Precision Software Appli…tions Silver Collection 1/Precision Software Applications Silver Collection Volume One (PSM) (1993).iso/games/egavga/mon4.arj/READ.ME

Text File | 1992-12-24 | 21KB | 506 lines

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       *    AUTOMON 4.0 - copyright 1993 Ron Mignery      *
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MONOPOLY is a registered trademark of Parker Bros. Inc.
Their copyrights, however, have run out.





AUTOMON 4.0 is a DOS version of Monopoly for PC computers.





------------------------QUICKSTART-----------------------------------------------------

To run Automon, type the following at the dos prompt:

    MON4 <-options> <save_game_filename>/<custom_board_filename>

    examples:

         C> MON4

         C> MON4 -n

         C> MON4 -?

         C> MON4 FEB10A

         C> MON4 /PARIS

         C> MON4 -nsv2    FEB10A/PARIS

    The save_game_filename and custom_board_filename are both optional.
    Note that the '/' character is necessary to indicate a custom board.


------------------------AUTHORSHIP-----------------------------------------------------

The author of this MS-DOS adaptation places no restrictions on the
distribution of this program.  Comments and inquiries may be directed to
the author at this address:


            Ron Mignery
            85 Bartlett Street
            Somerville, MA 02145



-------------------------------UPDATE----------------------------------------------

The following features have been added in the update from version 3.3 to 4.0:

1.    The board customizing facility has been integrated into the
    the game playing program.  Board values such as rent values, lot
    names etc. may now be edited, saved and loaded in the middle of
    a game.  Compatibility is maintained with board files from previous
    versions.

2.    Chance and Community Chest cards may be edited, shuffled or ordered
    within the game playing program.

3.    A bonus value may be set for the Go square to be added to the
    salary when a player lands on Go.

4.    The maximum and rate for income tax may be set to any value.

5.    The price of houses on any side may be set to any value.

6.    The Luxury tax may now be set to any value.

7.    Yes/No responses are now handled with a menu.

8.    Card action values for assessments, repairs, pay each player and
    receive from each player can now be edited.


---------------------HOW TO PLAY-----------------------------------------------------

AUTOMON is yet another version of Monopoly on computers.  It does
however have some features not found in other Monopoly programs.
Everything is displayed on a single text screen so there are no
distracting screen changes and no graphics hardware requirement.
Deeds are displayed automatically when appropriate or manually by a
view facility.  Automon is for those who have come to play Monopoly!
Graphics just slow you down and distract from the business at hand.

Automon can be started by entering MON4 at the DOS prompt.

A representation of the standard Monopoly board will appear with GO
in the upper right hand corner.  The program will then be in a state
to accept the list of players with the cursor flashing for input on
the player edit line, the next to last line on the screen.  The user
should type in the name of the first player and press ENTER.  The
program will advance to receive the next name.  Note that the token,
name and cash on hand of all players appear in the upper left box of
the screen.  The token is a single character used to represent each
player on the game board and a default token will be provided by
the program for each player.

Pressing the up arrow will access data for players whose names have
already been entered.  The player edit line shows the token, name,
board position, liquidity (maximum cash that can be raised by
mortgaging and tearing down houses), total worth, autoplay status and
get-out-of-jail card ownership of the selected player. The tab key
moves the cursor to the other fields in the player edit line where
the default values can be altered.  Usually a player will want to
substitute a different character for their token from the one
provided by the program.

When all players have been entered (8 maximum), press ESC.

The user will then be positioned in the menu tree such that pressing ENTER
will shuffle the player order and present the user with the main menu.

In general, pressing ENTER will select the highlighted entry on the
active menu.  Pressing arrow keys will move the highlight.  Pressing
ESC will remove the menu.  Pressing the first letter of a menu entry
will select that entry.  The range of actions expected of the user
will be indicated on the bottom line of the screen.

On the PLAYER ORDER menu, the user has the option to perform a MANUAL
SHUFFLE of the players, to perform an AUTOMATIC SHUFFLE of the
players, to select the CURRENT PLAYER, or to choose to do nothing by
pressing ESC.

The current player will be highlighted in the upper left box and
will be listed on the player edit line.

Selecting ROLL DICE on the main menu will cause the dice to start rolling.
When a key is pressed the dice will stop and the current player token
will be advanced by the amount shown on the dice.

Dice values can be forced for test purposes by pressing a number key
to stop the dice rolling. When a second number key is pressed, the
dice are set to the numbers pressed.  Any roll from 1 to 18 may be
forced in this manner.

If a player lands on a purchasable lot, the player is given the
option to buy it.  If not purchased, the lot is auctioned by
agreement among the players and the results reported to the computer.

Selecting BUSINESS on the main menu will bring up a menu wherein the
player may mortgage and unmortgage lots and buy and sell lots,
houses, and get-out-of-jail cards.  This menu will appear
automatically if a player engages in a transaction for which
insufficient cash is at hand.

Ownership of a lot (if any) is indicated by a player token in the
lower left corner of the lot.  Development (if any) is indicated by a
number just above the owner token.  `0' indicates that all lots of
that color are owned by the same player (rent is doubled) but that no
houses have yet been built. A hotel is indicated by a `5' (5 houses).
`M' indicates that the lot is mortgaged.

When a player's turn is over, the ROLL DICE entry on the main menu
will be replaced with a NEXT PLAYER entry.  Selecting NEXT PLAYER will
begin the next player's turn.

Pressing `U' will undo an inadvertant ROLL DICE or NEXT PLAYER entry.

Any or all players may be set to automatic mode in which the computer
generates the moves, including buying of lots and houses.  This mode
may be changed individually at any time.  CTRL-A will toggle this
mode for the current player, or the PLAYER DATA facilty may be used:
Select PLAYER DATA from the main menu.  Select EDIT PLAYER DATA from
the PLAYER DATA menu.  Use arrow keys to move to the AUTO field in
the player edit line. Type 'Y' or 'N' to enable/disable auto mode.

When a player has insufficient liquidity to cover a debt, the program
declares the player bankrupt and automatically pops up the BUSINESS
menu.  A bankrupt player will have one chance to raise the money to
stay in the game by selling a property for instance (presumably with
the concurrence of the debtee).  If this remedy is declined by
pressing ESC or if the funds raised are still insufficient the player
is removed from the game (unless the stay in game when bankrupt
option is on).

Play continues in the above manner until only one player remains.

Knowledge of the rules of Monopoly is assumed.  Playing is intuitive and
mostly obvious.

In Monopoly, the players have no control over their movements (other
than to decline to leave jail on a particular roll).  They may elect
not to purchase or not to develop a property but this is usually
self-destructive behavior.  The real element of strategy is the
devising of deals among the players to the perceived advantage of all
parties to the deal.  The winning strategy is to propose deals that
are apparently advantageous to the other player but which are really
more to your own advantage.  Deals of this kind are by their nature
complex involving temporary or permanent free rides, kickbacks,
discounts and other arrangements that the computer cannot handle
alone.  To perform on an agreement, it may be necessary to execute
bogus sales and repurchases of property.  The program is designed so
that this can be done at any time.


--------------------COMMAND LINE OPTIONS------------------------------------

Parameters may be passed to MON4 on the command line as follows:

    Example:

         C> MON4 -nsv FEB10A/PARIS


Theline switch -h or -? generates the following message and
terminates:

    Format: mon4 [-hvsn] [saved_game] [/custom_board]

    -h = help (this message)
    -v = disable direct video for incompatible video cards
    -s = silent mode
    -n = no color mode for non-gray-scaling b&w videos

Direct video access makes windows pop up much faster.  This could
create problems for non-standard video systems.  To prevent video
problems, the command line switch, -v, defeats direct video access.

The command line switch, -s, causes MON4 to operate in silent mode.
When invoked, audio is disabled, even if a non-silent game is loaded.

The -n command line option allows Automon to be run on systems with
non-gray-scaling monochrome video systems.  The screen will display
entirely in black and white.


---------------------PLAY OPTIONS-------------------------------------------

Common playing variations such as pre-dealing deeds, putting tax
money on Free Parking, relaxing color lot requirements, allowing
rerolls on leaving jail, disabling housing shortages, etc. may be
individually enabled through the options facility.

The options facility is invoked by selecting MORE... on the MAIN menu
and OPTIONS on the MORE menu.  Selecting SET OPTIONS displays the
options and allows them to be changed.  RESET OPTIONS sets all
options to their factory default settings.  KEEP OPTIONS saves the
current settings in the file AUTOMON.CFG which become the default
settings when MON4 is first started.  The values of the options are
saved when a game is saved.

Options exist to enable or disable sound and to set the playing speed
of the program.  A useful option for high speed games causes messages
that normally go away by themselves to wait for a keypress.

One option disables auctions.  Another allows players to remain on
the board after bankruptcies.  These two options allow a variation on
the basic game that "corrects" a major weakness of the standard
game.  In a game of even just two players, there is enough money at
the start of the game to buy every property on the board.  Any player
who doesn't purchase a property he/she lands on is simply being
foolish.  If players started with less money (say $200), could
survive early bankruptcies, and would not lose properties on which
they land to low bidders in auctions, then strategy in property
purchases would become a viable element of the game.  The saved game
N2 demonstrates such a game.


--------------------------LOAD AND SAVE GAMES-------------------------------

Any game may be saved at any point and restored and played later.
A game file consists of information on the names of the players,
their positions and assets, and the current options settings.


SAVE GAME:

To save a game, select MORE... on the MAIN menu, GAME on the MORE
menu, and SAVE GAME on the GAME menu.  A menu of the current saved
games and a blank entry appears:

To update an existing saved game, move the highlight to the game to
be updated and press ENTER.  Press ENTER again to save the game.

To replace a saved game, move the highlight to the name to be
replaced and press ENTER.  Type in the new name under which you wish
to save the game and press ENTER.

To add a new saved game to the list, move the highlight to the blank
entry and press ENTER.  Type in the name under which you wish to save
the game and press ENTER.

Games are individually saved on the current directory as files with a
.MON extension.


LOAD GAME:

A game may be loaded at any point.  Select MORE... on the MAIN menu,
GAME on the MORE menu, and LOAD GAME on the GAME menu.  A menu of the
current saved games appears:

To load an existing saved game, move the highlight to the game to be
loaded and press ENTER.


---------------------LOAD, EDIT AND SAVE BOARDS-----------------------------

In the same way as a game, a board may be saved at any point and
restored and played later.  A board file consists of information on
lot names and rental values, the text and actions of community chest
and chance cards, the levels of salaries, the cost of houses, and the
rates and limits of taxes.


SAVE BOARD:

To save a board, select MORE... on the MAIN menu, BOARD on the MORE
menu and SAVE BOARD on the BOARD menu.  A menu of the current saved
boards and a blank entry appears:

To update an existing saved board, move the highlight to the board to
be updated and press ENTER.  Press ENTER again to save the board.

To replace a saved board, move the highlight to the name to be
replaced and press ENTER.  Type in the new name under which you wish
to save the board and press ENTER.

To add a new saved board to the list, move the highlight to the blank
entry and press ENTER.  Type in the name under which you wish to save
the board and press ENTER.

Boards are individually saved on the current directory as files with
a .CSU and .BSU extensions.


EDIT BOARD:

To edit the lots of a board, select MORE... on the MAIN menu, BOARD on
the MORE menu, and EDIT BOARD on the BOARD menu.

The passing GO salary may be set on the Go square.  A bonus value may
also be set on the Go square to be added to the salary when a player
lands on Go.

The tax rate and maximum may be set on the INCOME TAX square.

The tax value may be set on the LUXURY TAX square.

The cost of houses may be set on any color lot property.  This cost
will then apply for all houses on that side of the playing board.


EDIT CARDS:

To edit the community chest and chance cards, select MORE... on the
MAIN menu, BOARD on the MORE menu, and CARDS on the BOARD menu.  From
the CARDS menu, card text and actions may be edited, and the cards
manually or automatically shuffled.

Note that the `>' character on the card selection menu marks the
current top of the deck.

The action code displayed when a card is edited determines what
happens when that card is turned (case sensitive):

A positive number means that the player receives that amount of
cash.  A negative number means the player pays that amount.

A 't' followed by a number means the player transfers to the square
indicated.  Note that 0 is the GO square and 39 is BOARDWALK.  tJ
transfers directly to jail, tR transfers to nearest railroad at twice
the normal rent, and tU transfers to nearest utility at 10 times the
roll of dice.

JF and JFF mark get out of jail free cards. Only one of each is
allowed.

RE receives $50 from every player and PE pays $50 to every player.
REnn receives $nn from every player and PEnn pays $nn to every
player.

For assessment and repairs cards, the house and hotel costs are set
with the H action code.  HnnnTmmm marks a cost per house of $nnn and a
cost per hotel of $mmm.  H25T40 would mark the normal REPAIRS card for
example.  For backward compatibilty with earlier versions of Automon,
AS and RP mark normal assessments and repairs respectively.

The action codes can be modified to any value consistent with the
above interpretation.


LOAD BOARD:

A board may be loaded at any point.  Select MORE... on the MAIN menu,
BOARD on the MORE menu, and LOAD BOARD on the BOARD menu.  A menu of
the current saved boards appears:

To load an existing saved board, move the highlight to the board to be
loaded and press ENTER.


----------------------------MISC.-------------------------------------------

Up to eight players are allowed at a time.  Any printable character
may be used for a player token.

Current time, duration and number of dice rolls in the game can be
displayed.  Select MORE... on the MAIN menu and TIME on the MORE
menu.

The user may exit to DOS and return at any point. Select MORE... on
the MAIN menu and DOS on the MORE menu.     Type EXIT at the DOS
prompt to return to MON4.

The two most common actions, rolling of dice and proceeding to
the next player, can be undone by pressing "U."

Pressing ESC at the main menu will clear the screen and ask
you if you wish to quit.  This facility can be used to redraw
the screen if it for any reason gets garbled.

Pressing a key at the main menu for a player running in automatic
mode will disable automatic mode.  This would allow you to stop
and edit a game with all players set to automatic (hold down the
space bar).

Jail residents can be distinguished from visitors by a colored
background on their token.  Vistors have a white background on
their tokens.

Ownership of get out of jail free cards is indicated by asterisks
at the end of the player status line.  Cards are used automatically
to exit jail.  They may nevertheless be bought and sold.

A minus sign at the start of the player information line indicates
that the player is on average losing money with each turn.

Pauses in the program when messages are displayed may be cut short
by pressing any key during the pause.

An asterisk appears after the name of players who are currently
set to automatic mode.

A bankrupt player will have one chance to raise the money to
stay in the game by selling a property for instance (presumably
with the concurrence of the debtee).  If the funds are insufficient
the player is removed from the game.

Interesting information about the course of the game is available
from the board view facility.  Select VIEW BOARD on the MAIN menu.
The average income per turn for each player is then displayed in the
upper left box.  This might be useful for declaring winners in
incomplete games.  Note that if no player has a negative income, the
game would likely continue indefinitely.  The total expenditure on a
lot by each player, living or dead, can be displayed by pressing the
arrow keys to select a lot and then pressing ENTER.  Pressing the
arrows then displays the number of times each player has landed on
the lot. Because of jailings and transfer cards, not all lots are
visited with the same frequency.  The actual frequencies for each lot
can be empirically evaluated here.  The magnitude of the differences
may surprise you.

A command line switch, -2, is supported to provide compatibility with
Automon2 saved games.  A saved game generated by Automon2 may be
loaded and run by Automon3 as in this example:  mon4 -2s old2 When
this option is invoked, all games loaded by the load games facility
are loaded in the old format.  New format games may not be loaded
while this option is in effect.  Note that all games are saved in the
new format regardless of the setting of this option.  MON4 remains
file-compatible with Automon2 custom boards.

A hot-key, ctrl-a, sets the current player to automatic mode at the
main menu prompt.  Pressing any key while a player is executing in
automatic mode will disable automatic mode for that player.
Additionally, automatic mode can be changed by the editing of player
data.

A hot-key, ctrl-o, toggles sound at the main menu prompt.  Note that
this can overide the -s silent mode command line option.


------------------------DISTRIBUTION----------------------------------------

The following files constitute the Automon 3.3 distribution:

MON4     EXE  The game play executive file
ATL_CITY BSU  The default playing board description file
ATL_CITY CSU  The default cards and options description file
CUSTOM   BSU  A sample custom playing board description file
CUSTOM   CSU  A sample custom cards and options description file
AUTOMON  CFG  The current game configuration file
T4       MON  A sample saved game (all players set to auto)
L4       MON  T4 set at maximum speed
N2       MON  A sample saved game (one player set to auto)
MIN      MON  A sample saved game (demos new options)
READ     ME   This file
DEMO     BAT  Runs saved game N2 with the CUSTOM board

***END of READ.ME***