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1992-11-17
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TADS, the Text Adventure Development System version 2.0
Copyright (c) 1990, 1992 by Michael J. Roberts. All rights reserved.
This package was prepared November, 1992.
This software is being distributed as shareware. You may use and redistribute
it subject to the usual shareware rules; see LICENSE.DOC for full details.
You are requested to register your copy as described in LICENSE.DOC. Please
see ORDER.FRM for information on ordering this and other High Energy Software
products.
We appreciate the concerns many people have about registering their shareware:
authors move or just disappear. This is why we use a post office box (at a
REAL US Post Office!) to ensure that our address stays the same indefinitely.
We have a big pile of TADS manuals waiting for your order, and plan to be in
business for quite some time. Please help us out by taking a manual off of
our hands - you'll be glad you did! If you have any questions or comments,
we would love to hear from you; see ORDER.FRM for our address. Thanks for
your interest!
Attention Version 1 Users!
--------------------------
TADS Version 2.0 is intended to be compatible with games written for v1.
However, there are a few differences. If you experience any difficulty
compiling a game that was working with v1, try using the "V1 Compatibility
Mode" options. You can enable full v1 compatibility mode by placing -1
before your game name:
tc -1 mygame
Most v1 games that have problems with v2 need only rename the new "do"
keyword to run with v2; this can be done with these options:
tc -1d _do_ mygame
Documentation
-------------
You should download the TADS Documentation archive, TADS2DOC.ZIP (on DOS)
or TADS2DOC.SIT (on Macintosh) [note - these extensions may be changed if
the sysop of your BBS or on-line service has repackaged the archive with
a different compression tool]. This file contains overview documentation
for TADS, as well as the source for "Ditch Day Drifter", a complete sample
game.
Additional documentation is available to registered users. When you
register your copy of TADS, we'll send you the printed TADS Author's Manual,
with over 200 pages of details about writing games with the system. The
Author's Manual contains numerous examples, and includes an entire chapter
devoted to examples of programming common adventure scenarios.
Getting Started
---------------
To get started on the system, install the executables in a directory on your
path, and install the source files (*.T) wherever you please. Compile "Ditch
Day Drifter" by typing:
tc ditch
Be sure that ADV.T is in your current directory.
Note that DITCH.T is part of the separate TADS Documentation archive;
you should be able to get this archive from the same place you got the
archive containing the TADS executables.
After you have compiled Ditch, run the game by typing:
tr ditch
Please read DITCH.DOC for information on playing the game. This file also
describes many features of the run-time system, including the parser.
Notes for DOS users
-------------------
On PC's, you may edit command lines with the arrow keys and other standard
editing keys. Review Mode (described in DEEP.DOC) is activated with
function key F1.
Saved games are stored in standard DOS files, by default in the current
directory (the directory from which you start the game), so make sure
you have free disk space before you begin playing.
If you have limited memory in your PC, you may need to adjust the
compiler's memory usage so it fits. If the compiler runs out of
memory, it will tell you the amount of memory it is consuming and
suggest that you run again with a lower -m option. For example,
if the compiler displays a message like this:
*** Note for -m option:
*** Current cache size is 256000
ditch.t, line 3501: TADS-1: out of memory
you can run again by specifying a smaller size with the -m option:
tc -m 200000 ditch
This tells the compiler to restrict its memory usage to 200,000 bytes,
which it does by swapping excess space out to a disk file. If the
compiler is forced to swap, you can speed it up considerably by moving
the swap file to a RAM disk in extended or expanded memory. If your
RAM disk is drive D, you can tell TADS to place the swap file on
your RAM disk using the -tf option:
tc -m 200000 -tf d:swap.dat ditch
For More Information
--------------------
If you would like more information, or if you have comments on the system,
please contact us at:
High Energy Software
P.O. Box 50422
Palo Alto, CA 94303
The fastest way to reach us is through the High Energy BBS. Set
your modem to 14,400bps (or any lower speed), N-8-1, and dial
415-493-2420. The BBS is open to the public -- you don't need to
be a registered user of any our products to access the system.
Feel free to browse the message conferences and libraries on the
BBS; you may be able to find the answer to your question without
having to wait for a reply.
We can be reached by electronic mail through selected on-line services:
CompuServe: User ID 73737,417
GEnie: Mail Name M.ROBERTS10
Internet users can send us electronic mail through CompuServe, and we
can reply to Internet addresses. Send mail to 73737.417@compuserve.com
(note that the comma in the CompuServe address becomes a period for
Internet users).