Updates and Support

Some users of recent Nvidia graphics cards have reported flickering graphics. Our older games use OpenGL, and Nvidia appears to have made a change which keeps OpenGL graphics from displaying correctly. Until they fix their drivers, we do have a few workarounds. You can choose between these three workarounds:

1. Play the game in windowed mode instead of fullscreen. In Settings, you can set the game to ask whether to be in windowed mode or not, at launch.
2. If you have an Intel chip, you can force the game to run using built-in Integrated Graphics instead of the Nvidia graphics card. You should still get good performance.
   To make this change:
   
   1. Open C: / Program Files (x86) / Spiderweb Software / Avernum 3 - Ruined World
   2. Right click on Avernum 3.exe
   3. Select Run with graphics processor - Integrated Graphics
      (From this list, on systems with Nvidia graphics cards, for each executable you can set which graphics card it uses.)
3. Run the DirectX version of the game. The DirectX executable will be in the game folder in C: / Program Files (x86) / Spiderweb Software. If you have any issue finding it, contact us to get a download link to the DirectX version from our own site.

If, somehow, Vladimir dies in a fight in Blackcrag Fortress, he won’t be able to open the door for you. To fix this, open the debug window (press Shift-d on Mac/Win computers) and enter this line:

sdf 34 16 1

You will then be able to enter the throne room.

There is a rare problem where having Anama rings might not allow you into the upper level of the Anama temple. If this happens, press Shift-D (or, on the iPad, press the Disk button and select Enter Cheat Code). Then enter this line:

sdf 4 6 1

The portals keeping you from going upstairs will disappear.

If you go to Empress Prazac before defeating the troglodyte/giant or golem plagues, you can become trapped inside the Guarded Tunnel. We will fix this soon. Until then, to become untrapped, load your saved game, press Shift-D, and enter this line:

sdf 61 11 1

You will now be able to cross the bridge.

Steam’s current system can make it difficult to find hint books and other extras. To actually get at the hint book, follow these steps:

1. Right click (Control-click on Mac) "Avernum 3: Ruined World" in the games list in your Steam library.
2. Select "Properties."
3. In the "Local Files" tab, select "Browse Local Files."
4. All your goodies are in the "Deluxe Edition" folder. You can drag them to your desktop for easy access.

We’re sorry this is so confusing. Please let us know if you have any other problems. You can contact us at support@spiderwebsoftware.com.

Occasionally, the versions of Avernum 3 being sold on 3rd party sites (like Steam) for Windows do not work correctly. This can be because of a system incompatibility with their software or problems running the graphics engine OpenGL.

Should you purchase the game from Steam or a similar service and find that it does not work correctly, take the following steps.

1. Download and install the Avernum 3: Ruined World demo from our web site. The DirectX version ships with this version of the game.
2. Go into your Avernum 3 folder (Located in: Program Files/Spiderweb Software/Avernum 3 - Ruined World") and run "Avernum 3 DirectX.exe". This version should work.
3. If you are still having problems, contact us at support@spiderwebsoftware.com.
4. If it works, contact us at support@spiderwebsoftware.com to get the full version of the game.

We apologize for the difficulty and inconvenience, and we'll do what we can to get you up and running.

If you are using a newer version of 64 bit Windows, it is very important to make sure that you have the latest graphics drivers for your video card. Many video cards are having problems with the new operating system. If the game is crashing or the graphics occasionally look wrong, go and get and install the newest graphics drivers for your card. If this doesn't help, watch for new drivers to be released for your card.

Avernum 3 is, graphically, not a very demanding game. However, some systems, due to hardware or video driver problems, have been having trouble running it at an acceptable speed. Other systems have displayed odd or corrupted graphics. Should the game not run correctly for you, follow the steps below:

• If you are using the newest version of Avernum 3, you might have a corrupted game file. Uninstall the game, redownload the installer, and reinstall. Don't skip uninstalling!
• Open the Settings window on the title screen. Set Game Area Size to Small and Graphics Extra Details to Don't Draw.
• If these steps don't help, try running the DirectX version of Avernum 3. The DirectX version ships with the game. Go into your Avernum 3 folder (Located in: Program Files/Spiderweb Software/Avernum 3 - Ruined World") and run "Avernum 3 DirectX.exe".
• Download the newest versions of your video card drivers and install them. Do this even if you think you have the newest version. Driver files and settings can sometimes become damaged or corrupted.
• Don't run any other applications at the same times as Avernum 3.
• If your system is fairly old or underpowered (particularly if it has 256 MB RAM or less, an Intel GMA graphics processor instead of a video card, or a video card over six years old), the game will probably always run slowly. Using Fast Graphics Mode will help.

If your computer has problems running games with OpenGL graphics, we have created a DirectX version. This is in the same folder as the Avernum 3 application and is called "Avernum 3 DirectX.exe”. Run it instead and you should be able to play the game. If you have problems finding this version, contact us at support@spiderwebsoftware.com.

If, somehow, Vladimir dies in a fight in Blackcrag Fortress, he won’t be able to open the door for you. To fix this, open the debug window (press Shift-d on Mac/Win computers) and enter this line:

sdf 34 16 1

You will then be able to enter the throne room.

There is a rare problem where having Anama rings might not allow you into the upper level of the Anama temple. If this happens, press Shift-D (or, on the iPad, press the Disk button and select Enter Cheat Code). Then enter this line:

sdf 4 6 1

The portals keeping you from going upstairs will disappear.

If you go to Empress Prazac before defeating the troglodyte/giant or golem plagues, you can become trapped inside the Guarded Tunnel. We will fix this soon. Until then, to become untrapped, load your saved game, press Shift-D, and enter this line:

sdf 61 11 1

You will now be able to cross the bridge.

Steam’s current system can make it difficult to find hint books and other extras. To actually get at the hint book, follow these steps:

1. Right click (Control-click on Mac) "Avernum 3: Ruined World" in the games list in your Steam library.
2. Select "Properties."
3. In the "Local Files" tab, select "Browse Local Files."
4. All your goodies are in the "Deluxe Edition" folder. You can drag them to your desktop for easy access.

We’re sorry this is so confusing. Please let us know if you have any other problems. You can contact us at support@spiderwebsoftware.com.

If you launch the game and the graphics don't appear or look wrong, quit the game. Then go into Steam and turn off Steam Overlay. This fixes problems with a number of Macintosh games on Steam.

If you are using a Macbook with a Retina screen and choose a too-large resolution to play the game, the game may be drawn with a large portion of the play area offscreen. That is because the largest resolutions can only be drawn in Retina mode, and games written with OpenGL technology (which is almost all Mac games) don't handle Retina correctly.

One workaround for this is to play the game in Windowed mode. Another is to pick as a resolution the size of your monitor is ordinary (not Retina) pixels. This resolution will be half the size of the largest resolution the game offers. (For example, it will be 1280x800 for 13" MacBooks and 1440x900 for 15" MacBooks.)

If you have already chosen for the game to always open in full screen mode, you can undo this by deleting the settings file. Open a window in the Finder. Type Command-Shift-G and enter "~/Library/Preferences". Throw away the file com.spiderwebsoftware.Avernum3. Launch Avernum 3, and the resolution selection window will appear again.

Avernum 3's graphics needs are modest, but they might put some strain on older machines. Some steps might be necessary to help it to run better.

To see how quickly Avernum 3 is running, load a saved game, press Shift-D, enter "fps", and press return. The FPS (frames of animation drawn per second) will appear in the upper left hand corner. That number should be at least in the teens to give a good play experience.

If Avernum 3 is running slowly, try these steps:

1. Run as few other programs as possible in the background. Quit web browsers and other unneeded applications. This frees up memory and computing power.
   
2. The best way to make Avernum 3 faster is to reduce the size of the play area. On the Video Mode window that comes up when you launch the game, choose to play in a window and then select a small size for the window. Alternately, run the game, select Game Options on the title screen, and set Game Area Size to Small.
   
3. You can turn down the graphics detail, which can result in speed increases. Run the game, select Game Options on the title screen, and set Graphics Extra Details to Don't Draw.

If you play the demo of Avernum 3 and then purchase the game from Apple's App Store, your saved games from the demo will not be visible. You can, however, move them so that the App Store version can see them.

The App Store saved games location is described above in the section titled, "Locating Your Macintosh Saved Games". Use the information there to create the new saved game folders by copying over your old saved games.

If, somehow, Vladimir dies in a fight in Blackcrag Fortress, he won’t be able to open the door for you. To fix this, open the debug window (it’s the File Menu in iOS on an iPad) and enter this line:

sdf 34 16 1

You will then be able to enter the throne room.

There is a rare problem where having Anama rings might not allow you into the upper level of the Anama temple. If this happens, press Shift-D (or, on the iPad, press the Disk button and select Enter Cheat Code). Then enter this line:

sdf 4 6 1

The portals keeping you from going upstairs will disappear.

If you are having weird problems with Avernum 3 HD (unable to talk to characters, script errors, unable to leave zones, general bad behavior), your copy of the software might have become corrupted. It is rare, but it does happen. As a first step, try forcing a reboot of your iPad. Hold down the Power and Home buttons at the same time until the device resets. This can fix a number of odd problems.

If this doesn't help, reinstalling the game can fix these problems. To do to, follow these steps.

1. If you want, back up your saved games. To learn how to do this, read the section on transferring saved games. Bear in mind that software corruptions can also damage the saved games. If, after reinstalling, problems continue, try starting a new game.
2. Power up your iPad and find the Avernum 3 HD app icon. Rest your finger on it lightly until it starts to vibrate and an 'X appears. Push the 'X' and choose to delete the application.
3. Run iTunes on your computer. Find Avernum 3 HD and delete it. Make sure to choose to move it to the trash.
4. Delete app. Download a fresh copy of Avernum 3 HD from iTunes.
5. Use iTunes to copy back in your saved games.

If this does not fix your problems, contact our support.