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Glitches are one of the biggest things that are bringing Key Quest down to an unsatisfactory level in the eyes of many people, and it is possible that the majority of ended games could be as a result of these glitches. Perhaps it would be better to further understand how glitches work in games like these.
There are a number of reasons for glitches to happen. There are infinite possibilities and explanations; however, I shall only explain some of the unknown, and more common, factors. This is so players who often assume that a player quit may reconsider their thoughts, and those who receive lag can fix the problem.
Lagging Computers: This is one of the more known reasons to glitching computers, however, it is often not considered to be a real reason for the dreaded 'Oops!' message. Computers, when facing faster opponent(s) will receive lag, and it is unavoidable. Depending on the connection difference between these two-four computers, lag can differ from intense to very light. However, please note that more often than not, the faster opponent can not see that the other user is lagging.
Also, the majority of computers that do not meet the recommended system requirements will receive lag too. This isn't to say that only computers that are under the system requirements will receive lag, because that is inaccurate. There are many computers out there that, even when exceeding the recommended requirements, will lag.
How to fix: You should try to exceed in RAM, Internet connection and your processor when compared to the System Requirements.
Different Locations: A user who is playing someone within a completely different country may also receive some slight lag. Put simply, this would be because of the connection difference between the two areas. This is never drastic, so don't feel put off playing anyone who's not within the same street as you because of lag, just accept that you may go slightly slower because of it.
How to fix: If you are worried about the minor lag you will receive, play people in the same area as you.
Too Many Programs Open: Key Quest will lag a lot more if there are programs that also use a lot the computer's available power to run open. This should be quite obvious, however, it seems to be incredibly common!
How to Fix: Try closing any unnecessary programs down before opening Key Quest.
*Also, try to avoid things like playing when your virus scanner is about to scan your computer, as this will also cause a lot of lag!
The Server Too Busy: Key Quest, at times, is
incredibly busy. This is because of the amount of people playing it (and even simply playing Neopets!) at the current time. TNT has been doing load tests a few times, which may have been to test the servers. Anyone who has played during these times would have noticed that it, at times, takes well over 30 minutes just to get into a game! Obviously, there's not always this amount of players playing, but this can show you how busy servers can get, which will result in a lot more glitches.
How to Fix: Try playing in times that are less busy to avoid this horrible lag!
I recommend anywhere between 1-6 AM NST, as that is when least people appear to be playing.
Long Games: Longer games of Key Quest have an increased chance of being laggy, especially if there were a lot of minigames. After 30 minutes, even the faster of computers will be receiving more lag than they started with.
How to Fix: During a long game, try to avoid doing things that will increase lag (like drawing the game out longer than necessary, landing on minigame spaces etc;).
Old Flash Player: You can't play Key Quest with older Flash Players, as it will simply not load.
How to Fix: Have an updated Flash Player.
Browser Issues: It is known that Internet Explorer crashes a lot with most people (though works great with other people). This might be because of the computer/connection, or it could be because of the browser. An occasional issue with Firefox is that it needs to be refreshed every once in a while, and this, at times, is during the middle of a game!
How to Fix: Really, there is no way to stop your browser from doing this. Just try and find a browser that suits you!
Cheated: Many players do not know this, but TNT has declared that skipping your turn intentionally to gain any advantage is cheating. While you may not agree with this, it is a rule, and many players feel the need to quit on anyone who does this. If you skip your turn intentionally to gain advantages, this might be the reason for so many of your ended games.
How to fix: Don't cheat!
Knowing what causes lag is all well and good, but being able to realize what lag looks like is important too. Here, I will attempt to explain what your opponent looks like when they're lagging, and how you can see when you are lagging yourself!
Tokens: If you, or your opponent's, token moves off the screen, it is a good indication that the game you're in is glitchy or lagging. There are also other things that are good indicators, like tokens skipping spaces.
Also, if your opponent takes a while to respond to things like choosing directions and clicking 'okay' on powerups, then that is a good indication that they are lagging.
Some tokens also cause a bit more lag than others. This effect isn't dramatic to most people, however, it can be significant to others. Try to find tokens that make your games lag and try to avoid using them. The tokens that seem to cause the most lag are those that include the most animations (when moving, sitting, landing on a minigame space etc;).
Minigames: In many minigames, you get to see the cursor of your opponent. This may help to see if they are lagging. See, if your opponent seems to be going a few seconds ahead all the time, it's likely their computer/connection is faster, however, if you see the opposite (or you see some odd things happening, like the cursor jumping everywhere), then it is likely that they are receiving glitches or lag.
Key Quest contains a lot of glitches, many of which may not cause a game to end all the time, however, they will all have a possible effect. The possible effect may be more lag, a more glitchy game, or simply you having to miss a turn. In any case, it's best to avoid them!
Misdirection Compass: If a player is forced to move in the opposite direction, for whatever reason, and decides to play a misdirection compass on them self, the majority of the time it will not work. The player will still be moving in the unintended direction, and at times the game will act considerably different. These completely different effects might be the game being incredibly lagging, other times, it will simply end.
How to avoid: Play a misdirection compass after you have rolled again, or else take the risk of an ended game.
Normal/Super Catapult: There are a few glitches with the catapults.
The Catapult + Direction: If a player was to send the other player back to their home square, and another was to play a Misdirection Compass on them, the other player will often not be able to move. At times, the dice will appear, but nothing will happen, at other times, the dice won't appear at all, and sometimes the player will be booted out.
How to avoid: If you're the opponent, avoid doing playing a misdirection compass on a player in the same turn they were sent back home.
If you fear people will do this intentionally to you, play 2-player games instead.
How to fix: Sometimes, playing another powerup on the same user will help. This seems to help any time the dice refuses to appear.
Super Catapult + Alignment: There are positive alignment effects that cause a player to not be able to receive a Super Catapult. If a player who received a super catapult accepted this positive alignment effect, and wished to play their super powerup, most of the time it will not work! The powerup will work on the opponent, however, because of the alignment effects, it doesn't allow the pop up menu to re-appear asking if you want to do it to another opponent to (or to cancel it). Because of this, you will not be able to move until the alignment effects end.
How to avoid: Don't accept the positive effect if you plan on using the Super Catapult!
Play games that consist of more than two players (as this only affects games consisting of 2-players).
How to Fix: Sometimes, playing another powerup on the same user will help. This seems to help any time the dice refuses to appear.
New boards: Most of the time, new boards won't work very well when they are first released. This is more than likely due to the fact that it needs users to send in error reports so that it can be improved to the standard of the other available boards. There are many glitches with such boards, some unique, others are common.
How to avoid: Check on the Key Quest Boards to see if anyone else is experiencing glitches, if so, avoid the board.
Minigames: There are some minigames that will lag horribly for certain people. For me, this is the nova matching minigame. Most of the time when users receive these minigames, they will receive an extensive amount of lag and may also get booted (or their turn skipped, depending on the situation).
How to fix: If you see that your opponent isn't scoring any points, try to avoid trying to score your very highest possible in the minigame. All this will do is increase the lag and the chances of your opponent getting booted out.
If you happen to find anything else that you believe should be included to this guide, please neomail me. Also, feel free to refer to this guide to anyone, however, do not copy any of the written content, as that would be copyright. :)
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