This page is here to answer some of the more common questions you might have about Dicemania. It is split into the following sections:
General questions about the Dicemania
User accounts and registration data
Problems when trying to use Dicemania
Contacting us
A. Dicemania is currently independent of any organization and is maintained by a group of volunteers in our spare time. We provide this service purely out of good will and ask for nothing in return except that you have fun, act in an appropriate manner and honour the requests of the administrators. If you enjoy Dicemania and would like to show your appreciation, please consider making a donation (financial or otherwise) to your favourite charity.
Q. What are Dicemania points and how are they calculated?
A. Dicemania points are a general way to see just how good you are at Dicemania. At the end of each game you play, points will either be added or deducted to or from your current points total. We are not able to say exactly how they are calculated, but basically they are awarded based on how well you performed against all of the other players (including automatic ones) in your game and what your score was. A total point score of 0 means that you are an average player. A total point score above than 0 means you are above average. A total point score below 0 means that you are below average. Remember that your points total is only a fun indication of your ability and is certainly nothing to be particularly concerned about (although the people at the top of the Dicemania points table may disagree).
Q. Why do I have to exit Dicemania in order to leave a game?
A. In most cases you are playing against real people. If you leave in the middle of a game (for example if you are doing badly) it is unfair practise towards your opponents. Forcing you to exit Dicemania in order to leave a game is an attempt to discourage such action.
Q. How will my user statistics be affected if I leave in the middle of a game?
A. If a player is doing badly, they may be tempted to leave the game in order to preserve their statistics. This is regarded as cheating. In order to stop this happening we have had to impose a small penalty for anyone who leaves during the middle of a game. You will be given approximately a score of 200 for the game and lose a small number of points. It is unfortunate that we have to impose this penalty, especially if you need to leave a game for legitimate circumstances. When you start a game of Dicemania please try and ensure you will be able to complete the game.
A. You should go to the "User stats" page. After entering your user code and PIN, you may change the information using the forms provided. Once you are happy with the changes you should click the "Submit" button. It is very important that you keep your registration data, especially your e-mail address, up to date in case we need to contact you or to remind you of your PIN.
Q. I have forgotten my PIN. What can I do?
A. You should go to the automatic PIN reminder page. After entering your user code, an e-mail will automatically be sent to you containing your PIN. We will send this e-mail to the address specified within your registration data.
Q. When I come to zee it gives me a weird java error message, why is that?
A. It sounds like you don't have Java enabled in your browser or maybe your browser doesn't support Java. You should check and see that you are using a current version of Internet Explorer or Netscape. To determine your version go to your help menu then click on "about". You might also have Java disabled, in IE go to TOOLS menu then INTERNET OPTIONS, in Netscape go to EDIT menu then preferences to make sure Java is enabled.
Q. When I try to visit the Dicemania Web site my browser just sits there and then it gives me a message about no such server or something like that.
A. Dicemania's server may be down for update or adjustment, try again later please. You also could have a DNS problem with your dial up networking setup. Contact your Internet Provider to make sure you are configured correctly
Q. I tried to log in but it said "server is full".
A. Well, thanks to the efforts on everyone's part Dicemania has become a popular site. Our current capacity is 40 users. I suggest you keep on clicking if it says it is full, you will eventually get in.
Q. I tried to log in but it said "cannot connect".
A. This means the game is having trouble connecting to the Dicemania server software. It may be because the server is down for maintenance. Please try again later. If the problem persists it may be because you are behind a firewall. Ask your Internet Provider for advice.
Q. I tried to log in and it said "Invalid Name/PIN".
A. Make sure you have registered for a PIN. If you have already received your PIN then please make sure you have entered it correctly. Also, be aware that we try to enforce rules regarding each individual's behaviour on Dicemania. If there is a problem, you will normally be warned and possibly banned.
A. If you want to contact us the prefered way is via the message board. Most of the regular Dicemania users read this, as well as the administrators so there is a higher chance that someone will respond to your question/comment. You may also e-mail us directly at dicemania@garyjames.com. We read all message sent and try to reply where possible, but we are currently unable to reply to every e-mail sent.
This Dicemania FAQ was created with the help of Diceman.