The name you are trying to use is already in the game

The other odd thing was once the error occurred, the person trying to join would “push” their name onto the host.  Now, of course, our names were different and we checked all the obvious things like the the various config files and I even searched the registry for anything that would cause the error. The internet was no help either, the one half way decent idea I found was to try the “smart steam” crack, but that did not help us at all (in fact just caused us more issues). We tried many other, almost silly, fixes too.

We were racking our brains at this point, why were three of four computers able to join a game with the one PC that had never gotten the error, but not able to join any games with each other? Then we realized the only relevant difference was that the working PC -the one that never got the error, period- had the game installed on a second HDD (D:) in a custom directory. At this point, we already tried reinstalling the game on the non-working PCs in a custom folder and it did not help.

The fix for us was to run the game off of a different drive other than C: on the trouble PCs. Well technically one of them is still running it off the default directory on C:, because only one doing that was not causing us any issues. The two we fixed do not have second hard drives, so how we fixed this was having them run the game off of my server that is in the same LAN. I just created a share, copied the whole (crack and all) install directory of the game to it, and had the PCs run the game off of the server. Worked perfect.

Of course, not everyone has a server sitting in their LAN room, but running it from anywhere other than C: seems to fix the issue. So you could just run the game off of an external drive, or a share that is just on another PC in your LAN. For doing it over the network, you can either map a drive, or just create a shortcut to the UNC path of the DOW exe.

Even more ironic, is that now we can even connect to games with two people using the same name…

I know its a stupid sounding fix, but I hope this helps someone. Happy LAN gaming!

Each branch has their own files as well as a core piece of software that loads off of network drives that are stored of that location’s local server. We use .BAT login scripts for each location that map the proper drives and whatever else is needed for that location. This was working fine, until we ran into the issue of users wandering to locations different than their home branch. They would sign in as themselves, which -never mind roaming profile issues-, would cause them to load the login script for their home location which would not be of much help at their present local.

My boss and I did a little research; and poached, and customized, some handy code of the interwebz that would allow us to give users a generic .VBS script in active directory that would check what network they were in and then call the appropriate batch file that would map their drives. The .VBS script is saved in the same replicated folder on the domain controllers as the rest of .BAT script files are.

Here’s the code, including the original author’s (of part of this script anyway) comments:

‘Go and get the IP address of the current machine
strcomputer=”.”
Set objWMIService = GetObject(“winmgmts:\\” & strcomputer & “\root\CIMV2″)
Set IPItems = objWMIService.ExecQuery (“Select IPAddress from Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration where IPEnabled=TRUE”)
For Each IPConfig In IPItems
If Not IsNull(IPConfig.IPAddress) Then
For i=LBound(IPConfig.IPAddress) to UBound(IPConfig.IPAddress)
If varIP=”" Then
varIP=IPConfig.IPAddress(0)
End If
Next
End If
Next

‘Split the IP address up into 4 separate parts and put it into an array
ArrayIP=Split(varIP,”.”)

‘Create a variable containing the 3rd octet of the IP address
varThirdOctet=ArrayIP(2)
varSecondOctet=ArrayIP(1)

‘Check value of varThirdOctet and run appropriate code
Select Case True
Case varThirdOctet=”100″
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
WshShell.Run “SCRIPTA.BAT”

Case varThirdOctet=”2″
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
WshShell.Run “SCRIPTB.BAT”

End Select

The initial portion of the code basically looks at the network adapter and reads it’s current assigned IP address. It then splits the four octets into an array that we can load into variables. It then checks this variable against the list of possible matches in the select case segment and calls the batch file associated with that network when it finds a match. You can put more than just two choices in the select case, obviously, but I used two for this example. Remember that when working with an array, the it starts with 0 and not 1, so the third octet of our IP address is in “part 2″ of the array.

You may have noticed in the code above that I also added a variable for the second octet. This year I have been working (almost done actually) on changing our networks to conform to best practice. Our first two octets were not proper numbers for an LAN IP address, and many of our locations had incorrect and/or completely illogical numbers for the third octet as well. We are now using the actual branch number as the third octet for all of our branch numbers.

In working on this project, I ran into the issue that when changing certain branches over to the new network the third octet would be the same as another location still on the old network. This would pretty much break the script’s concept, as it would simply load the first case in line that had the matching number. I got around this problem by simply adding a check for the second octet (which was also changed when I flipped a branch over) that would differentiate between the two networks in the case of a duplicate third octet. In the example below, we look at both the second and third octets to match a certain value to load the proper script:

Case varThirdOctet=”11″ And varSecondOctet=”1″
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
WshShell.Run “SCRIPTC.bat”

Case varThirdOctet=”11″ And varSecondOctet=”2″
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
WshShell.Run “SCRIPTD.bat”

Note that the third octet we’re looking at for both these example locations are the same but the second octet is different, so we use the “and” modifier to ensure that the right script is loaded for the right network. There is no reason why you cannot take this a step further and look at more of the octets by adding another variable and extending the cases, as the whole IP address is already loaded into the array “ArrayIP”.

Disclaimers: I have rather limited knowledge of VBscript (and programing in general) and mostly muddle my way through this stuff, so I am no expert, and you should not look at this script as though it were written by one. This is used in a Windows domain environment with a Windows 2003 or 2008 domain controller at each location with the client PCs that are loading the script being Windows XP SP2 or SP3. I have not yet tested this script with Windows 7, or any other operating systems other than the ones listed above. I did not write the above code completely myself, rather I retrieved most of it off of the internet and modified it with my limited understanding of VBscript to suit our needs. I do not know the names of any of the original authors.

I’m sure by now most fans of Valkyria Chronicles are well aware of the in limbo state of the US release of the third title in the series. Apparently someone at Sega said in an interview a couple weeks ago that Valkyria 3 will not be coming stateside. This was later confirmed by another Sega employee.

More recently, yet another rep from Sega, after receiving a physical copy of an online petition to get the game released in the US, told fans that “not all hope is lost”.

Every Valkyria fan, even those without a PSP, should head on over to the Gallian Liberation Front to help in their campaign to help get the game released in the US in some form or another.

If you are on Facebook, you can start by “liking” their Facebook page. Also, you should sign the online petition to get the game released. I know fans doing stuff like this rarely makes a difference, but apparently Sega has taken notice of the fan response and now is the time for voicing your desire for the game! Every little bit helps, so go support GLF and their cause!

Normally, for smooth and simple operation, this procedure requires that you go into the advanced settings in the BIOS and change the SATA mode from it’s native AHCI mode to IDE (PATA) emulated mode in order to avoid the blue screen of death (and having to install special drivers) during the install.

Today, we received a new model of laptop for a user, the first of it’s kind for us. It is a HP 635 with the AMD 1.6ghz Fusion E350 processor. I was surprised to find that, for the first time, I was unable to find any option in the BIOS for the SATA mode. There was not even an Advanced tab, that the option would normally be under.

With no option to change the SATA emulation mode, it looked like XP was a no-go on this rather cheapy laptop. Instead of giving up and deal with the bullshit of setting up Windows 7, I decided to hit up the Google. I eventually found a solution that worked for me.

First, I grabbed an external USB floppy drive, along with a formatted disk (I was surprised I could find a floppy disk!). Then I downloaded the AMD SATA AHCI driver from HP and extracted it to a folder. I copied all the files in the “RAID7xx” folder to my floppy and was ready to use it to install the SATA drivers for this chipset during the Windows XP install.

To do this, with your floppy drive attached with the disk inserted begin the Windows setup by booting to the CD. Then press the F6 option to install SCSI and RAID drivers during the beginning of the setup (when it is first copying the initial files). Choose the “S” option to specify the location of the drivers and choose the floppy drive. It should show that the AMD SATA drivers will be installed and then continue with Windows setup normally. Problem solved.

I learned of the drivers from this site, and it might be worth a read if you are looking to install Windows XP on newer HP laptops, or just need the drivers for a different model of laptop than I am working with here.

It is a very well researched and written article on just how vulnerable the average user is to having their file sharing habits spied on. The short version is that if you use any type of file sharing network, you should also -at the very least- install some sort of filter/firewall to protect your privacy on these networks.  Open-source, freeware, privacy firewalls such as PeerBlock, can be surprisingly effective at reducing your chances of being monitored, according to the article.

While it hardly makes you immune to monitoring and any trouble that might get you into, anyone participating in even the smallest amount of P2P should probably install PeerBlock or some similar software. Either way, the article is a good read for anyone wanting to learn just how you might get an angry letter from your ISP for your downloading habits.

Good

- The visuals are, simply, beautiful. The in game character models and environments are the best instance of anime-style cell shading I’ve seen this side of Valkyria Chronicals. The animated (read: anime) cut scenes are equally attractive. The character designs are very likeable as well.

- They designers (character and environment) nailed the tone and atmosphere the creators where going for with this title. The gloomy nature of the story is really felt through the visuals. The same can be said about the (English) voice acting and the music. Both are impressive, and fit the game well.

- So far, the story and characters seem real, identifiable, and refreshingly mature. Vincent, the main character who is far from a hero, reminds me of myself in some ways (minus the attractive women around him, unfortunately), which makes playing as him even more believable to me. Better yet, the game encourages you to get him more drunk at the bar so that you can move around faster in the nightmare (action) parts of the game.  

- There are questions you answer at the end of every act, as well as dialog choices of things you say to other characters in the story mode. You can also choose different ways to respond to text messages (which, so far for me, only come from Katherine). The game encourages you to make these decisions in tune with how you honestly feel, and you will get to see how it affects the story. It is very interesting, but I fear that it will just turn out to be a good/bad ending sort of deal, not having as dramatic of an effect as promised. Either way, it is enjoyable and helps you feel immersed in the story.

- Like me, most players are probably far more interested in the story and visuals of Catherine, but I was surprised to find that -thus far- I really enjoy the action/puzzle game play as well. I played on the “Normal” difficulty, because I refuse to play any game on easy. The action is certainly challenging, and you will get annoyed and die a lot. But they give you more than enough continues and most levels have a check point midway-ish you can restart from. The “boss” levels, are particularly difficult, brutal even. Fortunately, for those that are not up to the challenge, there is an easy mode that describes itself as for those that only want to enjoy the story.

Neutral

- This is not “one of those games”. You know what I am talking about. Sexy visuals are a major theme in the game, and there are some risqué scenes for sure. The box art and nifty art book that come with the standard version of the game do not help it’s cause either. Basically, what I’m getting at here is that while it certainly is not, your friends and family that know nothing about the game are likely to conclude you’re playing one of those weird, pervy anime porn games. Even I was too self-conscious to walk into an actual store and buy the game, I got my copy online…

- The controls for the action mode can be a little dodgy and difficult to master at first, which of course leads to many frustrating mistakes and deaths. Hang in there though, you’ll get used to the controls.

- Horror, as a genre or state of mind, is extremely difficult to pull off in anime and manga. Suspense, psychological and emotional unease, sure no problem, but horror is hard to convey in this art form. This is not a bash against the game, which describes itself as horror, but just don’t expect Silent Hill levels of terror from Catherine.

Bad

- Regrettably, this is a glaring flaw in the game. To put it nicely, that audio levels for the vocal tracks are fucked up. The voice work is quiet and somewhat difficult to hear during the action parts as well as the story parts that use the in game resources (graphics). Sometimes background noises (especially in the action parts) make matters worse. It is easy enough to turn up the volume on your TV and that fixes that. The problem is that the audio for the anime cut scenes is quite loud. So you may have turned up the volume to hear what is going on in one scene better, only to have it blasting at you in the next. There are no in game options to adjust the various volume levels either. This is not a deal-breaker, but is very frustrating in a game that is so focused on story.

- A minor annoyance, but there is always a small watermark on the upper left hand corner of the screen during the story mode. This is supposed to be there because, as you find out at the beginning of the game, you are watching this all on some fictional TV show (which in itself is kind of a lame idea). It can be a little distracting, and cannot be disabled.

This happened abruptly at the end of last week. There were no new Windows or any other updates/changes that corresponded to the timing of the issue. After some googling, I found many others that had the issue, as well as a few different solutions.

The solution that worked for us was to close out all Office programs and IE and uninstall these two Office Updates: KB2541025 and KB2509503, in that order. We then set the two updates to declined on our WSUS server, so they would not get pushed out again.

It is strange that these two updates would suddenly break Excel, considering they were installed months ago, but I’m not one to argue with results. This was an easy fix, but as more people report the problem, going to each station and manually uninstalling these is going to be a pain, especially if the user is offsite and you have to remote in.

So I looked up a method to automate the process. I found these two links from Microsoft themselves to be surprising helpful. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/903771 and http://support.microsoft.com/kb/832672

In reading those pages I learned the fairly simple commands to create a batch file that would uninstall the two updates automatically without requiring much user (or administrator) action.

Here’s the batch file, you’ll still want to close out of all Office products and IE before running it:

msiexec /package {90110409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0150048383C9} /uninstall {D1CCA188-7FE2-49A0-8FE5-B5A34054F9ED} /passive
msiexec /package {90110409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0150048383C9} /uninstall {BCBA2E91-F93F-4501-9FBA-5AD21606920A} /passive

The first string of hex on each command is the product code GUID, in this case for Office 2003 Professional Edition. I found this by searching the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall section of the registry for “Office”, and found my product. In this case, the ID is the same for both commands.

The second strings represent the updates themselves. Using this method, you don’t need to worry about a file path, Windows will know what update that is, and if it is installed it will remove it. If not, it will do nothing. I found those two hex strings by going to add/remove programs and with “show updates” checked, drilling down to the offending updates, then I highlighted them and clicked on the “click here for support information” link. The value for “Update ID” will be your string.

I tossed a /passive on the commands so that they will run silently. All the user should see is the command box running the commands. So this can be added to a login script, or you can simply have the user launch the batch file off of a network share. This was tested/designed with Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 Professional. I don’t see why a similar technique couldn’t be used for other products and updates, but I cannot promise it will work the same.

Volume 8 of the Hellsing (Ultimate) OVA will be released in Japan on July 27th. It begins the final “season” of the OVA which will end the series with volume 10. Funimation has released the first four volumes of the series in the US, with volumes five, six, and seven coming out this year. Each volume roughly covers the events of the corresponding volume of the manga, of which there are also ten.