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▌ULTRADECK(c) 1995 Alexander Schonfeld, All Rights Reserved ▐
▌ The Ultimate Deck/Collection Development System for Magic:The Gathering{tm}▐
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Version 2.1
User's Guide
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│TABLE OF CONTENTS
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1. CREDITS
2. RUNNING ULTRADECK - Getting started
3. ULTRADECK BASICS
3.1 Loading a previously saved deck
3.2 Loading all cards with <F5>
3.3 Entering cards individually
3.4 Using the FIND function
4. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LIST WINDOW
4.1 Field descriptions
4.2 Deleting all cards from the list window
4.3 Printing the current deck
5. THE INFO GRID
6. THE TAG FUNCTION - Selecting groups of cards
6.1 Tagging a single card
6.2 Tagging multiple cards
6.3 Selecting the tag method
7. THE DRAW FUNCTION - Playtesting your deck
8. THE MANA FUNCTION - Tuning your deck
9. THE SORT FUNCTION (Registered version only)
10. THE FIND FUNCTION (Registered version only)
Appendix A - Keyboard quick reference & mouse usage
Appendix B - How to acquire updated data files & future versions
Appendix C - Troubleshooting
Appendix D - Modifying the default configuration options
Appendix E - The .TEK file format
Appendix F - Creating a "sideboard"
Appendix G - Upgrading to the registered version and other details
Appendix H - I own a comic shop! How do I get to sell UltraDeck?
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│1. CREDITS
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Software - Alexander Schonfeld (alexs@cs.pdx.edu)
Misc Source - Andrew Eigus for source on changing vga fonts! (very
helpful) All the people who worked on tons of fire
routines and distribute source on the net! Thanks all...
Price list - Cloister Bell (kindly distributed bi-weekly)
Card data - Lots of nice people on the net. (please tell me about
mistakes)
Features - Rene Reichardt (thanks for all the help on the card data
too!), and all other people who have sent suggestions.
User's Guide - Tom Tullio (who also maintains the US UltraDeck WWW page)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│2. RUNNING ULTRADECK
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
To run the program, change to the directory containing UltraDeck, and
type ULTDECK, followed by an optional deck filename if you wish to have one
loaded automatically. For example:
C:\ULTDECK>ULTDECK REDFUN
After the title screen is displayed and all card data is loaded in from the
ULTDECK.UDX data file, the main screen will appear. If you specified a valid
deck filename on the command-line in the previous step, the data from that
deck will be loaded and displayed. Otherwise, the list window will be empty.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│3. ULTRADECK BASICS
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Basic operation involves moving the selection bar up and down the list
window with the cursor keys and making changes to card counts and comments.
Card counts can be modified incrementally by using the + and - keys, or
directly with the numbers 0 through 9. (To increase a card's count beyond
9, you must use the + key.) Card listings can be removed from the current
deck by pressing Delete.
Now would probably be a good time to explain how to get cards into the
list window in the first place! There are four methods:
1: LOAD a previously saved .TEK file
2: Press <F5> to quickly load ALL available cards
3: Enter cards individually
4: Use the Find function (Registered version only)
LOADING A PREVIOUSLY SAVED DECK:
Pressing CTRL-L (or clicking on the LOAD button with the mouse) will
display a directory listing in the info box below the card list window. All
.TEK files in the UltraDeck directory will appear in this listing. Simply
select a file from the list and press Enter.
If there are already entries in the list window, you will be asked
whether you wish to append the new deck to the current entries. Answering
YES will add the cards in the saved deck to your current card listings, and
add card counts together when duplicates are encountered. In other words, 1
Atog in the list window and 4 Atogs in a previously-saved deck file will
combine into one entry showing a count of 5. If you answer NO, any current
cards displayed in the list window will be removed when the new deck is
loaded.
LOADING ALL CARDS WITH <F5>:
Pressing <F5> will read in all cards contained in the ULTDECK.UDX file.
(See Appendix B for information on how to acquire updated .UDX files.) As
when loading a previously-saved deck, you have the option of appending or
overwriting. Cards added in this manner will inherit the COUNT value
entered into the "#" field on the "NEW CARD..." line of the list window. By
default this is zero. If you wish to modify this value, do so (using the
+/- or number keys as described above) before pressing <F5>.
Depending on your configuration (see Appendix D), default card COMMENTS
may be loaded along with basic card information and price data.
ENTERING CARDS INDIVIDUALLY:
Pressing the Insert key will move the selection bar to the "New Card"
line in the list window, and allow you to enter text into the Name field.
Type in the name of the card you wish to add -- or just a portion of the
name -- and press Enter. UltraDeck will search the database and show the
results of the search on the prompt line at the bottom of the screen. Case
is irrelevant. For example, if you enter MAST Z, UltraDeck will respond with
Find: "Zombie Master" - accept? (Enter) accept, (Esc) abort
If this is not the card you want to add, press any key (other than Enter or
Esc) and UltraDeck will search for another match. When you do confirm a card
by pressing Enter, UltraDeck will check to see if the card already exists in
the current deck. If it does, the COUNT for that card will be incremented
by the value listed in the "NEW CARD..." count field and jump to that card's
entry in the list window. (It is possible to create multiple entries for a
single card in the list window if you have "duplicate prompting" enabled.
See Appendix D for information on activating this option.) If the card does
not already exist in the current deck, it will be added using the "NEW
CARD..." COUNT value. When there are no further matches in the card
database, the search will end.
At this point, you should be able to piece together deck files and/or
maintain a checklist of your complete collection, using just the most basic
functions UltraDeck offers. Just remember to use the FILE command (ALT-F)
to give your deck a (valid DOS) filename, and SAVE (ALT-S) frequently!
USING THE FIND FUNCTION:
This function, which is not available in the shareware version of
UltraDeck, is covered in section 10 below.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│4. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LIST WINDOW
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
In addition to the card NAMES shown in the far left column of the list
window (which should be fairly self-explanatory), UltraDeck displays 5 other
columns of essential data.
FIELD DESCRIPTIONS:
The COMMENT field can serve many purposes. You are free to edit comments
as you see fit (perhaps to annotate cards you wish to acquire, or to indicate
cards that are restricted/banned from tournament play), or you can make use
of the extensive default comments that are included with UltraDeck itself.
These default comments provide a quick way to determine the basic function
of a card by listing creature power/toughness, special abilities, mana
production capacity, etc. The abbreviations used in the comments are:
B = Banding
Cx = Cumulative upkeep + amount
D = Causes a discard
F = Flying
G = Regenerates
Mc = Generates mana + color
Pc = Protection from + color
Rx = Rampage + value
S = First strike
T = Trample
Wc = Landwalking + color
l = Legendary landwalk
d = Desertwalk
!x = Causes direct damage + amount
+ = Adds power or toughness to a creature
- = Subtracts power or toughness from a creature
b = black
w = white
g = green
r = red
u = blue
x = colorless
The next column to the right is the card COUNT, which you maintain by
using the number keys as described in section 3 above. (If you have 12
Atogs, put a 12 in this column!)
Next is the spell TYPE. Standard spell types are abbreviated where
necessary, and summoning spells omit the word "Summon" in favor of the
creature type. (Note however that when using the sort options described
below, sorting by TYPE does not differentiate between creature "species."
On the other hand, individual creature species *is* respected when TAGGING
cards by TYPE. See the appropriate descriptions below for examples.)
Casting COST is displayed in the next column. By default, an "X" in a
card's casting cost is evaluated as "1" for the purposes of sorting, but this
can be modified in the ULTDECK.CFG file. (See Appendix D)
The RARITY column is annotated with abbreviated edition/expansion set
values, so you can easily determine which cards came from what printings.
The abbreviations used are:
C = Common (with sublevel numbers = number per sheet)
U = Uncommon (with sublevel numbers = number per sheet)
R = Rare
X = Basic lands
n = Arabian Nights
q = Antiquities
l = Legends
d = The Dark
f = Fallen Empires
i = Ice Age
c = Chronicles
g = The Gathering (with multiple rarity listings to differentiate
between 4th Edition, Revised, Unlimited/Limited, in that
order from left to right. A dash indicated that the card was
not available in a certain printing. For example, a card with
a rarity of "g-UU" was uncommon in the Limited/Unlimited and
Revised printings, but not included at all in the 4th Edition.)
Finally, the far right column displays the card's dollar value. These
values are imported from the Cloister price index available on the Internet,
and can be updated with new price data using the PRIC-UDX utility available
in the registered version of UltraDeck.
DELETING ALL CARDS FROM THE LIST WINDOW:
The "CLEAR" button at the top of the screen (ALT-C) will remove all
cards from the list window. You are asked for confirmation before this
deletion occurs.
PRINTING THE CURRENT DECK:
UltraDeck can output the contents of the list window and info grid (see
below) to either a text file (the default) or directly to a printer. You
choose the destination by pressing <ALT-T> or by clicking on the "TO"
button. Print the file using <ALT-P> or by clicking on "PRINT"
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│5. THE INFO GRID
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Below the main list window is the information grid. There are 5
different displays that appear here, which you can cycle through by pressing
the TAB key, or by clicking on the "? #%$ TXT" button. The displays are:
- KEYBOARD COMMAND QUICK REFERENCE (default)
- COUNT or CASTING COST values
- COUNT or CASTING COST percentages
- DOLLAR VALUE
- COMPLETE CARD TEXT
By default, displays #2 and #3 show data based on the CASTING COST of
your cards. To switch this to card COUNTS (i.e. "How many red enchantments
do I have," instead of "What is the total casting cost of all my red
enchantments") press <SHIFT-TAB> or click on the grid itself with the mouse.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│6. THE TAG FUNCTION
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Once you begin working with hundreds of cards in the list window, it
will become quite convenient to manipulate multiple cards simultaneously.
For example, you may be in the process of building a deck that contains no
green cards -- ridding yourself of each of them individually would be a
serious hassle, especially if you've loaded all card data into the list
window with the <F5> key!
TAGGING A SINGLE CARD:
Tagging a single card is easy -- simply press the spacebar when the
card is highlighted by the selection bar, and the tag symbol will appear to
the left of the card name. A single tagged card acts as a model for tagging
similar cards using the TAG function (ALT-G).
TAGGING MULTIPLE CARDS:
What does "tagging similar cards" really mean? By default, UltraDeck
tags by their COLOR, which is fine for our example of removing all green
cards from the current deck. We simply move the cursor over a green card
and then tag all cards of the same color by pressing the TAG button
(or ALT-G). Now that we have multiple cards tagged, any action we take on
any one of those tagged cards will affect all other tagged cards. Increment
the count of a tagged card (using the + key) and watch all other counts go up
by one as well! Pressing the Delete key will remove all tagged cards, after
asking for confirmation on the prompt line.
Note that when tagging creature cards (i.e. summoning spells), the
"species" of the creature is relevant. Tagging one Goblin and then using
the TAG BY TYPE method will result in all Goblin cards being tagged.
When a group of cards is tagged, the info grid counts & values reflect
only the cards in the tagged selection, and the Draw function (see below) only
draws from the tagged cards.
To clear all tags, press the Esc key.
SELECTING THE TAG METHOD:
Tagging by card color is useful, but being able to tag by eight
different card attributes is real power! To change the attribute by which
UltraDeck tags "similar cards," simply click on the BY button (or press
ALT-B). A listbox will pop up that shows the attributes by which you can tag:
COLOR, COMMENT, NUMBER, spell TYPE, CASTING COST, PRINTING (i.e., edition/
expansion set), PRINTING & RARITY, TOGGLE.
Especially important is the TOGGLE option. Selecting this method
(and then clicking on the TAG button or pressing ALT-G) will allow you to
"invert" your current selection by tagging all untagged cards, and untagging
all tagged cards! (This can also be accomplished by pressing <ALT-O> at any
time.) If we had wanted to remove all NON-green cards from our deck,
tagging all green cards and then tagging again by TOGGLE would do the trick.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│7. THE DRAW FUNCTION
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Pressing <ALT-D> activates the Draw function, which replaces the info
grid display with a listing of 16 cards drawn from the current deck file (or
from the currently tagged selection, if any.)
Next to each card entry is a percentage which represents the chance
of drawing that card at that point in the deal. This, along with the Mana
function (see below) can be quite useful during initial "playtesting" of
a newly created deck.
To get a better idea of how the percentage figures work, build a deck
containing 8 mountains and 8 swamps, and then perform a few draws. Notice
that the first card drawn will always have a value of 50%, since exactly half
the deck is mountains and half is swamps. The last card drawn will always
have a 100% value, since as the last card in the 16-card deck, it's the only
thing that COULD be drawn. Between the first and last card, the percentages
will vary depending on what order the cards are drawn. (If the first 8 are
all mountains, then the second hand of 8 cards will ALL have 100% values,
since they're the only things left in the deck.)
Keep in mind that the program "re-shuffles" your deck file after each
draw, rather than proceeding through the remainder of the deck.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│8. THE MANA FUNCTION
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Regardless of what kind of deck you're building, it's necessary to keep
an eye on the percentage of mana-producing sources relative to the spells
you're going to want to cast in a duel. The Mana function (ALT-M) will help
you do this.
When this feature is activated, a new display takes the place of the
info grid, showing the distribution of mana production by color, casting
cost by color, and percentage of cards in each color that are
mana-producing. As with the Draw function, creating a very simple deck file
and examining the results may help to clarify how these values are
determined and their significance. For example, a deck that consists solely
of 10 Mountains and 20 Lightning Bolts would produce these stats:
│MANA │CASTING │% OF # │
│PRODUCTN│COSTS │OF COLOR│
│ 0.00% │ 0.00% │ 0.00% │
│ 0.00% │ 0.00% │ 0.00% │
│ 0.00% │ 0.00% │ 0.00% │
The RED line -> │100.00% │100.00% │ 33.33% │
│ 0.00% │ 0.00% │ 0.00% │
│ 0.00% │ 0.00% │ 0.00% │
This shows that all of the mana-producing cards in this deck produce red
mana, and that all of the spells need red mana to be cast. 10 out of
the 30 red cards produce mana, resulting in the 33.33% figure.
Also displayed is the deck's "average mana production" and "average
casting cost." Generally "average mana production" is close to the
percentage of mana-producing cards / 100. The "average casting cost" is
a simple average of all your casting costs. Finally, the overall
percentage of mana-producing cards in the deck is also shown.
As with the info grid displays, the mana function reports stats that
reflect only cards in the currently tagged selection, if one is active. The
mana info display stays on the screen until you access a function that
requires the info grid area to display its results.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│9. THE SORT FUNCTION (Registered version only)
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
UltraDeck offers 3 levels of sorting, with an automatic fourth-level
alphabetical sort implied. You choose what attributes to sort the current
card list by using the three sort buttons (ALT-1, ALT-2, ALT-3). A listbox
will pop up showing the available sort attributes: COLOR, NUMBER, spell TYPE,
CASTING COST, card RARITY, dollar VALUE, ALPHABETICAL, COMMENT.
Note that sorting by spell TYPE ignores the "species" of summoning
spells -- a "Summon Fungus" card is treated no differently than a "Summon
Goblin" card. (This allows you to easily find the lowest-casting-cost
creature of a specific color by using a sort order of TYPE, COLOR, COST.)
By clever use of the sort options, you can easily arrange the card
listing into whatever order helps you the most when building a deck or
maintaining your card collection.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│10. THE FIND FUNCTION (Registered version only)
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
If tagging and sorting doesn't give you enough flexibility in
manipulating your card database, the Find function comes to the rescue.
Pressing <ALT-I> or clicking on the FIND button replaces the info grid with
blank fields into which you to enter your search criteria. Entries made
into the four fields on the left all search the complete card text and
comments, while the fields on the right are each dedicated to searching a
specific card attribute (Name, Type, Cost, and Rarity).
There are two choices you need to make once you've entered search
criteria into the appropriate fields:
1. Do you wish to search just the cards currently displayed in the list
window (if any), or all cards contained in the complete database?
2. Do you wish to locate cards that match ALL search criteria entered,
or cards that match ANY ONE of the search criteria?
For example, suppose we are working on a deck, invoked the Find
function, and entered: MADDOCKS into the top Text field, INSTANT into the
Type field, and R into the Cost field. A prompt appears asking:
"Find: only search this deck? (Y)es, (N)o"
Answer YES if you do not wish to tag cards IN the current deck that
meet the search criteria, rather than add cards TO the deck. After
responding, another prompt will appear:
"Find: match all words in each card? (Y)es (N)o"
We would answer YES if we were looking for all red instants painted by
Anson Maddocks, or NO if we were interested in the larger group containing
ALL red spells, ALL instants, and ALL cards painted by Anson Maddocks. This
is no small distinction -- only two red instants were done by Maddocks
(False Orders and Blood Lust), while 403 cards match any one of our search
criteria!
When the search is complete, you will be asked if you want to add the
cards found to the current deck. If you answered YES to the "only search
this deck" prompt, however, cards will not be added, just tagged. As with
other functions that add cards to the current deck, any number entered in
the "NEW CARD..." count field is used as the default for new cards added.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│Appendix A - Keyboard quick reference & mouse usage
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BASIC KEYBOARD COMMANDS:
Delete = Deletes current card, or if tagged, all tagged cards
Tab = Cycles through the info grid displays
?,#,%,$,T = Change to the corresponding info grid mode
Shift+Tab = Switches between CASTING COSTS and CARD COUNTS in info
grid displays
Enter = Change current card or comment. "Enter" again when done
Insert = Jump to "NEW CARD..." for entry
0..9 = Changes current selected card count to number pressed,
or if current tagged, then all tagged cards
+ or - = Increments or decrements currently selected card count,
or if tagged, then all tagged cards
Esc = Untag all cards
Space = Tag currently selected card
Page Up = Up a page
Page Down = Down a page
Home = Jump to top of list window
End = Jump to last card
Arrow keys = move cursor/selection bar
Alt+key = Activate highlighted function (key in red)
Alt+O = Toggle all tagged cards quickly, invert the tagged ones
M = Display available memory
A, Z = Scroll up & down in card text info grid display
S, X = Page up & down in card text info grid display
F5 = Quickly add ALL cards from ULTDECK.UDX
F6 = Cycle the selection bar color
KEYBOARD COMMANDS WHEN EDITING CARD OR COMMENT TEXT:
Any text key = Edit the name of the currently selected card
Arrow keys = Move cursor right and left
Enter = Accept text and continue
Esc = Abort current text changes
Insert = Toggle overwrite and insert mode
Home = Jump to beginning of line
End = Jump to end of line
USING THE MOUSE:
Things you can click on (all left button unless noted):
+ ALL the buttons
+ Click on the columns to increment #'s and edit text
Right button: -1, Left button: +1 to the # column...
+ Click on tag area to tag cards
+ Click right button on the list area to clear all tags...
+ Click on the WHITE LINE at the top and bottom to do a Page Up
and Page Down, or scroll bar
+ Click on the "Yes" of a "(Yes)" prompt to answer yes, anyplace else
will answer no.
+ Click on the scroll bar to page up and down, on the arrows to scroll
line by line
+ Click on the info grid to toggle CASTING COST and CARD COUNT modes
+ Click on options in pop-up list menus
The mouse can be disabled in the configuration file (see Appendix E).
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│Appendix B - How to acquire updated data files and future versions
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The latest .UDX data file will usually be included the current
shareware distribution of UltraDeck, and made available separately in the
form of a "UDCKUPD*.ZIP" file. In the future, it is possible that updates
that include new expansion set data will only be made available in the form
of a CARD.LST file, which requires the CARD-UDX.EXE utility (included in the
registered package) to be converted into an ULTDECK.UDX file for use by the
program.
* Updates are available on the Internet from:
FTP - ftp.itis.com /pub/deckmaster/misc/utilities/pc/
- ftp.teleport.com /pub/users/joshmu/deckmaster/
WWW USA - http://www.alumni.wesleyan.edu/WWW/~TCT/Ultradeck.html
WWW Euro - http://inka.org.chemie.tu-muenchen.de/~busold/mtg.html
* Bi-weekly updates to the card price data are available from:
FTP - ftp.hhhh.org /pub/pricelists/current.magic.gz
WWW - http://www.hhhh.org/~cloister/magic.html
* If you don't have Internet access these BBS's will have updates:
Software Creations BBS - (508)368-7036, (508)365-2359 or (508)368-7139
Tombstone BBS (Finland) - +358-0-3401608
Note: Continued support of this product depends on your registrations!
So if you want to see updates for this ever-expanding game, please register.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│Appendix C - Troubleshooting
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PROBLEM : It locks up when I run it
SOLUTION: Disable all the funny graphics stuff and mouse in the ".cfg" file.
PROBLEM : Doesn't run well under Windows
SOLUTION: Disable all the funny graphics stuff and mouse in the ".cfg" file,
and/or edit the "ULTDECK.PIF" file to run in full-screen mode.
PROBLEM : Mouse behaves strangely
SOLUTION: Check your mouse driver software. Or disable the mouse in the
".cfg" file and use the keyboard.
PROBLEM : It crashes when my printer runs out of paper
SOLUTION: None. It might do this on older printers... sorry!
When in doubt, free up more base memory! That is all this program
uses. ("M" tells you how much is free IN the program) It takes about 120
bytes for each different card.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│Appendix D - Modifying the default configuration options
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Five files included with the UltraDeck program determine the behavior
of the application. They are: ULTDECK.CFG, TEXTCOLR.LST, RARECOLR.LST,
TYPECOLR.LST, and CMNTCOLR.LST. Since these are all plain-text files, they
can be edited using DOS EDIT, Windows Notepad, or any other text editing
utility.
The functions of the .LST files are covered in the commented sections
of the files themselves, so we'll just take a look at ULTDECK.CFG here.
The first section of ULTDECK.CFG is fairly self-explanatory, as most of
the options are simply "y" or "n" switches, but options 17 - 21 deserve
closer attention:
n //17) Use the default comment on LOAD?
Change this value to "y" if you wish UltraDeck to ignore manually
entered/modified comments when loading deck files and ALWAYS display the
default comments included in the ULTDECK.UDX file. (See option 19)
n //18) Use FAST LOAD, doesn't support "mast z" or abbreviated card names?
This option determines whether or not UltraDeck uses its substring
matching logic when adding cards to a deck manually, or when loading
handmade .TEK files. If you would like a performance boost when performing
these operations, change this value to "y" -- but be aware that this
requires you to enter card names completely and correctly when editing your
.TEK files by hand!
y //19) Enable possible default comments? (else ONLY what you enter)
The extensive default comments included in the ULTDECK.UDX file may not
be to your liking. Change this option to "n" if you wish to suppress them
entirely.
1 //20) Value of "X" in casting costs of cards?
The info grid displays and mana function need to know how to interpret
the value "X" when it appears in card casting costs and comments. This is
where the value is set. Remember that the Magic rules say that "X"s can be
zero, which may be a compelling reason to change this default value. (But
how often do you really cast a zero-damage Fireball??)
n //21) Enable prompt on duplicate card name during "NEW CARD..."?
This feature is especially useful when creating tournament decks that
require a sideboard. (A selection of 15 cards that can be exchanged with
cards in your deck between tournament duels.) If you change this value
to "y" you can create multiple listings of a single card in your decks. See
Appendix F below for more details.
Section 2 of ULTDECK.CFG may appear to be where you can change the
color-coding scheme UltraDeck uses in the list window and card text box, but
it isn't. The values listed are used for identification, not screen writes!
Basically, there's no reason you would want to modify them. Take a look at
the *.LST files instead.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│Appendix E - The .TEK file format
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
UltraDeck .TEK files are saved in plain-text format, and therefore can
be edited using DOS EDIT, Windows Notepad, or any other text editing utility.
The first (non-comment) line of the file must begin with the word
ULTRADECK for the program to recognize and parse the file. After that, card
entries are single-line records in the following format:
Card_Name,Card_Count,Optional_Comment
Any characters following two slashes ("//") are considered comments and
are ignored when loading the .TEK file into UltraDeck.
Edit the included sample deck (REDFUN.TEK) or one of your own creation
to see a real-life example.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│Appendix F - Creating a "sideboard"
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
UltraDeck allows you to very simply address the need for a sideboard
when building decks for tournament play. Enter "sideboard" (or something
similar) in the COMMENT field to denote that the card is a member of the
sideboard. You can then tag all the sidebar cards (manually, or by tagging
by COMMENT) and then toggle the selection (ALT-O) so that only your main
deck is tagged. Once your deck is tagged execute the Draw function to
playtest your deck. It will only read the tagged cards.
Sometimes it is necessary to have the same card in both your sidebar
and main deck. To address this need, enable the "prompt on duplicates"
option in ULTDECK.CFG (See appendix D above). This will force UltraDeck to
ask you whether or not you wish to create a duplicate card when you enter
the same card twice via Insert or the "NEW CARD..." field.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│Appendix G - Upgrading to the registered version and other details
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Upgrading to the registered version of UltraDeck (see ORDERFRM.TXT)
provides the following benefits:
* Fully enabled SORT function
* Fully enabled FIND function
* Utilities to update/modify card data and card values
* Guarantee of future expansion-set data file availability
* The satisfaction of doing your part to support quality shareware
This document is copyrighted (1995) by Alexander Schonfeld. Some of
Wizards of the Coast's copyrighted card names are used inside of it. See
the UltraDeck title screen for other copyrights. This document can only be
distributed with the rest of the UltraDeck package. It is illegal to
distribute the WotC card data for profit. It can be done for free,
however. The data is free, the UltraDeck software is NOT. Do NOT distribute
the REGISTERED version. The SHAREWARE version MAY be distributed for free.
The SHAREWARE version is noted by an "S" extension: UDCK*S.ZIP
Please upload the SHAREWARE version to BBS's everywhere!
Note: It is also illegal to sell the "shareware" version for anything more
than the cost of a disk and label. It CAN NOT be sold for profit.
There is no such thing as a "shareware vendor" who has a special
right to sell shareware without consent of the author.
For more information write: Name - Alexander Schonfeld
Address - 5615 SW 42nd Ave.
Portland, OR 97221
Internet - alexs@cs.pdx.edu
Bulk rates are available for mass purchases. Please contact me for
more information. If you own a shop and would like to sell ULTRADECK, don't
hesitate to ask! Also if there are any distributors who would like to
purchase full distribution rights to the REGISTERED version contact me!
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│Appendix H - I own a comic shop! How do I get to sell UltraDeck?
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
*********************************************************
*** THIS OFFER IS NOT IN EFFECT YET, CONTACT ME FIRST ***
*********************************************************
Currently I have a starter kit available for $125. For this price you
get a very professional package:
+ 10 - Registered copies of UltraDeck on disk v2.1
Each copy of UltraDeck includes:
10 - Clear thick plastic single disk boxes
10 - Full color "bold yet evocative" disk wrappers
(I can e-mail you some ".bmp"s if you like)
10 - B/W labeled disks
+ 2 - Full color full page laminated screen shots
+ 30 - B/W fact and features flyers with rendered graphics
+ A signed letter stating that it is acceptable for you to sell the
Registered versions I send
+ Shipping is included!
Each additional Registered copy of UltraDeck is $10.
You can then sell these copies for as much as you feel you can get. Keep in
mind that people may feel ripped off if you go too far above $15. Not that
the software isn't worth it, but I am selling it for $15. You stand to
make $5-$10 a copy. Much more than the standard comic.
Please note! THE PURCHASE IS NON-REFUNDABLE!
If you have questions, ask first! See Appendix G for where to contact me!
To order simply fill out the COMICSHP.TXT order form and send it to the
address listed.
If a distributor would like to sell this software please contact me.
Also bulk orders will be significantly cheaper. Bulk would be 20 or greater.