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1997-07-24
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=== DOS-specific informations about ADOM ===
=== (c) Copyright 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 by Thomas Biskup ===
=== All Rights Reserved ===
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
A. How to install ADOM
B. How to recover after a crash
C. Configuration files
D. What is...?
E. A word about path names
F. Known bugs (please read this)
G. DPMI services
CONTENTS
--------
A. How to install ADOM
----------------------
Installing ADOM is very simple. This section will tell you how to install
ADOM step by step. An example will explain each step. <ENTER> means
that you have to press the enter key after that command. The '>' represents
the command prompt of the DOS shell.
Let's assume that you want to install ADOM on your hard disk drive C: in
the directory \games\adom. The file ADOM-xxx.ZIP (xxx is normally the
current version number, e.g. 070) for the sake of the example is located
on your floppy drive B:. The directory C:\GAMES already exists. You also
have access to PKUNZIP. You need to do the following:
c: <ENTER>
cd \games <ENTER>
mkdir adom <ENTER>
cd adom <ENTER>
copy B:\ADOM-xxx.ZIP <ENTER>
pkunzip ADOM-xxx.ZIP <ENTER>
del ADOM-xxx.ZIP <ENTER>
This will install the archive at the location you intended it to be (in the
example).
Next you will have to set an environment variable, which will tell ADOM where
to look for the highscore and where to save games. To do this you will have
to edit the autoexec.bat file in the root directory of your boot drive (C:
in most cases). Add the following line at the end of the autoexec.bat and
then save the file:
SET ADOM_HOME=C:\GAMES\ADOM
It is important to use the complete path, drive letter included. Finally you
have to add the directory chosen for ADOM_HOME to your path. After you
have done this just reboot the computer. Now you should be able to play
ADOM.
If you don't set the ADOM_HOME environment variable, ADOM will create all
necessary files during the game and the highscore file in a subdirectory
of the directory you started ADOM in (called 'ADOM_DAT'). This variable
naturally is unnecessary if you always start ADOM from its home directory.
B. How to recover after a crash
-------------------------------
If ADOM crashes you normally won't be able to just restart it without the
risk of ruining further games, because several directories used by ADOM
will be in an unhealthy state. If ADOM crashes while you are playing you
will have to do the following two things to ensure, that you can play it
safely in the future:
Look for the directory ADOM_DAT\TMPDAT (which might be found either in the
directory containing all the ADOM files [if you set the ADOM_HOME
environment variable -- see A.] or in the directory from whence you started
ADOM). Once you are in the directory containing ADOM_TMP do the following:
cd ADOM_DAT\TMPDAT <ENTER>
del *.* <ENTER>
cd ..
rmdir ADOM_TMP
The document bugs.doc will tell you what to do, if you encounter a
fatal bug in ADOM.
C. Configuration files
----------------------
The DOS version of ADOM does not require any configuration files.
Appendix D in the manual explains how to write a local configuration file
individualizing your games. The file is called ADOM.CFG and has to be
located either in the directory defined in the environment variable
ADOM_HOME (see A. and B.) or in the current directory (if you did not
define ADOM_HOME).
It is possible to create a file describing where ADOM can find the
highscore file. This file has to be called 'ADOM_DS.CFG' and must be
located in the root directory of the current drive. It has to contain
only one line: the name of the directory holding the highscore file.
Let's assume that you want to save the highscore in C:\DATA. Thus you
would create he file C:\ADOM_DS.CFG which would contain
C:\DATA
as the only line.
D. What is...?
--------------
adom.exe
The executable of the game. Just type its name at the command
prompt to start the game.
bugs.doc
The description of how to cope with bugs.
license.doc
The license for ADOM.
manual.doc
The manual containing all the information necessary to play the game.
techstat.doc
A text fulfilling the author's desire for statistical and background
information about the game.
adom-dos.txt
You are reading it right now.
plans.doc
A file listing the programmers' plans concerning the future
development of ADOM.
adom.kbd
The keymap for the game.
ADOM_DAT\
A directory created by ADOM to save games.
ADOM_DAT\TMPDAT\
A temporary directory created by ADOM to store temporary data during
a game. This directory should be gone after a game is ended. If this
is not so you are probably facing a bug.
ADOM_DAT\SAVEDG\
A directory used to hold all the saved games.
hiscore
The highscore file.
E. A word about path names
--------------------------
ADOM uses a certain way to handle path names unsimilar to what is
usually used on DOS systems. ADOM internally uses the '/' character
to separate directory names. Thus instead of using "C:\GAMES\ADOM"
ADOM will use the path "C:/GAMES/ADOM". This is just an internal
detail which has no meaning for you, the user. If you type "adom -d"
and get path names using the '/' just pretend that the '\' is
used. When defining path names for ADOM, you don't have to care about
this and can use the usual DOS conventions. ADOM internally converts
DOS path names to the special format. For those interested in the
details of the implementation: this somewhat strange feature is there,
because ADOM was compiled with the GCC for DOS, which internally uses
the '/' character.
F. Known Bugs
-------------
* ADOM does not seem to work when started from a drive created with
the SUBST command (refer to your DOS-documentation, when you are using
it).
* ADOM seems to have problems to work together with the cache program
from Norton Utilities (reported under DOS 6.22). You might want to
disable the cache software before booting to play ADOM.
* If you have installed Windows 95, run ADOM only after rebooting to DOS
(and not just in a DOS window). Win95 is extremely strange in some
ways... In most cases ADOM is known to work correctly even if started
from within Windows 95, but there have been some reports which seem
to indicate that some Win95 configurations might spell trouble.
ADOM is also unable to handle the long filenames provided by Windows 95.
G. DPMI services
----------------
ADOM needs a DPMI host to run. If you don't have installed a DPMI server
you can use the free DPMI server included in the ADOM package. It's called
CWSDPMI.EXE. Simply run it immediately before starting ADOM and everything
should be fine. Details about CWSDPMI.EXE can be found in CWSDPMI.DOC.