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Text File | 1990-07-24 | 34KB | 723 lines

the last word 1.0 Copyright 1990 by Gordon Haff. All rights reserved. Bit Masons Consulting Command: lword Purpose: 'the last word' is a quotations trivia game in which one to four players compete against each other and their own high scores in identifying the sources of quotations and completing partial quotes. Most answers are entered free-form and are matched against a set of acceptable responses with a sophisticated pattern-recognition algorithm. Format: lword [/ns] [/ad] [/bios] [/snow] Prereqs: 100% IBM Compatible PC running DOS 2.0 or higher ┌─────────┐ ┌─────┴───┐ │ (tm) ──│ │o │────────────────── │ ┌─────┴╨──┐ │ Association of │ │ │─┘ Shareware └───│ o │ Professionals ──────│ ║ │──────────────────── └────╨────┘ MEMBER the last word 1.0 2 DISCLAIMER The author hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this product, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The author cannot and will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if the author or an authorized agent has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall the liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to use the software, regardless of the form and/or extent of the claim. The user of this program bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software. LICENSE 'the last word' is a Shareware product. As such, it is made available to the general personal computing public for evaluation. Users are licensed to operate this program on their personal computers for the purpose of test and evaluation on a trial basis for a limited trial period. It is not possible to reasonably define the limits of a fair and equitable time period for evaluation; therefore it is left to the user's judgment and sense of fair play as to the time required to make a decision as to its usefulness. If the user decides the program is not of sufficient merit to warrant purchase through registration with the author, he/she should remove the program from his/her personal computer. Otherwise, if the program is deemed useful and is in regular use on the user's computer system, registration with the author is required. Registered users are those users who elect to pay for 'the last word' and register that payment with the author. By virtue of registration and payment for the program, registered users are granted a license to continue to utilize the program on their personal computer for as long as they choose. This license authorizes the user to use the program on any personal computer system he or she may own or use so long as the program is operated on only one computer system at a time. GUARANTEE 'the last word' is offered with an unconditional 30-day money- back guarantee. If you become unsatisfied with the program for any reason within that period, just let me know and your registration will be refunded upon receipt of any registration materials. This guarantee is unconditional. I would ask, however, if you are having a problem to let me know before giving up on LWORD since your problem may be something I can solve. Finally, if you receive a defective disk with your registration package either through my error or through postal service "processing", let me know and I will send replacements promptly. the last word 1.0 3 REGISTRATION 'the last word' is the sole property of Gordon Haff. The program may be freely copied and transferred to individual parties for evaluation purposes. It may be posted on Bulletin Board systems (BBS) for electronic access as long as NO FEE is charged for its distribution except for private BBS operations that charge a regular user subscription fee. Computer information services such as Compuserve (CIS), Genie, and Byte Information Exchange (BIX) are authorized to post this product for subscriber access. 'the last word' may be distributed on diskette for a fee only by 1) disk distributors/vendors who are associate members of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) or 2) users groups which do not charge more than a nominal fee ($5) to cover the costs of distribution. Any changes to these policies must be made in writing by the author. 'the last word' is a fully functional Shareware product. Shareware is a computer program distribution/marketing method that permits potential buyers to thoroughly try the program prior to purchase. It is NOT free and it is not in the Public Domain. If, after evaluating the program, you find it to be useful enough to use it on a regular basis, you are expected to pay for it by registering with the author. The registration fee is $15.00. The payment of this registration fee to the author entitles the user to full use of the product for an unlimited period of time in addition to product support. PLUS YOU GET THE FOLLOWING: - A disk with the latest revision of 'the last word' - New data files with twice the number of questions - A "Branding" program which allows you to "brand" your serial number into 'the last word' (and subsequent versions) and thereby avoid any registration reminders - A coupon good for $5 off the registration of the author's Directory Freedom file management program - A copy of the author's Trivia Command game This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536 the last word 1.0 4 TECHNICAL SUPPORT Full technical support is available to registered users of 'the last word'. I have found that the most effective product support can be delivered through the electronic services listed below. If this option is not open to you, however, I also offer full product support through the mails, or, if the problem absolutely cannot wait, the telephone (no collect calls please). (It's not that I don't want to talk with you, it's just that I have found it very difficult to talk through complex problems over the telephone.) I will do my best to resolve any software bugs in a timely manner and I am always open to incorporating new features or changes which are appropriate to the nature of the product. I will attempt to respond to software trouble reports made by non-registered users if the problems affect the general functionality of the program. Such users should not, however, expect product support beyond initial aid to determine if the program is suitable for their needs. Contact via: Channel 1 BBS (617) 354-8873 Compuserve User ID# 72561,2637 (See Note 2) InterNet/ARPANET See Note 1 BIX ghaff (See Note 3) U.S. Mail 3205 Windsor Ridge Dr. Westboro MA 01581 Telephone (508) 898-3321 (evenings) The above are roughly in order of preference (i.e. how quickly I'm likely to see your message and be able to respond). I check Channel One almost daily and the other electronic services at least weekly in most cases. In addition, I monitor the Interlink Shareware relay and the PCRelay Shareware relay via Channel One. Note 1: I can be reached on two Internet nodes: 1) gordon_haff@img024.ceo.dg.com (or you may need something along the lines of gordon_haff%img024.ceo.dg.com@relay.cs.net if your system doesn't recognize the dg.com domain) 2) Alternatively 72561,2637@compuserve.com goes to my Compuserve mailbox. This second method is probably the more reliable of the two. Note 2: When contacting me via Compuserve, please use the Easyplex mail system since I do not regularly monitor any of the IBM SIG message bases. Note 3: I don't use BIX much any longer, so this is probably not a very reliable way to get hold of me. the last word 1.0 5 1.0 Background and Philosophy: Don't you hate all those multiple choice quiz games? At any rate, you have to admit that they're hardly the msot natural thing in the world. I mean -- how often in the course of a day does someone ask you "What's the answer to this problem? I've already decided it's A, B, C, or D. OK, quick now, which one?" Fortunately, some trivia games are much more adaptable to the way people normally answer questions. They let you type in the answer exactly as it's stored in the computer. These games remind me so much of when I play Trivia Pursuit. We sit around and spell out all our answers letter by letter. If you miss a single letter, you have to do a lap around the room. (It's a tough crowd.) My sixth grade spelling teacher would have approved of this sort of game. I don't know about you, but I have enough trouble with typing at the best of times without a little clock going tick-tock near my ear. 'the last word' is a bit different. Most of the questions are answered by typing in a free-form answer which is then matched against a set of stored responses by something fancy called a Ratcliff/Obershelp pattern recognition algorithm. This algorithm, in addition to making my game sound incredibly sophisticated, does a real nice job of figuring out if the user's response is deserving of some hard-earned points or just a particularly irritating blast from your PC's 15 cent speaker. I also tried to pick a topic which was a bit more interesting than just your run-of-the-mill trivia game. This game is about quotes (MIT and Dartmouth alumni may recognize the genesis of the name). All sorts of quotes -- literature, politics, social commentary, classic, modern, you name it we've got it. I've tried to make this game as intuitive as possible. The on-line help should answer most any pressing questions you have about the meaning of life and which command-line switches are valid. In fact, I could probably fill the rest of this manual with a random number table and no one would know the difference since no one reads manuals. Do me a favor, please, however. At least read section 2.0 which is a short compendium of the things you really ought to know about before running the game. It will save you endless embaraassment from when you call me and I have to explain as gently as possible that the answer is in the manual as plain... Well, you get the idea. the last word 1.0 6 2.0 Things You Really Oughta Know: o DO make a copy of the distribution disk before you start messing around with it. o But DON'T run the program from a write-protected disk (or one with less than 200 bytes or so free). 'the last word' needs to create a high-score file and pointer files for the questions. It will have trouble doing this if the disk is write-protected or full. o DO change to the directory containing all 'the last word' files before running the program so that LWORD can find all its support files. o DO take advantage of an Adlib board if you have one by using the /ad command-line switch but DON'T use this switch if you don't have an AdLib board. o If you want to exit the program in midgame, DO use the Alt-X key combination. This will update the pointer files so you don't have to answer the same questions all over again next time you play the game. If you pound on the keyboard and manage to break out of the program in another manner, these cleanup functions won't be run. o DO use the F1 key if you need help, but be aware that the clock is still running if you ask for help in the middle of answering a question. o DO select the "Player" item from the main menu before "Go"ing on with the game. That way you can be sure everything is setup like you want it and your name is available for the high-score file. the last word 1.0 7 3.0 Setting Up 'the last word': 3.1 About this Manual: This documentation was written at a level which, I hope, is appropriate to the level of computer sophistication of most LWORD users. This level assumes a degree of familiarity with keyboard usage on an IBM-PC/AT compatible and a basic understanding of how DOS is employed to run programs and execute commands. If the above scares you a bit, don't let it. We have all been beginners at one time and I'm sure you can borrow a book or friend who will help you through any rough spots you run into. (And feedback on any spots of opaqueness in this manual is always welcome as well.) 3.2 Included Files and Such: The following files should be included in your archive: LWORD.EXE The main program file LWCATA.DAT The data files LWCATB.DAT LWCATC.DAT LWCATD.DAT LWORD.HLP Help file LWORD.ICO Windows 3.0 Icon file READ.ME Important information LWORD.TXT This manual REGISTER.TXT Registration form Adlib files: (These may be erased if you don't have an Adlib board) PLAYROL.EXE TURKEY3.ROL ROOTBEER.ROL BANK.BNK The following files are CREATED by LWORD. You probably want to erase these files if you got them from someone else. LWCATA.PNT LWCATB.PNT LWCATC.PNT LWCATD.PNT LWORD.SCO The installation process couldn't be simpler. Just copy the files you need/want to a subdirectory. If you want to install LWORD under Windows 3.0, setup a .PIF file with 256KB minimum memory, the appropriate switch setting and subdirectories for your installation (the LWORD subdirectory should be your StartUp Directory), and install the LWORD.ICO icon if desired. the last word 1.0 8 4.0 Command Line Switches: The switches listed in this section should follow the program name when running LWORD from the DOS command line; i.e. LWORD /ns /snow would turn off sound support and use a (slower) screen writing method which avoids snow on certain older CGA boards. A '-' can be used instead of a '/' for any UNIX hackers out there. Since there is likely to be a common set of switches which you use all the time, I recommend that you either write a batch file called something like LW.BAT which contains a command line like the above, or you write a Windows .PIF or a Desqview .DVP file which 1) supplies the optional parameters you desire, and 2) changes to the directory containing 'the last word' data and support files. 4.1 Command Line Switch Summary: /? Command line help /ns No sound /ad Turn on Adlib support /bw Use BIOS-write functions /snow Avoid snow with some older CGA boards 4.2 Command Line Help ( /? ) This switch aborts the program load and instead presents you with the above list of program switches. 4.3 No sound ( /ns ) This command line switch is one of the three ways to turn off the (default ON) sound support in 'the last word'. If you really, truly want to avoid any sound (you wouldn't be playing this at work would you?) you should use this switch since otherwise you'll get some sound from the opening displays before you get a chance to turn it off from the main menu or the hot-key toggle. 4.4 Turn on Adlib Support ( /ad ) 'the last word', in its present incarnation, has somewhat limited Adlib support. Specifically, it plays a song (which can be interrupted at any time by the user) when the game first comes up and when the high scores are displayed. If you have an Adlib board, use this switch to turn on support. If sound is turned off, Adlib music will not be played even if this parameter is set to on. the last word 1.0 9 4.5 Use BIOS-write functions ( /bios ) The windowing libraries used by 'the last word' use direct video writes as a default. If this, for some reason, causes a problem with your configuration, try this switch. 4.6 Avoid Snow ( /snow ) Some older CGA (Color Graphics Adapter) boards generate spurious dots or "snow" on caused by the CPU and the display-refresh circuitry simultaneously accessing the video buffer. Setting this switch avoids this problem but also slows things down quite a bit. If you prefer speed over a clean display update, or if you have an EGA or other color display adapter that doesn't need to do this checking, don't use this switch. 5.0 Hot Switches: Hot switches are keystrokes which can be entered at most points in the program to activate a particular function. The available switches are as follows: F1 -- Display help Alt-X -- Quit (also called 'The Boss walked in key') Alt-S -- Toggle Sound On/Off Alt-P -- Display game parameter screen the last word 1.0 10 6.0 Playing the Game: 6.1 Summary: The basic objective of the game is to collect as many points/dollars as you can. This entails answering as many questions correctly as quickly as possible. The base game consists of four rounds of four questions each for each player. One or more bonus rounds may be won if sufficient points are won in preceding rounds. Each player selects a category and bet in each round. At the end of the game, any players who made it into the top ten scorers are entered into the high score file. The above is a pretty brief description, but playing the game should be intuitive (at least it is if I wrote it the way I intended). Various elements of the game are described in greater detail below. 6.2 Main Menu: INSTRUCTIONS display on-line help. Equivalent to F1. PLAYERS sets the number of players, player names and typing time for each player (default 5 seconds) LIT allows the player(s) to select whether literature questions (i.e. those questions with both an Author and a Title answer -- mostly in the WHERE? category) require the players to supply Both, Either, Author, or Title. SOUND toggles sound on/off. Equivalent to Alt-S. ADLIB toggles Adlib support on/off. GO continues with the game. QUIT (Well what do you think this does?) 6.3 Working with Menus: All the bar-type menus in 'the last word' operate in the same manner. An item can be selected either by pressing the UP or DOWN cursor keys until the desired item is reached and then pressing <ENTER> or by pressing the "quick select key." The "quick select key" in the letter in each menu item which is a different color from the rest. the last word 1.0 11 6.4 Game Parameters Display: After selecting the 'Go' menu item, the player(s) is presented with a display of various game parameters such as the player name(s) and whether Sound is on or off. This display can be viewed at other points in the game through the Alt-P hot key. Additional information (which cannot be altered by the player at this time) includes the number of points required to earn the first bonus round and the additional points required to earn additional bonus rounds. If you don't like what you see, press <Escape> to return to the main menu. 6.5 Selecting a Category: To select a category, the player types 'A', 'B', 'C', or 'D'. Note that the selecting a category BIASES the use of that category for individual questions in that round but does not guarantee the use of that category for all questions in the round. 6.6 Category Definitions: WHY -- What were the circumstances which caused this quote? Typical answers would be the name of a person or an easily described event of some sort. WHO -- This one's a bit more straightforward. Who said this? WHERE -- The author/speaker and where the quote appeared. Most of the questions in this category are from books, poetry, etc. A few are from films and such (in which case the "author" is the *actor/actress* who said the item in question). WHAT -- Fill in the missing part(s) of the quotation. 6.7 Bets: The Bet placed has two effects. The first is setting the number of points which you win or lose depending upon whether the question was answered correctly or incorrectly. (You get additional points if the question was answered correctly -- this is discussed later on.) The second effect is that for each 100 points bet over 200, 5 seconds are taken away from the allowable time you have to answer the question. Which brings us to: 6.8 Time: Here's how it works. The base time is 30 seconds. ADD to that the typing time per answer line (i.e. for literature questions which have both Author and Title components, the total added time is 2 x typing_time). SUBTRACT from that 5 seconds for each 100 over 100 has been placed as a bet. So, for a typing time of 5 and a bet of 500, the allowable time to answer a standard question would be: 30 [base] + 5 [typing time] - (4 * 5) = 15 seconds the last word 1.0 12 6.9 Answering the Question: There are three types of answers: EXACT MATCH: A template is displayed which shows the exact number of words and letters required. Only one combination of alphanumeric characters constitute an acceptable answer (though the comparison algorithm allows minor deviations to account for minor misspellings). INEXACT MATCH: Take your best stab at the answer. No indication of length of answer or number of words in the answer is given. Through a pattern recognition algorithm, the computer will try to match your answer to a list of acceptable responses. MULTIPLE CHOICE: There are a few of these too. You must press <Enter> to tell the computer to process your answer including on multiple choice questions. If you run out of time, nothing you have entered will be processed. Moving between words in "Exact Match" templates is done automatically as you fill up each word. You need not press <Space> or <Enter> between words. 6.10 Challenging the Answer: If you disagree with the computer's "marking" of your answer (or if you want to cheat), you can challenge the computer by pressing F10. From here, you can either: Continue with the Challenge (in which case your points will be adjusted as if the answer had been originally correct or incorrect -- including time bonus points if any) Discard (which will basically throw the question away) Drop Challenge (which continues with no changes) 6.11 Scoring The scoring algorithms are as follows. Correct answer = Correct points (100) + Bet + 3 x seconds under 20 (plus typing time) taken to answer Incorrect answer = -Bet Scoring for Out of Time is the same as for Incorrect. the last word 1.0 13 7.0 Technical and Acknowledgments: 'the last word' was written by Gordon Haff using Turbo C 2.0 in conjunction with Mike Smedley's CXL 5.1 libraries for windowing and other functions. The Ratcliff/Obershelp pattern recognition algorithm was based on code from the article "Pattern Matching - The Gestalt Approach" by John W. Ratcliff and David E. Metzener in Dr. Dobbs Journal, July 1988 as modified by David Kirschbaum and converted to a medium memory model by Gordon Haff using TASM 2.0. Adlib support is provided through "PLAYROL.EXE" by Tracy Harton (I determined the author by looking through the .EXE file and I have no other information. I hope that distributing the file in this manner is not a problem.) Conventional sound effects are through NOISE.PAS by E. Kasey Kasemodel converted to C by Gordon Haff. The principal alpha/beta tester was Rick Strom who also designed the included Windows icon. 8.0 Other Programs by the Author: Directory Freedom (DF): Offers users a fast, compact alternative to DOS Shells which provides 1) selective file and directory operations; 2) a scrollable environment for examining directories; and 3) user-defined keys which can operate upon highlighted files (e.g. defined editors). DF is written in assembler and requires only about 12K on your disk. A companion configuration program allows for user-friendly configuration of a wide range of program parameters. Latest rev: 3.50a. Archive: DF350A. Trivia Command: This is a piece of free copyrighted software which I wrote a couple of years back. Questions are general knowledge and use a multiple choice format. 9.0 Revision History: 1.0 -- First release Registration for 'the last word' 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To register, please return this form with your registration check or money order (Purchase orders are also accepted) to : Gordon Haff Bit Masons Consulting 3205 Windsor Ridge Dr. Westborough, MA 01581 Phone: (508) 898-3321 Name ____________________________________ Address _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Phone (_____)_____-______ Where did you get LWORD 1.0 from: BBS Name ________________________________ Number (_____)_____-______ Other electronic service (Compuserve, GEnie, etc.) _________________ Other ______________________________________________________________ Are you a SYSOP or CO-SYSOP (circle) NO - YES ________________________ ____ LAST WORD 1.0 registration................. @ $ 15.00 ea $ _______ (Includes a license for one user and product support for that user plus a diskette with the latest program revision, data files with twice the number of questions, a registration "brander" to bypass any registration reminders, a coupon good for $5 off DF registration, and a free copy of the author's TRIVIA COMMAND game.) ____ LWORD Upgrade ............................. @ $ 5.00 ea $ __N/A__ Non-US Shipping ...............................@ $ 5.00 $ _______ (Payments must be in US Dollars, US bank) TOTAL Enclosed ......................................... $ ____________ Diskette size: 3.5" ____ 5.25" ____ Non-U.S. orders need to include $5.00 extra to cover additional shipping and handling charges. Checks and money orders must be drawn on a U.S. bank. Please send all payments payable in U.S. Dollars. Feel free to attach any other comments or instructions (e.g. program features you'd like to see, or don't send a copy of the program until the next major rev, etc.)