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While using Stagecast Creator, Player or Web Player, you may encounter
some technical difficulties. Below are some of the known issues and their workarounds,
where available.
Stagecast Creator
Just installed software does not run on Windows Vista/7 or Mac OS X Snow Leopard
Stagecast Creator versions 2.0.1 and older are not compatible with the Java version on Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. To run Stagecast Creator on these systems, please upgrade to version 2.0.2. Purchasers of Stagecast Creator 2 may upgrade for a
nominal fee with proof of purchase. Tutorial on Mac OS X does not work
Version 2.0.2 only: If you are using Stagecast Creator 2.0.2 on Mac OS X version 10.3 or 10.4 on a Power Mac, and some images are not displaying in the tutorial lessons, you may need a patch for the application. For patch instructions, contact Stagecast technical support. This should not be an issue with version 2.0.1.
Version 2.0 only: If you are using Stagecast Creator 2 on Mac OS X version 10.1.3 to 10.5.x, you may upgrade to version 2.0.1.
Version 2.0.1 fixes a problem that caused the tutorial to hang. There was an incompatibility between Creator and the version of Java that came with Mac OS X 10.1.3.
Click here to go to the Downloads page. Just installed software does not run on Mac OS X
Version 2 only: If you have just installed Stagecast Creator 2 on Mac OS X version 10.2 to 10.5 and the application does not launch, you may need
to run the installer again. When installing the software, if you are given the option of using Java 1.3 or Java 1.4, you should select Java 1.3. Mac OS X
10.2 uses Java 1.3 for applications such as Stagecast Creator.
In some cases, the installer is failing to install needed files. If reinstalling does not resolve the problem, contact Stagecast technical support for assistance. Software runs very slowly on Mac OS X
Version 2 only: If you installed Stagecast Creator 2.0.1 on Intel Macs and the software is running slowly, you should try running our Mac OS X updater to update the application for Intel Macs.
Click here to go to the Downloads page.
If you are using Stagecast Creator 2 on Mac OS X version 10.2 and the software is running very slowly, you may need
a patch for the application. Mac OS X 10.2 enables hardware acceleration for Java applications, but some machine configurations are not supported.
For patch instructions, contact Stagecast technical support. Clicking on Mac menu bar causes Creator to quit (Classic Macintosh only)
There is an incompatibility between Apple's Macintosh Runtime for Java (MRJ) and the FAXstf software that is bundled with some Macintosh computers. If Creator unexpectedly quits when you click on the menu bar, then you should disable the STFInit extension through the Extensions Manager and then restart the machine. You will then be able to click the menu bar while a Java application (such as Stagecast Creator) is running. Stagecast Creator release 1.0.1 does not launch on Windows NT or Windows 2000.
The .exe on the Creator 1.0.1 CD-ROM does not work on Windows NT or Windows 2000, due to an issue with the installation software. The .exe on the 1.0.4 Creator Evaluation version also had this problem.
One solution is to start Creator by using the batch file instead. [StagecastCreator.bat] You can edit the path of the shortcut on the desktop to point to the batch file. The batch file is located in the same directory as the .exe file (usually "c:\program
files\stagecast\creator"). Another solution is to replace the Creator.exe file with a new one designed to work with Windows NT and Windows 2000. You may download this new executable. It is recommended that you first rename the existing Creator.exe file to something else (such as "Creator.original.exe"). You can then drop this file in Creator's root directory (usually "c:\programfiles\stagecast\creator") and rename it to Creator.exe. The best solution is to upgrade to Stagecast Creator 2. Referencing characters that are not in the spotlight
Most variables in Creator have values that are numbers, words, appearances, or sounds. The global variable named 'follow me' is the only variable in Creator 1.0 and 2.0 whose value can be a whole character.
Creator allows an action to put a whole character into a variable as its new value only if the whole character is in the spotlight and the variable is the global variable 'follow me'.
Similarly, Creator allows a test to compare a whole character with a variable's value only if the whole character is in the spotlight and the variable is the global variable 'follow me'.
Creator 1.0 sometimes allowed the user to create tests and actions that worked with whole character values in other cases than those just mentioned. Worlds with such tests or actions would later crash. Creator 2.0 detects these prohibited cases and tells you that "you can't reference a character not in the spotlight." Saving sims to a different default directory
Versions 1.0 only: To make it easy to save sims to a different directory, you can make a shortcut to the desired directory and place the shortcut in the Worlds directory. Best solution: Upgrade to Stagecast Creator 2.
Versions 2.0 only: Creator 2 allows administrators to configure a different default directory for saving. For further information, contact Stagecast technical support. Text Characters:
Text characters are special characters that let you add text to the stage.
Versions 1.0 and 1.0.1 only: When you have text characters in a world, you should not use the Reset command in Creator and Player versions 1.0 and 1.0.1. Reset may cause some unexpected problems. If you suspect such a problem, the best solution is to upgrade to Stagecast Creator 2. Alternatively, you can download and install the Stagecast Creator 1.0.2 update, which we recommend to all purchasers of Creator 1.0 and 1.0.1, or Web Player 1.0.5, which we recommend to those who have only the free Web Player. For further information about this bug, contact Stagecast technical support. Version 1 only: You cannot type into a text character when the world is running. Workaround: First stop the world, type into the character, and then play the world again. Best solution: Upgrade to Stagecast Creator 2. Text characters in a sim may display differently on a Windows computer than on a Macintosh computer. For example, the font of the text may look a Windows computer than on a Macintosh computer. Workaround: Enlarge the box size or decrease the font size. Test the sim on a Windows computer if it will be viewed in a mixed environment. Better solution: Upgrade to Stagecast Creator 2, open the text character's variables, and try "auto-size". Sounds (Classic Macintosh only):
Using MRJ 2.1 and playing repeated/continuous sound usually causes anomalous sound behavior, both in Creator's subsequent use, as well as sometimes at the Mac OS level.
When creating a sound-playing rule, that is a rule where the actions section of the Rule Maker displays "put (sound) into (character's) (sound-variable)", the rule will fire correctly once, or during a single-step playing one iteration of the sound. But if this rule fires continuously, for example when Play is pressed, you may get choppy sound as the play-sound rule fires repeatedly while the rule execution repeat-loop is running. After this, some sound features may not work correctly.
Workaround: If you inadvertently make a sound-playing rule that plays continuously on the Mac and hear a choppy version of the first part of the sound being played over and over, the safest thing to do may be to quit Creator, relaunch it, and fix the rule so the sound doesn't play continuously. Make the rule fire only once, and then the sound will play only once.
Upgrading to Stagecast Creator 2, which comes with a later version of MRJ, may also help. Large (e.g., 10,000 character) Sims:
While we've made some progress in memory management for this type of sim, there is one thing users should know: Closing the sim may be extremely slow. Workaround: Use Quit instead of Close, because Quit does less work. (It knows it doesn't have to free up memory for the next new sim.) Upgrading to Stagecast Creator 2 wiill also help. Interaction with StuffIt Deluxe SpaceSaver (Classic Macintosh only):
The default settings of the StuffIt Deluxe SpaceSaver application may cause problems with Stagecast Creator. When the user tries to open a sim from the Stagecast Creator splash screen, the program may freeze, forcing the user to reboot the Macintosh. To solve the problem, click on the Apple Menu Items icon, select the Control Panels and then the ~StuffIt SpaceSaver. Turn off the SpaceSaver. Creator should work fine after doing this. Deleting the pretest on a rulebox:
When you use the delete tool to remove the pretest from a rulebox, be certain only your pretest is highlighted before you press the mouse button. Moving the mouse back and forth even a tiny amount, will cause the highlight around the pretest to disappear and reappear. If the pretest is not highlighted when you press the mouse button, the entire rulebox will be deleted! "File in use" error message:
Some browsers apparently keep certain files open even after quitting. If you run Creator in the browser, and then quit the browser and try to install a new version of Creator, you may get a message saying a file is in use. If this happens, please restart your computer and try again.
Stagecast Player
Launching Player:
On a Windows PC, you can launch the Player from the Windows Start Menu. From the Start Menu, select Programs and then Stagecast. If you choose to launch the Player rather than Creator, you may need to first locate the Player program file. It is named Player.exe and is located in the Program Files\Stagecast\Creator folder.
Stagecast Web Player
Keystroke Capture:
Note, once a sim has opened in your browser, be sure to click inside the sim so that any keystrokes will be captured by the sim, and not by your browser. Moving Sim Window:
In Web Player, moving the sim window around causes the whole image to go away. What do I do?
This is a known bug that happens on both Macintosh and Windows computers. It will be fixed in a future version of Creator. Version 1 only: Sidelines Cut Off
In Web Player, the Sidelines and Control Panel are cut off when viewing a world.html file. What do I do?
This happens with worlds that have been saved to the default size. Worlds with reduced stage sizes (e.g. stage width = 12 squares, stage height = 10 squares) play fine. Player Not Working?
If you have just installed the Web Player, you may have to reboot your computer to get the Web Player to work. Also, make sure you are using one of the supported browsers.
Please see the Web Player Help page for more help.
Please see the Creator FAQ for additional information.
Return to Support page.
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