BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/doors_1/mel_163.zip/SYSOP.DOC

Text File | 1991-10-06 | 20KB | 332 lines

       ==============  MELEE v1.61 (Beta Release)  ===============
                  An FRPG Gladiatorial Combat On-Line Game
                       Written by Kevin L. Higgins
                          FidoNet Node 1:128/74
                          V-Net Node: 1:521/101

===============================================================================
In addition to the above addresses for NetMail, Kevin Higgins may be reached
in the following FidoNet echos: DOORWARE, DOORGAMES, ON_LINE_GAMES and MELEE
(which is on the V-NET backbone, and is also available from 1:128/74; for
information F'Req the file MEL_ECHO.ZIP to find out the list of MELEE hubs).
The MELEE Support BBS is The Hornet's Nest [phone]. It is a semi-private
BBS, but queries may be sent to the SysOP by logging on as GUEST and giving
the password HELLO. You will only be allowed to leave a (K)omment to the
SysOp, who also happens to be MELEE's author. NetMail will also be accepted.
If you send NetMail with questions about MELEE, and are not a registered
system, you must poll a day or two later to receive your response, since the
cost of supporting non-registered systems has proven to be prohibitive.
===============================================================================
Files included in this archive:
     The following files should be included in this archive. If any files
are missing, you have gotten an incomplete archive. If your archive is not
complete, please do not distribute it. You may always obtain the latest,
complete, version of MELEE by downloading it from The Hornet's Nest BBS
(USA [phone] -- first time access for MELEE downloads) or by File
Requesting it from FidoNet Node 1:128/74 using the magic name of MELEE.

       Name                Description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Arena.ans           Ansi file of the combat arena
     Armor.dat           Armor data values and costs
     Beam.ans            Ansi file of The Beam combat environment
     Cage.ans            Ansi file of The Cage combat environment
     Cmbrule.txt         An explanation MELEE's blood-match challenge protocol
     Disclaim.txt        Author's disclaimer and License info. Must read!
     FightEnv.txt        An explanation of the combat environments
     Helm.dat            Helmet data values and costs
     Howfight.txt        An explanation of the combat screen and how to fight
     Maint.exe           The MELEE nightly maintenance program
     Melee.cfg           The DOS text configuration file. Must edit!
     Melee.doc           MELEE Players' game documentation
     Melee.exe           The MELEE main program
     Melee.ovr           Main program overlay file
     Mudpit.ans          Ansi file of The Mudpit combat environment
     NPC_gen.exe         MELEE combat android generation program
     NPCguys*.dat        Combat androids data files. * = 1-5 (level of android)
     NPCscrp*.dat        Combat androids script files
     Order.frm           Info on registering your copy of MELEE
     Pattern.ans         The Pattern-recognition template for Intel development
     Profexpl.txt        An explanation of the fighting proficiencies
     QBBSbeta.doc        A caveat for those running QBBS 1.75 beta
     Rankings.ans        The ansi file used as a base for the ANSI bulletin
     Rankings.exe        The MELEE Warriors/Androids rankings program
     Readthis.now        Important supplementary info for each release
     Sands.ans           Ansi file of The Sands combat environment
     Screen.ans          Ansi file of The Arena combat environment
     Shield.dat          Shield data values and costs
     Statinfo.txt        Information on the MELEE Warrior characteristics
     SysOp.doc           Sysop's documentation. How to set up and run MELEE
     Tactics.ans         Ansi file used as a base for script determination
     Tactics.txt         An explanation on the various MELEE script tactics
     Update.asc          A history of improvements and bug-fixes
     Warrior.bat         Sample batch file for running MELEE from a BBS
     Weapon.dat          Weapon file for data values and costs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Please:
     Read the file Disclaim.txt, included this the MELEE archive. If this
archive does not contain the file Disclaim.txt, it is not an authorized
MELEE archive and should be deleted. Any use of MELEE constitutes consent to
the conditions outlined in the file Disclaim.txt. Take a look at the Order.Frm
file. You may want to fill it out one of these days.....

     Make sure you follow the instructions in the READTHIS.NOW file!!!

     See the UPDATE.ASC for fixes/changes since the last version. Leave it in
the MELEE directory, since the game allows your interested users to view this
also.
===============================================================================
    SETUP:

    1) Unzip the MEL_160.ZIP archive into a directory of your choice. If you
are upgrading from a previous version, a conversion is necessary. Follow the
instructions in the READTHIS.NOW file if you have not already. Then merely
unzip MELEE into your MELEE directory, overwriting any old MELEE files with
the new ones in this version. It is your option whether or not you want to
replace the combat androids files (NPCGUYS#.DAT and NPCSCRP#.DAT).

    2) Edit the included MELEE.CFG file to reflect your board's info. It
is well commented, so you should have no problems. Remember to include trailing
backslashes on all of the path/names required! Don't forget to make the
directory where the messages will go.... Editing the .cfg file should be done
with your favorite ascii-text editor. Most "RunTime Error 003" problems are
a result of incorrectly naming your directories here.
       Don't forget to create the IMPORTS directory directly above the MELEE
directory (eg., \MELEE\IMPORTS) if you ever plan on importing visiting
Warriors into your game.
    NOTE: If you run MELEE on a multi-nodal system, you may feed MELEE a single
command line parameter which should be the name of the .cfg file which you want
MELEE to read for that particular node.
    WARNING: As of this release, MELEE still does not do ALL the file locking
necessary to make running it on two nodes simulataneously a good idea. Most
of the file locking/unlocking is completed, but the author recommends waiting
until the next version before running the game simultaneously on two nodes.
There is a chance that under multi-nodal usage, MELEE might be instructed to
read/write to the same record by two different nodes..... data file corruption
could very well result. Beta testing for the multi-nodal version will begin in
October/November, 1991.

    3) An Exitinfo.bbs file is not required; it will not be used if present.

    4) Put the included WARRIOR.BAT file in the directory where you have
all your other door .bat files. Edit it so that it changes the current
directory to the one in which MELEE's files reside, then changes back to the
bbs directory upon completion. (Simple, eh?) If you run a QBBS beta, then
make sure your read the included file: QBBSBETA.DOC.

    NOTE: MELEE may be run independent of a BBS, or without a fossil by
feeding it a command line parameter. If, after the name of the program, you
leave a space and then feed the program an "L" parameter (without the quotes,
of course), MELEE will prompt the player for his name. Or if you do not wish to
use MELEE's communications routines (say, you prefer to use Doorway, or run
a BBS which can handle ALL the communications on its own) and run a board
which can feed a program command line parameters, then make MELEE's three
parameters the user name and time left, and MELEE will use that. This is ideal
for those who cannot, or do not want to, run a FOSSIL driver.
    Examples:
          a) For non-bbs usage:
                    MELEE L
             This is for non-BBS usage. MELEE will prompt for a user name.
             Time left defaults to 90 minutes. Communications routines are
             bypassed.

          b) Other-program comm routines, feed MELEE three command line
             parmeters:
                    MELEE %1 %2 %3
             MELEE will use %1 and %2 as the user name (first and last), and
             the %3 parameter (which must be an integer) will be used by MELEE
             to set the user's time remaining.
             NOTE: When you feed MELEE any command-line parameters OTHER THAN
             the name of the config file (something that should only be done
             if you run a multi-nodal system) then ALL of MELEE's comm
             routines are disabled, and it no longer checks for or uses a
             FOSSIL driver.
             NOTE: In order to run the registered version of MELEE when you
             are either not using a BBS or not using a dropfile, you must
             have the file MELEE.INF in the MELEE directory. MELEE.INF is a
             plain ascii file with the following format:
             Line 1:    Registerer's First Name
             Line 2:    Registerer's Last Name
             Line 3:    BBS or Company Name or System Identifier requested when
                        the registration form was submitted (do not have the
                        "Line 1:" etc., in the file....).
             Line 4:    Amount of time you want the player to have in the game.

    5) Run the program MAINT.EXE once a day (preferably in your midnight
events) from within the MELEE directory. This will reset some of the local
values needed for the players to train their characters, and age the Warriors
(one month/day of real time). There is no advantage to running the MAINT.EXE
program more than once a day and it is not recommended.

    6) At your option, run the RANKINGS.EXE program during your nightly
events (from within the MELEE directory) to generate a nice looking rankings
bulletin. The rankings program will not run if there is no Player.dat file
(ie, no players in the game... makes sense, eh?). If you are going to run it,
the RANKINGS.EXE program should be run AFTER the maintenance program. In order
to work, the directories named in the MELEE.CFG file must exist and be spelled
correctly. Since both the Maint.exe and Rankings.exe program have security
checks to prevent against hacking and virus infection, it is not recommended
that they be run in the same batch file which calls the door, since the checks
take several long seconds.... At this time, the protective measures prevent
compression of any of the MELEE .exe files using such programs as PKLite,
Diet, or LZEXE. Do not use a binary editor to alter any MELEE files or the
game will abort. Customized versions of MELEE can be compiled for systems
registering the game, for a small additional fee. The rankings file will
exit gracefully if you have less than four Warriors to be ranked, or more than
21. If you don't have the requisite 4 players, the program will still import
Warriors you may have gotten from another system.

    7) Run the game! Local/Remote mode will be automatically determined
from the ComPort value in the DORINFO or DOOR.SYS file so no special settings
are needed if you are running the game from a dropfile-producing BBS (ie.,
using dorinfo#.def or door.sys files for user data).

    8) The game will report any problems in the PROG_ERR.LOG (for the
main game) and the RANK_ERR.LOG (for the bulletin generator), or the
MAINTERR.LOG (for the maintenance program) files.

    9) Special Keys: F5  will hang up on the user immediately, unless the modem
                         has carrier detect forced to ON (drops DTR for 700 ms).
                         No message is sent to the player what-so-ever.
                     F9  will force the player to return to the BBS.
                     F10 will pull the user into Chat. Hit [Esc] to exit Chat.

    10) If you place the game's .doc and .txt files in an archive and make
it available to your players/users, it will help them quickly grasp the more
subtle ins-and-outs of the game, thus promoting their enjoyment and enhancing
their rapid climb to the top of the rankings.

    The game can be reset by merely deleting the Player.dat file and the
messages in the private file directory and then running the Maint.exe program.
Deleting the files in the private messages directory is not necessary, but is
highly recommended....

    PLEASE: When you or a user have a bug report, be SPECIFIC. When updates
are released, they will be available from 1:128/74 under the magic filename:
BUGFIX. The magic filename MELEE will always get you the latest release.
With the exception of the month of September, 1991, the author is active in the
FidoNet DoorWare, On_Line_Games, and DoorGames echos. Bug-fixes can be sent
to 1:128/74 via NetMail, or reported in the MELEE echo.

    Known Anomalies:
     1) RANKINGS.EXE will not run if you have more than 21 players in
the game or less than four players in the game (however, making extra players
is simple, just edit the dorinfo file you create from a local exit from you
BBS, and change the user name and run MELEE a few times.... soon you will have
quite a stable of "resident" Warriors). If you get too many Warriors, lower
the number of days until a Warrior is purged in the configuration file.
     2) It is not advisable to enter CHAT while the program is waiting for
the player to enter a line of text (Player Name, City Name, etc).


Borland Turbo Pascal Error Messages you can get with MELEE:

Number Meaning                 With regards to MELEE
------ ----------------------- -------------------------------------------
    2  File not found          You are missing a file.
    3  Path not found          You likely have an incorrect path in the .cfg.
    4  Too many open files     Increase your FILES= statement in your
                               CONFIG.SYS  We recommend about 25.
    5  File access denied      Either a file has been set to read only, a
                               directory is full, a RENAME tried to rename to
                               an existing file name or a file is not open.
    6  Invalid File Handle     Your file handles have become corrupted, DOS err.

  100  Disk Read Error         An attempt was made to read past the end of a
                               file most often.  Something is corrupted in the
                               record pointers.
  101  Disk Write Error        Generall an indication of a full hard disk.
  103  File Not Open           File is closed when it shouldn't have been.
  104  File Not Open for Input Text file is closed when it shouldn't have been.
  105  File Not Open for Output "   "     "   "       "      "       "

  Errors 150 through 162 indicate various HARDWARE failures.  If you're getting
  these, then something is wrong with your PC and I can't be of much help there.

  Some commone ones are:

  152  Drive not ready         Controller problem or drive not spinning
  154  CRC error in data       Scrogged disk (real technical eh? (grin))
  156  Disk Seek error            Head problem or bad controller
  157  Unknown media type      Did you just change to DOS 4.0 or 5.0???
  158  Sector not found        Head problem or bad controller
  159  Printer out of paper    Hit Control P!  Disable printer logging.
  160  Device write fault      Disk problem
  161  Device read fault       Disk problem
  162  Hardware Failure        "Generic" nasty, nasty problem.

  Fatal errors generally indicate a problem that must be fixed before you
  can continue to run the game.

  200  Division by zero        Now I hope you cannot make one of these happen
                               as I check before every division to make sure
                               it DOESN'T happen, but you it might.
  201  Range Check Error       Array index out of range.
  202  Stack Overflow          NOT ENOUGH MEMORY for the stack! You will have
                               to register the game and be willing to pay the
                               the author a small fee to compile a special,
                               smaller memory version of MELEE for you to run.
  203  Heap overflow error     Same as 202.
  204  Invalid Pointer Op.     Can be caused the same as 202.
  205  Floating point overflow Should not happen--this is a problem with using
                               real numbers for mathmatical operations; MELEE
                               does very little of these.
  207  Invalid Floating point  You have a real thats trying to be converted to a
       Operation               Long int and it's greater than 2 billion.
  209  Overlay File read error MELEE had a problem getting an overlay from the
                               MELEE.OVR file.  If you're not using EMS, then
                               the .OVR file is missing or is setting on a bad
                               sector on your harddisk.  If you are running EMS
                               then you have a bad memory chip! (yegads!)

Well this covers a large portion of the technical support for MELEE.  If you
have further questions, contact the author at [phone] (data), or Fido-
Net 1:128/74, then call back later to receive your response.

Acknowledgements:

    First thanks goes to Alex Dwelis, for his tireless, consistent,
detailed, and always helpful observations, instruction, and alpha testing.
If you consider this game to be somewhat free of bugs, he is the one you
have to thank. Any bugs you find are strictly my oversight, not his (but
I am still not responsible for damages! <grin>). He also spent a great deal
of his valuable time proof-reading the documentation, and compiling the
"MELEE Hints For Canny Warriors" file, which will become available with the
registered version if the demand warrants its creation.
    Second, I would like to acknowledge the MELEE team of subsidiary
Alpha and Beta testers. Their efforts went a long way toward making the game
as it is today. They spent a lot more money on the game than it costs to
register it, and I owe them a debt of gratitude (and eternal free upgrades!).
    Third, I would like to thank John Parlin and Rod Hancock for their
superb product JPDoor, without which this door would never have been written;
Kelly Drown, for her FidoUnit routines; Bruce Ruona, for his help with the use
of Kelly Drown's routines <grin>; and Galen Barnes, for his patient help with
the chat-screen capture/restore (he wrote all the important parts!); and the
TAG Team, who wrote the great BBS that really got me involved in the remote-
communications world, which in turn eventually impressed upon me the desire
to learn to program. Thanks also to Donald Huggins (co-author of DoorFix, the
best dropfile converter around), for his assistance during my very steep
learning curve when first learning Turbo Pascal, and Mark McKay, for his help
while I was laboring under TP ignorance, and Kevin Dean, for his excellent
CRC-checking program. (Starting to sound like the Grammy's, eh?)
    Lastly, I would like to thank my grandfather, Leslie Charteris, and
my parents, for giving me the brains to teach myself Turbo Pascal, and churn
out a program like this as my VERY first effort at coding in this language.
If I've forgotten anybody who helped along the way, I'm sorry, and please
accept my apologies. To all those who walk around spouting such B.S. as, "In
order to write an enjoyable door, you must have been programming for at least
a year (preferably two)," I feel the need to quote Bill the Cat: "Phlblblttt!"
From learning the language (thanks to Tom Swan for writing the book I used as
a tutorial) to first release was six months. Next one will be even quicker;
Be watching for "Starship Troopers...."

                                               "Vasha Zdrovia!"
                                                    Kevin Higgins
                                                    10 Aug 91

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