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Land Of Devastation By Scott M. Baker Ver 2.10 Notes ----- IMPORTANT: Due to the number of changes in the file structures, it really wasn't possible to write a conversion program. So, I am sorry to say that if you were running a version previous to 2.00, you'll have to delete your old data files and restart. "DEL *.DAT" should take care of it. Files Included -------------- Note: We've switched to a new packaging method in version 2.10 - please see LODFILES.TXT for more information. Below is a listing of all files contained within the Land Of Devastation distribution archives. As you can see, the files are split into FOUR seperate archives. The file LODFILES.TXT contains information on which archives you need, what they are for, etc. I recommend READING THIS FILE. Archive LODxxxA.ARJ - Land Of Devastation Docs & Install info [REQUIRED] LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information USERDOC.TXT - User documentation SYSOP.DOC - Sysop documentation Archive LODxxxB.ARJ - Land Of Devastation main program disk [REQUIRED] LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information GAME.EXE - Executable file for TEXT version of LOD GAME.CTL - Control file for setting up LOD REGISTER.FRM - Registration form ANSI.DEF - Library containing ansi graphics pictures MISC.DEF - Miscellanious game parameters TAVERN.DEF - Definition of what people are in each tavern MAP.DEF - Main map file COMBAT.DEF - Contains combat text strings TERRAIN.DEF - Definitions for the various terrain types DEVICES.DEF - Definitions of all items in the game (weapons,armor, etc) STRINGS.DEF - Definitions of strings used in game MONSTER.DEF - Definitions of wastelands monsters TALK.DEF - Definitions of interactive conversation USERQCK.TXT - User "Quick Start" information TROYINFO.TXT - [Internal use] USERNEW.TXT - User "New updates" information FININFO.TXT - Financial options information GTERM.TXT - Describes benefits of using GTERM. LODWALK.TXT - Walkthrough of LOD Archive LODxxxC.ARJ - Land Of Devastation EGA version disk [OPTIONAL] LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information GMAPEDIT.EXE - Graphical (EGA) map editor GAMEEGA.EXE - Executable file for EGA version of LOD RESOURCE.000 - Main EGA graphics library for GAMEEGA.EXE Archive LODxxxD.ARJ - Land Of Devastation additional EGA pics [OPTIONAL] LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information RESOURCE.002 - Secondary [optional] EGA graphics file for GAMEEGA.EXE Archive LODxxxE.ARJ - Sysop Customization Package [OPTIONAL] LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information NEWLODED.EXE - External sysop edit utility [New Version!] NEHELP.HLP - Context Sensitive help file for NEWLODED.EXE. STRINGS.TXT - ASCII version of strings.def COMPSTR.EXE - Utility for compiling strings.txt into strings.def Files created by LOD upon initialiazation USERS.DAT - Master players file OBJECTS.DAT - Objects left laying around on the wasteland BASES.DAT - Fortress data file LOG.DAT - Log of what happens in the game USERIDX.DAT - User file quick index CLONES.DAT - file containing clone information *.NTS - contains users notes taken during play NEWGAME.IDX - message base index NEWGAME.BDY - message base body file MREPORT.TXT - maintenance report (created when maint is run) [Note: I recommend reading LODFILES.TXT for a better understanding of what each distribution archive is for.] Installation ------------ I) Create a directory for the game (example: "MD \LOD") II) Unzip the required archives into that directory. You have three options: a) Unzip LODxxxA.ARJ and LODxxxB.ARJ for the TEXT* version of LOD. b) Unzip LODxxxA.ARJ, LODxxxB.ARJ, and LODxxxC.ARJ for the EGA verison of LOD with partial graphics. c) Unzip LODxxxA.ARJ, LODxxxB.ARJ, LODxxxC.ARJ, and LODxxxD.ARJ for the EGA version of LOD with FULL graphics. * Note: Even if you use the TEXT version of LOD, your users may still get EGA graphics using GTERM. Also, if you use the EGA version of LOD, your users are not _required_ to use GTERM. (i.e. using EGA on one side does not require using EGA on the other) d) Finally, if you want to install the sysop customization package (which includes editors and sysop utilities), then unzip LOD210E.ARJ as well. III) Edit the control file (GAME.CTL) for your bbs software, user name, etc. The control file should be self-explanitory. IV) Install the door into your bbs software (see bbs software for more information) If you want to use the EGA version of LOD, you should activate GAMEEGA.EXE. If you want to use the TEXT version of LOD, you should activate GAME.EXE General Information ------------------- This game marks the first in a new series of doors that I am writing that will be "totally configurable". All of the text strings in the game have been placed into a special file, STRINGS.DEF. This file is stored in binary form, but can be created by using the COMPSTR program. (see the editor section below) Most of the ANSI artwork (contained in ANSI.DEF) was drawn by Shane Chambers. Shane's remarkable work has helped much by adding nice pictures for most of the inventory items. So far we have about half of the images drawn. Also, most (if not all) of the EGA pictures used by GAMEEGA/GTERM were designed by Shane Chambers. Local Mode ---------- "Game/L" will get you there. Maintenance ----------- "Game/M" should be executed once per night in order to run the game's maintenance functions. Few maint functions are actually performed, but they are more-or-less necessary. EGA Graphics Version -------------------- If you have EGA or VGA graphics capabilities, you can use the GAMEEGA.EXE version of the game rather than the GAME.EXE version. GAMEEGA is designed with support in for the EGA display. However, this version does require more free memory than the other version. If so, you may have to resort to using GAME.EXE instead. EMS Usage --------- Since LOD requires so much memory, I decided to add some support in for EMS (Expanded Memory Specification). EMS is available on most newer computers either through add-in boards or it is supplied on the motherboard. For 386 machines, EMS can always be provided by using QEMM by Quarterdeck. Well, this isn't a tutorial on EMS, so let's get on with the LOD particulars! To use EMS support, you must 1) Have EMS memory installed (Of course!), 2) Have at least 64k of EMS memory available, and 3) Use the "/EMS" command line switch. Again, to enable LOD's EMS support, use the "/EMS" switch. For example, "GAMEEGA /L /EMS" would bring the game up in local mode using EMS memory. Once EMS is enabled, LOD will throw some variables up there to save some of it's RAM requirements. This amounts to around 64k for the non-EGA (i.e. GAME.EXE) version of LOD and 150k for the EGA (i.e. GAMEEGA.EXE) version of LOD. On the EGA version, performance will also be improved since gameega will store some extra images in memeory. Command Line Switches --------------------- "/L" Load in Local mode. "/M" Run the nightly maintenance. "/S" Sysop fast logon. "/EMS" Use ems memory. "/Nx" Specifies node number. (i.e. /N1 for node 1, /N2 for node 2, etc) "/Pyy" Specifies path to drop files. (i.e. /PC:\BBS, for c:\bbs, etc) "/CHECK" Perform multinode check (see multnode use below) Editors ------- The external editor, NEWLODED.EXE, includes a variety of external editors and tools to allow the sysop to customize and configure his/her version of Land of Devastation. I will discuss each of the editor options in order below: UTILITIES There are a few little utility features which will provide you with some information about the game. EDITORS Editors are included for editing users, device definitions, terrain, and the wasteland map. SETUP This section has options for configuring and setting up lod - what new players start with, hosw much bases cost, etc. MESSAGES Partially implemented - you can read but not write. The external editor has an extensive context-sensitive help system which can be of great use to you. Simply hit F1 at any time and a help window will pop up. NOTE #1: The external editor uses the TAB and SHIFT-TAB keys to move around in some areas. Sometimes people find this difficult to understand, but it is part of the design of the Turbo Vision toolkit which the editor was written with. NOTE #2: The external editor is now placed in LODxxxE.ARJ; The sysop customization package instead of the main archive. Multinode use ------------- LOD does NOT allow multinode use. Furthermore, I have no future plans to develop a version of LOD that does at this time. However, LOD can be set to "lock out" other nodes while one node is playing. (i.e. Node 1 is playing so nodes 2 & 3 cannot). This is done using the /Nx and /CHECK switches. /Nx tells which node number is using the door. (i.e. "GAME /N2 /CHECK" would be for node 2). And /CHECK says to check for multinode use. The startup commands for LOD for a 2-node system would be as follows: NODE 1: Game /N1 /CHECK NODE 2: Game /N2 /CHECK When LOD encounters another player trying to play while one is already playing it will spew out the file "LODLOK.TXT" to the user to explain the situation to him. Editing Monster.DEF ------------------- The MONSTER.DEF file is a plain ascii file and can be edited with any ASCII editor. Instructions are included at the top of the file. Editing STRINGS.DEF ------------------- LOD uses the file STRINGS.DEF to hold all of the text strings stored within this game. Also included in the package is STRINGS.TXT. You may edit the STRINGS.TXT file and then use the included program, COMPSTR, to re-compile the file into a STRINGS.DEF which LOD will use. 1) Load up STRINGS.TXT using any plain-ascii text editor. You can now edit the strings and customize them as you wish. Please note, the strings are specified one string to each line - if you mess up this format, you could possibly shift all of the strings and really screw things up. Here is the format: - Each line is one string definition in the game; So DO NOT DELETE OR INSERT LINES. You'll really mess things up. - A tilde (~) has been placed at the end of each line as a simple indicator to the user of where the line ends. (i.e. Otherwise lines that ended with a trailing space would be indistinguishable from lines that didn't) - The ampersand (&) is used to indicate the Land Of Devastation should change colors at that position. The "&" sign is followed by a hexadecimal digit, "0"-"F" specifying the color to change to. &0 Black &6 Brown &C Light Red &1 Blue &7 Light Gray &D Light Magenta &2 Green &8 Dark Gray &E Yellow &3 Cyan &9 Light Blue &F White &4 Red &A Light Green &5 Magenta &B Light Cyan - The "|" sign is used to indicate a carraige return. - String may be up to 255 characters in length. (You could use one string entry with multiple "|"'s to specify multiple lines of text) 2) Use COMPSTR to compile the modified STRINGS.TXT into a new STRINGS.DEF. Limits ------ Maximum users..................: 255 Inventory per user.............: 16 (plus 6 equipped items) Definable Device types.........: 150 Objects in wasteland...........: 4096 Bases..........................: 75 Restarting the Game ------------------- Simply delete all of the *.DAT files. (DO NOT DELETE ANY *.DEF files) Editing ------- Lots of you have asked for better information on how to create your own devices, monsters, etc so here it is. DEVICE EDITOR The following are a list of the various parameters that each device definition includes: NAME: The name of the device; Should not be longer than 15 chars USES: Number of uses LEFT on the device. Usually the same as MAXUSE MAXUSE: Maximum number of uses the device has. DEV USE: If "Y", then decrement the USES variable each time the device is used. VAR1: General purpose variable #1; varies from device to device. VAR2: General purpose variable #2; varies from device to device. APPLICAT: Code corresponding to what the device does. USABLE: "Y" if the device can be used with the U command. STORE: Code corresponding to store at which device will be sold. COST: Price of device when sold at store. ANSI: 8 character string corresponding to attached ansi picture. EGA: Attached EGA graphics picture. Listing of APPLICAT codes: 0 Radio 9 AML (medline) 14 Death Badge 23 Rom Disk 1 Medical Kit 10 Rope 15 Warper 24 <Internal> 2 SR Weapon 11 Rations 16 Communicator 25 B-Teleporter 3 LR Weapon 12 Scanner 17 B-React 26 Recharger 4 Armor 13 Stealth 18 B-Comm 27 Pylon Key 5 <reserved> 14 G-Blaster 19 B-Defense 6 B.A.D. 15 Unusable Armor 20 B-Moat 7 LRScan 16 Grenade 21 B-Weapon 8 Ammunition 17 Cyclops Eye 22 Laptop Listing of store codes: 0 No Store 9 B-Weapon 1 SR Weapons 10 Computer 2 Armor 11 LR Weapons 3 Supply 12 <internal> 4 Ammo 13 <internal> 5 B-React 14 GSRZ Hort. 6 B-Comm 15 B-Teleporter 7 B-Def 8 B-Moat Here are some of the definitions for the VAR1/VAR2 parameters for some of the various device types. Weapons: The VAR1 parameter is divided into three fields corresponding to the ammo type, minimum, and maximum damage. For example, consider the following: NAME: Rad-Axe . . VAR1: 32030 . . The three fields are 3, 20, and 30. "3" is the ammo type; 20 is the minimum damage done and 30 is the maximum damage done. For weapons not requiring ammo, use a "0" for the ammo type. Always use two digit numbers (i.e. for a 4-6 damage weapon requiring power packs, use 030406, NOT 0346) Ammo: The VAR1 parameter is the ammo type and the VAR2 parameter is the number of shots. For example, NAME: Power Pack VAR1: 3 VAR2: 35 This is for a power pack - ammo type 3; 35 shots. Armor: The USELEFT parameter is the amount of damage the armor can abosrb; The VAR2 is the percentage chance of the armor deflecting a hit. (i.e. VAR2=0 means the armor deflects nothing; VAR2=100 means the armor deflects everything) The VAR1 parameter holds some specialty flags. These flags are bitmapped. Right now, the flags are as follows: Bit 1: If set, then armor is rechargable. TERRAIN EDITOR The terrain editor has the following parameters: NAME: The name of the terrain type DANGER: Percentage chance of finding monster there. SYMBOL: 2 character symbol for ansi/ascii maps COLOR: Numeric color code for ascii/ansi PASSABLE: "Y" if you can walk through it. "N" if you can't. GENERAL EDITOR Base Cost: The cost required to build a base Lev 2 exp: \ lev limit: > Used in calculation of levels lev pts: / Base Reactor: Reactor that bases will start with Base Weapon: Weapon that bases will start with Base Defense: Defense field that base will start with Base Moat: Moat that base will start with Base Energy: Energy that base will start with Ascii Rank: Filename for ASCII ranking file ANSI Rank: Filename for ANSI rankings Max items/base: Max items that a base will hold Max bases/plyr: Max bases a player may own Base Tele: Teleporter that base will start with Janitor Pay: Money/item that the user destroys laying out on the wasteland. Kill OBJ: If "Y", then the kill object command is available. Alpha Combat: "Y" if alpha combat available. Reflex Combat: "Y" if reflex combat avail. (NOTE: Reflex combat was not finished in time for this release) Stat Combat: "Y" if stat combat avail. Alpha Delay: Delay in milliseconds of periods in alpha combat. Alpha Hit: Max periods that can go by after letter for a hit. EDITING MONSTERS The monster definitions are contained in MONSTERS.DEF. The file is in plain ASCII, so you should be able to edit it with any text editor. Instructions are included at the top of the file. EDITING COMBAT STRINGS The file COMBAT.DEF contains the combat strings. It may be edited with any text editor. EDITING DIALOG Interactive dialog is contained in TALK.DEF. It may be edited with any text editor. Unfinished Things ----------------- There are a lot of things that I really wanted to get done for this version, but I just didn't get time. College is really taking up a lot of time this semester and it's been hard to get time to work on LOD. Anyways, here is what isn't done: - The PURITRON - still being worked on. Didn't have enough time to complete it for this version. - Player vs Player combat. I.e. you meet somebody out in the wasteland and you can waste em. - Multiple grenade packs. - The B.A.D. device (which is a form of MAGIC spells) - The final encounter with XEBOC. - Several more special quests. - A more powerful financial section - loans, stocks, investments, etc. - I wanted to add some more time limit stuff - 2-minute logoff warnings, daily time limit features, etc, but I just didn't get the chance to finish them up for this version. These are not things that are DISABLED, but rather are things which just aren't completed. Most of them are at least partly enabled, but not fully yet. I plan to work on these pretty soon - probably either version 2.10 or 3.00 depending on how many more enhancements I am able to complete. Also, remember, the more donations, the more encentive for me to get this game finished! (grin) Revision History ---------------- Version 1.00b [BETA] - First public release Version 1.01b [BETA] - More of Shane Chamber's ansi animation thrown in. - Added Rad-Grenade packs as an alternative to long range weapons. - A few cosmetic fixes and changes. - Fortresses are now partially implemented - store room and fortress banks are now operational. - Maintenance required nightly - GAME/M will run the maint. - Commodities trading partially implemented. Version 1.02b [BETA] - Added in support for GTERM, an EGA graphics terminal program. - Fixed message that displayed user's death twice. - Fixed a bug in GAMEEDIT that was causing impassible terrain to become passable. - Drew up maps for levels four and five. - Added several monsters to the .DEF file. - Added "Casino" from main menu. Currently, about four games are supported. Version 1.03b [BETA] - Added inventory maintenance options - Fixed widowlance so it doesn't appear in weapons store. - Added equip character option to troop quarters. - Fixed a possible problem with using the LR scanner while in enhanced or GTERM modes. - Fixed a MAJOR bug in the hand-to-hand combat routines. - Added a couple of new monsters and weapons. - "warper" device added. Allows people to warp back to the main base on level 1. - Another version of the game, GAMEEGA.EXE is included and allows for an EGA graphics display on the sysop's computer. The display is nearly identicle to that of a user using GTERM. Version 1.04b [BETA] - Added a "house cleaning" routine to maintenance to get rid of items laying about. Each night, if there is >500 items, then up to 35% of these items will "disappear into the wasteland". - GTERM and GAMEEGA display enhanced to include a indicator of the current SFG (Stealth Field Generator) mode. - User lastread pointers in the message base are now saved. - Minor change to the way strings.def is handled internally - should lower memory requirements by about 10k. - More of Shane Chambers EGA pics thrown into GTERM and GAMEEGA. Pics have now been drawn for about 90% of the inventory. - Revised experience/level routines once again. The experience table is in the user docs. - Revised user docs - provided a "theme" for the game and extra information concerning bases. - Changed the rankings routine majorly. - A little trimming here and there to decrease memory requirements. - STRMUL (Hand-To-Hand weapon strength multiplier) modified to minimize it's effects. - Fixed a bug in GAMEEDIT's rankings routine. - Added misc and new user editors to GAMEEDIT. Version 1.05 - Reduced record size in stringdef file to lower storage requirements and increase load speed. - Start-up speed increased by various internal improvements. - Added LAPTOP and ROM cartidges to the game. You can buy them at the computer store in the supply station. - TALK.DEF updated to include more information on monsters and devices. - Wasteland display screen changed so that the objects ( "+" ) appear to the right of the map symbol instead of in place of the symbol. - Minor improvements to the enhanced ansi wasteland display to reduce re-writes. - "Quick heal" command added to wasteland menu. Automatically uses as much medkits as needed for a full heal. Version 1.06 - Some cosmetic changes and spelling fixes. - Included registration stuff. Version 2.00 - When using the IR scanner, notes will be updated for towns, holes, etc. - Map changed from a 32x32x10 grid to a 125x125 grid. - Combat-Stats converted to a laptop program. The routine has also been revised to include some additional information on "bravery" and "accuracy". - LRScan and Scanner added as _expensive_ laptop programs. - The Hort Center is up and running. A special quest has been added which results in getting and information disk from Troy Hadley. - Troy Hadley's information disk added. If you like, you can edit the file (TROYINFO.TXT) to make any changes you like. - Major change to the monster file. The MINDIST/ MAXDIST parameters have been added to replace the LVL parameter. - A few new weapons here and there. The LR and SR weapons have been seperated at Sacre Base so the screens won't scroll. - Major internal code changes to the way GAMEEGA/ GTERM handles memory. Memory requirements should be much less now. GAMEEGA now should run properly in 400k or less. - Major internal changes to doordriver - overlaid some code here and there, added a few bbs types, etc. - The SR/LR weapons store code imporved to display listing of weapon damages and ammunition required. - Expanded device file to allow up to 150 devices. (it was just 100) - Made a few changes to the dialog module (i.e. TALK.DEF). Keywords are now hilighted for example. - Speeded up the display of the ANSI map display and the EGA map display. - Added ranking bulletins. The filename are defaulted "LODRANK.ANS" and "LODRANK.ASC", but may be changed in the miscellanious section of the editor. - Fixed a bug in the GAMEEDIT program that caused data in the miscellanious editor not to be saved. - Shrunk the size of the STRINGS.DEF file and increased it's load speed quite a bit. - Changed the data structure for the OBJECTS.DEF and reduced the file size from 98k to 60k. Should have also reduced memory requirements. - Added a base "sales counter". Base owners may now place up to five devices up for sale and they may set the price. - Made it so the base communicator is usable. - Added "max items/base" and "max bases/player" fields to the general editor. - Added an Equip command to the fortress miscellanious menu. Allows players to equip their character while they are inside a fortress. - Added an "auxilary weapon" field and an exchange weapons command to allow users to swap short range weapons when needed. - Added an [F7] Host Information key to the EGA LOD and GTERM programs to display a few pieces of information. - Added a "kill object" command so users may destroy objects left laying around. Users are awarded a "janitorial pay" for the number of objects that they destroy. Janitor pay is configurable in the misc editor. - When dropping/killing/getting objects, the user may specify "ALL" to perform the operation on all items available. - Added two extra combat modes: Alpha and Reflex. The user may choose one of them at the troop quarters. - Fortress teleporter added to the fortresses. Players may now teleport around at will. - EMS Support added. - Lowered the number of bases from 100 to 75. 100 bases simply aren't needed, and the lesser amount means lower memory/disk space requirements. - Quadrupled (sp???) the amount of ANSI pictures in ANSI.DEF. Now, almost all items in the game have ANSI pictures associated with them. - Added APPRAISE program to laptop. Version 2.10 - Reflex combat enabled. I fixed the problem that we were having with the time delays. Also, somebody accused me of copying "Operation Overkill". Please note that this reflex combat is in no way similar to OOIIs. Becuase of all of the complaining Tom Hazel has been doing, I D/Led a copy of OOII. Their combat uses some kind of alphabetical code, in no way similar to our numeric system. - More BIGPICs! We have more pictures of monsters, towns, etc. - New combat action screen created for EGA terminal (and GAMEEGA). Will auto-select itself whenever user goes into combat. - Drew up some ANSI menu screens. They look much better than our previous rather drab text. - Changes to the ANSI routines - the file ANSI.DEF is now RLE compressed which saves about 20% of the disk space. Also, EMS users may notice that ansi pictures display slightly quicker due to EMS usage in that unit. - Fixed up the long-range encounter cosmetically. the monster's name, weapons, stats, etc are displayed for ANSI users. - A lot of little cosmetic fixes here and there. Places where the "?" command didn't work, where the "view character" command wouldn't work, etc. - Rankings packet added. The top 12 ranked users are now sent to GTERM whenever rankings are done. This way, the user can pull up the rankings whenever he needs them. - Fixed an EGA bug which caused the "Attack base" picture to stay on the screen indefinately in some instances. - The bank has undergone some upgrades and includes an ANSI financial statement as well as bank loans and a game account. - Fixed a bug in the "remove item from sale" in the base storage room. - Fixed a few irritating bugs in the Enhanced ANSI wastelands map display. - Added the clone center - it's located somewhere around sacre base. - Added support for 2am bbs. - Began work on the puritron section. It is partially implemented in this version. - Added a new laptop program to list pylon telecodes. Should be found on some level 2 monsters. - Fixed a bug with the menu for the horticulture station - it was displaying the wrong menu screen from time to time. - Complete re-write of the external editor. The editor is now compiled with the Turbo Vision environment which provides pull-down menus, mouse support, etc. - Fixed a small bug or two in the maintenance routine. - Added MREPORT.TXT which reports on the nightly maint activities. Credits ------- SHANE CHAMBERS ANSI and EGA graphics designer. Where to reach me ----------------- You can reach me either through my mailing address listed below in the registration section or via my bbs, The Not-Yet-Nambed bbs (602) 577-3650. Note: Since I am in college and do not have much time to hang around the house during the day, I prefer to answer all questions/comments via the bbs rather than my voice line. Registration ------------ If you or your users enjoy this game, then please send me in a registration/donation. I am currently a college student and programming games like these is my only income. Donations of any amount are greatly welcome, but donations of $25 or more will get you the below registration package. I have decided to change my usual registration policy a bit. By sending in the requested donation of $25, you will receive the following: - One or more 360k floppies containing the latest releases of Land of Devastation and GTERM. - A 720k 3.5" floppy containing the latest release. - Your personal registration key. Please note, the requested donation is $25. I have had to raise this figure a bit from my usual cost to cover the additional costs of the disks, manual, etc. Please send registrations to the following address: -------------------------------- ! Scott Baker ! ! 6431 Tierra Catalina #48 ! ! Tucson, Az 85718 ! -------------------------------!