Gamesville - Help - General Game Help
TopicI'm having trouble with slow games, freezing games, no sounds, pop-ups, firewalls or other general problems with games... FAQs
Why is my game so slow?More often than not, increased network traffic is the cause of the slowness you might experience while playing games on Gamesville, or any similar game site. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that because these problems do not stem from our own software or hardware. This traffic is caused by large networks sending signals (or data packets) into and out of whatever large network your Internet Access Provider (ISP) exists in. The "routes," or paths that data packets take to go back and forth from your network to our network and vice-versa, were set up back in the early days of the Internet, when connection points were not as widespread. Today, the delays caused by these routing issues amount to just milliseconds (that is, 1/1000's of a second) but when you add all these tiny delays together, they create the performance problem you may sometimes experience. Of course, Internet congestion is not the only reason games may be slow. Please see "Why do I keep getting disconnected?", "My game never loads, or constantly freezes...", and "Ads are interfering with my games..." for other possible scenarios and solutions.
Why do I keep getting disconnected? What is a "CTHL" error?Unlike a news site or blog, Gamesville requires a constant connection between your computer and our servers. This is because the game on your computer is constantly "talking" with our servers, and vice versa, communicating information about points, GV Rewards, chat messages, and so on. If anything severs that connection--for example, if your Internet Service Provider goes down for maintenance or experiences a network "hiccup"--that connection will be lost and you will experience a "CTHL" error. (You may also experience this error if you are signed in with the same member name from two different computers and try to play the same game at the same time.) Our servers will try to talk with your computer for awhile, even if the connection is severed. As soon as your network connection is restored, your computer and our servers will begin talking again and your game should continue as normal. Unfortunately, if too much time elapses, your game and points may be lost, and cannot be recovered. My game never loads, or constantly freezes...A Gamesville game should only take a few moments to load on a high-speed connection. If your game takes more than three minutes to load, please try the following...
Why can't I see the entire game on my screen?Gamesville's minimum screen resolution--that is, the amount of viewing area on your computer monitor--is 1024x768. Please consult your computer's documentation for help with changing your monitor's screen resolution. Tip: Some web browsers have "toolbars" installed which can take up a large chunk of screen real estate. Disabling those toolbars will allow you to see more of your screen and game.
Ads are interfering with my games...If you encounter ads on Gamesville that slow down your games, here are things you can do on your own to help yourself and a couple things you can do to help everyone (including you and us). How to resolve bad ads on your own: If advertising appears to be interfering with your games by making them slow or freezing them up, it's likely that the advertisement you're seeing uses Flash technology which siphons your computer's resources away from the games. Fortunately, you can adjust the Flash settings for most individual ads to regain your computer power and apply that power back toward your games. To do this...
If there are particular advertisements that cause problems for you time and again, please take a screenshot of the ad and send it to us so we can work with the particular advertiser to resolve the problem at the source. For instructions on how to take a screenshot, please go to How to take a screenshot: Being able to take a screenshot (that is, a picture of the activity on your computer screen) is a very handy trick because pictures can sometime explain what words cannot, and will likely help us better understand the particular problem you're encountering or bad ad you're seeing. The easiest way to capture a screenshot using Microsoft Windows is to press one of the following on your keyboard:
To paste this screenshot into an actual graphic...
Send us your screenshot and a description of your issue using our ticket submission form.
My Java is missing or not working! Customer service wants a Java log! What do I do?Java is the technology that powers many Gamesville games. To verify if you have Java installed, and what you can do it Java is not working properly on your computer, see our Java Settings FAQ. If customer service has asked you to submit a Java log or Java console output, please see our Java Console FAQ.
I'm having trouble with sounds...Many games on Gamesville have sounds, but not all do. Those that do have sounds, have a check box at the top of the game screen that can be used to silence the game sounds. The sounds are on by default at the beginning of each game. If you cannot hear the game sounds, please try the following:
I can't get the games to launch in their pop-up windows...Gamesville uses pop-up windows for essential parts of gameplay, including the game rooms, table selectors, and the games themselves. Software that prevents pop-up windows will likely interfere with your games, so we recommend that you turn it off while you play, or add Gamesville to your list of friendly sites.
For example, when you're at a table, or when you're trying to add someone to your friends' list, hold down the Control, ALT, or Shift key, then click the Play button to join a table or click to add someone to your friend's list. Keep holding the key down until after the new window appears. Unfortunately, we can't provide more specific suggestions for each pop-up stopper out there because there are so many of them and they all have different directions. For help with your pop-up blocker, check the documentation that came with the pop-up blocker or the website that you downloaded the pop-up blocker from. Below is a list of popular pop-up blockers programs and how to get help with them online...
Problems with Cash CompetitionsCash Competitions are skill-based games that you can play for fun or for prizes. All Cash Competitions on Gamesville are located at http://www.gamesville.com/cash/ and are powered by our friends at WorldWinner. WorldWinner is a third-party company, and has its own dedicated help section and customer service team. For help with WorldWinner games, please go to WorldWinner Customer Service.
Problems with Download GamesDownload games are located at http://download.gamesville.com/ and are powered by our friends at Oberon. For help with Oberon Download games, please go to Oberon Download Customer Service.
How do I play a particular game...?Each game on Gamesville has game rules associated with it. To view the rules for a particular game, go to that game's description or lobby page and click the "How To Play" link in the area titled "Game Description".
Where can I see the lists of prize winners?Each game on Gamesville that offers a prize or jackpot has a winners list associated with it. To view the winners for a particular game, go to that game's description or lobby page and click the "Winners" link in the area titled "Game Description".
Need more help?Contact Customer Service, powered by Lycos. For the best service, please include your member name and a detailed description of the problem you're experiencing. |
Gamesville, part of the Lycos Network, is a great place to play free games, bingo, solitaire, poker and more. Win cash and prizes as you compete in free, massively multiplayer game shows and free games in one of the best, friendliest online communities on the web!