Shareware Overload/ShartewareOverload.cdr/games/netcon.zip/NETPROGS.DOC

Text File | 1991-06-10 | 18KB | 408 lines

                       NETWORK CONFERENCE PROGRAM v 2.1
                                    and
                         NETWORK PAGER PROGRAM v 2.1

                                    by
                              J & J Software
                              P.O. Box 820923
                              Houston, TX 77282
                              [phone]

                               May 2, 1991


The Network Conference program (hereafter referred to as NETCONF) was designed
to emulate a CB radio over a NETBIOS network.  Your messages go out to anyone
else running the program tuned to the same channel, and you get messages from
everyone else on the same channel.  However, there are a few differences which
are explained below.


Using the Network Conference Program:

The syntax for starting the NETCONF program is as follows:

   NETCONF [name] [/A]

Enter this command at the DOS prompt on a computer which is attached to a
NETBIOS LAN and has NETBIOS running.  The program operates by making direct
calls to interrupt 5Ch, the NETBIOS interrupt.  If NETBIOS isn't loaded, you'll
get an error message.

[name] is the name you'd like to be known by to other NETCONF users (it's not
the network name that's added to the adapter).  This name can be from 1 to 8
characters long, and may consist of numbers, letters, and special characters.
IF you have two network adapters in your PC and wish to communicate via adapter
1, the alternate adapter (as opposed to adapter 0, the default), place the /A
parameter on the command line.  You may leave either parameter out, but if you
have both, the name MUST go first.  If you leave both parameters off, the
program will default to adapter 0.

You'll see a logo pop up on the screen.  If you didn't specify your name on the
command line, you'll now be asked to enter it.  Again, it can be 1 to 8 charac-
ters of any type.

Next, the program will display "Adding network name," and if the command
completes successfully, you'll go on to the main program.  If not, you'll
receive an error message and the program will terminate.  When the main program
screen appears, everyone else on your channel will receive a message saying you
have joined that channel.

The main program screen consists of a menu bar across the top and a dividing
line toward the bottom of the screen which shows the channel you're on.  You
have nine choices on the menu bar:

   F1 - Help.  This shows you a help screen which explains briefly the same
   information in this document.  While the help screen is displayed, you can't
   receive messages, so use it sparingly.

   F2 - Channel.  This option allows you to change channels.  You start out on
   Channel 19 (of course!).  To change channels, press F2.  At the bottom of the
   screen you'll be prompted to enter the channel you want to change to.  You
   can enter any number between 0 and 255 inclusive.  If you press ENTER without
   typing a channel number, you'll go to channel 0, so if you want to stay on
   your current channel, type it in again, or type in an invalid number.
   Entering an invalid number causes you to remain on your current channel.
   If you change channels, everyone on the channel you're leaving gets a message
   saying that you've left that channel, while everyone on the channel you are
   going to gets a message saying that you've joined that channel.

   F3 - Whisper.  This option lets you send a private message to an individual
   who is also using the NETCONF program on the same channel as you.  For
   instance, a channel may get too crowded, so you can whisper to someone to
   go to a different channel.  To whisper, press F3, and a prompt will appear
   at the bottom of the screen.  Enter the name of the person to whom you wish
   to whisper.  You must spell the name exactly, or they'll never get the
   message, and you'll never know.  Case is unimportant, as all names are
   translated to uppercase.  When you are in whisper mode, you'll see the
   message "Whispering to:  [name]" on the dividing line.  To get out of
   Whisper mode, press F3 again, and the notice will go away.

   F4 - Page.  This option lets you page someone who has the NETPAGER.EXE TSR
   loaded.  You must know the name they specified on the command line when
   they started the pager program.  When you press F4, you'll be asked to
   enter the name of the person to page.  Once again, the program isn't case-
   sensitive.  After you enter the page recipient's name, the program will
   send out a message to that person.  If that person has the pager program
   loaded with the correct name, his machine will emit a two-tone (high-low)
   beep.  In addition, if the person you are paging is using NETCONF, his
   machine will beep and display a message.  You can page everyone at once by
   putting a tilde (~) in the name field.  You may also send a message, up
   to 40 characters long.

   F5 - Scan.  This option lets you observe all the Network Conference message
   traffic on all channels.  The only exception is whispered messages--you
   still can't see a message whispered to someone else.  All messages from
   all channels are displayed, with the channel number in brackets after the
   sender's name.  While you are in scan mode, the word SCAN appears on the
   dividing line.  Press F5 to exit scan mode.

   F6 - Print.  The Print option allows you to echo all incoming messages to a
   printer.  You'll be asked which port to send the output to.  This currently
   will NOT print to a LAN Manager network print queue.  While Print mode is
   active, the word PRINT appears on the dividing line.  Press F6 to terminate
   printing.

   F7 - Capture.  This option allows you to echo all incoming messages to a text
   file.  You'll be asked to enter a path and/or filename, with a default name
   of CAPTURE.TXT in the current directory.  While Capture mode is active, the
   word CAPTURE appears on the dividing line.  Press F7 to terminate capture.
   If you exit the program normally (with F10) while capture is active, the
   program will close the output file prior to ending.

   F9 - DOS.  This option lets you exit temporarily to DOS.  While in DOS, you
   can't receive any messages, so you might miss parts of a conversation.  To
   get back to the program, type EXIT at the DOS prompt.

   F10 - Done.  This options terminates the program.  Everyone using the NETCONF
   program on your channel will receive a message that you've left.

Whenever you receive a message, it will show up on the screen above the dividing
line.  The first line of any message you receive will be the name of the sender.
If the message was whispered to you, you'll see the word <Whispered> off to the
side.  That's an indication that you might want to whisper back.  For instance,
a whispered message from albert will appear as

    ALBERT:   <Whispered>
    Hello.  Where is everybody?

If you are scanning when you receive a message, to the right of the name or the
<Whispered> note, will be the channel the message was broadcast on.  The channel
number will appear in brackets, like so:

    ALBERT:   [103] <Whispered>
    Are you there?
    DEBBIE:   [12]
    Please send me e-mail and attach the monthly report to it.

The line or two after the sender's name will contain the actual contents of the
message.

To send a message, just begin typing.  Anything you type will appear below the
dividing line.  You can type up to two full lines.  When you press the ENTER
key, the message will be transmitted to everyone on your channel.  Your messages
will even appear on your own screen, unless you are whispering to someone other
than yourself.

You don't have to worry about "send" and "receive" modes.  Whenever you are
typing a message, your computer will still receive and display messages on your
screen.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:  This program will work with any video adapter.  It will
run on a machine with as little as 256k free RAM.  I tested it on a 3Com 3+Open
network using 3Com's NBP and Microsoft's NETBEUI.  It does not work well (yet)
on Novell networks running Novell's NETBIOS.

ABNORMAL TERMINATION, OR "BREAKING OUT" OF THE PROGRAM:  If the program, for
some reason, terminates abnormally, or if you have to Ctrl-Break out of the
program, it may leave two network names still registered in the adapter's name
table.  To remove those names, simply run NETCONF again.  If it finds that its
names are already in use, it will remove them and exit.  You can then run
NETCONF normally again if you wish.


Using the Network Pager Program:

The Network Pager program is a TSR (Terminate and Stay Ready) utility that
receives pages from users running the NETCONF.EXE program.  If the page is for
you or for everybody (i.e., the person who paged entered a tilde), your machine
will make a two-tone (high-low) beep, then displays the message, up to 40
characters, sent by the person running NETCONF.EXE.

The syntax of the Network Pager program is:

   NETPAGER NAME    for LAN Adapter 0
or NETPAGE1 NAME    for LAN Adapter 1

The name may be up to eight characters, in ALL CAPS, after "NETPAGER".  The
name must follow the conventions given for a name in the Network Conference
program.  When someone tries to page you, this is the name they must give.

This TSR will take up less than 1.5 K of memory.


License Agreement:

This software is the property of J & J Software.  You have the right to
evaluate this software for thirty (30) days; if you find the software useful
or beneficial and wish to continue using it, you must pay for the software.

If, after evaluating the software, you don't find it useful, simply discontinue
using it.  We aren't arrogant enough to try to tell you what you can and can't
have on your hard disk!  Pass the software around to others as you see fit; if
you don't see a use for it on your network, someone else may.

To register, send your name, company name (if applicable), address, city,
state, ZIP code, NETCONF version number, and number of networks you'll be
using the product on to:

            J & J Software
            P.O. Box 820923
            Houston, TX  77282-0923

To satisfy our curiosity, we'd also like to know what network operating system
you are using.

As a registered user, you will receive 1) the latest version of software, if the
version you have is an older version; 2) printed documentation (not much, I
realize); 3) all upgrades to this software free of charge; 4) technical support.

If you feel that the pricing policy is unfair, or if you have any other
comments about the program, please let me know so I can address them.  Your
endorsement of the User Supported Software concept is sincerely appreciated.

              NetFleet--The Network Battleship Game
                         Version 1.1

                         J & J Software
                         P.O. Box 820923
                         Houston, TX 77282-0923
                         [phone]

Introduction

     NetFleet is a game similar to the old favorite, BattleShip
     (TM), with a new twist.  It's designed to be played by two
     people over a NetBIOS network, and the action is in real-time.
     The graphics are simple and text-based, so it will work with
     a wide variety of video configurations.

     You play on a standard 10-by-10 grid, with five ships:

          Aircraft Carrier (5 squares)
          Battleship (4 squares)
          Cruiser (3 squares)
          Submarine (3 squares)
          Destroyer (2 squares)

     You can also use a Microsoft-compatible mouse with the game,
     but it gives you a VERY unfair advantage over the other player
     if he or she doesn't have a mouse also.


Getting Started

     To start the game, simply type NETFLEET at the DOS prompt and
     press <ENTER>.  The program assumes you are using LAN adapter
     0.  If you put anything on the command line as a parameter,
     the program will use the alternate LAN adapter.

     After the program starts, it will ask you for your network
     name.  Enter a name from 1 to 16 characters long, made up of
     numbers and letters.  After you enter your name, you'll be
     asked to enter your opponent's name.  What you type must
     exactly match what your opponent enters for his or her network
     name.  The program will convert lowercase characters to
     uppercase.  After you enter the names, the two programs will
     attempt to establish a session.  They'll continue to call and
     listen until either they make contact, you press a key, or
     forever, whichever comes first.

Setting Up

     Once a session is established, you'll be given the opportunity
     to place your ships.  Your fleet will be positioned in a box
     on the left side of the screen.  Instructions will appear,
     describing how to place the ships.  If you press a key or wait
     30 seconds, the message will go away, and you can begin
     placing your ships.  You can place your ships vertically or
     horizontally but not diagonally, just like in the board game.
     To place a ship on the board, just move your cursor to where
     you want one end of the ship to start and press <ENTER>.  Then
     press the U, D, L, or R key to make the ship extend Up, Down,
     Left, or Right respectively.

     If you try to extend the ship in a direction where there's not
     enough room, or if you type a character other than U, D, L, or
     R, or if you try to extend the ship over another ship, you'll
     have to start over for that ship.  Once you place your ship,
     a diagram of the ship will appear on the screen, composed of
     the first letter of the type of ship.  After you've placed all
     five ships, the program will send your setup to your opponent.
     After you've both received each others' setups, the game
     begins.


Playing the Game

     After you enter your setup and receive your opponent's, a box
     will appear on the right side of the screen.  This is the
     location of your opponent's fleet.  To fire a shot, move the
     cursor to where you want to fire and press <ENTER>.  If it's
     a miss, a "wave" character (≈) will appear on your screen, in
     your opponent's square, and on your opponent's screen in his
     square.  If you hit one of his ships, double asterisks (**)
     will show up on both your screen and his, to indicate the hit.

     When you hit all the squares of a specific ship, the asterisks
     change to the first letter of the type of ship, and a message
     appears on your screen and your opponent's which indicates
     you've sunk a ship.  Once all of a player's ships are sunk,
     the program displays a message saying who won.

     Remember that your shots are sent as fast as you enter them,
     so you are firing in real-time.  You have unlimited shots.

License Agreement:

    This software is the property of J & J Software.  You have
    the right to evaluate this software for thirty (30) days; if
    you find the software useful or beneficial and wish to con-
    tinue using it, you must pay for the software at a cost of
    $10.00 for unlimited use on one network.

    If, after evaluating the software, you don't find it useful,
    simply discontinue using it.  I'm not arrogant enough to try
    to tell you what you can and can't have on your hard disk!
    Pass the software around to others as you see fit; if you
    don't see a use for it on your network, someone else may.

    To register, send your name, company name (if applicable),
    ddress, city, state, ZIP code, NETFLEET version number,
    and number of workstations on the network to:

            J & J Software
            P.O. Box 820923
            Houston, TX  77282-0923

    To satisfy my own curiosity, I'd also like to know what
    network operating system you are using.

    As a registered user, you will receive 1) the latest version
    of software, if the version you have is an older version;
    2) printed documentation (not much, I realize); and
    3) announcements regarding new programs from J & J Software.

   If you feel that the pricing policy is unfair, or if you have
   any other commemts about the program, please let me know so
   I can address them.  Your endorsement of the User Supported
   Software concept is sincerely appreciated.

   NOTE:  Registered users of J & J Software's Network Conference
   Program will receive registered copies of NETFLEET free of
   charge.


Additional Note:  NetWare-specific versions of these programs are in the works.
Registered users of these programs will receive the NetWare versions free of
charge, and they will be included in future releases of this package.
































. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FROM:
Name: ________________________________________________________________________

Company: _____________________________________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________

City: ___________________________________________ State: _____ ZIP: __________

Telephone: ______________________________________ Program version: ___________

Network Operating System: ____________________________________________________

Number of users: _________    Amount paid: _____________

 <=5 users:      $95.00, |   These user totals are cumulative, for instance, if
 <=25 users:    $175.00, |   pay $95 today for a five-user license, you would
 <=50 users:    $295.00, |   ONLY have to pay $80.00 to upgrade to the 25-user
 <=100 users:   $495.00, |   license in the future.
 101+ users:    $795.00) |


REMIT TO:  J & J Software
           P.O. Box 820923
           Houston, TX  77282