Thank you for buying or looking into Common Grounds!
We put a lot of work into this game and hope you'll enjoy it. If for any reason you need some help, please check out the support section or contact us. We want to be your long term friend -- any concern you have is a big deal to us!
*** Windows XP Users ***
Uncheck the 'Run Common Grounds' box at the end of the installer, and run the file "CommonGroundsXP.exe" or "CommonGroundsDemoXP.exe" located in the install directory or in the game's start menu folder.
These are minimum specifications.
It is difficult to test for everything. Your results may vary!
To install:
Run the installer and follow the instructions.
To run the game:
Locate the install folder and double click "CommonGrounds.exe" or "CommonGroundsDemo.exe" depending on your installation. If you chose to install a shortcut onto your desktop or start menu, it's a lot easier to find!
The default install folder, (copy and paste into Windows Explorer's address bar): "%USERPROFILE%\Fupoco"
Windows XP users: please follow these instructions.
To uninstall:
Double click "Uninstall.exe" located in the install folder, or open your 'control panel', then open 'add or remove programs', and uninstall it from there.
Please note! Save files are not deleted during an uninstall. They are located in a separate folder:
If you ever lose your full game installer, please contact us. Tell us the email you used to purchase it, and we will be happy to send you another to that email address!
Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8:
Open the directory "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Common Grounds Demo\data\", copy the files "_slot1.sav", "_slot2.sav", etc, and paste them into the full game's data folder "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Common Grounds\data\"
Windows XP:
Copy and paste the save files from "%USERPROFILE%\Fupoco\Common Grounds Demo\data\" into "%USERPROFILE%\Fupoco\Common Grounds\data\".
Things aren't working out for Zell.
Stuck in his hometown, going to the local college, living with his parents... he wants out. He spends most of his time alone reading his favorite author, Surfer Fox, who writes stories about love and romance, but mostly off the wall tales of juicy hot gay sex.
A surprise call from his childhood friend Roger leads to an invite into another town, a different college, and another chance at what he wants most: a boyfriend.
Roger promises a big surprise for him. Will he find what he's looking for, or further lose himself into the fantasy world crafted by Surfer Fox?
Take on the role of Zell and make the choice!
Zell
The main character tasked with a personal mission: to find a special someone before the end of the semester.
Roger
A teacher at the local college, who lets Zell crash at his place. A nice guy, but there seems to be more to him than he lets on.
Troy
Zell's other childhood friend, excited that they're now at the same school. He likes to joke that they're brothers.
Andrew
Works at the local coffee shop, Common Grounds. He often appears tired, busy, or preoccupied with his fur.
Chet
Considers himself a master of 'the game' and takes Zell on as a student. He likes to brag, often seen arguing with Max.
Max
A big tease and flirt who shares an apartment with Andrew. He has a reputation for being easy and doesn't seem to care.
Ben
Works as a resident assistant, or RA, for one of the dorms. Always happy and upbeat, most guys think he is out of their league.
AJ
A friend of Ben's who is in the school's athletic department. A nice guy, but feels weird hanging around people as out as Ben.
Sebastion
Shares a dorm room with Troy, and likes to keep to himself. Although he seems shy, he tends to freak out his close friends. You've been warned!
The object of the game is to reach 5 hearts with someone
before the end of the semester.
Stay awake and upbeat:
If your energy or fun is almost out, you will not be able to raise your stats or advance relationships. Plan your day to get the most out of it!
Trouble finding a certain character to visit:
Press the 'call' button on your phone to see who will be available during the day.
Stats too low:
You'll want to buy items from the bookstore and mall as soon as possible. They will give you extra points every time you do an activity!
Money problems:
For every point you have in focus, body, and ability, you will earn more job money.
Skip scenes:
On the 'options' page, turn the 'text speed' to 'instantly' and turn the 'auto wait' to '0 seconds'. Then during a scene, select the 'Auto' button!
Left click, enter, spacebar, ctrl: Advance text
Scroll wheel, arrow keys: Advance and control speed during sex
Right click: Toggle text box visibility during scenes
F1 key: View the help page
F4 key: Toggle full screen
Esc key: Immediately exit the game
This is the main menu.
Select the page bookmarks to flip to other menus. You can start a new game, save, load, view characters' special scenes (you must unlock them first), change options (covered below), and quit the game.
You may also change the main character's name by selecting the box in the middle!
This is the options menu.
Here you can set the volume for both the music and sound, how fast the game displays text, how fast the 'Auto' button will advance text automatically, toggle between full, windowed, and stretched displays, and toggle the custom cursor.
You can also hover over an item to see a description of what it does.
This is the hidden menu found
by hovering the mouse at the top of the screen during scenes.
From here, you can return to the save, load, and options pages found in the main menu. You can also instantly quit the game.
In the middle, you can toggle the 'Auto' button to turn on the automatic text advance feature, which you can adjust the settings in the options menu.
This menu can be found at the top-left during special scenes.
Here, it shows you what you can press to advance through the event. You can skip the scene by clicking 'Skip Scene'. You can also adjust the music volume, (not the sound FX volume,) by moving the white bar next to the musical note.
You can hide the menu by clicking anywhere else on it, and make it reappear by hovering the mouse at the top-left area to make it visible and clicking it again.
Please refer to 'license.txt' in your install folder for the complete disclaimer. You must agree to it to install and/or play the game.
All characters depicted in this work are fictional, and are not meant to represent anyone. This is a work of fantasy, and meant for entertainment purposes only. Please practice safe sex, and understand the activities shown may not match reality.
Sorry for the formal talk, but this is serious stuff. If you find this work offensive, misleading, or otherwise harmful, do not use it. And above all else: keep this away from kids. This is for adults only.
GENERAL PRODUCT LICENSE.
Your Copy Of Common Grounds (The "Software") Is Intended Solely For Your Personal Non-Commercial Home Entertainment Use. You May Not Decompile, Reverse Engineer, Or Disassemble The Software, Except As Permitted By Law. Fupoco And Its Licensors Retain All Right, Title And Interest In The Software Including All Intellectual Property Rights Embodied Therein And Derivatives Thereof. The Software, Including, Without Limitation, All Code, Data Structures, Characters, Images, Sounds, Text, Screens, Game Play, Derivative Works And All Other Elements Of The Software May Not Be Copied, Resold, Rented, Leased, Distributed (Electronically Or Otherwise), Used On A Pay-Per-Play, Coin-Op Or Other For-Charge Basis, Or For Any Commercial Purpose. Any Permissions Granted Herein Are Provided On A Temporary Basis And Can Be Withdrawn By Fupoco At Any Time. All Rights Not Expressly Granted Are Reserved.
ACCEPTANCE OF LICENSE TERMS.
By Acquiring And Retaining This Software, You Assent To The Terms And Restrictions Of This Limited License. If You Do Not Accept The Terms Of This Limited License, Do Not Install or Use This Software.
© 2012 Fupoco. All rights reserved.
Common Grounds, Fupoco, and their respective logos are trademarks of Fupoco, which may be registered in the United States and other countries.
ogglib © 2002, Xiph.org Foundation
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
- Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
- Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
- Neither the name of the Xiph.org Foundation nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE FOUNDATION OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
All other copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
If you're having trouble installing, make sure you are logged in as an administrator.
If the game won't load, or the video and audio seem messed up, please make sure you have DirectX 8 or higher installed. You can find the latest version on Microsoft's website.
Make sure your drivers are up to date. Please check your video and audio card manufacturers' websites for updates.
*** Check the frequent asked questions and troubleshooting page, found here: fupoco.com/faq/
If you have any questions or problems, or need help with the above, please contact us. If you do, please tell us if it's about Common Grounds or the demo, and as much as you can about the error.
Lead Fox:
Music and Sound:
Playtesting:
