Blockland
 
 


General FAQ

Q: Who created this game?

A:
I, Eric Hartman, created this game by myself using the Torque Engine.
I used Visual Studio 6 for C++ editing and compiling.
I used EditPlus to edit the script files.

Pre-Purchase FAQ

Q: Can you mod the retail version?

A:
Yes, there is a super cool add-on system.

Q: How much does retail version cost? Is there a monthly fee?

A:
No monthly fee. $19.95 USD, one time payment.

Q: Is there a Macintosh or Linux port?

A:
There is a Macintosh version. There may be a dedicated server for linux eventually, but don't hold your breath.

Q: Can you use one key for multiple people?

A:
One key can be used for any number of people as long as they are using the same name and are at the same IP address (ie in the same house).

Clan tags can be used to distinguish different people with the same name.

Q: Can I loan my key to a friend?

A:
Your Authentication Key is what identifies you online. It represents your Blockland purchase. Loaning it to people is generally a really bad idea because only one of you can use it at a time.

Before you know it, your "friend" has given it to someone else and they've given it to 10 other people and you can never get online because your key is always in use.

Q: What about LAN parties?

A:
  1. Goto a LAN party with your unlocked copy of Blockland.
  2. Have everyone else install the Blockland Demo.
  3. You host the game and have everyone else connect to you. (hit "Query LAN" from the "Join Server" menu)
  4. Everyone will be playing the full game, with no need to give your Key to anyone else.

Q: Does it work in Vista?

A:
Yes. If you meet the system requirements for Vista and get the latest drivers for your hardware.

Q: Is Blockland appropriate for children?

A:
The single player game contains no graphic violence or adult content, and the online environment is fairly clean as well. However, since other users are free to modify their game, this cannot be guaranteed.

The biggest concern is the chat room like environment of playing online. There is automatic curse word filtering, but it's not possible to filter everything. If you're concerned about inappropriate language, I would recommend disabling the chat feature entirely.

Q: How can I get the full version of Blockland for free?

A:
You can't.

Do not attempt to obtain the full version of Blockland for free. Any authentication keys you find illegally will not work online. Any software that claims to be a Blockland key generator or unlocking tool is almost certainly a "trojan" or virus. There are many sites on the internet that claim to provide full versions of software for free but will only give you the same trojan/virus no matter what you search for. Don't be fooled - stick with the official Blockland and be safe.

Tech Support FAQ

Q: I bought the game and didn't get my key

A:
  1. Email is not always instant. If your ISP's email server is not ready when the email is first sent, it will be resent later.
  2. Use the key recovery page
  3. Send email to

Q: I got my key, but it doesn't work

A:
  1. You are probably typing it in wrong. Make sure you aren't confusing the "2" and "Z" characters
  2. The easiest way to enter your key is to copy it from the activation email (Select it and press ctrl C) and paste it directly into the game (ctrl V)

Q: I entered my key, but it just says 'Authenticating...' for a long time

A:
The game cannot communicate with the authentication server for some reason. You may have some security software such as Windows_Firewall or ZoneAlarm that is preventing Blockland from connecting.

Q: I accidentally bought the game twice!

A:
Please email me at to resolve any payment issues.

Q: I get kicked out of a server with the message 'Authentication Failed'

A:
One of the following has occured:
  • Someone is using your key from a different IP address
  • Someone is using your key from your IP, but has changed the name on the account (from the main menu)
  • Internet failure for the host
  • Master server is down (unlikely but possible)

Q: Connection drops with the message 'Authentication Failed for host'

A:
One of the above authentication failure problems happened on the server that you were connected to.

This is a problem with the server you were connected to, not you.

Q: I can't read the chat, it dissappears too fast

A:
Press PageUp
- or -
Change the Chat Line Time in the Advanced Tab of the Options Menu

Q: How do I disable chat?

A:
To disable the chat:
  • Start the game
  • Click "options"
  • Select the "Advanced" tab
  • Scroll down until you see the value for "Chat line time (Milliseconds)" under Gui Options
  • Set this value to 0
  • Click "Done"

Q: My video card doesn't support OpenGL, can I use Direct3D?

A:
Torque's Direct3D support was only added for Tribes 2 (a 2001 game) to support a handful of cards made in the late 90s that actually didn't have full OpenGL support. Torque's Direct3D support is poorly maintained ande doesn't really work anymore.

All modern video cards (made within the last 6 years or so) support OpenGL with the latest drivers

If you actually have a Direct3D only card, your computer is probably too old to run Blockland. Or anything for that matter.

Q: Sound fades out from certain angles

A:
Your sound card is set to 4 speaker or 5.1 speaker mode but you only have 2 speakers.

Q: How do I get add-ons?

A:
You can download add-ons from the Blockland Forums.
Add-Ons are distributed as zip files. To install them, simply save the zip file to My Documents/Blockland/Add-Ons (windows) or /Users/<your username>/Documents/Blockland/Add-Ons (macintosh). Do not extract the zip file.

Once an add-on is installed, you will have to enable if you want to use it in-game.
To enable an add-on:
  • Start Blockland
  • Click "Start A Game"
  • Click the "Add-Ons" button
  • Check the Add-Ons that you want to use
  • Click "Done"

Q: Blockland suddenly started crashing after working fine

A:
Blockland is a computer program, it does not wear out or spontaneously stop working. 99% of all Blockland crashes are caused by user tampering. Most likely, you have installed or created a defective add-on which interferes with the operation of the game.

Remove any add-ons you have recently installed.

If this fails, re-install the game and choose not to keep your old add-ons when the installer asks you.

Q: When I start Blockland my monitor displays OUT OF RANGE

A:
You have set the display resolution to a value that your monitor cannot display.
When you see "out of range" press alt+enter to switch to windowed mode.

Q: I lost my key!

A:
You can have your key automatically re-sent to you using key recovery form

Q: How do I make my own add-ons?

A:
If you can't figure this out on your own you will never be able to do it.

Q: Some keys stop working in Vista / Windows 7

A:
Symptoms:
  • ' " ` ~ = + [ keys not working
  • right shift-key not working
  • ] key acting like [ key
  • \ key acting like ] key

Solution:
  1. Open your Start Menu and click on "Control Panel"
  2. (If needed, search for it in the bar at the bottom)
  3. Click on "Classic View" if it is not already selected
  4. Click on "Device Manager" after the list populates
  5. Find "Human Interface Devices" and click the plus sign
  6. Right-click on "Microsoft eHome Infared Transceiver"
  7. Select "Uninstall" - this is completely safe to do

Vista Key Problems