BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/doors_1/lod321a.zip/NEWSLETT.TXT

Text File | 1992-04-02 | 14KB | 322 lines

# LOD Newsletter file
#
# This file will be updated to contain all LOD newsletter issues. Please
# Don't delete it - it is used by LOD itself when users request a newsletter
# to be displayed.
NUMITEMS 1
LODNEWS1 Volume 1, Issue 1: Premier Issue!
@@LODNEWS1
                   Land Of Devastation News
                      Volume 1 Number 1

                    Editor: Scott M. Baker

Contents
 1) Welcome To the Premier Issue!.......Scott Baker
 2) Planned LOD Updates.................Scott Baker
 3) LOD's Graphics: How it works........Scott Baker
 4) User Submissions....................Scott Baker
 5) LOD Thoughts from Nick..............Nick (David Doyle)
 6) Xenon's Jounral Entry...............Xenon (Jonas Saunders)

Welcome to the Premier Issue!
By Scott M. Baker

    Welcome to the premier issue of the LOD newsletter. A few
users have requested that we start up a newsletter, so here it
is! (Now, if those same users would just submit something!)
    First of all, let me talk a little bit about my current
work on LOD. As I write this issue, I am taking a break from
the deisgn of LOD 3.00. Origanally, version 3.00 was going to
be a simple bug fix release, but the demand for new features
is so strong, I have decided to do what I can while I have the
time.
    For those of you who have complained that LOD is not
finished, version 3.00 is getting very close to what I am
going to consider "completion". The Puritron routines are
finally installed and fully functional. This means that the
users can finally win and restart the game. Also, if we we can
figure out the best way to do it, I'm going to try to throw in
some player-vs-player games and some player-vs-player combat.
    I've also been working on a set of new weapons for the
power hungry players out there. Already added are a few exotic
items such as the Pulse Bazooka and Xenon's Surprise. To power
these weapons, we have a nice Vortex Cell which can hold an
immense amount of power.
    Medical lining is also having some addition - there are
two new classes available which are quite handy out in the
wasteland. The price for these items? Well, let's just say
you'd better have played for a while before trying to buy one!
    For those of you who have completed all of the special
quests, I'm going to throw in a few more that you can work on.
Perhaps the first person to complete them in each game
will get a special award.

------------

Planned LOD Updates
Scott M. Baker

    Currently, here is a list of what updates I plan on making
in the future. These aren't listed in any particular order,
just whats on my mind:

    1) Finish player-vs-player combat! We all know you players
out there want to kill each other, so let me see if I can get
an option for it.

    2) Multi-level support. Not similar to the previous
multilevel support where the landscape was duplicated, but
actual inner maps for buildings and such. (i.e. You enter
Xeboc's lair and there is a sub-map for it)

    3) More monsters. We need the 4th, 5th, and 6th levels
populated. I threw in a few, but I could really use some
suggestions for a few more. (hint, hint)

    4) Player-vs-Player games. One of the major complaints
about LOD is that there isn't enough player-vs-player
interaction. I'd like to throw in some games to use that game
account and let the users interact a bit.

    That's whats on my mind for the next versions. If anyone
out there has any suggestions of other important things to be
added, or any ideas on the above, then let me know!

------------

LOD's graphics: How it works.
By Scott M. Baker

    The most often design question I get asked is about LOD's
(and GTERM's) graphics - how are they implemented? Well,
there's quite a long story to the actual process. Let's begin
by talking about where they came from.
    Shane Chambers has drawn up the bulk of the images. From
my understanding of the process, they start out on a clean
white piece of paper. Shane sketches them out freehand with a
pencil. Then he scans them in with a 2-color (monochrome)
scanner. The pictures are then converted and edited with Dr.
Halo and Dr. Halo DPE, colorized, and exported in a .GIF which
Shane sends to me.
    We chose the GIF format because it was something that is
somewhat popular and something that both Shane can write to
and I can read them. When the image arrives to me, I load it
into a little utility that I wrote which converts it to a
turbo pascal format.
    For the final step in organizing the images, they are
packed together into the various RESOURCE.xxx files. Some
people are under the impression that these files are in some
kind of proprietary format. They really aren't in any actual
format at all. They are simply all of the images stuck end to
end one right after the other. Small images (such as inventory
and map items) get thrown in one file and large images (such
as monster and town pictures) get thrown in another.
    The way I read these pictures in is really a complex
matter involving memory buffering and caching, EMS support,
etc, but the concept is really pretty simple - you "blockread"
them in to memory, and then display them onto the screen. It's
as simple as that. If you want to get fancy, you can RLE or
LZW compress your images to save space; You can buffer the
images in memory to increase speed, etc.
    The final thing that remains to be discussed is how does
LOD tell GTERM what pictures to display? This is accomplished
by a miniature error-correcting protocol that is operating
mostly in the background. LOD sends "packets" of data to
GTERM. GTERM interprets the contents of these packets and acts
accordingly. If you haven't already, then reading a good
discussion of XMODEM will help you understand the operation of
error correcting protocols. While xmodem is not very highly
regarded for it's efficiency or security, it's basic
foundation is the key to understanding how a door may
communicate with remote terminal.
    Well, there you have it, a very basic discussion of how
the graphics routines in LOD and GTERM work.

-------------

User Submissions
by Scott M. Baker

    This newsletter is open to submissions by anyone - if you
have something to submit, then just upload it to my bbs. If I
decide it belongs in the newsletter, then it'll show up in the
next issue.

    Here's a few things that I would like to see submitted if
some people out there have the time:

- Newuser tips, playing strategies, etc.

    At times, LOD can be a very comlex game. Sometimes,
    these complexities are a bit hard for new users to
    pick up. So, those of you experienced LOD maniacs
    out there, please send in some tips, your winning
    strategies, etc.

- Historical Text

    If you like to do SF writing, then a few "background"
    stories about the nuclear history in LOD would be
    nice. In my own discussion of LOD's history have left
    some details out. If for example, you would like to
    document the fall of society to nuclear holocaust in
    2005, then go for it! After all, LOD really is just an
    interactive multiplayer story!

- Monster Designs

    Although they probably won't appear in the newsletter,
    I am always looking for more monsters. Particularly
    ones to populate the outer zones. If you like, write
    me up some and I'll see if I can throw them in. Note:
    Please try to fit them into the existing LOD framework
    and plot. Monsters that have unknown weapons and
    origins sometimes just don't fit.

- Combat description text

    Are combat descriptions sometimes seem a bit limited.
    Sometimes I myself can get real tired of hearing "You
    slash into the Rad Hound with your sword." If you have
    a talent for writing up good descriptions, I wouldn't
    mind seeing some of these either.

    The newsletter will be published as often as enough
material accumulates to make it a decent size.

-------------

LOD thoughts from Nick...

I never thought I'd become an adventurer:  I'm really not the
type for blasting mutant creatures, executioner robots and
such with gizmos I can't even pronounce, much less understand.
But then again, I never thought the civilized world would come
to an end either.  You have to do you best with what you have
to work with though, and so, with the world the way it is, I
guess I'm real fortunate to have had the sense to enlist.  And
you know what?   I found out I'm not half bad at it either!

Now most people don't do things quite the way I do -- and
nobody can tell you what you ought to -- a body's gotta decide
such things himself and live with it.  But I noticed some
things I thought might make it easier on those that take up
where I leave off.  Maybe what I tell might help.  Then again,
maybe not.

First off:  Money.  Figure out what's worth collecting
depending on your net worth and level.  At first, a real quick
trip out to pick up anything you can find will get you that
extra 100 to buy a razorlance.  Also, suppose you hop out of
base in your shorts and not so much as a butter knife on you
(don't waste your money on equipment [more on this in a
minute])  I wouldn't be afraid to run away from a scavenger or
insane soldier -- they might shoot at you, but you can just
heal it.  Later on in the game, don't waste your inventory
carrying cheap stuff -- some of the armor is worth a lot.
Also, keep some cash in the bank ... compound interest is the
8th wonder of the new world!

Second:  Use the technology.   Some say we're better off back
in the caves wearing skins and fighting with rocks 'cause
"technology" got us into this mess.  But its what people  did
with it that caused the devastation and besides, when a death
warrior comes after you, energy armor and a neutron rifle sure
keeps you alive better.  Also, its our only hope ... we have
to get the puritron on-line or we're stuck!

Oh yeah, I was talking about using the devices:  The stealth
buckles are great!  You can use several at a time to cover
some dangerous ground, and scavenge some good equipment up.
Also the computer store has some handy stuff -- the DIET
program sure saves you hassle and food bill.  (Nobody enjoys
eating now anyway)

Third:  Pay attention to where you are.  If you find yourself
in a new area, remember what you did to get there and what it
looks like.  If you can't close your eyes and still see the
scenery, you're not concentrating on what's around you enough.
You should have a sense for how far away from things you are,
too:  the dist/zone monitor helps you develop a feel for this.

Fourth:  Cooperate.  Use the mail, talk to the others out
there.  And remember, we're all trying to save the world --
there's enough opponents out in the wasteland without us
killing each other off.

----------
Xenon Journal Entry - Date ????

        Today as I set out from Sacre Base, in search for the
missing puritron devices, I had an uneasy feeling.  This
wasn't going to be a easy journey.

                                Xenon

Ok, guys, so you wanna be an adventurer?  Here's some hints
from the greatest adventurer ever, Xenon (aka Jonas Saunders).

Getting killed by monsters too quickly?  Buy a stealth device.
Activate the stealth's Quiet Mode.  Go as far as you can, in,
say zone 3 or 4.  Find some better weapons.  (There's bound to
be some laying around if the game has been running for a
while) If you happen to encounter a monster, RUN.  If you get
hit, use your medkit. Don't attack until you have better
weapon and armor. When you do find some, go back to Zone 1 and
start attacking monsters.  ALWAYS surrender if your HP go
below 10.  Or take risks.

Starving to death?  Buy the laptop and the DIET program.  Get
the GSRZ/50 rations.  You'll last about 1 month.  (Real-time,
not game-wise)

Dying and starting over?  Buy the laptop and find the EM-Warp
ROM. Find some Warper/5's.  You'll save some precious time and
won't have to start over so much.

Collecting items the monster drop off the wasteland and
selling them is the BEST way to earn money.  As soon as you
have about 2 million credits (About 20 minutes worth of
work/play time) BUY the Neutron Sabre and Neutron Rifle.
Those weapons will help. Getting a Pylon key will really help
you later on the game.

Find the EEEE Center and the Clone Center AS EARLY IN THE GAME
AS YOU can.  The EEEE Center has a nifty weapon, called
Xenon's Surprise. This weapon will blow the monsters away with
ease.  Get one of the Vortex Cells also.  You can add
unlimited amounts of power to it and don't have to worry about
going back to one of the base to buy more power.  Get Stizli
Medline and you'll regain 1 HP each 2 move.  This may help out
in tight situations where you're out of Medkits.

Build a Fortress in each Zone.  (Zone 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Give
all fortresses Teleporters.  This will help you teleport back
to Sacre Base to resupply.  Then you can go back to Zone 1
base and teleport to whatever zone you were in last.  This
strategy has helped me greatly.

Use the Pylons to find TASDU - the machine may have some
useful information.  Use the Pylons to find Xeboc too.  He has
one Puritron Device.  Use the Pylons to find the Nuclear Silo.
There is a Puritron Device there.

Talking to monsters may yield some interesting answers and
solutions for the Quests.  Some monsters might have the Tetris
ROM, buy it.  (or destroy the monster and risk the Tetris ROM
being dissolved)

I think this should be good enough to get you guys started.
Xenon Out.

----------

You can download copies of this newsletter, upload
submissions, or whatever from the following bulletin board
system:

The Not-Yet-Named bbs
Node #1: [phone]  (V.32)
Node #2: [phone]  (USR DUAL)