These two game-lessons were made with the same game engine version, specs, characters, and concept, so the tech advice here for one will likely help with the other.
Important Faith Through the Roof Update and 5 Loaves Update:
If you don’t have the latest/last version of these programs, then two important videos will not play and the game may freeze. You can contact neilmacqueen+sundaysoftware@gmail.com to get the updated files, or you can get them from the free downloadable versions of the programs available to supporting members at https://www.rotation.org/forum/free-bible-software-for-children-and-youth
Windows 8 Users: See our tech note on making sure you have Windows Media Player (instead of the Xbox Video App on W8) set as your default video player in Windows.
Faith Through the Roof on old computers:
If you don’t have enough free ram/videoram, the animation may not play when you click on the hole in the roof. If that “through the roof” animation video doesn’t run it on a newer computer, you probably need the newest version of Quicktime for Windows installed to your newer computer. If you MISS that video, you will just miss the animation of the man being lowered. Step into the hole on the roof and you will be taken to talk to Jesus.
If your game graphics look stretched on a wide-aspect monitor (such as a laptop), then view this graphic about how to ‘fix’ the dimensions. It is suggested that you turn down your Windows Display Resolution to below 1200×900 pixels for best viewing of the game.
Some problems with the game are actually “how to play” problems, thus, we strongly suggest you Read the Teacher’s Guide and Game Tips.
Here are a few common playing tips:
In general, the big red “arrow” is a general indicated of where to go, but you may have to walk around a wall to go in the direction of the arrow.
5 Loaves
I get stuck on the right side dock at the beginning of the game. Sorry about that. Press the forward key until the boat nudges its way free. If it is really stuck, restart the game. Additional Tip About the Dock: Don’t jump in the water. Sometimes the player gets ‘caught’ on the dock.
I can’t find the 5 Loaves and 2 Fish. See the guide!
I can’t find all 12 Baskets to collect. They are all there in the crowd nearby Jesus. Keep looking.
Music video on fishing trip is a blank screen. See the tech note above about updating the video file!
Faith Through the Roof
“Can’t Get Across Roof”
Read the Teacher’s Guide and Game Tips. Remember to jump the gaps between roofs while moving forward. Hold down your SHIFT KEY while pressing the Forward arrow to gain speed, then press Home (Jump) key at the right time. You only have to jump between roofs. To get to the last roof where the hole appears, you need to walk across the ladder.
TIP: When you go up the stairs you have to jump over the lip of the roof and go across the netting to the wooden roof. But be careful not to fall through a hole in the netting!
HOLES: There are two roof holes. It’s the second one across the ladder laid over the gate that you can let the man down through to see Jesus.
HUGE TIP: Use your mouse to look down at your feet while crossing the ladder that goes over the gate. Walk slowly and course correct.
When I click on HOLE in roof, Video Won’t Play, or something similar.
See the notes above about downloading the updated video files for Faith Through the Roof. (Windows altered their windows media file “codec” a few years ago.
Do you have enough ram and videoram? Some underpowered computers (for this game) studder at this point. And are you at the right hole? There are two. You should be over the room where Jesus is talking.
MORE TECH NOTES:
Windows 8 users “may” need to have Windows Media Play set as the default program in Windows 8 to playback “wmv” video files. By default, early versions of Windows 8 tried to open the game’s video using the useless “Xbox Video App.” Open your “default programs” option in the Windows Control Panel to make this setting. (They changed back to Windows Media Player as the default in later versions of W8.)
5 Loves or Faith CDs: Game won’t load or you get an “ACKNEX MUST CLOSE” error message: Acknex is the A6 game engine. 3d game engines are notoriously finicky. Turn off all other programs. Even a pop up notification can unbalance the game. Right click the game’s desktop icon and select “run as administrator.” You can also Right click the icon and select Properties, then “compatibility” and tell Windows to “run as XP” to settle your computer down a bit.
Faith CD BONUS! There’s a high resolution version of the music video in the game’s installed folder that you can copy and/or play outside the game. It’s named video2-QuicktimeHiRes.mov. It will open in your Quicktime player or other installed Windows media player.
Game Screen Minimizes or “closes” to the taskbar during play: Press your SHIFT Key rapidly 5 times. This will prompt the Window’s “sticky keys” feature to open. Select “No”. If this doesn’t help, do one of two things or both: (1) Update your video driver. Window minimizing during game play is a known issue with some video chip drivers. (2) Turn off programs that may be trying to update in the background. Pop up windows often interfere with game processes. Sometimes it happens when the kids hit the WINDOWS KEY by accident. I have to remind my students NOT to hammer on the keys and keyboard.
About the Red Arrow: The Red Arrow in the game is a “general” directional aid. But what you are specifically looking for in that general direction is TOLD TO YOU by one of the characters in the game. The arrow just keeps you from getting too lost.
Arrow Anomalies: When Peter tells you to “go talk to Stephen” (who is standing behind Peter), the arrow still appears to point to the dock (which is where the stretcher will appear after you talk to Stephen!). When you’re inside the village, the arrow appears to be pointing through walls! Yes, that’s because it’s giving you the ‘general direction’ of where to head. To get to Peter’s house, however, you have to exit the village and walk around back until you see the brown walls to his house (by the sheep pen). The entrance if down a short a walkway along the brown wall.
If you cannot hear the AUDIO narrations in the game: Open the SUPPORT FOLDER on the Faith CD and run the oggcodecs…exe file to install the popular ogg audio format codecs on your system. The oggcodec executable file in the SUPPORT folder on this CD is for Windows users who are having problems hearing the AUDIO in the Faith through the Roof CD. The audio files in the game are in the popular “ogg vorbis” format. Some older versions of Windows may not have the ogg codecs installed in Windows Media/Audio Player. Running the oggcodecs-exe file will install the proper audio codecs.
Be sure you have the game installed in the c:/ program x86 folder. This folder gives special permissions for games to run in newer versions of Windows.
Set your Windows Display Resolution to as near to 800 x 600 as possible, especially if you have a weaker video card or lower ram. This will also make the videos appear larger on your screen as they are fixed dimensions.
Both video1 and video2.wmv can be played outside of the game in Windows Media Player.
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