Help & Troubleshooting

Check the install folder's compatibility properties and make sure "Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution" is unchecked.

This setting is known to conflict with the game's own FullScreen = 0 setting in Client.ini, overriding it.

Double-check the Client.ini dispatch settings from Step 2 — the client speaks plain HTTP on port 80, so make sure DispatchServerPort is 80 and DispatchServerName points at our server.

You may need to run your text editor as Administrator to save changes inside C:\Program Files (x86)\Bezerk\Cosmic Consensus.

Cosmic Consensus may quit with an "Unusual Error" message right after you try to use the Bezerk Registration to register a New Member. This is a known problem that we believe is caused by a conflict with system files that are modified by the Internet Explorer 5.0 Beta. We do not believe that this behavior is caused by a problem in Internet Explorer 5.0, but may be caused by design changes in Internet Explorer 5.0. Other Microsoft products that update system files, such as the NT Service Pack 4.0, may also trigger this conflict.

The IE 5.0 browser does not need to be running in order for this conflict to occur. The only workaround we have at this time is to use a different PC to register as a Bezerk member. The username and password from that account can then be used to play Cosmic Consensus from the PC with Internet Explorer 5.0.

In some cases it may be possible to revert from IE 5.0 back to IE 4.0. Contact Microsoft for support on IE issues.

Make sure that you have an active connection to your ISP (you can check this by opening your web browser and loading a web page).

If you're playing from work or through a large network, ask your System Administrator if the network is behind a Firewall or PROXY server. If either is the case, then you won't be able to play Cosmic Consensus.

Under certain rare conditions, you may notice a lag between the time you type and the time the letters appear on the screen. You can prevent this by turning the pyramid animation off. Locate a file called config.ini in Program Files\Bezerk\CosmicConsensus. Open it with a text editor such as Notepad and change the line that says ForceStillPyramid = 0 to ForceStillPyramid = 1. Be sure to save the file in text-only format.

Due to a number of factors involving Internet traffic, it is possible for the game to get out of sync with the game that is running on our server. If this happens the animation will flash by quickly while the game attempts to catch up. If gameplay does not return to normal after a round of ads, try re-entering the game room to get back in sync. This is more likely to happen on slower PCs (Pentium 90), and more likely to happen during peak Internet hours.

If you are using an older browser (pre Netscape 2.0 or IE 2.0), then you may have trouble launching Cosmic Consensus directly from the web site. If this is the case, you can still play Cosmic Consensus by launching it from the Start Menu.

Every time you get an e-mail, ICQ message or calendar notification; when you [Alt]-[Tab] to another application; or when any other application comes to the foreground, Cosmic Consensus will be minimized on the taskbar. Cosmic Consensus makes use of Microsoft's DirectX game enhancement software and this is a feature of DirectX.

You can prevent Cosmic Consensus' use of DirectX by disabling its full-screen mode: locate a file called config.ini in the Cosmic Consensus folder. Change the line FullScreen = 1 to FullScreen = 0 and save the file in text-only format. The next time you launch Cosmic Consensus it will be in a regular window.

If there is no config.ini file, create a text file with that name. It must be saved in text-only format, it must be placed in the same folder as CosmicConsensusClient.exe, and it should contain the following lines:

[Debug]
FullScreen = 0

You probably do not have DirectX installed. You can download DirectX from Microsoft's web site. If you don't want to install DirectX, an alternative is to follow the instructions above to disable Cosmic Consensus' full-screen mode and run it in a window.

This is intentional. We disable the animation on slower systems to prevent the game from lagging behind and falling out of sync with the game server.

This is an obscure bug that only occurs on a small percentage of PCs. Before you click the New Member button, make sure that the User Name and Password fields on the first Registration screen are blank. This should prevent the crash and allow you to register and play.

The minimum system requirements are:

• Pentium 90 with 16MB of RAM
• Windows 95 or 98, 10MB hard disk space
• 16-bit sound card and speakers
• Video display of at least 640x480 with 256 colors
• Internet access at 28.8 kbps or faster
• 32-bit TCP/IP (comes with Windows 95 Dial-Up Networking)

For browser support of our web site's Play button and Hall of Fame features you will need either Netscape 3.0 or later, or Internet Explorer 3.0 or later.

The first time you play Cosmic Consensus, we ask you to provide us with general information about yourself and your computer. This information allows us to track the number of games you play and your scores for display in the Hall of Fame. All information we collect is kept strictly confidential (so don't worry about the Feds tracking you down).

No. You can play on a different machine from the one you originally registered on by using the same user name and password that you registered on the original machine. (However, you will have to download the engine again if it's not already on the second machine you're playing from.)

No. You can register again under a different player name if you prefer (or if you have several personalities). But remember that Hall of Fame status is tracked by player names only. The games you play under each new name will not be added together. We recommend that you use one player name to better your chances of getting into the Hall of Fame. Also, by using the same name, other players can get to know you (but we're not quite sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing).

It takes approximately 22 minutes on a 28.8 modem to download the game engine.

No. You only have to download the game the first time you play. Downloading a second time is only necessary if you play from a different machine that does not already contain the game engine — or if you suffer from an obsessive-compulsive downloading disorder.

Cosmic Consensus is an advertiser-supported game and is 100% FREE to all players.

Each game you are present for a Blowout question, it is counted as one complete game. The number of games played is kept in a database by your registered player name. Be sure to use your registered player name each time you play to ensure credit for each game you play. If you would like to know your game statistics like Total Points and Average Score Per Game, you can enter your registered play name in the form on the Hall of Fame to get them.

Yes. You must stay connected to receive each new game's content (questions and ads).

Cosmic Consensus will remain in waiting mode until five players or more are in a game hall. Halls can accommodate up to 100 players, so look for a game that has a lot of players.

No. All you need to play Cosmic Consensus is the initial download of the game engine. So forget the plug-ins (they're for wimps).

A chat window is located in the Cosmic Consensus Hall Options lobby. You can type in the chat entry field and hit Enter to send your message. As for what to say, we'll leave that up to you.

Yes, the user name that you enter during registration is also the name other Cosmic Consensus players will see while you play — so you might want to rethink choosing a user name such as "MonkeySpanker."

No, we currently do not support Proxy servers nor do we support SOCKS servers. Cosmic Consensus primarily uses the IRC protocol. Most proxy servers and firewalls only allow HTTP traffic, for security reasons. Developing an IRC-based game that can get around this would be very complex indeed.

It depends. If your firewall allows IRC traffic through, then you'll be able to play Cosmic Consensus. If it does not, then you won't. Try contacting your ISP's system administrator and ask if they allow IRC traffic. Tell them that Cosmic Consensus uses port 80 for HTTP requests and 6666 for IRC. The sysadmin should be able to help.

No, Cosmic Consensus is "browser independent." However, if you have a browser we'll take you to a web page at the end of the game so you can visit our sponsors' sites and learn more about the game. For that, you'll need Netscape 3.0 or above or Internet Explorer 3.0 or above.

Yes, provided that you have AOL software version 3.0 for Windows 95 or later. To find out which version you have, click on the Help menu and choose About America Online. Note: Cosmic Consensus does NOT work with the 16-bit version of the AOL software. If you don't have at least version 3.0 for Windows 95, you will need to upgrade AOL before you can play.

Yes! Prodigy Internet is a true TCP/IP Internet connection, and Cosmic Consensus works just fine on the service. (Make sure any proxy settings in your browser are turned off — you can find those in your browser's Preferences or Options dialog under the Network, Advanced, or Connection heading.)

Please note that users of the Prodigy Classic service cannot play Cosmic Consensus.

No, Cosmic Consensus is available for Windows 95 or later only.

No, it does not. It only gathers the information you supply. What are you, paranoid?

Cosmic Consensus is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

By default it's placed in \Program Files\Bezerk\Cosmic Consensus. You can install Cosmic Consensus to any directory except the Windows directory and the root of your hard disk.

Sorry, but you can't play Cosmic Consensus by yourself. Cosmic Consensus is a multi-player game.

Yes, you can skip the instructions at the beginning of the game by pressing the space bar.

We take the full screen for Cosmic Consensus because we promise that to the advertisers. We need to do that to sell ads, which pay for the game everyone gets to play for free.

To check your game-play statistics such as Total Points and Average Points Per Game, you can enter your registered play name in the form on the Hall of Fame to get them.

You can send a private message by typing /msg username and they'll get it (it'll appear in red; that's how you can tell someone's messaging you). Note that you have to be in the Lobby to send or receive a private message.

At the beginning of the game, while you are seeing the instructions, we are downloading the first few ads you are going to see. When they are downloaded you'll see a "Press Spacebar to skip" message at the bottom, and you can zoom ahead to the game. Without these ads we couldn't support the game (as it's free, ads are our only revenue stream).

Each set of answers submitted for first, second and third place is tallied up independently. That makes it possible for the same answer to appear in more than one answer slot.