To: trekcreative{at}yahoogroups.com
From: "ronwaldyo "

Reply-To: trekcreative{at}yahoogroups.com

Steve,

Tonight I ran through the Dark Horizon site using a corporate connection,
which went through a proxy server and then through... well, let's say I
went out of my way to use a machine and a connection that would make it as
difficult as possible for the website to load up properly.  On top of that
I had several other processes going at the same time including Outlook
going through a bunch of e-mail as well as several other browser windows
loading other sites at the same time. At every point the Dark Horizon site
loaded up just fine--- all graphics present and accounted for.

I discussed the problem as you described it with a computer professional
who knows a lot more about this stuff than I do and here was the first
suggestion:

   If your cache hasn't been emptied in a while
then your browser might be reloading the graphics in the same partial form
as they did the first time. Be sure to empty your cache.  That might be the
problem.

If that's not it then one of the following might be the cause:

-Using an older version of IE or Netscape

-A slow connection

-An ISP that isn't providing a very good
internet connection.

-If you're using a proxy that might cause the
graphics to get backed up.

-If you're using a work connection there are some
businesses that place restrictions on graphics

-Browser settings

Aside from one of these I really don't know what to tell you.  I suppose
its possible you've just been unlucky and come by the site at particularly
heavy traffic times, but frankly, no one else has ever reported having this
problem with the site.
There was a time at the very first of the year that some of the pages
weren't loading at all, but that was a server wide problem with AOL. The
fact that the graphics are loading part way indicates its more likely to be
something timing out or some sort of connection problem.

One thing you might do is check out the two following websites.  Both are
fairly graphics intensive and if you have no problems at all with them I
suppose there might be some strange problem between your ISP and AOL, but
if its a general graphics problem you're having then these should cause the
same types of problems you're experiencing with my site.

      http://www.tgeweb.com/

      http://www.3dluvr.com/plecxus/workinproj.html

Give these a try and let me know how they load up for you.  And if after
clearing out your cache and checking out browser settings you're still
having problems with the Dark Horizon site then I really don't have any
idea what's going on.  But I am fairly certain that it hasn't anything to
do with the Dark Horizon site. (If the graphics weren't showing up at all,
that might be a broken link or a bad piece of html, but loading half way...
that's just plain strange.)

On another note...

Thanks for reading the story despite the graphics problems.  As to the
Oceana class, check out a couple of my earlier posts in this thread.  There
are reasons why I have a ship like that.  Its not just a big honkin' ship
for the sake of having a big honkin' ship.

I do admit that I spent a bit of time setting up the characters in the
first story, but there are a number of characters with their own storylines
which will play out over the course of the entire Dark Horizon story and I
did want to give them a good introduction.  Once you get past the first few
chapters of "Forms Change" I think you'll see things pick up a
bit.  I hope you enjoy the story.

-Michael Gray
Star Trek: Dark Horizon
http://hometown.aol.com/darkhrzn91701/main.htm


-+- In trekcreative{at}yahoogroups.com, "Steve Oostrom" 
wrote:
> >Probably a bad day, especially when you consider
> a lot of folks were online because of Columbia.
>
> Actually, I first looked on Friday evening, before the Columbia
disaster.
> I looked again on Saturday evening, and had the same problem.  The
> graphics only would load halfway.  It's the only site in a long
time that will
> do that.  Maybe because it is an AOL server?
>
> >I admit my site is a little heavy on graphics, but
> I have been able to wander around it with a connection
> as slow as 31k.  If some of the graphics were only loading
> part way then either web traffic in general was heavy or
> traffic to my site was particularly heavy at that time.
> My apologies.
>
> >I try to be sensitive to any and all problems people
> might have with the Dark Horizon site because if
> people can't access the web pages then they can't
> read the stories or enjoy the site.
> I recently reworked the menu system to reduce the
> graphics load for the site and do try to look for
> other ways to do so.
>
> >Again my apologies and do try the site again.
>
> I tried again Saturday night, and had the same problem.  I did
start to
> read the first story, however, but I was pressed for time and read
only
> the first two chapters.  The story is slow to develop, but I'm
assuming
> that is because it's the pilot episode and you're spending the time
to
> get the readers to know the characters.  These "Oceania-class"
> starships seem excessively large, though, almost like mobile
starbases.
> I'd have serious questions about ships that size and shape, but
then that
> may be due to the rules of Trek as I use them in my own stories, and
> they might not apply to yours.  Anyway, I'll give fuller comments
when
> I complete the first story.
>
> Steve
> The Universe Unbounded.
>
> Visit "Star Trek: Athena" at http://ussathena.iwarp.com


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