The Flash Player is an add-on program (plug-in) used in order to run cross-platform content such as graphics, computer animations and games on different browsers (e.g. Firefox, Internet Explorer) or operating systems (Windows XP, Vista, Linux, MacOS). The Flash Player creates an interface between the Flash program and the computer system being used and ensures that a program is capable of running on all systems with the Flash Player.
The latest version of the Flash Player can be downloaded and installed for free from the producer, Adobe.
Please follow the Adobe installation instructions specific to your system.
After successfully installing the Flash Player, you can view web content which uses the Flash Player in your Internet browser.
Download the Flash Player and you’re all set: Your Internet browser is now ready for [game name]!
2. Set up the Flash Player for optimum performance
So that [game name] can run as smoothly as possible, you first have to configure the Flash Player for the game.
To do this, log into the game and open the star chart. Make sure that you are at a jump portal in a “No attack zone” (NAZ) or at the starbase!
Now click on the star chart with the right mouse button. A drop-down menu will open in which you can select the entry “Settings”.
Afterwards, a setup assistant with several different symbols will be displayed.
The symbol which the setup assistant opens at the start can vary for each player, so please click on the first symbol on the bottom with the left mouse button.
Please make sure the box “Activate hardware acceleration” has been checked.
Hardware acceleration allows the Flash Player to work directly with your graphics card so that images and movements will be shown more quickly and smoothly.
Afterwards select the symbol with the “Folder”.
This is where you set up the “local memory” which can be used by the Flash application on your computer.
Drag the controller button on the regulator bar to unlimited. This ensures that all the necessary information for [game name] can be saved quickly onto your computer. If your memory is set too low, there is a risk that the data transfer rate may be slowed down.
The other settings do not apply to the game since they pertain to options for cameras and microphones which are not used in [game name].
Now confirm by clicking on “Close” and the settings will be saved on your computer.
From time to time you should check to see if these options are still set correctly.
3. Delete the Flash Player’s saved data
Flash Player doesn’t only save data in your browser’s cache but it also saves some information on your hard drive. You should also delete this information on a regular basis to ensure that you are always using the latest version of [game name].
3.1. Instructions for Windows XP
The hidden files in Windows Explorer first have to be set to visible. This can be completed as follows:
Open Windows Explorer --> Extras --> Folder options --> Select the “View” tab and “Show all files and folders” and then click on “OK”.
Afterwards, proceed as follows:
Please open this folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application data\Macromedia\Flash Player\
Attention: Your username is your Windows username!
The easiest way to do this is to open up “My Computer” and enter the path as shown above into the browser’s address bar. You will only have to replace the word “Username” with your Windows username.
Once you are in this index, you need to select the folder “#SharedObjects”. This folder contains another folder with an interesting name like QWHAJ7FR or something similar. The information in this folder has to be deleted completely!
Now go back to this folder again:
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application data\Macromedia\Flash Player\
Now access the folder “sys” over the folders “macromedia.com”, “support” and “flashplayer”. Delete almost everything – except for the file “settings”!
After rebooting the computer, the process will be complete.
3.2. Instructions for Vista
The hidden files in Windows Explorer first have to be set to visible. This can be completed as follows:
Open Windows Explorer --> Extras --> Folder options --> Select the “View” tab and “Show all files and folders” and then click on “OK”.
Attention: Your username is your Windows username!
The easiest way to do this is to open up “My Computer” and enter the path as shown above into the browser’s address bar. You will only have to replace the word “Username” with your Windows username.
Once you are in this index, you need to select the folder “#SharedObjects”. This folder contains another folder with an interesting name like QWHAJ7FR or similar. The information in this folder has to be deleted completely!
Now access the folder “sys” over the folders “macromedia.com”, “support” and “flashplayer”. Delete almost everything here – except for the file “Settings”!
After rebooting the computer, the process will be complete.
4. Dual core and quad core CPUs
Although the Flash Player usually runs on computers with dual core and quad core CPUs, it only ever uses one CPU core.
For this reason, it doesn’t really matter how many CPU cores the computer using the Flash Player has. And since it only runs on one core, only the performance of one core is available. The core is also used by other programs and the operating system in addition to the Flash Player. For this reason, the performance of the computer can easily be overestimated.
Adobe recommends using at least a Pentium 4 with 2.33 GHz for a resolution of 852x420.
5. Optimize Dark Orbit settings
If Dark Orbit isn’t running the way it should be on your computer, just optimize the following settings:
On the star chart, you’ll find the button “Set” on the top left. If you click on this button, a menu to configure your personal settings will appear.
- Automatic weapons upgrade by activating the lab CPU
=> This menu item must be up set up as needed. To activate this item, a NC-AWB CPU which is built into the ship is required.
- Show damage bar
=> If you remove this checkmark, the bar for your opponent’s shield and hit points won’t be shown anymore => In general, this should stay switched on; however, you won’t need it for the GALAXY GATES. You can turn it off here.
- Show all lasers
=> If you deactivate this item, only one single laser beam will be shown; if there is an attack => deactivation is recommended.
- Show explosions
=> Your opponent will explode after being shot, but without the explosion animation – somewhat unspectacular, but fewer calculations for your computer to perform => Deactivation is recommended.
- Show player names
=> No explanation is needed; however, you need to be able to tell the difference between friends and enemies, so for this reason => This should stay switched on, but you won’t need it for the GALAXY GATES.
- Show company icon
=> In general, the same applies here as for the player names => This should stay switched on; however, it isn’t needed for the GALAXY GATES, so make sure to turn it off before jumping into the unknown.
- Show a transparent background
=> If this has been checked, the star chart will appear as if it is covered by fog just for the sake of increasing performance => Deactivation is recommended above all for the GALAXY GATES.
- Show resources
=> If this menu item is switched off, the raw materials which are on the map won’t be shown anymore. Since every rock shown requires processor resources, it is definitely recommended to deactivate this after completing the quest to collect raw materials!
- Show bonus boxes
=> No explanation is needed here either. Almost everybody knows the boxes and collects them; thus => This should be switched on. It is not needed for the GALAXY GATES, therefore please deactivate it beforehand.
- Show NPCs/enemies
=> Any kind of explanation is unnecessary => This should stay switched on.
- Show jump portals
=> If this checkmark is removed, the portal will only be represented by a white square. In addition, the opening of the portal will not be animated anymore. With performance problems => Deactivation is definitely recommended!
- Show increasing hit count
=> Whoever can pass on using this should switch off this menu item, because this “hit-count display” also requires processor resources in order to be displayed. However, without this hit-count display it is hard to determine the damage caused by an enemy in battle. For the sake of performance: => Deactivation is recommended, because otherwise too much memory is wasted in the GALAXY GATES.
- Show message status
=> If this item is switched off, messages displayed in red about attacks or shootings will no longer appear in the upper left-hand side of the game window. The messages shown here are useful, thus => This should remain switched on, but not for the GALAXY GATES.
- Show chat
=> If this checkmark is removed, you can open the chat window but there won’t be anything written there and you can’t write anything yourself, either => The decision to deactivate/activate depends on the style of play; you won’t need it for the GALAXY GATES, so please deactivate it during this time.
- Play music
=> No explanation is needed here, either. For this item => Deactivation is definitely recommended.
- Play sound effects
=> If you decided not to have the sound effects, laser shots will no longer be accompanied by sound. Explosions will also go off without a bang. To improve the flow of the game => Deactivation is definitely recommended.
- Show ammunition/hit points/shields with numbers
=> Since the figures shown in the display are much more accurate than those with a status bar => This should remain switched on (However, this can be changed again by clicking on the bar/figures regardless of the setting).
- Show drones
=> If this menu item is activated, the ship’s drones surrounding this ship will be displayed and will be shown according to their respective level. If you remove this checkmark, the drones there will be shown by small rectangles below the player’s name; however, the drone models Iris and Flax will be displayed in different colors. => Deactivation is definitely recommended.
Flash Player Help IMPORTANT!
Linear Mode
