BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/doors_1/bbsbwl11.zip/BBSBOWL.DOC

Text File | 1992-06-11 | 22KB | 388 lines

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            │      │  ││  │╘══╕  │  ││  ││   ││  ver 1.1          │
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                            Written by: James Fair
                         Compiled in Turbo Pascal v5.5

                          BBS Door game written for
                         ───────────────────────────
                      RA/QBBS/RBBS - Spitfire - PCB12.x
                     PCB14.x - Wildcat v2.x - Wildcat3.x
                         ───────────────────────────
                           (c)Copyright 1991,1992


╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  ■ BBS Bowl Overview and Instructions ■                                ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
═ Overview ═
BBSBowl is my latest On-Line Game in the "FairWare" series. I have attempted
to make this game as realistic as possible. The pin action and ball action is
all controlled by you. BBSBowl was written and compiled in Turbo Pascal v5.5
and the .EXE file was compressed using PKLite v1.12 to hold the size down to
only 36k. I spent a great deal of time and effort into this game and I hope
you all appreciate another great "FairWare" game. Throughout the rest of this
document, anything preceeded by a "(+)" denotes a registered feature.

═ Instructions ═
Most of the controls in the game are done using the SPACEBAR and the ARROW
keys on your 10-key pad (NUMLOCK ON). When you start the game you will have
4 options.
(S)tart - Quite obviously this will start the game for you.
(Q)uit  - This will quit the game immediately (you may press "Q" to quit at
          any time in the game. However, if you have a game in progress it
          will use your current score regardless of where you are in the game)
(H)igh Scores - Will show you the high scores (Up to the top 50 scores)
(I)nstructions - Will display the game instructions to the user and give them
                 4 practice rolls. They may enter "I" as many times as they
                 wish and get the practice rolls each time.
Once you (S)tart the game the user information (time remaining, high game etc)
will be displayed in the bottom right block. The ball will be displayed at the
bottom center of the alley. The user simply uses the "4" and "6" keys (arrow
keys with NumLock ON) to move the ball to the desired starting location. Once
he/she has the ball placed simply hit the SPACEBAR to start the "Curve Bar".
It looks something like:
                             Left   Straight  Right
                              ┌────────┼────────┐
                              │▓▓▓              │
                              └────────┼────────┘

As soon as you hit the SPACEBAR a '▓' character starts moving from left to
right. To STOP the CurveBar hit SPACEBAR again. The more to the left you stop
the CurveBar, the more left hook the ball will have rolling down the alley.
The more to the right you stop it the more right hook the ball will have.
And obviously, if you stop it in the center the ball will roll straight.

  **Warning**
Be careful not to "hold down" the spacebar or hit it more than once to start
and stop each time or it will take off for your next turn before you are
ready. I have put in a "Com_Flush_Rx" to try to prevent this but I can't
anticipate when or how long you might hold the spacebar down each time so just
be careful not to hold it down.
  ***********

Once you stop the CurveBar sit back and watch the ball roll and the pin action.
I have done my best to simulate all of the true pin action. There are literally
hundreds of possibilities and I think I got 'em all..whew! - All scoring etc is
taken care of for you.
There are comments built into the game also. You may hit "C"omments ON/OFF at
any time to toggle the comments off and on. There is also a "R"edraw option
which allows you to redraw the screen in case of line noise or garbage on the
screen for any other reason. Once you finish a game your score and average are
caculated and given for you.


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║  ■ BBS Bowl Features ■                                                 ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
BBSBowl v1.1 has many nice features built into the .EXE file. They are:

   ■ Only need three files to start the game! All other files are created
     or updated for you.
   ■ Small .EXE file - BBSBowl.exe only takes 36kbytes because it has been
     PKlite'd using PKlite v1.12.
   ■ Built-in Comments in the game. Some of you may love these comments and
     then some of you may not. You may Enable/Disable the comments at any
     time by hitting "C".
   ■ Built-in Configuration Utility. Simply run Bowlcfg.exe first and
     answer the questions. BBSBowl.cfg written for you.
   ■ Full Carrier Checking built-in. Will detect loss of carrier and return
     to the bbs immediately. Also writes "BBSBowl.log" indicating when and
     who dropped carrier.
   ■ It's own comm routines. Supports COM1 through COM4 and locked bauds up
     to 38400 (I recommend NOT locking bauds for games but if you must...)
   ■ Direct support for RA/QBBS/RBBS (any that write "dorinfo1.def") and
     Spitfire, PCBoard v12.x, PCBoardv14.x, Wildcat 2.x, Wildcat 3.x (any
     that write the generic Door.sys file used by Wildcat v3.0)
   ■ BBSBowl has a built in feature to make all of the "Curve Bar" action
     and ball/pin action run at the same speed no matter what baud rate you
     are connected at. That is, if you are connected at 1200 baud you have
     no better chance (considering response time to curve bar) that a caller
     at 9600 and vice-versa. A very Nice Feature. This is also true for
     playing at the local keyboard.
   ■ TimeOut feature (5 minutes) - When a user falls asleep at the keyboard
     for more than 5 minutes it will exit the game and go directly back to
     the BBS. (This game is not counted against the user).
   ■ If a user runs out of time before finishing the current game (warning
     message and beep at 3, 2, and 1 minutes) It will force them back to the
     board but will NOT count the current game against them.
   ■ Built in check for ANSI capability. Due to the graphic nature of the
     game, BBSBowl supports only systems with ANSI graphics capability. If
     a "non ANSI" systems attempts to play the game it will prompt them first
     to make sure they can see the ANSI characters. At that time the user must
     answer "Y"es or "N"o to continue or abort the game.
   ■ Creates an ANSI and ASCII top 10 bulletin in the path and filename of
     your choice.
   ■ Built-In Chat - Great little Chat window in the lower (User Information)
     block. Enter Chat using "Alt-C" and exit with "Alt-X". When Chat is exited
     User Information block returns and bowling continues.
   ■ Ver 1.1 now has a sysop configurable "Straight Roll" key function.
     Uses the "5" key on the 10-key pad. This allows the user to hit the "5"
     key to roll a straight ball for some of those tough spares.
(+)■ Support for up to 99 players. In UnRegistered mode only supports 10
     players.
(+)■ Fully featured "Make-Up Days" (Not supported at all in unregistered ver).
     If days are missed a user may select any previous un-played day. Up to
     3 make-up days allowed per day. (A user may play their game for the day,
     plus three make-up days - Exit to the board and then come back and play
     three more make-up days etc until all days are made up). I did not
     publicize this feature on purpose. If you want your users to know then you
     may note it in your opening screen or whatever. If you don't wish to allow
     someone to spend all their time playing make-up days and allow only 3 per
     day then you may not want to publicize this feature.
(+)■ Your name and (optional) Board name in the closing screen. This not only
     gives you that good "Warm feeling" knowing that you registered this great
     game, but let's all of your games players know that you support "FairWare"



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║  ■ BBS Bowl Necessary Files ■                                          ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Your BBSBowl.zip file should contain the following files:

 BBSBowl.exe -> The executable file
 BowlCfg.exe -> Configuration file utility (Run This first)
 BowlWin.dat -> Last month's winner information
 BBSBowl.frm -> BBSBowl Registration Form
 BBSBowl.doc -> This documentation File
 Whats.new   -> Fixes and enhancements in BBSBowl ver1.1

That's it! only three files necessary to start the game. Let's take a quick
look at each file.

 BBSBowl.exe - This file has been PKlite'd with PKlite ver1.12. The executable
               file is only 36k. If you desire another compression method or
               do not want a compressed .EXE file I will be happy to give you
               an Un-Compressed version. Approx 100Kbytes.

 BowlCfg.exe - This is the configuration file utility. You must run this first
               before running the game. It is a nice graphical setup utility
               in which you tell the game where to find your user files, where
               and what name to give the high score bulletins, your comm port,
               and more. This is also where you put in your Name and your
               Registration key. Please answer all questions each time you run
               this .EXE file. I make no assumption from previous times run and
               re-write the file each time you run the utility. Therefore, BE
               SURE TO ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS EACH TIME.
               (More on this file in the Installation section)

 BowlWin.dat - This is a simple two-line ASCII text file holding last month's
               winners Name and Score.

 BBSBowl.frm - This is the BBSBowl Registration form. Please refer to the
               section below for more information on registration procedures.

 = Files Created during Runtime =

 BBSBowl.dat - High score data file created after each game. This file contains
               all of the users scores, high game, average, and make-up day
               information. DO NOT EDIT OR MODIFY THIS FILE IN ANY WAY OR
               THE FILE WILL CORRUPT. In other words, any attempt to modify
               this file will result in corruption of bbsbowl.dat and when the
               next player plays a game it will be re-written or possibly
               garbaged!

 BBSBowl.log - Should a user drop carrier or a related error occur a file
               called "bbsbowl.log" will be created or appended showing this
               information.



╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  ■ BBS Bowl Installation Instructions ■                                ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Installation of BBSBowl is quite simple.

= BowlCfg.exe =
First Copy all files to a subdirectory of your choice: C:\Doors\BBSbowl for
example. Next run the Bowlcfg.exe file and answer all questions as explained
above. I'll run quickly through all of the questions in Bowlcfg.exe:

1) The first screen to come up will ask for your BBS type. Enter the number
   next to your BBS type. Below is a list of the BBStype and the userfile(s)
   written by each which is used by BBSBowl for all user information:

   1) QBBS/RA/RBBS    --> Dorinfo1.def
   2) PCBoard v12.x   --> PCBoard.sys/PCBoard.dat/User
   3) PCBoard v14.x   --> PCBoard.sys/PCBoard.dat/User
   4) Wildcat v2.x    --> Callinfo.bbs
   5) Spitfire        --> SFDoors.dat
   6) Wildcat v3.x    --> Door.sys/Sysinfo.dat

2) The second screen will ask for the full path to the userfile. For instance
   RA/QBBS/RBBS generate the userfile "Dorinfo1.def". I need the path of where
   that file is written, or if you copy it elsewhere, the path of where it was
   copied. I need PATH ONLY - do not include the userfile name. An example
   would be "C:\RA" or "C:\WILDCAT". If you get an error when bringing up the
   game and it says userfile bad or missing, please check the path given here.

3) The next screen will ask for the number of games-per-day to allow. Version
   1.1 of BBSBowl only supports 1 game per day (not counting make-up days). So
   please enter a "1" here.

4) NEXT IS A NEW FEATURE FOR VER1.1 - Allow the "Straight Roll" key. That is:
   I have had a request to make a key roll a straight ball. The "5" key (on
   the 10-key pad) will roll a straight ball. No need to hit "SpaceBar". Just
   hit the "5" key and it will roll a straight ball from your current position.
   If you answer "Y" here it will display "[5]  - Straight Roll" in the user
   information area. If you answer "N" this function is not available and it
   is not displayed in the user information area. I feel this is almost like
   cheating when it is enabled so I made it sysop configurable. It's up to you!

5) Next it will ask for your COM PORT. Please enter only the Number 1,2,3,or 4
   for whichever COM port you are using.

6) The next screen will ask for a locked baud rate (If used). If you lock your
   COM port put the locked rate here. If you do not lock your baud simply hit
   the enter key. (I strongly suggest not locking the baud for games due to
   all of the problems with buffering between dissimilar modems possibly
   trashing the action in many games etc. but If you must lock your baud rate
   BBSBowl supports locked bauds up to 38400.)

7) Next it will ask for your Bulletin Board Name. Please enter your board name
   here.

8) The next Screen asks for the full path and FileName of the ANSI and ASCII
   bulletins you want generated by the game. BBSBowl will create an ANSI and
   ASCII bulletin showing the top 10 bowlers in the path and FileName of your
   choice.

9) The Last Screen asks for your Name and Registration Key Number. Be sure to
   capitalize the First letter of your first and last name. If you have
   Registered your copy of BBSBowl I will give you a Registration Key Number
   to install at this screen. Otherwise enter any number here or leave it
   blank.

*******************************************************************************
** Warning - for ver1.1 to work correctly you MUST run Bowlcfg.exe again and **
** answer all questions. The "Straight Roll" key function was added here.    **
*******************************************************************************

That covers all questions asked in Bowlcfg.exe. This will then write the
configuration file "bbsbowl.cfg" for you in the current directory.

= Command Line =
Now you have all of the necessary files written to run the game. That's it!
The Command line needs no extra switches or parameters. All that is needed on
the command line is "BBSBowl". Some batch file examples are shown below.

So to recap, Only three steps are necessary to install BBSBowl:

1) Unzip BBSBowl.zip to a subdirectory of your choice.
2) Run Bowlcfg.exe and answer all questions.
3) Create any batch file and/or Update any door menu/util to run the game.


╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  ■ BBS Bowl Batch File Examples ■                                      ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
For RA/QBBS type systems a batch file is not even necessary, but if you run
other bbs types the batch file would be quite simple.

= Batch example for Wildcat =
 CD\WILDCAT\DOORS\BBSBOWL ---> (Change directory to the bbsbowl files)
 BBSBOWL                  ---> (Run the game)
 CD\WILDCAT               ---> (Change directory back to the board)

= Batch example for RA =
CD\DOORS\BBSBOWL          ---> (Change directory to the bbsbowl files)
BBSBOWL                   ---> (Run the game)
CD\RA                     ---> (Change directory back to the board)

Another example for RA might be running it straight from a type 7 exit and
on the Optional Data Field simply enter:
               *C /C BBSBOWL.EXE *M

For any other bbs batch files simply change directory to the game and then
run the game with "bbsbowl" then change directory back to the bbs on the
next line.


╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  ■ BBS Bowl Registration Information ■                                 ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Registration of BBSBowl reflects the concept of "FairWare".

I thought about this long and hard and decided that I would charge $15.00
for registration of this game. I feel that is a "Fair" price for this game
and all of the long hours I spent developing BBSBowl. However, In keeping
with the "FairWare" concept I also want to introduce a "Buddy System"
registration package. That is, If you and a buddy want to register the game,
I will Register two copies for $20.00 - That's $10.00 for a GREAT game!

Registration brings you:
■ 99 player support
■ Full featured Make-Up Days
■ Your Name and (optional) Board Name in the closing screen
■ An incredible warm feeling in your heart knowing you support "FairWare"
■ Direct support provided for any bugs or special applications.

══════════ Please use the File "BBSBOWL.FRM" for Registration ═══════════


╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  ■ BBS Bowl Warranty and Disclaimer ■                                  ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
 = Warranty =
This product is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind.  The entire
risk as to the results and performance of the program is assumed by you.
Futhermore, I the author do not warrant, guarantee, or make any represent-
tions regarding the use of, or the results of the use of the program, and you
rely on the program and results solely at your own risk. I the author cannot
accept responsibility for system damage, either directly or indirectly from
the use of this product.

 = Disclaimer =
The Author of this program, The Fishing Hole and its Co-sysop are in no
way responsible for any damages sustained either directly or indirectly
from the use of BBSBowl. Also if the file has been modified in any way I
will take no responsibility for it's use Whatsoever! The .EXE file has
been tested on several machines, from XT's to 386's and worked perfectly
on all. If you should have any problems with this file please call the
Fishing Hole BBS to obtain a good copy.


  ═════════════════════════ FairWare Door Games ═════════════════════════

Midway ver 1.0   - MidWay Card Game. A great Card game where you bet on odds
                   that the next card drawn from a deck will be "Mid-Way" of
    $10.00         the two face up cards. Lots of fun - Watch out for the
                   JOKER. Many features. Supports All 8 door types mentioned
                   above.
                 * FileReq with Magic name "MidWay" @fidonet 1:116/43

OutNumber ver 1.0- OutNumber is a great thinking game. You vs. the Computer in
                   a numbers game. You may only move Horizontally. The computer
    $10.00         may only move Vertically on an 8 x 8 grid of numbers. $5 for
                   every point you beat him by. Chat Mode, support for Mono and
                   more!! Fun and challenging.
                 * FileReq with Magic name "OutNum" @fidonet 1:116/43

JFYaht ver 1.3   - A great yaht game. JFYaht ver 1.3 - A really beautiful new
    $10.00         Yahtzee door. Not like the ones you've seen before. really
                   nice graphics and has many built in features. Be sure to get
                   this one. It's great!
                 * FileReq with Magic name "JFYaht" @fidonet 1:116/43

BBSBowl ver 1.1  - My Latest and Best! BBSBowl ver 1.1 - A Beautiful Graphic
    $15.00         bowling game. Full featured. You control the ball and pin
                   action yourself. Allows Curve on the ball, and realistic
"Buddy System"     pin action. You must try this one. GREAT GAME!
    $10.00       * FileReq with Magic name "BBSBowl" @fidonet 1:116/43


             Please forward any comments or suggestions to:

James Fair                       or                     The Fishing Hole BBS
813 Bellevue Rd                                         [phone]
Nashville, TN  37221                                    fido-net  1:116/43