Installing the Player
Using the Player
Errors & Bugs
What is the TRACTION RADIO Player?
It is a free media player which runs in the background of your favorite PC games. It allows gamers to select from multiple channels and genres of CD-quality, low bit-rate music without interrupting gameplay. Music is categorized by intensity to maximize the gaming experience or current mood. Gamers can navigate the UI to find other game and music related video and rich media, as well as original live-on demand audio from TRACTION and our partners which include gaming leagues, game communities and publishers.
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Is the TRACTION RADIO Player really free?
It sure is! Sponsors support TRACTION and that keeps the player free. Sponsors also allow us to offer great prizes and contests, as well as news and information on the latest new gaming products and trends.
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Who makes the TRACTION RADIO Player?
TRACTION is a product of STICKMAN Entertainment. Originally STICKMAN created soundtracks for videogames. When we founded the company three years ago, our mission was simple ... how can we make games sound better? Alex was just off the tour bus from INCUBUS, and we worked for companies -- like THQ -- writing custom music for games ... but somehow hour-long preset soundtracks just didn't cut it for gamers who play 100+ HOURS a month.
So we said, "Hey, what if gamers could choose from multiple channels of new, breaking music in a bunch of genres? And what if we organized the music by its intensity level, so that gamers could match the music intensity to the game they are playing or the mood they are in?" Sounds like a great idea, right? So we talked to our friends in the music industry, and went back to our colleagues in the gaming industry, and TRACTION Radio was born.
We've spent the last year working with radio experts building and designing a global radio network that features a unique radio player which streams CD-quality music at low bit rates so that it doesn't interrupt gameplay. We added the best new music to our library and talked to record labels, djs and musicians, and everyone was stoked!
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What games does the TRACTION RADIO Player currently support?
All of them! TRACTION runs in the background of your PC game, so there are no compatibility issues. You can control TRACTION from within the game using shortcut keys.
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What technology does TRACTION use?
TRACTION uses a combination of licensed audio technologies which allow us to stream CD-Quality audio at really low bit rates (32kbps to be exact). This is important so that we can ensure gamers that their playing experiences will not be affected.
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Is the TRACTION Player developed in Flash?
Surprisingly, no. We use your computer’s installed Flash application and web browser to display content in the video window, but the core of our application is not a Flash program. As of the date of our first release, Flash will not support the audio technology we use.
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Does TRACTION have to license the music it plays?
Yes. TRACTION has statutory music licenses from the major music rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and SoundExchange) and is on notice with the US Copyright Office. TRACTION complies with all of the statutes of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Nonetheless, if you believe that TRACTION has in any way infringed on your copyright, please read our infringement policy and notify us of the infringing content and we will promptly take steps to correct the problem.
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Does the FCC regulate your broadcasts?
No! Just like satellite radio and internet radio, the FCC does not have any jurisdiction over our broadcasts ... so, we can swear and be as "dirty" as we like :)
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Can I make suggestions for improvement or enhancement to the TRACTION RADIO Player?
Keep ‘em coming! Your feedback is what will make TRACTION a great gaming product. You can forward your suggestions to suggestions [at] tractionradio.com and from there they will get forwarded on to the right people to get them in the development queue.
Alternatively, you may communicate with us in real time by rating songs and sending us your comments using the TRACTION interface and the short cut keys. Your rating feedback is automatically inputted into our music scheduling software which will adjust the playlists to address the music tastes of the listening community!
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What are the planned future enhancements of TRACTION?
There are many … almost too many to talk about here!
In the interest of delivering a product to the gaming community as quickly as possible, we have released the Beta 1.0 Player with a limited amount of content and functionality to gage the interest of listeners, get feedback and work on improving the product.
Based on our research and feedback, we plan on rolling out more channels in the Electronic and Hip Hop categories first, then re-examining Rock for more possible additions. We also plan on creating more original content including live radio shows, news and live event coverage. On the visual side, we are working on more skin options for the player and are experimenting with HD video content.
Stay tuned!
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Can I create new skins for the player app?
Yes, you can. However, for quality control issues, we will only be posting the best and highest rated designs. So give it your best shot, and send your concepts to skins [at] tractionradio.com, and if we like what you have to offer, it just may become an official TRACTION skin.
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Will you play my band on TRACTION?
Maybe. We’ll give your music a listen and if it fits one of our formats, we’ll add it to the rotation. If the listeners like it and it gets highly rated, we’ll play it more … pretty simple. Please send all music inquiries to: music [at] tractionradio.com (oh yeah and if your band gets really big because of TRACTION, tell your agent we want 15% :)
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Can I directly influence the TRACTION playlists?
Yes, there are two ways:
The logic behind these letters is that they are directly below the corresponding number keys:
How do I change the short cut keys?
You can change the short cut keys using the Preferences menu, accessed from the tab on the lower right hand side of the application.
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How do I enter a contest or promotion from within game?
You can use short cut keys to enter promotions from within a game. Please refer to the short cut keys link for the default key combination. Remember, you can also change the short cut key combinations if you do not like the default ones, just use the Preferences menu.
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How do I rate a song within game?
You can use short cut keys to rate songs from within a game. Please refer to the short cut keys link for the default key combination. Remember, you can also change the short cut key combinations if you do not like the default ones, just use the Preferences menu.
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How do I change channels from within game?
You can use short cut keys to change channels from within a game. Please refer to the short cut keys link for the default key combination. Remember, you can also change the short cut key combinations if you do not like the default ones, just use the Preferences menu.
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How do I change volume from within game?
You can use short cut keys to change volume from within a game. Please refer to the short cut keys link for the default key combination. Remember, you can also change the short cut key combinations if you do not like the default ones, just use the Preferences menu.
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How do I know if you actually got my ratings & comments?
Good question! Song ratings are submitted 10 seconds after you choose a rating. Therefore, if you never choose a rating, a rating will never be submitted. You have 10 seconds from when you click on a rating to make sure it is accurate before it will be automatically submitted. A slight beep will indicate when the rating has actually been sent to TRACTION. Songs rated in-game using short cut keys are transmitted to TRACTION immediately.
You may also submit one comment per song. After you have made and submitted your comment, the send button will become disabled until the next song. Since comments are intended to address a specific song, you can only make comments while a stream is playing. All comments are actually read and reviewed by a TRACTION representative! Ratings are compiled into statistics which then adjust our playlists based on your feedback ... so, keep those ratings and comments coming!
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What is mini mode?
Mini mode is a smaller version of the large player application which takes up less desktop space. You cannot access all of TRACTION’s bonus features from mini-mode, but we thought it would be nice to have a smaller version, nonetheless. You can toggle between mini mode and the full size application by using the floating navigation buttons.
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What is the difference between TRACTION in mini mode and full size?
The main difference between mini mode and the full size application is the absence of the large video window. To access the video window, you must switch back to the full size application using the floating navigation buttons.
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Errors
I am watching the meta data which contains the artist and song name, and it is wrong!
Yes, this is a known bug. Our content delivery network has a glitch (which we are working to correct) that causes the meta data to get "stuck" temporarily on the last song played. Don't worry ... we will fix this as soon as we can!
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I get a lot of errors when I use TRACTION.
Since this a beta version, we need your help to find all of the bugs! Please report bugs to support [at] tractionradio.com
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I keep having problems not addressed here.
TRACTION does its best to provide free e-mail support for our
free application. Please e-mail support [at] tractionradio.com and be as specific as possible about your problem.
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Firewall Issues
Firewalls might pose an issue to the TRACTION Player, but due to limited testing on our beta version, we are not sure how widespread a problem this may be. Please report any problems accessing TRACTION through a firewall to support [at] tractionradio.com.
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