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Text File | 1996-02-29 | 18.7 KB | 351 lines

UltraSoft INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDWAY (INDY) Version 1.1 Documentation Prepared by Steve Hansen Copyright(C) UltraSoft 1996 Software Division of UltraSoft Computers, Hawaii 5070 Likini St. Suite 1209 Honolulu, HI 96818 UltraSoft Product Support BBS - Hawaii (808)833-1525 2400bps - 28800bps Sysops: Steve Hansen - Alice Hansen UltraSoft CompuServe ID: 75120,2506 UltraSoft Internet ID: ultrasoft@hi.net Please see WHEREARE.WE for Distribution Center Locations and Numbers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── INTRODUCTION ---------------- NOTE: Due to intense and extensive animation involved in this game, CPU speeds below a 486DX 50, may have difficulty with INDY running too slow. If a multi-tasker is involved, CPU speed is even more critical. However, see your INDY.CFG file(s) for speed adjustment options available there. ========================================================================= Also due to intense animation, INDY is designed for baud rates of at least 4800 Baud. It will show a screen to anyone below 9600 bps, and ask if they still want to play the game. ========================================================================== If you are watching a REMOTE Player in this game at a lower baud rate, you may see the game appear to pause from time to time during a race. Not to worry though. The remote side is not seeing it the same way. You are locked at a considerably higher rate than the caller is connected, and the pauses you may see are your system's RTS/CTS (Stop/Start), waiting till it gets the signal to send more data out to the modem, at the caller's rate, much like a stop light does with auto traffic. Callers will not see the pauses. ========================================================================== Welcome to Indianapolis Speedway, (aka INDY), one of the series of Animated Graphics Door Games for BBS Systems, produced by UltraSoft. This Door Game operates in ANSI graphics mode only. Non-ANSI callers are given a choice of changing their graphics mode (if possible) or otherwise are restricted from playing. This is due to the extensive animation and ANSI position controls involved, which would not be functional in Text Mode operation. If you are not a registered User, then with registration you will receive a file called INDY.SYS which will open up the full registered game for you. With registration, you will also receive several useful utilities, for use with this and other BBS Door Games. Please refer to the documentation contained in those packages, for instructions on their use. We include these other BonusWare items, registered to you, and free of charge, as part of our thanks for becoming our valued Customer. Indianapolis Speedway is an Auto Racing game which was originally born from UltraSoft's popular Saratoga Raceway game. Many requests came in for an auto- racing game, somewhat similar to Saratoga. Since Saratoga Raceway is one of the most popular games ever, featured at our Hawaii support BBS, we began designing INDY. Even though there are functional similarities, INDY required a great many programming re-writes and almost nothing was left the same as in Saratoga. But the result is INDY has also become very popular, and we thank those who originally suggested it. In addition to full animation, INDY utiliizes extensive online sound effects. It not only features betting on cars, and winning the Big Bucks, but one must go to the Speedway (which is not in the best part of town), prepared for possible approaches by the Tax Man, Muggers, and Pick-Pockets, who frequent the track, preying on any opportunity for the fast buck from an unsuspecting winner, and other sinister characters, some of which have your best interests at heart, and some who may not. There are also several other opportunities to gain riches there, other than simply winning at the races, if one can survive that long. GETTING STARTED --------------- The fastest possible way to either test or install this product, and usually the most efficient, is to have all Files in the unzipped archive in either a Sub-Directory on your Hard Disk, or on a Floppy Diskette. TEST IT ------- You may easily Demo the Door Game prior to installation, by typing INDY /L. This will run the game in LOCAL Mode and independent of any BBS. It can even be run as a Home Game, in this manner. INSTALL IT ---------- Install Indianapolis Speedway by typing INSTALL while within the Directory or external Floppy Disk where the Distributiion Files reside. It is assumed that they have already been decompressed, and placed in a convenient location. INSTALL virtually does everything for you, and is highly recommended. It creates what normally is one complete operating DoorGame, with appropriate files created for your system, and placed in the proper locations. If you are using multiple nodes, copy the .BAT files and .CFG files created by install, (normally INDY.BAT and INDY.CFG), to the locations needed to run with the other node(s), and then edit as necessary. In most cases the only lines of the .BAT file that need to be edited for additional nodes, will be the last line, which changes you back to the operating directory before the game began. Here is a typical INDY.BAT file that is created by install with your input. @ECHO OFF <---IF YOU'D RATHER NOT SEE THINGS HAPPENING CD \BBS\NODE1\DOORS\INDY <---CHANGE TO WHEREVER THE GAME IS LOCATED INDY INDY.CFG <---RUN INDY ACCORDING TO HOW YOU HAVE INDY.CFG COPY BLTG. C:\BBS\BULLETINS\BLT5G. <--PLACE BULLETINS WHERE YOU WANT THEM COPY BLT. C:\BBS\BULLETINS\BLT5. <--SAME AS ABOVE (ASCII BULLETIN) CD \BBS <--GO BACK WHERE THE BBS SOFTWARE IS BBS <----POSSIBLY NEEDED IN SOME CASES TO BRING BACK THE BBS If you registered INDY and got the DOORGraf Utilities with WATCHER, and the DSA Sysop Utility, the above INDY.BAT might look more like this: @ECHO OFF <---IF YOU'D RATHER NOT SEE THINGS HAPPENING DSA <---CHANGE SYSOP NAME IF APPLICABLE WATCHER INDY.LOG <---LOG GAME ENTRY INTO THE LOG FOR DOORGRAF CD \BBS\NODE1\DOORS\INDY <---CHANGE TO WHEREVER THE GAME IS LOCATED INDY INDY.CFG <---RUN INDY ACCORDING TO HOW YOU HAVE INDY.CFG COPY BLTG. C:\BBS\BULLETINS\BLT5G. <--PLACE BULLETINS WHERE YOU WANT THEM COPY BLT. C:\BBS\BULLETINS\BLT5. <--SAME AS ABOVE (ASCII BULLETIN) CD \BBS <--GO BACK WHERE THE BBS SOFTWARE IS BBS <----POSSIBLY NEEDED IN SOME CASES TO BRING BACK THE BBS The basic format for INDY.CFG is: C:\BBS\DOOR.SYS (DORINFO1.DEF OPTIONAL, BUT NOT PREFERRED) 3 20 30 15 6 <---(Blank for Standard IRQ, but still must be here, even tho blank) <---(Blank for Standard Port Address, but still must be here) =============================* DETAILS *=================================== ** LINES 1-6 MUST BE FILLED IN. LINES 7-8 MUST BE USED OR BE LEFT BLANK ** ** PLEASE LEAVE THESE NOTES IN THIS FILE AND SIMPLY ALTER THE LINES ABOVE ** ** IF USING MULTINODE, WITH MORE THAN ONE .CFG FILE, JUST COPY THIS FILE ** ** TO THE .CFG FILE USED BY OTHER NODES. (i.e. INDY2.CFG) ** =========================================================================== Line 1 = Path to DOOR User Interface File (Sometimes called drop file) Line 2 = Number of Sessions allowed in one day Line 3 = Number of INDY races allowed per day. (5 if unregistered). Line 4 = Minutes allowed each Session Line 5 = Speed Adjust (VERY IMPORTANT if game is too fast or too slow) Line 6 = Number of LAPS per Race =========================================================================== ** LINES 7 & 8 ARE FOR ADVANCED USERS. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE WHAT TO PUT ** ** PUT IN THESE LINES, LEAVE THEM BLANK.. STANDARD VALUES WILL BE USED ** =========================================================================== Line 7 = IRQ for this Node. (If STANDARD then COM1 & 3 = 4, COM2 & 4 = 3) Otherwise assign your Non-Standard IRQ for this COM Port. If you don't know, leave blank and the STANDARD will be used. Line 8 = Use ONLY if you are using a NON-STANDARD COMM PORT ADDRESS. Or else leave line blank. If line is left blank, the blank line still must be there. If a Non-Standard Port address is entered here, it must be in HEXIDECIMAL format and must be exactly 4 Digits. i.e. 03F8 ========================================================================== Install may be performed manually, using the above file formats, but we can't imagine why anyone would want to do that. If you want to use Node Variables, i.e. %wcNODE%, and use the .BAT and .CFG files for multiple nodes, the Door can run this way as well. But INSTALL will do it in the standard way. Edit and adjust files as needed for Node Variable installation. There is some variation depending on your BBS Software. We recommend the independent .BAT file method (as done by INSTALL), over the Node Variable or Node ID method, since it is simpler, uses less memory, and is much easier to comprehend. Disclaimer ----------- INDY Speedway has been extensively tested, and should provide no possibility of harm to your system in any way. However, no warrantees, either expressed or implied are provided with this software and one must run it purely at his/her own risk, without liability to UltraSoft or to the author. Compatibility overview ------------------------ INDY Speedway is currently capable of being operated on any BBS System that uses a DOOR.SYS or a DORINFOX.DEF door interface file. This includes: GAP/PCBoard/RoboBoard/WildCat/RBBS/QuickBBS/Random Access and many others, not to exclude other BBS Software that will run doors for the above. In some cases, a conversion utility such as QKDoor.EXE or DoorFrame might be needed to convert, preferably to DOOR.SYS, (since this is a highly animated Game, and requires awareness of the Caller's connect speed) or DORINFOX.DEF, (2nd choice), which does not pass the caller's connect speed to the Door, but is accomodated inside the Door. INDY Speedway may also be run at any Baud Rate up to 115,200bps and is compatible with COM1 through COM4 with the current release. It does not directly support non-standard Com Port arrangements such as Digiboards. INDY Speedway is Multi-Node aware, and has been tested successfully with and without DesqView. Standard IRQ's are 4 for COM1 and COM3 and 3 for COM2 and COM4. Use with non-standard IRQ arrangements is introduced in this Release, as is NON-STANDARD Port Addressing. Any COM Port can now be used with an IRQ assignment of 2-15. If Non-Standard IRQ's are used, they MUST be defined in Line 7 of the applicable INDY.CFG file(s). Otherwise Line 7 MUST be left blank, but it still must be there.. Line 8 contains the HEX address of the Com Port, only IF non-standard. Otherwise it should be also left blank. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Running with DesqView ------------------------ INDY Speedway runs very well with QuarterDeck's DesqView Multi-Tasker. The only consideration necessary for this mode of operation is to activate the ANSI driver from QuarterDeck, prior to calling the game, unless it has already been made resident by the BBS or some other program. In this case, place the line C:\DV\DVANSI.COM as the first line in your batch file which calls the game. (i.e. INDY.BAT) MSDOS's ANSI.SYS is ignored by DesqView and is replaced when necessary by DVANSI.COM, a TSR. This DoorGame requires ANSI support to run properly. Running with Windows & OS/2 --------------------------- INDY Speedway has been tested running on BBS Systems under MicroSoft Windows and also under IBM OS/2. It is also reportedly running well under Galacticomm's Major BBS, but we cannot support this setup extensively. While Fossil Drivers are not needed or recommended, (Indy contains all it's own internal Comm Interface Routines), INDY and similar UltraSoft Doors are running in many environments with Fossils. There seems to be no problem of any kind using a Fossil, but again, INDY does not need or want one. Note: ----------- INDY Speedway is maintenance free, in that no Maintenance program exists or is necessary for any reason. All data is fully updated at PLAY time. As a safety measure against corrupted files, the program backs up it's Player File each time a caller enters the Door. As such, if for any reason you lose an active player file, a backup will exist in the operating directory, with the last two letters of the extention being BU.. (PLAYER.$BU) This will help in the case of lock up, due to abnormal terminations etc., BUT, it will be overwritten with the active file as soon as another player enters the game. So if you are restoring from a back up file, do it as soon as possible. Indy is designed to store all data files at their current state, in the event of abnormal terminations, such as Lost Carrier. However, no door can always recover from any possible operational distruption, so this is yet another precautionary measure to ensure against corruption of files. We recommend also backing up PLAYER files during a nightly BBS Event process. This includes PLAYER.$$$, BLTx files and .LMO files, the most critical being PLAYER.$$$. If there are any unforseen complications with the use of this door game, in any configuration, we would appreciate hearing about it. Please notify the author(s) at one of the locations shown at the beginning of this document. Manual Installation ------------------- We have attempted to keep simplicity at the forefront in designing UltraSoft Games. We hope installation is among the simplest you have ever encountered. Again, the INSTALL process is by far the easiest, but here are additional manual guidelines, if ever needed. STEP 1: Create a directory where the Door Game will reside. i.e. C:\BBS\DOORS\INDY STEP 2: Expand all of the files in the distribution package into the new Directory. STEP 3: Create a BAT file to call the Game from your BBS System. This often will reside in your BBS default directory, but sometimes elsewhere. i.e. C:\BBS\INDY.BAT STEP 4: Edit the existing INDY.CFG file (and the INDYx.CFG file(s) (if running Multi-Node) to indicate your operational preferences as shown earlier. STEP 5: Enjoy the game and feel free to offer suggestions for future enhancement releases. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- INDY Speedway creates User Bulletins as well, called: BLTG. -for the ANSI graphics Bulletin BLT. -for the ASCII Bulletin Normally these would be copied to wherever you like, as a part of the .BAT file that brings up the game and after execution of the game. For example: ==INDY.BAT================================================================= CD\BBS\DOORS\INDY INDY INDY.CFG copy bltg. C:\BBS\GEN\BLT15G. <--copy bltg. to your chosen ANSI Bulletin copy blt. C:\BBS\GEN\BLT15. <--copy blt. to your chosen ASCII Bulletin CD\BBS BBS <--if needed with your BBS software ============================================================================ In this case, these lines should be inserted in the BAT file just after the line INDY INDY.CFG, as shown above. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INDY also responds to any alternate .CFG file you choose, by including the name of the .CFG file on the command line as a parameter. i.e. INDY OTHER.CFG .. or INDY INDY2.CFG (for Node 2) Usually the only difference between the two files is line 1 (Path to DOOR.SYS) Obviously, that .CFG file must exist, and if it is in some other directory, that Path must be included in the parameter. INDY C:\BBS\OTHERDIR\OTHER.CFG REGISTRATION --------------- For continued development of the variety of UltraSoft products, including this one, please register withing a period of 30 days after installation and testing. This will entitle you to all future version updates as a Registered Licensee. You then must only retain your INDY.SYS file and either order the product directly from UltraSoft at the nominal cost of $6.00 (not to be confused with initial Registration) for Media, Shipping and Handling or simply download the newer shareware version from your favorite BBS, copying in your Registered INDY.SYS file into the INDY subdirectory. This file CANNOT be edited/altered in any way, without adverse effect to the game. The Unregistered version of INDY has some restrictions. We regret that this is necessary, but for further development of this and many other UltraSoft products, registration revenues must be realized. Earlier unrestricted versions of our variety of products proved to us that unrestricted products are not often registered by the public, while restricted products are. We wish this were not the case, since after developing what one hopes is an exciting and interesting DoorGame, the LAST thing we want to do is restrict how much it can be played. But alas, we need to eat and pay the rent too, and this is how we are able to do that, and continue developing other products for you to use and enjoy. This product, like other UltraSoft DoorGames, has undergone many enhancements, design changes, re-writes after Beta Test phases, and more testing and rewrites. So many many hours have gone into producing something special and entertaining for your BBS and your users. Like others who go into an office, or elsewhere, and work hard on what they do, we deserve to be paid for what we do also. In the unRegistered version, there are a maximum number of 5 races that can be run by any caller in one day. Registration makes this unlimited and completely under control of the Licensed Sysop. It also credits the Sysop with his/her name at the top of the Game Screens and on initial caller entry into the game. There are other achives enclosed, one of which contains ANSI and ASCII artwork that can be used as News Files or Bulletins to make your callers more aware of the existance of INDY Speedway among your Door Games. If you haven't already done so, Aloha! Please Register, and Enjoy! Steve Hansen UltraSoft - Hawaii