v1.2.2.7 Technical FAQ (How to install + play)

[Spasman]

Port number is: 7778 and 7779 Both TCP and UDP.

This thread's purpose is to help anyone who is having a common problem with the game. I made this game by myself, on my free time, and I'm not exactly a professional game developer. So it's going to have its fair share of problems.

If you wish to contact me, you can email me at [e-mail] or just by making a Steam thread, I check the forums frequently. I also have a facebook page[www.facebook.com] and a twitter.

Restarting your Steam application, allowing the game past any firewalls/anti-virus you have, and verifying file integrity usually solves most problems with this game.

AppData folder location (config file, save file, etc)

I'm going to refer to the app data multiple times in this thread. You can find it by following either file path below:

%localappdata%\BoringManGame
or
C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\BoringManGame

Here you can find bm_settings.ini for extra game/server options, and the bm.profile file which is your save file. I recommend backing up bm.profile regularly as people are vulnerable to save file corruption. You should also migrate this file when you plan on changing computers or wiping your hard drive.

Save file deleted

A common problem people have is getting their save file deleted unintentionally. I don't know if this is a bug or a personal computer problem, I haven't been able to pinpoint a fix for it mostly because the problem has never happened to me or any of the computers I've tested on.

B-Man will create a backup file everytime you level up, or find a golden ticket. Go to the Stats menu and click Restore Backup Data to attempt to use your back up file. If you played the game to level 3 after your save was wiped, the back up files may have been made useless.

If that didn't work, you can try going to the file path "%localappdata%\BoringManGame" and opening that folder's properties. Then, click the Previous Versions tab and see if Windows has any back ups of your save folder. Select the nearest one before your save was wiped and click Restore.

As a last resort, heres a level 77 file[spasmangames.com] with all weapons unlocked.

Unfortunately, there is no cloud save data features, and the game saves your progress on your computer. If you changed computers or hard drives, you need to migrate your save file yourself. Use the AppData folder info above to find your save file called "bm.profile" on your old hard drive or computer, then place it in the AppData folder on your new device using a flash drive.

I cannot recover your save nor will I help you with recovering it. Everything said above is all I have available to help you and spamming my inbox won't make it any better. Anyone who told you I would help was lying or misinformed.

"Could not verify steam account" error

If you get this error when starting the game, allow the game past your computer's firewall/anti-virus if you have one. Also make sure your network can connect to spasmangames.com. If you can see my website, then it can. If not, you may have to flush your dns cache.[documentation.cpanel.net]

"File is not opened for reading." error when starting the game

Most likely something has gone wacky with the game's file structure in the appdata folder.

Back up your bm.profile save file and any other files you want to save for the game by moving them into the desktop or another folder, then delete the entire BoringManGame appdata folder.

Start the game again to see if the error is gone, and it should then generate a whole new folder by itself. Shut the game down again, then replace any the files you moved back into the appdata folder.

"Steam API could not be initialized" error

If you get this error when starting the game, try restarting your Steam application. If that doesn't work, then try reinstalling the game or verifying the file integrity

The screen is black when I start the game OR I get low FPS even in the menu

You may have to enable a vsync fix made for this issue. This can be fixed in the options.ini file in the game's exe folder.

Open options.ini with notepad/text editor and change the value AlternateSyncMethod from "0" to "1". Or from "1" to "0", it depends on the device.

You can find options.ini in the game's exe folder.

The screen looks messed up

Example: https://i.imgur.com/H7GIKN4.jpg

You probably have an onboard graphics card, which are usually on older laptops. This can be fixed in the options.ini file in the game's exe folder.

Open options.ini with notepad/text editor and change the value VertexBufferMethod from "0" to "1". Or from "1" to "0", it depends on the device.

You can find options.ini in the game's exe folder.

"Steam API error. Please verify your game integrity" error

As the message says, verify the file integrity or reinstall the game.

"Connection timed out" when players try to join your server

You probably need to portforward. Portforwarding is a very common requirement needed to host servers for multiplayer games. I have written a detailed guide on how to port-forward here. (Easy version)

If you just want to play with friends, you can also try Hamachi[www.vpn.net].

Keep in mind Hamachi is pretty much hosting a private server. Players from the server list will not be able to join without connecting to your Hamachi group first.

"Connection timed out" when connecting to a server

Normally, this is because the server host hasn't portforwarded so it's not your end. If ALL servers are giving you this error (including mine) then you may need to check your anti-virus/firewall settings.

Banned from Spasman's Servers or the server list

You have probably been banned by the anti-cheat on one of my servers, and I made your ban global if I found it to be appropriate. If you believe this to be unjustified, feel free to contact me or make a thread. Prepare to fight evidence and server logs though, and to get laughed at and possibly permanently banned if you are caught lying. If you were votebanned, its not a big deal. Votebans are removed automatically every hour.

Tip: An honest, polite apology can go a long way. Repeat offenders will not be forgiven.

To prevent getting banned, don't cheat and don't be aggressively racist/hateful in the game chat.

BoringManGame.exe has stopped responding

This could be a wide number of things and I can't really help much. First, verify the file integrity. If that doesn't fix it, try deleting (or moving, renaming to prevent data loss) your BoringManGame appdata folder and running the game to remake the files and see if that works. If it does, move the bm.profile save file back into the folder to restore your save.

Lastly, you might be able to find something by searching around other, more popular Game Maker games (Undertale, hyper light drifter, risk of rain, etc) and see what fixes they have for the stop responding error.

TCP Error 4 or TCP Error 5

If you were trying to connect, sometimes the game server has a hiccup and fails to connect you. Please wait at least 1 minute before trying again, otherwise you'll get this error over and over.

If you managed to get into the game, but disconnected with either of these errors after 30 seconds or so, you need to check your computer's anti-virus/firewall settings. Also check that your modem or router's firewall settings aren't too strict.

How to use BoringEditor

I wrote a guide on how to use the map editor. You can read it here.

Can't see Spasman's Servers on the server list

I try to keep my servers up 24/7 however sometimes they go down. Either because my internet crashes or the server itself crashes. I am either sleeping, away from home, or aware of it and already working on it. Just check back later. Also, make sure your game is updated. If it says "Outdated" on the main menu, you can not see servers that don't match your game version on the server list.

Can't unlock certain achievements

Make sure the server you're hosting or playing on isn't using a custom map, has the Infinite Ammo mutator turned off, and the Max Health mutator is at the default (100 hp).

Non-Steam Version

To combat cheating, the non-Steam version of the game has been done away with. You can still use a non-Steam version of the application to host a dedicated server, but not to play the game. You can get it on my website here.[spasmangames.com]

Game running poorly/Low FPS (frames per second)

You can try turning down the video options. Such as setting the Screen Shake to Low or Off, and turning the Effects down to Low. Turning off Backgrounds also help some players. Closing as many programs as you can (that aren't Steam or B-Man) before playing can also boost performance. If you are hosting a server, limiting the max player count and the bots can help the server run faster (especially in Zombrains or Survival mode). Lastly, scanning your computer for viruses or adware can also generally make your computer faster. If you are on a laptop, make sure your power settings are on High Performance mode, not Power Saver.

"File mismatch" error when joining a server

Your map files may be corrupted, or you tried changing the stock maps in the map editor and saved over them. Your map file on your computer MUST match the map file on the server you're joining. Verify file integrity to repair these map files.

Game is too laggy on Spasman's Servers

Unfortunately, I can only host servers in my own region (US West). If I could host in more, believe me I would, but its not very possible for me as I am one person. If you live far away from this region, its common for you to experience lag. I encourage all players to try to learn how to host their own server so the game can be better for those who live far away from where my servers are located. If you actually AREN'T far away from me, then your connection speed may need work. If you are on wifi, its generally not a good idea to play games with it, so get a wired connection.

Game mode is always on "Climb" when hosting server

You are probably loading a Climb map. Remove any maps from the map list with a "clb" prefix in them, as they are specifically maps made for Climb mode.

YouTube videos & monetization

I authorize all B-Man based youtube videos to be monetized in any way you please. You can even be critical of the game if you want.

Boring Man History & Lore

If you somehow like the badly written B-Man universe, you can read the HISTORY OF BORING MAN[imgur.com] or even play the old Boring Man games by clicking the download link below. I have also played a few of the old games on my YouTube channel.

Download B-Man Collection (28.9MB)[spasmangames.com]

Some of them might not launch or have errors and I can't help you with that. The older your computer is, the more likely they'll work. You can press F1 in most of the games and they will show you the controls. A fair warning: These were made by an edgy 15 year old, so casual racism/homophobia is to be expected.

Further content updates

No future content updates are planned. The game is very old, and I have moved on to other projects. Occasionally I'll put out small updates to fix bugs, implement very small features or even make a weapon balance change if you're lucky.

But you need to fix this and that!!!

I know the hit registration is not good, and the server support is lacking. Please remind yourself I started development on this game in 2014, and it was my first time dipping my feet into online multiplayer development. On top of that, in the early days of development I fully expected no one to play my game, so this lead to my code being with what worked the easiest, not so much what worked the best.

To fix the netcode I would have to rewrite the most of the game from scratch. I won't push this possibility off the table, but here are some reasons why I don't really want to right now:

- The game has already peaked, and I don't see it prospering further in the future. Rewriting this game would take hundreds of hours for very little return. The only way I would find returns if I started some sort of Kickstarter for a rewrite, but most of this community seems already angry a $5 DLC exists for the game.

- It wouldn't come out as the same game. The movement would probably feel different, the weapons would probably feel different, some bugs that you use in your play style may no longer exist. "Pro" and "veteran" players would simply get mad at how different things are, and that's a headache I'm not willing to deal with. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. You can tell this would happen because games like CS:GO and Dota 2 have to remain EXACTLY similar to their predecessors otherwise Valve faces scrutinization from their respective communities.

- In relation to the above point, making a sequel for the game would probably lead to a shut down of the original game because one person maintaining multiple multiplayer games would get taxing on myself and my bank account. Once again, the community would probably get angry over that.

The running theme here is every avenue I think of, ends with community anger and a lot of unnecessary stress. So I have decided to take a "don't fuck with it" strategy and moved on to a different project. B-Man is still dear to me, it taught me a lot about game design, programming and community management. But it doesn't feel like my game anymore, and anything I try to think to fix it would just lead to me getting screamed at more.

If you have undying support for whatever decisions I make, thank you. But I can't please everybody, and in this case it feels like I'd anger more then I'd please.

Then give us the source code!!

How To Kill Your Multiplayer Game In 1 Easy Step

Bug reports/suggestions/other problems

Contact my email, or make a Steam thread.