The update to version 1.60 eliminates the "COAL BUG". We hope that we have been able to take all of your feedback in the form of mailings and postings to the message boards into account. We wish you the best of settling and exciting battles in the ranking lists.

BB Marillion

The update to version 1.59 eliminates some general errors. We hope that we have been able to take all of your feedback in the form of mailings and postings to the message boards into account. We wish you the best of settling and exciting battles in the ranking lists.

Registry-Fix for the UK Gold-Edition MissionCampaign-Language Error.

If you have german text in your missionbriefing then..

Just double-click the Repairfile 'mission_language_fix_uk.reg' or choose 'Merge' with right Mouse-Button.

After confirmation, language-troubles are fixed.

Attention!!!!

DON'T USE IT, if you haven't the Gold-Edition of SETTLERS III!

DON'T USE IT, with the german 'SIEDLER III Gold Edition'!

You can get the file here:
ftp://ftp.bluebyte.com/updates/mission_language_fix_uk.reg

The update to version 1.58 fits the entire system to the latest version. We hope that we have been able to take all of your feedback in the form of mailings and postings to the message boards into account. We wish you the best of settling and exciting battles in the ranking lists.

The new lobby of Settlers III is now online.

We have dramatically improved our hardware and have chosen a new provider to ensure once again carefree online fun settling with THE SETTLERS III. As always, we will be keeping an eye on our forum on these pages to hear your opinions about the functionality of the new server. Thank you for all your feedback!

Have great fun settling!

Your SETTLERS III team

Update to version 1.56

Two new possibilities for playing have been integrated into the game.

1. The update adds a new button to your start menu. This new button is located below the other "campaign" buttons and is labelled "Campaign: Normal" or "Campaign: Easy". Clicking on the button will toggle it from one level of difficulty to the other.
The level of difficulty can also be changed at any time during the campaign or even midway through a mission. Before changing the level of difficulty, the game must be saved and then restarted.

NOTE! Multiplayer games (Internet and LAN) are not affected by the settings of this button!!

2. The economic mode has been expanded so that it is now possible to set the duration of a game in advance. It is possible to set up a game where the player producing the most gold in an hour becomes the winner.

The update also eliminates the desyncs which occurred after loading saved games and the so-called fish cheat or marketplace cheat.

The update to version 1.52 eliminates problems that have appeared in multiplayer games with the appearance of the Amazons.

We hope we have taken everything in your feedback, mailings and message board postings into account.
We wish you once more trouble-free settling and exciting battles in the ranking lists.

BB Jodowein

Dear Settlers gamers,

As you can see from the postings to the Message Board over the past few days, version 1.51 is not as free of error as we intended it to be. Although there are no drastic errors that prevent play, we are at least as annoyed as the gamers about the problems that have surfaced. Despite opinions to the contrary, we are not at all simply money-hungry and indifferent about these problems. We are very attached to the games we develop and every error diminishes the feeling of accomplishment we strive for in our projects greatly. The feeling that comes from developing a version free of errors is as strong a motivation as any that might come from commercial motives.
Not intended as an excuse but rather as background information, we would like to say that the testing in the last few months has shifted more and more from the development department (to free developers for new projects) to the beta testing department which is becoming stronger and stronger. As we have seen, the instinct which experienced developers have for finding errors, is not so easily achieved.

We would like to apologize for the errors that have occurred. We are working at full speed to eliminate all of the problems and perform further testing. We all, gamers and developers alike, would have preferred that no further patch were necessary. We are working on all of the problems which have been posted to the Message Board, especially:

- In some cases LAN games elicit DirectPlay error messages during the attempt to connect to a game. Sometimes repeated attempts at connecting (four or five times) works.

- Desyncs occur during the use of the Amazon spell "Bring Goods".

- New multiplayer maps on the Amazon CD do not function properly for Ladder games.

- The spell stone->iron produces to few units.

- A few other, minor blemishes

As soon as we have new information, we will get back in touch. On account of the testing, we can not yet give a specific date for the release of the patch, but we can guarantee that you will not have to wait long.

Best Regards,

Erik "BB Kire" Simon, Head of Development, Blue Byte

Hans-Juergen "BB Jodowein" Braendle, Project Manager Settlers

We asked you whether or not you would prefer to have the Settlers Ranking Lists set back to zero at regular intervals. The results are in with about half of you in favor and half opposed. We have decided on a moderate variation. The Ranking Lists will not be set back to zero, but in the future longer intervals without playing will lead to a gradual loss of points. We plan to initiate this change in about 2 weeks.

Furthermore, the Ranking Lists will be getting a couple new statistical functions and will be even more informative. Additional details about this will follow soon.

Blue Byte Software

For those who have not yet gotten the QUEST OF THE AMAZONS, an update to version 1.51 is now available which ensures compatibility for multiplayer games.

Warning! This update ushers in some changes in the SETTLERS III world. After updating, it will no longer be possible to play old saved games except those from the campaign maps! If you have any saved games that you want to finish up, do this before you log in on the Settler Server!

Blue Byte Software

We've introduced a certification process for the Message Board because there's recently been some annoying problems with postings being published under false names. When you write your posting giving your Settlers name and password, it will be marked with a new certification emblem. It will then be clear to everyone that the posting actually comes from the person whose name accompanies it.

Since only the better known people on the Message Board have been affected, this problem should now be solved. We think that the additional transparency makes up for the little bit of extra effort involved in submitting a posting. We hope you agree!

For all newcomers: You can get your own "official" Settlers name and password by logging in on THE SETTLERS III Internet Server via the SETTLERS III game. You can, of course, still ask questions and make comments on the Message Board without using your Settlers name and password.

BB Gawain

The update to version 1.38 prevents the use of a cheat:

Quick recruitment of soldiers by demolishing barracks immediately before the recruitment is no longer possible.

BB Gawain

After the Update to 1.36, we received complaints about rush opportunities. (The repeated building and destruction of temples where the player could gain additional manna & rush the opposition). The update to version 1.37 eliminates this problem. Players will only get manna after building a great temple, if no other temple was destroyed. This should restrict the chances of rushing. The effect of the spell “Samurai Sword“ was reduced.

Some players have drawn our attention to the following problem, which, on rare occasions, may occur in Ladder games:

Situation:
- A player receives a message telling him that his opponent has left the game.
- The player continues the game playing against the AI and eventually wins.
- In the World Ranking List, however, the game is conted as a defeat.

Explanation:
- The connection between the two players was somehow interrupted and could not be re-established.
- BOTH players receive a message telling them that their opponent has left the game.
- Yet, BOTH stay online and maintain their connection to our Lobby Server.
- BOTH players had their opponent replaced by the AI and BOTH continued playing.
- Consequently, the player who was the FASTEST to beat the AI is registered as the winner in the World Ranking List.
- The second player may still win HIS game, but the points have already been awarded to the other player.

We consider this to be a proper solution for a connection problem, which affected exclusively two Ladder game players and not our Lobby Server.
However, we are not quite happy with the messages ourselves... We are currently looking for a better way of explaining this rare situation.

Here is what we suggest at the moment (also applicable to other connection problems): Please make an agreement BEFORE starting the game, whether all players leave the game in case of connection problems or continue playing.
It goes without saying that the agreement should be a binding one and every player should respect it!

Have fun settling!
BB Jodowein

New Direct Play version 6.1a!

Microsoft has released a new version 6.1a of Direct Play. It is supposed to fix and optimize the Direct Play multi-player protocols. Therefore, we recommend every player to install this version of Direct Play. Here is where to find it:

http://www.microsoft.com/directx/developer/downloads/default.asp

A couple of small inconsistencies crept in with the launch of the world ranking lists. These should be eliminated with the update to 1.36. No reminders to save your game will appear in world ranking lists games and the Amazon race will no longer erroneously appear in the game results of the world ranking lists. All game play irregularities related to this have been removed. The manna display also is functioning properly again.

You’ll find the update as always in the Download section. There is more information about the ranking lists on our Ladder web pages.

It's finally here. The world ranking lists have begun! Now, with the most recent update to version 1.35, all SETTLERS III players can compete for their placings in the world ranking lists, the SETTLERS HALL OF FAME"!

As always, you'll find the update in the download section. More information about the ranking lists is on our Ladder Web pages.

BB Gawain

In house beta testing of the program code for the SETTLERS III - World Ranking Lists is now underway. The lists should be available at the beginning of June as an update. It will offer both a ranking for single players as well as a ranking for clans.

To ensure the fairest possible rankings of the various players, several factors will be incorporated into the ranking criteria. Similar to the ELO point system used in chess tournaments, the experience of the players with a particular map, or a certain race and also the player's (or clan's) current ranking position in the World Ranking List will play a role.

BB Gawain

There can be system crashes in version 1.33 when goods (for example, sulfur, a tool, or a weapon) which can not be adjusted in the distribution of goods menu are given the highest transport priority. This error has been eliminated in the most recent update. Moreover, a special desync problem which only seldom occurred during the movement of large units of troops has been removed.

BB Gawain

Structured Exceptions:

There can be system crashes in version 1.33 when goods (for example, sulfur, a tool, or a weapon) which can not be adjusted in the distribution of goods menu are given the highest transport priority. The error does not occur when the default settings for the transport priorities are retained or when goods which can be adjusted for distribution are assigned a higher priority.

For the technical people out there: As soon as a good that can't be adjusted for distribution gets the highest transport priority in an economic sector, a certain variable of the program cannot be initialized. An illegal memory access can be the result, which in turn leads to a "structured exception". This memory access is dependent on the particular memory configuration and program version. This is why it did not occur in the test versions.

The update to version 1.34, which will be available tomorrow evening at the latest, will correct this error.

Desyncs:

Especially when large troop movements are involved, there can still be some problems with desyncs because the units choose different routes when they are confronted with obstacles. In exceptional cases, this may occur with non-military settlers as well. THE SETTLERS III carries out a thousand path finding operations per hour (the search for a path for each Settler) for each player. We estimate that this error occurs on an average of once every 15 hours of play.

This problem will be eliminated in version 1.34 too.

BB Gawain

We have once more added some helpful details to THE SETTLERS III. The most important improvements that come with version 1.33 are the setting of construction priorities and the possibility of returning to your original screen position after receiving a message. In addition, many smaller features have been improved upon. Working areas can be set more precisely and catapults can be selected simultaneously with the selection of troops. You can read about all of the improvements in the Download section.

BB Gawain

Situation: If the host (the player who initiates a multiplayer game) is eliminated from a multiplayer game which is in progress, DirectPlay attempts to transfer the function of the host to another player.

Unfortunately, sometimes this function of DirectX is defective. The program waits for an answer from the eliminated player, but doesn't receive one. Only after a certain amount of time specified by DirectPlay, the program recognizes that no connection is present, announces a timeout, and the functions of the host are transferred to another player. The game then runs normally again. The length of the freeze is so long, though, that the players often discontinue the game.

On rare occasions this error can also occur when a a player other than the host drops out of the game.

Solution: We will substitute the DirectPlay routine with our own in the future. Unfortunately, it is not yet clear whether we will be able to have this routine ready by the time the rankings are released. The world ranking lists are planned for the beginning of May. A detailed preview of the world rankings lists will soon be available!

BB Gawain

In order to further improve our Internet service, we've changed providers for our games server. Theoretically, no problems should arise. If you should experience any difficulties reaching the Settlers III lobby, however, please be assured that these will only be temporary.*

*For the specialists out there: Coordination of the DNS (name servers) worldwide might take a while. To be on the safe side, we are running the server parallel with both the old and new provider, but will soon be using only the new provider.

BB Gawain

The update to version 1.32 makes it possible for you to save multiplayer games. In addition, campaigns are now automatically saved so that a completed map can now be replayed as often as you like. In addition to an improved artificial intelligence, there is also a new time display, which can be toggled on and off with the "t" key.

BB Gawain

The Update to version 1.27 reduces connection problems while attempting to join a game.

BB Gawain

The release of Update v1.26 greatly improved the multiplayer mode. There are still some rare problems being experienced such as desynchronizations and game freezing, etc. If you come across these problems, we urge you to please send an e-mail with an exact description to desync@bluebyte.de.

Your assistance will enable us to react quickly and offer solutions to eliminate these problems.

Thanks for your patience.

BB Gawain

Updating your game to version 1.26 will resolve several known issues with desynchronization. In addition, the update also removes the occurrence of a false message appearing after completion of the eighth Asian mission.

BB Gawain

The Settlers III update to version 1.25 includes new features and fixes a number of the most commonly reported errors. Unfortunately, this update does not include fixes for the occasional desynchronization in multiplayer games. We have found it difficult to reproduce the desynchronization problem in-house. We are still working on finding the cause and fixing the problem.

One other note -- The savegame option in multiplayer games is still being worked on, and we are planning to integrate this in one of the forthcoming updates.

We have improved SETTLERS III again. Use the automatic Update Service to add the following features to your copy of THE SETTLERS III:

- Active units are displayed in the menu.
- The ‘Distribution of Goods‘ menus may be selected directly from the current building.
- New Lobby Server messages keep you up to date on logon events.
- More tooltips have been added to the Multiplayer Mode. They tell you what the buttons in the Lobby are for.
- New chat commandos: /ignore [player's name] und /whisper player's name]:[text]
- The initial Lobby Server logon automatically invokes the ‘Create Player‘ dialogue.
- Additional messages alert you in case the swap file is not large enough.
- Improved scrolling under Windows NT.

Additionally, the following problems have been fixed:

- SETTLERS III may now be played on systems without the WININET.DLL. Updates may be performed manually.
- The interval between leaving the Settlers Server and immediately logging on again has been reduced.
- The ‘You have won!/You have lost!‘ messages are deactivated in games without opponents.

If you're having problems with Settlers creating items they're not supposed to, i.e. iron smelters creating pigs, soldiers not recruiting, priests not worshipping, you're trees aren't growing to an acceptable height for chopping, or your residences don't produce any new Settlers try the following:

1) Another program or a virus may have altered your main Settlers III executable, which causes a number of problems with the game including causing your units to produce incorrect products. The solution: Uninstall the game, download and run an up-to-date anti-virus program (we suggest http://www.avp.com) and remove the virus and the infected files. Reinstall the game once this is done and your units should work fine.

2) The events describe above will always occur if you're using a pirated (illegal copy) version of the game. This is a built in section of the game's copy protection. If you try to make a copy of the S3 executable, or modify the game in any way other than using Blue Byte's official updates the game will not work correctly.

Always a good suggestion is to have the most up-to-date version of the game, which can be downloaded from the official Settlers III site; http://www.settlers3.com. Download the file (called S3102123.exe) and place it in your Settlers III directory (usually c:\bluebyte\settlers3) and double click on it. The update process is automatic from that point.

Another suggestion is -- make sure that all of your non-essential background applications are closed while playing the game, especially anti-virus detection programs or system maintenance that might monitor your hard drive or memory while the game is in use.

Make sure that you have applied all the above suggestions to a clean install of the game. Save games that are experiencing problems will no longer be usable, and will need to be deleted as well. If none of the above helps please email us with your specific machine configuration. We have a few more troubleshooting tips available if these do not help solve the problem.

Serial Numbers are located on the back page of the handbook, or jewel case manual. If the serial number is not there, please send the complete booklet to us and we will replace it with a new as soon as possible. If you are having trouble getting your serial number to work properly, remember to include the dashes when entering the number.

Also please be aware:
If anyone (including supposed Blue Byte employees) ever asks for your serial number, don't tell them under any circumstances. Some of these "collectors" have even asked for screenshots of registries as a method of troubleshooting because this contains your serial number.

Changes to the game’ program files, which can often be linked to computer viruses and or TSR programs (terminate stay resident), can cause irregularities in gameplay (residences do not create new settlers, the iron smelter produces pigs and desynchronization problems in multiplayer games).

In multiplayer games program files of the individual players are exchanged to synchronize the progress of the game among all the players. If these program files are altered, the files received are processed incorrectly and the wrong information is sent to the other players. The game then runs asynchronously.

Applying changes to the program files not in accordance with official Blue Byte updates will also have a negative effect on the program.
If you are experiencing the irregularities mentioned above, make sure that your system is free of viruses.
It is not enough to eliminate a virus from the system. In order to play SETTLERS III with unaltered files, you have to reinstall the game.

Note: Saved games will also need to be removed.

If your game hangs (locks-up) at the screen with the three helmets you probably need a video driver update. This is especially true with some versions of the Matrox Millenium and Mystique cards.

Most of the time using the most recent driver eliminates the problem. Often other drivers delivered with Microsoft Windows 95/98 can help.
In rare cases, especially with the original Matrox Mystique, the game will fail to work even with the newest drivers. In these cases please call our hotline for individual assistance. We have a number of work-arounds that usually get things working properly.

BB

We have found that the Realtek 8029 network card causes asynchronous gameplay issues during mulitplayer games; so called desyncs. They appear due to how the NIC (network interface card) handles packet transfers. Other players who are connected via a WAN (wide area network) will be affected by this more so than modem users, although they will not be immune to the effects.

Realtek already offers new drivers on their webpages to fix the problem (www.realtek.com.tw).

Update (patch) version 1.23 is now available in the Downloads Section of this site. Settlers III is built with an automatic update function. When starting a "Multiplayer Internet" game, and a connection to the Settlers III Server is established, the update is uploaded automatically to your computer, as well as copied and executed. After that, a manual update is not necessary. Go to the Download section of www.Settlers3.com site.

Major Features of the Update:

1. Desyncronization problems in multiplayer games have been fixed.

2. In some situations, multiplayer games crashed when a player departed a game. This has been remedied.

3. Your game will be checked for virus infection at the start of every game. You will be informed if a virus is detected, and the game will not start.

4. The discrepancies in the mission-briefing of the third roman mission have been removed.

BB Gawain

Symptoms: When a player leaves a multiplayer game, the game stops for the remaining players.

In the third Roman mission the mission briefing text does not inform you that a particular opponent must be defeated.

Answer: These bugs are fixed in the update (version 1.23 -- Now Available).