HOUSE OF KIDZ: THE GAME

DOWNLOAD
INTRODUCTION
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
PLATFORMS TESTED
JVM LINKS
INSTALLATION
MACINTOSH ISSUES
LINUX ISSUES
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
HOW TO PLAY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

House of Kidz: The Game is a 3-D Java application loosely based on our novel, House of Kidz. Knowledge of the book will significantly increase your chances of winning.

NOTE: This game is a Java application, not a Microsoft Windows program. Do not look for .EXE files -- they don't exist! You must run the game through a JVM, which is described in detail on this page. Please read it carefully.

As the game was developed in Java, it can conceivably run on almost all hardware platforms. The only requirement (besides Java) is a monitor (and a video card) capable of displaying at a resolution of 800 X 600. Additionally, a 24-bit color display is strongly recommended. Other hardware requirements are dependent on the appropriate JVM (Java Virtual Machine). For Windows, a Pentium-class computer with 32 MB of RAM should be sufficient. Obviously, the faster the computer (and more importantly, the more memory it has), the faster the game will run.

If you don't have Java installed on your machine (it's included, for example, with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 (and greater) and with Microsoft Windows 98/2000), you must download and install the appropriate JVM for your machine. Links to common JVMs can be found here.

For Windows machines, we recommend using the Microsoft JVM even if you hate Microsoft -- it's considerably faster than other implementations. If you choose to install Sun's JVM, you must use either 1.1 or 1.3 (currently in beta), as 1.2 has a number of bugs that prevent the game from running.

Sound may not be supported on every hardware platform.

House of Kidz: The Game has been successfully tested on the following platforms:

• Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT/2000 (Microsoft JVM, versions 2.0 and greater)
• Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT/2000 (Sun JVM, versions 1.1 and 1.3)
• Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT/2000 (IBM JVM, version 1.1)
• Apple Macintosh OS 8.1 (MRJ JVM, version 2.2)
• Red Hat Linux 6.1 (IBM JVM, version 1.1)
• Sun Solaris 2.6 (Sun JVM, version 1.1)

Use the following links to download a JVM for your computer:

• Microsoft (Windows)
• Sun (Solaris, Windows)
• IBM (Linux, Windows, OS/2, Others)
• Apple (Mac OS)

For information about Macintosh installations, see the following section, "MACINTOSH ISSUES."

To install the game, extract the contents of kidz.zip using PkZip or a similar program (that supports long filenames.)

If you have the Microsoft JVM (included with Internet Explorer and Windows 98/2000), start the game by double-clicking on Kidz.class in the Windows Explorer.

If you use other JVMs, you will probably have to run the game manually by using one of the following commands:

java Kidz (use this command if you have the Java SDK installed)
jre Kidz (use this command if you have the Java Runtime installed)

JVMs other than Microsoft's may require you to make additional settings. Please see their documentation for details.

Due to the relatively high overhead associated with Java, it may take a little time to fully load the game. Please be patient. Also, unlike many Windows games, Java cannot take full control of the computer. This means, the fewer programs you have running, the faster the game will run.

To install the game, extract the contents of kidz.zip using ZipIt, StuffIt, or a similar program (that supports long filenames.)

If MRJ (Apple's JVM) is not already installed, you must install it, along with the MRJ SDK.

Use JBindery to create a Mac application file. In the Command dialog, enter Kidz in the Class name field. In the Classpath dialog, click the Add Folder button and select the folder where you extracted kidz.zip. In the Advanced dialog, turn on Disable the JITC. In the Application dialog, click Save Settings and enter Kidz. You can then run the game by clicking on the Kidz file icon.

As sound is not suppored on the Macintosh, turn off File --> Sound in the game menu.

The game may run a little slow on Linux, especially if you are not logged in as root. Please see above for the latest list of successfully-tested Linux JVMs.

Please report any problems to info@cc600.com

Instructions on how to play the game can be found in help.txt, which can be viewed within the game by selecting Help --> How to Play.

The framework used in developing this game is based on Gamelication, written by Mark Tacchi, as well as Gameworks, written by Neil Bartlett, Steve Simkin, and Chris Stranc.