Dark and Light/SOG Errors

The current release of the Dark and Light client, SOG is currently at build version 0.88.92. Here's a (semi) complete list of all current know errors, bugs, and exploits, official communications on them, and how to work-around or fix them.

I get the message "Report: Sorry, DarkAndLight Gamer Server is not opened yet. Please, try again later. # Server down #"
We know for certain now that this error is related to a serious error or bug with the User Authentication server. Contrary to the message text, this means that the game server is up and working, but no new logins are allowed. (That's why DnL Launcher application shows the "Game server status" as green.) This problem is similar to the "Loop Connect" error but does not require an application crash to shut down the SOG client.

The only way around this error is to attempt to connect again at a later time.

After the splash screen the screen goes black and then it says I'm disconnected
I was running a Norton virus scan utility and this kept happening. I was able to change some settings having to do with the blocking of IRC and TCP and it then let me in. If you are not running a firewall or virus scan program (including the Windows fire wall) check to make sure your isp does not use one automatically or that you are not getting your connection from behind a router. See the Router section.
 * Solution by Dionesios

I can't hear any sound in the game
Update your soundcard drivers. If a driver upgrade doesn't fix it, go to start menu, click the run button, then type in dxdiag when it's fully loaded go to the sound tab turn down direct sound acceleration 1 noth to standard acceleration.
 * Solution by Liam115

Why don't I hear any combat sounds when I play SOG?
The combat sounds are in fact in the game and working. The default volume settings on the music are likely drowning out your combat sounds. Open the preferences menu, then the audio seb-menu to adjust the sliders to your desired level.
 * Solution by Pizza the Hutt

"Loop Connect" error
This is the notorious "Loop Connect" error.

The cause of this bug is unknown. It likely has to do with too many users attempting connections at the same time. AD has mentioned that there is no official cap to the servers, so this is supposedly a bug rather than an internal limitation.

There's no fix yet, only a work-around to remove yourself from the loop.
 * Solution by Malfedor


 * 1) Press [CTRL] [ALT] [DEL] keys to shut down the SOG client.

Note: Constantly "hammering" the server by attempting to reconnect after you get this error will likely only wind up causing other users to experience this error as well. The best solution is to simply try connecting again at a later time.

I get the message "The maximum number of connection[s] is reached"
This is the "Loop Connect" error.

Edited by sarsons, it seems there is a temporary cap on connections.

Ticket Info Regarding this error:-

Hello,

Thanks for your email. This message indicates that the zone you are trying to log into is very crowded, and we have to temporarily restrict the access in order to keep reasonable server performances in this starter areas. Please try to connect again later, as the population will have spread out. Apologies for this inconvenience.

Regards, Damien - Dark and Light support team

=
======= Ticket Details Ticket ID: PMR-629338 Department: DnL Tech Priority: Medium Status: Open

=
======= They are temp restricting connections to the log in server to make the game server more stable for the players already playing. Seems like a logical plan to me.

However the balance between restricting logins and a huge persistent world supposedly harboring several thousand concurrent players has yet to be achieved.

I get the message "Cannot open actual domain information hasn't been sent from the network"
This is the "We are unable to locate your character's home on server" error.

I get a message with "Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library"
This is a ubiquitous error. There are many solutions listed here.

if you encounter this error before the character selection screen, try the below tips. if you experience it during the loading screen after character selection, you are actually facing a different problem.
 * Solution by DSHkrugar


 * Solution by Holysin
 * 1) Go here and download/install this codex http://www.free-codecs.com/Indeo_Codec_download.htm
 * 2) Delete DnL.ini Do a search if you can’t find it.
 * 3) Run the launcher and login with your forum info.
 * 4) Have fun playing SoG!

Delete dnl.ini and dnl.cfg in the SOG folder and run it with full-check again PS:If you can't see your files you need to make it so that you can. There are hidden files all over your computer. To make the .ini files visible you need to go to the folder: C:\program files\Dark and Light\Launcher\SOG(or where you put it)
 * Solution by Liam115

Once in the folder go to Tools/Folder Options and click on the "View" tab. You'll see an option to make all files visible.

Edit your Dnl.ini file to adjust your sound before you get in game. If I set mine to all 0(zeros) I crash with dnlg error immediately, so I tweaked it until I had a setting that kept me in game the longest..which was about 10 mins.
 * Solution by Nemodain

heres what I have now..

[Audio] Enable audio=1 Enable music=0 Always use Windows default audio device=1 Audio device set by user=0 General volume=75.00 Ambiant volume=75.00 Music volume=75.00 Enable Environmental Audio=0

So adjust yours until you have the longest time without error.

Then go to your SoG folder..look for Profile folder go into it. Inside Profile look for Defaultplayer_settings. It’s an XML file. Open the XML file, I had to allow activeX controls as I got a popup blocking it. Right click XML file then click source. Should open a notepad that you can edit in. Scroll down and look for Roads and Transport..set them to false, they are true by default. I set all displaychannels to false except AVpos. Looks like this...

  false   false   false   true  <==set to false  true  <==set to false  false   false   false </Fortresses> <Towers> false </Towers> <AvPos> true </AvPos> <AvQuest> false </AvQuest> <AvEnemy> false </AvEnemy> <AvFriend> false </AvFriend> <AvNeutral> false </AvNeutral> <AvWanted> false </AvWanted> <AvLvlFXP> false </AvLvlFXP> <ItDIPos> false </ItDIPos> <ItDIName> false </ItDIName> <ItTPos> false </ItTPos> <ItTName> false </ItTName> <ItEXPos> false </ItEXPos> <ItEXName> false </ItEXName>

There is another line down further just like this one, I set them to false also.

I know this is the same work around posted in here about unchecking roads and trans, but that did not work for me. This however did work for me as well as 2 other people. If you are having the Dnlg error after logging into game and would like to try this please do and post results here. The xml will update after you log anyway so don't worry about what you change. It did however let me stay in game for over and hour without the error.

In the SoG install directory there is a file called EAXAC3.dll with the file version of 1.1.3.0, the latest that I have installed from Creative is 1.1.2.0 so I copied this from my Audigy install (located in Windows\System32) into the SoG folder and it seems to have fixed the problem. Might just be coincidence, so that's why I haven't posted it into the forums yet. So far I've had a couple of hours with out crash, so looks promising.
 * Solution by Hafoc

The "No Such User" error
This is a common error. Here a two possible solutions.

For all those that still get the no such user error, all you have to do is go to http://www.darkandlight.net/sog and click on lost password. You will get a new password mailed then and instead of your username you get told a number, which you have to use as your login name and then it works. You have to use your old password though for the game until the next database synchronization. !!30.12.2005: It seems that this solution doesn't work anymore - you don't get any number that you can use instead of your username
 * Solution by |Darky|

Check if you input the error account or password. (Or try this:Change your forum password to the same one you first created when making an account.OR change it to the same password you had when you were ordering pioneer key / getting your free key.)
 * Solution by Liam 115

I get a message with the word "Decompression" in it
There are two possibilities:

This means one of the game files is corrupted.
 * Message from AD Support

Run the client with "full-check" enabled again.
 * Solution by Liam115

I get a message with words like "gl_ARB_multitexture, gl_ARB_texture_evn_combine, gl_ext_secondary_color error"
Download the Indeo drivers (3-pack) (http://www.free-codecs.com/Indeo_Codec_download.htm), get the latest graphics card drivers and make sure you have DirectX 9.0c. You may need to reboot your computer after installing the drivers
 * Solution by Liam115
 * Addendum by DSHkrugar

If your game worked fine earlier it may just be a problem with your openGL and you just need a reboot.
 * By Omack

Monitor displays a "Out Of Range" or "No Signal" message, or screen goes black
Update your monitor or graphic card drivers.
 * Solution by Liam115

I get the message "#LOGIN_CUSTOM_DEFINE_ERROR#"
This is that the login server is down, you may also get this error if you where disconnected suddenly and it might work if you re-try in a few minutes
 * Solution by Liam115

This just means that the login server is down or having problems. Just keep trying. There is nothing on your end to fix.
 * Solution by Xyld

I get the message "We are unable to locate your character's home on the server. Please contact DnL support"
This means the user database is unreachable so you cannot login before the next server reboot. We apologize for the inconvenience.
 * Message from DnL Support

For Dual monitors, SOG doesn't launch on the screen set as main screen on the properties
The dnl.ini file contains a variable in the section [Graphic] named "Monitor number". You'll have to change this variable to 0, 1 ... according to the monitor you want to use to play the game.
 * Solution by DnL Support

Best bet is to log in using a full integrity check. Happens to me all the time and this works every time so far
 * Solution by Xyld

I'm not able to interact at all in the game
To fix it just type /gate and it will fix the error.
 * Solution by Neoo

This one SUCKS. There is no other way to put it (Had this happen right after a server crash). So far the only solution is to delete that character and start over. Sorry all. But it did solve the problem. Try all other options first, including a full system reboot, possibly a reinstall, and a full integrity check. This is a last resort.
 * Solution by Xyld

I would advise you to wait for the next server reboot if you don't want to delete your character, but this can take some time. It's up to you while we are waiting for the devs to fix this.
 * Addendum by Sika

I keep getting "Incorrect User Name" / "...Password" errors
If your username contains special characters, just type in your username without them. If you have recently changed your password try the previous password instead, if this doesn't work you'll need to contact Customer Support
 * Solution by Liam115

I can't login with one or all of my characters
Go to C:\Games\SoG\Launcher\SOG\Profile\USERNAME\Soic and delete ks.dat (Where USERNAME is your character's name.) Notice that this worked on my level 19 character so it is a viable and working solution for some problems. Also notice that this did not work on my level 16 wizard, so even though the crashes are the same, they are not caused by the same thing.
 * Solution by Jodh and Psycron

The ks.dat trick fixes most of "crashes during load screen after char selection" but at least for me the problem is reappearing after each logout. You might want to create a .bat file to automatically delete these files before you start the patcher/game.
 * Addendum by DSHkrugar

If it didn't fix your character its possible you have the bag bug. Tried to move an empty bag into another bag without expanding the second bag into its little squares, and dragging the new bag into one of those squares. This causes a character crash, and as of yet there is no fix, the character can’t be used. Server restarts will not fix this.
 * Addendum by Spiralhammy

This usually either means your character is corrupted, meaning that he is bugged to the point of having no skills, usually caused by bags or such.
 * Addendum by Zerkz

I get an error with the word "msxml4.0" in it
Download msxml4.0 here : http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3144b72b-b4f2-46da-b4b6-c5d7485f2b42&DisplayLang=en
 * Solution by Liam115

I get an error with the word "patcher.exe" in it
This is common on AMD processors Open control panel
 * Solution by Liam115 (Note: this may not work!)
 * 1) System
 * 2) Advanced tab
 * 3) Settings button (in performance box)
 * 4) Data execution prevention tab
 * 5) Press "Add"
 * 6) Find and select 'patcher.exe'

I have a problem while getting a file from the server using the client patcher
Are you running a Firewall/Broadband router? You will need to open/forward the Port 20013
 * Solution by Liam115

I'm having Linksys (and other) Router problems
Make sure you have the firmware updated. Go to the support page of your router website and there should be a download for it with instructions. This helps a lot.
 * Solution by Xyld

Port blocking has been an issue for some people. SoG uses ports 20013 and 6666 according to a post on the mmorpg boards (supposedly taken from a ticket the poster submitted on the problem). http://www.portforward.com is an excellent site to check for help forwarding ports if you do not know how.
 * Solution by Dionesios

The patcher redownloading the entire game
If the patcher starts re-downloading the entire 1.4Gb filepack, then you installed in the wrong folder...the default location should be ...\Dark and Light\Launcher\SOG\
 * Solution by Nagroth

On the main launcher screen, click 'Installation Directory' under options, then click on the '...' button. A dialog should come up, allowing you to choose which folder your SoG install is in.
 * Solution by Andathol

If the patcher tries to download one of the bigger files (mostly .npz), there normally is something amiss. If you are sure the patcher knows where the game is installed (see above solutions for that) and it still tries to download entire files, you might want to extract your SOG.exe into a temporary folder, copy the files in question to your game installation folder and run the full integrity check again.
 * Addendum by DSHkrugar

Also understand that the game automatically checks all the files for corruption. Several of my friends misinterpreted this as the patcher trying to re-download or re-install the game. To stop this simply hit ignore integrity check on the page that shows server status.
 * Addendum by Dionesios

DNLG.exe Error, before character creation
This is an issue with your graphic cards OpenGL version. Cards that do not support OpenGL version 1.5 or higher will receive this dnlg.exe error after the splash screen and before character creation every time, and you will not be able to get past it. Driver updates will not solve this issue. You must have a card that supports OpenGL 1.5 or higher. This dnlg.exe error has nothing to do with the one people receive in game.

Performance (Build 0.88.92)
Here are some technical tricks to make your experience with SOG easier and more efficient.

How can I increase the stability of SOG?

 * Solutions by Pizza the Hutt
 * 1) As with all games, make sure you are running as little as possible when you enter the game. Hit ctrl+alt+delete to view a list of the currently running processes.  Typically, if you have any more than 40-45 running right after start-up you have some kind of spyware on your machine and should run a scan.  Security Suites will typically run 5-9 processes depending on which features are installed and active.  Also, take a look at the startup tab and look for obvious names.  Real Player and Quick Time love to add themselves to the start-up folder.  Do you really need those programs running in the background?  While removing the processes will not in any way guarantee crash free gaming, it just might help a tiny bit.


 * 1) If you have never done so, run DXdiag and conduct all of the tests located within just to be absolutely sure your hardware can handle the latest graphics and sound technologies. To do this: 1.  click start -> Run -> type in: dxdiag -> click "OK" -> ensure that the system information is close to the listed specs of your machine (rarely  Windows hardware profiles can become corrupt... sometimes, if the recovery is partially successful, hardware specs may not be reported accurately.  If you KNOW you have 1 Gig of Ram and DXdiag says you have 256MB... contact your tech support or consult the Microsoft KB).  Go through each tab and conduct the tests following the on-screen prompts.  It is always nice to be sure the problem is not on your machine.


 * 1) Many players have reported that there is less lag and better stability once off of the starting island. Try to expedite your passage to these areas for better gameplay.


 * 1) Almost any game or online service relies on a series of scripts (files that list a series of actions for the computer to take). Anti-virus software searches for scripts and you anti-virus program may see some of these scripts as malicious and end the process causing your crash.  I have noticed slightly more reliable gameplay (in all games) with anti-virus programs disabled.

How can I increase the FPS
You won’t get past 25fps because I believe there is a cap for some reason. But I gained about 5-10 fps doing this. Hardware lighting=0 Terrain quality (engine mode 1 to 6)=1 Monitor number=0 Full screen mode=1 Resolution X axis=1024 Resolution Y axis=768 Monitor frequency=60 Windowed resolution X axis=768 Windowed resolution Y axis=768 Shader Quality (0: low, 1: medium, 2: high)=0 Fog quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=0 Multi sample filter quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=0 Line smooth quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=0 Perspective correction quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=0 Point smooth quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=0 Polygon smooth quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=0 Cinemascope size=20 MultiSample amount=0 Anisotropy=0
 * Solution by Seemoe
 * 1) Locate DnL.ini in C:\Program Files\Dark and Light\Launcher\SOG
 * 2) Open it with notepad and edit the settings under [Graphic] it so it looks like this:
 * 1) Close it and make sure you save changes.
 * 2) Now right-click on DnL.ini and go Properties. Tick 'Read-Only' and apply.
 * 3) Load up DnL

-This is designed to boost your FPS and in turn will make your game look worse visually.

-If you wish, you can change Resolution X and Resolution Y settings to 800 and 600 respectively. This will give you 800x600 resolution but the GUI will still be in 1024x768 mode and will be squished/cut off

If anyone else is Still having performance woes on systems that they shouldn't I'd like to recommend another tweak that I noticed gave me another 2 fps.
 * Solution by TheVman

In the DnL.ini file, under Audio, there's an entry for: Enable Environmental Audio=1

Which is set by default. Change that to: Enable Environmental Audio=0

And you might see another small boost.

Someone was having bad fps and I noticed they used a 128 mb video card... I think specs recommends 256mb card (which is what I have). Look into possibly buying a new one with 256 or even 512 video ram. I'm only running a 2.4 GHz, have 1Gb system RAM and 256mb nVidea chipset, and get pretty good fps except when the immediate area is crowded.
 * Solution by Nagroth

Well, you can also kill any physical memory sucking apps you have running in the background such as anti-virus... firewalls... bluetooth managers... anything that's eating up memory.
 * Solution by Halberd

I used theeldergeek to get info on services I didn't need running... and frankly my system hasn't even hic-upped since my last reinstall (I low-level format my drive and restore it to base config from a ghost image) about 6 months ago. I'm sure I could run it for a few years and see very few... but I just perfer a fast responding system.

By disabling all the "pretty" effects of Windows XP can also give you a slight performance boost too. Turning off shaders, not using compressed textures, disabling lightly... that all helps too.

Try this set up, someone posted this on the forum and it worked great for me. Huge FPS boost and world still looks good.
 * Solution by Seadog, edited by DSHkrugar

Note: This is not for top end computer systems but all are welcome to try it.

Note: Make sure you save your original DnL.ini


 * 1) Locate DnL.ini in C:\Program Files\Dark and Light\Launcher\SOG
 * 2) Open it with notepad and compare the settings

<Common> [Config] Current configuration name=Default

<Default> [Program] Process priority class=64                  //you can try setting this to 128, i hear that works ok also. Language=Datas\Texts\English.txt Languages directory=Datas\Texts\ Help directory=Datas\Texts\help\

[Graphic] Hardware lighting=1 Terrain quality (engine mode 1 to 6)=1 Monitor number=0 Full screen mode=1 Resolution X axis=1280 Resolution Y axis=1024 Monitor frequency=75 Windowed resolution X axis=768 Windowed resolution Y axis=768 Shader Quality (0: low, 1: medium, 2: high)=1 Fog quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=1 Multi sample filter quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=1 Line smooth quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=1 Perspective correction quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=1 Point smooth quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=1 Polygon smooth quality (0: Fastest, 1: Nicest)=1 Cinemascope size=0 MultiSample amount=2 Anisotropy=1

[Audio] Enable audio=0                                //you can re enable audio from inside the game. Enable music=0 Always use Windows default audio device=1 Audio device set by user=0 General volume=25.57 Ambiant volume=21.92 Music volume=18.26 Enable Environmental Audio=0

Note: Audio is disabled, you can enable it from inside the game.

Try this, it worked great for me. I used to run it in lowest resolution with everything turned off, and it ran like crap. With this updated DnL.ini file i run max resoulution and the game runs great ;)

/edit (DSHkrugar): "Process priority class=256" changed to "Process priority class=64". Setting a game process to "256 / Real Time" priority is possible, but hardly recommended for the general public because the system will become completely unresponsive if the game hangs and all other open programs will be nearly completely unusable. Setting it to "64 / Higher Than Normal" priority will get the job done just fine while you still can alt-tab to instant messengers or browsers and use them without any problems.

Tips to ATI Users
Solution:Check your ATI control panel settings, and if you were forcing Anti-Aliasing and anisotropic filtering. Change those settings to 'Let the application decide'. It may help.
 * Tips by Liam115

General Tips
It's a good idea to make sure Windows is up-to-date before you install the game, as well as any video card updates. Also check for motherboard updates, many of the odd errors may be machine-specific. Finally, see if there is anything posted about configuring your BIOS settings on your motherboard's site. Sometimes you have to fiddle with your settings when using various video cards.
 * Tips by Nagroth