Try alt+tab to switch to SDL_app instead. The frontend and the engine are two different apps. Make sure you got SDL_app running (Use process manager or whatever).
This was an unoficial post. I take no responcibility for anything in any circumstances, lol.

Well, it's not. And there is no EXE file of such a name, only DLLs. Itried to launch hwengine
and the result was:

An unhandled exception occurred at $0040FFD3 :
EInOutError : File not open
$0040FFD3

An unhandled exception occurred at $00410189 :
EInOutError : File not open
$00410189
$004072E0
$00433FC9
$00407DF7
$0040FFD3

iTom
Err. You cannot launch hwengine.exe like that. It needs some instructions from hedgewars.exe first.

Process name: hwengine.exe
Caption: SDL_app
I doubt frontend wouldn't say anything if the engine wouldn't start. Try earlier versions. Are you sure there's no error message? Just "purple sky and islands"?

Well... It's possible that frontend wouldn't notice that engine crashed if it does just after the start. Do you see land preview in frontend in multiplayer? Please, post here debug log.

Yes, plus a yellow text "In game..." in the upper left corner.

The same result as in the single player mode. Another strange thing: a newly created team was available only after restarting the application.

I can't find a log file. There is no file name containing strings 'debug' or 'log' in the bin and share folders and sub folders

Lurk C:\Documents and Settings\*your name*\.hedgewars for windows
or
your name\.hedgewars for linux (can't remember xactly)

0: Console write: -= Hedgewars 0.9.7 =-
0: Console write: -= by unC0Rr =-
0: Prefix: "./"
0: 0: C:\games\Hedgewars 0.9.7\bin\hwengine.exe
0: 1: C:/Documents and Settings/Ford/.hedgewars
0: 2: 1635
0: 3: landpreview
0: Console write: Init SDL_Net...
0: Console write: ok
0: Console write: Establishing IPC connection...
0: Couldn't connect to remote host
0: Console write: Couldn't connect to remote host
-= halt at 0 ticks =-

I changed the firewall options and it started ok. Thanks a lot

iTom
Well i didn't understood shit, but it lookes you were attempting to play online. The better describe your problems in details next time. For now, you're welcome' lol.

No, not at all. The application obviously needs a tcp/ip connection even for a single player game. I changed Comodo firewall settings to allow connections to and from HW on the local network and now HW works fine.

iTom
Sheesh, this might be and issue you have to tell Uncor. 'Cause i've launche hedges on machines that wasn't connected and even had no possibility to connect to teh internet.

Basically, it'll open the port, wether or not your online. If a firewall blocks this action the process will be truncated, hence killing the game. Maybe unC0Rr could incorporate a "Online check" first to prevent this happening to people with a firewall like this.

I get the same thing on Ubuntu 9.04 x86_64 with version 0.9.9 from getdeb, but my debug0.txt is like this:

     0: Console write: -= Hedgewars 0.9.9 =-
     0: Console write:    -= by unC0Rr =-   
     0: Prefix: "./"
     0: 0: /usr/lib/hedgewars/bin/hwengine
     0: 1: /home/d1337r/.hedgewars
     0: 2: 1024
     0: 3: 768
     0: 4: 32
     0: 5: 60601
     0: 6: 0
     0: 7: 1
     0: 8: ru.txt
     0: 9: 128
     0: 10: 8
     0: 11: /usr/share/games/hedgewars/Data
     0: 12: 1
     0: 13: 1
     0: 14: ZDEzMzdy
     0: 15: 1
     0: Console write: Init SDL... 
     0: Console write: ok
     0: Console write: Init SDL_ttf... 
     0: Console write: ok
     0: ParseCommand "fullscr 0"
     0: Prepare to change video parameters...
     0: Freeing old primary surface...
-= halt at 0 ticks =-

Videocard is ATI Radeon HD 3200 with fglrx driver from ati.amd.com .

Most probably it's videodriver's fault

Same problem. Can't play 0.9.10 neither Debian nor Ubuntu with ATI Radeon HD3850 on 9.3-9.4 driver (fglrx). All were fine with fglrx in Hedgewars 0.9.9. Now (Ubuntu 9.04, ati prop. driver 9.4):

With open-source Radeon drivers everything starts fine, but they are not so fast (lags in 640x480 too) as fglrx
Hope this help to developers.

I'm getting the same thing with a Radeon 4850 fglrx 8.600 driver (9.4) in Ubuntu 9.04.

Have to use wine and it doesn't work nearly as well.

Same problem on ubuntu 9.04, Hedgewars 0.9.10 and ATI HD2400 with fglrx from ati website...

Well, I have no idea what the issues are since my nvidia + 9.04 setup works fine
as does my intel + 9.04

However, are you sure you are on the right nvidia package? those get screwed up sometimes during upgrades.

I'm runnin nvidia 180.44 - you?

Between 0.9.9 and 0.9.10 the main change was to downgrade the opengl to support GLES11 - this should expand the range of devices, not cause problems with standard cards.

Sorry, I've made a mistake, I've wrote nvidia but I'm running ATI, I've edited my last post.
Before, I was playing on 0.9.4-1, and all worked nice...

(sorry, I'm french so my english skills aren't perfects ...)