TREKCORE > GAMING > BRIDGE COMMANDER > Support

Install the patch! It may fix the problem you're having! Download it here. Any problems that are fixed by the patch are not addressed in this page.

Information on this pages comes from the Help files that came with the game as well as Activision's technical support pages. If you cannot find help on this page, you may want to visit the FAQ, as it has answers to non-technical questions related to the game.

1. I have no sound effects or music when playing the game.
2. How do I find out what version the game is?
3. I get a black screen with sound when I launch the game.
4. The game will freeze or crash when I start a multiplayer game.
5. The patch did not install correctly and now I can't repatch.
6. How do I take a screenshot?
7. How do I use my Game Commander 2 or Game Voice to play this game?
8. I can see the bridge, but the view screen, where communcations and camera views appear is blank or corrupted.
9. The game crashes immediately after I launch it.
10. The intro movie flickers.

	1. I have no sound effects or music when playing the game. Make sure you have the latest sound card driver from the manufacturer's website. Turn the hardware acceleration for your sound card to Basic. 1) Go to the Start menu > Settings > Control Panel. 2) Double-click on the Multimedia icon. 3) Select the Audio tab. 4) Click on the Advanced Properties button in the Playback section. 5) Click on the Performance tab. 6) Reduce the Hardware acceleration to Basic, the 2nd notch from the left. 7) Click Apply and then OK 2 more times. Run the game now. Don't forget to turn the acceleration back up to restore the high-end features for your sound card when using other applications. Delete the option.cfg game file. 1) Using Windows Explorer go to the folder where Star Trek Bridge Commander is installed (C:\Program Files\Activision\Bridge Commander by default) 2) Find the file named options.cfg (this file may just appear as options). 3) Delete this file; this will restore the default sound settings for the game.
	2. How do I find out what version the game is? To check your version: Using Windows Explorer, go to the Bridge Commander\Extras folder (Default is C:\Program Files\Activision\Bridge Commander\Extras\Cs folder. Check the anet.inf (or just do a file search for the anet.inf file. Only search your bridge commander folder). Open the anet.inf file and it will say what version the game is.
	3. I get a black screen with sound when I launch the game. Make sure that you meet all of the minimum system requirements and that you have a supported video card to play this game. Make sure you have the latest video and sound card drivers from the manufacturers' websites. Make sure that Direct 3D is enabled. 1) Click on the Start button > Run and type in dxdiag. 2) Click the OK button. 3) In the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, select the Display tab. 4) At the bottom make sure that DirectDraw Acceleration and Direct3D Acceleration are enabled. Change your monitor refresh rate to Adapter default. Delete the options.cfg file in the game folder (Located in C:\Program Files\Activision\Bridge Commander by default). Now try to launch the game. 1) Right-click on the desktop and select Properties. 2) Click the Settings tab and click the Advanced button. 3) Select the Adapter tab and change the Refresh rate to Adapter default. 4) Click the Apply button and then OK until you are back to the desktop. 5) If you are asked to restart the computer then do so.
	4. The game will freeze or crash when I start a multiplayer game. Make sure you have the latest video and sound card drivers from the manufacturers' websites. Set your desktop to a resolution of 800x600, 32 bit True Color. All background applications must be shutdown prior to running the game. Be sure that your computer is not behind a software or hardware firewall of any kind. This includes firewalls built into routers or other equipment, as well as programs like Zone Alarm, Black Ice, and the integrated firewall in Windows XP. NOTE: Activision does not support the use of our games from behind a firewall. A poorly configured router or connection sharing solution can be a cause. If you are using a router, ICS, NAT or a software gateway you may have problems playing on the internet. This is because the router may not be forwarding the correct information back to your machine. It may be possible to get around this problem using port forwarding or DMZ. You can find more information on configuring shared connections for multiplayer gaming at www.practicallynetworked.com. Please be aware that like a firewall we cannot actively support using shared connections to play online. Bridge Commander uses ports 22101 and 28900 for both incoming and outgoing traffic. The most common cause of problems though is usually the simplest - an overburdened network stack. By default many computers have protocols the average person doesn't use; things like VPN or NDISWAN. You should contact your ISP to find out exactly which protocols you can safely remove. Often times network game problems are resolved by something as simple as removing unused adapters and protocols.
	5. The patch did not install correctly and now I can't repatch. If you install the patch to the wrong directory or cancel the patch installation, then you will need to reinstall "Bridge Commander" before you can apply the patch correctly. Also, if you need to reinstall the patch, please reinstall the game prior to reinstalling the patch.
	6. How do I take a screenshot? To take a screenshot press the F12 key on the keyboard. The screenshots will be stored in the directory where the game was installed. The default location is C:\Program Files\Activision\Bridge Commander.
	7. How do I use my Game Commander 2 or Game Voice to play this game? Voice Activated Technology profiles are available on the CD in the Setup folder. The name of folder is VAT Profiles. Inside this folder, you will find profiles for Game Commander 2 and Microsoft Game Voice. Consult the “Installing This Profile.txt” file located in the folder for your device for information on how to use these profiles.
	8. I can see the bridge, but the view screen, where communcations and camera views appear is blank or corrupted. Make sure that you meet all of the minimum system requirements and that you have a supported video card to play this game. If you do not meet the minimum system requirements to play the game in hardware mode you may be able to play the game in software mode. Make sure you have the latest video and sound card drivers from the manufacturers' websites. Set your desktop settings to 800 by 600 and True Color (32 bit). 1) Click on the Start button > Settings > Control Panel. 2) Double-click on the Display icon. 3) Click the Settings tab. 4) Modify the Color Palette to say True Color 32 bit and the Desktop Area to 800 by 600. 5) Click on the Apply button once the changes have been made and follow the on-screen prompts to finish the process.
	9. The game crashes immediately after I launch it. Make sure you have the latest video and sound card drivers from the manufacturers' websites. Set your desktop to a resolution of 800x600, 32 bit True Color. 1) Right-click on your desktop and select Properties. 2) Click the Settings tab. 3) Set your screen area to 800x600. 4) Set the colors to 32 Bit (True Color). 5) Click Apply and OK. All background applications must be shutdown prior to running the game. Delete the options.cfg file from the directory where you installed the game.
	10. The intro movie flickers. Download and install the latest version of the Smacker player from www.radgametools.com Make sure you have the latest video and sound card drivers from the manufacturers' websites. Set your desktop to a resolution of 800x600, 32 Bit True Color. 1) Right-click on your desktop and select Properties. 2) Click the Settings tab. 3) Set your screen area to 800x600. 4) Set the colors to 32 Bit (True Color). Under Windows NT this will be listed as 65554 colors. 5) Click Apply and OK. All background applications must be shutdown prior to running the game.