Software Vault: The Diamond Collection

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KABOOM! version 2.1 A multi-node game door for most BBS systems Copyright 1995 by DIRT CHEAP SOFTWARE Written in C by Bruce Bowman Released January ?, 1995 INTRODUCTION ------------ (and obligatory legal garbage) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | >Disclaimer< Throughout this document, I have used the masculine gender | | when referring to a "generic" person. This is only to avoid continuous | | use of such things as (s)he, which I find annoying. I have total respect | | for the females of the species; I even married one. So lighten up. :^) | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | >Disclaimer #2< The author of this program, Bruce Bowman, promises only | | that this program will take up space on your hard drive (and perhaps not | | even that). I've put a lot of my time and sweat equity into this, and in | | return I ask only that you try it and remit a token sum if you continue | | to do so. I make no claims for its suitability for a particular purpose, | | and guarantee nothing whatsoever regarding potential damage to your own | | computer or hard-acquired files. I can only suggest that you do what I | | do, and back up your hard drive frequently. If the unthinkable happens | | and some terrible fate should befall you as a direct or indirect result | | of using KaBoom!, you will have my utmost sympathy -- but that's about | | all. So there. :^) | | -------------------- | | This software is copyrighted: You're subject to the associated penalties | | of law if you attempt to reverse-engineer it, hack the key routines, or | | otherwise steal the benefits of all my aforementioned sweat equity. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'll freely admit it -- I was inspired to write KaBoom! by an article in a magazine. There were even some code snippets, but in another language. As I wrote it, more and more ideas for improvements came to mind, so they were incorporated. The final product, I feel is as good as any door I've seen -- and at only $10 is a bargain in shareware. KaBoom! offers the following sysop features (and more I've probably overlooked in these docs): - As you would expect, KaBoom! monitors carrier detect functions, to automatically recover when a user drops carrier. - Includes a fully-adjustable inactivity timeout monitor. A warning is sent 15 seconds before the caller is ejected. - Share-aware file i/o for use in multi-node BBS systems. You must have DOS's SHARE.EXE loaded for multi-node use. - Supports most popular BBS door information files, such as DORINFO1.DEF, EXITINFO.BBS, CHAIN.TXT, DOOR.SYS, etc. - Supports monochrome monitors and computers that do not support the entire IBM character set. - Displays and updates a QuickBBS-style status line, with information available to the sysop such as user name, location, baud rate, time left, function keys, ANSI and AVATAR settings, and so on. - Keeps track of a user "wants-chat" indicator, just like the one in RemoteAccess, QuickBBS and other BBS systems. Allows for sysop page from the door, and integrated chat mode. - Provides the sysop with all the standard function keys for adjusting user time, hanging up on or locking out the user -- and sysop shell to DOS. - Full support for locked baud-rates of up to 115200 baud, using the FOSSIL driver for maximum compatibility with any system. If a FOSSIL is not available, KaBoom! will use its own communications routines. Support for non-standard comm ports, and auto-detect of local operation. - KaBoom! is also DesqView and Windows aware. It will automatically check for the presence of a multitasker, and if available, will perform all of its screen output through the appropriate function calls. KABOOM! QUICKSTART ------------------ To get the door up and running, perform the following... 1) Copy the KABOOM.EXE file to the directory from which you plan to run the door. 2) Create a door batch file, similar to the following: CD \BBS\DOORS (location of KABOOM executable) KABOOM <parameters> (see below) CD \BBS EXIT 3) Create a menu entry to call the door. This varies according to your BBS software. I recommend a "spawn" type of door call (e.g.: type 7 on QuickBBS or Remote Access). That's really about all there is to it! Now, you need to know about the command line parameters, so here goes... COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS ----------------------- ** Soapbox mode ON ** One thing that has always irritated me is the number of config files and the like that clutter my directories. I see no need to have an executable, a maintenance program, a config file and program, and a data file for each game (like many door programmers prefer). Although harder to do, I've designed KaBoom! so it doesn't need all those files -- all it uses, besides the executable, is two data files (the Hall of Fame and a user activity log). KaBoom! configuration is done exclusively via command line parameters. ** Soapbox mode OFF ** Call the program with the following syntax. Only the <path> parameter is required. Parameters indicated with an asterisk (*) can only be configured in the registered version. KABOOM <Path> <Time> <Games*> <Sleep*> <Bombs*> <PageOff*> <PageOn*> [ <Baud> <IRQ> <Add> ] Where: Path REQUIRED: Path to the door drop file(s). This will vary depending on the node using the door. I usually set things up so the node number is passed on the batch file command line, so the door can be called with something like: KABOOM \BBS\NODE%1. That way, you can use the same batch for any number of nodes. You can also force KaBoom! to preferentially read a particular drop file by placing its name along with the full path. This can handy if KaBoom! is reading one drop file first that doesn't have the data it needs to run properly. *Time Maximum time, in minutes, you will allow a caller to spend in the door. Default is the total amount of connect time left to the caller (i.e.: no restriction). A warning is sent shortly before the caller runs out of time. To use the default but still specify a value for one of the subsequent parameters, insert XX (or any other string of *non-numeric* characters) as a placeholder. *Games Maximum number of games an individual may play in one session. Default value is 5, acceptable range is 1-32767. A value of zero is ignored, and will give the default instead. Again, insert a non-numeric placeholder if you want to specify a value for any subsequent parameters. *Sleep Time, in seconds, before a user is returned to the BBS for inactivity. If your caller goes to sleep at the terminal, this will bump him off and back to the BBS; a warning will be sent 15 seconds beforehand. Keep this number high enough that the caller can examine the grid for a reasonable length of time. Default is 200 seconds (quite generous for an arcade-style game). *Bombs Number of bombs on the play grid for level 0. Higher levels have 5 more bombs than the previous level. The acceptable range is 10 - 49 bombs. Difficulty increases rapidly once you get past about 20 bombs, so the default (15) is a good choice. If you change this number frequently, it will be impossible to compare your caller's Hall of Fame entries with any degree of fairness. I suggest you delete the KABOOM.HOF file whenever this value is changed -- thereby starting a new Hall of Fame. *PageOff Time, in minutes after midnight, for paging hours to end. Legal values are 0-1440. By default, paging is always on; so if you enter an invalid number, that's what you'll get. *PageOn Time, in minutes since midnight, for paging hours to resume. If you *never* want a caller to page you, enter a value of exactly midnight (zero) for PageOn, or simply don't provide a value for PageOn at all. USE THE FOLLOWING PARAMETERS ONLY IF YOU DO NOT USE A FOSSIL FOR MODEM I/O! Using any of these parameters disables use of the FOSSIL. In most cases, it is better to set one or more of these values on your FOSSIL command line and just use the FOSSIL for i/o -- but if your BBS software does not require a FOSSIL, or for some reason you prefer the FOSSIL not be used, you can still run the door using these parameters and KaBoom's internal comm routines. <Baud> The computer-to-modem data transfer rate (DTE speed). THIS IS NOT THE MODEM-TO-MODEM CONNECT SPEED. This value must evenly divide 115200 (115200, 57600, 38400, 28800, 23040, 19200, 14400, etc). Do not use a comma (ie: do not enter the value as 57,600 -- it won't work). If all you want to do is force KaBoom to use its own comm routines, you can again put XX or any other non-numeric placeholder string in this position. If you use hardware data compression on your modem (V.42bis or others), I suggest using a value of 4x your highest connect speed to avoid losing characters. For example, for a 9600 baud modem with V.42bis, I recommend using 38400 here. <IRQ> Sets the IRQ line to be used by your modem. Normally, KaBoom will determine the standard IRQ line used by COM1-COM4. If you use a non-standard IRQ line for your modem (usually to avoid a conflict with another device) place its value here. <Add> Base address (in hex). KaBoom can normally determine the base address of the port for you. However, if you prefer to change the base address, place its value here. MAKE SURE IT IS CORRECT!! If it isn't, KaBoom! will still dutifully follow your instructions and perhaps overwrite important areas of memory. If you don't understand any of this, DO NOT put ANYTHING here. Standard base addresses and IRQs follow. These are the values that will be used based on the COM port passed in the BBS drop files, unless remapped by your FOSSIL or on the KaBoom! command line: COM1 03F8h and IRQ4 COM2 02F8h and IRQ3 COM3 03E8h and IRQ4 COM4 02E8h and IRQ3 Examples: -------- KABOOM \BBS\NODE1 Bring up the door with the drop file located in the \BBS\NODE1 directory. All other parameters take their default values. KABOOM \BBS\NODE2 15 XX XX 30 Run the door from node 2. Thirty bombs in level 0, and limit callers to 15 minutes in the door. KABOOM \BBS\NODE1 XX 10 XX XX 1260 420 Run KaBoom! with a maximum of 10 games per person per day. Disable sysop paging at 9 p.m. and resume at 7 a.m. KABOOM \BBS\NODE1 XX XX 300 XX XX XX XX Run KaBoom!, forcing use of internal comm routines (assuming a FOSSIL is not available). Callers will be returned to the BBS after 5 minutes (300 seconds) of inactivity. KABOOM \BBS\NODE%1 XX XX XX XX XX XX 115200 7 02E8 Run KaBoom! using the internal comm routines and non-standard modem settings indicated. The node passed on the batch file command line is using the door. SYSOP FUNCTIONS --------------- Status Line - The status line lists the name of the user currently on-line, his location, and baud rate (0 if the door is operating in local mode). You may also find out how much time the user has left, check for indicators as to whether the user has ANSI and/or AVATAR modes on, etc. If the user wants to Chat with the sysop (ie: they have paged the sysop, but haven't received a response), a "Want-Chat" indicator will flash on the status line. [F1]..[F10] - The Function keys [F1] thru [F10] allows the sysop access to various types of information on the status line, or to turn the status line off. These keys are as follows: [F1] - Display basic door and user information [F2] - Display phone numbers and important dates [F3] - Display security flags and up/download info [F4] - Display system information and current time [F5] - Display message info and user's settings [F6] - Display chat reason and sysop's comment [F9] - Display help information for sysop [F10] - Turn off the status line The following other function keys are also available to the sysop: [UP]/[DOWN] - Use these arrow keys to increase or decrease the amount of time the caller has left in the door. [Alt]-[C] - Allows the sysop to break into chat with the caller at any time. [Alt]-[C] again, or [ESC] will end chat mode. (Notice that the Want-Chat indicator will also be turned off, if it was flashing). If your door is running under Apex, Remote Access or QuickBBS, paging from within the door will also cause the Want-Chat indicator to stay lit when the user returns to the BBS. [Alt]-[J] - Allows the sysop to shell to DOS, if enough memory is available. Simply type EXIT to return to the door. [Alt]-[H] - Hang up on the user. Drops carrier and returns to the BBS. [Alt]-[L] - This key locks the user out of the BBS. It first hangs up on the user, and then sets their security level to 0, to prevent them from ever logging on again. This feature may require use of the EXITINFO.BBS file, depending on what system the door is running under. [Alt]-[K] - The "User Keyboard-Off" key allows the sysop to temporarily prevent the user from typing anything on their keyboard. This has no effect on the local keyboard, but causes the door to ignore any keystrokes from remote. [Alt]-[N] - The "Sysop Next" key, this function reserves the system for use by the sysop after the user logs off, if the door is running under an Apex or RA 1.00 or later system. [Alt]-[D] - "Drop to BBS" key. This function allows the sysop to close the door and return the user to the BBS, without hanging up. USING THE DOOR -------------- The door is menu-driven, and most of the functions are self-explanatory. A brief overview will be given here -- please see the online instructions for more details and strategy. The object of the game is to reveal all the squares of the grid without running into a bomb. A timer counts how long it takes a given user to do so. If the user is able to win in a time that is less than the lowest of the top 12 times, his name is added to the Hall of Fame! To navigate the grid, the player must use either the 1235 keys on the numeric keypad, or (for lefties or keyboards without a numeric keypad) the sdfe keys on the main keyboard. If using the keypad, the NUM LOCK key must be on, while CAPS LOCK must be off to use the sdfe keys. This helps avoid the caller accidentally hitting one of the other, command keys during the course of the game, yet allows them to interrupt play at any time if they use both hands. I was hoping to use the arrow keys to move around, but the extended code sequences these keys generate require remote callers to use a "DOORWAY mode" that many communications programs do not support. To reveal a square, use ENTER. Either the main keyboard or the keypad key will work. If you reveal a square that contains a bomb, you lose. If you think you know where a bomb is, mark the square with the space bar so you don't reveal it later. However, be careful -- one of the most frequent mistakes in playing the game is to mark a square that doesn't really have a bomb in it, so your later decisions based on this assumption turn out to be wrong. You can unmark the square by pressing the space bar again. If you attempt to mark a square that has already been revealed, or reveal a marked square, you will be assessed a time penalty. NOTE: There's always a chance that, on your first move, you'll reveal a square with a bomb and immediately lose. To eliminate this, I have set it up so the square in the center (the one highlighted at the start of each game) never has a bomb. It is up to you whether you want to make your callers aware of this fact! Other commands: N = Starts a new game immediately, terminating the current game. Q = Quit and return to the BBS. L = Logoff the board. Exits both the game and the current BBS session. This may require EXITINFO.BBS drop file support on the part of your BBS software. R = Redraw screen -- just in case it gets messed up by line noise. I = Displays pretty good game instructions and strategy. P = Page sysop -- sounds a tone so you can come and initiate chat mode (assuming you want to). G = Graphics mode -- toggles on and off the use of high ASCII (extended IBM characters) and ANSI color sequences. Useful for those who have monochrome monitors or computers that do not support the full IBM character set. C = Change level of difficulty. There are three levels -- each higher level places 5 more bombs on the grid than the previous level. H = Displays the current Hall of Fame. There is a separate Hall of Fame for each level of difficulty. Note that the timer will continue to count while the computer processes these commands; so if you are in the middle of a game you might not want to stop to read the instructions right then. Tutorial Mode ------------- One of the best features of version 2.0 and later of KaBoom! is tutorial mode. In this mode, players can select whether they wish to watch the computer "play itself" and thereby learn strategy, or play their own game and request help as needed. To start tutorial mode, press 'T' at the beginning of a game (it cannot be toggled on during a game). The timer will be turned off, and you will be asked if you want to observe, play along, or abort. Games can be won and lost in tutorial mode, but since you receive computer help the game is not eligible for addition to the Hall of Fame. Watching the computer play is entertaining in itself. The door is designed so the computer never makes a blatant error; if there is any 'safe' move, the computer will always find it and make those moves first. Also, the computer moves very rapidly and efficiently (I had to add a delay loop to this mode just so people could see what it was doing!). However, in the course of any given game, there are situations where an educated guess must be made. The very first move is a good example of this. In these cases, the computer will always just pick a random square and reveal it -- possibly losing in the process. A good human player can do better by using some deductive reasoning and estimating the odds of failure; but can't move as quickly! Hint mode is very helpful for beginners. In this mode, the player still makes all the moves. However, whenever he wants some help, he can press the '?' key. The computer will then scan the board for a 'safe' move nearest to the current cursor position. If it finds one, it highlights a square and tells the player to either mark or reveal all of the adjacent blank squares. If there are no 'safe' moves, the computer will say so and suggest that the player guess. NOTE: If the player marks a square incorrectly early in the game, the computer will NOT be aware of the error -- it never makes a mistake like that in its own games. Sure, I can make it cheat and look at the actual hidden grid, but I prefer to have it perform like a real player. In these situations, the computer may later suggest a move that causes the player's destruction. The nature of KaBoom requires that you make no mistakes of this nature if you expect to win the game! CARE AND FEEDING OF KABOOM -------------------------- There really isn't any. The Hall of Fame is visible online, so you don't have to run any maintenance or bulletin generators to display it. Any time you want to reset the Hall of Fame, just delete the KABOOM.HOF file. Also, if running multi-node, make sure you have DOS's SHARE.EXE loaded. REGISTRATION ------------ To Other Shareware Authors: I will happily exchange registrations to any of my products, if what you have interests me at all. Netmail me with the specifics if interested. (Not responsible for lost or misrouted mail!). The key consists of a small file that resides in the same directory as your game file (KABOOM.BBS). Ordinarily, I would find this abhorrent -- but I'm just too stupid to figure out a way to patch the executable with a key entered in a config program (which would also require a config program!). Benefits of Registration ------------------------ 1) The door will only allow configuration of the drop file path, com port parameters, and/or the maximum time in the door until registered. You can go ahead and enter the extra parameters on the command line; but they will be ignored. The defaults are pretty reasonable, though. 2) You cannot disable paging or set paging hours unless registered. 3) The door will display -= UNREGISTERED =- when returning to the BBS until you register. It also displays a shareware registration screen for 15-30 seconds every time someone uses the door. 4) You will receive preferential support from the author. 5) You will have peace of mind, knowing that you are supporting shareware. The key routine could probably be cracked eventually by someone with a hex editor and a lot of time on their hands. More elaborate protection schemes than mine have suffered this fate. However, I'm not asking much money for this -- so save yourself some effort and cough up the cash. How do you register? Send $10 (US) cash, check or money order to: Bruce Bowman 8364 S SR 39 Clayton, IN 46118 Allow 2 weeks for personal checks to clear. I'm told it's not a good idea to send cash via the mail, but I've never had problems with it. If you decide to do so, and the money gets ripped off, I will feel sorry for you but I won't waive your registration fee over it. Do NOT call the support BBS to register -- we have no registration doors, nor do we accept credit. Accompany this with the form on the following page...or otherwise provide this information. Registrations without this information WILL be ignored (I will make a feeble attempt to contact you, and eventually tear up your check). It is also a VERY GOOD IDEA to send a copy of your drop files with your registration. Since the door reads data from your drop files to determine if the key will work, it is very important that both the sysop name and the BBS name be provided EXACTLY as present in your drop files. If you cannot guarantee this, you should send me your drop files. On occasion I have attempted to netmail certain individuals keys, only to get bad connects -- I simply cannot afford this. If your BBS is only online during certain hours, let me know. If I get two bad connects trying to netmail a key, I will give up and put it on hold for you and notify you of this fact via routed netmail (which itself is not very reliable anymore). NOTE: Registered keyholders receive FREE UPGRADES when/if they become available. You will have to check in though, since I don't plan to notify everyone of an upgrade individually. KABOOM! REGISTRATION Version 2.1 IMPORTANT! The BBS name and SYSOP name must match your door IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! drop file EXACTLY, or your key won't work. Consider IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! sending us a copy of your BBS drop file(s)! IMPORTANT! *SYSOP NAME: __________________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ *BBS NAME: ____________________________________________________________ BBS Phone: ____________________________________________________________ BBS Software/Version: _________________________________________________ NETWORK: _______________________________________ (FidoNet, etc, if any) NETWORK NODE NUMBER: _______ : ________ / ________ (if above completed) AMOUNT ENCLOSED: ______________________ NOTE: Registration is $10! HOW DO YOU WANT TO PICK UP THE KEY? [ ] ... Put on hold for me at 1:231/710 for the Net/Node listed above. [ ] ... Send via FidoNet crashmail to the node indicated above. [ ] ... Here's $2.00 Upload it to me as well as the latest version. Acount Information as Follows: Account Name: Bruce Bowman Password: ____________________________________ Miscellaneous Info: ________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ [ ] ... Send on disk to the address above (very slow!) Please add $5 to cover disk, mailing costs, and my hassle. Please ship my key and latest copy via [ ] - 5.25" [ ] - 3.5" [ ] ... YES!! I WANT THE SPECIAL DEAL! Send me latest version of BCheckers and its key for only $5 more!! COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS/BUGS: ____________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ @2.1 TECHNICAL SUPPORT ----------------- TECHNICAL SUPPORT IS PROVIDED ONLY THROUGH EMAIL OR CALLING MY BBS! I have had people ask me to call them long-distance on my dime -- I simply don't make enough money on KaBoom! to justify this. There seems to be a perception amongst the sysop community that door authors are getting rich selling their doors, but the truth is the vast majority of sysops never register them. I've spent a LOT of time programming this door; hopefully it will prove more lucrative than my other door has so far. To obtain support, you must call my BBS or send me email. If you choose to call the BBS, you won't obtain full access to my BBS on your first call. But you can leave a message to the sysop at logoff, which I will get. In your message, please leave me with some inexpensive (read: free) means of contacting you. Once registered, I will happily help you with any problems you might have -- on my dime. The H.O.M.E. BBS (317) 539-6579 - 28.8 kbps FIDONET: 1:231/710 DOORNET: 75:7317/71 INTERNET: beb@lilly.com (best) or Bruce.Bowman@f710.n231.z1.fidonet.org If you are having problems with your key, you MUST give me a copy of your door drop files, or I won't be able to help you. FREQUENT COMPLAINTS ------------------- Q: The door can't find my key even though I've registered. A: Run the door from the directory containing the key. The executable can be anywhere on your path, and the drop file path is passed on the command line. If your key is named something else, be sure to rename it to KABOOM.KEY. The 52-line DOOR.SYS drop file does not contain the system name. Since the system name is necessary for the key routine to work, you must create some other drop file. I suggest you use one of the many drop file converters on the market to create an RA-compatible EXITINFO.BBS file that KaBoom can read. Make sure to configure the converter so it adds your BBS name to the new drop file. If your BBS software creates other drop files in addition to DOOR.SYS, try just adding DEL DOOR.SYS to the batch file before running the door. If it still does not recognize your key, you either did not provide the correct BBS and sysop names on your registration form, or your system is misconfigured so this information is not appearing in your drop files. Send a copy of your drop files to the support BBS or via email to one of the addresses listed. Q: The game prints [2;4m brackets and other junk characters all over. A: The door requires full ANSI graphics capability for best operation, and at a minimum requires VT100 cursor positioning. Exit the door and rectify the situation, or try running the door in the non-graphics mode. Q: The status line function keys don't work right -- they cause the door to act peculiar and even lock up. A: Have you defined the offending F-keys to launch a macro? Don't feel bad -- I did this myself in DESQview, and was pretty bewildered for awhile! Q: The files KABOOM.HOF and/or KABOOM.USR exist, but I still occasionally get a message from the door saying "Error opening KABOOM.HOF/USR!" A: The door will try 20 times to open the file over a 10-second interval. If this fails, KaBoom! gives up with an error. You may be running out of file handles. Increase the number of FILES in your CONFIG.SYS. It is also possible that one task in a multi-tasking environment opened the file, and then crashed without closing it. If so, you will probably have to reboot to clear the error. This may also rarely happen during intensive disk activity in a multi- tasking environment (for example, when copying files to/from floppies). Use a copy utility (like DVCOPY) that will properly release time slices to your door. You *do* have DOS's SHARE.EXE loaded, don't you? Q: KaBoom! made an error and told me I lost when I know I should have won! A: I can assure you that the door will not mess up like that! Usually, the problem is that you erroneously marked a square as containing a bomb, when in actuality it did not. This will mess up your later decisions in the game, and if you examine the final board carefully I think you will find that an alternative was overlooked. PRODUCT HISTORY --------------- 10/94 Initial release, version 1.0. Support for monochrome monitors and computers that do not support the high ASCII character set. 12/94 Version 2.0 released. New features: ------------ New TUTORIAL MODE! You can start a game in this mode, and the door will play an untimed demo game to show you applied strategy! HINT MODE! Play a game and request hints from the door as you play! Three levels of difficulty, with different number of bombs and Hall of Fame for each level! KaBoom! now detects a win when all of the bombs have been pinpointed and marked. Previously, a win occurred when all the non-bomb squares were revealed. Games should end a little earlier now, so you might want to use a couple more bombs. The door will still let you mark a square that doesn't have a bomb, so be careful! Bugs fixed: ---------- KaBoom! now keeps a user log, so it no longer lets a caller play again after using up all their allowed games per day. The name of this file is KABOOM.USR. The door automatically resets the log on the first caller of each day -- you don't have to maintain it. The caller CAN reenter the door and view the Hall of Fame or whatever; they just can't play a game until the following day. KaBoom! 2.0 now reliably clears the screen before initiating a page. KaBoom! 2.0 flushes the keyboard input buffer after a win or loss. KaBoom! 2.0 now prints a congratulatory message when the user enters the Hall of Fame, and clearly indicates that the ENTER key should be pressed to continue. Callers can no longer use type-ahead to circumvent a time penalty. 1/95 Version 2.1 released -- mostly bug fixes and minor enhancements. Releases time slices more often. This should make it more friendly to multitaskers. KaBoom! now parses multiple drop files more effectively. This should solve some rare/intermittent problems with key recognition. The QuickBBS format of EXITINFO.BBS file is now handled properly. This should fix the "time left" problem on returning to QuickBBS. Fixed a bug where the timer sometimes locked in the OFF position if you played a couple of games in tutorial mode. Previous versions of KaBoom! required XON/XOFF handshaking if a FOSSIL was not available. Hardware handshaking is now supported. Non-standard IRQs and base addresses are now supported if not using a FOSSIL. FUTURE OF KABOOM! ------------------- I have a few ideas that I may implement, but I do want to be careful that I not make the game too elaborate without increasing the "fun factor!" Registered users get FREE UPGRADES. While I think KaBoom! is an excellent game even as it is, I would welcome any ideas on how it can be improved.