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Allegiance is a free, online, multi-player space combat simulation game. You pilot spacecraft, flying in a team with other players, defending and attacking sectors in space. Flight and combat is done in first person and there is also a real-time, top-down 'Command view' of your immediate surroundings available, which is helpful when coordinating with other players.

Many game modes exist (deathmatch, capture the flag, etc) but most games are played on Conquest mode with only two opposing teams. To win a conquest game a team must destroy all of the enemy's technology stations. Each team is led by a Commander chosen at the start of the game, and he controls all of the team's money, decides what stations to buy and what new technology to research. Pilots are expected to follow the Commander's orders when it comes to organising defense, bomber attacks, etc.

==Troubleshooting==

===Help yourself - The FreeAllegiance.org wiki===
Having trouble installing or connecting to the servers? Help is only a click away!

Visit [[Tech Support]] page on the wiki, it contains a list of the most common issues and ways to fix them.

===Helpline - The support forum===
If you can't find a solution (or don't want to deal with reading), visit the [http://www.freeallegiance.org/forums/index.php?act=home FreeAllegiance.org community forums] and post on [http://www.freeallegiance.org/forums/index.php?showforum=5 helpline forum], tech support operators try to help you as fast as possible.

''You need to register a forum account to access the forum.''

==Training==
Want to learn how to play the game? Check out the Allegiance community's online training guides and courses at [http://training.alleg.net training.alleg.net]

==Events==
The heart of Allegiance is the community and the squads, players join together and play other squads in regular games and tournaments. Learn more on the [[squads]] article.

==Rules enforcement==
*[[Rules of Conduct]]
*[[Terms of Service]]
*[[Enforcement FAQ]]
The RoC and ToS have been paraphrased below by a now-retired admin:

{{quote|Pook|
'''Act like an adult.
Even if you aren't one. This is a mature community based around a game. G-A-M-E - it's not a lifestyle, it's not your fan club, it's not your escape from reality where you're the playground bully. Being good at a video game doesn't mean anything except that you have too much time on your hands and can't find a productive way to spend it. 

'''Be Civil.<br>
Everyone wants to play, nobody wants to be hassled. When in doubt, see the rule above. 

'''Everyone gets to play.<br>
You don't get to decide who gets to play and who doesn't. I don't care if they have a !@#$&% (-3) tag, let them play... so long as they follow the rules. 

'''Don't be stupid.<br>
When you're doing something you know you shouldn't do, you're being stupid. I don't care if you're trying to make a point, push a political agenda, or just like annoying other people. Don't do that. When in doubt, see the above rules. 

There you have it. If you follow these four simple rules you won't violate the official RoC and everyone will be happy. If you don't follow these simple rules, then you don't get to play.}}

==See also==
*[[FAQ]]
*[[Main Page]]
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=Welcome to Microsoft® Allegiance™!=

Thank you for installing Microsoft Allegiance. This readme file contains the most recent information concerning Allegiance. It also includes late-breaking information not contained in the manual or in-game Help.


==Most commonly asked==

'''Community Forum accounts are not the same as Gameplay accounts.'''

The account you used to view the forums and download the game cannot be used to play. To create a new gameplay or “ASGS” account, go to http://asgs.alleg.net/asgsnet/newaccount.aspx

'''Do NOT use your account on a friend’s computer.'''

Doing so will result in your accounts being linked, and you won't be able to play at the same time anymore. This is a feature required to ensure a secure system.

'''Allegiance is a TEAM-based game.'''

Players must work together to complete goals, and commanders may eject players who are not contributing to their teams to make space for other players who will.

'''All new players will have a number appended to their name for the first few weeks.'''

This shows everyone that you are inexperienced, and thus they can be more lenient. The more you play, the faster you'll lose it.

'''After training, learn basic gameplay and technology on the [[Newbie server|Newbie servers]].'''

Learn how to contribute to a team and how to use the technology. Once you've mastered the basics, join the vets and don't look back. Bad habits are formed when learning from the inexperienced.

'''Do not join a real game when trying to "figure out the controls" or "learn how to play."'''

That is what the Newbie servers are for. Only join real games if you are able to contribute to your team.

'''You must spend time to learn the game.'''

Reading the [[Learning guide]]) and joining the [[Allegiance Flight School]] significantly reduces the amount of learning time needed in game.

'''Use the built-in display censor.'''

The censor converts profanity to useless characters (e.g. !@#$!). If you didn't want to see it, didn't disable it.

'''Games with an imbalanced skill are NOT fun.'''

If you're new, don't join the team with the most new players. If you're skilled, don't join the team with all of the @Squad players. Stacking the skill on one side removes the fun for 2/3 of the players.

'''Don't let the “bad apples” ruin your fun.'''

As with all communities, Allegiance has "good apples" and "bad apples."  If you feel that someone is targeting you specifically to cause you discomfort, report them to [[@Alleg]].


==Online answers to your questions==

There are several great sources for answers to any questions you might have about Allegiance.


===Allegiance Product Support===

If you have questions about Allegiance (such as on installation, graphics issues, and so forth), go to http://www.freeallegiance.org/forums and visit the helpline forum. Be sure to read the post entitled, “Read Me First”.


===Allegiance Administrators===

You will notice administrators in Allegiance with a @HQ tag at the end of their names. Administrators are there to enforce the Rules of Conduct. Members of the Allegiance Administrators team are may also be able to assist you with account and registration issues.


===Rules of Conduct/Terms of Service enforcement===

You will notice players in Allegiance with [[@Alleg]] at the end and a question mark (?) at the beginning of their names. @Allegs are there to offer help to players in Allegiance as well as to enforce the [[Rules of Conduct]]/[[Terms of Service]]. Members of @Alleg team are volunteers that are familiar with Allegiance and they may be able to help get you started.


==Troubleshooting==

Anytime you can post on helpline forum at http://www.freeallegiance.org/forum

The most common problems are listed below.


===Most common problems===

'''Repair critical files'''

Within ASGS open ''Help'' menu and select ''Update / Repair critical files''.

'''Run Allegiance as administrator'''

Right-click on Allegiance shortcut and select ''Run as administrator''.

'''Redownload and reinstall'''

Sometimes you need to completely uninstall the game and install it with the latest installer from http://getsetup.alleg.net


===Auto-update issues===

Allegiance features auto-updating, which allows changes to be made to the game files on your computer after you have logged in.

'''Disable offline mode of Internet Explorer'''

Start Internet Explorer and open ''File'' menu (press ALT + F) and uncheck ''Work offline''.

'''Change your Internet Explorer proxy settings'''

Open ''Control Panel'' and go to ''Internet Options'', open ''Connections'' tab and click on ''LAN settings''. See if you connection is correctly set up, normally there shouldn't be any settings set.


===Controler issues===

'''Joystick rolls upon entering the game'''

With some joysticks, you may be rolling from the time you first enter the game. To fix this, reconfigure the default roll control on your joystick to a new control. To do this, press ESC, G, C, scroll to the bottom of the Configure Controls dialog box, double-click Roll, and then follow the instructions at the top of the dialog box.

===3D card issues===
There are a number of known issues for 3D graphics accelerators. If a problem affects all or most cards of a particular chipset, the chipset is listed, but if it only affects specific cards of a chipset, then the card name and chipset are listed.

*Intel GMA xxx
*SiS chipset

[[Development|Development team]] is working on solution on this.


===Connection issues===
The most common connectivity issues are listed below.

'''Firewall Port Configuration'''

Some firewalls (like Norton, AVG, ...) do block DirectPlay protocol, which Allegiance uses. There is no way making Allegiance work, while having these Firewalls installed, even disabling them doesn't help.
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