Registered - still seeing ads

[weasel]

I have four computers in my house, including a Mac. We also have several other people involved in this project, all with multiple computers - not to mention family and friends. I personally have Opera, Safari, IE 6/7/8, FF2, FF3, and Chrome installed. None of us see any ads using any of these platforms.

Remember that fantasticcontraption.com and http://www.fantasticcontraption.com are seperate sites as far as your browser is concerned. During this process you will want to double check the URL and make sure you are still dealing with the same site:

- I start by logging out of both the site (top right corner) and the game (top left corner).
- I clear my browser cache.
- I clear my flash cache (not in the browser settings).
- I then force a reload of the site (using CTRL-F5 in firefox for example).
- I log back in on both the web interface (top right corner) and in game (top left corner) using the same username.
- I verify I've got registered status by clicking on the player levels section.
- I refresh the page.

I no longer see ads!

The only way I can make ads appear on my screen are if I:
- Don't follow the above steps! A lot of people skip one or two steps and say "I don't need that" and end up having it not work. FOLLOW THE ABOVE STEPS FIRST!
- Have "tracking cookies" filtered out in my security software. This is the case in 97% of all situations!
- Set the default security level (ie: in windows IE settings) higher than normal This is the problem 2% of the time!
- Use a username on a computer that does not have full access ("administrator" on windows boxes), and with special security policies in place for non-superusers
- Use a workgroup network where there is limited policies on saving cookies on the local machine
- Use a computer such as at a web cafe that limits use of cookies
- Play the game with *nix where flash and cookie support is not the greatest
- Use proxies to access the site
- Use a "toolbar helper" (or other malware) that accesses our site through proxies, but is veiled/invisible to you

If YOU still do see ads, you either have one of the above hinderances in place and don't realize it - OR you have come across a new situation! Please let us know what is causing the problem and we will add it to the list or attempt to recreate it ourselves. We are eager to get this working properly for everyone!

(Unfortunately, saying "I tried all that and it still didn't work!" doesn't help us recreate the error on our end - sorry!)

[VERYDUMBNAME]

extended: and if none of the above work, you can get firefox

[meteoro]

bah, i got IE, and i never had any problem, IE was the only browser that worked when the new website came, and everything got screwed up

[benstaples]

I do this:

- I start by logging out of both the site (top right corner) and the game (top left corner).
- I clear my browser cache.
- I clear my flash cache (not in the browser settings).
- I then force a reload of the site (using CTRL-F5 in firefox for example).
- I log back in on both the web interface (top right corner) and in game (top left corner) using the same username.
- I verify I've got registered status by clicking on the player levels section.
- I refresh the page.

And it works...


But if I clear cookies (I don't keep cookies between sessions) and log back in to the site (top corner) and the game (flash) then I get ads again.
The only way to stop the ads displaying is to clear my flash cache (not easy) and force a reload (ctrl+F5) but I have to do this every session.

Is this how it's meant to be working?

Also, I have an ad-blocker which blocked cookies fromadbureau.net, it only works if I disable this.
Does this mean the 'no-ads' cookie comes from this server?

[weasel]

But if I clear cookies (I don't keep cookies between sessions) and log back in to the site (top corner) and the game (flash) then I get ads again.

Sounds like the session is being set but the cookie isn't being stored. We set the variable to be "nocookies" dynamically and we call it back with cookies later when we reload the page. This sounds like a classic example of your cookies not saving (or being wiped).

Aso, I have an ad-blocker which blocked cookies fromadbureau.net, it only works if I disable this.
Does this mean the 'no-ads' cookie comes from this server?

I'm not quite sure where the no ad cookie comes from but it could very well be related.

[VERYDUMBNAME]

sweet worked for me, only all I had to do was in game log out, clear history, refresh, and log in

[2phun]

Do we have something in the works to only require one login rather than multiple locations? Seems redundant to need to login in game and in interface, and opens more variables for possible problems.

[feynaro]

this is ridiculous. please undo whatever is ruining this experience for us.
don't tell me to follow the steps. i have. and the funny thing is: i shouldn't have to jump through hoops to play a game i dropped some cash on.

[weasel]

this is ridiculous. please undo whatever is ruining this experience for us.
don't tell me to follow the steps. i have. and the funny thing is: i shouldn't have to jump through hoops to play a game i dropped some cash on.

We don't know what is ruining the experience.

The only way your experience could be ruined (as far as we know) is if you jumped through hoops by enabling an adblocker or some such.

If there's any other way we can help we'd be glad to. Just email your suggestions to sales@fantasticcontraption.com.

[mvezz]

I have a tip for your website weasel. Use the .htaccess (if hosted on Linux servers) to add the www. to the front of the web url even if someone types in fantasticcontraption.com

The .htaccess file should be located in your root directory for the site.

Example:

Code: Select all

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(fantasticcontraption\.com)(:80)? [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*) http://www.fantasticcontraption.com/$1 [R=301,L]

This should eliminate the www. and non www. site difference.

[Mistwalker]

Someone comments that it's your responsibility to deal with this issue, which you obviously haven't done, as people, including myself, still get ads after we've logged in, and you blame him/her for supposedly installing an adblocker. "It's your fault we suck at making a simple log on system work."

Here's a pro tip: If your site requires its users to jump through a ridiculous series of hoops to make it work right, you've buggered something up, and should figure out how to fix it instead of blaming your customers and passing the buck.

[weasel]

Thanks for the pro tip!

[Afronanny]

I don't see any way that <3Weasel<3 is blaming the customers or "making them jump through a bunch of hoops." He is simply telling you how to fix the problem you are experiencing, and trying to get information so that the problem can be recreated and traced to it's source.
If you don't want help on your issue, don't accept it. weasel was not forced to create this thread, nor help you with your problem. It's your choice as to whether you want ads or not.

[Mistwalker]

Afronanny: Sorry, no. He was blaming another customer for having installed an adblocker. Also, I chose to not have ads by paying my ten dollars. This problem has been occurring for months, and they've not fixed it. This is their responsibility, not mine. Apparently you've utterly missed the point. I have no problem with them posting a workaround till they get the issue sorted, but what happened was that a paying customer complained about being made to jump through hoops to fix the issue (which is something you have to do to if you have the problem), and instead of being polite, he says "The only way your experience could be ruined (as far as we know) is if you jumped through hoops by enabling an adblocker or some such."

This blames the customer for the experience being ruined by using a useful piece of software to block ads, when the responsibility is not the customer's at all. This, to put it bluntly, is a dick move.

[weasel]

At the very top of this topic, I have step-by-step instructions on how to fix your computer to prevent this problem from happening in every single case we've experienced so far. Because it is a misconfiguration problem, we can't claim responsibility for it. One of the caveats for getting no ads is to have a properly configured computer.

The only way you will see ads is if the ad-removing cookie we place on your computer is corrupted or deleted by your browser or other software. Therefore, the only way to fix this problem is to stop that from happening. This is not something we can do from our end; we can't work around your computer's security restrictions.

By using buggy adblocking software, or adblocking software that does not allow whitelisting, or you simply don't want to configure your adblocking software, does not put the onus on us for a fix. If you bought a new car and then built an ultra secure fence across your driveway with no gate, you can't call the dealership and say they'd better have a construction crew heading out to build a bridge over it. The solution is to NOT have an ultra secure fence that prevents you from driving your car.

In that case, the problem is simply thus:
1. FC Requires cookies to be written for you to see no ads.
2. Adblocker prevents FC from writing said cookie.

It is clearly the adblocker's fault in this situation and there is nothing we can do to work around it. If we write the cookie some other way, magically, the adblocker will still just delete it. The only way I could possibly see to fix this is to make FC an .EXE downloadable that disables your security software. But that would quickly get tagged as a "virus". :/ Recording your registered state via another medium is not possible, as browsers do not have the ability do store local data other than in cookie format. This is not a limitation with our site in particular; no webpage can read your files or save files outside of it's own security sandbox.

A few users have contacted us via email saying that regardless of the whitelist settings in their adblock software, the cookie is still deleted by it. This is a great indication of buggy adblock software. Complaints have been forwarded to their tech support teams, and hopefully they will have a fix out for it soon. The only thing I can recommend in this case is you try new software.

I don't feel like we have a reasonable obligation to put a disclaimer on the payment page saying "*** CAUTION: MUST HAVE A WORKING COMPUTER AND NON-MALFUNCTIONING SOFTWARE BEFORE REGISTERING***", as that is a reasonable assumption for any sales team to make.

If the error is caused by something not listed in the first post - please contact us so we can work with you to resolve the problem.

edit: better car analogy
edit: and followup
edit: and a bit more
edit: added a PS
edit: added disclaimer bit
edit: fixed factual error about cookies

PS: Fixing your broken computer is not 'jumping through hoops' IMHO, but that's just me. Maybe others disagree.

[Mistwalker]

Sorry, but a big fat fail there, weasel. The problem is that you've chosen a very poor system for removing your ads for paying customers. There are a million other ways you could do it that wouldn't have this issue. This is just more of your whining about how it's the customer's fault for using ordinary, useful software. Using useful software doesn't make one's computer broken, no matter how much you whine and blame the customer for your own lack of ability.

This would be a bit like the water company choosing to deliver water to people's homes with firehose water pressure, and when people complained that their pipes were exploding around them, then saying "Well, we can't fix your weak pipes from our end. This is your responsibility."

[1 gandalf 55]

Sorry, but a big fat fail there, ♥weasel♥. The problem is that you've chosen a very poor system for removing your ads for paying customers. There are a million other ways you could do it that wouldn't have this issue. This is just more of your whining about how it's the customer's fault for using ordinary, useful software. Using useful software doesn't make one's computer broken, no matter how much you whine and blame the customer for your own lack of ability.

This would be a bit like the water company choosing to deliver water to people's homes with firehose water pressure, and when people complained that their pipes were exploding around them, then saying "Well, we can't fix your weak pipes from our end. This is your responsibility."

His whining!!! your doing all the whining and if you haven't noticed hes already spent a heck load of time to fix your problem so please shut up and listen to what he has to say.

[weasel]

The problem is that you've chosen a very poor system for removing your ads for paying customers. There are a million other ways you could do it that wouldn't have this issue.

Um... The ONLY way a web application can record changes to your personal computer is to save a cookie. I'm all ears for those million other ways, and I actually invited anyone who had any ideas to let me know earlier in the thread.

I'm sure all the stubborn folks who don't want to fix their useful software will all benefit from you sharing just 5 of your million ideas. I'll see how many I can implement for you.

This would be a bit like the water company choosing to deliver water to people's homes with firehose water pressure, and when people complained that their pipes were exploding around them, then saying "Well, we can't fix your weak pipes from our end. This is your responsibility."

No, it's not. It's more like I'm providing water pressure at the standard pressure level that every other water company provides it at, and you have weak pipes.

[Skeezix]

Here's yer problem right here:

No, it's not. It's more like I'm providing water pressure at the standard pressure level that every other water company provides it at, and you have weak pipes.

Everyone knows it's a series of tubes, not pipes.

[OfficiallyHaphazard]

I appreciate FC thinking I am incredibly sexy, but I really don't need condom ads (provided by lifestyle).