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1990-07-24
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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.)
