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COA_LOAD.DOC
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1988-02-08
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COA_LOAD
--------
Usage:
COA_LOAD [Control String]
The COA_LOAD program is designed as a quick way for you to repopulate
your maze with objects and monsters each night as part of your PC-Board
event. It can also be used to initiate the maze rather than laboriously
filling it by hand, or to refill the maze any time you like.
It is suggested that you place the initial chests by hand, for reasons
that will become clear later... You may also want to place certain key
monsters and important objects manually, using COA_EDIT. A good example
of this might be to place the ORB on level 10 and guard it with a Dragon
and several traps. EVENTS can be loaded with COA_LOAD using a special
code which will be outlined later.
There are three ways to call up COA_LOAD.
1) Simply type COA_LOAD. You will be prompted for a control string.
2) Type COA_LOAD (control-string). An example of this might be:
COA_LOAD MAZE_ONE,0,3,2/1,21/3,14/2,56/5,100/3,101/2,102/1
3) Create a file called COA_LOAD.DAT and stack up as many control
strings as you like. A sample COA_LOAD.DAT is included to show
a standard load set for an 11 level maze... (levels 0 through 10)
If COA_LOAD.DAT exists, all you need do in your event is run COA_LOAD
with no parameters. COA_LOAD will find COA_LOAD.DAT (if it is in the
current directory) and process it accordingly.
The control string is set up like this:
Filename(no ext),Start Level,End Level,Object Number/Amount,...
You may include as many object number/amount pairs as you like, so long
as the control string is 255 characters or less. If the object number
is greater than 99, monsters will be placed.
Exception: If you follow the object number with an "E", such as 112E,
the loader will assume that 112 is not a monster, but an event number,
and will load the event. Take care that you only use LEGITIMATE event
numbers, as the program will hang if you do not. Anyone who tries to
load a non-existant event deserves what he gets. Garbage.
Each level indicated in the span is processed individually. You may
place an "R" in the level field to indicate a randomly chosen level.
If you place "R" as the start level, the end level must be "R" also,
and a single level will be chosen (not a range of levels).
If you stack up control strings in COA_LOAD.DAT, seperate them with
carriage returns.
When COA_LOAD runs, it counts the number of objects/monsters/events
already present on each level, and only places enough to bring the
number up to the level you requested. For instance if you specify 2/5,
which would mean 5 short swords, and the program counts 3 already
present a given level, only two will be placed.
Special cases: Empty chests, if found, will be filled if chests are
specified in the load. For example, if 56/5 is specified this means
load 5 chests with 100 gp into the maze. If 2 empty chests are found,
and 2 are found with 100 gp already present, then the two empty chests
will be filled and 1 additional chest with 100 gp will be placed. Due
to this feature it is advisable that you place your chests initially by
hand, as they do not move but rather become empty chests when players
raid them. During COA_LOAD run, they will be filled rather than new
chests randomly placed. This helps keep chests out of the corridors.
Also, unset traps will be set if found and traps were specified.
Using COA_LOAD.DAT, you can load different levels with different sets,
and even load more than one maze during the event. There is no limit to
the number of control strings that can be stacked up in the .DAT file.
If you use the command line or prompt method of inputting the control
string, then the program will report its results to the monitor. If you
use the COA_LOAD.DAT method, then a file called COA_LOAD.LOG will be
created or appended to. This .LOG file can then later be reviewed to see
just what the loader has been up to. It `grows forever' however, so take
care to delete it from time to time, like SYSLOG.
Scott L. Bain
The Scanline Remote
(619)298-2023
PS - I may, from time to time, offer predesigned mazes for sysops to
download and run. You will find a file called <Maze Name>.LOD
with each of these ready-to-run mazes, which contains the control
strings I reccomend for repopulating that particular maze. The
file does nothing on it's own, but should be brought into your
COA_LOAD.DAT file as part of the load on your system. Since you
may be running more than one maze, I thought it best to do it
this way.