Pixelmusement F.A.Q. / Support Last Updated:
August 2nd, 2021

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Super Minesweeper --- F.A.Q. / Support

Have a very specific issue? Try using your browser's "search" feature to find certain words related to your troubles.


Installation and Configuration Issues:

Q: This version isn't running correctly compared to v1.13!
A: Some of the things prior versions of the game handled automatically are now handled manually with the following command line arguments:

-16bppPuts the game into 16-bit colour mode. May help if the colours look wrong but also burns more power.
-24bppPuts the game into 24-bit colour mode. Again, helps with colour problems but is far less supported nowadays.
-32bppPuts the game into 32-bit colour mode. Much better supported on modern systems but also burns a lot more power to function properly.
-altwaitPerforms an alternate wait cycle which can help deal with micro-stutter and may also reduce CPU usage.
-lowpowerAdds a significant delay into the main game loop which reduces performance and helps save on battery life on laptops. This option WILL reduce the framerate and make the mouse motion and other actions less smooth!
-windowedForces the game to start up in windowed mode. May be necessary if attempting to switch to full screen causes problems on a modern system.
-fullscreenForces the game to start up full screen. This may cause issues on modern systems as many graphics chipsets no longer understand non-HD resolutions.

To use command line arguments, create a shortcut to the "smine.exe" file and inside the shortcut, add the arugments you want to use at the end of the "Target" line. For example:

Target: "C:\Games\Super Minesweeper\smine.exe" -32bpp -altwait

Q: The game crashes when starting it up!
A: Occasionally on modern systems the game fails to initialize properly when starting it and it will crash after showing a black screen for a moment. This seems to happen more frequently if you try to start the game moments after shutting it down. Wait about 15 seconds and try again. If you continue to have issues, there may be a configuration problem; Try deleting the config file found in "Documents\SMine Config" to reset the configuration to default.

Q: I don't have DirectX®. Will I be able to play Super Minesweeper?
A: No. You must have DirectX® 8.0 or later installed to run Super Minesweeper. Generally this shouldn't be an issue for anyone as there is no reason not to install DirectX® if you don't already have it. Most Windows® systems will already come with a version of DirectX® high enough to run the game.

Q: The game stutters a lot when I play it in a window. How can I solve this?
A: On modern systems try using the various command line options listed above or try running the game full screen. For older systems, try setting your desktop to 256 colors before playing the game in a window, or again, try running full screen as many graphics cards are bettered optimized to handle full screen games than windowed.

Q: The game stutters a lot in fullscreen mode. How can I solve this?
A: Try disabling background applications that may be eating your system resources, such as download managers, graphical applications, or other programs that you aren't using. On slower systems you'll want as few programs running as possible. Failing this try disabling some of the special effects as they eat up processing power. If disabling all of the special effects and disabling all background programs still doesn't solve your stuttering you should invest in a faster system! ;)

Q: The game is telling me that the sound system isn't initialized even though I have a sound card.
A: Older sound cards do not have "duplexing" which allow multiple applications to use the sound card at the same time. You probably left an application running that was using the sound card when you launched Super Minesweeper. If this isn't the case you should try restarting your computer.


Gameplay Questions and Issues:

Q: In the original Minesweeper game that came with Microsoft Windows® you could hold the right mouse button down to place a flag and then chord with the left mouse button. Can you do that in Super Minesweeper?
A: Yes! This is something not every minesweeper game does so if you know how to take advantage of this then go right ahead!

Q: Just how accurate is the timer in this game?
A: The timer in Super Minesweeper starts at 0 and is managed by a high-resolution real-time system. Basically, pull out your watch, put it beside the monitor, and watch the two. The timer in Super Minesweeper is VERY accurate, even if you switch applications in the middle of a game or suffer from poor framerates. High scores are measured down to the millisecond. (Thousandth of a second.)

Q: How do I pause?
A: The pause key or P key on your keyboard. While paused the timer is stopped and the grid of mines will disappear. If you switch out of the game using ALT-TAB it will automatically pause itself. If you are running the game in a window you may need to pause the game manually if you plan to switch to another application.

Q: I changed the color scheme to something really bizarre and now I can't figure out what I'm doing!
A: The only way you can do this is if you set the color scheme to something impossible to figure out, hit enter, type in a filename, and hit enter again. If you do this and can't figure out how to set it back, first, quit by hitting ESC a few times. Once you've quit, relaunch the game. Once you click away the title screen, press the delete key on your keyboard. This will set the palette back to default.

Q: Why can't I place '?' Marks in Flagless and Moving-Mine modes?
A: It would basically be the same effect as having flags, wouldn't it?

Q: Do '?' Marks actually do anything?
A: Nope. They're just for show.

Q: Why hasn't the game ended when I hit a mine?
A: Unlike in other Minesweeper games you simply take damage when you hit a mine. The game doesn't end until you have cleared the board or start a new game.

Q: What the...? I hit a mine and I go to chord a number and I suddenly hit another mine!
A: Don't forget to remove any incorrect flags if you hit a mine, they aren't removed automatically.
Q: Why not?
A: Because it's impossible to tell if hitting the mine was accidental as a result of a guess, or intentional as a result of flagging everything then purposefully hitting a mine.

Q: What happens when I click the smiley in the corner?
A: The same as in most other Minesweeper games: You reset the board and start again.

Q: Are any scores made in Super Minesweeper eligable for any World Rankings?
A: Not at present. Perhaps in the future.

Q: Is it possible to get a one-click board in Super Minesweeper?
A: It's very unlikely to happen but can. One-click board times are not ranked since it takes zero effort to win them.

Q: I just cleared a board in an Endurance game. Why is the timer staying still?
A: So you don't have to rush to make your first click on the next board, which is kind of a silly thing to do when you think about it. This also gives you that extra moment to see how you're doing so far.

Q: Why doesn't the board end when I flag all the mines sometimes?
A: In Multi-Mine and Mega-Mine game modes you must click a "CHECK!" button that appears in the bottom left corner to complete the game. If the game doesn't end after flagging everything in the other game modes it's because there's still unrevealed tiles on the board that need to be revealed.
Q: Why doesn't the game just reveal those tiles for me?
A: Because who's to say you put your flags in the right spots?
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