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1996-05-17
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51KB
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1,052 lines
IRON OX Version 3.00
(C)opyright 1993-1996, Joel W. Downer
Support BBS: Fido 1:202/704, 619-462-8406/462-7146
Inquiries: joel@dreamcty.cts.com
CONTENTS
This documentation file includes the following sections:
SUMMARY What this door is and why you want it!
EVALUATION VERSION Shareware notice; evaluation terms
COMPATIBILITY/REQUIREMENTS What you need to run this program
INSTALLING THE GAME How to get the game running
TRYING OUT THE GAME How to take a look at this door
IRON OX AND YOUR BBS Getting the game working from your BBS
COMMAND-LINE ARGUMENTS List of options accepted by the program
MULTINODE SETUP Special issues for multinode sysops
COMMON PROBLEMS Please read *before* calling me at 3 AM <g>
CONFIGURING IRON OX Customizing your IRONOX.CFG file
EXTERNAL PROTOCOLS Setting up external protocols with Iron Ox
MAINTAINING IRON OX To keep the door running over time...
CUSTOMIZING Touching up the program to your taste
ERRORLEVELS Information for tech geek sysops <g>
LICENSE/REG. INFORMATION How to register your copy of Iron Ox!
ADDITIONAL LICENSE INFO Info on distributing/licensing this door
FUTURE PLANS Some information about what lies ahead
SUPPORT Where to get more help!
DISTRIBUTION SITES Where to find the latest version.
OTHER SOFTWARE BY JOEL DOWNER If you like Iron Ox....
DISCLAIMER Boilerplate courtesy of legal dept. <g>
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The names of a few heroes/heroines
SUMMARY
Iron Ox is an interactive strategy game intended to be run as a BBS
external program (door). The players have been sent against their will
to an untamed alien world: they start with their bare hands, a few
automated "iron oxen" to help them build things, and a small pack of
cybernetically modified dogs ("cybermutts") to protect them. Will your
callers work together to master the world and build a flourishing
civilization, with roads and freeways and a powerful economy? Or will
they destroy each other and the planet beneath their feet as they
struggle for dominance? And what about neighboring worlds? Rumors brew
that the other colonies are building armies ... if war erupts, will your
BBS's callers be ready?
Iron Ox is a rich game, with exciting features like:
* RIP graphics support, with beautiful art and (optional) local RIP!
* five-minute setup with a one-line batch file on most systems,
* detection and timeslicing for DESQview, Windows, and OS/2,
* full multinode support, with real-time chat, messaging, and combat!
* support for a wide variety of door drop files (including DOOR.SYS,
DORINFO?.DEF, EXITINFO.BBS, CHAIN.TXT, CALLINFO.BBS, and SFDOORS.DAT),
* support for direct serial communications or FOSSIL,
* a native, 32-bit OS/2 version available,
* purchasable drones that work the land and fight in real time, and
* full InterBBS league support, including IBBS attacks and ops!
EVALUATION VERSION
Iron Ox is distributed in an evaluation version, intended for you to try
out for thirty days. The evaluation version of Iron Ox is a complete
and (I hope) enjoyable game. If you like Iron Ox and wish to continue
using it after thirty days, please see "LICENSING/REGISTRATION
INFORMATION," below, for details on how to register. A registration key
for Iron Ox will enable additional features that will make the game even
more exciting for your users.
Thanks for evaluating Iron Ox!
COMPATIBILITY/REQUIREMENTS
The DOS version of Iron Ox requires about 400k of memory to run in text
mode, and about 450k to run with local graphics. (Having more memory,
and some EMS memory available, will make it run faster.)
Iron Ox requires a minimum 286 or better CPU, and a 386 or better is
recommended for best performance. On slower systems, you may wish to
adjust "Drone Cycles" in OxConfig (slowing down the computer-controlled
characters) to reduce the delay between moves. On a fast 486 or Pentium
system, you may actually want to *increase* the speed of the drones for
more exciting real-time action. :-)
Running Iron Ox in graphics mode (with the /LRIP parameter) requires a
monitor with EGA or better graphics support. The game will work fine on
any sort of monitor running without the /LRIP parameter. Local graphics
will work under DESQview and other DOS multitaskers, but using graphics
on multitasking multinode systems is not recommended. In particular,
having two or more sessions on one machine trying to do local graphics
at the same time is a bad idea.
Iron Ox (for DOS or OS/2) requires a minimum of 1.5 megabytes of disk
space. When running with local graphics, it may consume another
200-350k of space for temporary icon storage. A hard disk is required.
The DOS version runs under (and gives up timeslices to) DESQview,
Windows, and OS/2. (If you're running OS/2, though, you'll probably
want Iron Ox for OS/2.)
The DOS version includes internal comm routines, with support for
non-standard IRQ's and for rates of up to 115Kbps, as well as support
for a FOSSIL driver. Support for some specialized requirements
(DigiBoards, shared IRQ's) is provided in the DOS version through the
FOSSIL standard. Recent versions of several popular FOSSIL drivers are
available through the support BBS. If you're running the OS/2 version
of the door, don't worry about any of these issues: your device driver
will take care of them.
Iron Ox requires that the remote user (your caller) have ANSI, AVATAR,
or RIP graphics, but does not require special drivers on the sysop end.
INSTALLING THE GAME
This section describes how to set up Iron Ox in single-BBS mode. If
you're setting up Iron Ox for interBBS league play, see INTERBBS.DOC for
instructions.
Here's what it takes to install Iron Ox:
1. Unpack the Iron Ox archive into its own directory (all of the
examples in this .DOC file assume you've used C:\DOOR\IRONOX, but any
directory will do).
2. Run INSTALL.BAT (INSTALL.CMD under OS/2) and follow the instructions
that appear on the screen. (In case you want to recreate these steps
manually, INSTALL.BAT/INSTALL.CMD runs OxConfig to create your
configuration file and your batch file and then runs IRONOX /RESET to
create a new Iron Ox game.)
3. Be sure to say "Yes" to the questions about saving your configuration
file and creating a new game. Otherwise, though, you can mostly just
accept all the defaults at this point. (You can always go into
OxConfig later and fine-tune your configuration.) If you have an
external protocol like DSZ (DOS) or CEXYZ/2 (OS/2) installed, be sure
to visit General Settings|General Config in OxConfig and set the
pathname for your external protocol so Ox can automatically send RIP
icon files to RIP terminal users.
At the end, the installation process displays some instructions on the
screen about adding Iron Ox to your BBS. You can follow those
instructions now, or wait until you've "previewed" Ox as described in
the next section.
TRYING OUT THE GAME
Iron Ox is at its best with multiple players. However, if you like to
get acquainted with a game before offering it to your callers, you can
easily play a few turns on your own to see what it feels like. After
you've set up the game as described under "INSTALLING THE GAME," above,
just access the game locally by typing:
C:\IRONOX>IRONOX -LOCAL
If you're running the DOS version of Iron Ox and you have an EGA monitor
or better, you can have graphics by using this command-line instead:
C:\IRONOX>IRONOX -LOCAL -LRIP
When you're done playi