Crawly Crypt Collection 1/crawlyvol1.bin/bbs/cows_90/readme.cow

Text File | 1985-11-19 | 18KB | 337 lines

                                                          June 1, 1991

                           COWS!  SHAREWARE NOTICE

         COWS is now SHAREWARE. It is a copyrighted program and must
      not be altered is any way. In fact if it is...it may not run,
      so there...pfffttt....
         If you have not registered this version of COWS it is only
      60% operational. You have no idea what you are missing if you
      have not registered it - so I suggest you do.
         To register COWS Send a check or money order for at least
      $10 to:
                                  Joe Blenkle
                                  P.O. Box 41746
                                  Sacramento, CA 95841

          You will be set an official registered COWS disk that is
       fully functional. If this is for a BBS, please include the
       BBS NAME, AREA CODE and PHONE NUMBER, and handle of the SYSOP.
       If you are ordering COWS for your home enjoyment, please
       include the name you would like to appear on the title screen.

       PLEASE NOTE: Canadian orders - Please submit your payment for
       COWS by postal money order (in U.S. funds). My bank charges
       a hefty service charge for out of country checks, but the good
       old U.S. Post Office will cash postal money orders with no
       problem. Foreign orders - Get me U.S. funds somehow!


UPDATES  &  REVISIONS: There will be no further updates to COWS. As of v9.0,
the  program is finally finished. Anyone with registered versions older than
v9.0  can get an update by sending a 3 1/2" disk and $3 to cover postage and
handling  to  the above address. I guarantee the new COWS will be worth your
$3.

REMEMBER - When installing COWS on your BBS you must not rename or try
           to alter the program in any way. Doing so may render the
           program useless.

NOTE:  By  registering  COWS,  you  agree  not to distribute your registered
version  to  other users or sysops. The day I call XYZ BBS and find ZYX BBS'
version  up in the game section will be the day I trash my COWS master disk.
I may also activate the hidden feature in COWS that renders any computer you
own  for  the  rest  of your life useless (neat trick, eh!...but then that's
COWS for 'ya).

WHO  AM  I?  -  Nobody special. I am Sports Editor of The Orangevale News, a
weekly  paper in Orangevale, CA. I've always been interested in off-the-wall
science fiction-fantasy type stories, hence COWS. The original COWS was very
primitive,  with  the  code  "borrowed"  from  another  BBS game. As I am no
programming  genius,  Cheech  Wizard  (the  then  SYSOP of Dream Park BBS in
Sacramento),  re-worked the code, with some additions from Axolotl Tyrant of
Axolotl  BBS.  Minor additions were added (and still are being added) by me.
And,  of course, the whole COWS story is mine, which says a lot about what I
think about the world.

Many  people  have asked me if I have written or plan on writing more games.
As of right now, the answer is no. COWS started as a joke directed against a
guy  who  called  himself  Mr.  Moo.  It  wound up growing into a monster. I
wouldn't  know  how  to top COWS. If I ever do come up with another original
idea  for  a  new  game,  I  may  tackle  one in the future. I would like to
translate COWS to other computer systems as well.

TAMPERING  - It came to my attention some time ago that someone had tampered
with a version of COWS and converted it into a program that could be used as
a  backdoor into the BBS it was being run on. I have taken steps to see that
this  does  not happen again. And, of course, incorporated the BACKDOOR idea
into  the  game -- guaranteed harmless, so don't worry -- COWS can no longer
be altered in such a fashion to be harmful (I hope) or even be renamed or it
will not run.

FILES  -  This  archive  or  disk should contain the COWS.PRG, CONFIG22.PRG,
INSTRUCT.COW  and  the  README.COW  file.  These files all need to be in the
directory you set up for COWS. It may also contain a README.1ST file if I am
sending  an  update  to  you  or  have  something  to  say to you about this
particular  version  of COWS. The COWS.PRG will be named COWS_90.PRG or some
such  thing  depending on the version number. If you have sent in your money
for a registered version, your disk will contain both the registered version
and  an  unregistered version. Your registered version will be in an archive
named  after  your  BBS.  The unregistered version will be named COWS_90.ARC
(again,  depending  on  the version). Please put the unregistered version on
your  downloads if you are running a BBS. COWS will also create several data
files of its own for high score, hall of fame, etc...

BUGS  -  I  have  been told on some bulletin boards that COWS gives an extra
line  feed when it is being played. If this happens on your BBS, it is local
only.  The  user  does not see this. It should not happen if you are playing
COWS  from  your  keyboard  while  your BBS is up either...just when someone
actually  calls  in and plays it. I have no idea why this happens and I have
yet to see it happen myself (I don't run a BBS).

If you should detect any other bugs in COWS, please report them to me at the
address found in this file.

PRIVACY  -  I  am  a very private person. That is the reason I do not list a
phone  number in this file. I am not listed in the Sacramento, Calif., phone
book  either, although there is a J. Blenkle in there. It is not me. It is a
relative who has nothing to do with COWS and does not take my messages.

REACHING ME - If you really need to reach me in a hurry, I can be reached at
the  following  BBS':  AXOLOTL  (916)  638-9923 and MIND KEEP [phone]
(official  COWS  Support  BBS');  and also at the non-Cow BBS' EARL'S CASTLE
(916)  967-1643; and OMNI [phone]. The non-cow BBS' may be better for
you as you don't have to be validated to leave mail.

SETTING  UP  COWS!  - Should be very simple. Run the CONFIG.PRG and read the
instructions  carefully.  If  COWS  will  not run, you have either set it up
wrong,  or have a "tampered with" copy (in which case you will get a message
saying  it  has  been tampered with). Remember, you can't rename the program
from its original name or it won't run.

SYSTEM DATE - Please make sure your system date is set correctly. Some parts
of  COWS  require  the correct date or it might make for some confusing play
late  in  the  game.  The  Hall of Fame, Cow News and Error Log also use the
date.

HALL  OF  FAME  -  If  you  have  a  COWS  version  lover than v8.5, and are
installing  a  higher  version,  you  will need to RESET the HALL OF FAME by
running the CONFIG.PRG.

PLAYING  COWS! - See the INSTRUCT.COW file which is viewable from within the
game  or  readable from the desktop. The VERSION NOTES (viewable from within
game)  and  PART II instructions (viewable at the start of Part II) may also
be helpful.

REGISTERED  COWS - The registered version of COWS is fully activated. If you
are  playing an unregistered version, you are probably only seeing about 60%
of the game. so REGISTER it today!!!

                                      Thanks

                                              Joe Blenkle
                                              P.O. Box 41746
                                              Sacramento, CA 95841

JUNE 3, 1991

Henceforth,  to  document  any additions or changes to COWS I will add on to
this text file by date. Actually, at this point, there isn't really anything
to add, but there are a lot of bizarre things roaming around in my head.

A  few  days  ago,  I  set out on a photo expedition through Orangevale, CA,
looking for cows to shoot for the picture that would go on the official COWS
envelope.  I found two ideal subjects in a small field. They were ugly, they
were  drooling,  they were covered with flies...they also refused to look at
me except for a one second interval when I approached the fence - hence, the
slightly out of focus picture you registered owners will see on the envelope
you receive COWS in.

Even  more  bizarre is the murder mystery in Folsom, CA where I work. Divers
found  a  badly  decomposed  body in a weighted down bag that was apparently
thrown  off  the  Rainbow Bridge into the American River. Police were called
in,  of  course, and when the bag of bones was brought out of the 40 feet or
so of water, it was discovered to be the body of a cow. Police said that the
way  the  body was tied and the bag was weighted down, it wasn't meant to be
found.

Everything  is  hush, hush about it now, but I believe Moovian agents killed
an  informant  and  tossed  the  body  in  the  river  --  it  was obviously
Moo-der...

JUNE 10, 1991

As  of  v8.5, several new parts have been added for you registered users (if
you  are lucky enough to run across them), and for the first time since COWS
went  SHAREWARE,  I  have added a part at the beginning of the game for both
registered  and  unregistered  users.  You might have to play the game a few
times to find it, however.

My  list  of  registered users has grown by a few, but I'm still waiting for
more  (hint, hint)...after getting those first couple of checks in the mail,
I'm feeling good about COWS I'd hate to not continue feeling that way...

JUNE 26, 1991

A   major  bug  in  the  Part  II  scoring  was  found  and  finally  fixed.
Unfortunately,  several  registered  users  received  the buggy versions (Of
course, I discovered the bug the day after I sent the registered users their
disks).  In  Part II, the game would often deduct points, or not add them to
the total at all. After completely removing the scoring routine, I found the
glitch  and  was  able  to  fix it. A few improvements and changes have been
added  to  the  scoring  routine  in  Part  II  in  this  regard.  Read  the
instructions on-screen if you make it that far.

JULY 10, 1991

As  of  v8.6, non-registered users now have a slim chance (about 1-in-35) of
getting  to  play  a fully active COWS. Check the title screen to see if you
are  one  of  the  lucky  ones. In addition, non-registered users now have a
chance  to  use the SECRET DEVICE found in Part II of the game. Sometimes it
works,  sometimes  it  doesn't...you gain points, of course, if it does, but
you also lose points if it doesn't.

Several  other  changes  have  also been made to make a few of the scenarios
more  interactive.  A  new  ELITE HALL OF FAME for registered users has been
added.  This  one  records  the names of those who complete the game, rather
than  score  the  most points...one does not necessarily preclude the other.
See  the  HALL  OF FAME section above for more information. You will need to
run the CONFIG.PRG.

JULY 27, 1991

A  new  scenario  has been added to Part II of the game...it can be found by
using  the  SECRET DEVICE and now brings the total number of SD scenarios to
12. The new scenario, if answered correctly, will effect other SD scenarios.
I  would advise reading everything -- even if you've played COWS many times,
or  you  may miss something. The text now may change from play to play. More
scenarios  will  be  added  in  the future, further reducing your chances of
blowing up or going into the past.

The  COWS  title  screen  has been altered slightly, as well as the COW NEWS
screen.  Color users will notice the changes in COW NEWS. It will not change
the display for ASCII/Mono players.

IBM  ANSI  - I have reactivated ANSI color for IBM callers to Atari ST BBS'.
It  has  always  been  part  of  the  COWS game, but it had been buggy and I
finally fixed it.

BLACK  BACKGROUND/WHITE  TEXT  - Since the default for IBM terminal programs
seems  to be a black background with white text, this is how COWS is set. If
you  are  playing  ANSI  with a white background and black text, chances are
your  display  will  screw  up.  Color  on the ST does not seem to have this
problem.

I  have  also  noted that while playing COWS via a BBS on an IBM, the single
quote  marks  used  throughout  the  game  when  a character is speaking are
reversed  on  the  left. What appears as 'The cow looked baffled.' on the ST
will  have  the  left quote mark turned the wrong direction. This is because
the ST displays the mark straight up and down, while an IBM displays it as a
true apostrophe. If this bothers you IBM users - buy an ST!!!

The  README.COW  file (what you are reading now) is now viewable from within
the  game  from  the  MAIN  MENU.  Please  be  sure  to  include  it  on the
drive/folder where the rest of the COWS files are.

AUG. 11, 1991

With a few semi-final touches today, another 80k of uncompiled code has been
added to COWS. I had thought this would be one of the last additions to COWS
as  I had drawn a line of 200k compiled and packed as the biggest COWS would
get.  Surprisingly,  the final product was only 130k, so there is still room
to  grow  some  more  (a  new  packing  program  has  reduced this size even
more!!!). This version (v8.7r) will only be run on a few select BBS' until I
am  satisfied  all the bugs are out. Undoubtedly, more additions will be put
in  before  my  projected official release date of Jan. 1, 1992. Part III of
the  game  is  still in need of finishing. I will do that next and that will
probably do it for COWS (ha, ha...in my dreams...).

The  newest  addition  to  COWS can be found in the SECRET DEVICE section of
Part  II. It is the single largest addition to the game I have ever made and
because there are so many variables involved, it's going to take quite a few
plays  to  figure  out exactly what the best choices are. Many are hidden in
such a way that you have to stumble upon one to find another.

Unlike other parts of COWS, this new scenario will not always play the same.
While  the  answers might not necessarily change, what was a right answer on
one  play  might  kill  you  on the next. There are several ways through the
scenario  and there are many ways to get killed. Some parts of it may change
in the future, as well, as I test and modify its playability.

I  am  not  saying  what  this new scenario is because I prefer to keep it a
surprise...it adds a lot to the game and is lots of fun. You'll know it when
you  see  it.  Be  careful,  it is a departure from the rest of the game and
takes some strange twists.

I  have  also  modified  the display of COW NEWS and the option to read this
file  from  the  main menu so that you can break out of the READ during each
page. Entering a 'C' will advance to the next page, while an 'X' will return
you to the main menu.

The  main  instruction  file  for  COWS is now external from the program and
readable via the main menu or from the desktop.

AUG. 31, 1991

I  have decided to release a new COWS version (8.9) ahead of my planned Jan.
1,  1992  deadline.  There will still be one released then, however, and the
way  I've  been  going lately, there may be more in between now and then, as
well.  I  have added so much more into the game that keeping the old version
as  the  "current" release is unfair to the users. See the INSTRUCT.COW file
for  a hint of what has been added. I prefer to be mysterious about it as it
is probably the best part of the game to date!

SEPT. 24, 1991

As  of v8.9, you need to run the new CONFIG22.PRG. I have renamed several of
the  files  that  the  program  writes  to disk, as their old names were too
common  and  may  have caused files with the same names to be lost when they
were overwritten.

SEPT. 26, 1991

Do  to  another careless accident, a major portion of some new stuff I added
to  COWS  was  lost.  I  had already uploaded a test version to a local BBS,
however,  and  I  was able to recreate the lost portion fairly accurately by
going  through and playing it. I will be more faithful to keeping backups of
my work disk in the future.

OCT. 24, 1991

I  am  currently  working  on  finishing  Part  III  of the game. Bugs, bugs
everywhere...it  will  not  be  installed  until  I  am  confident  they are
squashed.  Part III is turning very complicated, which is odd, because it is
basically  a  rewrite  of another part of the game...too many new twists and
variables,  I guess. Part III will conclude the COWS game (I think)...future
additions will stay within the current game.

NOV. 13, 1991

Well,  after  three  weeks of fooling around with Part III of COWS I came to
the  conclusion  that  the thing was never going to work right - IT BEAT ME!
Grrrr...  It was too complicated. So, I deleted the whole thing and am going
to  start over from scratch. I'm going to use the same basic premise for it,
but  will  simplify  the  whole  scenario. Actually, other than changing the
story  a  little and cutting out a "graphic" display similar to what you may
have  seen  in  another  part  of the game it will, in fact, be the same. In
fact,  doing  it  the  way  I  now  plan  to  do  it will open up a lot more
adventurous options for it than were available before.

NOV. 16, 1991

Except  for  debugging, Part III of COWS is done. Part III finishes the game
and barring any major overhauls, that's it!

NOV. 27, 1991

Finally! I declare COWS to finished. I've done everything I can do to it and
still keep it a respectable size. You might say it's getting too big for its
own   good.  The  program  itself  is  squished  down  to  its  130k  or  so
size...unsquished  it's  over 350k!!!! There are still a few things I'd like
to  add,  but I am afraid they would add too many more k's to the code. I've
already  had  one report of an OUT OF MEMORY situation from a BBS. Hopefully
this will not happen elsewhere. I am comfortable with COWS the way it is, so
that's the way it will stay. Many thanks to all the COWS fans out there!!!

The most current version of COWS is now v9.0.