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1991-09-14
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SFGILTRV
SPITFIRE GILLIGANS ISLAND TRIVIA DOOR
By
Jim Slade
INTRODUCTION
------------
SFGILTRV is a fast paced Gilligan's island trivia game designed to run
as a door feature within the SPITFIRE Bulletin Board System. It can
also be installed as a sysop configurable command from the Main, File
or Message menus of SPITFIRE. A data file containing over 100 Gilligan's
Island trivia questions is randomly accessed and displayed to the screen.
With each question that is displayed, four multiple choice options
are provided from which the player may select. SFGILTRV allows the
Sysop to configure the delay time (defaults to ten seconds) that the
player is allowed to read the question and respond with the number
corresponding to the answer they wish to select.
SFGILTRV COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS
-------------------------------
/P - Designates the drive, path, filename and extension of the
high score bulletin to be used with SFGILTRV
/D - Designates the delay time (in seconds) that the user is
allowed to answer the question before it "times out".
/L - Allows local usage of SFGILTRV
The /P command line parameter is available which will automatically
create Ansi and Non-Ansi high score bulletins for your BBS system.
If you would like to use this option, a "/P" should follow the
SFGILTRV in the command line to indicate a valid DOS path where the
bulletin file will be created. (NOTE: This should be the same
as the display file path you have set up within SPITFIRE.) The path
is then followed by the file name of the bulletin to be created. It
is not necessary to include the file extension. SFGILTRV will
automatically add a .BBS extension for the Non-Ansi display file and
a .CLR extension for the Ansi display file created. The correct
syntax should look like this:
SFGILTRV /P C:\SF\DISPLAY\DORBUL1
The "/P" command line is optional and SFGILTRV will operate perfectly
fine without it. However, it is a convenient means of providing and
posting high score bulletins for the Gilligan's trivia door.
The /D command line parameter is also available which will allow the
Sysop to designate the delay time (in seconds) that is allowed between
the time the question prompt is displayed to the screen and when the
user must enter the desired answer. This is done using the /Dnn (where
nn represents the number of seconds) command line parameter. As an
example, if the Sysop wishes to allow a 15 second delay, a /D15 would
be entered on the command line as illustrated below:
SFGILTRV /D15
If no /Dnn is designated at the command line, SFGILTRV will default to
a ten second delay.
The /L command line parameter will allow SFGILTRV to be played
locally without requiring a SFDOORS.DAT, SFMAIN.DAT, SFMESS.DAT or
SFFILE.DAT file. Using the /L command line parameter disables the
program's carrier detect monitoring and redirection of the game
through the comm port. For local operation of SFGILTRV enter the
following command at the DOS prompt:
C:> SFGILTRV /L
** SPECIAL NOTE ** The /L, /P and /D command parameters can be
used together in one command line to specify the drive, path and
filename of the bulletin to be created and the delay time in seconds
when playing in local mode.
It should also be noted that the /P, /D and /L command line parameters
may appear in any order on the command line. SFGILTRV does NOT require
these to be used in a specific order.
SFGILTRV SETUP AS A SPITFIRE DOOR
---------------------------------
To set up SFGILTRV to be executed as a door, it is recommended that
a separate directory be set up for it. For explanation purposes, let's
assume the directory DOORA is created for use with SFGILTRV. The following
files must then be placed in the directory:
SFGILTRV.EXE The actual game program.
SFGILTRV.DAT The data file containing the trivia questions.
SFGILTRV.TOP This is a listing of the top ten players. SFGILTRV.EXE
will create this file if it is not found.
SFGILTRV.LMT This allows you to set time limits according to the
callers security level.
The Sysop will then need to use a text editor to edit the SF.BAT file
as illustrated below:
:DOOR_A
COPY SFDOORS.DAT C:\SF\DOORA
SFGILTRV
ERASE SFDOORS.DAT
GOTO LOOP
:DOOR_B
You will notice that the commands needed to execute SFGILTRV are placed
between the :DOOR_A and GOTO LOOP command lines. These are entered in
place of the existing REM Place Program Name Here. The following will
briefly explain each of the commands which were set up within SF.BAT to
run SFGILTRV as a SPITFIRE Door program:
SFDOORS.DAT is created automatically by SPITFIRE when a user enters a
door. It contains information about the user such as name and password.
SFGILTRV requires access to the information within SFDOORS.DAT. Therefore,
before executing the program it must be copied to the directory in which
SFGILTRV is running.
SFGILTRV is the program name and executes the game program from within
the door program.
Once the user has terminated the game play of SFGILTRV, SPITFIRE
erases the SFDOORS.DAT file.
SFGILTRV SETUP AS A SYSOP CONFIGURABLE COMMAND
----------------------------------------------
SPITFIRE has a sysop configurable command for the Main, Message and
File menus. The sysop configurable command is executed through a
batch file which corresponds to the menu it is being run from. In
other words, SFMAIN.BAT runs the sysop configurable command from
the Main Menu, SFMESS.BAT runs the one from the Message Menu and
SFFILE.BAT the one from the File Menu. The commands necessary
to execute SFGILTRV can be set up in the batch file which corresponds
to the menu you wish to have SFGILTRV run from.
The first thing you will need to establish is which of these menus
you wish to use to run SFGILTRV. For this purpose, let's assume that
it is going to be set up so it can be run from the Main Menu. (It
should be noted the set up procedure is the same regardless of which
Menu you are running SFGILTRV from.)
Next, you will need to decide what you wish to name the command
option and establish what security level will be required for
users of your system to be able to access this option. Once this
is determined you will need to modify the SFMAIN.MNU file using
your favorite text editor, as long as it saves in ASCII format.
(Refer to the SPITFIRE manual for further documentation on this
if needed. It should also be noted that if SFGILTRV were being
set up to run from the File Menu, you would need to modify the
SFFILE.MNU file and if it was being set up to be run from the
Message Menu you would need to modify the SFMSG.MNU file.)
Examining the default SFMAIN.MNU file, you will notice the sysop
configurable command appears as:
<K>............. Add Your Own,,1000,@
This will need to be replaced with a Command Character that will
be used to select the option from the menu. It is ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE
that the Command Character must not duplicate an existing Command
Character for another menu option. You will then need to include
a brief description of the Wildcat door program you are running, two
commas, the security level required to access this feature, and another
comma followed by the a @. The @ must not be changed! (For more detailed
information on modifying your SFMAIN.MNU, SFMSG.MNU or SFFILE.MNU refer
to your SPITFIRE manual.)
<K>.... Brief Program Description,,10,@
Now you will need to modify the corresponding batch file, SFMAIN.BAT,
so that it can be executed from the Main Menu. Do this using your
favorite text editor, as long as it saves in ASCII format. (Again, it
should be noted that if SFGILTRV were being set up to run from the File
Menu, you would need to modify the SFFILE.BAT file and if it was being
set up to be run from the Message Menu you would need to modify the
SFMESS.BAT file.)
Place the SFGILTRV.EXE file in the directory you wish to run the
program from. SFGILTRV will create its own player score file,
SFGILTRV.TOP, if does not already exist.
The commands set up in the SFMAIN.BAT file are very similar to
those used for executing the game through a door in the SF.BAT file.
For instance, if you were running SFGILTRV from the main SPITFIRE
directory your SFMAIN.BAT file might look like this:
ECHO OFF
BRK OFF
SFGILTRV
BRK ON
(BRK is not included in the SFGILTRV package because it is written
and copyrighted by Solid Systems, 1985, but can be downloaded from
The Mother Board BBS and Buffalo Creek's BBS as well as a number of
other BBS systems. BRK is not required to run SFGILTRV, however, it
is recommended since it will prevent a user using the CTRL BRK command
to terminate the batch file, gaining access to your system at the
DOS level.)
If you wish to set SFGILTRV up in a separate subdirectory from
SPITFIRE, for instance, a subdirectory named SFGILTRV, your batch
file might look like this.
ECHO OFF
BRK OFF
COPY SFMAIN.DAT \SF\SFGILTRV
CD \SF\SFGILTRV
SFGILTRV
ERASE SFMAIN.DAT
CD \SF
BRK ON
When SFGILTRV is executed, from either the door with the SF.BAT file
or from the sysop configurable command through a menu with the
corresponding batch file, it will first look for the SFMAIN.DAT file,
then the SFMESS.DAT file, then the SFFILE.DAT file and lastly the
SFDOORS.DAT file. It will look for each of these files until it finds
it and the commands required for its execution. If none of these
files are found, SFGILTRV will halt its execution.
DTE LOCK FEATURE
----------------
SFGILTRV automatically detects if the DTE is locked at 19200 baud. If
SFGILTRV detects that the DTE is locked, then SFGILTRV opens the serial
port to the maximum baud rate of your system. If SFGILTRV does not
detect that the DTE is locked, then the serial port is opened to the
baud rate of the caller.
SFGILTRV ON A MULTI-NODE SYSTEM
------------------------------
SFGILTRV is fully compatible for operation on a multi-node BBS.
It automatically handles any file locking and file sharing
required during the doors execution.
SYSOP FEATURES
--------------
First, a status line is now displayed on the BBS monitor that
provides information concerning the caller's name, baud rate of the
caller and the security level of the caller.
A SFGILTRV.LMT file allows the sysop to establish a time limit for
door play according to the security level the caller has on the system.
To modify the accompanying SFGILTRV.LMT file, use your favorite text
editor to represent the various security levels you have available on
your system, a comma then the corresponding time you wish to allow for
that particular security level in minutes. For instance, it might
look like this:
10,15
25,20
50,25
999,30
Each security level should begin a new line and you should have a
setting for each security level you have available on your system.
If you do not have a time limit set for a particular security
SFGILTRV will default to the level 10 security level setting.
Pressing the Shift Key and the F1 key simultaneously will
terminate game play of SFGILTRV and return the caller back to the
BBS. Pressing the Shift Key and the F9 key simultaneously will
terminate game play of SFGILTRV and log the caller off of the BBS.
If the Shift Key and the F9 key are pressed together, logging the
caller off the BBS, SPITFIRE will recycle and return to the
SPITFIRE Ready For Caller Prompt.
SFGILTRV EXECUTION
------------------
When first executed, SFGILTRV will display a list of the Top Ten
high score players and the percentage of correct responses they achieved
while playing SFGILTRV. Initially, this will be a dummy listing with
ten lines that display:
0%...............YOUR NAME COULD BE HERE
However, as the game is played, this will fill with the name of the
players, their percentage ratings and the date that the player was
added to the top ten listing.
NOTE: At least twenty questions must be attempted before SFGILTRV will
will figure the percentage rating for the player.
To keep things interesting...the Sysop can erase the file which contains
the top ten listings SFGILTRV.TOP on a routine basis to give additional
players a chance to have their name added to the list.
As the top ten list is displayed, at the bottom of the screen is a
question which prompts the user whether they want to have ANSI Graphics
(y/n)? available to them during game play. If the user responds with a
y (for yes) the game will display in color and if the user responds with
a n (for no) the game will display in monochrome.
PLAYING SFGILTRV
----------------
Immediately after pressing any key (other than <Q> for Quit) from
the Top Ten listing the game screen is displayed. The screen will
look like the following:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ >>>>>>> GILLIGANS ISLAND TRIVIA <<<<<<< ║
║ GILLIGANS ISLAND ║
║ Trivia Game For SPITFIRE BBS Doors ║
║ The Catahoula Connection (601)799-2341 ║
║ In Cooperation with Buffalo Creek Software ║
║ Copyright (C) by Jim Slade, 1991 ║
║ UNREGISTERED VERSION! ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════╝
RIGHT: 0 WRONG: 0
QUESTION:
The Gilligans Island Trivia Question is displayed
here.
<1> Choice 1 <2> Choice 2
<3> Choice 3 <4> Choice 4
Enter Answer: [ 1 2 3 4 <Q>uit]?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The first randomly chosen trivia question is selected from the data
file and is displayed to the screen.
The player makes his selection by entering the corresponding number.
As the game progresses, SFGILTRV will provide a running total of the
correct answers and also of the wrong answers the user has selected
during the game play.
If the ten second timer should elapse before you respond, SFGILTRV
will count this as a wrong response and add an incorrect answer to
the total WRONG answers obtained so far.
EXITING PLAY
------------
When you are ready to exit the game, simply select press "Q" for
<Q>uit. If you qualify as one of the top ten players to date,
SFGILTRV will congratulate you for becoming one of the top ten scorers
and add your name to the Top Ten listing. You will once again see the
Top Ten list displayed with your name added to the list.
If you exit the game before you have completed the twenty
questions required for eligibility to the Top Ten list or if you do not
qualify as a Top Ten player, the Top Ten listing will be displayed and
you will be prompted to press any key to return to SPITFIRE.
DISTRIBUTION
------------
Please feel free to share SFGILTRV.ZIP with others. However, it must
be distributed with SFGILTRV.EXE, SFGILTRV.DAT, SFGILTRV.TOP, SFGILTRV.LMT
and the SFGILTRV.DOC in the SFGILTRV.ZIP distribution package. The
files must not be altered in any way or by any means.
SFGILTRV.ZIP is distributed as Shareware software. You are free to
try SFGILTRV, and if you find it to be a program you use please send the
required $10.00 fee to:
Jim Slade
24371 Catahoula Lane
Picayune, Ms. 39466
DISCLAIMER
----------
Jim Slade shall in no way be held responsible for any damage
incurred during the operation of SFGILTRV.EXE. All responsibility lies
with the user of the software.
Many thanks are indeed owed to Mike Woltz of Buffalo Creek BBS (515)-
225-8496 for his assistance. Without his help this program would not
have been possible.
SFGILTRV and other SPITFIRE programs are available for download from:
Buffalo Creek BBS The Catahoula Connection
Sysop - Mike Woltz Sysop - Jim Slade
(515) 225-8496 (601) 799-2341
19200/9600/2400/1200 2400/1200/300
Updates:
--------
Version 2.5 Bug fixed which randomly terminated game play and returned
user to BBS.
Version 3.0a DTE lock feature is added.
Added the ability to set time limit for door play.
Added the ability for the sysop to use the Shift + F1 to
return the user to the BBS and the Shift + F9 to log the
user off the system.
Status line is added which displays on the BBS monitor
that provides information on the user's name, security
level and baud rate.
Version 3.5 The "/P" command line parameter is added allowing top
score bulletins to be created in both Ansi (.CLR) and
Non-Ansi (.BBS) format in the specified path using
the specified file name.
The bulletin file created and the .TOP file used to
display the top scorers in SFGILTRV now also includes
the date the player acquired the posted score.
Version 4.0 Added file sharing and file locking capability so it
is fully operational on a multi-node BBS system.
Version 4.5 Added the /D command line parameter which allows the
Sysop to configure the delay time in seconds that a
user is allowed before the question times out. Defaults
to ten seconds if the /D command line parameter is not
used.
Added ASYNC routines for high speed modems with the
16450 or 16550 UART chip.
Requires usage of the SFGILTRV.REG file for registered
versions of the SFGILTRV door game.