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-
- Preliminary Documentation for Kali
-
- Q: What is Kali?
-
- A: Kali is a network driver which allows virtually any application software
- designed for use with the IPX protocol to be used over a TCP/IP network.
- Designed primarily for use with network games, Kali has been successfully
- tested with Descent, DOOM, DOOM II, Heretic, Rise of the Triad, and VR Pool.
- Other software should also work as long as it uses IPX; if your favorite IPX
- game doesn't work with Kali, let us know and we'll do our best to add support
- for it.
-
- Q: What does Kali do for me? Don't all these games support network play
- already?
-
- A: While your game does support network play without Kali, in most cases you
- are limited to playing only those people on the same subnet as your PC (i.e.
- you can only play people whose machines are connected to yours by the same
- piece of network cable; there can be no intervening gateways or routers).
- While some games do support play across subnets, often this feature is
- inconvenient to use and/or requires that there be a NetWare file server on
- your LAN. With Kali, you don't need a server and you use your game software in
- exactly the same way you would if you were playing on your LAN.
-
- Q: How does Kali work?
-
- A: Kali combines two or more machines anywhere on the internet into a "virtual
- subnet" or VSN. To the game software, all the machines on the VSN appear to be
- normal IPX network nodes sitting on a single subnet. The application has no
- idea that it is really being played over a TCP/IP network and the global
- Internet.
-
- Q: What do I need to run Kali?
-
- A: All you need to run Kali is a standard packet driver. Packet drivers for
- just about ever network card known to man are available free of charge from
- ftp://oak.oakland.edu/SimTel/pktdrvr/pktd11*.zip.
-
- Q: How do I set it up?
-
- A: Boot clean, then load your packet driver and mouse driver (if necessary).
- Edit your KALI.CFG file and add your choice of nickname. Next, edit the sample
- WATTCP.CFG file, substituting the appropriate values for your IP address,
- netmask, gateway address, etc. Finally, load Kali by typing KALI <IP_ADDRESS>
- <RETURN> at the DOS prompt, where <IP_ADDRESS> is the IP Address of another
- host which you wish to include in your Virtual Subnet. Now change to your game
- directory and launch a network game just as you would over an ordinary IPX
- network. That's all there is to it!
-
- Q: How do I use Kali with 3 or more players?
-
- A: Have one person just type KALI <RETURN> at the DOS prompt. Have each of
- the other players type KALI <IP_ADDRESS> <RETURN>, where <IP_ADDRESS> is the
- IP address of the person who just typed KALI. Anyone else joining the VSN can
- use the IP address of *any* of the players in the VSN when they load Kali.
- When you are done, just type KALI /U. This will unload Kali and remove your
- IP address from the VSN.
-
- Q: I typed KALI /U but it refuses to unload. What did I do wrong?
-
- A: You probably loaded another driver after loading Kali. This might be a
- mouse driver. You will have to unload this other driver before you can unload
- Kali. Most mouse drivers can be removed by typing MOUSE OFF.Q: The game goes REALLY slow - there are lots of pauses, and/or the game speed
- is very jerky and erratic.
-
- A: Unlike your local network, packet latency ("lag") and packet loss ("chew")
- are very real problems on the Internet. It is not uncommon for each packet you
- send to go through 20 "hops" (intervening gateways) before it arrives at your
- opponent's machine. The processing time at each hop adds up, and the
- accumulated delay can be very detrimental to game play. The only thing you can
- do in this situation is try and find other players with whom you have a better
- connection.
-
- Q: After about 15 minutes of playing Descent all the other players just seemed
- to leave at once. What gives?
-
- A: Kali is shareware. The unregistered version will only run for 15 minutes at
- a time. If you are playing Descent, you can exit Descent, unload Kali, reload
- Kali (using an appropriate IP address), and the rejoin the game (keeping your
- old score). Once you have registered Kali, this 15 minute limit is no longer
- enforced.
-
- Q: Kali is a really incredible program. I feel I owe someone money. What can I
- do?
-
- A: To register your copy of Kali, send $10 ($20 after 6/30/95) in US funds to:
-
- Jay Cotton
- PO Box 282
- Franklin Springs, GA 30639-0282
-
- This initial "wide beta" release of Kali is being offered to you at a 50%
- introductory discount. Until 7/1/95, you can register this copy of Kali for
- only $10 - this is only half the normal price. When you register, you will get
- your own personal serial number and key to unlock the full power of Kali. The
- shareware version has a 15 minute time limit; The registered version will let
- you play until you drop.
-
- Once you register, you will be assured free upgrades when Kali is
- improved...even if the price goes up in the future. Registrations postmarked
- after 6/30/95 will need to pay the full price of $20, so don't wait - register
- your copy of Kali today!
-
- Q: Whom do I contact with further questions, comments, or bug reports?
-
- A: The authors may be reached via email at asre@uiuc.edu or
- jay@calc.vet.uga.edu.
-