I downloaded the stand alone installer to install the game. When it launched, I saw a black screen and then a Java crash screen that said the following:
We were unable to initialize the game's graphical display. Please take the following steps to ensure compatibility:
Visit the technical support forum for up-to-date information and suggestions.
Make sure your system satisfies the game's minimum requirements.
Update your video drivers.
Ensure that hardware video acceleration is fully enabled.
I am running Windows 7 64-bit Professional SP1, AMD Athlon II X4 2.9 GHz, 4GB Ram, ATI Radeon x1950 512 MB. Everything is up-to-date, drivers and all. I uninstalled Spiral Knights and Java, reinstalled both and still had the same error. As the Technical Support page suggested, I tried to screen settings in Registry Editor. When I get to the specified "projectx" folder, the only values that can be edited are "(Default)" and "language". I uninstalled and reinstalled both Spiral Knights and Java again with no change. Any ideas would be appreciated.
If the game doesn't get to start then the registry settings are not written.
It seems there is something funny going on with the Radeon X1000 series cards. One confirmed solution was to make sure that Catalyst A.I. in the control center for these drivers is set to standard/off.