• Viewing our site
• What do the icons mean within the games' descriptions?
• Registering and logging on
• What if I am registered with eJay or Xplosiv?
• The Empire Store
• The forum
• Site Map
• Any questions?

Viewing our site

You'll need the following to access our site: I.E. 5+ or Netscape 6+ and the Macromedia Flash 6 player.

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What do the icons mean within the games' descriptions?

Violence

Game contains depictions of violence

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Sex

Game depicts nudity and/or sexual behaviour or sexual references

Drugs

Game refers to or depicts the use of drugs

Fear

Game may be frightening or scary for young children

Discrimination

Game contains depictions of, or material which may encourage, discrimination

Bad Language

Game contains bad language

Registering and logging on

You need to log in to take part in the Forums. You may use your username and password from Empire Interactive, eJay, Xplosiv or the Empire Store's websites.

Supplying information
When you register with Empire Interactive, you will be asked to fill out a basic form with some mandatory fields. You can select which of this information will be visible to others on the site by ticking the 'Display' option. Your password will never be displayed.

Activating your account
It is essential you enter a correct email address when registering because you will be sent a validation code via email in order to activate your account. The email will contain a link that takes you to the validation page where you should paste in the validation code from the email - this will activate your account. You then have the option of filling out an eJay artist profile or registering your software. If you do not receive your validation code please email webmaster@empire.co.uk

Registering your software
Registering your games entitles you to some great offers! Once quarterly we choose two names to win great prizes.

Forum profile
You can also add further information directly in your forum profile. This includes signatures, avatars, MSN messenger address and can be edited at any time.

Logging on
To log on, use the login box at the top of each page. You will need your email address and password. An authentication cookie is set which allows you to stay logged on until you close your browser.

If you are a regular visitor to the site, you may wish to activate the 'Remember Me' option. This will automatically log you on when you visit www.empireinteractive.com.

Why log on?
If you're not logged in you can see everything on the site but cannot interact with it…so it's worth registering with us!

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What if I am registered with eJay or Xplosiv?

We have combined all registration information we have into one, whether it came from eJay, Xplosiv or the Empire Store. top

The Empire Store

When you choose to add a product to your basket you will be taken to the Empire Store. Here you will see the contents of what is in your cart: product name, quantity, platform and price. You will also be prompted to log on or register if you aren't already. You have the option of adjusting the quantity or removing an item. You may then continue shopping or proceed to check out.

Proceeding to check out brings you to a page where you must fill in the BILLING details of the credit card holder - name, address and phone number if you chose to pay by card. Alternatively print off the order form by clicking "print order form" and send it to Empire Interactive. You may wish to phone our customer services with your order +44 020 8492 1030 (UK call, lines open Mon to Fri 10 am - 6 pm UK time).

You then select an address to SHIP TO. If you made a purchase with us before you can simply tick a name from your Empire address book, otherwise fill in the details and the shipping address and name will be saved for next time. Click "proceed to checkout."

You now see an overview of your order: all products to be purchased, their total and where they will be shipped. Click "proceed to checkout."

You have entered our secure site where you will make your transaction through Barclaycard Merchant Services. Enter your credit card details and this system will confirm if your transaction was successful or declined. You will be taken to a page that tells you. Empire Interactive Europe Ltd does not store your credit card details.

If your transaction was successful you will be sent 2 emails: One from Barclaycard of the amount and order number for your reference and one from Empire Interactive with your purchase details.

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The Forum

Registration and Logging into the Forum

Why can't I login?
To login into the Forum you must use the Email Address and Password that you entered when you registered with this site of one ofour affiliates, eJay or XPLOSIV. If you have not yet registered then you must first do so in order to login. If you have registered and still are unable to login then first check that you have all cookies enabled on your web browser, you may need to add this web site to your browsers list of trusted web sites. If you are banned from the Forums then this may prevent you from logging in, in which case check with the Forums Administrator.

Do I need to register?
Some of the features of these Forums are available to you if you are not registered with eJay. However in order to post messages and take advantage of many of the other services here such as private messaging, you will need to be a registered user. It only takes a few minutes to register, so it is recommended that you do so.

Lost Passwords
If you have lost your password then don't panic. Although passwords cannot be retrieved they can be reset. To reset your password click on the "forgot it?" link below the login form and you will be sent an email with a new validation code. Use this validation code to reset your password.

User Preferences and Forum Settings

How do I change my forum settings?
You can change your settings within the Forum by editing your profile. Once you have logged in to the Forums, click on the Profile link. You will then be able to view your profile and follow links to edit your details and settings. You can give as much or as little information about yourself as you like, select an Avatar, or upload a custom one of your own You can also create yourself a custom signature and set up email notifications.

Forum Times and Dates are not set to my local time
The time used in the Forums is GMT.

What does my rank indicate?
Ranks in the forums indicate which user group you are a member of and to identify users, for example, Moderators and Administrators have a special rank. Depending on the setup of the forum you may be able to use different features of the forum depending on which rank you belong to.

Can I change my rank?
You cannot change your rank, however you will be able to move up groups in the forum by the number of posts you have made.

Posting Issues

How do I post a message in the forum?
To post a message in the Forums click on the relevant button on the forum or topic screens. You will need to be a registered user, and logged in before you can either post a new topic, or reply to an existing one. The facilities available to you in each of the forums are listed at the bottom of the topic screen.

How do I delete posts?
You can delete your own posts by clicking on the delete button under each post. Moderators and Administrators are able to delete or undelete any posts.

How do I edit posts?
Unless you are a Forum Moderator or an Administrator you can only edit your own posts. When you edit your posts it will display the username, time, and date of when the post was edited at the bottom of the post. You can only edit your post up to thirty minutes after you posted it. Moderators and Administrators are able to edit any posts.

How do I add a signature to my post?
You can create a signature in your Profile, and then add the signature to your posts by checking the 'Show Signature' checkbox at the bottom of the posting form.

Why can I not view a forum?
Some forums are setup to allow only certain users or groups of users to access them.

Internet Explorer WYSIWYG posting issues
If you are using Internet Explorer 5 or above on PC, you should have a WYSIWYG posting editor to type your messages with. If you find that you are having problems posting using the WYSIWYG editor then you can disable this WYSIWYG Editor by simply editing your profile and selecting to turn off the WYSIWYG Posting Editor.

Message Formatting

What are Forum Codes?
Forum Codes allow you to format the messages you post in the forums. Forum Codes are very similar to HTML except tags are enclosed in square brackets, [ and ], rather than, < and >. You can also disable Forum Codes when posting a message.

Can I use HTML?
HTML cannot be used in your posts, this is done for security reasons as HTML code can distort the layout of the Forum.

What are Emoticons (Smileys)
Emoticons or Smileys are small graphical images that can be used to express feelings or show emotions. To add an emoticon to your post then click on the smiley face in the message form and a pop-up window will appear showing you a list of Emoticons that are available. If you are using IE5 or above simply clicking on the Emoticon will add it to your post.

Can I post images?
Image uploading is not available, but you may link to images in your posts. The image you are linking to needs to be stored on a publicly accessible web server, eg http://www.mysite.com/my_picture.jpg.

What are closed topics?
Closed Topics are set this way by Administrators or Moderators. Once a Topic is closed you will no longer be able to post a reply in that topic or vote in a poll.

Usergroups

What are Forum Administrators?
Forums Administrators are people who have the highest level of control over the forums, they have the ability to turn on and off features on the forums, ban users, remove users, edit and delete posts, create users groups, etc.

What are Forum Moderators?
Moderators are individuals or groups of users who look after the day to day running of the forums. They have the power to edit, delete, move, close, unclose, topics and posts, in the forum they moderate. Moderators generally are there to prevent people from posting offensive or abusive material.

What are Usergroups?
Usergroups are a way to group users. Each user is a member of a usergroup and each group can be assigned individual rights in forums, to read, view, post etc.

Private Messaging

I cannot send Private Messages
Private Messaging is available to all registered users. Make sure you are logged in and then click on the Private Messenger link in the menu. From the Private Messenger front page you can look at your Inbox, Outbox, manage your Buddy List, and send Private Messages to other registered users.

I cannot send Private Messages to some users
This may be because the person you are trying to send a Private Message to has blocked you from being able to send them Private Messages, if this is the case you should receive a message informing you of this if you try to send them a Private Message.

How can I prevent someone from sending me Private Messages
If you do find that you are getting unwanted Private Messages from a user you can block them from sending you Private Messages. To do this go into the Private Messaging system and go to your Buddy List. Add the offending user to your Buddy List, and then click on the Block icon. This user will now be prevented from sending you Private Messages.

Any more questions?