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1994-11-01
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CYBERSTRIKE VERSION NOTES
VERSION 1.5B
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 1.5B contains some rules adjustements to Version 1.5; if this
is your first time reading the version notes for Version 1.5, then
please skip down to the VERSOIN 1.5 version notes first.
- Weight
The module weight factor has been reduced from the initial 1.5
release. Heavy pods are still slow, but not quite as slow and
medium Pods are quite maneuverable. The minimum speed has
also been increased. Weight still affects jumping, power
consumption and other activities as before, but movement
limitations has been reduced.
- Shields
Shield strength has been increased. Both normal and enhanced
now can absorb more hits before going down.
- Fixes
Some other minor bug fixes were introduced into this version.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
VERSION 1.5
For those of you upgrading from version 1.04 to version 1.5 of CyberStrike,
here are some important notes. This new version of CS, although visually
quite similar, will play significantly different due to some major rule
changes.
**** QUICK INFO ****
>>>>>>>> AT LEAST READ THIS MUCH <<<<<<<<
If you are impatient, here is a brief rundown of the important changes!
1. Rerun SETDRV to setup the new sound driver
2. When entering CyberStrike, press SHIFT-J to calibrate joystick!
3. Modules have weight, but no purchase cost. Weight slows you
down, reduces your jump height etc. You can now outfit yourself
with a fast, light CyberPod, or a lumbering, weapon-laden CyberPod.
4. There are no more storage bays.
5. Shields are radically different. You can have 1 front, 1 rear
and optionally 1 shield enhance module. F1 and F2 are used to
charge up the front and rear shield respectively. If they are
beaten down, they are destroyed. Charge them as soon as you
get them!
6. Modules can be destroyed by incoming fire. Shields help protect
from this.
7. Ordering a Tower costs 1 multiplier point. Ordering a Mega-Tower
costs 2 multiplier points. You must have enough to order it.
8. Grenades launch at a fixed angle. You cannot aim them except
by heading.
9. Some function key reassignments:
F1 = Toggle Front Shield ON/OFF
F2 = Toggle Rear Shield ON/OFF
F3 = Reserve Power
F4 = Rocket Pack
10. The above will get you started, but you will WANT to read
the rest of this file for all the important details and some
other neat things not mentioned here!
********************
RULE CHANGES
- Module Weight / Cost
The most important difference is that modules no longer cost multiplier
points to purchase, but instead are given weight values. Every module
has a different weight (which shows up when you go to purchase a
module). Installing a module will add its weight to your CyberPod. A
heavier CyberPod moves and turns slower, and it will not be able to
jump as high, nor go quite as far on a catapult pad or with a rocket
pack module. The basic, unencumbered CyberPod is now faster than before
and there is a significant difference between a light, fast CyberPod and
a heavy, lumbering CyberPod bristling with weapons and armor systems. The
weight of your CyberPod also determines how much power it requires to move
and jump.
The modules have been carefully balanced to allow for a much larger
variety of play (especially as you advance towards the higher-level
cities). Gone are the days when only one or two module load-outs was
a "viable" option. With these new rules, you can choose to be a "scout"
CyberPod, for instance, and you will be able to run circles around the
heavy "assault" CyberPods. Longer range, faster speed and lower power
requirements will allow you to build up power bases faster. When you
want some serious firepower, then load up on weapon and shield systems;
you won't be able to race around the city but you will be able to inflict
some serious damage; and if things get dicey, eject most of your modules
and sprint back to home base as a light CyberPod again.
Another important aspect of this is that purchasing modules is much
faster at home base now. You do not have to wait for multiplier points
anymore. So long as you do not purchase more than one per second, you can
order as much as you want (a full re-arm can occur in about 15 seconds).
These new rules also make CyberPods with less than "full bays" have
significant advantages and thus the re-arm time is typically only a few
seconds.
The weight of your CyberPod is visually indicated on the right side of
the HUD as a growing green bar. The higher it gets, the heavier your
CyberPod.
- Shields
Shields have been completely reworked. There are now FRONT SHIELD and
REAR SHIELD modules, of which you can have one of each. When this module
is activated, it will raise a shield to cover its half of your CyberPod.
The shield strength is displayed on the left side of your HUD as a light
blue bar. The bar above the word "SHIELD" represents the strength of
your front shield, and the bar below it represents your rear shield.
As you take damage, the front and/or rear shield will take damage based
on the angle of the shot hitting you. For example, a full front hit will
lower the front shield some, however getting hit directly on the side will
cause 50% damage to both the front and rear shields (if they exist).
You do not have to load up with both shields (or any shields for that
matter). If you have just a front shield, for instance, and get hit
directly on the side, then the front shield will take half the damage and
the remaining amount will hit your CyberPod (causing power loss as usual).
There is a level 4 module, called SHIELD ENHANCE, that will cause any
shields to charge to a higher level. This module has no use if you do not
have front or rear shield modules.
Remember, you must ACTIVATE each shield module for it to work. The shield
recharge will drain power (by the time it is fully charged, it will have
taken twice as much power as it will absorb). Once fully charged it
requires no additional power until it must recharge again. As the shield
takes damage it will again recharge. You may find that if you are very
low in power (say, when retreating from battle) that you should risk
turning a shield off so its recharge does not suck up your last power.
When you turn off a shield, it provides no benefit and will have to fully
recharge once you turn it back on. The FRONT and REAR shields can be
recharged independently.
If a shield is beaten all the way down by incoming fire, then it will
likely be destroyed. Since you can only carry one of each, be sure to
avoid this when possible. Firing does not affect shields.
Note that the function keys have changed somewhat to accommodate the
new shields:
F1 Toggle FRONT SHIELD on/off
F2 Toggle REAR SHIELD on/off
F3 Reserve Power
F4 Rocket Pack
Although you will not be able to tell if a potential target has any
particular shield active or not, you will be able to tell that
they have at least one shield on because hits will cause bluish
sparks instead of the normal red/orange debris. The "wavy" Pod
effect no longer occurs.
IMPORTANT PLAY TIP:
When playing with the new shields, remember that you want to turn
them on as soon as you install them, not when you are getting into
a fire fight. The shields must charge, and when they are on they
are vulnerable to being destroyed when knocked down. If you
activate them as soon as you receive incoming fire, then they will
most likely be destroyed immediately.
- Reserve Bays
The Reserve Bay feature has been removed. You are now limited to the
nine bays in all cities.
- Module Changes
- Raise/Lower Value modules have been eliminated
- TRI-SHOT has a tighter focus, however it is heavy and requires more
power to use.
- Liberator requires a lot of power to use, about one-fourth of a normal
full CyberPod power cell charge
- The range of Long Shot has been increased about 10%.
- Resonator has a more powerful effect
- TURRET MODULE
This new module allows your main weapon to swivel based on the
direction you are looking. This is especially useful for heavy Pods
that cannot turn quickly, but is also useful for light Pods that tend to
run circles around heavier CyberPods.
- Grenades now launch at a fixed (though somewhat unreliable) angle.
Although still devastating when massed, they cannot be aimed with
pinpoint accuracy, and are therefore a long range weapon again.
- SHIELD removed
- FRONT SHIELD added
- REAR SHIELD added
- SHIELD ENHANCE added
- All unused modules have been removed from the purchase display
- Mines now require 10 seconds to activate once they land. They then
strobe their surroundings looking for enemy Pods. If one is close
enough it will explode. Prior to this version, the delay before
they activated was variable depending on the speed of the computer;
it is now constant.
- Miscellaneous Rule Changes
- A CyberPod exploding causes damage, so don't be too close to an
enemy when they bite it! Oh, and if you are doomed, might as well
rush your enemy to take him out with you. :)
- Exploding towers cause damage to nearby Pods, so watch your
distance when blowing one up. Also, if someone is cowering next
to their tower, try blowing that up. :)
- Installed modules can occasionally be destroyed by incoming fire.
Shields will prevent this (until one of them is knocked down). Keep
an eye on this, as it can change your tactical position quickly!
- There is no more "grace shield," however there is a "grace period"
of 2 minutes each time you restart at your home base. This grace
period will immediately expire if you move more than a city block
away from your home base or launch a grenade. You can drop
mines and shoot at will during your grace period, but will take
no damage from other sources.
- Ordering a Power Tower drop costs 1 multiplier point. Ordering
a Mega-Tower costs 2 multiplier points. You must have enough to
order in the tower.
- Multiplier points increase at 30 seconds times the number of
multiplier points you have (with a minimum of 30 seconds). This
is slower than before, but because you do not spend multiplier
points for modules (only for tower calls) you'll end up with
much higher scores than you may be used to (assuming, of course,
you are judicious with tower placement).
- Control Changes
- JOYSTICKS
A completely new joystick algorithm is being used. When you first
enter CyberStrike (with this new version) you should calibrate your
joystick by pressing SHIFT-J and following the instructions on the
MFD. You can recalibrate your joystick at any time. This new
system should work better with the various joysticks and will eliminate
the problem with joystick speed-compensators changing the speed of
a CyberPod beyond normal.
- ThrustMaster Flight Control System (FCS)
If you have a ThrustMaster Flight Control System, you can now activate
it with SHIFT-F (or from the settings screen in the chamber). The
coolie hat will control your view. You can use the "pinkie" button to
reset your view to center/forward (like the "*" key). The middle,
thumb-button will toggle a TRI-SHOT on and off (if you have one, just
like the F7 key).
Your FCS coolie hat is actually "Joystick B" and you may find that
it doesn't respond properly under some hardware configurations. If
the Hat doesn't seem to work, or "pulls" up/down or left/right, then
check if you are using a Speed Adjustable Game Card of some sort. Try
adjusting the settings for Joystick B until the Hat works the way
you expect.
If you have ThrustMaster Weapon Control System Mark II, you may have
to play with the switches so that it doesn't interfere with the FCS.
Try switching the Red switch to Calibrate and the black button to
the Analog position.
- View Keys
You can now look left and right in 3 steps, 45, 90 and 135 degrees,
so you can look "over your shoulder" now. With the TURRET module,
these views can be used to fire your main weapon too.
+/= (a/z) pan up/down moves in fine increments, but accelerates
as you hold it down. Makes it useful both for rapid view adjustments
up and down and also for pin-point up/down aiming adjustments.
'q' key works the same as '*', centering view. This augments the
'a' and 'z' key "left-handed" view controls. Those who use 'a' and 'z'
to pan up and down do not need to reach cross-keyboard to the '*' key
to auto-center anymore.
- The PAUSE key no longer pauses the simulation. Note that some people
have computers which cause the numeric-5 key to pause; this is not
something we can figure out how to fix. We have noticed it on
Dell Dimension XPS P90's when running from Windows (or having once
used Windows that day). Rebooting and running from DOS seems to fix this.
The numeric 0 key will work as the numeric-5 key if you still have
this problem. If all else fails, we suggest a joystick.
If you do pause the simulation in any way, it will cause the software
to malfunction and exit. You cannot pause a multiplayer game. :)
- See new SHIELD information above for FUNCTION KEY changes
- Additional Changes
- 16-Bit Sound System
CyberStrike has always had an awesome sound system. The new version,
however, takes advantage of 16-bit sound cards. The 4-channel audio
mixer will sound much clearer on a 16-bit sound card. There are a lot
of rich basses in our sounds, so you might want to invest in a good
pair of speakers. We recommend a true SoundBlaster type card, either
a SB16 or better, and higher-end speakers with a subwoofer. The game
is a completely different experience with this sort of equipment! And,
all your games will sound better.
Since we use true stereo-panning on a per-channel basis, you can use
the audio cues from the stereo separation to help you in combat. If
someone is firing to your right, you will hear it from that side. To
get this effect, you need to separate your speakers sufficiently that
you can hear the difference. There is an option in the settings
panel to swap the Left and Right channel in case your speakers are
backwards to what CyberStrike expects.
This version of CyberStrike has several new sounds, and some older
ones have been redone. Don't let this throw you!
This version uses new sound drivers, so make sure you rerun SETDRV.EXE
to set up your sound card. The new SETDRV will play a sample sound to
make sure your setup is working.
You can swap the LEFT and RIGHT channels of the stereo output
from the settings panel (ALT-S) in the Chamber.
WHAT IF SOUND WON'T PLAY?
1) Make sure you have run SETDRV to set up your sound card. It will
play a sample sound. If this does not work, then your configuration
is not correct. Check your sound card manual for details on
software settings. Also check that your speakers are hooked up
and turned on. You may want to try some other software that
you know sound works with to make sure there is not a hardware
problem.
2) If SETDRV.EXE plays sound, but there are no sounds when you
enter CyberStrike, then check the following:
When entering CyberStrike you will see the message:
Sounds: OFF (X)
The "X" is a number which tells you why sounds are not
playing. Here are the codes and their meaning:
Problem: (1) No EMS detected
Solution: You must have about 1.2 MEG of EMS RAM to load the
sounds into. This code means that no EMS driver
has been found. To use sound, you must have an
Expanded Memory Manager running. DOS 5.0 and up
comes with EMM386 which will do the job. You can
also acquire QEMM, 386^MAX or any other commercial
memory manager. From DOS type MEMMAKER to set up
the EMM386 memory manager.
Problem: (2) No Sound Driver Detected
Solution: Rerun SETDRV.EXE from DOS. CyberStrike did not
detect a sound driver. Check that SOUNDRV.COM
is in the directory after SETDRV.EXE is complete;
this is the sound driver itself.
Problem: (3) Incorrect Sound Driver Version
Solution: You are using an old sound driver. Make sure you
have extracted the new CyberStrike into an empty
directory and not into the directory where an older
version of CyberStrike was located. This will ensure
that when you run SETDRV.EXE that only newer sound
drivers are available.
You may have downloaded the CS15.EXE file instead
of the CS15S.EXE file. The CS15.EXE file has no
sounds or sound drivers. Therefore if you downloaded
this file into the directory where the previous
version of CyberStrike was located, you will have
a bunch of old, incompatible sound drivers mixed
in. If this is the case, download CSSND.EXE from
the CyberStrike software library; this contains
all the new sounds and sound drivers.
Problem: (4) MIXER Malfunction
Solution: You should never see this error. Report to
CyberStrike Feedback.
Problem: (5) Insufficient EMS
Solution: Although you do have an Expanded Memory Manager
running on your computer, you do not have enough
EMS available to load all the sounds. You need
about 1.2 megabytes of EMS to load all the
sounds.
You can see how much EMS you have from DOS by
typing MEM. Or, start CyberStrike and press ALT-M.
Check the documentation with your memory manager
to learn how to increase this amount.
Alternatively, you can delete any of the sounds files
from the CyberStrike directory without harm (they
are the files with the .SND extension). Deletion of
any of these files will simply result in that sound
not being played; however less EMS memory is required.
Try deleting: CCITY1A.SND, CCITY2A.SND and/or CCITY3.SND
since these are just environmental sounds and will not
affect important audio combat cues.
YOUR OWN SOUNDS
You can replace any or all of the sounds in CyberStrike with your own.
The sound files all have the .SND extension and are simply RAW
sound files, 8-bit, sampled at 11khz. They can be of any length;
limited only by how much EMS you set aside for sounds. Attempt to
"level" your sounds so they all have the same volume (generally,
with peaks reaching full magnitude). The WaveStudio program which
comes with most SoundBlaster programs is able to record, load and save
RAW sound files (though you'll have to rename them to .SND afterwards).
If you wish a sound to occur when a Guppy pilot is unable to make
a delivery, then create a sound effect and name it UNABLE.SND in
the CyberStrike directory.
- CyberPod Performance
Your CyberPod will generally respond faster (when unencumbered by
modules) than a base-line CyberPod in version 1.04. This includes
some significant improvements in jumping and turning. If you have
high-speed, fast-turn, high-jump or performance modules, your CyberPod
will really fly. This may lead to somewhat more warping problems,
but since most CyberPods will carry several mods, and move at or slower
than normal, the net effect should be better. The issue here is that
you now have many more tactical options, and CyberPods will move at
different speeds, making it finally possible to make a getaway or
run someone down if you have a faster CyberPod. Light CyberPods with
high-jump will be able to leap onto places they never could get to
easily before, while heavy CyberPods will be left behind to cool their
big guns while the lightly encumbered sprint away.
- Bug Fixes
- Hangs/Lockups/Crashes
The FE software should now be more stable. We've found and fixed many
bugs which could lead to hangs and crashes. Some problems are related
to hardware and software configurations which we cannot control (such
is the nature of MS-DOS), but we do have it to the point where it will
run flawlessly for hours on end on many different types of machines
at our offices.
If you have any problems related to crashes or hangs, please send all
system configuration and a description of the problem via CyberStrike
feedback (CSHELP$ or CYBERSTRIKE). Any fixes we make will be made
available for download in the CyberStrike software library.
- Sound System Hiccup
Version 1.04 of the FE would sometimes cause the sounds to eventually
break up (usually during a thunderstorm) and require you to quit and
restart to clear up the problem. This has been fixed.
- "Scaling" Walls
A bug in the collision system would allow some jumps into walls to
"pop" a CyberPod to the top of a building. This has been fixed.
- "Tapping" Phalanx
Rapidly turning the Phalanx on and off would result in a high rate-of-
fire. This has been fixed.
Communication Issues
- DigiCom Brand Modems
We have had reports of CyberStrike not being able to communicate
with some (or maybe all) varieties of Digicom modems. We have not
been able to determine what causes this, and in fact CyberStrike
seems to work with every other modem out there (nor does it do any
modem-specific operations). This is a complete mystery.
- Carrier Detect
CyberStrike REQUIRES that your modem supply a CARRIER DETECT
indication so it knows when you are connected and when you are not.
Most every modem has this feature, though you must make sure that
in the case of an external modem, the serial cable you use passes
the CD line (not all do).
Most modems can turn on their carrier detect feature with the
following AT command:
AT&C1
The auto-initialization string sent to the modem when CyberStrike
starts up sends this, and some other commands. You can modify
this by changing the last line of the INIT.CS file and the
appropriate initialization line in the LOGON.SCR file.
- Network Delays
Since CyberStrike is a fast-paced simulator, network delays can cause
all sorts of visual problems. For instance, other CyberPods can
appear to "warp" rapidly from time to time. Although we go to great
lengths to minimize this, the technology of packet-switched networks
(such as that used by nearly any online service, including GEnie) is
not really designed for this sort of thing. We do the best with what
is there.
To help you get an idea of what kind of network delay is going on, a
bar in the upper left of the HUD will grow to indicate how long a
packet takes to make a "round trip" from your computer to the host and
back again. This special "net ping" packet is sent every few seconds
and then timed for the return trip. The bar is then updated to show
you how long it takes. Usually this should be about one or two in
length, though three or four is okay too. Every now and then there
may be a 'spike' there, but it should settle down again. The bar
will also flash if there is an error in one of the packets being
received (thus requiring a retransmission in some cases).
If your network delays are significantly worse than this, then here
are some things to consider:
1. The performance of the GEnie network can vary based on your
geographical location. From St. Louis (where our offices are
located), the network delay is almost always 1 or 2. However in
some areas, the network traffic can be much heavier and cause
delays. Although we do not suggest you move to St. Louis in order
to play CyberStrike, we want to point this out so you understand
what is going on. Typically, an area with heavy traffic will be
getting upgraded network capacity to meet the demand. We have
no control over when this happens (and it is driven by GE, not GEnie),
but it generally does happen.
Although there is a surcharge involved, GEnie does have a direct
800 number you can use to access the service. Call Customer Service
for details. This connection should give you superior results.
2. Network traffic will vary based on the time of day. You might
try a little later or earlier and see how it is. This can vary over
the months as well.
3. Try redialing a few times and see if perhaps it is the particular
connection you have.
4. CyberStrike does not seem to work over SprintNet's connection
to GEnie. We are working on this problem, but until it is fixed
you must use either a GEnie node or the 800 number access.
5. If you seem to be getting a lot of errors (a flashing bar), this
will lead to seemingly long network delays. This can be the
result of several things:
a. If you use an external modem, the link between your modem and
the computer is handled by a special control chip called
a UART. When data comes in from the modem, the UART translates
the signals from the modem cable into something usable by
the computer. An IRQ (interrupt) is sent to the software to
tell it that there is data available. This happens at a very
rapid pace. If the software is unable to service the interrupt
fast enough, new incoming data may overwrite what was waiting to
be read and thus some data is lost.
Newer computers tend to use 16550A (or 16550AFN) UARTs. These
have a buffer in them so that if the software does not respond
fast enough, there is no loss of data. If your computer has
a 16550 type UART, you should have no problems.
The reason CyberStrike may not be able to service the interrupt
fast enough is because other interrupts may be getting in the
way. In version 1.04 of CyberStrike, the sound system would
ignore (block) any interrupts while it was doing its 4-channel
audio mixing. The new version of CyberStrike fixes this problem
and should allow it to service COM IRQs faster.
However, if you do get a lot of errors, and you have an older
UART you might invest in a "high speed serial port" card. They
are not very expensive (say under $40) and will serve you well
when doing all sorts of online work at high baud rates.
You can also disable sound, and see if this helps.
b. You may have a bad connection to the local node. Try redialing
and see if it clears up. If you get a lot of "garbage" when
logging on, and moving through the GEnie menus, then your
CyberStrike connection will be poor as well. If this problem
is persistent, contact GEnie Customer Service and they will be
able to help you clear up your communication problems.
Sometimes a notoriously bad communication link to the local node is
due to poor wiring by your local phone company. If you hear static
on your data line when dialing normal numbers, then you should
probably contact your phone company for advice and possible service.
c. MNP4/Error Correction
You may be wondering how you can get communication errors if you
have a "reliable" link using your modem's MNP4 (or other) reliable
communications link. The reason is that the data is only reliable
from the modem at the GEnie node down to your modem. Errors can
creep in from that point until it reaches CyberStrike. An older
UART is a prime example, but a poor cable connection or a bad
ISA slot (in the case of an internal modem) is another. In general
we do not recommend a MNP4 connection since it adds another layer
of error correction which is not needed, thus slowing down
communications when in CyberStrike. CyberStrike uses its own
'smart' error correction. For example, if a packet which updates
a CyberPod's position is garbled, it does not request it to be
retransmitted because another one is on its way anyhow, and it'll
be more accurate than the retransmitted one. MNP4 will cause
a retransmission and may even increase the "warping" under such
circumstances.
=============================================================================