There is a lot of confusion in the forums right now about the 4109 error. I would like to put all the technical cards on the table so people can understand this problem and what their options are for dealing with it until we resolve them.

The first part of the problem is that there are 3 totally unique error cases that lead down this error path. They are as follows:

1) You may have an X or Y drive mapped and you are trying to start a PC game
2) You may have a problem initializing the 3rd party drivers that are used to play PC games
3) You may have a problem retrieving a multiplayer key that is needed for one of the newer games like Titan's Quest This issue has been resolved

Our messaging for this error path was originally targeted toward problem 1) since this is typically the main reason this error path would come up in a fully functioning environment. Unfortunately, there are bugs that we are currently fixing and working around that have caused problems 2) and 3) to happen the vast majority of the time.

The 4109 "fix" that we posted last night should improve the situation of people who were running into case 2). If you can play any of the older PC titles (by older I mean games that were in GameTap more than 6 months), then your drivers are fine.

If you are specifically having problems playing some of the great, newer games like Titan's Quest, Dawn of War, and Full Spectrum Warrior, then your problem is most likely due to a multiplayer key error on our "new" server. We are working furiously to get it fixed. Many of the "fixes" that people are telling you to do on the forums are not in fact fixes. Some folks are just getting lucky because they have launched these games so many times that they managed to catch the server when it wasn't losing its mind. Until the server is fixed, there will not be consistent launch behavior for these games.

Please let me take a moment to personally apologize to you for the totally unacceptable performance of GameTap since our 4.0 launch. We hear your complaints loud and clear; we love these games ourselves and are killing ourselves to get these issues resolved.

Let me also assure you that we did not become idiots overnight, as several posters seem to think that we have. Most of us on the technology and support teams have been with GameTap much longer than you have. I could write an essay on why this product got released to you in this condition, but frankly it wouldn't help you play games any faster. All I can ask for is your patience. We love this product and we will fix it. We are already working on things like full screen support and a number of other technology additions that will greatly enhance the service. Oh, and by the way there are some great games coming down the line. I won't steal anyone else's thunder on that one.

Tyrion
GameTap Technical Lead / Architect