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1995-04-27
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FICTION FACTORY Version 1.00
(C)opyright 1995, Joel W. Downer
Support BBS: Fido 1:202/704, 619-462-8406/462-7146
Inquiries: joel@dreamcty.cts.com
CONTENTS
This documentation file includes the following sections:
SUMMARY What this door is and why you want it!
EVALUATION VERSION Shareware notice; evaluation terms
COMPATIBILITY/REQUIREMENTS What you need to run this program
GETTING STARTED How to take a quick look at this door
INSTALLING FICTION FACTORY How to get up and running
COMMAND-LINE ARGUMENTS List of options accepted by the program
MULTINODE SETUP Special issues for multinode sysops
COMMON PROBLEMS Please read *before* calling me at 3 AM <g>
GETTING THINGS GOING Hints for encouraging participation
CONFIGURING FICTION FACTORY Customizing your FICTFACT.CFG file
MAINTAINING FICTION FACTORY Information on special sysop options
ERRORLEVELS Information for tech geek sysops <g>
LICENSE/REG. INFORMATION How to register your copy of FictFact!
ADDITIONAL LICENSE INFO Info on distributing/licensing this door
SUPPORT Where to get more help!
OTHER SOFTWARE BY JOEL DOWNER If you like Fiction Factory....
DISCLAIMER Boilerplate courtesy of legal dept. <g>
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The names of a few heroes/heroines
SUMMARY
Fiction Factory is a BBS external program (door) that allows your users
to work together to build stories. Many users can interact over days,
weeks, or even months to write stories that may be funny, exciting,
scary, silly, or all of the above. While "never-ending story" doors are
nothing new in the BBS world, Fiction Factory has professional-quality
features available in no other story door:
* A full-screen, scrolling, ANSI text editor with full support for ANSI
and Doorway cursor keystrokes.
* A context-sensitive, popup help system available at virtually every
point in the program.
* A windowed story reader with the ability to scroll forward and back
and the ability to switch back and forth between editor and reader!
* A sophisticated, text-windowed interface with popup menus.
* Snazzy RIPScrip graphics, including windows and screen save/restore.
* Full (optional) support for local RIPScrip graphics! (DOS-only for now.)
* Multinode support, with real-time multinode messaging and chat.
* Automatic detection and timeslicing under OS/2, DESQview, and Windows.
* A 32-bit, multithreaded, native OS/2 version available!
* Support for up to 1,000 nodes, 255 users, and 255 active stories.
* Support for password-protected stories and automatic password
expiration to prevent "orphan stories."
* Support for anonymous story entries (sysop's option).
* Five "pre-started" stories to help spark your users' imagination.
* "High-water" marks so users can review just the new text in stories.
If you like to attract creative, interactive users with a good sense of
humor to your system, you'll want Fiction Factory on your door menu!
EVALUATION VERSION
Fiction Factory is distributed in an evaluation version, intended for
you to try out for thirty days. The evaluation version of Fiction
Factory has two limitations: it allows only fifteen stories at a time,
and limits story length to 150 lines, or a few weeks' worth of entries
on the average BBS. (The registered version allows 255 stories of
virtually unlimited length.)
If you like FictFact and wish to continue using it after thirty days,
please see "LICENSING/REGISTRATION INFORMATION," below, for details on
how to register. Thanks for evaluating Fiction Factory!
COMPATIBILITY/REQUIREMENTS
The DOS version of Fiction Factory requires about 335k of memory to run
in text mode, and about 410k to run in graphics mode. (Having more
memory, and some EMS memory available, will make it run faster.)
Running Fiction Factory in graphics mode (with the /LRIP parameter)
requires a monitor with EGA or better graphics support. The game will
work fine on any sort of monitor running without the /LRIP parameter.
Local graphics will work under DESQview and other DOS multitaskers, but
using graphics on multinode systems is not recommended. In particular,
having two or more sessions on one machine trying to do local graphics
at the same time is a bad idea.
Fiction Factory (for DOS or OS/2) requires a minimum of a megabyte of
disk space. When running with local graphics, it may consume another
200-350k of space for temporary icon storage. A hard disk is required.
Fiction Factory for DOS runs under (and gives up timeslices to)
DESQview, Windows, and OS/2. (If you're running OS/2, though, you'll
probably want Fiction Factory for OS/2.)
Fiction Factory for DOS includes internal comm routines, with support
for non-standard IRQ's and for rates of up to 115Kbps, as well as
support for a FOSSIL driver. Support for some specialized requirements
(DigiBoards, shared IRQ's) is provided in the DOS version through the
FOSSIL standard. Recent versions of several popular FOSSIL drivers are
available through the distribution sites. If you're running the OS/2
version of the door, don't worry about any of these issues: your device
driver will take care of them.
Fiction Factory requires that the remote user (your caller) have ANSI,
AVATAR, or RIPScrip graphics, but does not require any special drivers
on the sysop end.
GETTING STARTED
Fiction Factory obviously needs multiple users to be much better than
your average text editor. <g> However, if you like to get acquainted
with a door before installing it, taking a "test drive" of FictFact is
easy. Just decompress the game into its own directory, create a default
configuration file by typing
C:\FICTFACT>COPY SAMPLE.CFG FICTFACT.CFG
and then run the game by typing
C:\FICTFACT>FICTFACT -LOCAL
If you're running the DOS version of Fiction Factory and you have an EGA
monitor or better, you can run in graphics mode by using this
command-line instead:
C:\FICTFACT>FICTFACT -LOCAL -LRIP
INSTALLING FICTION FACTORY
If you've gotten this far, I assume that you liked what you saw when you
followed the "GETTING STARTED" instructions. Great! Now, let's get
Fiction Factory working as a door on your BBS.
Don't be intimidated that this section is long! The reason is that
Fiction Factory works on three radically different kinds of BBS system.
Only about a third of this information will apply to you (less if you're
running a plain-vanilla DOS system).
This section includes three subsections: instructions on how to install
the DOS version, instructions on installing the OS/2 version for a
native OS/2 BBS, and instructions on installing the OS/2 version for a
DOS BBS running in the OS/2 DOS box. Make sure you understand which
situation applies to you and that you have the right version for your
operating system, because the differences are important.
Installing Fiction Factory for DOS:
Here are the key steps to installing Fiction Factory for DOS:
1. Decompress the Fiction Factory archive into a door directory. The
examples in this file assume you're using C:\DOOR\FICTFACT, but any
directory name will do.
2. Type "COPY SAMPLE.CFG FICTFACT.CFG" to create a configuration file.
If you want to customize your configuration, you can edit
FICTFACT.CFG with your favorite text editor. (The comments in the
file will explain most options; more information is available in this
document under "CONFIGURING FICTION FACTORY.")
3. Create a batch file your BBS can use to start the door. If you don't
want local graphics, the batch file will probably look like this:
C:\DOOR\FICTFACT\FICTFACT.EXE
If you do want local graphics, it'll look more like this:
C:\DOOR\FICTFACT\FICTFACT.EXE -LRIP
If you are running a multinode DORINFOx.DEF BBS, you will need to use
the /N: command-line argument to tell Fiction Factory the correct
node number. If your BBS doesn't launch door execution from the same
directory where it creates dropfiles (Maximus often doesn't), you
will need to use the [pathname] argument to tell Fiction Factory
where to look. If you're using a non-standard comm port under DOS
and aren't running a FOSSIL driver, you'll need to use the /I and /P
parameters to tell FictFact about it. Documentation and examples
appear under "COMMAND-LINE ARGUMENTS," below.
Advice: Keep it simple. Assume that you don't need to use extra
command-line arguments unless you have special reason to think
otherwise. The above one-line batchfile will work for a vast
majority of systems, and making things more complex (copying the
dropfile to the game directory, changing directories, etc.) will
often introduce problems instead of fixing them.
That's all it takes! You're ready to add FictFact to your door menu and
get rolling!
Installing Fiction Factory for OS/2 for a Native OS/2 BBS:
Here are the key steps to installing Fiction Factory for OS/2:
1. Decompress the Fiction Factory archive into a door directory. The
examples in this file assume you're using C:\DOOR\FICTFACT, but any
directory name will do.
2. Type "COPY SAMPLE.CFG FICTFACT.CFG" to create a configuration file.
If you want to customize your configuration, you can edit
FICTFACT.CFG with your favorite text editor. (The comments in the
file will explain most options; more information is available in this
document under "CONFIGURING FICTION FACTORY.")
3. Copy the file DRS2V5B4.DLL to a directory on the LIBPATH defined in
your CONFIG.SYS. On a typical system, the \OS2\DLL directory on your
boot drive works fine.
4. Create a batchfile or script to run the game. If you're running
Maximus or a similar BBS system, no batchfile is necessary: you can
add a script directly to your MENUS.CTL file.
Here's a script that will work fine on a single-node system using the
default DORINFO.MEC script that comes with Maximus:
Display_File C:\Max\Misc\Dorinfo Normal "FictFact"
NoDsp Xtern_Dos C:\Door\FictFact\FictFact.exe Normal "F"
Important question: Have you changed your DORINFO.MEC script to write
the name of the correct comm port to the dropfile instead of the number
of an open comm handle? (Many OS/2 sysops who run DOS doors have done
this.) If so, your script should look like this:
Display_File C:\Max\Misc\Dorinfo Normal "FictFact"
NoDsp Xtern_Dos C:\Door\FictFact\FictFact.exe_/PORT Normal "F"
Note: If you get errors accessing the port with this configuration,
make sure you have your serial driver configured to allow a comm port to
be shared across sessions (with SIO, you would need to use the "-"
parameter, described in the section on running from a VDM).
Are you running multinode? If so, copy the script file that comes with
FictFact/2, MLTINODE.MEC, to your scripts directory, and use the
following commands to run FictFact/2:
Display_File Misc\MltiNode Normal "FictFact"
NoDsp Xtern_Dos \Door\FictFact\FF.cmd_%k Normal "F"
FF.CMD should look like this:
C:\DOOR\FICTFACT\FICTFACT.EXE /N:%1 C:\MAX\MISC\%1\
Note: For this setup to work, you will need to create node work
directories under \MAX\MISC\ for each node, like so:
C:\MAX\MISC\1\ (for node 1)
C:\MAX\MISC\2\ (for node 2), and so forth.
Another note: Depending on the configuration of your system, you may
wish to try using the /NICE parameter. See the section on command-line
arguments, below. You should only need to consider using the /NASTY
parameter if you run a multinode BBS and your users spend a lot of time
in ill-behaved DOS doors.
Installing Fiction Factory for OS/2 for a DOS BBS in a VDM:
If you are running a DOS BBS under OS/2, you should be able to take
advantage of the enhanced features and performance of FictFact for OS/2.
My BBS regularly bounces back between OS/2 and DOS, so the highest
possible degree of compatibility was a big priority for me in designing
my OS/2 door library.
The following approach is not guaranteed to work on your system, much
less to generate responsive performance on heavily loaded multinode
systems. On one hand, if you run a single-node DOS BBS system under
OS/2, and you're concerned about CPU load -- say, because you run other
tasks on the same machine, and the BBS makes things sluggish -- you may
find yourself rooting for people to go into FF/2 so you can get some
work done. <g>
On the other hand, if you run a multinode system with tons of
non-timeslicing DOS doors, you may find that you have to run FictFact in
/NASTY mode and that you don't get the same benefits you would if FF had
better-behaved "neighbors" and you could run it in /NICE mode.
To run FF/2 from a DOS BBS, you must be using Ray Gwinn's SIO or
compatible drivers (COMM.SYS/VCOMM.SYS will not work). Recent versions
of SIO, working with OS/2 2.1x and above, will allow OS/2 and DOS
sessions to share a comm port. SIO must be loaded with the "-"
parameter, which allows port-sharing, and you must have the "Share comm
port with OS/2 Sessions" option turned on in the DOS Sessions Settings
for the session in which you run your BBS.
To spawn OS/2 sessions from your DOS BBS, you will need OS2EXEC or a
similar utility. OS2EXEC creates OS/2 sessions that wait on commands
from DOS sessions; you run the door by telling OS2EXEC to execute
FICTFACT.EXE.
Both OS2EXEC and SIO are available for FREQ and download from my BBS;
see the section on "SUPPORT," below.
So, with requirements and caveats stated, let's get to batch files and
configuration information. First of all, I have a startup .CMD file as
follows:
REM Start "Daemon" sessions for each of my three BBS nodes
START /FS OS2EXECD
START /FS OS2EXECD
START /FS OS2EXECD
REM End of startup .CMD
My Wildcat! batch file is very straightforward:
OS2EXEC C:\DOOR\FICTFACT\FICTFACT.EXE /PORT
If you are running a DORINFO system, you may need to use the /N
parameter. If FF has trouble finding your dropfile, you may need to
specify it on the command line. See the general installation
instructions, above, and the information on command-line arguments,
below.
If you run a multinode system with high-speed lines and/or
non-timeslicing comm software (in other words, if there are other tasks
that eat up lots of CPU time when players will be in Fiction Factory)
you may need to try the /NASTY parameter. See the section on
command-line parameters, below.
COMMAND-LINE ARGUMENTS
Fiction Factory supports a number of command-line parameters. If the
documentation for any of these makes your eyes glaze over, your best bet
is to skip over to the next one. Chances are that if you don't
understand it, you also don't need it.
/ACCEPT This option tells Fiction Factory not to mess with the
communications parameters currently set for your comm port
-- to open the port (or the FOSSIL driver, if appropriate)
as it stands. It is intended to help people whose systems
do not respond correctly when a door program attempts to
reset communications parameters. Advice: Assume you
*DON'T* need this option unless the game doesn't work
without it. (Note: This option has no effect under OS/2.)
/EDIT This option activates the Sysop menu, which will allow you
to delete, export, and rename stories. WARNING: This
option is *NOT* keyed to security level! You should
generally only use it when you're running FictFact for
maintenance purposes from the command-line, or in the batch
file for a local-only node.
/LOCAL This option tells Fiction Factory to run in local mode, and
not to access the comm ports or look for a BBS dropfile.
By default, when running in local mode, FF assumes it is
running on node 0. If you are running a multinode system
and want to run on a different node number, use the /N
option documented below.
/LOCK This option allows you to lock the bps rate Fiction Factory
uses to communicate with your modem to a speed other than
the one specified in your door information file. Example:
FICTFACT /LOCK:19200
This option is only effective if you are using the internal
comm system (port-locking for FOSSIL drivers should be
controlled through FOSSIL driver setup). (Note: This
option has no effect under OS/2.)
/LRIP This option tells Fiction Factory to run in graphics mode
using the same RIPScrip graphics a caller will see if
he/she logs in using a RIP terminal (like RIPTerm or
QMPro). Notes:
(a) Local graphics are currently not supported in the OS/2
version of FictFact. (They are a possibility for an
upcoming version.)
(b) When you're not running in local mode (i.e., you aren't
using the /LOCAL parameter), the game will only run
with local graphics when the remote user (the caller)
also has RIP graphics. In other words, if the caller
only has ANSI, you see ANSI whether you specify /LRIP
or not.
(c) If you run more than one node under a multitasker like
DESQview, you will probably want to ensure that only
one copy of Fiction Factory is running in /LRIP mode at
a time. If multiple instances of the game try to
access the graphics display at once, screen corruption
can result.
/N: This option allows you to indicate the current node number
when the game is run on a multinode system. Example:
FICTFACT /N:3
Note: On most systems, the node number is included in the
door drop file and *THIS OPTION IS NOT NEEDED*. The most
common systems where you *will* want to use this option are
DORINFO BBS packages like RemoteAccess.
/NASTY Systems running OS/2 BBS'es can be gentle and friendly
places where all software cooperates and shares the CPU;
others can be war zones where CPU-hungry DOS doors starve
the rest of the system. The /NASTY parameter warns Fiction
Factory that it's running in one of those "war zones," and
that it needs to set its thread priorities very high to
compete with the "bullies."
You should probably not use this parameter unless you get
complaints about FictFact running very slowly and/or you
know you run lots of non-timeslicing DOS doors.
(Note: This option has no effect in the DOS version.)
/NICE The /NICE parameter is the natural counterpart of the
/NASTY parameter, documented above. Using the /NICE
parameter indicates to FictFact that it's running in a
friendly environment and that it can rely on CPU idle time
to do things like refresh the screen and dump output to the
comm driver.
On all-native systems or single-node systems with a light
CPU load, using /NICE should make for better performance
with substantially less CPU load. This option is almost
guaranteed, however, to provide miserable performance on
multinode systems running DOS BBS software and/or
non-timeslicing DOS doors.
Note: By default, Fiction Factory is neither /NICE nor
/NASTY: it uses moderate thread priorities. Many sysops
will need neither the /NICE nor the /NASTY parameter; the
parameters are included to give sysops more control over
game performance.
(Note: This option has no effect in the DOS version.)
/NOFIFO Some Western Digital 16550 cards have a bug that causes
them to lock up when their FIFO buffers are used. This
flag tells FictFact to disable its use of FIFO buffers.
Note: If you've never heard of this FIFO bug before,
assume it *DOESN'T* apply to you and do not use this
option! If you had the problem, you'd know by now. <g>
(Note: This option has no effect under OS/2.)
/NOFOSSIL If you *have* a FOSSIL driver, but do *not* wish to use it,
this flag will tell the game to ignore the driver and use
internal comm instead. This option may be useful if you
are having problems with Fiction Factory's FOSSIL support.
Note: If you do not have a FOSSIL, you do not need this
option -- Fiction Factory will automatically default to
internal comm if it does not find a FOSSIL. (Note: This
option has no effect under OS/2.)
/P, /I These options allow you to set the hexadecimal base address
and the IRQ number for a non-standard serial port. Example:
FICTFACT /P:3F8 /I:4
indicates that the game should use base address 3F8h, and
IRQ4 for serial I/O. These arguments are *ONLY* needed if
you are using internal serial support; they are ignored if
you have a FOSSIL installed and have not used the /NOFOSSIL
argument. Note: The AT IRQ lines (9-15) are *NOT*
supported using these arguments. Support for the AT IRQ's
is only available through a FOSSIL driver.
(Note: This option has no effect under OS/2.)
[pathname] By default, Fiction Factory looks for a door drop file in
the current directory -- it expects to be run from the node
work directory, as described above. Also by default, it
will autodetect which dropfile to use by checking the
directory for the most current dropfile it supports (i.e.,
it does freshness-testing to avoid using stray dropfiles).
You can specify the path where Fiction Factory should look
for its dropfile and (if necessary) the name of the
dropfile to use. Thus:
C:\DOOR\FICTFACT\FICTFACT.EXE C:\WC30\WCWORK\NODE1\
or, alternatively
C:\DOOR\FICTFACT\FICTFACT.EXE C:\QBBS\DORINFO3.DEF
Note: This command-line option is usually not necessary.
MULTINODE SETUP
Fiction Factory was written and tested from the ground up to run
multinode. In general, multinode setup is *identical* to single-node
setup: All nodes can use the same configuration file, and (for the most
part) they can use the same batch file, too. Because the program
supports FOSSIL drivers under DOS and uses the standard device driver
model under OS/2, it can handle issues like non-standard IRQ's
*completely automatically* -- no need to treat individual nodes
specially on FOSSIL or OS/2 systems.
Multiple players can use this door at the same time; Fiction Factory
handles all file locking internally. (Note: The file-locking system
supports node numbers up to about 1,000 -- if you need higher ones,
contact me and I'm sure we can work something out. <g>) The only
requirement for running the game multinode is that you must be running
DOS SHARE or some equivalent (like the built-in file-sharing in OS/2 or
the file-sharing facilities on LANs). If you're running multinode
*without* such a utility, now would be a good time to start.
To set up the door for multinode use, create batch files for each node
like those in the single-node instructions, above. The only times
different nodes will need *different* batch files are
(a) when the game is run across a LAN on which the drive letter for the
game directory is different for different nodes, and
(b) when you are running nodes with non-standard IRQ's under DOS and you
are *NOT* using a FOSSIL driver.
If you have a local node and you like to play the game with RIP
graphics, you may want to have a special batch file for the local node
to bring up the game with the /LRIP parameter.
(If you are running a multiline system where the node number is not
included in the door information file, like RemoteAccess with
DORINFO1.DEF, you will either need to use multiple batch files or use an
environment variable to specify the node number with the /N option. See
"COMMAND-LINE ARGUMENTS," above.)
Fiction Factory includes a multinode chat/messaging system. By default,
FictFact looks for up to ten nodes on your system. If you have more
nodes than that (or if you have considerably fewer, and you want to save
your CPU a little work) you can edit your FICTFACT.CFG and set the
MaxNodes option. More information on FICTFACT.CFG appears below.
One more thing for DOS users: Because of a bug with either Borland's
run-time libraries or with Quarterdeck's products (who's to blame for
the bug depends on whether you ask Borland or Quarterdeck <g>), you may
find that you need to flag your FICTFACT.EXE executable file read-only
to avoid sharing violations when running multinode under DESQview or
QEMM. To do this, just use the command ATTRIB FICTFACT.EXE +R after
unpacking the game into your door directory. If you ever need to
uninstall Fiction Factory, you can use the command ATTRIB FICTFACT.EXE -R
to "unflag" the file. This issue does not come up under OS/2.
That's all it takes! Fiction Factory uses lock files to control
simultaneous use of files, so resources may remain locked if the system
crashes while someone is in the door. However, each node will clear all
of its locks every time it enters or exits the door normally, so
"lingering locks" will be cleared automatically shortly after they
arise. If you ever need to clear the lockfiles manually, you can do so
by typing "DEL C:\DOOR\FICTFACT\*.L*" (though this will delete your
Fiction Factory logfiles, too).
COMMON PROBLEMS
1. My BBS makes one of the dropfiles the door supports, but the game
keeps telling me it can't find a dropfile!
This game assumes that you are running it from the directory where
your BBS dropfile is located. If you aren't, include the directory
where your dropfile is located on the command line, thus:
C:\DOOR\FICTFACT\FICTFACT.EXE C:\WC30\WCWORK\NODE1\
If you're running a DORINFO system, specifying the node number on the
command line might also be useful:
C:\DOOR\FICTFACT\FICTFACT.EXE /N:3 C:\QBBS\
2. The game works fine locally, but doesn't work over a modem!
If you're running under DOS and you're having trouble getting serial
support to work, one good solution is to try a FOSSIL driver. FOSSIL
drivers are an excellent choice for high-performance communications,
and can (if you wish) be loaded and unloaded from the batch file that
executes Fiction Factory. If you do not have a FOSSIL driver, they
are available from my system (listed under "Support," below), and
many other places as well.
If you don't wish to use a FOSSIL, or if you're already *using* a
FOSSIL and are still having problems, the /ACCEPT, /LOCK, /P and /I
options explained in the section on command-line arguments may help
with the problem. If not, feel free to contact me for further
assistance.
3. I'm running FictFact for OS/2, and I keep getting a "critical error
setting DCB" or something like that whenever the game tries to run
across a modem!
Usually, this error means that FictFact is trying to open the wrong
comm port or a comm port that doesn't exist. There are two common
causes for this:
(a) you're using the /PORT parameter when you shouldn't be or not
using it when you should be, or
(b) the door is finding the wrong dropfile.
If you're running a DOS BBS in a VDM, you need to use the /PORT
parameter. If you're running a native OS/2 BBS, you may or may not
need it: try removing it/adding it. If fixing your /PORT setting
doesn't address the problem, try specifying the location/name of the
door dropfile on the command line.
4. I'm running the DOS version of the game. The game runs fine
single-node, but if two people try to go in at once, I get a sharing
violation!
As I say in the section on multinode setup, either my compiler or
Quarterdeck's products have a bug that causes sharing violations when
you try to run an overlaid program multinode. The work-around for
this problem is to flag your FICTFACT.EXE file read-only using the
command ATTRIB FICTFACT.EXE +R. Even if you aren't using a
Quarterdeck product like DESQview or QEMM, give this solution a try:
Odds are good it'll correct the problem completely.
5. The game is getting confused about what node it's running on!
FictFact is designed to figure out the node ID on which it's running
from the BBS drop file. On some systems, however, determining the
node ID from the drop file is not possible. See the documentation
for the "/N" command-line parameter, above. If you're using /N and
Fiction Factory is *still* getting confused, chances are that FF is
finding a stray dropfile. Try specifying the name and location of
the dropfile on the command-line (as described above).
6. I run under DOS, and I'm getting some weird message about SHARE not
being loaded!
If you're running FictFact multinode, you need to have SHARE (or an
equivalent utility) loaded. Consult your operating system manual for
information on using SHARE.
If you're not running multinode, you shouldn't need to have SHARE
loaded on your system. However, *if* you don't have SHARE loaded
*and* you use more than one node number on your system, you may get
an error message about loading SHARE (even though only one node is
using the game at a time).
To correct this problem, edit your FICTFACT.CFG file and replace the
line that specifies MaxNodes with the following line:
MaxNodes 0
This line disables multinode messaging and eliminates the need for
SHARE to be loaded.
7. When I run the program in RIP mode, sometimes windows don't get
erased right -- part of them stays on the screen.
This problem usually indicates that the program doesn't have enough
memory available to save the screen. If possible, make more memory
available when FictFact runs (e.g., increase the size of the DESQview
window, load more drivers high). In general, you should be O.K. with
around 400k of memory free, but you may need more on some machines.
If you just plain can't get that much memory free at the command
line, you may have to run the door without local RIP. Bummer.
GETTING THINGS GOING
The "starter" stories that are included with Fiction Factory are taken
from materials that I could use without worries about copyright
infringement -- mostly material I've written or books by long-dead
authors. While I like my own story <g>, and all of the books I used are
excellent, more "up-to-date" excerpts might do a better job of
stimulating your callers' imagination. If you think of something you'd
rather use, remember that you can always delete some or all of the
default "starter stories" and/or add your own.
I can't include Star Trek (tm) stories, or excerpts from _The Hobbit_
and _Lord of the Rings_, or passages from Michael Moorcock's Elric
stories, or material from H.P. Lovecraft or Stephen King stories in my
door. However, as far as I know, there's nothing illegal about *your*
typing in a paragraph or two from one of those works as a "starter
story" for noncommercial use by you and your callers. Just make sure
that you acknowledge the author and that you only use a short passage.
(P.S. I am not a lawyer, and the above is not a legal opinion about the
"fair use" clause of copyright law. I said "as far as I know," so if
I'm wrong, don't sue me.)
CONFIGURING FICTION FACTORY
Fiction Factory looks for configuration information in a file called
FICTFACT.CFG, which must be located in the game directory (the same
directory where FICTFACT.EXE is located). FICTFACT.CFG is a normal
ASCII text file, so you can edit it with your favorite text editor or
word processor. (Note: If you use a word processor, make sure to
select the option to "save as ASCII" when you save the file. Most word
processors save in special binary formats that FictFact can't read.)
The FictFact distribution archive contains a file called SAMPLE.CFG,
which contains quick documentation of the basic configuration options
for the game. Here is more complete information about your options:
Door/Interface Configuration
Keyword Default Function
MaxNodes 10 Fiction Factory has a messaging system that allows
internode messages and multiplayer chat. This
system works for nodes on a single machine and
for nodes distributed across a LAN.
By default, FictFact tests for ten active nodes.
If you have more than ten nodes, you should set
this value to your highest node number. If you
have fewer, lowering this value will improve
performance and save memory. To disable
messaging, set this value to zero.
NoLog FALSE This option allows you to disable the game's
automatic logging feature, which records basic
game events and errors in one or more files
called STRY????.LOG (where the question marks
are replaced by the node number). Turning off
logging can save some disk space, but it can
also make problem-solving more difficult.
Recommended setting is FALSE (does not disable
the log).
Note: If you allow anonymous entries, the door
logs may be the only way to track "bad users"
who leave inappropriate story entries.
PipeName By default, each FictFact/2 node will create a
named pipe for each node using the format
"\PIPES\MSGPIPE" and the node number (thus, Node
One would create "\PIPES\MSGPIPE.1"). If you
are running your system across an OS/2 LAN, you
will need to adjust this path to include the
name of your server. For example, if your
server is named BBSSERV, you should enter:
\BBSSERV\PIPES\MSGPIPE
as the format for creating pipes. If you are
not running a LAN, you should only adjust this
value on the very unlikely possibility that some
other program is trying to create pipes with the
same names. (Note: This option has no effect
under DOS.)
Timeout 360 This keyword determines the amount of time, in
seconds, that the game will wait between keystrokes
before it decides that a user is "sleeping at
the keyboard" and boots him/her out. Users
sometimes have to go looking for a thesaurus, so
substantially reducing this number is not
recommended. Note: Timeout is automatically
disabled when the game is run in local mode.
Game/Playability Options
AnonAllowed TRUE This keyword determines whether users are
allowed to make anonymous additions to stories.
This option may be helpful to people who are shy
about contributing, but it may also force you to
deduce who is responsible from the logs if
someone is posting inappropriate stories.
IdleHours 72 This keyword determines how long a password-
protected story may remain idle before the
password is voided and the story is opened for
anyone to contribute. Depending how busy your
BBS is, values anywhere from 24 hours to 336
hours (two weeks) might be appropriate.
StartStories TRUE This keyword determines whether players are
allowed to begin new stories. If you want to
have a small running list of stories on topics
of your choosing, you might want to set this to
"FALSE." Otherwise, the default of "TRUE" is
recommended.
Registration Options
Keyword Default Function
BBSName Unregistered This keyword determines the system name that
will be used when the game describes the BBS to
which it is registered. See "SysopName," below.
CourtesyOf (blank) When the door is registered, you may wish to
give credit to the person(s) who donated to
register the door. If you put a name or other
phrase here, it will be displayed on the main
menu screen along with your name and the name of
your BBS. See "SysopName," below.
RegCode (blank) This is where you would insert the key code,
available from the author, that will activate the
"registered-only" features of the game. See
"LICENSING/REGISTRATION INFORMATION," below.
SysopName No One This keyword determines the name that will be
used when the game describes who it belongs to.
If you decide to register this game, you will
need to enter your name here exactly as it
appears in your registration letter. This
keyword is ignored in unregistered games.
MAINTAINING FICTION FACTORY
In general, Fiction Factory is self-maintaining and should be no trouble
to you once it's added to your door menu. You do have several options
to maintain and control the use of the program, though.
To activate the sysop menu, run FictFact with the /EDIT option, e.g.:
FICTFACT /LOCAL /EDIT /LRIP
This flag will make (S)ysop Options appear as a choice on the main menu.
The Sysop Options menu will allow you to delete or rename any story, or
to export a story as an ASCII text file (so you can declare it complete
and presumably add it to your file area or your text bulletin menu).
If you should need to edit the actual text of a story (say, because a
user uses profanity or abusive language), you can load up any of the
story files (STY*.DAT) and change them using an ASCII text editor. You
can also edit the text of the warning about profanity that appears on
entry to the door by modifying the BBSRULE.TXT file in your Fiction
Factory directory.
ERRORLEVELS
In case your BBS software reads and uses errorlevels on door exit, here
are the errorlevels Fiction Factory returns:
0 - Critical error has occurred!
1 - The user has dropped carrier.
2 - The sysop has terminated the call; user off-line.
3 - User time has expired; still on-line.
4 - Keyboard inactivity timeout; user off-line.
10 - Normal exit; user on-line.
255 - Program integrity problem; please check log and contact me!
LICENSE/REGISTRATION INFORMATION
This program is copyrighted shareware. You are licensed to try this
program for up to 30 days. After 30 days, if you elect to continue
using Fiction Factory, you must register.
The game costs only $15. If you wish to register using a credit card,
you can use your modem to call 619-462-8406 or 619-462-7146 to obtain
your registration key *INSTANTLY* using online registration. If you
prefer to use conventional mail and a check or money order, see
REGISTER.FRM for information on shipping and delivery options.
The registered version of Fiction Factory includes the following
enhanced features:
1. UNLIMITED STORY LENGTH: In the unregistered version, each story is
limited to 150 lines. In the registered version, the limit is about
33,000 lines (roughly 600 pages) or available disk space. <g>
2. MORE STORIES: In the unregistered version, only fifteen stories may
be active at a time. In the registered version, up to 255 stories
are supported.
ADDITIONAL LICENSE INFO
You are allowed (and encouraged) to distribute unmodified copies of
Fiction Factory so long as you distribute the complete archive with all
files intact. You may include unmodified, complete archive versions of
the shareware edition of Fiction Factory in software collections (e.g.,
CD-ROMs) so long as the documentation for the collection clearly
indicates that it contains shareware products and that the purchase of
the collection does not constitute a license for the use of said
products.
Registration of this product entitles you to a unique registration code
keyed to your name and the name of your BBS. This key will allow you
and your system's users to access the registered-only features of the
program, and will deactivate all messages to the effect that the program
is an "Unregistered Evaluation Copy." Your registration is good for all
future releases of Fiction Factory for DOS and OS/2: If I should ever
need to change the key system, you as a registered user will be entitled
to receive a working new key via U.S. Mail or electronic mail.
Registrations are non-transferable without my direct permission.
SUPPORT
I am anxious for your feedback and ideas. If you have problems getting
Fiction Factory to run, please feel free to contact me.
I can be reached via crashmail or routed netmail at Fidonet address
1:202/704. I am also reachable via the Internet as
joel@dreamcty.cts.com. I poll my Internet feed, so crashmail is faster.
The support BBS for Fiction Factory, and for all software by Joel
Downer, is The Dreaming City. The Dreaming City has two lines:
Node 1: USR Courier "V.Everything" 28.8 (619) 462-8406
Node 2: ZyXEL 16.8 v.32bis (619) 462-7146
I am moderator of the Fidonet IRONOX echo, which is distributed via the
Zone 1 echomail backbone. Discussion of all Joel Downer doors
(including Fiction Factory) is currently on-topic there. I also
moderate the OS2DOORS echo, which as of 4/95 has applied for backbone
status. This echo is specifically for the discussion of OS/2 doors like
Fiction Factory for OS/2 and Iron Ox/2.
I also monitor the Fidonet DOORWARE, DOORGAMES and ON_LINE_GAMES
conferences for *personal* mail (please address it to "JOEL DOWNER" if
you want a reply from me!). I will attempt to reply promptly to echo
messages, netmail/e-mail messages, and messages in the General Mail
conference on my BBS.
The latest version of Fiction Factory for DOS and for OS/2 is available
for download on my BBS, for FREQ (magic names: FICTFACT for the DOS
version, FF2 for the OS/2 version) from either of my Fido nodes, and for
anonymous ftp from ftp.cts.com, in the /pub/joeld directory.
OTHER SOFTWARE BY JOEL W. DOWNER
Iron Ox Iron Ox is a multiplayer science fiction strategy
doorgame about the colonization of an alien world.
Develop land, steal, sabotage, trade with other players,
cut a deal with the evil luxite pirates... the game
includes dozens of exciting options! Your callers can
play against each other and/or against rather devious and
nasty computer-controlled characters, on four different
levels of difficulty.
File: OXV201.ZIP (DOS Version), Magic Name: IRONOX
File: OX2V201.ZIP (OS/2 Version), Magic Name: OX2
Doors/2 Doors/2 is a complete toolkit for developing C/C++ doors
for OS/2. It's based on the OpenDoors API, and allows
you to port a DOS door written for OpenDoors with little
more than a recompile! Features include 32-bit,
multithreaded performance, full support for a wide range
of BBS'es/dropfiles, built-in multinode messaging and
chat, full-screen editing capabilities, and more!
File: DRS2V5B3.ZIP, Magic Name: DOORS2
DISCLAIMER
I make no warranty of any kind regarding the usefulness, reliability,
merchantability, or fitness of this software and documentation for any
purpose whatsoever. While I have tested this program thoroughly, I
cannot and will not make any promises that the program will run well or
safely on your hardware or with your particular software configuration.
This software is guaranteed only to take up disk space, and I make no
absolute guarantee that it will do a reliable job of that. <g>
Your use of Fiction Factory and/or any companion material constitutes
your acceptance of these terms.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Fiction Factory started out as a "quick-'n-dirty" door intended to fill
a need on my BBS -- I couldn't find a decent story door that would work
under DESQview or OS/2 -- and it blossomed into much more. Excellent
feedback by my testers, Paul Sidorsky, Mike Aleksiuk, Nancy Porter, and
Mike Burgett was a big help. Several of my BBS callers (Sue Redding,
Jeff Hobbs, Eric Gallina, and Carl Arndt) also helped by pounding on the
program with considerable determination. :-)
As always, thanks to Evvie Vincow for love, encouragement, help with
documentation, and iced tea.
Fiction Factory's support for RIP uses a C RIP library that is (loosely)
based on Tom Morgan's Pascal RIPLink library. Thanks to Tom, and to the
maintainers of DDPlus -- Steve Lorenz and Bob Dalton -- for making
RIPLink and the DDPlus tookit, in which RIPLink is now contained,
available in source form to door authors everywhere!
The DOS version of this door also uses the OpenDoors C development
system by Brian Pirie. That system has saved me countless worries about
the details of talking to the modem, reading dropfiles, etc., and I'd
highly recommend it to any C programmer writing a door. The OS/2
version uses my own Doors/2 port of OpenDoors; see "OTHER SOFTWARE BY
JOEL W. DOWNER" for more information.
Finally, thanks to J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, Robert Heinlein,
Frank Herbert, Robert Silverberg, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Kurt Vonnegut,
Orson Scott Card, Stephen R. Donaldson, and Ursula LeGuin for inspiring
my love of fiction and good writing. If you've never heard of one or
more of the writers on that list, do yourself a favor and drop by a
local bookstore soon. <g>