ShareWare OnLine 2/ShareWare OnLine Volume 2 (CMS Software)(1993).iso/bbsdoors/sre0990e.zip/UNPACK.EXE/DOCS/Q&A.TXT

Text File | 1993-01-01 | 10KB | 204 lines

PROBLEMS (Q) AND ANSWERS (A) FOR SRE!          [last updated 12/30/92]
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Q.  I can't figure out why ...
A.  Check SYSOP.LOG.  It records any errors that SRE detects.  If you
    report bugs to us, it may help if you include the contents of that
    file.

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Q.  I am registered but I can't get nuclear & chemical weapons to show
    up on the menu.
A.  Each player will need to find nuclear or chemical weapons.  Since
    they are outlawed by the Galactic Coordinator, they are not easily
    available; I suggest keeping more covert agents than planets so that
    the agents will search the planets looking for people who can sell
    you a nuclear / chemical weapon.  If one is found, a question will
    be asked ("Do you wish to buy a nuclear weapon?") in the profits/
    news screen.

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Q.  I don't run a BBS, but I would like to play SRE.
A.  1.  Run SRE RESET to set up a game
    2.  Create a file called DOORFILE.SR in the main SRE directory:

           ┌───────────────────────────[DOORFILE.SR]───────┐
           │ YOURNAMEHERE                                  │
           │ 1                                             │
           │ 1                                             │
           │ 1                                             │
           │ 2400                                          │
           │ 0                                             │
           │ -1                                            │
           └───────────────────────────────────────────────┘

        Then run SRE.  You can change the first line of DOORFILE.SR
        to play other "players".

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Q.  I can't get SRE to run with WWIV.
A.  SRDOOR has a little bit of trouble with WWIV.  One thing you might
    try is seeing if it works remotely but not locally.  (You can force
    it to run locally with the /LOCAL parameter.)  Also, if you call
    our BBS, we have a program called WW4SR20.ARJ that claims to get
    SRE to work with WWIV.

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Q.  I can't get SRE to run with Genesis Deluxe
A.  The best thing to do is to get the door converter called GENPC.
    It supports directly converting to SRE's DOORFILE.SR format.  Once
    you run GENPC, you can take SRDOOR out of your batch file.

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Q.  Why don't you have PC-Board support working?
A.  I don't know!  It's partly because the designers of PC-Board wrote
    PCBOARD.SYS so that it's incompatible with languages other than
    BASIC.  Since SRE & SRDOOR are not written in BASIC, it's harder
    to read it.  There _is_ a converter called P2SR available on our
    board that lets you run SRE with PC-Board 14.x.  I'll eventually
    write PC-Board support into SRDOOR.

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Q.  SRDOOR doesn't read the door file correctly.
A.  We have tested SRDOOR for DOOR.SYS and DORINFO1.DEF.  If you are
    unable to use these, you may be able to experiment with the formats
    for other BBSes.  Unfortunately, we have not fully tested the other
    BBS formats.  If you have any information about the door file
    produced by your BBS, please send us a letter!

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Q.  I get an error message about running SRDOOR!
A.  Run INSTALL SRE to install the correct BBS type for your system.

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Q.  SRE doesn't read the ANSI status of the user.
A.  SRE currently ignores the ANSI status, even though it's in the door
    file, so that users can play black and white if they'd like.  (It's
    faster without color!)

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Q.  I can't figure out what to put in my batch file to run SRE.
A.  Run INSTALL SRE to set up a batch file automatically.

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Q.  I don't know how to set up my BBS software to run SRE.
A.  Consult your BBS manual for more information.  Look for information
    on running DOORS.  You also need to produce a DOOR FILE when running
    SRE.  Select a door file format that is compatible with the options
    listed in INSTALL.

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Q.  I have a high speed modem running at locked baud rates.
A.  Read Resource.Doc for the "LockBaudRate" parameter, which lets you
    tell SRE that you're using locked baud rates.

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Q.  I get snow on my CGA monitor.
A.  Use the Display.Video resource to set up BIOS calls.  See
    Resource.HLP for details.

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Q.  SRE runs too slowly.
A.  Get a faster computer!  :)

    If you have EMS or XMS memory, you should set SRE's swapping so
    that it doesn't swap to disk.  Look at Resource.HLP for more
    details.

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Q.  I am using DESQview and running SRE produces trash on my screen.
A.  Be sure to use
        Display.Video                   BIOS
    and
        Display.VGA                     off

    when running under DESQview.  (See Resource.HLP if you want
    details.)

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Q.  I have a monochrome monitor.  How can I play locally without color?
A.  Use the /ANSI=0 switch to turn off ANSI color.  Also use BIOS
    video option to make sure SRE is compatible with your monochrome
    display card.

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Q.  My modem buffer causes the pauses and Yes/No prompts to be
    extremely slow on the remote side.
A.  Use the /NOSPECIALEFFECTS switch to turn off the special effects
    at the pauses and Yes/No prompts.  Alternatively, (preferably)
    you can edit RESOURCE.DAT to set up your system configuration.

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Q.  I want to know what the users have done in SRE.
A.  Use the LOG option in Resource.dat to write all output to a file
    Note: this file is overwritten every time SRE runs, so you should
    save it somewhere if you want the log of more than one user.  You
    can do this in your batch file with:
        SRE             (already in the file)
        TYPE SRE.LOG >>ALLUSERS.LOG

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Q.  I want a separate file to contain the scores.
A.  SRE automatically creates SRESCORE.ANS (ANSI file) and
    SRESCORE.MSG (non-ANSI file) when it runs.  You can modify
    RESOURCE.DAT to write the score files anywhere you want.

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Q.  I want to register but I don't want my name to appear.
A.  Your name will appear at the end of the game in the registered
    version.  We do not register to your handle for legal reasons.
    (A handle is not a legal recipient of registration benefits.)
    Sorry!

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Q.  I want to register but I don't want my name to be added to
    junk-mail mailing lists.
A.  Don't worry!  All registerers of SRE will NOT be added to any
    junk-mail list.  Our list is used ONLY for notifying registered
    users of updates and/or bulletins.

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Q.  I'm running OPUS.
A.  Switch to Telegard.  Actually, in our experience, very few people
    have been able to run SRE on OPUS.    Remote Access, Telegard,
    Spitfire, TAG, Searchlight, and Wildcat are able to run our games.
    You will need to make OPUS create a door file such as DORINFO1.DEF
    or DOOR.SYS (short format) to run SRE.

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Q.  SRE is terrible.
A.  Then why are you reading this?

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Q.  I need to delete a user.
A.  Use SRE SYSOP to access the empire viewer, which allows you to
    delete the empire.

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Q.  I've received my registration numbers and I want to know how
    to get the registration benefits.
A.  Type SRE REGISTER and enter your registration numbers.

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Q.  Why is there no full editor in SRE?
A.  Many sysops want a full editor; many more users don't.  They are
    afraid that the temptation may be too great for sysops to give themselves
    extra money.  The main reason is that I have been trying to work
    on other enhancements & bug fixes and I don't have the time to
    write a full editor.

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Q.  This game is registered to somebody else!
A.  Delete STATUS.SRE.  It won't display "Registered to Joe Bloggs" anymore.

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Any more questions?  Write to

    Amit Patel
    4851 Cairnsean
    Houston, TX 77084-2541
    Re: SRE Question

or if you have Internet access, send email to [e-mail]