home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
HomeWare 14
/
HOMEWARE14.bin
/
religion
/
swordm.arj
/
SWORD.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1994-03-27
|
12KB
|
284 lines
WHAT IS SWORD MASTER ?
To print this document type "COPY SWORD.DOC PRN:" at the DOS prompt.
We all know what's good for us. We all know that we should exercise,
avoid fatty foods, eat more fruits, grains, and vegetables, etc., etc.
And if we are Christians, we also know the importance of committing the
scriptures to memory. As a matter of fact it is an integral part of God's
plan for us in overcoming temptation ( Psalms 119:9-11 ). And it is the
only offensive weapon mentioned in Paul's analogy between the Christian
life and that of the soldier in Ephesians 6. It is from this famous passage
and Hebrews 4:12 that Sword Master gets its name. Sword Master is
designed to make the task of learning the Word both fun and interesting.
It is a great family program in that it will track each member's progress
and show comparisons for a little friendly competition. As a user you will
be challenged by over 220 passages organized by major topics. You will
begin as a Novice Page and progress through several stages of Page and
Squirehood before becoming a Knight. Registered users who achieve
Knighthood receive a beautiful personalized certificate ( sorry - only one
per registration ) and may optionally have their name and city appear in
the KNIGHTS.DOC file which is distributed with the registered version of
Sword Master.
REGISTERING SWORD MASTER
Sword Master is not Freeware, it is copyrighted material that the author
has released for distribution as "Shareware". The shareware concept is
simple. You are encouraged to use the program for a 30 day trial period.
If you find the program helpful and intend to use it beyond the trial period
you are required to purchase it. This gives you the chance to "try before
you buy". Registering Sword Master is a quick and painless task (we
promise). You may print the registration form from the exit screen by
pressing the "R" key. If you do not have a printer available, you may
follow the on-screen instructions.
Why should I register ? Good question ! Besides the legal aspect,
here are a few other excellent reasons:
o You will receive the latest version of Sword Master without the shareware
screen.
o You will be eligible to receive a frameable certificate of achievement
when you're Knighted.
o Knights may opt to have their name appear in the KNIGHTS.DOC file that
ships with the registered version of Sword Master.
o You will encourage us to improve Sword Master and produce other products
for the Christian home market.
LEGAL STUFF
CAPSTONE SOFTWARE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL CAPSTONE SOFTWARE'S
LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE
THIS SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE CLAIM. THE USER BEARS ALL RISK
AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.
INSTALLATION NOTES
Sword Master requires a VGA monitor and a mouse. Be sure that you have
loaded the mouse driver software (mouse.com) before entering the program.
Sword Master is distributed as a self-extracting program. To install the
program to your hard drive change your working directory to the A: (or B:)
drive by typing :
A: ( or B: )
from the DOS prompt. Next list the files on the floppy disk by typing :
DIR
Finally type in the name of SWORDx file that appears in the listing.
The "x" will identify the release version, e.g. if the listed program
is SWORD2 this identifies release 2 of the Sword Master system. The
on-screen instructions will guide you through the process, be sure that you
read them carefully. Particularly observe the capitalization and spacing
of the commands described.
You may install the software on a high density 5 1/4" or a low density (720K)
3 1/2" diskette drive. You should have at least 500k of available space on
the floppy that you plan to use as the target.
**NOTE: The registered version does not overwrite the records of your
mastered verses. However if you wish to start afresh, you may
have the databases recreated by running the SM_NEW program and
following the on-screen directions.
RUNNING THE PROGRAMS
To start Sword Master change to the directory where the program resides and
enter the program name,
SWORD <Press Enter>
The logo screen and music will begin. If you do not have a VGA monitor or
the mouse driver is not found Sword Master will display an appropriate
message before exiting to DOS. If you wish to bypass the introduction
scroll and music you may do so by adding a switch to the command,
SWORD -I
This allows you to quickly get to the ID screen to begin your learning
session.
To start the verse editor, change to the directory where the program resides
and enter the program name - SMEDIT. You will be prompted for the version
you wish to edit. Follow the help screens provided by the [F1] key.
USING SWORD MASTER
Sword Master is "FamilyWare". Simply put, it was designed so that several
family members might easily use the product. Each person is identified by
their first name or their initials and Sword Master keeps a personalized
record of the user's progress. Additionally, an option is provided to show
side by side scores between the various users.
Educators tell us that we have a much higher retention rate when we use more
of our senses in the memorization process. In other words you will retain
the information better if you see, hear, and write it. We recommend that
you write the verse on a 3 x 5" index card. Use the card to review out loud
(when possible), and finally once you feel confident use Sword Master to
verify that you do indeed know the passage. Sword Master provides three
methods to prove your mastery of the passage.
Shuffle Method
--------------
This method is pictured by an icon of acorns connected by directional arrows.
The concept is simple the text of the verse is shuffled into a random order
and displayed on screen. Your mission is to correct the order of the words.
To do so begin by picking a word that's out of order. The word will be
highlighted, and Sword Master will prompt you to "Pick a new position..".
Suppose that the word that you have chosen should be the third word in the
verse. Place the mouse cursor over the third word on the display and click
the left button. This action will cause the two words to be swapped and the
new arrangement will be redisplayed. If your choice was correct your Total
Points below will increase by the amount of Plus displayed in the scoreboard.
However, if your choice was in error the score will decrease by the amount of
the Minus displayed below and you will lose one Try. The number of tries
that you are allowed will depend on the size of the passage under review.
Additionally, you will lose a try if the hourglass runs out. If you use up
the Tries before finishing the task, Sword Master will exit back to the
previous screen after a quick word of encouragement.
Melt Method
-----------
In the Melt method you are presented the entire passage in proper order.
Sword Master then dissolves a random choice of words leaving only dots in
their place. Each missing word is presented one at a time. You must click
over the proper dot position to place the displayed word back into the verse.
This process continues with each pass involving more and more of the words
until the last pass in which all of the verse's major words must be placed.
As in the other methods you must place each word before the time clock
expires or a Try will be used.
Race Method
-----------
Probably the most challenging of the methods is the Race. In the Race you
are presented with only dot placeholders to represent each word in the
passage. As in the Melt you are asked to correctly place each presented
word. You must do so before the horse reaches the end of his run or lose a
Try. Ofcourse the words are presented in a random order, so that each time
you reenter the Race screen the words will be presented in a different order.
MOVING AROUND
Sword Master's interface is designed to be very simple, in general if you
want to use it - click over it. If you wish to backup or backout press ESC
or the SpaceBar.
After the initial screens you will be asked "Who wishes to speak to the
Sword Master?" at which you should enter your name or initials as you want
to be identified. If this is the first time that you have done so Sword
Master will ask you to confirm that you wish to pursue the Knighthood.
Once Sword Master identifies you, your basic statistics will appear including
the last topic in which you mastered a verse, your current rank, and the
total number of verses you have mastered. After a brief pause the topic
scrolls will move on to the screen.
Sword Master comes with over 40 major Bible topics arranged in alphabetical
order. You may move around among them by clicking on the UP or DOWN arrows or by
pressing the first letter of the desired topic. For example to move to the
topics on Miracles press the "M" key. To open the desired scroll click the
mouse over the scroll. Each topic scroll may contain up to 7 related
verses.
Once the verse references appear you may click over the desired verse or
exit back to the topic scrolls by clicking outside the scroll or pressing
the ESC key. If you have chosen a displayed reference, the text of the
passage will appear below a bar of six icons. The icon menu from left to
right is :
1. The Shuffle Method
2. The Melt Method
3. The Race Method
4. The History Card
5. The Crossed Swords
6. The Exit Scroll
The first three icons are detailed above. The history card displays the
record (if any) of your previous performance in each learning method. The
crossed swords will display the top user's scores. And, finally the scroll
icon on the far right must be clicked to return to the open scroll of verse
references.
Choosing a learning method will bring up the learning control menu which
consists of four icons. The question mark icon will display a help screen
to detail the method in use. Next to this is the Peek icon. You may use
this at any time to look at the passage. However, remember that if Peek is
used while the timer is in motion it will cost you a Try. The Open Door
icon should be clicked to begin the timed challenge. And, finally the scroll
icon on the far right may be used to return to the previous screen.
RANKS AND PROMOTION
There are seven levels to achieve in Sword Master. As a user you will be
promoted according to the following schedule:
Rank Title Verses Mastered
---------- ---------------
Novice Page New Users
Page 20 passages
Mature Page 40 passages
Novice Squire 60 passages
Squire 100 passages
Mature Squire 150 passages
Knight 200 passages
When you are promoted to Knighthood Sword Master will instruct you with a
special clue. You will need this clue when writing us for your certificate.
Be sure to include your name as you wish it to appear along with your mailing
address. Godspeed!
DON'T BE SHY
We'd love to hear your comments and suggestions. You may contact us on
Compuserve by addressing mail to Rick Allen at 71564,3465 or thru the postal
service. Our mailing address is:
Capstone Software
P.O. Box 111
Jenison, MI 49429-0111.
UPGRADE POLICY
The shareware and registered versions of our software are identical except
for the exit screens that prompt the user to register the software. As a
registered user you are licensed to use any future versions of Sword Master
that you may acquire from BBS's, distributors or other sources. If you
wish to receive a copy without the registration screen simply mail us your
original disk and $5 dollars for shipping and handling. Be sure to include
your name and address.