BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/doors_2/ooii995b.zip/MANUAL.DOC

Text File | 1991-02-28 | 24KB | 610 lines

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                            OPERATION: OVERKILL II
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                SysOp's Manual

                              Beta-Version .995ß
                              Copyright (C) 1991
                            Dustin Nulf & Tom Hazel









[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 1  ]]






                        Table of Contents
                        =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


                                                       Page #
  Terms and Conditions for use ..........................  2
  Registration ..........................................  2
  Contents (files) in Zip ...............................  3
      Main Programs .....................................  3
      Documents / Manuals ...............................  3
      Data Files ........................................  3
      Map Files .........................................  3
      Text Files ........................................  3
  Setting up Overkill II ................................  4
  Configuration .........................................  4
      Bios vs Direct Video ..............................  4
      Hours Between Calls ...............................  4
      System Operator's Handles .........................  5
      Name of Complex Building ..........................  5
      Minutes per Player ................................  5
      File Name of Maps .................................  5
      Action Combat Speed Delay .........................  5
      Use Fossil Driver .................................  5
      Game Reset ........................................  6
      SysOps Real Name ..................................  6
      BBS Name ..........................................  6
      Registration Code .................................  6
  Running (Local operation) OverKill ....................  7
  Running OOII as a Door ................................  7
  BBSINFO.OO ............................................  8
  Online Keys ...........................................  8
  Communications Post/Feedback ..........................  9
  Playing the Sysop .....................................  9
  Text Files ............................................  9
      CLOGON.TXT/ALOGON.TXT .............................  9
      MENUS.TXT .........................................  9
      USERDOCS.TXT ......................................  9
      BULLETIN.TXT ...................................... 10
      NEWS.TXT .......................................... 10
      INVNTORY.TXT ...................................... 10
  External Programs for OOII ............................ 10
      MAINTOO.EXE ....................................... 10
      OOIITOP.EXE ....................................... 10
      DESC.EXE .......................................... 10
  Multi-Nodes ........................................... 10
  Baud Rates ............................................ 11
  That's All Folks ...................................... 11


[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 2  ]]




  [[ TERMS AND CONDITIONS ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This product is completely copyrighted by Dustin Nulf and Tom Hazel.  In no
way should the object code be modified and redistributed. Only one legal
registered copy of this game per computer is allowed and no exterior programs
should interfer with the normal registration process.  Ideas based on the
concept of Operation: Overkill II in other doors are infringement of
copyright.  This program is presented on an "as is" basis with no guarantee
to the system operator or liability against the authors.


  [[ REGISTRATION ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Registration for Overkill II is completely optional.  With registration, you
are capable of having up to 100 active players as well as removing the long
delay screen at start-up. Also, the options of the Player Editor and the
Monster Editor become available in Overkill II's editor, EDITOOII.

The registration cost is $25.00 US dollars.  The process is quite easy.
Simply fill out REGISTER.DOC from the Overkill package, print it, and send it
to Dustin Nulf.  Once received, the registration code-key will be sent back
to the registrant and applied in the OOCONFIG.EXE configuration program. This
entire procedure takes approximately one to two weeks (or less, depending on
how long the mail takes to get through).

Without registration, the program is FULLY functional.  However, the only
drawback is that a maximum of 10 users can access the game, active or not.

You can find the latest updates and new utilities for OOII on the support
boards.  An OOII newsletter every few months is another feature that comes
along with registration.

I hope you and your users enjoy the game well enough to consider registering!



[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 3  ]]


  [[ CONTENTS OF OOII991B.ZIP ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Main Programs:

 OOII.EXE        { Main Program }
 OOII.OVR        { Overlay file }
 OOCONFIG.EXE    { Configuration Set-up }
 OOINFO.EXE      { BBS-to-OOII conversion program }
 OOIITOP.EXE     { Top 10 Bulletin Generator }
 DESC.EXE        { Combat Description Compiler }
 MAINTOO.EXE     { Maintenance Program }

Documents/Manuals:

 MANUAL.DOC     { Sysops Manual for OOII }
 OOIITOP.DOC    { Manual for Top 10 Generator }
 OOINFO.DOC     { Manual for BBS-to-OOII conversion program }
 DESC.DOC       { Manual for Combat Description Compiler }
 REGISTER.DOC   { Registration form }
 WHATS.NEW      { New information concerning updates for Sysops }

Data Files:

 DESC.DAT        { Combat descriptions }
 BADNAME.DAT     { Names not allowed in the game (text) }
 MONSTER.DAT     { Monster file }

Map Files:

 ZAVERUS.MP*     { Zaverus Map - level 1 - 5 - Harder }
 VIDLAND.MP*     { Vidland Map - level 1 - 5 - Easier }
 PRISON.MAP      { Hydrite Prison map (non-editable) }

Text Files:

 INVNTORY.TXT    { Inventory File }
 CLOGON.TXT      { Title Screens (ANSI) }
 ALOGON.TXT      { Title Screens (ASCII) }
 MENUS.TXT       { Menu Screens }
 USERDOCS.TXT    { Player's manual }
 DISEASES.TXT    { Disease descriptions }
 DESC.TXT        { Combat Descriptions  }
 BULLETIN.TXT    { Bulletin information }
 DEATH.TXT       { Death Scenes }



[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 4  ]]


  [[ SETTING UP OVERKILL II ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Operation: Overkill II is only configurable for hard drive systems.

Make a directory on your hard drive called OOII.  Unzip all the files of
OOII995B.ZIP into this directory.


  [[ Configuration ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 To configure OOII, run the program OOCONFIG.EXE.  Set all of the config-
 uration information to your requirements.  The configuration data file,
 OOCONFIG.DAT, is simultaneously created.

 The defaults stand as:

  1) BIOS/Direct Video Output         > D
  2) Hours Between Calls              > 4
  3) System Operator's Handle         > ZZEXON
  4) Name of Complex Building         > ZZEXLIA
  5) Minutes/Time per Player          > 30
  6) File name of Maps                > ZAVERUS
  7) Action Combat speed delay        > 28
  8) Using a Fossil Driver            > N
  9) Running more than 1 node         > N
  A) Reset Game                       > NO
  B) Sysop's Real Name                > SYSOP
  C) BBS Name                         > UNKNOWN
  D) Registration number              > 0


  BIOS vs. Direct Video:

    Those who run DesqView or some other Multi-tasker may need to switch the
    output to BIOS.  This tells the computer to output all the text through
    DOS first so the screen won't "bleed" over.  However, several SysOps have
    mentioned that using Direct Video mode works with OOII when they
    "virtualize" the screen (a function in DesqView).  However, re-routing
    the output through DOS first can slow the game's performance.

  Hours Between Calls:

   This variable should be in the area of 4 to 12 hours.  The hours between
   calls was implemented to make the game more fair and give more people a
   chance to log onto the game.  If you want to stretch out the games overall
   length, you may want to set the hours between calls to a higher number.


[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 5  ]]

  System Operator's Handle:

   This is the name that is written to the Userfile when Overkill first loads.
   You use this handle when you want to log onto the game yourself.  You can
   set your handle to anything you want.  However, once the userfile has
   been created, you may not change your handle, unless using the EDITOOII
   Player Editor.

  Name of Complex Building:

   This is your place, so you can name it whatever you wish.  Try not to make
   the name entirely too long, since the name flashes up in the game once
   in a while.  "ZZexlia" is the default.

  Minutes per Player:

   You can adjust the amount of time that a user receives per game.  The
   default time is 30 minutes, not too long and not too short.  Of course, if
   the time from the main BBS is lower, it will adjust itself to the lowered
   time (in case of an event, etc).

  File Name of Maps:

   This is name of the files (without extensions) that OOII loads up when
   reading the map files.  All maps have the extension of .MP1, .MP2, etc.
   Do NOT enter an extension (such as ZAVERUS.MP1) when configuring the main
   name of the maps.  Type in just the root name.

  Action Combat Speed Delay:

   This variable is how the Sysop can make the game either easier or harder.
   The Action Combat delay determines how fast the combat procedure will
   occur.  If you want the game to be more difficult, simply lower the delay
   speed down a few notches.  However, the speed level may NOT go below 20.
   This option is most useful for Sysop's with -=FAST! computers.  I have a
   rather slow computer, so my speed is adjusted for my computer.  If you
   do run a faster computer (such as a 386 or a spruced up 286), you may need
   to set this variable to a higher delay.  Tom's computer is extremely fast
   and OOII has been tested on it with higher delays with no problems.
   If you get complaints from your users saying its "too fast!", raise the
   number up a notch or so.  Playing the game locally will give you an idea
   of what it should be set to.  The default speed is 28.

  Use Fossil Driver:

   If you plan on running OOII with speeds of 9600 or above, a fossil driver
   is REQUIRED.  You can obtain fossil drivers like X00, BNU and others
   from most any public domain BBS.  Documents in the fossil drivers explain
   their setups easily.  Set the "Using Fossil Driver" field to 'Y' if you
   plan to use fossil, else type in 'N'.


[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 6  ]]

  Game Reset:

   To reset the current game you have running at anytime, toggle this option
   to RESET.  As you exit OOCONFIG.EXE, the game files will be re-initialized
   for a new game.  However, make sure you do not hit this key by accident
   before exiting OOCONFIG -- please double check!

  SysOp's Real Name:

   In this field, you will need to enter the name of the Sysop as recorded by
   your BBS.  Some BBS's record the SysOps name as "SYSOP".  If so, enter
   "SYSOP" into this field (if it's not already set as the default).

  BBS Name:

   Here, enter the name of your BBS (or the name of the Sysop) you wish to
   register under.  This will determine your registration code if you should
   register OOII.  The default is UNKNOWN.

  Registration Code:

   If you have registered your copy of OOII, you will receive a registration
   number.  Type this registration number into this field.  Remember that your
   registration number involves the BBS name, so a change in the BBS name
   could temporarily un-register your copy.  Please contact us if you change
   your BBS name.


  Once you have all of your configuration set correctly, exit the program
  and hit "Y" to save the changes. If you are running OOCONFIG for the first
  time, all the necessary game files will be created at this time. Once it
  creates the USERFILE.OO file, you will be asked for a password.



[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 7  ]]



  [[ LOADING UP OVERKILL II ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To run the game locally, on the DOS prompt in your OOII directory, type in:


C:\OOII>OOII LOCAL


Then, when you are asked:

  "What is your real name?"

  -/\-:

type in your real name (or the name used in the OOCONFIG).

The screen will then display:

  "Access Code: "

Now type in your password you selected from OOCONFIG.  Presto! You have just
signed on as the Sysop.

To understand more of the game play, read USERDOCS.TXT (the Player's Guide).


  [[ RUNNING OOII AS A DOOR ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A program called OOINFO is used to get the information from the main BBS
needed for OOII. OOINFO is invoked in the door batch file.  When executed, it
reads the selected data files of the BBS (PCBOARD.DAT, DOOR.SYS, etc).  It
then creates a text file called BBSINFO.OO in which OOII reads at startup.

Here is a sample batch file:

CD\OOII
OOINFO 4 \BBS\
MAINTOO
OOII
CD\BBS


Please read OOINFO.DOC for more information on the exact setup for your batch
file.


[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 8  ]]


  [[ BBSINFO.OO ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~
BBSINFO.OO (a standard text file created from OOINFO.EXE) contains the
following information:

<Full Name>       FIRST LAST
<Com Port>        0 = local, 1 = Com1, 2 = Com2
<Baud Rate>       0-38400
<Time Remaining>  0-999

In case OOINFO.EXE doesn't work for you, it might be possible to create your
own conversion program that works specifically for your BBS.



  [[ ONLINE KEYS ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~
The SysOp has access to function keys that can be applied when a user is
on-line or if the SysOp is on-line himself.  Pressing F1 displays:

 F1 : Help
 F3 : Time - 2
 F4 : Time + 2
 F5 : Enter chat mode  /  "*" = exit chat
 F8 : Ban, Kill, Clear player
F10 : Sysop Access on/off


  F3/F4: Time +/- 2

   To adjust a players time up or down, use F3 and F4 accordingly.

  F5: Chat Mode

   To chat with a player currently on-line, hit F5, and begin typing.  When
   you are finished in chat, type '*' on a blank line and then proceed with
   a carriage return.  Time is being consumed when you chat, so don't forget
   to boost up the players time if you've entered chat on your own request.

   F8: Ban, Kill, Clear Player

    When the sysop presses this key, he/she is asked whether or not if the
    current on-line player should be BANNED from the game. If the Sysop
    agrees to this, the player is killed instantly, wiped from the userfile
    and added to a data file of BANNED.DAT. When the person tries to access
    the game again, he will find that he can not play because he has been
    banned. The player may never enter the game again until the Sysop has
    manually erased the player's name from BANNED.DAT.

  F10: Sysop Access

   The Sysop's power is very little, seeing as how he/she can play like any
   other player can.  Once the Sysop signs on (whether locally or remotely),
   the SYSOP access key will be on.  The only real benefit of having this
   key is bypassing the "hours-between-calls" field.  If another user is
   knocked off-line because of call-waiting, the Sysop may let that user back
   onto the game.  This key must be pressed while the logon screen in being
   displayed to avoid the time wait.


[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 9  ]]



  [[ COMMUNICATIONS POST/FEEDBACK ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may get to the Communications Post from the Main Hall by pressing 'C'.
From here, you may read/write messages and various other things.  All feed-
back left from the other users will be stored as E-Mail to you.  All mail is
private and may not be accessed by anyone who it is not addressed to.
Encourage POSTING messages!   It keeps the game fun, and if you don't watch
out, Hydrites will pick up a Transmitter and relay messages back to the
Complex for all to read.  The [D]elete option allows you to kill a message
that might contain abusive or unnecessary language.  Keep good judgment.


 [[ PLAYING THE SYSOP ]]
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a quick summary of USERDOCS.TXT, you are the commander of the only
remaining Complex on the planet, in charge of a small band of people (your
players).  The Sysop doesn't have any super-human powers, such as instant
death to opponents, and he/she is just as vulnerable to death as the other
players are.  In fact, you may even PLAY the game along with your users.
However, you should allow the other players time to play the game also.  If
you should happen to die, you will be able to resurrect yourself, and it is
impossible to delete your player. Also avoid using EDITOOII to an extreme.



  [[ TEXT FILES ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~
All files that end with the extension .TXT may be edited by a word processor
for your own personal convenience.  Most of the text files are situated in a
"compacted" form rather than in separate text files.  These files CAN be ansi
files, but they were made plain ascii due to the varied computer types of the
players.


 CLOGON.TXT (ANSI)   ALOGON.TXT (ASCII):

  These files contain the title screens that appear when OOII is loaded.
  There are a total of five pre-drawn screens. You may edit them or create
  your own.  There must always be five screens.

 MENUS.TXT:

  This file contains the different menus that OOII uses.  They are in a
  picturesque form so users can understand where they are and what they can
  do more clearly.

 USERDOCS.TXT:

  This file contains the players' manuals that can be read in Head Quarters
  from the Information Cabinets.  The manuals can be viewed at sign-up time
  also.


[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 10 ]]


 BULLETIN.TXT:

  In the Information Cabinets in HQ, pressing 5 will display this text file.
  By default, the BULLETIN file is a small story that players can read while
  on-line.

 NEWS.TXT:

  This file will be displayed directly after a user signs on.  You can edit
  this also to your likings on any information that be necessary to the
  players.  The NEWS can also be accessed through the Information Cabinet.

 INVNTORY.TXT:

  This file contains different ascii pictures of the items in the game.  You
  may view this file from the Supply Room in Inventory.

  [[ EXTERNAL PROGRAMS FOR OPERATION OVERKILL ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  [[ MAINTOO.EXE ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the mantenance that needs to be executed before each run of OOII.
The maintenance program takes care of bank interest, Hydrite Transmissions,
and various other necessary details. Make sure you add this option into
your door batch file, BEFORE you call OOII.EXE.

  [[ OOIITOP.EXE ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the Top 10 bulletin generator for Overkill II.  You can run this
program at the end of your door batch file to create a listing of the Top 10
players.  Please read OOIITOP.DOC on how to setup the program in your batch
file.

  [[ DESC.EXE ]]
     ~~~~~~~~
"DESC" updates the combat descriptions that are found in DESC.TXT into
DESC.DAT. Sysops may change descriptions to their own likings by editing
DESC.TXT (following the limits provided by DESC.DOC) and then running the
Description compiler DESC.EXE. Please see DESC.DOC for further information.


  [[ MULTI-NODES ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~~
A quick attempt has been made to prevent multiple nodes from accessing OOII at
the same time.  Having two nodes loading the game at the same time could
result in a system lockup.  In order to prevent this, a text file named
OONODE.DAT keeps track if someone is logged onto the game.  It exists if the
game is in use.  When another user tries to access OOII and finds that
OONODE.DAT exists, the program will inform the user and abort the loading,
returning that user back to the BBS.  If the file OONODE.DAT does not exist,
the game is not in use and may be accessed.  This is all done automatically
and provides for a security system for Sysops running multi-node systems.
This process only functions when the "Running more than 1 node" in
OOCONFIG is set to 'Y'.



[[  Documentation to OPERATION OVERKILL II - Ver. .995ß         Page 11 ]]


  [[ BAUD RATES ]]
     ~~~~~~~~~~
Overkill II has been tested at 19.2k baud successfully.  If you plan on
running OOII with baud rates of 9600 or above, you will need to install a
fossil driver (namely drivers X00 or BNU).  These fossil drivers can be found
on any local public domain BBS.



[[ THAT'S ALL FOLKS ]]

That's basically all the information you should need to get Overkill II up
and running!  I hope you really enjoy the door and your users will find the
same enjoyment as our home users do!


I'm sorry if you find any bugs still lurking within, but if you do find any
or think of any changes you would like to see in OOII then please notify Tom
at any OOII ECHO or at INFOQUEST at these numbers.

Tom Hazel
Info Quest RBBS     (New Callers Here!)
[phone]      [phone]

You can also reach us through Echomail in FidoNet's DOORWARE, ON-LINE GAMES,
DDS echo (Door Distribution System), or OOII's own echo base on FidoNet
backbone ('OOII').

The latest version can always be file requested with the magic name of
OVERKILL or OOII from InfoQuest.

"Special Thanks" goes to :
Ron Lahti      : All the help he has put on the OOII ECHO
Robert Gray    : Special Testing and great support for Overkill
Bobby Montague : Having his BBS always available for mail
Tom Cochill    : Helping alpha test and game play testing
Jay Mori       : Helping Tom C. test overkill
Cy Curnin      : Inspiration to my evil thoughts
Charles Strusz : For maintaining InfoQuest in Tom's Absence
Pam Hazel      : For putting up with Tom during programming