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1992-01-14
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The Main Complex and The SHC Editor's BBS's
Proudly present
OPERATION OVERKILL II CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT GAME
By Donna Murrell and Paul Fusco
PURPOSE OF THIS FILE:
This document is intended to help Sysops set up a Challenge Tournament
game of Operation Overkill II, v997b, written by Dustin Nulf and Tom
Hazel, between 2 BBS's. It is assumed that you have an advanced
knowledge of your BBS software, front end mailers, and batch file
operation and setup. For the purpose of this discussion I will use my
software names as an example but with proper modification, this setup
will apply to most systems. Do not feel that this set up is the only
way to accomplish this task. Feel free to modify it any way it works
for you and by all means, if you find any shortcuts, I can be reached
via Fido NetMail 1:202/727 or Donna at 1:387/617. Both Donna and I
also monitor the FidoNet Echos - OOII and OKILLERS.
SOFTWARE AND UTILITIES REQUIRED:
1. BBS software <ie. WILDCAT, QuickBBS>
2. Operation Overkill II game <preferably v997B>
3. Front end mailer software <ie. FrontDoor>
4. Packing/unpacking software <ie. Pkzip 110>
5. Utility for auto generating NetMail file transfer <ie. XROBOT>
6. Flag file <any ASCII text file of 1 or more bytes>
This file should reside in the OOII game directory.
OVERVIEW:
The Operation Overkill II <OOII> Challenge Tournament is a game of OOII
played between two or more different BBS's. Each board would set up an
identical game to the others. Using the same maps and proper OOCONFIG
options. Only the OOCONFIG options unique to an individual board will
differ, such as the name of the bbs, video screen output etc. The game
begins on one board and is played for an agreed amount of time then the
*.OO files are packed and sent to the next board. The next board in
turn keeps and plays the game for the same amount of time and passes
the *.OO files to the next board in turn or back to the original board.
This process is continued until the game is won. <The death of
OVERKILL>.
The recommended amount of time the game spends on one board should not
be less than 1 day and should not exceed three days. Consideration
should be given to long distance charges if the BBS's are not in the
same dialing area. Options for the two day game will be discussed
here. We chose a 2 day operation for a few different reasons, but
mainly because of Long distance charges and in order for the players to
enjoy the game. This can be a popular game so it's important to allow
enough time for your users to get a chance in the game. More than that
we felt they would get bored while the game was at the opposing BBS
site.
GROUND RULES:
This section refers to some Ground Rules that should be discussed and
agreed upon by all sysops involved in the game. Go over them carefully
before initiating a Challenge Game and make sure these options have
been covered. Included are some suggestions we find helpful.
Running MAINTOO:
The running of MAINTOO, the OOII maintenance program, should take place
either just before the transfer of the game files from one board to
another or just after the transfer. We suggest each board run MAINTOO
before the packing and sending of the OO_FILES.ZIP file. Mine is
include in the :MAINT TODAY.BAT. In some zone changes, a sysop will
not be able to run the program before the transfer. This should be
discussed before the game begins with all sysops to insure proper
running of the game maintenance. Failure to run MAINTOO before a user
logs on will result in a long delay for the user while MAINTOO runs.
Running MAINTOO twice will cause unfair gains to some users and losses
to others. As with the timing <discussed later>, this step should be
planed well between sysops.
Teams:
Due to the nature of this game being played on multi boards, teams are
strongly recommended. Teams can be drafted in different ways. Either
board against board, or random drawing. If the game is board against
board, consideration will have to be given to any players who are
members of both boards. In the case of Long distance, this may not be
much of a problem but if the game is local calls to both boards, some
limitations may need to be set. Even in this type of game, teams may
need to be defined. In other words, some users may need to make up
their minds which board they wish to represent. Some restrictions may
need to be imposed such as security level changes etc. to keep players
from taking advantage of local situations.
In a board against board game, only members of that team should be
allowed to play. In a random drawing, members of both teams will be
allowed to play while the game is on either board but any players that
are members of both boards should be restricted to play on one board
only. This is an option that should be agreed to by all sysops.
Maps:
Dustin Nulf and Tom Hazel are doing everything in their power to make
OOII as challenging as possible. The result of their labor is a game
that keeps getting better and better. There is also a lot of
controversy over whether maps should be available or not. With the
addition of the ability to print the maps, this is another
consideration that will need to be agreed upon by the sysops. The
designers of this Challenge concept appreciate greatly the ability to
print these maps and hope this option will remain in future versions of
OOII and the editor. But this option is at the discretion of the
sysops in a Challenge game. If the game is local we suggest using maps
other than the maps included with the OOII package and make up your own
minds as to whether or not you offer them to the players. But if the
game is being played long distance, keep in mind, it's your dime. We
still recommend using maps other than the stock maps, but strongly
suggest you offer them to the users for download. The speed of the
game is determined on the amount of information the players have at the
onset of their play. The more they know, the faster they play. The
speed of the game and the option to download the maps should be agreed
upon before the start of the game.
SETTING UP THE GAME: <Using Wildcat 3.xx and FrontDoor 2.02>
See below for example using QuickBBS and FrontDoor 2.02.
It is assumed that you already have a fully operational BBS system and
front end mailer, so the first step is going to be setting up the game.
Since both sysops will have control of the game and editor, trust is a
given. It's advisable to play with a board you know and are confident
with.
1. If you're not familiar with OOII as a door game, I'll leave it up to
you to unpack game and docs and go over the setup on your own. This
Challenge game is not intended for a board installing OOII for the
first time. We suggest you run a few games on your board to become
familiar with set up and play and generate some interest in users.
Assuming you're familiar with the setup, the first thing to do is
install the door game as you would any other OOII game on your system.
Set up directories and put the game files there.
2. Run OOCONFIG. Each board should run OOCONFIG and set the options
for each particular system. Just as you normally would. The option
for the sysop's name should be SYSOP. The sysops password should be
agreed upon by both/all sysops and should remain throughout the game.
A minimum of 60 minutes playing time should be set and at least 6 but
no more than 12 hours between log ins. Consideration should be given
here to the amount of time the game will be on each board and the
number of players in the game. All options other than system options
<name of BBS, Bulletins, etc.> should be set EXACTLY THE SAME ON ALL
BOARDS.
The following is a copy of my OOCONFIG.DAT. This file is created and
can be edited with OOCONFIG.EXE. It is an ascii file so it can also be
edited with any text editor. Refer to the OOII documentation for
detailed explanations of each option. Here, we will discuss options
for the Challenge game only.
D ; Video screen output
6 ; Hours between calls
SYSOP ; Sysops handle
QIBWAAI HQ ; Name of complex building
60 ; Minutes per player in game
QIBWAAI ; File name of maps
38 ; Action combat delay
Y ; Fossil driver installed
N ; Multi-node BBS
SYSOP ; Sysops name
The SHC Editor's BBS ; BBS
REGISTRATION ; Registration code
C:\WILDCAT3\BULL\BULL38.SCR ; Color top 10 path
C:\WILDCAT3\BULL\BULL38.BBS ; Ascii top 10 path
Video screen output, Fossil driver, multi-node, BBS name, and
registration should be set up on both boards exactly like they would be
if the board was playing an in-house game. Use the option information
that works on your system. USE YOUR OWN REGISTRATION. It is illegal
for two boards to use the same code nor is it necessary. The game will
run fine with different information entered in these options. This
type of game is designed for registered boards so if you're running a
non-registered version, REGISTER IT!!!
The Sysops Handle, and Sysops Name are the only configuration options
entered permanently in the USERFILE.OO so the name of any sysop here
will give that person full control of the game. We STRONGLY suggest
you enter SYSOP in both of these options on all boards. When the Sysop
wants to log on and play the game, they use REAL NAMES, then create a
handle for that sysop as a normal player. Ie. When Donna or I play we
log on as Donna Murrell or Paul Fusco. Logging on as SYSOP would cause
serious concern among the players. This will also avoid confusion in
the USERFILE.OO file. A password will be asked for when OOCONFIG is
exited and the game reset. This password should be agreed upon by all
sysops and remain throughout the game. The involved sysops should
enter the game as SYSOP only if there is a DEFINITE need, ie. trouble
with the game, runtime errors, corrupted files etc. Never to play the
game.
Hours between calls, minutes per player, and combat action delay are
all options that should be agreed upon by all sysops. There are as
many different boards as there are sysops and not all boards allow the
same amount of time for users to log on every day. We find on most
game boards that 2 hours with 30 to 60 minutes in doors is average. We
suggest between 6 and 12 hours between calls, 60 minutes minimum per
player, and combat action delay set at 35-40. These options should be
identical on all boards.
Name of complex building and file name of maps are both options that
should be agreed upon. These options should be identical on both
boards. If maps are changed during the game, they should be changed on
both boards for the same amounts of time. Careful changing maps :)
The top 10 listings are very important in a game of this nature. See
the discussion on Bulletins below for more detail on the listing.
3. Run MAINTOO on all boards. The board that is going to have the
first turn should run MAINTOO and begin the game at the specific
starting time. Just as you would any other game of OOII. The other
boards should run MAINTOO and at that point delete all the *.OO files
in their game directory. The *.OO files are the data files for the
game. If all the OOCONFIG options are set correctly and the same maps
are being used on each board, these files will be passed from one board
to the other and there should be no interruptions or problems with
running the game on the other boards.
4. Play OOII for n <2 in this case> days. The first board plays for
it's full turn of days then the *.OO files should be packed and sent
via net mail to the next board. The next board in turn unpacks the
files and puts them in the OOII directory and opens play. Each board
in turn repeats the process for its alloted amount of time.
TRANSFERRING THE FILES:
Now the tricky part begins. Once a boards turn is completed it's time
to pass the files on to the next board. This should be done as quickly
as possible so all players will get as fair a chance as possible. This
can be done manually or automatically. If you're an ambitious Sysop
and don't mind spending a few minutes packing and shipping it's pretty
basic. But if you're lazy like me <hence the name MACROman> you'll
want to automate this process. If you have a tendency to fall asleep
on the sofa playing Nintendo then you BETTER automate the process. The
purpose of this section is to help you automate the process but a
working knowledge of manual operation will certainly aid your setup.
Especially if your system is not identical to mine.
Manual operation:
Once your board has finished it's turn the *.OO files should be packed
up and shipped to the next board. Using PKZip the command would be:
pkzip <path and name of zip file> *.OO.
Mine would read: PKZIP OO_FILES.ZIP *.OO
This file should be placed where you make your netmail file transfers.
Refer to your mailer documentation. Once the file is packed, go into
your front end mailer and generate a netmail message to send the file
to the next BBS and ship it. That's all there is to it. The receiving
BBS should now unpack the file and put all the *.OO files in the OOII
tournament game directory. The game is now ready to play on the next
board.
*** NOTE *** Not all BBS softwares are alike in the handling of
missing door files. It's a good idea to turn off the door when it not
on your board. This will eliminate any un-necessary crashes because
the BBS can not find the door batch or the game files. On a system
that runs doors from a batch file, rename the batch file and in most
cases that will be suficient.
Automated operation:
If you're a sysop with lots of time on your hands, the manual operation
is the way to go. But since these files are better transferred late at
night and very early in the morning, most of us don't have time to wait
around and pack, ship and receive files. After all, what good are
computers and software if we have to sit there and do all the work.
This section is to help you automate your system to handle all the non-
play time tasks. Now sit back, get a soda and read this a couple
times. I'll give examples of WILDCAT, FRONTDOOR set up but it should
be easy enough for you to modify this configuration to your own system.
Just like any other off-line maintenance <ie. MAINTOO> the automation
of this task is accomplished by two timed, forced nightly events. This
example will use errorlevels and batch files. Most BBS software
require an errorlevel to run an external maintenance so that's where
we'll start.
The following batch file lines are the lines I have included in my
RUNBBS.BAT file which runs my entire system. Only the lines having to
do with the OOII set up will be presented and discussed here. Each
label will be discussed in detail at the end of the batch file example.
This example is set up for a two day turn on each board.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
:BACK_2_FD
CTTY CON
SET WCPORTID=1
C:
CD \FD
CLS
FD
IF ERRORLEVEL 100 GOTO MAINT
IF ERRORLEVEL 99 GOTO MAINT2
IF ERRORLEVEL 95 GOTO 2_THE_CAT
IF ERRORLEVEL 85 GOTO LOCAL_FD_2_CAT
GOTO OFF_OR_DOWN
:MAINT
C:
CD \wildcat3
CALL today.BAT
IF EXIST D:\WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR\NO.DOC GOTO NO
IF EXIST D:\WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR\YES.DOC GOTO ZIP
GOTO BACK_2_FD
:MAINT2
IF EXIST C:\FD\FILE\OO_FILES.ZIP GOTO UNZIP
GOTO BACK_2_FD
:UNZIP
C:
CD \FD\FILE
PKUNZIP OO_FILES.ZIP D:\WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR
COPY OO_FILES.ZIP C:\TEST\HOLD\INCOMING.ZIP
DEL OO_FILES.ZIP
CD \WILDCAT3
REN DOOR6.OUT DOOR6.BAT
CD \WILDCAT3\DISPLAY
COPY HELLO3.IN HELLO3.BBS
D:
CD \WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR
COPY FRONTIER.OO C:\WILDCAT3\BULL\BULL39.BBS
MAINTOO
REN TEST.DOC NO.DOC
GOTO BACK_2_FD
:NO
D:
CD \WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR
REN NO.DOC YES.DOC
GOTO BACK_2_FD
:ZIP
D:
CD \WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR
PKZIP OO_FILES.ZIP *.OO
DEL *.OO
REN YES.DOC TEST.DOC
C:
CD \WILDCAT3
REN DOOR6.BAT DOOR6.OUT
CD \WILDCAT3\DISPLAY
COPY HELLO3.OUT HELLO3.BBS
CD \FD
XR SEND D:\WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR\OO_FILES.ZIP 1:387/617
GOTO BACK_2_FD
:OFF_OR_DOWN
ECHO ATM0H1 > COM1
C:
CD C:\
CLS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Label block 1 - :BACK_2_FD
The first 7 lines of this block are the lines that bring up the system
and return to the BBS any time the BBS is exited or swapped out for any
reason. Refer to your BBS/Mailer documentation for further
explanation.
:BACK_2_FD
CTTY CON
SET WCPORTID=1
C:
CD \FD
CLS
FD
The next 5 lines direct the system where to go whenever an errorlevel
exit is detected. Errorlevels 99 and 100 are my nightly events. These
labels <MAINT and MAINT2> are the keys to the automation of the OOII
tournament game file transfers. Refer to the dos manual for errorlevel
operation.
IF ERRORLEVEL 100 GOTO MAINT
IF ERRORLEVEL 99 GOTO MAINT2
IF ERRORLEVEL 95 GOTO 2_THE_CAT
IF ERRORLEVEL 85 GOTO LOCAL_FD_2_CAT
GOTO OFF_OR_DOWN
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Label block 2 - :MAINT
This block runs every night on my system at 12:03 am PST. The first 4
lines of this block are the lines that run all my nightly maintenance
for games <MAINTOO, TWARS, GLOBAL WARS, etc.>, files lists, etc.
These are included in the file TODAY.BAT and are of no consequence
here.
:MAINT
C:
CD \wildcat3
CALL today.BAT
The next two lines tell the system to look for the flag file in the
OOII directory. These lines are active only when the game is on my
system. The flag file is necessary to count days from receiving to
shipping and what days are "no action" days. This file is a simple
ASCII file <mine just says "HELLO"> to tell the system which day it is
and what action is to be taken. The name of this file is the ONLY
important thing about it. Automatic receiving or sending the
OO_FILES.ZIP file depends on the name of the flag file. When the
proper name condition of the flag file is met the proper action is
taken. When the game is NOT on my board and in a dormant condition,
this file is named TEST.DOC.
When the OO_FILES.ZIP file has been received from another board and
recognized by the label :MAINT2, the flag file is renamed by a command
line in the batch file to NO.DOC.
The existence of the NO.DOC file tells the system that no action is to
be taken on the OOII files on the current maintenance event. When the
NO.DOC file is recognized by the first IF EXIST line it will pass
control to the label :NO and the flag file will be renamed YES.DOC.
When the YES.DOC file is recognized by the second IF EXIST line, it
tells the system that with this event the *.OO files should be packed
for shipment <OO_FILES.ZIP> and all the *.OO files in the OOII
directory deleted.
IF EXIST D:\WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR\NO.DOC GOTO NO
IF EXIST D:\WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR\YES.DOC GOTO ZIP
GOTO BACK_2_FD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Label block 3 - :MAINT2
This block runs every night on my system at 2:01 am PST at the end of
Zone Mail Hour. It checks the FrontDoor file directory to see if the
OO_FILES.ZIP file has been received from the next BBS. If it finds it
there, it passes control to the label :UNZIP <explained later>.
:MAINT2
IF EXIST C:\FD\FILE\OO_FILES.ZIP GOTO UNZIP
GOTO BACK_2_FD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Label block 4 - :UNZIP
Confused yet??? Well here's where the fun begins. If you're not
confused, refill that soda and get a pencil. Now you may need to draw
some lines back up the page to refer from here... Ready???
This block is the action take by the system when the condition of
:MAINT2 is met. This means that the OO_FILES.ZIP has been received by
your board and :MAINT2 has found it. Control of the batch file is now
passed here to :UNZIP.
The first 4 lines find and unpack the received OO_FILES.ZIP to the
proper game directory.
:UNZIP
C:
CD \FD\FILE
PKUNZIP OO_FILES.ZIP D:\WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR
This line just copies the OO_FILES.ZIP to somewhere else on my hard
drive so I'll have a backup if anything happens. <why should anything
happen ... grin>
COPY OO_FILES.ZIP C:\TEST\HOLD\INCOMING.ZIP
This one just deletes the file so it won't be recognized again.
DEL OO_FILES.ZIP
The next 2 lines are the switch that turn the door on and off. If
Wildcat can't find DOOR6.BAT it will tell the user on-line that the
door option for this game is not available. This line turns it on.
CD \WILDCAT3
REN DOOR6.OUT DOOR6.BAT
The next 2 lines activate a log in message to the on-line user telling
them immediately whether or not the game is available.
CD \WILDCAT3\DISPLAY
COPY HELLO3.IN HELLO3.BBS
The next 3 lines copy the Frontier log to a bulletin so it can be read
easily by on-line users before they play the game. This will tell them
what went on while the game was in another city or board for 2 days.
D:
CD \WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR
COPY FRONTIER.OO C:\WILDCAT3\BULL\BULL39.BBS
This line runs the OOII maintenance program. This line is optional
depending on the ground rules set up before the game <discussed
previously>.
MAINTOO
Finally the flag file will need renamed to let the system know what
action to take with the running of the NEXT nightly maintenance event.
In this case, the file has just been received so the flag is renamed
NO.DOC to let the system know that no action will be taken in the game
or to the game files in the next nightly event. It is only to rename
the flag file.
REN TEST.DOC NO.DOC
GOTO BACK_2_FD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Label block 5 - :NO
When the flag file NO.DOC is recognized by the label :MAINT, control is
passed to this block. This label does nothing more than find and
rename the flag file to YES.DOC. This tells the system on the NEXT
nightly maintenance event the files will need shipped with that event.
:NO
D:
CD \WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR
REN NO.DOC YES.DOC
GOTO BACK_2_FD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Label block 6 - :ZIP
When the condition of the flag file is YES.DOC and met by the :MAINT
label, control is passed to this block. This block packs the *.OO
files, deletes them, turns off the door switch, and activates the log
in message that the game is no longer available.
The next lines, pack all the game files <*.OO> into the OO_FILES.ZIP
then delete the *.OO files from the game directory. It's a good idea
to keep a copy of OO_FILES.ZIP in case there's a problem with file
transfers or whatever. <What could go wrong???>
*** NOTE *** Deleting the *.OO files before the game returns to your
board is IMPORTANT. If the *.OO files are found by PKZIP when it
unpacks the OO_FILES.ZIP, it will ask you if you want to overwrite the
existing file. You may think you're going to wake up and play the game
and find your computer sitting in PKZIP at a dos prompt waiting for a Y
or N answer. This could have a negative effect on the idea of
AUTOMATING this system. DELETE THE *.OO FILES BEFORE THE GAME RETURNS
TO YOUR BOARD.
:ZIP
D:
CD \WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR
PKZIP OO_FILES.ZIP *.OO
DEL *.OO
This line renames the flag file to TEST.DOC and tells the system that
nothing is to be done until the return of OO_FILES.ZIP. Now none of
the conditions of :MAINT and :MAINT2 will be met until the OO_FILES.ZIP
returns to this board
REN YES.DOC TEST.DOC
The next 3 lines turn OFF the door batch file. This will echo a
message to any on-line user that chooses this game door that it's not
available today.
C:
CD \WILDCAT3
REN DOOR6.BAT DOOR6.OUT
These lines activate a log in message to on-line users that the game is
not on this board and not available.
CD \WILDCAT3\DISPLAY
COPY HELLO3.OUT HELLO3.BBS
For the next part of this batch file, you may need an additional
utility. These lines automatically generate a NetMail file attached
message to the board that the game is going to next. This example is
using XROBOT and will generate the message and file attachment
automatically. Refer to the documentation of the utility you're using
for the proper command line options. If you do NOT have a utility, the
NetMail message will need to be manually entered. This is critical
because failure to generate the NetMail message will cause the file
OO_FILES.ZIP not to be passed on time and will cause delays in the
game.
CD \FD
XR SEND D:\WILDCAT\DOOR\OOIITOUR\OO_FILES.ZIP 1:387/617
GOTO BACK_2_FD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Timing:
Timing refers to the actual transfer of the OO_FILES.ZIP file. It
should be noted the times for the :MAINT and :MAINT2 labels allow 2
hours between the time :MAINT finishes and :MAINT2 runs. The transfer
should take place in this time space with plenty of time for it to
finish before :MAINT2 needs to run. If :MAINT2 runs and the
OO_FILES.ZIP file has not yet been received, the file will sit there
until the next days maintenance and a complete day will be lost. This
is not much of a problem if the Challenge game is being played locally
but if there's a time zone change, special considerations will need to
be made. Be sure all sysops involved plan the transfers of this file
carefully so this file is always sent/received between the running of
the :MAINT and :MAINT2 events.
*** NOTE *** If any or all the boards this game is being played are on
are busy boards, a second or even third event can be set up to re-run
:MAINT2. This will insure that if the file gets transfered late, the
game will still be recognized and set up to give players maxium amount
of time to play.
That's all there is to the automation. I know that's a lot but lets
try to put it all in perspective.
EXAMPLE:
Ok, you're the board initiating the play of the game. Assuming your
board and mine have set everything up properly this is what will
happen.
Day 1: <after maintenance events have been run>
You have all the OOII game files and the *.OO data files in your
directory and your flag file is set to NO.DOC. REMEMBER TO NAME
YOUR FLAG FILE NO.DOC IF YOU'RE STARTING THE GAME. Your door is
on and you play the game all day.
On my end I have a directory with the all the game files except
the *.OO files and my flag file is set to TEST.DOC. My door is
off.
Day 2:
Your first nightly event :MAINT runs at 12:03 am and found the
condition of the flag file as NO.DOC. Control is passed to :NO
and the flag file is renamed YES.DOC. You continue to play the
game the second day. Your second event :MAINT2 does not find it's
condition met so no action is taken in that event.
On my end, none of the conditions were met in either event so no
action was taken.
*** NOTE *** :MAINT is set to is 12:03 am and :MAINT2 is set at 2:00
am. This is to allow the file to be passed and then recognized by
:MAINT2 on the other end. Keep in mind, if different time zones are
involved, consideration will need to be given to the timing. Timing is
discussed previously.
Day 3:
Your first nightly event :MAINT has recognized the condition of
the flag file as YES.DOC and packs the files, ships the files, and
turns off the door switch. The flag file is renamed TEST.DOC and
puts the system in dormant condition until the return of the
OO_FILES.ZIP to your board. You can no longer play the game. The
:MAINT2 event has not found its condition so no action is taken.
Now it's my turn <if I've received the file between my :MAINT and
:MAINT2 nightly events>... My first nightly event :MAINT, finds
no conditions met so no action is taken. Then the file is
received from your system. My second nightly event :MAINT2 has
recognized the condition of the presence of the OO_FILES.ZIP and
unpacks the file, routes the game files to the proper directory,
turns the door on and saves the file. The flag file is renamed to
NO.DOC. Now we play through day 3.
*** Note *** Make sure you have previously deleted the *.OO files or
your UNPACK will hang there waiting for YOU to answer Yes/No to
overwriting the existing *.OO files).
Day 4:
None of the conditions have been met in your events so no action
is taken.
On my end the NO.DOC condition has been recognized by my first
nightly event :MAINT and the only action taken is renaming the
flag file to YES.DOC. The :MAINT2 event finds no conditions met
and takes no action.
Day 5:
On your :MAINT event run, nothing will happen because no
conditions have been met.
On my end, the YES.DOC condition has been recognized by my first
nightly event :MAINT and the files are packed and shipped back to
you. The flag file is renamed TEST.DOC and the system is dormant
again. The :MAINT2 event will find no conditions met and no
action is taken.
Now on your end, the running of your second nightly event :MAINT2,
OO_FILES.ZIP has been recognized and the files are unpacked and
routed to your proper directory, the switch is turned on, the flag
file renamed and you're back in play mode and we're back to Day 1.
*** NOTE *** This setup is for a challenge game of 2 days on each
board. The number of days is determined by the number of name changes
of the flag file. The flag file must change names 1 more time than the
number of days you wish to have the game on each board. If it's a 1
day game, the flag file will need 2 re-namings. If it's 3 day turns,
the flag file will need 4 re-namings. This file is nothing more than a
means to count down the days from receiving the game to sending it
back. Remember, each name change will need a separate :LABEL in the
batch file. Each :LABEL will need to rename the flag file to the next
day's :LABEL.
NO.DOC = 2 days to shipping
YES.DOC = 1 day to shipping
TEST.DOC = game shipped and waiting...
SOME OTHER SUGGESTIONS:
Bulletins:
Being a games board I appreciate the ability to be able to log on, look
at the others that have logged on and played certain games, what
happened in the games, who's turn it is etc, without having to log into
the games themselves. For this reason I make max use of bulletin
generators and the dos copy command. In a game like this, players are
going to want to keep a constant eye on what's happening. Even if
they're out of time in the game or out of turns they will be logging on
to check stats. By making use of the bulletin generator in OOII and
copying the frontier log <FRONTIER.OO> to a bulletin, I find that users
that want to check stats can get on, get the information, and get off
again as quickly as possible. This frees up the board for more time
for other users to log on and play. We suggest using the OOII top 10
generator to create stats bulletins and copying the FRONTIER.OO file to
a bulletin each time a user logs out of the game. You can also use a
file viewer option, if you have one, to view the frontier log from
outside the game.
Log on screens and door menus:
Ok, now that you're a pro at the OOII Challenge Game, here's one other
suggestion that will bring out your creative talents. I have 2 log on
screens that tell the users when they first get on the board whether or
not the game is up and available or on the other board and not
available, HELLO3.IN and HELLO3.OUT. These are arranged so that when
the label :ZIP is run, the HELLO3.OUT screen is activated and the users
know right away the game is not available. Like wise for HELLO3.IN
when the label :UNZIP is run. I have the same setup for the DOORS
MENU, DOORS.IN and DOORS.OUT. Activating this type of a file will
depend on what file names your BBS displays and from where. To
activate them, put them in your display directory by names not
recognizable to your BBS software, and add COPY commands in your :ZIP
and :UNZIP labels to copy the appropriate file to the proper name to
display the file.
SETTING UP THE GAME: <Using QuickBBS and FrontDoor 2.02>
Ok, One more time in a NutShell Overview, This is as concise
as it gets:
1. Contact with challenging BBS needs to have been made and
Rules of play setup. These are a few of the things that
need to be taken care of by the Sysops involved.
Maps to use.
How many players per side.
Name of sysop in OOconfig file.
Name of transfer file that will be sent back and forth, etc.
2. If you have a MONSTER.DAT file that is different from the opposing
side, then that file should be either used on both boards or
deleted for the original.
3. A FrontEnd mailer is NECESSARY for automation of the shipment of
files to both BBS's involved in the game. This is to insure that
timing and ease of transfer is timely. (timing in this game is
essential).
4. SETUP: I use FrontDoor 2.02 therefore, that is the setup process
I will be explaining.
Set Errorlevels in your batch file to load the board for ship-
ment of files, receiving files, and one for OFF night when there
is NO activity.
I will be explaining the 3 stages it goes through in order to get
from day one of the game, to # 3 when shipment of files will go
to the other board.
Example:
If Errorlevel 175 Goto Maint
If Errorlevel 174 Goto NO ;night that nothing happens
If Errorlevel 173 Goto UNPACK_OO ;received files from OTHER BBS
If Errorlevel 172 Goto PACK_OO
Identify these errorlevels something like:
; Zip files for shipment "to" remote BBS and generating
; the message in XRobot in order to ship the files to
; the remote location. As you can see what we have done is
; to rename ONE file, three different times. On the night
; the files are to be shipped, the file will be called YES.DOC
; in order to tell your "If Exist" statement that it's the
; night to go and zip up the files in the Overkill directory.
;
:PACK_OO
C:
CD \Doors\OOII
PKZIP C:\FD\FILE\OO_FILES.ZIP *.OO
DEL *.OO
REN YES.DOC TEMP.DOC
cd\qbbs\messages
SetFlag A8 OFF ALL
cd\qbbs\txt
copy arcade1.ans arcade.ans
copy arcade1.asc arcade.asc
cd\FD
CALL Robot.bat
GOTO Loop
; The SetFlag function of QuickBBS is to disable user entry
; into that Door during the time the files reside at the
; other location.
;
; Night when there is NO activity in shipment of files from
; either bbs, you should only rename the doc file residing
; in the Doors directory for the next nights shipment
:NO
C:
CD \Doors\OOII
REN NO.DOC YES.DOC
GOTO LOOP
;Unzip files from shipment "from" remote BBS
:UNPACK_OO
C:
CD \FD\FILE
PKUNZIP OO_FILES.ZIP C:\Doors\OOII
DEL OO_FILES.ZIP
C:
CD \Doors\OOII
REN TEMP.DOC NO.DOC
cd\qbbs\messages
SetFlag A8 ON ALL
cd\qbbs\txt
copy arcade2.ans arcade.ans
copy arcade2.asc arcade.asc
cd\fd
GOTO Loop
; The SetFlag in this position turns on the A8 Flag on ALL
; users to enable entry to that door now that the files
; have returned to your location.
;
; Below is the definition of the "If Exist" statements we
; found to work.
; This is what happens each night during your regular maint-
; enance. The "If Exist" statements go into the directory
; looking for one of the *.doc files (that says only something like
; "hello"), and renames the file for the next nights activity.
; when it finds that statement in the Errorlevels, it then
; goes to that set "Errorlevel" during maintenance.
:Maint
cd\fd
night.bat ; just normal night maintenance
If Exist \doors\OOII\no.doc Goto NO
If Exist \doors\OOII\yes.doc Goto PACK_OO
If Exist \fd\file\OO_FILES.ZIP Goto UnPACK_OO
goto Loop
Explanation of these 3 named files: (I hope)
No.Doc = This file will exist on the night that NO activity is
scheduled. It simply RENAMES the No.Doc to Yes.Doc and goes
on to the next nights events the following night.
Yes.Doc = This next night event will go to Pack_OO Errorlevel "IF" all
is going properly so far. This mean that your NO.DOC was
renamed correctly to yes.doc during your night event and it's
your night to Ship the files. The Errorlevel finds Yes.Doc,
Zips up the files in the designated directory and prepares
for XRobot to ship them. It then Deletes the *.oo files so
that when the shipment comes back into your bbs from Remote,
it can unzip them in to the directory. It is then renamed to
Temp.doc.
Temp.doc= Does nothing but wait for the shipment of OO_FILES.zip from
the remote BBS. When the OO_Files.zip is found by your
system it goes to the UNPACK_OO statement Errorlevel you
defined. Unzips it into the game directory, deletes the
zip file, and renames the temp.doc to NO.DOC and starts
the Loop over again.
As you can see, a number of things take place all at the same time, and
that your timing and the remote BBS's timing are essential in the file
transfers and what happens at BOTH ends of the game.
Since Paul explained the XRobot to you already I won't go into that one
again! ( He does this so well, Doesn't he? )
1. In the OOCONFIG.EXE file the setup is important.
The first thing you must know about is the configuration of
the sysop player in the game. It MUST be designated only
as "Sysop", NO HANDLE! This is to ensure proper file
overwriting in shipment as there is a Sysop on both sides
of the shipment. The UserFile.oo contains the player information
and your bbs sysop will be overwritten with each shipment.
So Sysop's, please set yourself a character of your own if
you plan on playing as all. Next is the name of the building
in the game. It must be the same on both ends. The only
difference you will have will be in the registration number
and file names for ansi/Ascii files, and name of the BBS.
Other than those, all other things will be the same.
2. Time limits: (can vary but make sure BOTH sides have it
set to the same amount of time for fairness of play.)
One hour in the game; 6 hour intervals;
Ship the files 2 days later. Decide WHO is going to begin the
game and on what day so the configuration can be set.
CONCLUSION:
Now you're ready to enter the most challenging, and fun game you've
ever played on a BBS. We hope you enjoy the OPERATION OVERKILL II
CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT GAME.
THANKS TO:
Dustin Nulf and Tom Hazel for producing the best BBS Door game
available.
All the people, sysops and users that inspired the concept of the OOII
Challenge game.
All the players of the First National OOII Challenge game who helped
prove the workability of this concept. And for their patience when any
problems arose.
Personal Notes:
(Paul Says) And a special thanks to Donna Murrell and Mark Stroud who
pushed me into this game and spent mega dollars in long distance
helping set up this game and instructing less qualified players.
(Donna Says) My thanks go out to Paul Fusco who agreed to set this up
with me in the first place and spending long hours mulling over the
setup and MULTIPLE NetMail shippings to get it the way we wanted it to
be played.
Questions, comments, suggestions, escape plans or complaints should be
routed to:
Donna Murrell Paul Fusco
The Main Complex BBS The SHC Editor's BBS
512-658-8009 619-563-1598
Fido 1:387/617 Fido 1:202/727
Monitoring both OOII FidoNet echos, OOII and OKILLERS.
DISCLAIMER
What we have explained here as a joint effort, does not mean that it
is a sure thing and will work on your bbs setup. This is simply
a couple examples of what the two of us did in order to have a good
time with the Overkill game, and let both sides enjoy the company and
competition with another BBS. We have both made some new and good
friends out of this.
Good luck to all of you. Hope to see you soon in YOUR OWN competition
games.
***** No spitting on the wastelands.*****
Paul Fusco and Donna Murrell
(SHC Editor's, San Diego, CA and The Main Complex, Universal City, TX)