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Text File | 1994-07-06 | 25KB | 509 lines

TWTERM is a very customizable program. And as such, to be real successful with it you should understand how it works and gets the data it needs to work to it's fullest. Just like anyone can drive a car, anyone can start TWTERM. But to get a full understanding of what it's capable of, you should get under the hood and learn it's inner workings. Hopefully by reading this file, TERMHELP.DOC, SCRIPT.DOC, and MODMHELP.DOC you'll get an insight into most of it. The rest will come with practice. So don't be timid... Play with TWTERM first off-line, then read all the docs. Go thru TWTERM again off-line to try out the things you learned from the docs. Once familiar with TWTERM jump into a game of TW and enjoy. ************************************************************************** GLOSSARY OF TERMS BUILT-IN These are macros that have the coding in TWTERM itself. These MACRO macros can not be modified. CAPTURE This usually means a text file that is created while playing that FILE "captures" everything that comes across your screen to a text file. In TWTERM this capture file is given an extension of .LOG and is also referred to as a LOG file. CIM Stands for Computer Interrogation Mode. This is a feature of Trade Wars, that allows a user to get 3 types of information. 1) Info on all your explored sectors. 2) Info on all your found ports. 3) Paths between sectors. TWTERM uses this feature of TW to gather some of info it needs to run. COMM This refers to the communication program you use to connect PROGRAM to a BBS. Some popular ones are.. Telemate, RipTerm, Qmodem and others. DATABASE Each game of TW that you play in will have it's own set of files that pertain to that game. These files are collectively referred to as that games Database. Each database for each game of TW will have it's own unique "GameName". EDITABLE These are macros created with TWTERM's script language, AND are MACRO stored in the TWMACROS.FIL file. They get their name because they can be edited/created on-line or off-line while in TWTERM. GAMENAME This refers to the name you assign to a particular game of TW. All files created while playing that particular game of TW will have GameName for the file name. HUGE These are macros created with TWTERM's script language. The MACRO difference of these from Editable ones is that these are more than one line long, and thus can not be saved in TWMACROS.FIL. Instead each macro is saved in it's own .MAC file for TWTERM to access and run. LOG FILE See CAPTURE FILE PRT FILE When gathering your port info from TW's CIM mode, TWTERM gives the file an extension of .PRT. SCT FILE When gathering your sector info from CIM mode, TWTERM gives the info an .SCT file extension. This is your SCT file *************************************************************************** TIP'S ON GETTING THE MOST FROM TWTERM Before you log into a game of TradeWars, I highly recommend you play with TWTERM off-line first and configure it to work with your modem. Simply specify a "GameName" for each TW game you will be playing in. For instance I play on PhotoPro BBS and Warlock's Domain BBS. I specify two gamenames, PP and WD. TWTERM then creates a configuration file for each. To specify a GameName, you can enter it on the command-line or from within TWTERM when you first start it. Now that you have your games configured, you're ready to play. You'll need to use your regular Comm program to dial and log into a game of TW. You can then EXIT or SHELL from your Comm program and start TWTERM. You can start TWTERM after you're into TW already or as the BBS loads the TW game. If you plan to use the "Find Traders" feature, then I suggest you start TWTERM as TW is being loaded. You then will have time to open a capture (LOG) file so you can record TW's opening messages. The ones that report which ships have entered sectors where you have deployed fighters. You'll need this info later when tracking opponents. Once TWTERM is started, you should see your ships shielding being raised and the main TWTERM ship console. You are now in the default 24 line display mode. To switch to a 41 line display, hit <CTRL> Z. After the shielding is raised.. you should see the game of TradeWars being displayed to the top half of the screen. If you don't see this, then stop and read MODMHELP.DOC. If you get characters that look like line noise, or get nothing at all.. then you have TWTERM configured incorrectly. MBBS users should read the MODMHELP.DOC for other problems unique to MBBS that will cause this, eventhough TWTERM is configured correctly. The main screen displays all the <CTRL> and "F" keys that are at your disposal. There is a large patterned grid on the right. Here will be displayed most of TW's commands that you can use while in the game. You should also notice some Cyan colored windows. These display some of your current stats: GAME NAME current games database name. This name is used to access all the data files of that game. SD is the location of Stardock. If you have found Stardock and have used the "SCAN A LOG" feature, then you should have the location of Stardock saved in your .DAT file. This location is taken from the .DAT file and displayed here so you'll never again forget the sector Stardock is in. KNOWN when you load the .SCT and .PRT files for the game, TWTERM calculates the percentage explored and displays it here. LAST PATH this reminds you of the last path you took. The sector on the right is the current sector you are in. The sector on the left is the sector you just came from. LAST THEFT this displays the last port you robbed or stole at. Helpful in case you forget, don't want to rob the same port twice in a row. TWTERM can be used as an interface to TW. But if you want real power, and the ability to use many of TWTERM's features, you'll need a database to work with. You're main database will consist of three files. From these 3 files TWTERM creates other files that can be examined and used while on or off-line. Two of the files you'll need, can be downloaded from TW itself. To download these, you must be in a game of TW. Then use the "CIM Access" feature <CTRL> C. TWTERM downloads a .SCT and a .PRT file that contain info on all the sectors you have explored and ports you have found. The third file you'll need is a .DAT file. This file contains info on the game, all your planets, mines, deployed fighters, ship locations, class 0's, busted ports, etc.. This .DAT file is created by yourself. To create this file, you'll need to: 1) Open a Log file ("F3") 2) Display from TW the game stats("V") and all your personal and corporation info. I've included a macro in TWTERM that will help you in displaying this info. Run TWSTATS.MAC. You can also edit TWSTATS.MAC to fit your personal needs. 3) Run the "Scan A Log" feature to gather all this data and save it in the .DAT file. Congratulations! You've now configured TWTERM to work with the games you'll be playing in, and you've got you're database for each one. Now you're ready to start putting TWTERM to work for you. I run daily at the end (and at the beginning of my playing session <CTRL> C (CIM Access) to get me the latest info on my explored universe. I also run the TWSTATS macro to keep me updated as to the location of my assets. In addition, there are some other features that can be put to good use. This is very helpful if you plan to do some off-line strategy mapping when done playing. You may also want to do the above when you first log in to the game so you'll have the latest updated info when you play. F4 is the key to use when you want to gather info on your universe. Then use the F1 key to view all this info. I suggest running these features as you need them. F10, the Utility Menu is the place where you can store/save the commands of other programs you would like to run from within TWTERM. I mostly use this for running DOS commands (that way I don't have to shell to DOS and the entries are saved in a text file for later use also). I like to rename files or move files about here. F7, the Macro Menu is where you can create and save your own personal macros. For instance, I can't anticipate every players playing style. So if there is not a Built-In macro to do something you need done, you can always customize TWTERM to your needs by creating your macros here using the TWTERM script language. I know what you're thinking... "I don't know how to code those things". Let me tell you, this language is so simple my 8 year-old can do it. There are basically only 1 command you need.. SEND which sends a text string to the modem (just like your keyboard sends input to the computer) and then it waits for the next prompt to be received from the modem, where it then returns control back to TWTERM (unless you specified another SEND). I've included a few macros here for you to play with and study. TWSTATS.MAC and TWMACROS.FIL are text files that contain the macros. Read more about these later in the docs. F5 is the map screen where you can view any sector and it's surrounding sectors. Good to use when searching for a home sector, or for checking out others homes sectors. I also use this a lot when I want to block Stardock, as I can study the warps in and out. F5 is also where you can get info on particular ports in the game. This info tells what that port buys and sells and how much is on hand. <CTRL> C is the Flight Recorder. A lot of folks ask what this is used for and how it differs from a capture file. A capture file (created by using F3) is a text file of all the text that was displayed to the screen AFTER the ANSI escape codes are taken out. With the Flight Recorder, these ANSI codes are kept in. That allows one to actually replay your playing session off-line in full color. JUST AS IF YOU WERE ON-LINE. Why would you do such a thing? For one I find it easier to study my game play by watching this instead of reading a capture file. Secondly, you could send your playing session to a teammate who can replay it on his computer. Thus your teammate can open and close capture files of your playing session and gather data from it. A third use, may be in creating a library of your game. I rename each days flight recorder file to the gamename and date. I then save it. I have one for each day I've played. I can now replay and review any one of my playing sessions at any time. Did you lose that scrap of paper that told where Ferrengal was? No prob, pull out the recording that has it, and get it again. you'll never lose another bit of data with this baby. Lose your .DAT file and now you don't know where your assets are? Use this to create another .DAT file. F2 is the Ship Control Center. Here you can set a password for your ship (in case you want to use the password in macros), tell TWTERM whether your current ship has a T-Warp Drive or Planet Scanner (needed by some of the Built-In macros), and for calculating the distance from any sector to the ships in your fleet (real helpful if your current ship has a small transport range). "Power-Pak" owners get even more features. They have access to the Built-In macros displayed on the F7 menu. They have access to all the features listed on the F4 menu. I hope you decide to order TWTERM's Power-Pak and help the growth of TWTERM. In exchange I promise to bring you more exciting features to enhance your playing session. *************************************************************************** FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS --------------------- Q> I'm getting "Out of String Space" errors when scanning a log file. Help! A> There are a lot of things to scan in a .LOG file. Unfortunately I can't allocate unlimited memory to each item. So in essence, you have more assets then I thought one would have. What would be real nice.. is if you could send me your .LOG file (via file attachment at my support BBS or via US Mail) That way I can run it here and see what happens, make corrections, and send you an updated copy. --------------------- Q> I keep forgetting what each Icon means. Is there help for me? A> For a brief description of what each Icon stands for, hit "F1" then "A" --------------------- Q> How can I print the MAP screen (F5) on my printer? A> First you need a printer that will support printing graphics. See your printers manual for more on this. Secondly you need to load a graphic driver BEFORE starting TWTERM. DOS supplies one of these called GRAPHIC.COM. However you can also search your local BBS for one. Then while in TWTERM use your keyboards PRINT SCRN key. --------------------- Q> I really need to do some trading. How do I find the nearest Paired-Port to the sector I'm in? A> On the Data Screen (F4), there is a feature (N) that will display the nearest ports to any sector you specify. For this feature to work it needs a .PRT file (CIM's port info file) to scan and locate near ports. If you don't have a .PRT file, you can get one by running "<CTRL> C" while on-line. With a .PRT file, TWTERM can locate the nearest ports. But which ones are Paired-Port ones? TWTERM will mark it as a Paired-Port with a "PP" in the Nearest Ports Listing. For it to know which is a Paired-Port you need a .BST file for TWTERM to access. You can create a .BST file first by hitting "F4" then "P". In review.. you need a .PRT and .BST file to be alerted to nearest Paired Ports when running the "Nearest Ports" feature. --------------------- Q> I write a lot of macros that I store in .MAC files. Is there a way I can edit them while in TWTERM? A> Sure. You can edit them in a Text Editor/Word Processor without ever leaving TWTERM. First let me state, that TWTERM uses a lot of memory so you may not have much left over for running a Text Editor. I recommend TED3.COM, because it uses very little memory. Download it from a local BBS. Once you have a Text Editor, you can use TWTERM's Utility Menu (F10) to start the Editor and load any text file you wish to edit. This works great for editing .MAC files. --------------------- Q> What is the Flight Recorder for? A> First let's understand how the Flight Recorder works (<CTRL> B). When on-line, it captures all incoming data from the modem and saves it to disk in a text file called TWRECORD.TWT. When off-line, it displays the TWRECORD.TWT file to the screen, just like you were playing in a game of TW. This .TWT file can be used off-line for creating capture files, writing macros, exchanging with team-mates so they can gather data from them, and more. Only limited in use by your imagination. --------------------- Q> Can I use TWTERM in local mode? A> I haven't tried it, but here are some thoughts. Try using a NULL modem to send TW data out one port and in another. Ask you local SYSOP on how to do this. Another way, is to use some multi-tasking software like DesqView. Then in TWTERM specify a com port of 0 when playing TW. Good luck and hope one way works for you. If it does let me know. --------------------- Q> How can I see if a certain file exists in my TWTERM directory? A> Push "F1" then "Z" to see a display of files in the current directory. --------------------- Q> The gamename isn't the word "gamename"? How do I configure it? A> The reason you need to give a name when starting TW, is because many folks play in more then one game of TW. I myself, am currently playing in 4 games. Since each game needs it's own set of files, it would be ridiculous to name the databases for each game the same. How would you distinguish which file goes to which game? So what you do is specify a name (of your choosing) when starting TWTERM. Then, whenever TWTERM creates a file that is unique to that game of TW, it fives the file that name. For instance the boards I play on are listed below along with the name I've assigned to each game. BBS name Game Name PhotoPro! PP Warlocks WAR French Flyer FF Punkin Duster PD Now when I look thru my TWTERM directory, all files named "FF" belong to the TW game I'm in on French Flyer BBS. When you specify a "GameName". TWTERM looks for a file with the same name and the extension of .CFG. If that file doesn't exist, TWTERM creates one (a configuration menu pops up for you to fill out). Now you have a config file for that particular game of TW. Whenever you start TWTERM after that and specify that GameName it will load that config file and any other files that pertain to that game of TW. --------------------- Q> I can't get TWTERM to print a file. A> "<CTRL> P" is the print menu. If that doesn't work with your printer then you may have a printer that is not compatible with TWTERM. Make sure first that TWTERM has the correct line port listed in it's config file. Push "F8" to see if the correct line port is specified. If it is and it still doesn't work, then you'll need to customize TWTERM to work with your setup. Go to TWTERM's Utility Menu (F10). Here you can enter a DOS command to run. Type in: COPY filename.ext PRN here. Now whenever you want to print a file use F10 instead of <CTRL> P. Simply type in the name of the file to print and run DOS's print command from here. --------------------- Q> When I start TWTERM, I keep getting a message saying "Can't Locate TWTERM's graphic file". What does this mean? A> TWTERM needs access to TWTERM.GFX which is a file with all the icons in it. Without that the program won't run. Make sure that file is in the same directory as TWTERM. If you don't have that file, then d/l TWTERM again. --------------------- Q> Somehow I manage to get the display to hang. No matter what keys I press, I can't get the TW game to display again. A> When this happens, it's best to exit TWTERM and restart your comm program. After your comm program gets the modem back in synch (when the TW game starts displaying), then you can exit your comm and go back to TWTERM. Hopefully you'll only have to do this on a rare occasion. --------------------- Q> I follow your instructions, but I can't get TWTERM to display my TW game at all. A> Make sure you have configured TWTERM for the correct Baud Rate, Com Port, IRQ, and handshaking. If you don't know what they are, then look up the correct settings in your comm program. Since your comm program works it must be using the correct settings. Most comm programs have a window that displays these settings. Use the same settings for TWTERM. Read MODMHELP.DOC for more info. --------------------- Q> When I display my Flight Recorder off-line, how can I slow the display down? A> Few things can be done. 1) Make sure Space Graphics are ON. 2) Switch to 41 line display 3) And hit your computer's "Turbo" button. You know, the one that toggles your computer speed from 33Mhz to 16Mhz or something like that. Usually on the front of your computer. don't forget to switch it back when done. --------------------- Q> I'm in a 3000 sector universe. I tried to do Level Diagramming but it was taking too long so I aborted it. Can't you break it down into 100 or 200 sector groups for each level? A> Granted TWTERM is broken down into 3 levels. However you must do all the sectors at one time for each level. Remember though that TWTERM skips sectors where you have already found a path. So while it may take 10 minutes to do the first 1000 sectors in a 2000 sector game, it'll only take 5 minutes to do the second half. So don't be worried it starts off slow.. it picks up steam. --------------------- Q> TWTERM gives me two CIM files. An .SCT and a .PRT. I like using TWASSIST, but it needs one file with the two above combined. Can TWTERM add these two files together? A> That is one of the gems of TWTERM. It's pretty customizable. To do the above you use TWTERM's Utility Menu (F10). Here you can execute DOS commands (amongst others). So why not set up a hotkey in TWTERM that uses a DOS command to combine the two. Type this in your utility menu and it will be saved for future use also: COPY /A gamename.SCT+gamename.PRT TWASSIST.SCT ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ use the same "gamename" you gave TWTERM when loading If you set the above command in the Utility menus 1 spot then you would access the Utility menu and run #1 to create the TWASSIST file. And you never have to leave TWTERM to do it. --------------------- Q> I ran one of the macros for trading and it hung, what did I do wrong? A> TWTERM handles two versions of TW 2.0. The MBBS version and the Door version. If you are playing on the MBBS version you need to specify the /M switch. This way TWTERM will use the prompts for the MBBS version of TW when trading. (BTW, that works the other way too.. if playing in the Door version, don't use the /M switch) --------------------- Q> I play Trade Wars on a MajorBBS. When starting TWTERM, I get TWTERM screen ok, but I'm not seeing the game of Trade Wars. How come I can't get anything to appear on the top half of the screen? A> This could be 2 things..one is that you may not have TWTERM configured properly. Go to F8 and see if the settings are the same there as you connected with.. 14.4 users should have CTS/RTS, while 2400 have NONE. Make sure the IRQ is the correct one, and the Baud rate. Read MODMHELP.DOC for more info. The second is a problem unique to MajorBBS. Since it is multi-player you get stuff coming to your screen eventhough you push no keys.. Things like Log-on messages, Comm-Link messages, pages, subspace channels, etc.. The BBS is constantly sending these messages to your modem. Now when you exit (or shell) to DOS to start TWTERM.. these messages keep coming. Since you have no comm program controlling the modem these messages start filling up the buffer (especially at 14.4). Now, by the time you get TWTERM started, the modem has closed itself. Hence no TW display or message displays come in. Now your forced to exit TWTERM, restart your comm program to get the modem back in synch, and then try again.. what a hassle. So to prevent the above from happening, here are some suggestions.. 1) BEFORE leaving your comm program, turn off all incoming messages. Later you can turn them back on while in TWTERM. 2) Or.. Try to start TWTERM faster before your modem has a chance to screw up. The best way to do this is to use a .BAT file for starting TWTERM. I use one I named, TWTERM.BAT. When I exit my comm program, I run the .BAT file. The .BAT file takes me to my TWTERM directory, then starts TWTERM with the correct commands, then returns me to my comm program when done with TWTERM. Fast and easy. If any of the above methods fail.. remember to go back to your comm program and get the modem back in synch before you try again. *********************************************************************** FINAL TIPS If you are upgrading this TWTERM from previous version, you may have to erase your games .CFG files. You will know it when TWTERM gags while it starts. This will happen if the version you are upgrading is TWTERM 2.1 or before. The formats in the .CFG files are different. If you should encounter an error while using a feature of TWTERM, always check the data being read by TWTERM first before you blame it on a bug. Sometimes it is.. but much of the time, the error is caused by bad data being read. See if it is complete, in the proper formats, and with the correct information. If not.. you may have to get a fresh DATA file for TWTERM to process. Sometimes bad data gets saved due to line noise or other glitches of the BBS.