 UDP (Championship Spades Pro lobby info)
• 7019 TCP (Championship Euchre hosts game at)
• 7020 UDP (Championship Euchre lobby info)

You will need to configure your port monitoring software to allow incoming connections on these ports. If you are using a proxy server, you will probably also need to map these ports.

If, for some reason, you really need to change these ports, you can change them using the -lobbyport and -hostport startup arguments. For more information on using startup arguments, see the section on command-line arguments. Make sure you change the ports in your firewall or security program as well.

For DSL and cable modems made by Cisco running a NAT firewall, to run all of our games and voice chat, you will need to connect to your modem/router and, in enable mode, enter the following commands (substitute *YOUR* PC's internal IP address for 10.0.0.2 in this example):

• set nat entry add 10.0.0.2 3783 TCP
• set nat entry add 10.0.0.2 6667 TCP
• set nat entry add 10.0.0.2 7015 TCP
• set nat entry add 10.0.0.2 7015 TCP
• set nat entry add 10.0.0.2 7016 UDP
• set nat entry add 10.0.0.2 7017 TCP
• set nat entry add 10.0.0.2 7018 UDP
• set nat entry add 10.0.0.2 7019 TCP
• set nat entry add 10.0.0.2 7020 UDP
• write

When it says 'No network detected' under the Multiplayer menu and you cannot connect or host games online, this means that Windows cannot detect an IP address for your computer. This usually means that your Network settings are not set properly. You need to have the TCP/IP protocol installed, bound to your network or dialup adapter, and the IP settings properly entered.

If you really are connected to a network and the game is still not detecting it right, you can force it to enable the options by using the -forcenetwork Command-Line Option when you startup the game.

There are three ways of doing this:

1. Under the Multiplayer menu, choose 'Password-protect game' and enter a password. Your game will showup in the GameSpy listings, but no one will be able to join without entering the password.
2. Once you have hosted a game, you can also click on any position and choose 'Lockout joins'. This will prevent anyone joining at that position. You can later toggle it to 'Allow joins' when your friends are ready to join.
3. Finally, you can use 'Host LAN Game' from the Multiplayer menu rather than 'Play Online'. If you are on the Internet, the whole world is your LAN, and anyone can join using your computer's IP address. Your game will not show up on the GameSpy list if you host the game this way. You can use ICQ or another messaging program to launch the game using the command-line parameters or just give out your IP address. You can even specify a custom port using the -hostport parameter and then have players join use -join [ip:port].

The following is a list of basic macros. For a complete list of emotes and for directions on how to add your own, just open the 'macros.txt' file found in either the Championship Hearts, Spades Pro or Euchre folder on your computer. Alternatively you can type '/macro edit' in the chat window to open the macros.txt file in Notepad.

• /help - Displays a brief list of commands in the chat window.
• /mute or /supermute [name] - You can use /mute command to silence a particular player's chat from your chatcard. The /supermute command (only usable by registered players with a rating of 1400+) will silence the player's chat from the entire lobby.
• /lobby - Have the lobby chat echoed to your in-game chat card, or turn it off. Use /l [text] to explicitly send a message to the lobby from the in-game chat card.
• /notify - Enable/disable lobby player arrival/exit notification.
• /buddy [name] - Command to add a person to your buddy list. The buddy list is a list of people whose arrival/departure you want to be alerted to. Example:/buddy John. Use /buddy -[name] to remove a person.
• /whisper [name with spaces]:[msg] or /w [name] [msg] - Send a message to someone that is only visible by you and the person you specify. Example:/w John How are you?.
• /reply [msg] or /r [msg] - Reply to a whispered message. The reply will also be whispered. Example:/reply I'm fine.
• /shout - Have all your future in-game chats shouted to the entire lobby room. Use the command again to toggle shouting off.
• /alert - Enable/disable chat alert sound.
• /who - Shows all players connected to the lobby.
• /taunt [#/nil/pard/lost/won] - Have your profile character issue a taunt. Example:/taunt nil.
• /me [action] or :[action] - Perform some action through chat. Example: /me stands up and shouts.
• /pie [name] - Throw a pie at the given player.

Should you click on any player name while in the lobby, a small popup menu will appear. A list of preset macros including 'details', 'mute', and 'buddy' are featured to allow you shortcuts to the most frequently used macros. This menu can be customized to list your favorite predefined or user defined chat commands. To do so, open the 'macros.txt' file in Notepad and follow the directions.

• -help - Print a short list of support arguments.
• -reset - Reset all game option. Helpful if your image files got corrupted from a previous theme.
• -multi - Automatically visit multiplayer lobby on startup.
• -host [ip:port] - Automatically host a multiplayer game on startup (useful if you have more than one network card).
• -join [ip:port] - Automatically join game host (useful for ICQ or AIM startup). Port is optional.
• -pos [W|N|E] - Join game at the given position (defaults to last join pos).
• -desc "[name]" - Set hosted game description (defaults to last used).
• -var [var #] - Set the variation # to host (defaults to last used).
• -name "[name]" - Set your player name to use for games & chatting.
• -room [name] - Set which lobby room to startup in.
• -password [name] - Set password for host or joining game.
• -lobbyport [#] - Set what port to use for lobby chat.
• -forcenetwork - Force Multiplayer options on even if Windows cant detect network.
• -lan - Force LAN play by simulating an unreachable lobby.
• -spy - Force GameSpy lobby usage (default).
• -testlobby - Force old Beta testing lobby usage.
• -nosound - Disable all sound. Helpful if you are having sound lockups.
• -nodx - Disable DirectX sound playback. Helpful if you are having some sound issues in our newest versions. Will revert sound playback to be the same as in versions 3.5 and earlier. This option is only supported in 3.6 and later.
• -nomci - Disable MCI sound & MIDI playback. Try this if to isolate sound problems.
• -syncplay - Force sound playback synchronously (pauses gameplay during playback).
• -fileplay - Force sound playback directly from files (no buffering).
• -skinpath "[dir]" - Set which directory to look for themes in.
• -noexp - Prevents check for newer releases when game is 'old'.
• -forcerelay - Force game to use our relay proxy server.
• -norelay - Prevent use of relay proxy server. Note: if you are behind a firewall, or NAT router, using this argument could cause your game to not show up in our game lobby.
• -tutorial - Starts up game into tutorial immediately.
• -multiple - Allows start of multiple copies of the same game.
• -autosave - Force the game to save every hand automatically to debug.

Yes, you can. Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, and ME all support Direct Cable Connection which allows you to connect two computers with a serial or parallel cable without a network. Once connected, you can then Host and Join a LAN game as described in the game's Help file. For an excellent step by step tutorial on how to do this, visit the 'Direct Connect any Windows Platform' at http://www.kime.net/directcc/

Yes, all of our Windows games support RogerWilco for voice chat. You must download and install RogerWilco (its free) from http://rogerwilco.gamespy.com/

Once you have RogerWilco installed, you will be able to check (or disable) the 'voice chat' option under your Player Profile (on the Options menu in our games).

When you host a game, it will automatically also host a voice chat session with RogerWilco as well. You will notice that your game will have a (V) symbol under the lobby so others will know you are also hosting a voice chat.

When anyone joins a game that is hosting a voice chat and they have RogerWilco installed, the game will also automatically join that voice chat session.

To stop voice chat, either uncheck the 'voice chat' box when hosting or simply close the RogerWilco voice chat window.

For more details on how to install, configure, and use RogerWilco, please see their support page at http://rogerwilco.gamespy.com/support/rw/support.html

That is correct. We cannot afford to pay for the online servers, etc. for all the Free players as we have no advertising and we cant afford to just give it away like Microsoft does. We have a family to feed too!

So we have gone to a system like most of the other portal sites where online unregistered players have anonymous names. You can still play online and check it out, but if you want to play a lot, make friends, etc. then you need to register and support us.

Blackjack Questions and Answers

Registering Questions (Championship versions only)

1. It says I'm not registered but I am! How do I replace my key?

Sometimes upgrading, recovering, or modifying your system (e.g. reinstalling or upgrading Windows) can lose your game registration information. It will then revert back to an unregistered state and will nag you or perhaps even prevent you from playing. If you have your name and code printed out, or the email filed away somewhere, just select 'Enter unlock key' from the Help menu and re-enter your code to re-register the game. As of our 4.0 release we are using new codes, so if you enter an older registration code (or upgraded from an older version), the game will explain this and direct you to our online code lookup form, which you can fill out to obtain an updated 4.0 key at no charge.

If you don't have your code or email anymore, use our Lost Code Lookup and we will send you a replacement registration packet with your unlock code and download information for the latest release, free of charge.

Remember, upgrades of the same game are always free for those that have supported us. Simply send us your name, email, and approximate date and we will be happy to look you up and send you a replacement key. Thanks for your support!

2. How do I enter my key? My key won't work in this version!

The registered and trial versions are the same. You just need to enter your key to disable the nags and make it personalized. Once you have downloaded and installed the game, play it. When in the game, choose 'Enter key' from the Help menu and enter your name and key exactly as they appear in your registration letter and should include an 11-digit code. You can also click on the 'Enter key' button from the reminder dialog. As of our 4.0 release we are using new codes, so if you enter an older registration code (or upgraded from an older version), the game will explain this and direct you to our online code lookup form, which you can fill out to obtain an updated 4.0 key at no charge.

After entering your name and unlock code and pressing OK, you should see the unregistered in the titlebar go away. All nags should also now be removed and your version is now fully registered. It is important to enter both your name and code EXACTLY as they appears in your letter. You must use both upper and lower case and spell your name (and/or middle) as shown.

If you get the message that the key is for the wrong version, then the program you downloaded does not match the game you registered. Championship Spades 7.1, Hearts, Spades Pro, Euchre, and the Classic RealNetworks versions all use different keys and you must use the correct key in the correct game. Use our code lookup form to get your code and download instructions for the correct game resent to you. Also note that the Free versions of our games will not accept an upgrade key. You must download the latest Championship version (which does not include advertising) first and then enter your registration key.

3. The game says my evaluation period expired, but I just started!

It sounds like someone else already downloaded and tried out the game and may (or may not) have uninstalled it. Either that or the system you purchased may have had the game pre-installed on it at some point. In either case, the evaluation period started when the first game was played. Also, it does remember your install date even after you uninstall it to prevent people from re-installing it and never registering.

It is also possible you or someone else may have been attempting to test for Year 2000 compliance and set the date forward. If you do this, the game will note when you set the clock back and will not change the evaluation period. This is to prevent people from simply changing the date to get around the reminders.

The simplest solution, if you do not have the latest version, is to upgrade to the latest version by choosing 'Download latest version...' from the game's Help menu. Upon installation, it will automatically reset your evaluation period so you can try out all the new features and improvements.

If you have the current version and are past your evaluation period, you can email us and we can give you a one-time code to extend your evaluation period.

4. The game says it has expired and a newer version is available?

Sorry for the confusion. The message you are seeing when you start the game is telling you that a newer version is available. If you have registered, you will not get any 'nag' messages. You can confirm you are registered by looking at the game's title bar. It will say Registered or Unregistered.

I apologize for the annoying upgrade warning. I had intended it to help users by alerting them to the availability of a new version. However, I understand that some users may have difficulty upgrading or may not want to upgrade. Current versions now offer to check for a newer release every 2 weeks after expiration and we now offer small patches for a much quicker download. See our Upgrade Instructions.

To remove this expiration message, download and install the latest release. The upgrade is free and you can obtain it from our site at http://dq.com/download.html Your statistics should be retained safely across the upgrade. If you are unable or do not desire to upgrade, you can use the -noexp command-line argument to disable the message.

In the meantime, despite the warning, the game will play fine and you will only be reminded of the upgrade when you first startup the game. Simply press OK to dismiss it and enjoy the game.

5. What is shareware? I already paid, why do I have to pay again?

I am sorry if you were misled or misunderstood what shareware is. Let me explain a bit more:

Shareware is a marketing method, not a type of software. Unlike software marketed through normal retail channels, where you are forced to pay for the product before you've even seen it, the shareware marketing method lets you try the program for a period of time before you buy it. Since you've tried a shareware program, you know whether it will meet your needs before you pay for it. Shareware programs are just like programs you find in major stores, catalogs, and other places where people purchase software - except you get to use them, on your own computer, before paying for them.

Consumers who purchase shareware programs receive a level of product support that exceeds what traditional software manufacturers deliver. Shareware users who need support often speak directly to the actual developer of the program, who is intimately familiar with how it operates and therefore can provide excellent technical support. Shareware authors often fix bugs in programs and add features quickly, based on feedback from users.

Shareware VENDORS distribute shareware versions of programs, charging a small fee for the costs of disk duplication and advertising, plus a small profit. Most shareware AUTHORS allow this type of distribution so you'll have a chance to try their programs. However, NONE of the money paid to a shareware VENDOR goes to the AUTHOR. If you try a shareware program, then continue to use it after the trial period, you must pay for and register the program. The same principal applies if you buy a shareware disk at a computer show or find a shareware program on a CD-ROM disc or at a store.

Unfortunately, I do know that some disreputable VENDORS fail to explain what shareware is or mislead the purchaser into thinking they are BUYING "100 Windows 95 Games" for $19 or less, which is a direct violation of the distribution license for the game. I do apologize if you were misled, but I have no control over what these people do. Anyone can download our programs, slap them onto a disk and claim to 'sell' it. PLEASE, if you would be kind enough to send me the name of the company (preferably, with an address), I will report them to the Assoc. of Shareware Professionals (ASP) who try to prevent the confusion and anger that these vendors can cause.

However, there is some good news. Since early versions of this game were distributed (which you probably have), we have lowered the price to $24.99. We also offer a hardship discount to students, seniors (65+), and military who can register for only $19.99. Also, the most current version of the game, available from http://dq.com/download.html, is probably a much more sophisticated version than the early copy you obtained, with significantly more features and even more challenging players. Feel free to download the latest version from this site. As a bonus, upgrading will reset your evaluation period and you will have another 10 days to evaluate the game before registering!

I hope you will find shareware and the idea of 'trying before you buy' a great idea and will support my product and the many other quality programs available.

6. Is there any way to decrease the long 'nag' dialog delay?

Yes. First, if you register, this 'nag' dialog will disappear once you enter your key to unlock your game. This dialog is our only means of reminding people of their obligation to register and without it people would just continue to use the software without paying for it.

However, due to popular request, in the later releases we have made the timer much shorter for first-time evaluators. The timer will then become longer and, therefore, more of an incentive for those that continue to 'evaluate' the game for long periods without registering. You can download the most current release from http://dq.com/download.html. As a bonus, your evaluation period will be reset when you upgrade to the latest version.

7. I registered several days ago and still have not received a key!

You can confirm your order status directly with the author at any time by emailing us. We do send out keys within 24 hours of receiving your order.

IF YOU REGISTERED VIA THE INTERNET, did you provide the billing address and bank name to DigiBuy's ordering service? They are trying to protect you, the cardholder, and thoroughly check that a card is valid before processing a charge. Unfortunately, they often just ignore orders that are missing information. You will need to re-register via the Web site or by sending a check. Both DigiBuy and DreamQuest check for duplicates so do not let that concern worry you. Again, keys usually go out within 24 hours after your order.

IF YOU REGISTERED BY CHECK, when did you send it? US Mail takes at least a week, sometimes even more. Keep in mind that US Mail can be slow around some holidays. Did you send it from overseas without sending it via airmail? Sorry, I cannot control the Post Office. I do send the key out within 24 hours of receiving a check. If it has been over two weeks since you mailed the check, please contact the author or re-register. I do check for duplicates.

8. I don't have a credit card, can I still order your game, and register, some other way?

You CAN register via check, postal order, or money order for $24.99 US. If you really want disks (not just the unlock code and tutorial emailed to you), please enclose an additional $9 to cover disks and shipping. You can make your own disks and save this charge.

If you send proof of eligibility (photocopy of ID), you can also take advantage of a special hardship/thank-you discount I offer students, seniors (65+), and military (retired too) for $19.99 US.

*PLEASE* include a printed copy of the order form from the help file or the order.txt file with your name, address, phone, EMAIL, and which game you are ordering CLEARLY PRINTED. Mail check and info to:

Christopher Williamson
DreamQuest Software
542 West Linden Street
Louisville, CO 80027-3124
USA

You can also do a bank transfer (mostly for European customers), by using the link off http://dq.com/order.html. If none of these methods are convenient, please email us at

P.S. If you are sending from overseas, make sure to send it via Air Mail or it may take months to get here.

9. Is it safe to use a credit card? Why do you ask for bank name?

DigiBuy asks for your address and bank FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION. They want to be sure that the credit card belongs to you. They verify your mailing address and bank issuer to be sure they match the card number provided.

We have never had any incidents from over 5,000+ registered users nor have I personally had any problems using my card to order hundreds of products via the Internet from secure Web sites.

10. Why do you charge so much? I can buy some CD games for $9!

That is the great part about shareware, you can try before you buy! We feel our games are better than most commercial card games, which would cost $19 to $29 in the store, so that is why we charge what we do.

HOWEVER, due to popular demand, we have lowered the price on the game to $24.99 (from $39 originally), and we also offer a $19.99 hardship price for students, seniors, and military.

Realistically, by the time the online registration company takes their fee, and VISA takes their fee, the only real way we can afford to keep updating our Championship games regularly is by charging $24.99. We think you will find the quality of our games much higher than those $9 and $19 CD game collections such as Bicycle's card games. These games typically provide little challenge to the Championship-level card player!

Don't forget your registration does include:

1. Key to disable the nag screens via email within 2 business days (usually 24 hours).
2. Personalized version with your name by using the key.
3. Access to advanced features like game history and assign cards.
4. Use of multiple player profiles and full game statistics.
5. Access to restricted and tournament rooms when playing online.
6. Access to add-ons like gameroom themes/skins and additional music.
7. Code to download extensive Mastering Spades tutorial.
8. Lifetime registration (we do not charge for updates). Updates are available several times a year.
9. License to use on multiple workstations (e.g. at home and work) as long as not simultaneously used.
10. Automatic notification of upgrades via email. Your email address will be kept confidential.
11. A monthly card playing newsletter with tips, contests, and special offers.
12. An even better card game in the future by supporting updates.
13. Freedom from guilt while addicted to our card games at home and the office.

11. Can I get a free copy? Do you offer any kind of hardship discount?

I am sorry, but we cannot afford to give away registrations for our Championship-level card games. We have put THOUSANDS of hours into these mature games and are finding it difficult to justify the time and money spent to improve the game and, in particular, to support network multi-player gaming. We are not financed by any large gaming company, and we do not plaster our Web pages with banner ads, and are not sponsored by anyone other than our happy registered users.

However, we do understand that some are on limited means and cannot afford the registration. For this reason, we have dropped the price to $24.99 and are willing to offer a $19.99 reduced rate for students, senior citizens, and military personnel who are on limited incomes. Simply enclose proof of eligibility (photocopy of ID) and print out the order form contained in the game's help file along with a check for $19.99. See 'How to Pay by Check' for details on paying by check. NOTE: You cannot use the online credit card service with the special $19.99 rate since the Visa fees would barely cover the costs.

Also, do note that even for the $19.99 registration you still get full support, lifetime free upgrades, no shipping, no sales tax, removal of the nag dialog, extensive play tutorial, participation in the multiplayer Beta trials, and peace of mind that you have helped promote a quality shareware game and are not making some gaming corporate CEO rich off stock options.

12. I am registered, now how do I download the tutorial?

Did you attempt to use the password for the tutorial? This is different than the key you used to brand the game in your name. It is contained in the email registration you received along with your key. It must also be ALL lower case.

The direct URL for the Mastering Spades tutorial is http://dq.com/mstspade.html
Note that there is currently no Master Hearts Tutorial available.

You will also need to use a browser that supports security. Netscape or Explorer are known to work. Email us if you still have problems or have lost your registration email.

Run the EXE installer that you download and extract it into your game directory to install it. The next time you run the game, select Mastering Spades from the game's Help menu and get ready for some serious strategy!

13. I already registered and now see a lower price, can I get a refund?

Recently, as a thank-you to seniors, students, and military, I also added a $19.99 price (check only, no credit cards) to cut them a break. To qualify for the price, however, they must mail in a check directly to eliminate the credit card/DigiBuy fees.

We also occasionally offer upgrades or special price offers that are available for a limited time. If you have already registered normally, you can only use these offers to purchase additional licenses or to purchase a different game.

We apologize, but since our bank has already taken the charges out for the credit card order you already placed, we cannot refund you the difference without taking a loss on both the original charge and refund. As a small company, it is hard for us to absorb these charges on returns. However, we do stand behind our products and if you still feel you were misled or are otherwise unhappy with your game, please email us and we will do our best to help.

14. Do I need two licenses? Can I get a discount on the second?

Yes, you can get a discount on a second license. To get the discount you can order from in the game and pay only $19.99 for the second license. To order a second license via check, simply fill out the order form and pay only $19.99 for the second license. Make sure to include the name for the second license if you are purchasing it for someone else. If you do get two licenses with the same name when ordering online, email us and we will change it for you.

Also, our licensing DOES allow you to have a copy at home and work with only a single license as long as the copies are not run concurrently. Generally you do not need to purchase a second license. However, if your family plays at home while you play at work, you DO need to get a second license for them. Obviously, giving copies to friends and relatives and re-using your key on their system would be in direct violation of your registration agreement. When the multiplayer version becomes available, unique licensing will be enforced.

15. Can I share licenses for your game between computers?

Our apologies, but the widespread sharing of registration keys, has forced us to implement license checking in the current versions of our games played via our Internet lobby (but not for shared LAN play).

Our licensing for our games has not changed:

"The registered license gives you non-exclusive permission to make and load up to 2 copies of this game (16-bit and/or 32-bit versions) on computers that you own, provided that no more than one of those copies of this game are ever in use at any one time. For example, one copy at home and one at work is acceptable as long as the wife/husband/family are not playing it while you are gone...This unlock key is unique to your registered name. You may NOT share this key with other family members and friends or post it for public use."

However, we have tried to come up with a way that is fair and easier on families and friends to buy multiple copies. To this end, we have recently done two things:

1. We have disabled the license checking for LAN play as of the 4.80 release. This means that if you have multiple PCs at home and you want to play with your family and friends, you can share a single license across your LAN. You cannot share licenses if you Play Online in our Internet lobby.
2. We have created a special discount price for each game that will allow you to order additional games and licenses for only $19.99. To get the discounted price, make sure to order it from inside a registered Pro game using the link on the game's File menu.

16. The game locked me out at 7 days, I thought I got 10 days free?

You do get 10 days, but you must enter 'I am still evaluating' in the startup screen to keep playing past 7 days.

17. What are the differences between the classic Spades 7.1 release and Pro?

I am sorry, but Championship Spades Pro is a different game and we are not giving free 'upgrades' to it from Spades 7.1 unless you ordered in the last year. More information about the Pro release follows. If you are a registered 7.1 player and missed our newsletter specials, use our Code Lookup Form at http://dq.com/lookup.html and we can send you information about a special price for Championship Spades Pro at $22.99.

Yes, 7.1 is the latest release of the Championship Spades game. However, we have since developed Championship Spades Pro which includes multiplayer, themes, and several other new features. There are so many improvements in the Pro version it is hard to list them all, but the major ones include:

1. Support for network and Internet play. Give it a try! We have made it super-easy to host and join games You may find yourself addicted to the excitement, challenge, and chat of playing with other real people!
2. Extensive lobby chat features including emotes and buddy lists.
3. Traybar lobby monitor will alert you when games are dealt or buddies login.
4. Updated player and table graphics and higher-quality sounds and taunts.
5. Support for the new skin/theme format used in our add-on center. Other players can submit their favorite themes, artwork, and custom taunts. We already have over a dozen, including Star Trek, Cats, Jungle, and others.
6. More stable sound play (particular under Windows NT and Windows 2000).
7. A new interactive Intro 101 tutorial and an improved uninstaller.
8. A few more game variations and options requested by avid players.
9. Literally thousands of computer/AI improvements, including the use of bidding and play conventions used by expert players such as Joe Andrews.
10. New features such as concede of guaranteed tricks and scoring history.

For the last 4 years, we have provided upgrades to our original Championship Spades for free. We have gone from version 0.7 to the current 7.1 release without ever charging extra for upgrades.

We knew creating a new Pro version of Championship Spades that supported online play would be a significant undertaking. The development costs, additional lobby server costs, updated graphical artwork and sounds, along with the eventual sponsorship of online tournaments and ladders made us feel that this really was a new product: Championship Spades Pro. For this reason, we feel that those of you who choose to upgrade from the 'regular' product to the Pro product should pay a reasonable upgrade fee.

First, let me say that you do not have to upgrade. Championship Spades 7.1 is still an incredible game (as most of you know who registered it) and it has proven itself as a very reliable and fun game of cards. You can download spades71.exe from our main download page at http://dq.com/download.html

Second, you can download the Pro version and try it out (without removing 7.1 since they are different games). It will install in a separate directory and you have 10-days to evaluate it. We are adding a new addons center for all the new themes (linked from our download page), and there is even a Retro 7.1 theme so your new Pro release can have the old players and sounds back from 7.1 if you find that you miss them!

18. I am upgrading from the Free or an older version to Pro, but I dont like the new face artwork. Can I have my old player faces back?

Our latest Pro release includes hi-color artwork from a professional artist. However, we realize that some players have grown to love the old players and cant bear to have them replaced with 'updated' versions. For those people, we have three options to get your old faces back:

1. Start the game in 256-color mode. This will automatically use the old artwork and table graphics.
2. Download and apply the 'Retro' skin from http://dq.com/addons.html
3. Delete the C:\Program Files\DreamQuest\Championship \Faces\HiColor directory which will force the game to revert back to the older faces but use all the other new hi-color artwork.

1. I want to upgrade, but I am afraid of losing my statistics!?

Even if you uninstall the game and install the full version again, the game will still remember your statistics (which are stored in the system registry, not in the game directory).

If you want to move your installation to a different computer, or completely reinstall your computer (such as upgrading the operating system), I am afraid there is no easy way to transfer the statistics over. If you are an advanced user and are comfortable searching your registry and exporting and restoring information, it is possible to save and restore the entire registry tree for the game which will include your statistics. Since editing your registry can result in data loss and system failure, we do not recommend this and we do not provide explicit instructions on how to do this, so try this at your own risk!

20. Your game accepted the unlock code but after upgrading, I get a'Registration Key Error' on startup?

It should not, but we have reports that sometimes an upgrade may lose your registration information. To correct this, simply re-enter your name and unlock key from your registration letter. If you have problems, see the section below about entering your code.

21. Your game is not accepting my unlock code?

To register and unlock your previously-installed Championship Hearts, Spades, or Euchre, start it up by using the 'Play' icon on your desktop. Then select 'Enter registration unlock code...' from the Register menu along the top and enter your 11-digit code from your registration email, CD, or postcard. If your game has already expired, you can also click on the 'Enter unlock code' button from the splash screen that comes up on startup. As of our 4.0 release we are using new codes, so if you enter an older registration code (or upgraded from an older version), the game will explain this and direct you to our online code lookup form, which you can fill out to obtain an updated 4.0 key at no charge.

If the game will not accept your code, it is usually for one of three reasons:

1. You are not entering your name EXACTLY as it appears with the email. This includes any capitalization, middle initials, spaces, or periods.
2. You are entering the code into a different game. Classic version codes will not work in our non-Classic games. Hearts will not work in Spades, etc. The older 5-digit Championship Spades 7.1 codes will not work in Spades Pro and Spades Pro codes will not work in the older non-Pro 7.1 release.
3. Your code is not compatible with this version of the game. If so, the game should specifically tell you this and prompt you to use our Code Lookup Form at http://dq.com/lookup.html

22. How do I order this game for a friend or family member other than myself?

If ordering online, simply enter their name and address in the shipping address field and your name and address in the billing information fields. The billing address must match your credit card billing address or VISA/etc. will not accept the charge. If you ordered from in-game, additional copies will be discounted at $19.99.

Make sure to include THEIR email address in the registration so the packet will go to them. You may also want to pay $9 extra and have a CD-ROM of all our games sent to them. Our CD comes in a colorful case with professional color printing along with their unlock key(s) and may be useful if you want something you can wrap as a gift.

Alternately, if you forget this, email us immediately after you order at and we can change the email/name/address on your order to make sure your recipient gets their gift with a note that it came from you.

We are now offering a 'gift pack', complete with CD, and wrapping. For more details on our new gift orders, see http://dq.com/gift.html.

23. I bought 1 game and really like it, can I still get the bundle discount?

No, I am sorry, but the bundle discount is only good if you buy 2 games at the same time, then you get 1 free. Since we have fixed costs for the Visa processing, etc. we figure that if you buy a few games at one time, we can pass some of that savings on to you. However, we do offer a $5 off addon discount on any additional game you purchase after you bought the first one. To get this $5 off coupon, either choose 'Buy additional licenses' from a registered game's File menu or click this link:

http://dq.com/order/add.html

You can even get 3 of our other games (now that we have a total of 5 launched games and 3 more in development!), get the buy 2, get 1 free special, AND get the $5 off on top of it, saving you $30!