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Testing Account Registration
To get your own testing account, go to the AfterWorld Registration website and fill in the form. Be sure to select a unique login name (preferably not the same name as your avatar and/or any forum name) and a complex password for your own security. Also be sure to read the full text of the Participation Agreement since breaking the rules stated within it may cause a loss of your avatar and your account. After submitting, you should receive an email with an activation link. Click the link to activate your account and you are ready to get in!
NOTE: Registration takes between 1 and 24 hours, so it's best to do this as soon as possible.
You are advised to use an email address from an established provider. Some players have experienced problems not receiving the activation email when registering via web-based email providers such as Hotmail, Yahoo, and others, but if you do use one of these providers, be sure to check your spam/junk folders.
There have been reports of people never receiving the activation email at all, even after several days. If this happens, send an email to support@afterworld.ru with the details of your account, including your email address and account name, and explain that you did not get the activation email.
Download the Game Client
Currently the game can only be downloaded at the AfterWorld Download page, which includes a link to the registration page, links to two different download methods, and information on firewall and compatibility settings. The primary download method is a traditional installer that adds the game to your "Add/Remove Programs" (WinXP) or "Programs and Features" (Vista and Win7) listings as well as creating a Start Menu shortcut. The Alternate Download section links to a zip file that contains the entire game updated to the most recent major update (0.9.9.0 at this time) which you must unzip to a folder and create your own shortcut(s) to the AW_Launcher.exe program. Additionally, no entry is created in "Add/Remove Programs" or "Programs and Features" with the alternate method.
At this time, the game is only natively playable (does not require any additional software) on Windows computers. A number of people have had success playing AfterWorld on Linux computers by using Wine and it's very likely to be playable on OSX by using Parallels. The AW Dev Team has indicated their desire to create a native Linux client in the future, but this was some time ago and no further information has been given.
Downloading the game from the official AfterWorld website is the only option available at this time. There have been discussions on whether to make downloads available via P2P (peer-to-peer, which is used by programs like Limewire), but this has not been implemented to date.
First Login
When you have downloaded the game and installed/unzipped it, start the program from a shortcut. The update screen should appear and you see the AfterWorld Automatic Update System window, similar to the one below. If you downloaded and installed the game by using the primary Download links, the updater will start from version 0.0.0.0 and update itself to the current version in steps that each require downloading, then installing, performing one major update at a time. If you downloaded and unzipped the Alternate Download, the updater will only have to update your client from the last major update (currently 0.9.9.0) to the current minor update (currently 0.9.9.1).
Every so often, new updates are implemented (see the AW version history page for further information). When this happens, the updater will go through the same process of downloading, then installing the new updates as they are released. AfterWorld cannot be run if it is not updated to the current version.
When the update process is completed, you will see the "Start AfterWorld" button with a 10-second countdown. When you click this button or the timer runs out, the main login screen appears, as shown below. The game's options window can be opened from here by clicking the green "Options" button. In this window you can set things like sound volume, graphic details, mouse options, key mappings, chat logging, and many other settings. In addition, there are buttons in the center section of the login window that will open your default browser and navigate to a number of useful web sites (including this site) for finding out more information about the game. At the bottom of this section is where you can select the language that NPC text is written in. The default language selection is English.
If you have registered, you can type your login name and password and press Enter or click the "Login" button to start your adventures in the AfterWorld! If you have not yet registered for your own testing account, click the AfterWorld Registration button to create your login and password (see the section "Testing Account Registration" above for more information).
Avatar Creation
On your very first login, you can select a name and basic appearance of your avatar. With the release of the huge, upcoming Survival update, more avatar appearance options should be available (see this page).
Game Options
There are many, many options that can be customized, from key assignments and mouse movement to video and audio and more, all by opening the Setup Options window. These can be modified at any time, but if you have specific preferences, now might be a good time to change them in order to make your time in AfterWorld more comfortable.
Donation
You can donate money to support the developers, which also provides you with in-game currency, at the AfterWorld Donate page.
When you have created an avatar, you get AWD (AfterWorld dollars) proportional to the amount you donate. The AW Dev Team gives 10 AWD per $1 (US) donated, and the only methods of donating at this time are through the WebMoney and PayPal web sites via the AfterWorld Donate page. Each service charges transaction fees based on the way that you send the donation and the amount that you donate (see the WebMoney fees and PayPal fees pages for more information), so you may not receive the full 10-to-1 amount since the AW Dev Team does not receive the full dollar amount you send. Exchange rates from USD to non-USD also affect the amount received - good exchange rates result in more USD donated (so more AWD received) while bad exchange rates result in less. Links to both donation methods and how to address your donation so that it gets to the developers is at the AfterWorld Donate page.
NOTE: The statement on the Donate page, "Keep in mind, that all donations are processed manually at the moment, and it can take some time (up to 48 hours) until it's processed" means that you may get AWD for your donation very quickly or it may take several days, depending on your time zone compared to their and especially when the AW Dev Team takes one of their infrequent breaks.
Donating benefits both sides: the developers get money to develop the game, and you get a quick start in the game because you are able to buy some basic equipment. This means that you don't have to use the free starter tools to collect resources to sell and you can see the rest of the game much sooner!
Welcome to AfterWorld and have fun!
