What Is TEN?

The evolution will not be televised.

The evolution of entertainment will happen right here, on your computer screen.

If you’ve spent any time at all online, you’ve probably sensed something big happening at the crossroads where technology and society meet.  You can feel it in the passion for MUDs and MOOs, hear it in the chat rooms and IRC channels of the Internet, see it in the sudden fascination with multiplayer games and the Web.  Something new is evolving in the realm of information and entertainment.

The Total Entertainment Network (TEN) is a group of people who are a part of that evolution.  We are a company of gamers, programmers, net surfers, and chat room junkies who have a sense for just how cool the online world could be.  For over 12 years, we have been creating bulletin board systems, playing games, and creating online gaming platforms – mucking about in the primordial ooze of a nascent medium.  Now, we are developing the technology and ideas that will raise it to the next rung of the ladder.

Our initial goal is to become the best online gaming platform with the hottest multiplayer games around.  Period.  But supporting retail multiplayer games is only the starting point.  We believe that everything we know about the online world today – games, chat spaces, e-mail, electronic publishing – will change quickly and drastically, in ways that no one can predict.  Whichever way it evolves, we will be there.

We also believe that YOU will be an essential force in this evolution.  We are not a broadcasting company that feeds its users what the Nielson ratings say.  We are not a magazine or newspaper handing down our editorial opinions from on high.  We are an interactive medium , and “interactive” means we need your participation.

The beauty of the online world is that in our electronic space there is so little distance between publisher and reader, producer and consumer – us and you.  We will be online playing games and in the chat spaces with you; we will be talking, listening, and learning as we all explore the possibilities of online entertainment.

And we want to take your participation one step further.  As we grow, we want to give you the tools to build it yourself.  We will give you the power to create experimental chat experiences, to design add-ons to games, to publish your own ideas, and build your own worlds.  The next best thing in online entertainment may not be handed to you, you may hand it to the world.

Something new is on the rise.  A strange new beast is forming somewhere in the middle of games, people, tools, and technology.

TEN is the Total Entertainment Network.

On the Web? Wanna hear more?

http://www.ten.net

What is TEN?   /  History of TEN

  Coming Soon  /  Pricing and Membership


History of TEN

The Total Entertainment Network was the result of a cataclysmic collision between two rising stars in the world of online entertainment: Planet Optigon and Outland, Inc.

Planet Optigon was formed by Daniel Goldman in 1990. A longtime Bulletin Board System user and online fanatic, Goldman spent several years working with Maxis, porting Sim City and other popular titles to various platforms, before returning to his dreams of online world domination. Together with designer Janice Linden-Reed, Goldman founded Planet Optigon and began developing a sophisticated, DOS-based service that would come to be known as the Total Entertainment Network.

Outland, Inc. was founded in 1991 by Three Guys From Palo Alto--Bill Lipa, Dave King, and Alex Beltramo. The company specialized in developing tools for making games playable across the Internet. In 1993, Outland established the Internet’s first commercial gaming service, featuring the popular strategy game, Spaceward Ho!

In June of 1995, Planet Optigon and Outland were united in corporate matrimony. Together, they hatched plans for the conquest of cyberspace and began developing a Windows 95-based version of the network, the preview of which you see before you.

What is TEN?   /  History of TEN

  Coming Soon /  Pricing and Membership


TEN 1.0
Coming Soon

What? You want more?

Good.

Cuz what you’ve seen so far is just a tortilla chip

 compared to the TEN mega-burrito about to hit your plate.

TEN is the next step in gaming evolution, bringing us from cuddly, banana peelin’, tree climbin’ little primates (with joysticks), into full-size, warmakin’, tv watchin’, microwavin’, bipeds known as humans (with joysticks).

Right now you’re on the Preview Edition of the Total Entertainment Network.  This is the fastest, easiest, fastest, flat out best way to play multiplayer games on the Internet – and it only gets better from here.

As TEN grows, you’ll have access to all the excitement the Internet offers, plus exclusive entertainment features found only on TEN.  Best of all, you’ll always be playing top-of-the-line multiplayer games from the best developers in the world.

Coming soon:

  GameScape, an e-zine and resource center for gamers

  Chat rooms, public and private

  Full Internet e-mail service

  Usenet newsgroups

  Web browsing

  Software file libraries

  Player profiles and portraits

  Plus, support for upcoming games from developers like Apogee, SSI, Spectrum Holobyte, Blizzard, MicroProse, and Domark

What is TEN?   /  History of TEN

  Coming Soon /  Pricing and Membership


Pricing and Membership Terms

Hey! TEN costs money. We tried to figure out a way to give it away for free,

but the accountants just kept looking at us real strange.

Anyway, to get updated pricing information for TEN

 go to the Arena Selector and click on the TEN manhole logo (shown below).

Membership terms

TEN ONLINE CUSTOMER LICENSE AND MEMBERSHIP SERVICE AGREEMENT

        IMPORTANT: YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH THIS PROGRAM OR SUBSCRIBING TO THE TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK SERVICE.  DOING SO INDICATES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.  IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, YOU SHOULD PROMPTLY EXIT THE PROGRAM.  BY ENTERING INTO THIS LICENSE AND MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT, YOU CERTIFY TO TEN THAT YOU ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE.

        T E Network, Inc. ("TEN"), the owner of this software program (the "Program"), grants to you a non-exclusive license to use the Program and its related documentation (the "Documentation") only under the following terms and conditions.

LICENSE -- what you can do with the Program.

        PROVIDED THAT YOU ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE, you may:

        -    Use the Program solely for accessing the Total Entertainment Network (the "TEN Service");

        -    Copy the Program for backup purposes in support of your use of the Program in accordance with this Agreement;

        -    Copy and install the Program on more than one computer, or physically transfer the Program from one computer to another; and

        -    Transfer all of your rights in the Program under this Agreement to another person, provided the other person is at least 18 years of age and agrees to accept the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

YOU MAY NOT USE, COPY, MODIFY, OR TRANSFER THE PROGRAM OR DOCUMENTATION, EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT.  YOU MUST REPRODUCE AND INCLUDE THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE ON ANY COPY OF THE PROGRAM OR DOCUMENTATION.  The Program contains copyrighted material, trade secrets and other proprietary material.  You agree that except as permitted by applicable legislation, you will not decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise reduce the Program to a human perceivable form.

TEN SERVICE -- the nuts and bolts.  PROVIDED THAT YOU ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE, TEN will provide the TEN Service to you on the following terms:

        -    You will begin to receive the TEN Service when you accept this Agreement and complete the online membership enrollment process.

        -    You are responsible for all phone charges that you incur while accessing the TEN Service, including but not limited to, long distance charges, equipment, and line cost; and any disputes about such charges or phone service are strictly between you and your telephone carrier.

        -    You agree to pay the charges to TEN for your membership in and use of the TEN Service that are specified in the Membership area (available by clicking on the icon on the New Account screen).  TEN reserves the right to modify the Billing Information at any time and the modified prices will become effective within 15 days of the date that TEN posts the changes to the Network.

        -    You understand and agree that TEN may modify this Agreement at any time and in any manner. Any modification is effective immediately upon posting on the TEN Service or distribution by electronic or regular mail. YOUR CONTINUED USE OF THE TEN SERVICE FOLLOWING MODIFICATION TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL CONSTITUTE ACCEPTANCE OF SUCH MODIFICATION. If any modification to this Agreement is not acceptable to you, you may immediately terminate your Membership as explained below.

TEN SERVICE -- rules of the Network.  When you use the TEN Service you agree to follow these rules:

        -    TEN wants to make sure that the Total Entertainment Network is fun and enjoyable for as many of our Members as possible.  You therefore agree to adhere to generally accepted standards of proper online behavior.  TEN reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, what constitutes generally accepted standards of online behavior and may, without notice and at any time, terminate your membership if you violate any of such standards.

        -    If you add content or invent characters, you represent that all material you upload to the Total Entertainment Network, including any characters you create, will be in the public domain.  In other words neither you nor anyone else may own or claim to own or have exclusive rights, including the copyright or trademark rights to, such material, and you agree that TEN may use such material for any purpose, including re-publication and creation of derivative rights.

        -    You agree that you will play "clean."  You will not upload to the Total Entertainment Network or disseminate via the Total Entertainment Network any obscene, false, defamatory or hateful material.  While TEN does not actively screen the Total Entertainment Network for such material, if it receives a complaint from another Member or third party, it will review the material and may, in its sole discretion, remove such materials from the Total Entertainment Network and may terminate your membership in the Total Entertainment Network.

        -    You are responsible for controlling who uses and how they use the TEN Services under your membership, and you agree that no one under 18 will have access to the TEN Service through your membership.

        -    You understand and acknowledge that trademarks belonging to third parties may appear on the TEN Service.  TEN will endeavor to identify the owners of all such trademarks on a separate screen.

YOUR INDEMNITY OF TEN.  You agree to indemnify TEN against any claims or damages arising out of your breach of any of your warranties or obligations under this Agreement.

TERM.  This Agreement is effective until terminated.  You may terminate it at any time by destroying all copies of the Program and the Documentation, terminating your use of the TEN Service, and delivering notice to TEN (effective the day TEN receives such notice) of your desire to terminate.  TEN may terminate your license and your membership in the TEN Service at any time if you breach any of the terms of this Agreement, fail to make any payments when due, or if any of the representations you make in this Agreement turn out to be false. Upon such termination, you must destroy all copies of the Program and the Documentation.

LIMITED WARRANTY; LIMITATION OF REMEDIES.  THE PROGRAM, DOCUMENTATION AND THE TEN SERVICE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM AND DOCUMENTATION AND USE OF THE SERVICES IS WITH YOU.  SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.  TEN DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN THE PROGRAM WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE PROGRAM OR OF THE TEN SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE.

        IN NO EVENT WILL TEN BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM OR TEN SERVICE, EVEN IF TEN HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.  IN NO EVENT WILL TEN BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF THE STANDARD MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP FEE FOR THE TEN SERVICE.

        Some states do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above exclusions may not apply to you.

GENERAL

        You may not sublicense, assign or transfer the license or the Program or your membership in the TEN Service except as expressly provided in this Agreement.  Any attempt otherwise to sublicense, assign or transfer any of the rights, duties or obligations under this Agreement is void.

        This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of California.

        YOUR USE OF THIS PROGRAM AND OF THE TEN SERVICE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT, UNDERSTAND IT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS.  YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT, TOGETHER WITH ANY OTHER LICENSE AGREEMENT BETWEEN US CONCERNING YOUR USE OF THE PROGRAM, IT IS THE COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN US WHICH SUPERSEDES ANY PROPOSAL OR PRIOR AGREEMENT, ORAL OR WRITTEN, AND ANY OTHER COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN US RELATING TO THE SUBJECT MATTER HEREOF.

What is TEN?   /  History of TEN

  Coming Soon /  Pricing and Membership


Contents
TEN Commandments

I

Thou shalt not play with thyself.

II

Thou shalt not whine when thy butt gets smote.

III

      Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's ass, nor his oxen,

nor his maidservant, nor his manservant. However, his

Pentium-133 is fair game.

IV

Thou shalt not hold up the false 'smiley' in worship,

lest the wrath of TEN smite down fiercely upon thee.

V

Thou shalt not drop carrier.

VI

Thou shalt not put online services before TEN, for verily,

TEN is a jealous and vengeful network.

VII

Thou shalt not bear false age,

 for if thou art not 18, thou art not ready.

VIII

Thou shalt own a major credit card, for TEN doth not yet

take checks.

IX

Thou shalt not be a loser, for TEN has spoken, saying, "Yea,

and the flamers, the spammers, the psycho spaz morons, the

weasels and snakes, they shall be cast out, and they will be

blown as chaff on the wind."

X

Thou shalt not die alone.

What is TEN?   /  History of TEN

  Coming Soon /  Pricing and Membership


Creating an account

From the TEN Sign On screen, click on the ‘NEW USER’ button.  This will bring up the ‘Begin Registration’ dialog.

You will need to select your preferred method of connecting to TEN before you begin registration.

There are two ways you can connect to TEN:

Dial TEN’s toll free registration number.  When you click on CONNECT, your modem will dial an 800 number so you can register without paying for the call.

Direct Internet connection.  Use this method if you already have a connection to the Internet established, e.g. via your own ISP or an Internet connection at work.  If you are using your own ISP to register, make sure you establish your connection before hitting   the ‘CONNECT’ button.

Once your account has been created, you can change your method of connection anytime by via the SETTINGS button on the Sign On screen.

Once a connection method has been chosen, clicking on the CONNECT button  will begin registration.

Registration for TEN takes place online to ensure that the latest pricing and product information is available.  There are 4 steps involved in creating a New Account:

Membership Terms.  You must read and accept the TEN Membership Terms in order to establish an account on TEN.  Declining the Membership Terms will cancel the registration process.

Name and Address.  Please enter all the information requested on this dialog.

Payment Method.  You can pay for TEN by using any of these credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.  Apart from your credit card number and expiration date, we ask that you provide us with your name as it appears on your card, and your current billing address.

Create a Screen Name.  The last part of the registration process involves creating a screen name and password for your TEN account.  Your screen name is the name by which you will be known to other TEN members online.  Follow these guidelines when creating a screen name:

*your screen name should be at least 3 characters in length, but no more than 10 characters.

*you can use any alpha-numeric characters, as well as the ‘_’ symbol and the ‘-‘.

*please do not use any spaces in your screen name.

You will also need to choose a password for your account.  Follow these guidelines when choosing a  password:

*you password should be at least 6 characters in length, but no more than 10 characters.

*make sure your password will not be easy for others to guess.

*you can use any printable keyboard characters.

*it is advisable to use a mix of numbers, letters, and funky keyboard characters.


Connecting to TEN

You must do this first. Or you’ll be playing with yourself.

Sign-On Screen

Using your own ISP

Using a TEN Dial-Up

Troubleshooting


Sign-On Screen

It’s way easy.

Enter your password and hit Connect.

Click on part of the picture below if you need more help.

If you’re experiencing technical difficulties, check out the troubleshooting area.

Made it past this stuff? Then check out the info on how to play a game.


Using your own ISP

Before accessing TEN, log on to the Internet through your  Internet service provider with either a PPP or SLIP account.

AOL, Prodigy, & Compuserve do not offer PPP or SLIP accounts, which excludes them from being an acceptable means to access TEN. Sorry. Also, TIA and shell accounts are not compatible with TEN.

Once an Internet connection has been established, select TEN from the START menu under Programs or from any short cuts that have been created.  Once TEN’s Sign On screen is reached, enter your screen name and passsword and click on the Settings button.  From the Connection Method screen, select the option: Use my own Internet Provider.

That should do it. If you’re still experiencing problems, try checking the Troubleshooting section.


Using a TEN dial-up

After TEN’s installation is complete, launch TEN through the Start/Program/TEN Menu in Windows 95, or through one of the TEN shortcuts.

Once TEN has been launched:

From the Sign On screen, click on the Settings button. The Connection Method window will open, choose the option :  Select one of TEN’s local access numbers.

Click on the OK button to display the list of known numbers.

The Select Local Access Number window opens.  Enter the area code you are calling from to jump to that area code or scroll through the list until you have reached the closest area code.

Choose the phone number that is closest to your location.

Once you have selected a local access number, click the Ok button to return to the Sign On screen.

If you are new to TEN, click the New User button to register.

If you are already a TEN subscriber: enter your screen name and  password, click on the Connect button and you’re accessing TEN via our Local Access Numbers.

Having problems? Take a look at the Troubleshooting section to see if anything there sounds familiar.

Or head for Customer Service  to get more personal help.


Playing a game

What it’s all about, bro/ sis.

Arena Selector

Arenas

Mr. Bandwidth

Joining a Game

Creating a Game

Exiting TEN

Troubleshooting


Arena Selector

This screen is known as the Arena Selector.

This is where your connection is checked, and you choose which

Zone and Arena you want to play in.

Click on part of the picture for more help.

When you get here, you’ll see Mr. Bandwidth doing something funky

as he examines the quality of your Internet link to TEN and determines your Zone ratings. Most of the time, he soon disappears and leaves you to get to the good stuff. But sometimes, he gets

a little testy. Click here to learn more about the Bozo they call Bandwidth.

Next, highlight an Arena to select it. Then hit the Go button.

Didn’t work?

Remember that Arenas with a [image] symbol in front of them are currently full.

If your Gameplay Quality for this Zone is ‘Forget It,’ you’ll be able to enter an Arena,

but not play any games. You can still chat.

 Try the other Zones to see if you have any better connections.


In the Arena

The Arena is where you actually play games and chat with other folks online.

(click on a section of the picture for more info)

Learn more about Chatting, Joining and Creating games.


Mr. Bandwidth Explained

Mr. Bandwidth is a strange little guy we hired to make sure everyone could connect to TEN.

He can’t actually fix your connection, you understand. But he can deliver the boot to folks with lousy ones, who would otherwise screw up everybody’s fun.

So Mr. Bandwidth is your friend. Unless, of course, you’re one of those getting the boot.

But we’ve tried to get Mr. B to moderate his usual savagery. So now, instead of just killing anyone with a crummy connection, he helps them make it good.

There are two important factors to playing fast-action games like Duke Nukem 3D over the Internet. The first is Gameplay Quality, which is decided by the latency of your connection. The second is the number of players you can join or create a game with, which is influenced by your bandwidth. For a detailed explanation of these arcane terms, listen to Mr. Bandwidth explain the Internet.

You don’t have to give a darn about this stuff if you don’t want to. All you have to know is what Mr. Bandwidth tells you when he checks your connection. Don’t try to play games in Zones where you have a dreadful Gameplay Quality, and don’t try to join games that are forbidden ( [image] ) due to bandwidth.

For more details on Mr. Bandwidth, check out the Connection screen info in the Illustrated TEN Primer.


Joining a Game

Click on a game in the Games window to highlight it. Then, if it looks good, click the Join button. You’re off and running.

Games with a [image] or [image] icon in front of them cannot be joined.  games are Closed, due to having filled up with players.  games are Forbidden, because they have a greater number of players set than your bandwidth will allow.


Creating a Game

Creating a game is fairly simple. You just click on the CREATE button to get the ball rolling.

You’ll get a pop-up dialog where you’re asked to fill in a name for the game, along with a description and the number of players. Note that in the Preview Edition of TEN, you have to specify the exact number of players you want in the game—no more and no less. You can’t create a game with more players than your bandwidth allows either. You’ll be informed if you’ve gone over this limit.

Click DONE when done, naturally. Or hit OPTIONS to play with some more advanced features of the game. It’s not necessary to tinker with these, but they’re provided for users who want to get the maximum juice out of their game.


Exiting TEN

Just close the TEN window as you would any other—by clicking on the little X in the upper right hand corner. You’ll be asked if you want to disconnect. The proper answer, of course, is: “Hell, no! TEN is my life!”

But should you lame out, answering yes will get you back to whatever dumb ol’ thing you were doing before the joy of TEN entered your world.

If you’re in a game and want to disconnect, first quit the game in the standard fashion. In Duke Nukem 3D, for instance, hit ESC and choose QUIT. You’ll go back to the TEN Arena screen, where you can exit the system in an orderly manner. Dropping carrier  probably won’t demolish TEN, but it might screw up other folks in your game, and play havoc with your score. So don’t do it, man.


Mr. Bandwidth explains the Internet

First, the bad news: the information superhighway isn’t really much like a highway. It’s more like the road system in Outer Kazakhswana, complete with dead ends, switchbacks, washouts, cul-de-sacs, corrupt officials in toll booths, and backwater hellholes where they still eat human flesh.

Now, the worse news: playing fast-action games across the Internet is a lot like staging the Indy 500 in Kazakhswana. It’s difficult, dangerous, and frankly, kinda stupid. Or to put it in the words of the first and last Kazakhswanan pit chief: “Ho ho ho! Many dead!”

But it can be done.

Before we go any further, let me get a feeling for how much you already know about the Internet. Choose the metaphor below that, in your opinion, best represents the net.

Model	“ I believe the Internet is”

The “Al Gore” 	A busy commuter highway,

with lots of rest stops and

McDonalds.

Wired “Infobahn” 	Tres chic. Cyber-sexy.

Vinyl. Chrome.

Cooooool.

The Hose	A really big hose, only for

data instead of water, and

with a billion nozzles.

NetWarrior	A brutal, desolate place

where the strong rule and

wimps die screaming.


The "Al Gore"

What?!? Get outta here!

Try Again


Wired "Infobahn"

Not bloody likely.

Try Again


"The Hose"

Nice try. You’re getting warmer.

Try Again


"NetWarrior"

Ah! The right answer.

Now that we’ve removed any comforting illusions you may have held,

let’s continue.

Many new netheads (and many old ones too) don’t know how the Internet really works. To them, it’s just a big electronic ether stuffed with nude graphic files and Star Trek debates.

As usual, reality bites. The Internet was designed to survive a nuclear attack, but it sure wasn’t designed to survive Duke Nukem. The two big bugaboos here are called “latency” and “bandwidth.”

Latency

Latency is the time it takes for you to send a packet of info to a site, and for the site’s response to get back to you. Contacting distant regions(like, on another continent) takes more time, and sometimes even local sites can be hard to reach, because the road you take to get there is full of twists and turns.

Let’s take an everyday, common Web task. Suppose you’re accessing the net through Big Bob’s Discount Web Hut, and heading for a German site with detailed instructions for building a fusion bomb. Bob’s Web Hut tries to find a route. First, it sends your signal through Chuck’s big regional server. Chuck shunts you to a big hub in Detroit. Detroit plugs into a site in Germany (“where there are no laws”), which then zips over to Gregor’s regional server, and finally waltzes up to Nuke-It-Yourself.

Your signal has bounced between five different routers before reaching its destination. The amount of time it takes for the nuke site to bounce a packet back to you is referred to as “latency,”  and is usually measured in milliseconds.

Suppose you have a relatively high latency-- a second. Since you can wait an extra second for the first atomic-core blueprint to start rezzing, this is no big deal.

However, if you were instead trying to play a rousing round of Duke Nukem, a one-second delay would send you straight to Chop City. There would be a delay of a second between you hitting your fire button and that rocket whooshing off to roast your pal, and so on. Ugly.

Minimizing latency means getting the most direct link to your target as possible. TEN’s preferred Internet providers are set up so that you should never have more than a couple hops before you arrive at TEN. Less robust providers may end up plowing through a dozen or more sites. With a three-second latency, you’ll be lucky if you can play parcheesi.

Latency can also be affected by other factors. General congestion on the Internet, or on your service provider, can add significantly to your latency.

Bandwidth

Now latency has nothing to do with how fast your modem is. Bandwidth, on the other hand, has a whole lot to do with it. The golden rule of bandwidth is this: the more people participating in something, the slower that something gets. Many greasy old cyber-relics will yap your ear off about how fast things used to be, back in hippie days when there were only fourteen people who knew what the Internet was—but that was then, and this is now.

Anyway, when it comes to games, the problem is this: every game has a ‘bandwidth budget.’ Each and every player who joins that game consumes part of the budget. The amount they use up varies for several reasons, but modem speed is the prime factor. A game that could support eight 28.8 modem users might only be able to support four 14.4k modemers-- even if the 14.4 guys had the Lamborghini of all net providers.

Think of it this way. There’s only so much room in each game. The slower your modem, the fatter you get. A game that could fit 8 slim 28.8k modem users might only be able to fit 4 pudgy 14.4k guys.

When you’re on TEN, I’ll analyze your connection to tell you how good your gameplay quality will be (latency) and how many players you can be in a game with (bandwidth). But sometimes the net gets wacky. If your ‘Excellent’ connection one day looks Awful, don’t panic. Try retesting it first. I might have just caught you during a brief spike.

In the longer run, if you have a service provider that consistently gives you bad results, you may need to make a change if you want to use TEN. Using one of our recommended providers may improve your connection to TEN.

You might also have modem problems, or line difficulties. Older modems tend to be less efficient, and can add significantly to your latency.

Line problems are a little trickier to deal with. You could always try negotiating with the phone company thugs. Or make sure your cat’s not chomping on the phone line.

Yeah, it’s a mean, random world we live in, out here in cyberspace. But that’s what frontiers are like.

Back to Contents


Trouble connecting to TEN?

Don’t break down into tears just yet!

 See if any of the questions below sound familiar.

If you’re still having difficulties, get a hold of Customer Support.

HOW DO I CONNECT TO TEN?

HOW CAN I TELL IF MY SERVICE PROVIDER IS COMPATIBLE WITH TEN?

IS TEN ACCESSIBLE FROM ALL EXISTING ONLINE SERVICES?

I FORGOT MY PASSWORD. HELLLLLP!

HOW DO I DISABLE CALL WAITING?

HOW DO I USE TEN’S LOCAL ACCESS NUMBERS TO CONNECT TO TEN?

HOW DO I USE MY OWN ISP TO CONNECT TO TEN?

HOW DO I PICK AN ISP?

WHAT ARE THE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS TO SUCCESSFULLY ACCESS TEN?

WHAT IS A UART AND WHAT KIND DO I NEED?

HOW DO I TELL WHAT KIND OF UART I HAVE?

DO I NEED THE CD-ROM TO INSTALL TEN?

WHY CAN'T I RE-SIZE THE GAME ARENA SCREEN?


HOW DO I CONNECT TO TEN?

Using TEN’s client software, you can connect to TEN through your own Internet connection or from one of TEN’s modem modem access number sites across the United States (which provide a PPP Internet connection).  You can reach TEN through any Internet Service Provider (ISP) which provides a PPP or SLIP account. Online services such as AOL, Prodigy and Compuserve do not offer PPP or SLIP accounts and are not acceptable means to connect to TEN.


IS MY INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER GOOD ENOUGH FOR TEN?

In general, you can access TEN through any Internet service provider that gives you a SLIP/PPP account. TIA and other SLIP emulators won’t work, and neither will online services like AOL and CompuServe.

You will need to determine if your TCP/IP protocol is properly configured, however.

To determine if your TCP/IP protocol is configured properly, try pinging one of TEN’s sites via its IP address.  PING* (Packet Internet Groper) is a diagnostic utility which sends packets of information to a known IP address and waits for a reply.  To ping our site follow these steps:

Use the MS DOS Prompt option from the Start - Programs menu to open a DOS window.

At the MS DOS prompt type:   ping 204.162.251.2

If you receive a “Bad Command” message, you need to find the ping.exe file.  Generally this file is located under the Windows directory.  Once you have located ping.exe, move to that directory and repeat step 2 above.  If you receive a reply from the ping, basic TCP/IP connectivity is functioning properly.  Now try pinging the name of the machine, not the address.

Use the MS DOS Prompt option from the Start - Programs menu to open a DOS window.

At the MS DOS prompt type:   ping ftp.ten.net

If you receive a reply from this ping, your DNS settings are working properly.  If no reply is received and you can ping IP addresses, follow these steps to check your DNS settings:

Select Settings from the Start menu.

Select Control Panel.

Double click on the Network icon .

From the list of installed components, select the TCP/IP->Dial-Up Adapter.  If only one TCP/IP adapter is present, select it.

Click on the Properties button to see the DNS settings.

Click on the DNS Configuration tab.

The Enable DNS radio button should be selected.

If you are using TEN’s modem access number connections as your ISP, the DNS search order should be 204.162.251.2.  If you are using a different ISP, the DNS search order should reflect the addresses given to you from your provider or system administrator.

If no DNS addresses are present, contact your system administrator or call your ISP or refer to the documentation provided by the ISP.

If both pings are successful, you should be able to connect to TEN.

Successful connection to TEN does not guarantee high speed connections or low latencies.

Try the same procedure as above using the tracert command (Trace Route) to see how many ‘pops’ (Points of Presence) you’re going through to connect to TEN. More than ten is getting dicy; more than twenty means you’re probably dialing in from Mars. Example: tracert ftp.ten.net.

If neither ping is successful, you are not configured properly to connect to TEN, or you do not have an acceptable account type (PPP, SLIP or direct connection).

*Note: PING and TRACERT are utilities that are installed when Windows 95 Dial-Up Networking is installed.


IS TEN ACCESSIBLE FROM ALL EXISTING ONLINE SERVICES?

TEN is not currently accessible from independent online services such as AOL, Prodigy, and Compuserve.  If you have any questions regarding your ISP account, we recommend that you contact your ISP.


HOW DO I DISABLE CALL WAITING?

It is necessary to disable call waiting in order to connect to TEN without interruption.

Check with your local phone company to verify the call waiting disable code.  *70 is very common with touch tone phones and 1170 is most often used with rotary phones.  Within Windows 95, this is accomplished through the modem’s dialing properties.  The following steps disable call waiting in Windows 95 where *70 is the call waiting code:

From the Start menu select Settings - Control Panel

Double click on the modem icon

On the General tab, click the Dialing Properties button

Click on the box in front of the “This location has call waiting.  To disable it, dial”  prompt. Then use the pull down box to the right to select *70.

Click on OK until you are back at the Control Panel window.

Some communication software has additional locations where this option can be configured. These may override Windows 95. If this occurs, consult your manual or call the application’s manufacturer to find out where to change the call-waiting code.


HOW DO I USE TEN'S LOCAL ACCESS NUMBERS TO CONNECT TO TEN
HOW DO I USE TEN’S LOCAL ACCESS NUMBERS TO CONNECT TO TEN?

After TEN’s installation is complete, launch TEN through the Start/Program/TEN Menu in Windows 95.

Once TEN has been launched:

From the Sign On screen, click on the Settings button.

The Connection Method window will open. Choose the option :  “Select one of TEN’s local access numbers.”

Click on the OK button to display the list of known numbers.

The Select Local Access Number window opens.  Enter the area code you are calling from to jump to that area code,or scroll through the list until you have reached the closest area code.

Choose the phone number that is closest to your location.

Once you have selected a local access number, click the Ok button to return to the Sign On screen.

If you are new to TEN, click the “New User” button to register.

If you are already a TEN subscriber: enter your screen name and password, click on the Connect button to access TEN via our Local Access Numbers.


HOW DO I USE MY OWN ISP TO CONNECT TO TEN?

Before accessing TEN, log on to the Internet through your ISP with either a PPP or SLIP account.

AOL, Prodigy, & Compuserve do not offer PPP or SLIP accounts, which excludes them from being an acceptable means to access TEN.  Also, TIA and shell accounts are not compatible with TEN.

 Once an Internet connection has been established, select TEN from the START menu under Programs or from any short cuts that have been created.  Once TEN’s Sign On screen is reached, enter your screen name and  password and click on the Settings button.  From the Connection Method screen, select the option: Use my own Internet Provider.


HOW DO I PICK AN ISP?

Some questions you should consider asking a prospective ISP are:

What type of connections are available (SLIP,TIA,PPP)?

Only SLIP and PPP accounts will be able to connect to TEN.

Will you be able to connect within your local calling area?

If there is no number within your local calling area, then you will be paying for a toll call.  This can add up very quickly.

How much will the service cost?

The costs here can vary.  Generally ISP’s will charge a base monthly rate, some will add on a per hour charge after a specified number of hours.  Some ISP’s will offer both types.  Depending on how much time you plan to be logged on you can choose which type of account you want.  For instance if you want to spend a great deal of time logged on you might want to consider a flat monthly rate account which includes unlimited hours per month.  If you don’t plan on spending a great deal of time logged on you may be able to find an account with a lower monthly rate which includes a limited number of hours per month (hours over that would be billed additionally at a per/hour rate).  So shop around and depending on your expected needs you can tailor which account will best suit you.

How many subscribers does the ISP have, and how fast have they been growing?

The Internet is expanding.  Good ISP’s gain subscribers quickly, but sometimes growth can overwhelm their systems.  Ask about peak periods of use and the frequency of busy signals when dialing in.

What is the ratio of subscribers to modems?

When you dial into your ISP, your modem connects to theirs.  Busy signals mean the ISP’s modems are all in use.  A ratio of 15 to 1 or 20 to 1 could mean a lot of busy signals.

What support options are provided?

When will someone be available to answer technical questions?  If you are planning this account for your home, will there be someone available to help you when you need it, or just during business hours?

What services does the ISP offer?

Some ISP’s offer only the basic services, like e-mail, 1 Megabyte storage space on their server, and newsgroups  to name a few.  Others will let you design and post your own Web site and provide you with some software.  Check that the ISP offers the services that you are interested in.

Does the provider offer a fast Internet connection?

Online time costs money.  Why run the risk of extra time charges or suffer the wait of slow downloads?  In the end, faster connections enhance all your Internet activities.  Also, faster Internet connections will enhance your experience on TEN.

Other Web sites you may want to investigate for more information on ISPs are:

http://www.thelist.com  - Fairly comprehensive list of  ISPs in USA and International.

http://www.hugelist.com - Another large list of ISPs and Internet services.

http://www.yahoo.com - Check out Computer/Internet/Internet Access Providers.


WHAT ARE THE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS TO SUCCESSFULLY ACCESS TEN?

Note that each game on TEN may have different system requirements above and beyond the minimum needed for TEN. Check the README file that came with your game for more specifics.

Specific Items	Minimum System Requirements	Recommended System Requirements
System	486/66DX2	Pentium 90
Operating System	Windows '95	Windows '95
RAM	8MB	16MB
Modem	14.4 KBaud	28.8 Kbaud
Serial Port	16550 UART	16550 UART
CD-ROM*	2-speed	4-speed
Video Card	16 colors	256 colors

*required for the TEN CD-ROM, due to increased file sizes.


WHAT IS A UART AND WHAT KIND DO I NEED?

A chip known as a Universal Asynchronous Transmitter and Receiver (UART) is fundamental to serial data communications.  In short, this device converts parallel data (e.g., 8 bit bytes) into a serial data stream which can be transmitted over a telephone line.

Internal modems are equipped with their own UARTs.  External modems, however, utilize the UART incorporated into your PC's COMM port.  If you are using an external modem, it is essential that you understand what type of UART your COMM port is using.  If you use an internal modem, there's a good chance that the device will be equipped with a suitable UART.  Nevertheless, you should check to confirm.

Older UARTs (8250 and 16450 UART) were typically designed before high-speed modems and simply do a poor job at high data rates.  This means that the older UART will not give you a good performance from your external modem.  Though your modem might connect at 28.8kbps, your computer and modem will talk at a slower speed.  Since many of TEN’s services are dependent a high-speed connection, we require that the end-user has a high-speed UART (16550 UART).


HOW DO I TELL WHAT KIND OF UART I HAVE?

Windows95 will test your UART for you and let you know which kind you have.  Follow the steps below:

Go to your ‘Start’ Button.

Select ‘Settings’.

Select ‘Control Panel’.

Double click on the ‘Modems’ icon.

Choose the ‘Diagnostics’ tab.

Click on the line which shows your modem in the ‘installed’ column.

Click on the ‘More Info’ button.

Read the line on this screen which says ‘UART’


DO I NEED THE CD-ROM TO INSTALL TEN?

No, you don’t need a CD-ROM to install the Preview Edition  of TEN.  You can get the Preview Edition of TEN software from our FTP site at FTP.TEN.NET.  The file will require approximately 5 megabytes on your hard drive and will require approximately 40 minutes to download using a 14.4 modem.  28.8 modems will be significantly faster requiring only 15 to 20 minutes to download.  The full service of TEN (coming soon) will require a CD ROM due to the increased size of files.


WHY CAN'T I RE-SIZE THE GAME ARENA SCREEN?

The game arena screen is set at a fixed size.  If your resolution is set too low (640 X 480) the game arena will fill the entire screen and obscure the windows task bar.  Resetting your resolution to 800 X 600* or higher will make the game arena window smaller, giving you access to the desktop and task bar.  To change your resolution, starting from the Start Menu:

Click on Start.

Click on Settings.

Click on Control Panel.

Double-click on Display.

Click on Settings.

In the Desktop Area section, drag the indicator (the arrow point down) to the 800x600 location.

Then click on OK.   A menu will then appear stating that in order for the new resolution to take effect the computer must be re-started.

Click on Yes.  Your computer will now re-start with the new resolution.

You can also switch between TEN and other applications by hitting ALT-TAB. It’s not advisable to do this during a game, however, as many action titles will crash.

*Note: not all video cards support resolutions of 800x600 or higher.


I FORGOT MY PASSWORD. HELLLLLP!

Whoa! Don’t panic. Call Customer Support at 1-800-8040-TEN.


Trouble playing a game?

Remember, it’s not always our fault!

Sometimes game problems are related to bugs or glitches in the game software itself, not TEN. If  none of these suggestions help, you might want to try calling the game distributor for further aid.

Duke is really sluggish. What can I do?

Whenever I turn on music, Duke chokes. What’s up?

I turned off music. Duke still chokes. Arrrgh!

I create or join a game, minimize the DOS box, and everything crashes. Huh?

The keyboard control really sucks! What should I do?

All those nude women in the game really offend me. Can I turn them off?

Duke has totally crashed. How do I get outta here?

Can I task-switch under TEN?


Duke is really sluggish. What can I do?

Try shutting down any other Windows applications you may have running.

Also, make sure you have music disabled in Duke, and that the sound effects are being mixed at 4 voices/11khz (the default). There’s a bug in the current version of Duke that causes strange effects when these options are different.


Whenever I turn on music, Duke chokes. What's up?
Whenever I turn on music, Duke chokes. What’s up?

There may be problems with Duke’s sound drivers conflicting with network packet stuff. Try turning music off in Duke by hitting ESC to get Options. Select Music and hit enter.


I create or join a game, minimize the DOS box, and everything crashes. Huh?

Don’t minimize the DOS box next time. If the game works, you may have a program running in Windows 95 that conflicts with Duke.


The keyboard control really sucks! What should I do?

Wait for a patch. Hopefully Apogee will be providing one soon that will allow better keyboard control.

Or you could try learning the mouse. Most hard-core Dukers find the mouse to be the control option of choice—it allows them to literally run circles around their opponents while keeping their guns trained on them.


All those nude women in the game really offend me. Can I turn them off?

You sure can. Hit ESC in Duke to get Options, then go to Parental Lock.


I turned off music. Duke still chokes. Arrrgh!

You might need to reset your sound properties in Duke. Run the setup program in your Duke directory and choose Sound. Make sure that the number of voices is set to 4 or less and that the sampling rate is 11 khz.


Duke has totally crashed. How do I get outta here?

ALT-TAB is disabled when you’re in a DOS game, so you can’t just task-switch. You can, however, hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete to shut down the offending program—TENCOMM in this case. Or you can hit Alt-Enter to minimize the box, then click on the X icon to close that window.


Can I task-switch under TEN?

Sort of.  It’s safe enough to minimize TEN and tinker with other stuff while you’re in an Arena, but it gets dicey once you’re in Duke. It’s strongly advised that you don’t fool with any of that crazy Windows stuff once you’ve actually created or joined a Duke game.


Customer Support Contacts

Mr. Bandwidth is glowing red.

 Your modem is making sounds like a lawnmower.

Duke Nukem 3D plays like a cerebral strategy game.

You got problems.

Who ya gonna contact?

SUPPORT OPTIONS

1) Toll Free : 1-800-8040-TEN

TENFone

Automated Voice Response

Includes General & Technical Info

Available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week

TENFax

Fax-on-demand

Includes General & Technical Info

Available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week

Customer & Technical Support Representatives

Available between 10am and 9pm PST, 7 days/week

2 )  Email

(24 hour business day turnaround)

General Assistance	customerservice@ten.net

Technical Assistance	technicalsupport@ten.net

Billing Issues	billing@ten.net

Bug Issues	bugs@ten.net

Suggestions	suggestions@ten.net

Complaints	complaints@ten.net

Kudos	kudos@ten.net

3 )  TEN Guides

Online greeters, helpers, jacks-of-all-trades, TEN Guides can be found in the HELP Arena and in other regions of the system. They’re identifiable by the GUIDE in front of their screen name—GUIDE Joe, GUIDE Bob, GUIDE Guido and so on. If you’re online and having difficulties, feel free to ask any TEN Guides in the vicinity for help.


Screen Name

This is the moniker you’ll go by on TEN. Coincidentally, it can be a maximum of TEN characters long. Normally this will be automatically entered for you when you log on to TEN, but you can delete it and enter another if, say, you’re logging on from a friend’s computer.


Password

This is your password for getting onto TEN. Guard it carefully. Remember that your password is case-sensitive. If you accidentally hit CAPS LOCK, your password may not be recognized. Or did you forget your password?


Connect Button

Click on the Connect button or the TEN logo to log on. Make sure you’ve entered your password and screen name, and that your settings are correct.


Disconnect

Close the Connection dialog by clicking on the ‘X.’ You’ll be asked if you want to disconnect or not. Answer, “No! Of course not! TEN is my life!”


New User Button

This will take you to the registration process you went through when you first signed on to TEN. Appropriate if, say, your roommate wants to get his own account.


Settings Button

This will take you to a menu where you can choose whether you want to connect to TEN via a local modem access number or an existing Internet connection. You’ll be asked to set this when you first register for TEN, but you can change it at any time if you want to connect in a different manner.


Location Bar

This tells you where the heck you are. Generally, you’ll be located in an Arena inside a Zone—Recruit Arena 2 in the Pandemonium Zone, fer instance.


Who's Here?

This is a list of all the players currently in the Arena with you. Players with a lightning-squiggle before their name are currently involved in a game, and are unlikely to hear anything you say.


Chat Window

The chat window displays all the witticisms and antics of your online companions in the Arena. You can use the scroll bar on the right to move up and down through the text, so as not to miss any sparkling bon mots.


Chat Entry Space

Just type something in and click on the airplane. You can also hit Enter to do the same thing.

You can enter up to 200 characters on the chat-entry line, which you can scroll back and forwards using the arrow keys.


Games Window

A list of all the games currently created is displayed here. Games with [image] Closed or [image] Forbidden icons in front of them are unavailable for you to join. Closed games are full, while Forbidden games are off limits because your bandwidth is insufficient for you to join.


Who's Playing?

Here are displayed the valiant netwarriors involved in any particular game. Click on a game in the Games Window to highlight it—the players in the game will then be displayed in this window.


Game Description

Here you can see the charming text entered by the creator of a game. Click on a game in the Games window to highlight it—this description will then appear. Remember, this was written by another player: the description may be useful, useless, or a heap of barking obscenities.


Help Button

This is what you probably hit to get here in the first place.


Mr. Bandwidth Button

This brings up a helpful dialog wherein Mr. Bandwidth explains the quality of your connection and the number of players you can be in a game with. From here, you can also retest your connection, get more help, or examine diagnostic info.

Besides being a button, Mr. Bandwidth constantly shows the status of your connection quality:  Excellent, Good, Poor, or Forget It.  When the status says “Testing”, Mr. Bandwidth is performing a connection test.  During the test you cannot create or join a game.  Don’t panic – go ahead and look through games or chat.  The gauge below Mr. BW’s head will show you how long the test will take.  If you connection quality changes at any time, the rating and Mr. Bandwidth’s expression will change to let you know.


Join Button

Highlight a game by clicking on it with the mouse, then hit the Join button to enter it. Note that games with [image] or [image] icons in front are unavailable to you—either because they’re full, or the bandwidth requirement is too high for you.

Click here to get more help on joining games.


Create Button

Click this button to make your own game. This is only available if you haven’t already created or joined another game, and will be disabled if you’ve entered a Zone to which you have a ‘Forget It’ connection.

After clicking Create, you’ll go to the Create Game dialog, where you can enter the name you want your game to have along with a brief description. You can also access the Options screen, which lets you set more advanced features for the current game.


Back Button

This takes you back to the Arena Selector screen.


Send Button

This clean, spiffy-looking paper airplane is actually a button for sending text to all those other cyber-freaks in the Arena with you. Just type something in and click on the airplane. You can also hit Enter to do the same thing.

You can enter up to 200 characters on the chat-entry line, which you can scroll back and forwards using the arrow keys.


ZONE definition

So. What are Zones, anyway? Generally speaking, they’re regions in cyberspace. More specifically:

 Zones are places where you can play games.

 A player in one Zone may not be able to connect to players in another Zone, depending on the game and your connection quality.

 Zones are divided up into Arenas.

 Each Arena can hold between twenty and fifty players.

For even more info, have a few words with Mr. Bandwidth.


ARENA definition

Arenas are the launching point for games on TEN. They’re kind of like lobbies or chat rooms on other services, only much cooler.

Because there can be hundreds or thousands of players on TEN at once, it’s necessary to break the masses down into manageable chunks. Hence, each Arena has an upper limit on the number of players who can be in it at once, ranging from twenty to fifty people.

Still in the dark? Have a word with Mr. Bandwidth, or check out the detailed Arena help section.


Available Zones

This is a drop-down window displaying all the available Zones on TEN.

By default, you should be looking at your best Zone-- the Zone that Mr.Bandwidth determined was best for you. You can click on the arrow to pick a different Zone, but watch the Zone Rating Indicator to make sure you’re not heading for an area you’ll have difficulty playing in.

What is a Zone, you ask? Good question.


Zone Rating Indicator

This lets you know what your connection to a Zone is like. ‘Excellent’ connections are typical of direct Internet links. Good connections are what you should be getting with a modem and a decent Internet service provider. ‘Poor’ and ‘Forget It’ connections mean something’s wrong.

HOWEVER.

Don’t be surprised if you have a very good connection to one Zone and a poor one to another. This is the nature of the Internet, or to put it another way, it’s a Subject Too Complicated to Explain. Trust us. Don’t worry. Be happy.


Arena List

These are the available Game Arenas.  The number next to the Arena name shows the number of people in the Arena.  A [image] sign next to the Arena name means that the Arena is now full.  If you try to enter it you will be re-directed to a duplicate Arena.

Check the Arena names for player skill level or other factors that will help you hook up with players like yourself.  For example, in the Duke Nukem 3D Arena, “Recruit” is an Arena for beginner-level players.


Go Button

Click this button when you’ve highlighted an Arena to enter it. The reverse-pointing hand in the Arena, known as the Back button, brings you back to the Arena Selector.


Like, the Logo, Man

Just a logo. Doesn’t do anything. Really.


Like, another Logo

This is the almighty TEN logo. Clicking here will download a file with the latest news from TEN. Important things. Really. Like: the latest info on TEN News and pricing.


Bandwidth Indicator

This lets you know the maximum size of games you can join or create. You can’t join a game set for more players than this, nor can you create one larger than this size. Clicking on Mr. Bandwidth’s ovoid little head will bring up a Connection report.


What is Mr. Bandwidth?!?

 Mr. Bandwidth is a little guy who analyzes your Internet connection. He’ll let you know what your status is when you first enter the Arena Selector. Anytime you see Mr. Bandwidth, you can click on him to get a full-fledged report on your connection, which generally breaks down into two areas: the quality of your gameplay and the number of players you can be in a game with.

Sometimes Mr. Bandwidth will flag you down himself. Generally, this means you have a problem of some sort with your connection. Get up close and personal with Mr. Bandwidth for more info.


The Secret Bandwidth

Mr. Bandwidth is a strange guy. On the surface, he seems calm, contented, orderly. But beneath this bitmapped exterior, he’s a broiling maelstrom of emotion.


Illustrated Primer of TEN

Here you can take a guided tour of the TEN interface.

 Simple instructions tell you what to do to proceed to the next stage, or you can click

on the pictures to get info about specific buttons and windows.

Stage 1: Connecting to TEN

Stage 2: Game Selector

Stage 3: Arena Selector

Stage 4: Mr. Bandwidth

Stage 5: In the Arena


Illustrated Primer of TEN: Stage 1

Connecting to TEN

Click on the picture to get more info about specific buttons or areas.

ONE:  Enter your password. This is case-sensitive, so make sure you don’t have CAPS LOCK on.

TWO:  Make sure your Settings are what you want. You can choose to connect either through your own Internet service provider or one of TEN’s nationwide modem access numbers.

THREE:  Hit the Connect button, and you’re ready to rock.

Get more info on Connecting to TEN.


Illustrated Primer of TEN: Stage 2

Game Selector

Click on the picture to get more info about specific buttons or areas.

HEY!

If you don’t see this screen right away after connecting to TEN, it means you probably started TEN from within your game and you went straight to the Arena Selector.

When you want to switch games, click on the BACK button on the Arena Selector screen.   To see the Game Selector every time, launch TEN from the Win95 START menu.

ONE:  Scroll down the list of games and select the game title you want to play.

TWO: Double-click on the game title, or click on the PLAY button to enter the Arena Selector for this game.


Illustrated Primer of TEN: Stage 3

Arena Selector

Click on the picture to get more info about specific buttons or areas.

ONE:  Wait for Mr. Bandwidth to finish setting up your zone ratings. This should take from five to ten seconds.

TWO:  Choose your Zone by clicking on the arrow in the drop-down box. By default, you will be in the Zone you have the best connection to.

THREE:  Select an Arena to enter by clicking on it. Arenas with a red no-go icon in front are full and therefore closed to you for now. Once you’ve picked an Arena, click the GO button to enter.


Illustrated Primer of TEN: Stage 4

Mr. Bandwidth

Click on the picture to get more info about specific buttons or areas.

ONE:  At the top of the screen Mr. Bandwidth lets you know the maximum size of games you can join or create. This isn’t open to negotiation, and is usually a function of your modem speed.

TWO:  In the center box, you get info on your connection quality to the various Zones. A rating of “Forget It” means you won’t be able to play games in that Zone. You can still chat if you like.

THREE:  If things seem odd, the first thing to try is retesting your connection. Sometimes the net experiences momentary lurches or belches, and your  connection may “get better” by itself.

FOUR:  If you still can’t figure out what’s going on, check your diagnostics. This is divided into three areas. Your gameplay quality is based on your Latency, which is generally a function of your service provider. Your Stability is also related to this. Your Bandwidth is normally associated with the modem you’re using to connect to the Internet.

Get more info on Mr. Bandwidth.


Illustrated Primer of TEN: Stage 5

In the Arena

Click on the picture to get more info about specific buttons or areas.

ONE:  To join a game, highlight it in the GAMES window and click JOIN. Games with a [image] or [image] icon in front of them are closed to you, and cannot be joined.

TWO: To create a game, click the CREATE button. You’ll see a pop-up window that prompts you to enter a name and description for your game, along with the number of players. Once you’ve done this, you can either click DONE or go to the OPTIONS screen to set up advanced features for the game you’re in.  When you’ve finished, the game will launch.

THREE: To chat with other people, simply type in a sentence and hit ENTER. Alternately, you can click on the SEND button (paper airplane).


Retest Button

Sometimes the net “hiccups” or “belches.” If you have a bad connection, try retesting it before you get all upset. It may have gotten better in the meantime.


Diagnostics Button

Click this to get more specific information on your connection. It’s divided into three sections. Quality is speed. Stability is, well, stability. And Bandwidth decides the number of players you can play against.


Bandwidth Info

This lets you know the maximum size of games you can join or create. You can’t join a game set for more players than this.  You also cannot create one larger than this size.


Connection Info

This window shows you your connection to the various Zones. A rating of ‘Excellent’ means you probably have a high speed connection of some sort (T1, cable modem, ISDN line). A rating of Forget It means your connection is too awful to play games in that Zone.


Close Button

Use this to shut Mr. Bandwidth up once and for all. Remember you can always get this dialog back by clicking on Mr. B, wherever he may show his ugly face.


Pops

Points of Presence. Aren’t you glad you know that now?


Modem Access Number

These are local dial-ups across the country through which you can connect to TEN. They connect you via a TEN-recommended Internet service provider, so you can also browse the Web, get e-mail, or ftp files if you have the appropriate software (such as Netscape 2.0). To link to TEN using a modem access number, use the Settings button on the Sign-On screen.


Internet Service Provider

These are services that provide you with a link to the Internet. Universities and businesses often provide free access; many private providers also exist, offering hourly or monthly rates. SLIP/PPP connections are the most common these days, and are the sort required to access TEN.


Connection Report

Click on the picture to get more info about specific buttons or areas.

 	At the top of the screen Mr. Bandwidth lets you know the maximum size of games you can join or create. This isn’t open to negotiation, and is usually a function of your modem speed.

In the center box, you get info on your connection quality to the various Zones. A rating of “Forget It” means you won’t be able to play games in that Zone. You can still chat if you like.

If things seem odd, the first thing to try is retesting your connection. Sometimes the net experiences momentary lurches or belches, and your  connection may “get better” by itself.

If you still can’t figure out what’s going on, check your diagnostics. This is divided into three areas. Your gameplay quality is based on your Latency, which is generally a function of your service provider. Your Stability is also related to this. Your Bandwidth is normally associated with the modem you’re using to connect to the Internet.

Get more info on Mr. Bandwidth.


GAME SELECTOR

When you are ready to play a new game title that TEN supports, use the Game Selector to switch.

Access the Game Selector by clicking on the BACK button in the Arena Selector screen.  To go straight to this screen after connecting, launch TEN from the Win95 START menu instead from within a game.


Kill This Application

Some fast-action games require your computer’s undivided attention.  If we detect that you are running various 16-bit applications while you are trying to get into a game, you may be asked to shut those applications down.  As a courtesy, TEN will do this for you.  Just click the KILL button and the listed applications will be forced to quit.  Remember to save any works in progress before sending the KILL command.


TEN Alert

Watch this space for the latest information on TEN and the games supported on TEN.


Game Title List

These are the game titles currently supported on TEN.  Notice that some games specify Shareware or Retail.  Double-click on a game title  or click on the PLAY button to go to the area for that game.


Feedback button

Make a difference.  Click here to tell us what you think of TEN.  Suggestions, complaints, and comments are all welcome.


Back

This takes you back to the Game Selector .