faust.uni-paderborn.de 5000 GETTING STARTED ON IOS In this document, I've used ``quotation marks'' to set apart the names of commands. Please don't type the quotation marks when using the commands. This is a quick, five-minute course on how to use the Internet Othello Server. It's not meant to replace the normal IOS help system, which can give you complete details and syntax for any command. To use that system, type ``help'' for a complete list of commands, or ``help {name of command}'' for information about any specific command. There are a lot of tricks and functions which won't be covered here but which you'll want to learn as you become familiar with IOS. 1. What is IOS? The Internet Othello Server, located at the University of Paderborn, Germany, is a computer which allows Othello / reversi players to play against each other, observe others' games, or simply chat. 2. Logging on You've probably logged onto IOS as an unregistered user. Once you've registered, a password will be required for anyone to log on under your special username. That prevents someone else from playing under your name and ruining your rating! Type ``help register'' for complete information. 3. Who else is here? There are several different commands for figuring out who else is logged onto the server. * The command ``who'' gives you a complete list of the users logged in. If you use the ``who'' column and look under the column marked ``G,'' you may see game numbers next to some of the players' names. If ant+ and jcarney+ each have the number ``2'' in the G column, that means those two players are currently playing game number 2. * The command ``players'' is similar to ``who'' but only shows you the users who are available to play. This chart will ususally be shorter than the ``who'' chart, since it won't include players in the middle of a game or those who have specifically made themselves unavailable. * The command ``games'' will list the games currently being played, showing you who is active. 4. Are these computer programs or real people? Good question -- and one that's not always easy to answer. If you become a regular IOS user, you'll learn to recognize many of the usernames and you'll know whether they're human or computers. You can use the ``finger'' command to call up information about a player, and that listing will sometimes (but not always) tell you the player's real name or mention that it is a computer program. Type ``finger ant+'' and you'll see that ant+ is a computer program; type ``finger jcarney'' and you'll see that he's John Carney, a real live human. But not every listing includes a name or description. You can also try talking to a player, using the ``tell'' command: ``tell {name of user} Hi. Would you like to play a game?'' Humans will often respond; computer programs usually won't. If a human player doesn't respond, it may because the message scrolled off his or her screen before he or she noticed it. Or the player may have the type of Internet connection which allows him or her to stay logged into IOS for long periods of time, in which case he or she may not be paying attention to the computer at the moment. 5. How do I play a game? If you want to play a human opponent, you may want to strike up a conversation first, using the ``tell'' command. But when you're ready to start a game, with either a human or a computer program, type ``match {name of user}'' to challenge that user. This will send a message from you offering a match. The other user can accept, decline or just ignore your message. If someone offers you a game, you'll see a message including the words ``match from'' pop up on your screen. Simply type ``accept {name of user}'' if you agree to play, or ``decline {name of user}'' if you don't. The default game on IOS allows each player 15 minutes for all of his or her moves. You can specify a different time if you like; type ``help match'' for details. 6. How do I watch someone else's game? Find the game number through the ``who'' or the ``games'' chart, and then type ``observe {game number}''. You can find out who else is watching the game with the ``whoobs {game number}'' command. You can talk to other observers and/or players, but be courteous. The ``kib {game number}'' command sends a message which can be seen by players and by other observers. But if you're watching a serious match, you're better off using ``whisp {game number}'' to send your message only to the other observers. That way you don't distract or unfairly help a player. 7. What next? If you think you'll be stopping by in the future, you'll probably want to register, which gives you the right to maintain a rating. With a rating, you can see how you compare to other players -- that's helpful when looking for opponents in your general skill level. (Don't be afraid to play stronger players, though -- that's how you improve.) Registered players can also have transcripts of their games mailed to them automatically -- a great way to help you study your play and improve your skills. Type ``help register'' for details on how to register. Please follow the directions carefully! You'll probably want to check out one of the ``client'' programs available for various computers and operating systems. A client program replaces the Xs and Os of the basic IOS display with a stable, attractive graphic screen. Since your game board isn't constantly scrolling off the screen, you're less likely to miss messages from other players. A client program also lets you use what's called ``trust mode,'' in which your moves are timed by your own computer, rather than by IOS. That way, you aren't penalized when the Internet suffers from ``lag,'' a condition that slows down communication between your computer and IOS. Type ``help clients'' for more information about client programs. Also, be sure and check out the regular IOS tournaments, held on the first Saturday of each month. Start times are changed from month to month in fairness to players from various time zones around the world. Some tournaments allow only human players; others allow both humans and computer programs. So, welcome to IOS -- and have fun! -------------- By John Carney (jcarney@InfoAve.Net), documentation coordinator, International Internet Othello Association