Troubleshooting guide for Linux

Problems before entering the game

Installation

If you need advice before or while installing PlaneShift, then join the PlaneShift IRC channel.

Simple instructions for joining the PlaneShift IRC channel can be found here:

http://www.planeshift.it/irc.html

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Permissions

You may have to set permissions on the downloaded installation file so it will run. Do this from a command prompt, from the directory where you downloaded the installation file.

Assuming the downloaded file is in a directory called: Downloads which is in your home directory, type:

cd ~/Downloads

chmod 700 PlaneShift-vn.n.n-x86.run

This chmod command will make the file readable, writeable and executable to you only.

Then, to run the installation program, assuming you still have the same command prompt open:

./PlaneShift-vn.n.n-x86.run

replace: PlaneShift-vn.n.n-x86.run

with the actual file name, n.n.n-x86 will need to be changed.

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To start PlaneShift from a Linux command line

If PlaneShift is installed in your home directory:

~/PlaneShift/psclient

or

~/PlaneShift/pslaunch

If these file don't run, then they may need permissions to be set. If PlaneShift is installed in your home directory:

chmod 700 ~/PlaneShift/psclient

chmod 700 ~/PlaneShift/pslaunch

These chmod commands will make the files readable, writeable and executable to you only.

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To update PlaneShift from a Linux command line

If PlaneShift is installed in your home directory:

~/PlaneShift/pslaunch --console

If the updater fails with errors such as:

Unable to get root node! Segmentation fault

Edit: updateservers.xml and updaterinfo.xml

(in the PlaneShift directory) so that <mirrors> tag looks like this:

<mirrors>
      <mirror id="1" name="server1" url="http://194.116.72.94/update/" />
</mirrors>

and try to update again.

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Graphics card drivers

Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, etc, will install or offer to install the latest stable version of your graphics card driver for you.

If you are using a different Linux distribution and it does not automatically install an optimised driver for your graphics card then you can install one manually.

NVIDIA: http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

AMD/ATI: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

Intel: http://www.intel.com/p/en_UK/support/graphics/

Each of these web sites have Linux drivers for their laptop and desktop computers' graphics cards. Documentation regarding their installation will be included with the driver.

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Black or grey screens

This suggests your graphics card is not adequate for running PlaneShift.

If the PlaneShift application just exits when creating a character for the first time, this is another symptom of an insufficient Graphics Processing Unit.

Turning off Vertex Buffer Objects may help.

If PlaneShift is installed in your home directory:

~/PlaneShift/pslaunch

From the PlaneShift Launcher click: Settings then Graphics

Unselect the check box: Enable VBO

Click: OK

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No audio

This message is displayed when you start PlaneShift:

could not load plugin 'crystalspace.sndsys.renderer.null'

Start the PlaneShift Launcher. If PlaneShift is installed in your home directory:

~/PlaneShift/.pslaunch

Click the Settings button. From the Settings screen click: Audio

Select: Enable sound

Set Sound Renderer to: OpenAl

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Unable to connect to server

The following page will inform you whether the game server is accessible.

http://planeshift.subhosting.net/index.php?page=about_page

Check the Stats box for server status.

If the Total online is 0, this probably means administrators are updating software on the game server.

If you have a firewall then you need to know that PlaneShift requires the outbound port: 7777

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In game bugs (after loading world)

Performance

1. Run the updater to ensure the PlaneShift software has the latest bug fixes installed.

2. Updating your graphics card drivers.

3. Set your desktop colour depth to 24 or 32 bit, sometimes called 'true colour'.

Then start the PlaneShift Launcher. If PlaneShift is installed in your home directory:

~/PlaneShift/.pslaunch

Click Settings then Graphics.

Set Colour depth to: 32

4. Enable Adaptive Distance.

Start PlaneShift, log in. Then from the game's tool bar, click the Options button.

From the Options window, under the Graphics item, click Details.

Select the Adaptive distance check box.

Click: Save

5. Texture down sampling.

Edit: PlaneShift/psclient.cfg

and change:

Video.OpenGL.TextureDownsample = 0

to

Video.OpenGL.TextureDownsample = 4

6. Turn off: Background loading

Start the PlaneShift Launcher. If PlaneShift is installed in your home directory:

~/PlaneShift/.pslaunch

Click Settings then Graphics.

Set Background loading to: off

Click: OK

7. Lower Shaders value.

Start the PlaneShift Launcher. If PlaneShift is installed in your home directory:

~/PlaneShift/.pslaunch

Click Settings then Graphics.

Select a lower Shaders value.

Click: OK

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Text corruption

Edit:

<PlaneShift dir>/data/config/r3dopengl.cfg

If PlaneShift is installed in your home directory

~/PlaneShift/data/config/r3dopengl.cfg

Add the following lines to the bottom of the file.

Video.OpenGL.UseExtension.GL_ARB_texture_rectangle = false
Video.OpenGL.UseExtension.GL_NV_texture_rectangle = false

Find the following line:

Video.OpenGL.FontCache.UseMultiTexturing = yes

and change yes to no

Video.OpenGL.FontCache.UseMultiTexturing = no

Save changes.

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Invisible NPCs

Turn off: Background loading

Start the PlaneShift Launcher. If PlaneShift is installed in your home directory:

~/PlaneShift/.pslaunch

Click Settings then Graphics.

Set Background loading to: off

Click: OK

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Character appears to be stuck

From the communications window type:

/unstick

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