Welcome to the CrosuS F.A.Q.

Thank you for installing and using CrosuS - the ultimate tool for gamers, by gamers. Below you will find our FAQ to help you get started with CrosuS. We also encourage you to browse the official CrosuS website and visit the HIVE forums!

If your question is not answered below, do not hesitate to email support@isotx.com or post your inquiry at the CrosuS support forums. A staff member will usually get back to you within 24-48 hours.

What is CrosuS?

CrosuS is a free game management program by Isotx, Inc. It allows you to download, update, and organize all the mods and maps for your games. In addition it lets you download, update and organize freeware indie games, and open source software such as Opera and GIMP.

Unlike most programs, CrosuS is a platform made for you and run by you. We rely on user-based uploads to power our databases and encourage user input to rate our content. We reward active community participants and frequently ask for suggestions in areas to improve. We believe this focus puts you, the user, in a unique position where your voice is truly heard in the gaming world.

Accordingly, Isotx has made our CrosuS staff extremely accessible. We're always listening. You may give feedback at any time on the official CrosuS forums or email our support team via support@isotx.com.

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How do I install CrosuS?

Installing CrosuS is as easy as downloading the installer! CrosuS can be found on many websites, but for the latest version it is best to check the CrosuS Download Center. Frequently you will find that using an outdated, incorrect version leads to installation errors. We encourage you to be extra vigilant in this aspect.

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What Operating Systems does it work on?

CrosuS currently works on XP, Vista, Win2K, and Windows 2003. We don't have a mac or linux version yet, but stay tuned!

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Is CrosuS free to use?

CrosuS is and always will be a free program! There are no hidden fees whatsoever. In fact, we even pay our users  sometimes through contests and rewards - check out the Weekly Win website for more information about how to earn some quick cash while helping CrosuS grow.

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Do I have to register to use CrosuS?

Short answer: no, you can login as a guest.

Long answer: no, but you should and here's why. First off, registering for CrosuS is entirely free! It's also safe and secure; we promise through our Privacy Policy to never sell or otherwise disclose your personal information. Additionally, registered users get quite a few perks including access to our community forums, multiple downloads at the same time, access to our giveaways, and the ability to upload their own favorite items to the CrosuS library. Why not give it a try?

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CrosuS is taking a long time to load, is anything wrong?

CrosuS always updates itself upon startup so you are never running an out of date or incompatible version. Occasionally, due to your connection speed or downtime on our servers, it can take longer than expected and you will find that CrosuS will take a longer time to load than normal. If it does not load or update you of its progress within several minutes, restarting CrosuS is usually the best fix.

If the issue persists, we encourage you post to the official CrosuS support forums. A team member will usually reply within 24-48 hours.

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How do I download content on CrosuS?

Downloading is easy! Go to the content tab at the top of your screen and you'll get access to all the games, mods and maps, categorized by game or by type. You'll also be able to browse the latest content.

As an example, let's say you want to download a WARCRAFT III map to play with your friends. First you would go to content tab and then to map tab. That would open a list of games in the main window. Scroll down until you see WARCRAFT III and click on it. Now you get see all the maps available for that game.

In the left column, you get options for sorting your content. You can choose to arrange it by rating, number of downloads, or alphabetically.

For information about the difference between public and private content, please read this.

If you wish to download a standalone game (arcade games, indie games and demo games fall under this category), then go to the content tab, as before, and then to games. In the left column you will be able to choose the type of game you are looking for - shooter, strategy, puzzle etc. - and browse as before.

There is a specific shortcut if you are looking for mods. CrosuS will automatically detect your game and tou can then right-click on its name in the main list. It will bring up a menu that includes an option to find mods. Click on this, and you will be taken straight to the listing. Pretty neat, huh?

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How do I upload content on CrosuS?

Uploading to CrosuS is a painless process. All you have to do is go to the Upload button at the top of the screen, and follow the wizard for the content type you select. If you have any problems at all, just read through our step-by-step tutorial located here.

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Why should I upload to CrosuS?

CrosuS is a database powered largely by its users. As such, it is no better than its weakest link. If you appreciate CrosuS and use the platform, adding your favorite mod, tool, game or map  is a fairly easy process that helps us out more than you know.

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What content can I upload to CrosuS?

CrosuS supports four categories of content: maps, mods, indie games, and tools.

Maps and mods are allowed in a wide range for compatible games. We are adding more games to our library constantly, but we already have support for games like STARCRAFT, HALF-LIFE 2, NEVERWINTER NIGHTS 2, and more. Mods can be anything from new hairstyles for OBLIVION to new campaigns for WARCRAFT III. The possibilities truly are endless so go wild!

You can upload any standalone game as long as the creator has given permission to redistribute the game. Please, always check the website or license that comes with the game before uploading it. If in doubt, send the developer an email and reread the fine print. In addition to as homebrew and indie games, there are a few formerly commercial games that have fallen to free distribution such as ALLEGIANCE by Microsoft. These types of games are welcome as well. Again, just check the fine print and make sure it is safe to upload.

Lastly, we accept tools that are available for redistribution - anything that is open source is acceptable. This can range from browsers, to spreadsheets, to art programs, to audio programs, to 3d rendering programs, to anything else you can think of.  If you found it useful, someone else probably will too!

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Help, I can't login!?

Firstly, in order to use the login feature you must be a registered member - otherwise you must select the option to login as a guest. We encourage you to create an account for the reasons listed right here, but you do not have to make one to use CrosuS.

If you have an account, but cannot login, there's a good chance you either mistyped your login or forgot your password. The CrosuS login screen is case sensitive so we encourage you to always double-check your input if you are having issues. In the event that your login is not working, requesting a password is an easy process started through email. If you no longer have access to your email you signed up for CrosuS with, you may answer your security question to also regain access to your account. If for some reason you no longer have access to your email and cannot answer your security question, you will have to make a new account.

For this reason and others, we always encourage our users to make a memorable yet unique password and security question and to always keep their contact information current.

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Why was my upload rejected from CrosuS?

The CrosuS staff does several quality checks on all items uploaded to CrosuS. Common reasons for rejection include:

We always encourage you to try again if you don't get it right the first time. If you have any questions about why your uploads were rejected and would like to discuss the problem, get in touch with Community Manager Monique via monique@isotx.com. She will track down the problem we encountered and work with you further to make your next upload the best one yet.

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I didn't win the Weekly Win, but I participated!

By entering a contest through CrosuS, you are never promised to win. The Weekly Win has three categories for three prizes: the most uploads, random, and staff pick. The last two are completely arbitrary (i.e. anyone can win) and, while we try to be diverse in our staff pick to not let the same person win repeatedly, you aren't guaranteed to win just because you uploaded.

If you would like to discuss any contest issues, please post on our CrosuS support forums and a staff member will get back to you.

AS OF SEPTEMBER 2008, Weekly Win is temporarily unavailable. Our sincere apologies and promises that it will return someday.

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Do I have to have ModToaster to use CrosuS? What is ModToaster anyway?

ModToaster was the original CrosuS. A long time ago, people got together and created ModToaster - eventually, as it got better with a larger team, it became known as CrosuS. Sometimes this confuses people and we still get questions asking if CrosuS is an addon for MT, or if you need to use it to run CrosuS. The answer is thoroughly and completely no.

You do not have to use ModToaster at all! In fact, we encourage you not to; that program will never be updated again. CrosuS, however, is continuously growing and does the same things MT did - just better. There is really no reason to use ModToaster and we cannot offer you any technical support for it other than suggesting you check out CrosuS as soon as possible.

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CrosuS says I'm behind a router - can you help?

Right now, CrosuS gives this error if your login cannot be validated like an incorrect username or password. Make sure your login is correct, or sign in as a guest if you do not have an account, to fix this problem.

It also gives this error if your firewall is blocking CrosuS' access. CrosuS uses the 1174 port, so unblocking this will usually fix any firewall specific problems.

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What's Director?

Director is a link directory that is currently in its beta phases for CrosuS. It has not fully realized its potential, but its goal is to offer CrosuS users a way to share their favorite websites related to gaming, mod making, and other topical points. We hope to increase the functionality of Director in the upcoming weeks and encourage any suggestions on how to improve Director.

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Can I change my username for CrosuS?

You sure can! To change your username for CrosuS, please email monique@isotx.com using the email tied to your account with your current account name and your desired name change. You may also post this request on our CrosuS support forums.

Please realize that by asking us to change your name, you will be required to verify your account through email and change your password. This is for security reasons.

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I downloaded something that doesn't work, what should I do?

If you have found something that's wrong with an upload on CrosuS, let us know posthaste through either support@isotx.com or  our CrosuS support forums. Please be as detailed as possible and include your operating system, how you encountered the error, and the file(s) that aren't working.  Screenshots help immensely if there is exact error text.

We will work with you to determine the cause of the error, and if it is the file itself, remove it from CrosuS.

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What games does CrosuS support? What's on the agenda next?

CrosuS supports maps and mods for dozens of games including this generation's most popular games like TEAM FORTRESS 2 and WORLD OF WARCRAFT. With that said, our game library is never complete and is being added to on a weekly basis by our game specialist.

If you happen to have any suggestions for games we need to get compatible with CrosuS right away, our CrosuS forums are a good place to start. We are always taking suggestions - if you ask for it, there's a good chance that it will be done.

How do I make sure my feedback is heard?

Isotx and its team love your feedback on CrosuS. It gives us new ideas and we want our users to be actively involved in the feedback process. Therefore, to make sure we understand you and work with you the best way possible, please follow the guidelines below:

  1. Always post feedback to the right forum, which in this case is the CrosuS support area. If you post feedback about CrosuS to the MEC2 forums, for example, you won't reach the same developing team! Furthermore, if you take the time to put it in the right forum and right section, we're more likely to believe you are taking us serious and thusly take you serious as well.
     
  2. Please be thorough and give examples. Saying that you find CrosuS interface confusing, for example, isn't helpful. Tell us why it's confusing. Were the colors too distracting? Is the upload button in a weird place? Your change is more likely to be implemented if you can document and present it properly. Argue your viewpoint and we might just agree.
     
  3. Above all, remember we love your feedback and appreciate the effort. If your idea isn't received well, it doesn't mean you should stop trying, or that we weren't helped by it. Sometimes even the simplest suggestion can spawn days of discussion and a change bigger than first perceived.
     
  4. One last thing - don't be condescending or insulting. There is always a tactful way to phrase something and a nasty way to do it. Swearing is not tolerated, while blunt honesty is. When in doubt, don't say it.

We look forward to working with you and hearing your ideas for how to make CrosuS a better platform for gamers of all varieties.

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What is the difference between private and public content?

CrosuS has two forms of content: private and public. Public content is available to every single user, including guests who do not have an account with CrosuS. Private content, however, is generally used for betas and only privileged users are allowed access to these downloads.

If you are a developer who is interested in using CrosuS to perform beta tests for your indie game or mods, our system provides an easy way to track your downloads and by whom while maintaining a high level of security. You may email support@isotx.com for more details about how CrosuS can help your mod out.

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