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1992-05-07
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Entire Contents Copyright (c) 1988,89,90,91,92 by Patrick Ryan
YOU MUST READ AGREE.TXT BEFORE RUNNING RAIDER!
RAIDER
Fantasy Role Playing Modem Game
By , Patrick Ryan Catts Development
Version 3.34a
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Copyright (c) Patrick Ryan 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992
=======================================================
Documentation for RAIDER.EXE Version 3.30
Raider is written by Patrick Ryan of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, eh.
Raider uses the QBSERIAL Routines written by Jeff Sumberg.
''Do you want to play a regular Hack-n-Slash game....
....or do you want to play Raider?''
1. INTRODUCTION
1. INTRODUCTION
1. INTRODUCTION
Ever wanted to test your skill in a fantasy environment against other people?
Well, here's your chance. RAIDER is very much like the more popular hack and
slash dungeon games, but all of it takes place above ground (For now). RAIDER
provides a very competitive world for an unlimited number of players, and is a
lot of fun.
RAIDER performs it's own Modem I/O, and does not require the use of CTTY or
other I/O re-routing programs. RAIDER does NOT need programs like PCBtrap or
Watchdog running in the background, it performs it's own Carrier Detect.
Occasionally Raider will crash from a bizarre set of events. Unfortunately, a
crash will lock up the system until someone presses a key on the local
computer. Crashes are very rare, and you should not need to worry about them.
RAIDER is a SHAREWARE program, and a $20.00 registration fee is required if
you use this program over the one month trial period. The money will generally
go towards system enhancement to allow more work on RAIDER. Mabye some of it
will go towards the bill for getting glasses. Statying up all night debugging
this beast is not friendly to the eyes. :-)
Registration info is included in REGISTER.TXT
Many thanks to Dan Johnson (a.k.a Booner, from The Mall) and Chris Forgeron
who did the original development and programing of Raider,.Now Raider is
under new programming and i hope to have a new version out in a about 4-6
Months
2. DISCLAIMER
2. DISCLAIMER
2. DISCLAIMER
RAIDER is provided on an "as is" basis. Any damages arising from the use of
this program are entirely the responsibility of the user. Patrick Ryan
cannot be held responsible for any damages.
You are free to distribute UNREGISTERED COPYS of RAIDER as long as you keep
all the files together. If using a compression method, the compressed file
must be called RAID?_??. The ?_?? denotes the version number (V3.30 would be
3_30... Check your copy of Raider for this. The docs are not always updated
when the program is.)
You may not disassemble RAIDER in any way, or alter it's contents.
I would prefer if Raider were distributed by PKZIP In fact, any file method,
other than SEA's ARC (Or PKARC) would be acceptable.
3. FILES INCLUDED
3. FILES INCLUDED
3. FILES INCLUDED
You should have the following to run Raider:
AGREE .TXT - READ THIS FIRST - YOU AGREE TO THESE TERMS BY RUNNING RAIDER!
ERROR .DOC - A list of possible error numbers RAIDER will generate.
FASTSET .UP - Documents that allow you to set Raider up in the Min. Ammount
of time. Recomended for the impacient. But you MUST Read this
file (RAIDER.DOC) at a later date!
HISTORY .TXT - Lists additions to Raider.
RAIDBBS .TXT - Listing of other BBS's that run Raider.
RAIDER .EXE - The Raider Executable
RAIDER .DOC - This File
RAIDER .CFG - Example Configuration file for Raider.
!RAIDBBS .TXT - List of BBS's running Raider
README .NOW - May not always be present. Should be read first (Duh). :-)
REGISTER.TXT - Registration info.
ONLINE .HLP - The general game helpfile, that is meant to be read on-line
ONEADAY .EXE - Raider Utility - Performs Daily Maintence. Run by Raider.
OPEN .BAN - The Opening Screen in TEXT
OPENG .BAN - The Opening Screen in ANSI
TOWN* .RAD - List of towns in ASCII format. Needed by RAIDER.EXE
TALES .TXT - Little fantasy story about the world of Raider.
3.1. MORE DETAILED FILE DESCRIPTIONS
TALES.TXT - This is a little promotion story, to get people into the mood of
playing RAIDER. Just place is someplace accessible to users for
D/L, or in an On-Line Database.
TOWN*.RAD - This contains info on all the towns. It's written in pure ASCII,
so it may be changed in order to make RAIDER easier or harder. I
don't recommend that you change this file, as it's pre-set for
a regular level of playing.
The '*' in the name is a DOS Wildcard, meaning it could be any
character or number. You will find the '*' will stand for a
number from 1 to 5. Reason for this is because there is 10
Castles. Each castle has it's own TOWN*.RAD file..
ONEADAY.EXE - This is the Raider Maintence file. It is run once a day by
Raider (hence it's name). DO NOT RUN This file yourself. It is
responsible for coordinating the attacks by Frost Elf against
the towns, and calculating the Population, Gold, Rations, etc
of the towns as they fluxuate from day to day.
Raider handles everything about when to run this file (It reads
MAINT.DAT which has the date of the last running) so just make
sure it's in the same DIR as Raider. Everything else will be
handled.
This program creates a file called PLAYERS.LST which contains a
listing of all players, in order that they appear on the disk.
It also created TOPTEN.LST, a listing of the top ten scoring
players.
There IS a reset switch (-R) for resetting town values that will
not mess with the player files, and a -Debug switch to play with
if necessary.
4. EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
4. EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
4. EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
In order to run RAIDER, you will need the following:
- IBM PC,XT,AT,PS/2 or compatible computer
- At least 128K of Free Memory. (May run in less, but I highly doubt it)
- Modem(s) (1200 baud is recommended for lowest speed, but Raider will work
at an all time low of 110 baud, and up to 38.4K) (I hope)
- Some sort of software to receive callers via modem, and then run RAIDER.
(This can be a BBS, or just a Telecomputing Platform, like GT Powercomm's
or Procomm's Host mode.)
- Monitor - Can be any type, from Monochrome, to VGA. Preferably 80 columns
- IBM-DOS, PC-DOS, MS-DOS, OS/2 or other operating system. DOS from 2.00 and
up will work without a hitch, although only DOS 2.11, 3.20, and 3.30 have
been tested.
- Serial port, any COM port. (Advanced Checking only on COM1,2,3,4)
- Some knowledge of DOS, modems and general IBM ways. Mabye a friend can help
if you are lacking in this area.
Note - If you have a High Speed modem, or in fact any modem locked into a
baudrate, make sure you read section 14.
5. CONFIGURING RAIDER
5. CONFIGURING RAIDER
5. CONFIGURING RAIDER
To start up RAIDER, you first need two files. They can be of any name,
but I will use RAIDER.CFG and DOORFILE for illustration.
DOORFILE is your BBS's Door Data File. It contains the necessary info about
the user and about they are calling you. For PCBoard it is PCBOARD.SYS, for
Wildcat! it is CALLINFO.BBS, for Citadel and RBBS it is DORINFO1.DEF.
Raider.CFG is the file that RAIDER _NEEDS_ Without it, Raider will not know
vital information, and thus not be able to function. Raider.CFG needs to be on
the command line of RAIDER . Eg.
C>RAIDER RAIDER.CFG
This will do the trick. If you do not place the configuration filename on the
command line you will probably get Error #58 in Line 10,000 when you try to
start up Raider.
Within Raider.CFG is the following info..
EXAMPLE OF RAIDER.CFG
=====================
Comm Port Number COM1
Your BBS Name Halifax Wildcat BBS
Your BBS's Software Name Wildcat
Location, and name of the DOORFILE file C:\DOORS\DORINFO1.DEF
Raider Door Code (For DOORFILE file) WILD
Location and Filename of ANSI Colour Banner OPENG.BAN
Location and Filename of TEXT Banner C:\TEXTFILES\OPEN.BAN
Time Limit in Minutes for each user 20
(Note - Unless you register, Time defaults to 10 min)
A '#' in front of a line signifys a Comment in the Raider.CFG file. A sample
Raider.CFG file is provided for you to examine.
The following are a listing of Raider Door Codes.
CODE BBS Program
==== ===========
1. RAID None. A Raider file.
2. PCB PCBoard V12+ (I Hope. I have heard of Changes in the PCBOARD.SYS)
3. WILD Wildcat!
4. C-86 Citadel-86
5. RBBS RBBS
(FoReM-PC should soon be added to the Raider code listing)
NOTE -- RAIDER will only used advanced carrier detect on COM1,COM2, COM3, or
COM4. If you are using COM ports other than the above specified ones, then
RAIDER will be slower in detecting carrier drop, and may do some weird (But
harmless) things like print to screen continually for a minute. Later on,
FOSSIL support will be added, for Advanced Carrier Detect on up to 16 ports.
After RAIDER digests this info, it then searches for some more info on the
user who will soon be logging in. It looks at DOORFILE.
IF YOU use RAID as your Raider Door Code, you will have to create your own
DOORFILE file (ONLY if you use RAID as the door code. You normaly shouldn't).
It should be done with a Word processor that uses pure ASCII
###############################################################################
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>> If you are NOT using the Raider Code RAID then don't worry about the <<<
>>> rest of this section, and skip to the next section (SysOp Status Bar) <<<
>>> Using RAID for a code should only be used if testing.. It can end up <<<
>>> being rather confusing to a novice user. <<<
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
###############################################################################
If you use RAID code, DOORFILE must contain:
User's Name
User's Baud
My DOORFILE file looks like this:
Patrick Ryan
1200
I recommend that for the User's Name variable you put in something like:
Honored Role Player
1200
due to the fact that the User's Name variable will not change easily. RAID
code should only be used for local logins, and tests.
For the User's Baud variable, the following are valid entries:
300 9600 LOCA (or LOCAL)
1200 14400
2400 19200
4800 38400
The baud speeds are straight forward. The LOCA parameter tells Raider that
you are logging in locally, and will not be using the modem.
RAIDER should support any baud speed that you can throw at it, but it has
only been tested up to 19,200 Baud. Drop me a line if you have problems at high
speeds. (I can't tell for sure if the 19,200 is up for full speed, since my XT
is only 8 Mhz)
If I switch to FOSSIL, 14.4K Baud support mayb be droped.
Note ** your DOS version may affect your modem speed range.
6. SYSOP STATUS BAR
6. SYSOP STATUS BAR
6. SYSOP STATUS BAR
The SysOp has a status Bar at the bottom of the screen, which takes up 2
lines. These two lines are ONLY shown on the Local screen, and are not echoed
to modem.
=---------------1------------------= =------2------= =--3--= =----4----=
[F1]=Chat [F2]=Display On/Off [F3]=Abort User [F4]=Colour [ESC]=Chat Off
The first bank displays the user's name and the user's character name. The two
are separated by a '' / ''
The second bank displays the Raider.EXE name, along with the current version
of raider.
The third bank displays the user's baud speed (Displays "Local" if at console)
The forth bank contains the time the user logged in at, with the time that is
it right now for comparison.
7. SYSOP HOT KEYS
7. SYSOP HOT KEYS
7. SYSOP HOT KEYS
The following Hot Keys are active in Raider:
F1 = Forces user into Chat mode, so the Sysop and User can talk.
F2 = Turns the Display On/Off. This is a toggle switch.
F3 = Abort User. This causes the User to be forced back to the BBS.
F4 = Local Colour Display. This Toggles color on the local screen.
F5 = Resets the User's Time. (Another xx Min of play)
ESCape = Removes user from Chat Mode
8. RAIDER TEMPORARY FILES
8. RAIDER TEMPORARY FILES
8. RAIDER TEMPORARY FILES
RAIDER creates a few files when it runs. They are as follows:
RAIDER .ERR - When RAIDER crashes for some reason, this file is created, and
information pertaining to the crash is written.
* .RD1 - The player files. These are created as the players log in. The
' * ' stands for a wildcard, meaning any file name.
* .MSG - The player message files. These will be created as users leave
mail to each other, and deleted in turn.
* .ASN - The Player Assassination files. These are created as Assassins
are sent after players.
CALLLOG.RAD - This file contains info on the callers who log into Raider.
More on the CALLLOG.RAD file will follow. (Note 3 'L's)
HISTORY.RAD - This file is created every now and then while Raider is
running. It contains movements on the player's part that can
give a clue to others how their opponents are doing.
MAINT .DAT - This file is Raider's Maintence File. It contains the last day
that Raider ran ONEADAY. (This is how Raider knows when to run
the ONEADAY Program)
PLAYERS.LST - (This is actually created by ONEADAY) Contains a listing of all
the players in Raider. It's in standard text format, and should
be left around for users to view. It contains the players Race,
sex, name, and Xp.
TOPTEN .LST - (Also created by ONEADAY) Contains a listing of the top 10
players in decending order)
9. RAIDER FILE LOCATIONS
9. RAIDER FILE LOCATIONS
9. RAIDER FILE LOCATIONS
All raider files are now clumped into one big directory. I did this for the
sake of sanity, mine. Things were getting too complicated with 3 diffrent
directories running about. :-)
I've had a few requests for the directories to be put back. If you think you
could use having the player, calllog related, and exe's seperated then drop me
a line, I am writing this software for you.
10. CALL LOG
10. CALL LOG
10. CALL LOG
When a player logs off of Raider, a calllog is written, called CALLLOG.RAD.
In this file are the Player's name, the time that they logged in, the time that
they logged out, and why they logged out. a Calllog.RAD may look like this...
Connan the Flower-Picker : 22:10 - 22:13 Quit
Fire Elf : 23:05 - 23:20 Evile User
Uncle Funnyfoot : 23:45 - 23:50 Dropped Carrier
Spock's a Poof! : 00:02 - 00:10 Abort
Orc of pell : 10:14 - 10:20 Turns
The Bald Dwarf : 10:40 - 10:45 Killed by Gladiator
Orc of pell : 11:12 - 11:13 No Access
Minix : 13:14 - 13:29 Time Expired
Loki : 15:12 - 15:16 Crash!
Juggernaut : 19:11 - 19:13 Security Violation
Zsa Zsa NanNor : 20:21 - 20:30 Key-Time Out
(Quit) Denotes that the user accessed option number 99 from the menu, and
ended their game for that session.
(Evile User) means the system recorded 15 errors in a row from the user. The
user was returned to the BBS until he can straighten out his problems.
(Turns) means the user used up their allotment of 10 turns per day. (This is
being phased out. What will happen is the user will still run out of turns, but
will keep the player on-line since there are actions that do not use turns.)
(Abort) means they left the game some strange way, not recognized by Raider.
(Killed by nnn) means the player was bumped off by nnn, who could be anyone,
or anything, as players can even be killed by starvation.
(No Access) means that a player tried to log back into the game, after using
up their 10 turns for that day. They weren't granted access.
(Time Expired) means just that. They ran out of time. You, the SysOp set how
much time in minutes the user has through Raider.CFG
(Crash!) means the system exited to DOS due to crashes. Check RAIDER.ERR for
exactly what error happened, and then ERROR.DOC for what that error number
means.
(Dropped Carrier) means just that.
(Security Violation) means that more than 3 incorrect passwords were entered.
(Key-Time Out) means the user did not type anything for 5 minutes.
You will have to note that RAIDER only supports an 8/N/1 configuration.
Anything else will cause RAIDER to not work properly. If this is a problem, let
me know. I'm sure I'll be able to fix it, it's just that so few people use
anything other than 8/1/N that I never found it necessary to add the code.
11. QUESTIONS and PROBLEMS
11. QUESTIONS and PROBLEMS
11. QUESTIONS and PROBLEMS
Here are some common questions/problems that arise from running RAIDER :
Q - RAIDER keeps reporting "Path Not Found" no matter what I do. I've checked
all my config files, and they point in the right locations.
A - The problem is that you have specified a path name that is too long.
shorten your path names, or remove a few sub-directories. "File Not Found" can
also be generated from this problem.
Q - When some users log in, they only get garbage when they type.
A - Check their settings. Unless they are at N/8/1 RAIDER will not work well
for them. (N/8/1 Means No Parity, 8 Data Bits, 1 Stop Bit)
Q - My BBS' door datafile is not supported by RAIDER. Is there a way to pass
it's info on to RAIDER?
A - Send me your BBS' datafile, along with any info you can gather on the
file's composition, and I will try and incorporate it into RAIDER.
Q - I seem to be always getting errors at line 10000. What is happening?
A - At line 10000, Raider is reading in the Config File. If it can't find
the config file, or something is wrong with it. It will report an error. Check
your config file.
When Raider is setting its self up, it will print some status reports. You
should see:
Opening (Probably RAIDER.CFG) for data read. Read successful
Reading (Your DOORFILE) door info file... Successful
If an error occurs before you see the Successful message, that means there
is a problem with that specific file. Check the error statement, and see if
you can fix the file.
Q - How do I register my copy of RAIDER?
A - All the registration information you need is contained in REGISTER.TXT
Q - Raider doesn't work correctly under DOORWAYS.
A - DO NOT RUN RAIDER FROM DOORWAYS! Raider handles all of it's own Modem I/O
and using DOORWAYS (Or other I/O routing Prgms like Gateway, etc) will mess
everything up.
Q - I cannot get Raider to act on my commands that I enter while another user
is playing Raider.
A - This, belive it or not, is a feature. This protects the user from the
sysop accidently bumping keys, or the Family's House cat going to town on the
keyboard (It has happened). It also makes it easier on the Player if a sysop
doen't try to help by pressing keys and messing the user up (!).
12. MULTIPLE COPYS OF RAIDER RUNNING AT ONCE (Multi-Tasking/Networking)
12. MULTIPLE COPYS OF RAIDER RUNNING AT ONCE (Multi-Tasking/Networking)
12. MULTIPLE COPYS OF RAIDER RUNNING AT ONCE (Multi-Tasking/Networking)
A Version of Raider for Multi-Tasking and NetWorked Systems (Through NetBIOS)
is in the works. It is nearly complete, but is waiting mostly for a good site
to test it on, and some free time on my part to work out the bugs. The
MultiTasking Raider program will costs the same, but you must register each
site you own. The price for each site will not be much at all, and will
decrease with the ammount of sites used.
13. RAIDER AND THE PC Jr
13. RAIDER AND THE PC Jr
13. RAIDER AND THE PC Jr
If you are a PC Jr. owner, you already realise that your COM port is treated
differently than normal. Instead of COM1 you will have COM2. I could have
RAIDER read the system ID byte, and set COM automatically to COM2, but this
might cause trouble, as there can be upgrades, or serial cards that screw this
up, so I left it alone. Just set COM for what ever works best.
14. RAIDER AND HIGH SPEED MODEMS
14. RAIDER AND HIGH SPEED MODEMS
14. RAIDER AND HIGH SPEED MODEMS
I used to have a method to increase Raider's bps speed when it encountered a
modem locked to a speed. It didn't work. I'm told that QB doesn't like to mess
with modems that are locked in. I think there must be a way around it, but for
now there is no way to get Raider to output at a locked speed.
What you have to do is get a copy of Porter. Great little program written by
Chris Byrd I belive. I may obtain a copy someplace and include it with the
Raider package if it's small enough. Otherwise you will probably find it where
ever you find high speed BBS's that run doors.
Porter unlocks your modem, sets it to the user's baud speed, and everything
is hunky-dory with your door program. When the door is finished, it will
re-lock the modem back to it's original speed.
15. NOTE TO POTENTIAL PIRATES
15. NOTE TO POTENTIAL PIRATES
15. NOTE TO POTENTIAL PIRATES
Sure, RAIDER has primitive CRC checks, and a good programmer could easily
overcome this, and the serial numbers. But if you screw up, and do not remove
all the CRC/Serial Number checks, your Users will be notified, silently (Echo
to modem only), and randomly, that you are most likely in violation of Federal
copyright laws, and your character is of questionable background. The
randomness insures that a quick check will not show the error on your part, but
a few plays down the line, users will be informed. It could be a very messy
situation.
Do you really want to risk your BBS in this way? The 20.00 insures you for
upgrades anytime you want. 20.00 could allow you and a friend to go to the
movies for 2 hours of enjoyment, or 20.00 could allow your whole BBS years of
enjoyment.
16. HOW TO LOCATE THE AUTHOR
16. HOW TO LOCATE THE AUTHOR
16. HOW TO LOCATE THE AUTHOR
I can be contacted at my board Halifax Wildcat,
My Board is:
Halifax Wildcat!
Running Wildcat! Pro
(902) 465-4618
24 Hours, 7 Days a week
3/12/24/48/96/14.4/38.4 Baud
(Courier HST)
Carry a safe version of RAIDx_xx.ZIP.
(Sorry, but my CRS Membership expired, and my UseNet source went offline..)
(Possible UseNet Source opening up again soon, and a Possible PC-Relay net)
= = = =
Please support PKZIP by Registering your copy, and throwing out your now
defunct PKARC copy. (SEA took over all rights to PKARC in a legal battle with
PKWare, and they now get all of Phil Katz's hard earned money dirrived from
PK(x)ARC)
Please read the registration info included. This is a SHAREWARE product, and
the programer would like to derive some income from the many months spent
writing and debugging this, when I could be out finding a real job. :-)
Your copy of Raider.EXE was more than likely compressed with LZEXE.EXE a
program from France that compresses your EXE files almost as well as ZIP can,
but the diffrence is that the EXE file is stand alone - it runs just like a
regular EXE except it's much smaller. I use V0.91 of LZEXE myself.
SUFFIX
SUFFIX
SUFFIX
Now, the legal stuff, to keep everyone's lawyers happy.
MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation
IBM, PC/AT, and PS/2 are Registered Trademarks, and PCjr, and PC/XT are
trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation
SEA and ARC are trademarks of System Enhancement Association
Compuserve is a registered trademark of Compuserve Incorporated
QBSERIAL 2.0 Copyright (C) 1990 by Jeff Sumberg
LZEXE Copyright (C) Fabrien BELLARD
=== === === ===
Entire Contents Copyright (c) 1988,1989,1990,1991,1992 by Patrick Ryan
All Rights Reserved