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Frequently Asked Questions



Company Policies



io – Purchasing



io – Downloading and Installing



io – Execution and compatibility



io – Gameplay



io – Miscellaneous



If you have questions that are not answered here, please feel free to email at support@atmansoftware.com. I will do my best to get back to you at the earliest.

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Company Policies

What is your delivery policy?


Your purchase via Atman's online store will normally be handled within 24 hours (usually much less), and a confirmation e-mail will be sent containing a download link to the full version of the product.





What is your refund policy?


Since io is "try before you buy", refunds will not normally be given unless there is a serious issue which occurs after installation which cannot be resolved by technical support. In all cases, refunds will be given at the discretion of Atman Software.





What is your support policy?


For all queries regarding Atman products and how to install them, please consult the FAQ's/support page before contacting us, since our most common questions are answered there.
Atman Software regrets that due to limited personnel, Atman cannot offer telephone-based support at this time. However, you may e-mail us at support@atmansoftware.com and we will do our best to respond promptly to any questions or problems you may have.





What is your privacy policy?


Atman software respects your privacy, and will never sell or share your information with others. When you purchase a product from us, you will receive e-mails only from Atman software, and from our credit card processor; esellerate (in response to your order).



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io - Purchasing

I want to purchase io. How do I pay for it?


The best way to pay for io is through our online store.





Can I pay by post (snail mail)?


No. Not at this time.





Can I pay by telephone?


No. Not at this time.





Can I pay for one copy and install it on multiple computers?


Yes.
Atman's policy is one copy per household. You can pay for it once and install it on all the computers you own. But you're not allowed to share the full version of a game with your friends and neighbors - they have to purchase their own copy.





Who is your payment service provider?


eSellerate is Atman's payment gateway service provider.
To view more information regarding eSellerate and their policies, please click here.



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io – Downloading and Installing

The file is too big for me to download - what can I do?


If you have a slow dial-up connection, you may experience disconnects or drop-offs during the download. We know this can be frustrating. One solution is to obtain and install a download manager that allows you to resume downloading if an error occurs (so you don't have to start all over). There are several products that supply this functionality, which you can find by typing "download accelerator" into your favorite search engine.





Can I get the product on a CD-ROM?


No. Not at this time.





How do I install io?


io does not use an installer.
Once you download the zipped file, unzip it and access the folder. Click on the io icon to run the game.



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io – Execution and compatibility

Will io run on my machine?


We highly recommend that you try the demo before purchasing the game. If your machine cannot successfully run the demo version of io, it cannot run the full version of the game either.

Secondly make sure you have installed the latest video drivers for your machine.

The minimum system requirements for io are


In Windows, if you want to see if your machine qualifies, go to your desktop, right-click on My Computer, and select Properties. The System Properties window should appear, with the General tab selected by default. Listed in this tab are the operating system version, CPU, and RAM. Compare these properties to our minimum requirements to see if your machine meets the requirements.

On the Mac, click on the apple logo on the top left of the main display, and select About This Mac. Listed in this tab are the operating system version, CPU, and RAM. Compare these properties to our minimum requirements to see if your machine meets the requirements.





How do I run io on Windows Vista?


Before you run io on Vista, you may want to use the Program Compatibility Wizard to set it to "Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2)" and "Run this program as administrator". You can find more information about the Program Compatibility Wizard by clicking here.





How do I install the full version of the game?


When you purchase io, you will be given a download link to the full version of the game. The full version is separate from the trial version, and is installed into a separate directory by default.





Why am I having errors when I try to unzip the downloaded file?


The usual cause of this problem is that the file download was incomplete. Check the size of the zipped file against the size given on the main page to make sure they match.





Why does the game run so slow?


The most frequent cause of this problem is that the machine does not meet the minimum system requirements for the game.

If the game does meet the minimum system requirements, but the game still runs slow, then it might be that OpenGL acceleration is disabled on your system. Check to see that your video hardware is configured properly.
If you are running on Windows, you can check it as follows:


Disabling effects such as shadows, bloom, specular and heat shimmers under the settings menu should offer a speed boost.

You should also update your video driver to ensure you are running with the latest version. On Windows, you can do this through the Windows Update feature of your operating system (usually found under the Start menu). You can also do this by checking the video card manufacturer's web site.





Why does the game shear or flicker as I play the game?


The most frequent cause of this problem is that the games' refresh is not in sync with the vertical retrace of the monitor.
To enable Vertical sync, go to the settings menu under io's main menu and turn on vertical sync.





How can I fix the jerky movements?


The jerky movements could be caused by a number of things. Run through this checklist and see if any of these suggestions help.





Why don't I have any sound?


First, check the volume settings on your computer. You should check both the volume control in your operating system, as well as the volume setting on your speakers (if any). Also, check to see that playback has not been muted.
If the volume levels are ok and the sound has not been muted, then check the sound setting in the game. In the Settings menu, there are options for turning both sound and music on/off.





Why is the picture black, distorted, or otherwise messed up?


There may be a problem with your video driver. You should update your video driver to ensure you are running with the latest version. You can do this through the Windows Update feature of your operating system (usually found under the Start menu). You can also do this by checking the video card manufacturer's web site.

Also disable shadows, bloom, specular and heat shimmers under the settings menu. Now exit the io game application and start again. The reduced visual features might help you in running the game; however please update the video drivers at the earliest.



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io – Gameplay

I can’t save the game. Do I have to start all over again?


Yes. Io does NOT have an option to save your games.

io is a short game with short maps, an alright story, alright music and interesting tech at an interesting price. Although io does not feature a save option, it does contain Stimpaks. Stimpaks can replenish your health completely when you choose to. Io also features Moto Soda dispensers that can boost your health by 20 points.

But if you manage to complete the game, you are rewarded with a 16 page “behind the scenes”.





Some of the times, some of the monsters walk past me, although I am clearly visible.


Not all monster bots are created equal. Clearly some of them are mean killing machines while others are less destined and have retired themselves to a life of cannon fodder existence.





I hear noises, although I don't see anyone.


You should consider yourself lucky compared to that kid who could see dead people.
Alright, speaking seriously, that's a bug and will be addressed in a future patch.





The character moves too slow!! Can't he move any faster?


Make sure the character is not in 'crouch' mode. Use the scroll wheel on your mouse to change the characters stride. Also make sure you go through the primer menu in the game to acquaint yourself with the game's control mechanics.



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io – Miscellaneous

How do you pronounce io?


io is pronounced eye'-oe or e-oe)





Who are the people behind io?


Thomas Kuriakose - design, programming, modeling and art.
Soundrangers - Music





What game engine powers io?


io uses a proprietary 3D game engine developed in-house at Atman Software.





What tools/software were used to develop io?


Code side - VC++, gcc, Xcode, gDebugger, Glowcode.
API's - Cg, OpenGL, OpenAL, Directinput, Carbon.
Content side - Photoshop CS2, 3DS Max, Poser 6.





Will there be a linux or console port?


No. Not at this time.















Some perspective.

Remember the good old days when computer games were written by just one guy who sat in his bedroom programmed the game, made some programmer art, recorded some sounds and then packaged and sold the whole thing together as a game.

io is such a game and is made by one such guy from his bedroom, no less. io is modeled after those classic side-scrollers, punctuated with a stealth twist and advanced graphics. io is priced at $13.




Demo download

Download the io PC Demo here. (16 MB)

Download the io Mac Demo here. (20 MB)




Minimum system requirements


io runs fine on Macbooks and Mac Minis with Intel video chipsets. If you are not sure of your machine's configuration, please try the demo. It's just a 20MB download.



Kid safe?

Hmm... you decide. io features -

So what do you think? Download the demo, just to make sure.



Downloads





Technical features

The io engine is a game development framework for OpenGL equipped PC's and Macs, developed completely for and by atman software. Following are some of the technologies present in the engine.


Real-time lighting




Shadows




Skeletal animation




Framebuffer effects




Particle effects




Widescreen support




Point and look system




Artificial Intelligence




Other features