BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/doors_2/twutil10.zip/TWUTIL.DOC

Text File | 1992-02-20 | 30KB | 542 lines

                             TWUTIL10.ZIP

                            Version 1.00

      A Collection of Utilities for TradeWars 2002, Version 1.0x

                   Copyright 1992, Joel W. Downer



                            INTRODUCTION

The programs included in this package are playing aids written for
TradeWars 2002, an on-line space tactics game by Gary and Mary Ann
Martin.  They were written and tested using version 1.03, but they
should be compatible with versions 1.00 - 1.02; insofar as they are
*not* compatible with version 1.1, expected in early 1992, they will
be revised for compatibility.

The utilities in this package are not, as of this version, intended to fill
all of the informational needs of players -- they are intended to
supplement, not to replace, the excellent general utilities already
available (the one with which I am most familiar is TWView).  Each of
these command-line utilities is intended to provide a service I have not
seen in other utilities.  One utility automates the bothersome and time-
consuming process of downloading sector and port information; the second
helps players locate the StarDock and the Class 0 ports in the early stages
of a game. the third helps evil TransWarp users find the best places to
steal; the fourth helps a player locate suitable home sectors, including
the especially desirable dead-end locations with outgoing one-way warps;
and the fifth helps good traders determine the best places to *search*
for new trade pairs.

For now, my programs read and write only the raw .SCT and .PRT files one
can download using the Computer Interrogation Mode in the game (more on
this later...); the ability to read database files from other utilities
(like TWView's .DAT files) may be available in later versions.

I am *extremely* interested in comments and constructive criticism.  I
plan to improve these utilities and to add additional programs to this
package in the future, and I'm very receptive to ideas (I'll be even
*more* receptive if you send those ideas along with your registration,
but that's another matter <grin>).  I can be reached through the Fidonet
TradeWars echo, or by netmail to Dan's BBS (Fidonet address 1:202/722).
I can be reached through WWIVnet on Ashley's BBS (#297 @6976), and
through Internet as [e-mail].  (If other approaches
fail, one could call Dan's BBS -- 619-279-5240 -- and leave me mail in
one of the local conferences.)


                        GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The .ZIP file currently contains five utilities, AUTOCIM.EXE,
FINDSGA.EXE, EVILPAIR.COM, FINDHOLE.EXE, FINDPAIR.EXE, as well as
a demo batch file, GETCIM.BAT.  All four of these utilities are command-
line-driven -- all of them can, and AUTOCIM and FINDSGA *must*, be run
from a DOS shell while you're on-line.


                            AUTOCIM.EXE

The purpose of AUTOCIM.EXE is to collect port and sector data for use by
other programs.  Starting with version 1.00, TW2002 has included a
"Computer Interrogation Mode" that allows players to download sector,
port, and warp information quickly and easily.  Unfortunately,
*accessing and using* CIM isn't always easy.  This program takes care of
the data collection completely automatically.

To run AUTOCIM.EXE, you must be logged into a TradeWars game on a remote
BBS (alas, capturing information in local mode is no easy task!).  You
must be at the main command prompt ("Command [TL=HH:MM:SS] (?=Help)? ");
you may have ANSI graphics on or off, as you prefer.  To capture your
sector and port information, just drop to DOS (most communications
programs have a "DOS Shell" command) and run AUTOCIM.EXE.  When you run
the program, you must include an filename (1-8 characters) as the first
command-line argument:  in other words, if you're saving information
about the game on Dan's BBS, you might use the command "autocim
dansbbs".  You may include a full path for the file (e.g., "autocim
c:\pcplus\twstuff\dansbbs"); you should not include any three-letter
extension to the filename.  (Note:  as of this version, if you include
additional command-line arguments, they must *follow* the filename --
the filename must be the *first* command-line argument.)

The first time you run AUTOCIM -- or FINDSGA, the other utility that
accesses your modem directly -- you will be prompted for information on
your communications setup (your COM port, baud rate, and bit settings).
Once you've set these options, AUTOCIM will ask you where to write a
configuration file.  If you save this file, TWUTIL.CFG, in a
directory on your DOS path, you'll be able to run AUTOCIM and FINDSGA
from any directory without having to worry about configuration prompts.

Depending on the speed of your modem and the BBS, the ensuing download
will take between one and ten minutes.  AUTOCIM will access your
shipboard computer, download sector and port information, and write
them to files called "BBSNAME.SCT" and "BBSNAME.PRT," where "BBSNAME"
is the title you included on the command line.  You can use these files
with the other utilities in the package, with TWView, or with any
other utility that reads information from CIM.  When you're finished
downloading your data -- and analyzing it with the utilities of your
choice -- you can type "exit" to return to your communications program
and resume the game.

Notes:

1. Currently, this program supports only COM1: and COM2:; it should be
quite flexible regarding baud rate and bit settings.  (I'm open to adding
options for additional COM ports in future version if I find any
demand.)  If you have trouble getting AUTOCIM to work with your
communications setup, please let me know -- I have not been able to test
the utilities on all settings and baud rates.

2. As of TW2002 version 1.03, Computer Interrogation Mode has a bug that
sometimes causes it to crash when you try to download information
*immediately* after accessing the game.  I recommend that, to avoid this
problem, you move at least one sector, plot at least one course, and
request at least one report ((C)omputer On - (R)eport on Port) before
running AUTOCIM.  Future versions of AUTOCIM may plot the course and
request the report automatically; on the other hand, future versions of
TW2002 may also correct the bug...

3. AUTOCIM will preserve your TW2002 ANSI graphics status -- if ANSI was on
when you accessed the program, it will be on when AUTOCIM is done; if it
was off, AUTOCIM will leave it off.

4. By default, a bell will sound when AUTOCIM is done (so that you can
make a sandwich while you're on one of those slower boards...).  To
disable the bell, use the command-line argument "/NOSOUND".

5. If you frequently update your CIM reports, and your communications
program supports such a configuration, you may choose to set up AUTOCIM
as a hotkey or download protocol (on PCPlus, I usually set it up for my
editor hotkey).  A sample batch file for this purpose has been included
in the archive.


                           FINDSGA.EXE

FINDSGA.EXE is the largest, most complicated, and potentially most
powerful utility in this package.  In the early stages of games where
the location of Stargate Alpha I is not listed, this program can suggest
the best locations for you to search for the StarDock and the two Class
0 ports.  Depending on the physical layout of the universe in which you
are playing, FINDSGA may be able to tell you the locations of one, two,
or even all three of these facilities before you make a move -- and it
will almost always, in an unedited version 1.03 game, be able to provide
you with intelligent guesses about where to look.

FINDSGA depends upon a navigational peculiarity of the TW2002 universe:
BIGBANG, the game generator, *always* (in this player's experience)
places the StarDock and the two Class 0 ports in 6-warp sectors; these
sectors *almost always* have at least one one-way outgoing warp.  In
other words, the StarDock will always have six exits; it will usually
have *less* than six entrances.  That's why it's frequently so hard to
find:  very often, it may have only *one* entrance.

FINDSGA, like AUTOCIM above, connects directly with a remote TradeWars
game through your modem and questions your onboard Crai in Computer
Interrogation Mode.  The program searches in two phases.  First, it
scans warp paths between pairs of sectors to identify one-way warps
(it watches for non-symmetrical paths, e.g. "1 > 2 > 58 > 612 > 364 >
144" and "144 > 22 > 3 > 1", and then pinpoints exactly which warp
along these paths is one-way).  Then, once it's collected data on a
sufficient number of one-way warps, it does an intensive analysis of
the sectors with one-way warps, trying to figure out how many total
warps and how many one-way warps each sector has.  In an unedited
game, sectors with more than one one-way outgoing warp are excellent
candidates to contain the StarDock, Rylos, or Alpha Centauri; and
sectors with six *total* warps and two or more one-way warps almost
certainly will contain one of the three.


                       How to use FINDSGA

While you're on-line and at the main command prompt of TW2002, drop to
DOS (how to do this depends upon your communications package; most
packages have some utility for a "DOS Shell").  Type "FINDSGA>FILENAME",
or "FINDSGA>PRN", to run the program and output the final
recommendations to a file or to your printer -- I'll list several
additional command-line options by which you can control the way the
program works, but FINDSGA seems to work very well with the default
settings.

*IMPORTANT*:  THE FIRST TIME YOU RUN FINDSGA IN A NEW GAME, YOU SHOULD
EXPECT IT TO TAKE 20-25 MINUTES TO COLLECT BASIC SECTOR DATA.  If you
don't have enough time on-line to afford 20-25 minutes, you can
adjust the length of the run using some of the command-line options
listed below.

The first time you run FINDSGA -- or AUTOCIM, the other utility that
connects directly through your modem -- the program will ask you a few
questions about your COM port, baud rate, and bit settings, and will
write them to a configuration file, TWUTIL.CFG.  It will ask you in
which directory to write the information; if you choose a directory on
your DOS path, you'll be able to run FINDSGA and AUTOCIM from any
directory without having to worry about your configuration again.

Once the communications parameters are set, the program will tell you a
little bit about what it's doing ("Accessing Crai... Turning off ANSI...
Entering CIM ..."), and soon will pause to ask you whether to load an
existing data file.  The first time you run the program in a new game,
the answer will be "No" -- you'll only answer "Yes" if you have to run
FINDSGA more than once to find all three Federation landmarks.

FINDSGA will then begin a long cycle, downloading hundreds of warp paths
from your shipboard Crai.  Information about the paths will be printed
to the screen:  you can watch (and cheer when the program reports a
one-way warp) if you like, or you can sit back, read a good book, and
wait for a beep to alert you that the warp scan phase is finished.  (I
don't recommend that you turn off your monitor or leave the room for an
extended period -- if the program terminates unexpectedly, because you
lost carrier or because the Sysop broke in for a chat, you'll want to be
around to take care of what's happened.)  The default duration of the warp
scan phase is ten minutes.

When the time for the warp scan phase is finished, the program will
sound a beep and give you a brief report on what it's found:  it will
list the number of sectors it's found with one, two, three, four, and
five one-way outgoing warps.  It will then ask you whether to extend the
warp scan session.  Your answer, naturally, should depend upon the
amount of time you have on-line (keep in mind that the warp scan phase
is only half the process, and the second half is frequently slower!).
A general guideline is that if the program has detected at least
twenty sectors with one-way warps, or at least two sectors with *two or
more* one-way warps, you have enough information to proceed to the next
phase.  If you choose to extend the warp scan session, answer "Yes" and
enter the number of *seconds* (i.e., 300 for 5 minutes) you want to
prolong the search.  When the extended time has elapsed, you'll be
prompted again.

When the warp scan phase has finished, the program will ask you whether
it should perform an intensive sector scan.  Because the intensive
sector scan is extremely informative, you should almost always answer
"Yes".  Times when you might answer "No" include:  (a) if you're running
out of on-line time, and (b) if the first phase of the program
discovered enough sectors with two or more outgoing one-way warps that
you'd like to go ahead and explore the sectors it's found before
committing the extra time to an intensive scan.

The intensive scan examines each of the sectors discovered in the warp
scan phase, and tries to determine how many additional one-way and
two-way warps the sector has.  If the warp scan revealed twenty sectors
with a single one-way warp, this phase will help you decide which of these
sectors are the most promising -- it will tell you which (if any) of the
sectors has *additional* one-way warps that the warp scan phase missed,
and it will give you a close estimate of the number of total warps
belonging to each sector (remember, in an unedited game, all three
Federation landmarks will be in sectors with six total warps!)

When the intensive scan is done, the program will summarize, by sector,
the information it has discovered -- if you used command-line indirection
(">MYFILE" OR ">PRN"), it will print this information to a file or to your
printer.  It will then ask you if you want to save the data to a data-file
for use in future sessions.  Saving the data is a good idea:  if you *don't*
find the StarDock on the first try, saved data will make a second session
MUCH more effective.  For consistency, I use the three-letter extension
.ONE for all data files I create with FINDSGA.  (You may use any extension
you like, but be sure not to choose the name of a file you don't want
overwritten.)  One other note:  if you used command-line redirection
"FINDSGA>MYFILE," *don't* name your data file the same thing as the
output file you specified on the command-line ("MYFILE"); otherwise,
your data will not be saved properly and you may not be able to use it
in future sessions.  The program will write the data to a file, exit CIM,
clear avoids, and return you to DOS.  You can type "exit" to return to your
comm program and continue the game.

One more prompt to explain:  when you run FINDSGA a second or third
time, and you load a data file, the program will prompt you for a new
destination sector to start with.  Choosing a number between 200 and 800
will probably produce the best performance.  (You also may want to
adjust the "base from" sector for second and subsequent sessions.  For
instructions on how to do so, see the information on the command-line
switch /BF, below.)


                     How to Interpret Your Findings

The final output of FINDSGA will be a description of all the sectors the
program isolated:

   "Sector 962 has a one-way warp to:  384 (2 warps overall)
    Sector 84 has one-way warps to:  289, 44, 68 (5 warps overall)..."
    and so on.

Here is the best way I have found to use the results:

1. The first places to explore (because they are *almost always*
   important locations) are sectors with five or six outgoing warps and
   two or more one-way warps.  (Note:  this program will not always
   discover all of the outgoing warps from a sector.  Its search
   strategy will not find dead-end exit warps -- warps I call "back
   porches."  The StarDock occasionally will have such a "back porch,"
   so don't be discouraged if an otherwise promising sector lists
   with only five warps!)

2. Sectors with five or six total warps, and only one one-way warp, are
   also very promising.

3. Sectors with less than five total warps, and only one one-way warp,
   are much less promising.  If time is a more valuable commodity than
   turns, you should probably explore them before you run another FINDSGA
   session (the StarDock *might* have two or more "back porches," and
   you also might run into it along the *way* to these sectors).
   Chances are, though, that these sectors *won't* contain any of the
   Federation landmarks.


                          Command-Line Switches

/NOSOUND This option (used as listed) disables the bell that sounds when
         user intervention is required or on termination of the program.
         If you use this option, you will need to watch closely.

/SWAP     During the warp scan phase, FINDSGA asks the Crai about a long
         series of warp pairs (1 to 11, 11 to 1; 1 to 12, 12 to 1; and
         so on).  To collect information on a larger portion of the
         universe, it periodically changes the "base from" sector (to
         101, then 102, 103, and so on, ruling out any sectors known to
         have one-way warps).  By setting "/SWAP=x", you can force
         FINDSGA to change the "base from" sector every x times it
         requests a path.  To turn off automatic swapping altogether,
         you can set /SWAP=0.  The default value (one that seems to work
         very well, by the way) is 10.

/W       FINDSGA is very patient.  When your Crai is trying to determine
         a path, FINDSGA will wait two minutes before deciding that
         something has gone wrong and aborting:  on slower systems,
         search failures ("Error:  no possible route between X and Y")
         can sometimes take that long.  By setting /W=x, you can adjust
         that wait to x seconds.

/T       By default, the warp scan phase (roughly the first half) of
         FINDSGA will last for 600 seconds.  By setting /T=x, you can
         adjust this duration to x seconds.  Overall program duration
         will be, depending on the speed of the BBS to which you're
         connected, a little over twice the value of T.

/NP      FINDSGA prevents duplication of one-way warps by *avoiding* the
         destination sector of each warp it finds.  Once you've found 20
         one-way warps, that makes for 20 avoids -- and it also makes
         for plenty of search failures.  By default, the program will
         tolerate three search failures before it adjusts the "base
         from" sector.  By setting /NP=x, you can adjust this value to x
         search failures.

/BF      FINDSGA begins with sector 1 as the default "base from" sector.
         Setting /BF=x adjusts the "base from" sector to x.  (NOTE:  I
         don't recommend that you use this feature the first time you
         use the program in a game.  The command-line switch is most
         valuable if you need second or third sessions to find the
         StarDock.)


                                  Notes

1. IMPORTANT:  *RUNNING FINDSGA WILL CLEAR ALL OF YOUR AVOIDS*!  Before you
   run this utility, write down all of your avoids so that you can
   re-enter them after you are finished.

2. The performance of FINDSGA depends *very heavily* on the power of the
   BBS computer on which the TradeWars game is running.  Baud rate and
   the speed of *your* computer are much less important than the speed
   of the remote machine, because it's the remote machine that is
   plotting all of the warp paths.

   Be aware that this program works a remote computer very hard, and be
   considerate of your fellow users.  If you're running this program
   while logged into a multi-node BBS, make sure you do so at a
   low-traffic time (late night or early morning):  you'll get the best
   performance when no one is on-line, and you won't frustrate other
   people, either.

3. If your Sysop is available for chat when you log in, and the local
   display in your TW game is ON, you may want to let him/her know what
   you're doing *before* you try to run FINDSGA.  If your Sysop is
   watching the local display, he/she may be confused by the behavior of
   the utility; and if he/she breaks in for a chat ("Incoming Message
   From Federation Headquarters..."), the interruption will cause the
   program to terminate immediately -- without interpreting or saving
   your data.

Happy hunting!


                             EVILPAIR.COM

This utility is fairly esoteric, and is part of an ongoing experiment on
evading the game features that prevent an evil player from keeping an
Imperial StarShip; it also might be useful for an evil player who wishes
to maximize his/her turns by stealing in a Corporate FlagShip and
TransWarping to and from stealing sites.

As far as I have currently determined, the key to keeping an Imperial
StarShip once evil is to stay as much as possible in sectors with
deployed fighters -- to travel between fortified sectors by TransWarp,
and not by conventional warp.  The safest way to steal, therefore,
is to have teammates deploy fighters in areas with adjacent ports where
one port sells equipment and fuel ore, and the other buys equipment:  you
can TransWarp in, buy equipment, move to the port that's buying, steal
and sell until caught, buy fuel ore, and TransWarp out.  This utility
lists these "evil trade pairs."  (One needs to master *many* other
techniques to keep the StarShip -- e.g., using TransWarp to get safely
to and from the StarDock.  Information on these other strategic points
is beyond the scope of this document.)

The program accesses the BBSNAME.SCT and BBSNAME.PRT files that you
captured manually or with AUTOCIM.EXE:  it requires one command-line
argument, the 1-8 character filename (minus extension) shared by your
.SCT and .PRT files.  If the .SCT and .PRT files aren't in the default
directory, you should also include a full path:  thus, "EVILPAIR
DANSBBS" or "EVILPAIR C:\MYSTUFF\PROCOMM\TWSTUFF\DANSBBS".  It prints
out a listing of all the pairs it finds, with quantities and percentages
(as you surely don't want to steal and sell at a depleted port!).  The
information is likely to overflow one screen, so I recommend piping with
"MORE" or redirection to a file (e.g.:  "EVILPAIR DANSBBS > PORTLIST").


                            FINDHOLE.EXE

The purpose of this utility is to help players locate the ideal home
territory:  dead-end warp tunnels with one-way outgoing warps.
(Dead-end sectors are desirable because opponents are unlikely to
stumble into them accidentally; tunnels are desirable because it's
easier to fortify *one* doorstep than two or three; one-way outgoing
warps are desirable because they save transit time and can frustrate
attempts to blockade you into your home sector.)  This utility will, of
course, only provide information on tunnels you've actually *explored*;
but after a few days of exploring, you will have accumulated a
surprising amount of sector data.

Like the other utilities in this package, FINDHOLE requires the 1-8
character BBS name as a command-line argument (include path if the files
aren't stored in your default directory).  The program will then prompt
you for the minimum length of tunnel you're interested in, and the
minimum number of outgoing one-way warps you would like.  (To
include *all* dead-end sectors, respond "1" and "0", respectively.)
The best way to use this utility is to run it repeatedly:  start
inclusively, and tighten your specifications until you have a list of a
useful size.  If you set the minimum length greater than 5, or the minimum
number of exits greater than 1, you are unlikely to find any matching
tunnels in an unedited game.  (One interesting exception:  in many
cases, if you set the minimum length to 1, and the minimum number of
one-way exits *greater* than one, the utility will return the locations
of the StarDock, Rylos, and Alpha Centauri.  Regrettably, it will only
return those locations *after* you've discovered them by exploring...)

This program supports command-line redirection:  even if you direct
output to a file or the printer (recommended for longer lists), you will
be prompted normally for the length and exit warp variables.

N.B.:  Unlike the TWView "dead end analysis," this utility does *NOT*
check for incoming one-way warps -- for "backdoors" that enemies could
use to reach your sector without fighting through a tunnel.  The best
way to isolate these backdoors (better even than TWView's approach)
is to access your computer within the game, set the *normal entrance* to
your home sector as an avoid, and plot a course to determine if the
computer can find another route from sector 1 to your home sector.


                           FINDPAIR.EXE

Trade pairs -- adjacent ports selling a complementary combination of
goods, so that a player can warp back and forth repeatedly -- are the key
to survival for good-aligned players in TradeWars.  Most TW2002 game
aids of which I am aware include a utility to identify trade pairs a
player has discovered in his or her travels.  FINDPAIR.EXE is *not* one
such utility.  (My game aid package will include such a utility later on
only if I find some way to improve on the existing ones -- as I said,
this package is intended to extend, *not* to replace, TWView and other
comprehensive utilities.)

This utility helps players search for *new* trade pairs.  It lists
explored ports that *may* be part of trade pairs -- ports that both
buy and sell goods (not "all buy" or "all sell" ports), in sectors
with unexplored exits -- sorted by value and by number of unexplored
exits.

Like the other utilities in this package, FINDPAIR requires, as a
command-line argument, the 1-8 character BBS name you have used for
your .PRT and .SCT files (include the path if the files aren't in the
current default directory).  The program will read the .PRT and .SCT
files, then prompt you whether to include ports that may be part of
"Fuel Ore-Equipment" or "Fuel Ore-Organics" trade pairs (generally
regarded as less profitable than "Equipment-Organics" trade pairs).

FINDPAIR will then list the ports that may be part of Equipment-Organics
trade pairs, sorted by number of unexplored exits (first, the sectors
with five exits, then four, then three...).  It will provide quantity
information and percentages, which will tell you how much a port has
been used.  (If it's heavily depleted, that's good news and bad
news.  The good news?  It's almost certainly part of a trade pair.  The
bad news?  Someone else found it first.)  If you answered "y" to the
question about including Equipment-Fuel Ore/Fuel Ore-Organics ports, the
program will provide a similar listing of those less valued prospects.

Strategic note:  This program can be a very effective tool for analyzing
the information collected with ether probes.  You can use ether probes
to explore a large number of sectors you have never visited, download
fresh sector and port data, and run FINDPAIR.EXE to determine the most
worthwhile places to investigate.

You may want to redirect the output of this program to a file using
command-line redirection; as with the utilities above, FINDPAIR will
still send any prompts that require your response to the screen.



                            LICENSE INFORMATION

The utilities included in this package are copyrighted shareware:
you may *not* modify them or distribute them in any form except as a
complete archive file containing all five executables, the demo batch
file, and the documentation file you are now reading.  You may use them
at no cost for a trial period of 21 days; if you wish to use them after
that period, you must register.  To register, send your name, address
(plus e-mail address, if you have one), the version of TWUTIL you're using,
and a check or money order for $7.50 (U.S. funds) to Joel Downer, 4431
Parks Avenue #2, La Mesa, CA 91941.  I am especially receptive to
suggestions from registered users, and I will keep registered users
up-to-date on new releases.  I plan to write additional utilities in the
future, and some of those utilities will *only* be available to
registered users.


                             ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In preparing these programs, I had no guidance or assistance from the
authors of TW2002 (Don't I wish!...).  I have relied entirely, for better
or for worse, upon my personal understanding of the game, as supplemented
by valuable discussions with other participants in the WWIV and Fidonet
TradeWars echoes.  I have also profited enormously through personal
communications with other players:  I mention in particular Eugene Hung,
Kris Lewis, Greg Baltes, Bill Turner, Mike Huovila, and the participants
in the two TradeWars learning games I have moderated on Dan's BBS.  For
the opportunity to test the utilities that *must* run on-line (AUTOCIM,
FINDSGA, and other programs to be included in later versions), I am
indebted to Danny Klopfer, the (superb) Sysop of Dan's BBS.

And if any of the advice from these programs gets you blown up?  Well,
don't blame it on my advisors... <grin>.  Good trading.