Having trouble running the game? Fear not! Following these simple steps should get you back on the open sea in no-time!

Browser

The browser is the equivalent of your ship and as any jack knows, a good ship is absolutely essential. Basically, you want to be sure to use the latest version of whichever browser you're using. Here's links to the most commonly used ones:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Apple Safari

Now, the official story is that these browsers are all equals. In fact, they're not; some are just better than others. As a rule of thumb, Internet Explorer does most about everything OK, Firefox does it better and Chrome does it as good as Firefox but faster. Safari is kind of the lone rogue and I couldn't say much about it as I don't have much experience with it but as far as the other three goes, I'd definitely recommend Firefox or Chrome ahead of Internet Explorer because they just run the game faster and safer in my experience.

Flash Player

Adobe's Flash Player is a piece of software which is needed to run all sorts of web based content in your browser. YouTube videos, advanced menus or awesome games such as Mighty Pirates are all dependent on the Flash Player. It goes without mention that keeping it up to date is essential!

• Check which version of Flash you're using - http://flashbuilder.eu/flash-player-version.html
• Download the latest Flash Player - http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Browser Cache

When you surf the web, your browser saves all kind of information. This is really handy sometimes, especially if you're using a slow connection because it means that you don't need to re-load some of the content on webpages you frequently visit. It can cause trouble though; if the content is updated but not the name of the files involved, your browser might load outdated information instead of displaying the new and juicy stuff. Clearing your browser's cache now and then is a healthy habit for any internet user but even more so if you play games online. Here's how to do it:

Internet Explorer

1. Tools 
2. Internet Options 
3. Delete Browsing History- check the box for "temporary internet files" 
4. Reload Mighty Pirates

Firefox

1. Tools 
2. Clear Recent History 
3. click the "details" button 
4. check the box next to "cache" 
5. click "clear now" 
6. Reload Mighty Pirates

Chrome

1. Click the wrench icon
2. Tools 
3. Clear Browsing Data 
4. Tick the 'Empty the Cache' box
5. Click 'Clear Browsing Data'
6. Reload Mighty Pirates

Flash Player Cache

The Flash player will also store some information on your harddrive. Usually, this is a good thing because it allows it to save useful information such as sound settings and so on. However, it can sometimes work against you and when that's the case, it's best to just flush it: 

1. Go to Adobe's Website Storage Settings panel
2. Select piratescdn.ec2.applatform.com from the list and click 'Delete Website'

Flash memory

By default, the Flash Player restricts the amount of memory any one process can use. This is fortunate because otherwise greedy applications would just end up stealing all the juice from your machine and you'd end up with a slow system. That said, everything in life is about priorities and I've got mine all worked out: Pirates>Everything Else. It's a simple and effective rule of thumb without which I wouldn't be the man I am today. If you want to be a Pirate King like me, start by giving your Flash Player some room to breathe:

1. Right-click anywhere on the game screen.
2. Click 'Settings'.
3. Set the slider to 10MB.
4. Reload the game.

Other possibilities

The above mentioned tricks works at least nine times out of ten. If you've done all of this and you still can't get it to work however, a number of factors involved and this is when things go hairy. Here's three possible scenarios and instructions on how to respond to them.

• Firewall - Many of us connect to the internet via a modem or router or other hardware with a built-in Firewall. A Firewall is to your computer what your skin is to your body; an intelligent barrier essentially. This is very useful but sometimes Firewalls are a bit overly zealous and they might prevent harmless traffic - such as Mighty Pirates - from being let through.
  • Connect to the internet from a different network.
  • Contact your network administrator or Internet Service Provider to discern if this is the case.

• Server crash - Most online games are hosted on remote servers where vital information about your account is stored for safekeeping. These machines are, naturally, quite the beasts and there are many safety mechanism in place to ensure that they remain accessible and operate safely. There's no such thing as a 100% safe system however and even the best servers crash sometimes and ours are no exception. When this happens, players who try to play our games will get an "Oups!" message (aka the Hamster). 
  • Check the help pages and the forum for a general announcement. If there's no general announcement of a server downtime, chances are that there's a local problem and you're better off troubleshooting. If there is an announcement, the only solution is to wait for our technicians to resolve the issue.

• Your computer - Computers are pretty complex machines and there's much more to them than merely running the right operation system or the newest browser. At the end of the day, any number of factors or combination of factors could contribute to the malfunction of a game.
  • If troubleshooting doesn't work, try connecting to the game via another computer.

If nothing helps, submit a help ticket and we'll do our best to help you out! Do bear in mind that we'll double-check with you to make sure you've done the troubleshooting above so no cheating!

Good luck!

- Shane Little