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README!.TXT
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1996-11-27
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──══ Galaxy 5 ══──
Copyright (c) 1996 Thomas J. Smith
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DROPFILE.*, NODE*.DAT, DORINFO*.DEF, & DATA*.NFO are all created in the
TEMP subdirectory. So if your Galaxy 5 directory was C:\DOORS\G5, then the
dropfile directory would be C:\DOORS\G5\TEMP.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-=≡=-
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Here is a list of files that should be included with G5_STRUC.ZIP
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
G5_STRUC.PAS - Data file structures.
DROPFILE.1 - Format of the DROPFILE.* drop file created for Xport use.
NODE1.DAT - Format of the NODE*.DAT drop file created for Xport use.
DORINFO1.DEF - Format of the DORINFO*.DEF drop file created for Xport use.
DATA1.NFO - Format of the DATA*.NFO drop file created for authors who
do not program in Turbo Pascal.
MAIL.TXT - Format of mail files.
G5_CODES.TXT - List of all color codes, and other codes used by G5.
README!.TXT - This text file.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
These four files,
DROPFILE.*
NODE*.DAT
DORINFO*.DEF
DATA*.NFO
Never exist at any given time. They are created in the TEMP subdirectory
by Galaxy 5 when a caller uses an Xport, or when one of the automatic
batch files are ran (if they exist). They can be used by 3rd party
programmers to create their own add ons for Galaxy 5. Like IGM's in the
popular door game, LORD by Seth Able Robinson. UrDoor programmers may
find it easy to create an Xport for Galaxy 5, since the first 7 lines of
the DROPFILE.* file, are written in the format required by the UrDoor
unit! ;> DDplus door programmers may also find it easy to use the
NODE*.DAT file, since its entire format is written to work with the
DDplus door driver (it is a control file that DDplus requires). And
other door programmers can use DORINFO*.DEF if the door writing kit you
are using can read these types of BBS drop files, if not, then you can
set up your Xport to read from one or more of these three drop files.
You can read from any of these files, or all of em if you need to. Do
whatever you have to to get a working Xport created! <G>
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
THE DATA*.NFO FILE
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The DATA*.NFO file does NOT contain information that your Xport may need
to actually "operate." This file contains all of the info of the players
record who is using the Xport.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
If you write doors in a language other than Turbo Pascal, and wish to
write an Xport for Galaxy 5, I have now made it easy for you to do! ;>
There are basically two things you will need to do in order to do this...
1) Determine which drop file(s) you will use to gather door
information such as COM port, baud rate, etc. etc.
2) Setup a routine in your Xport that reads the players info from
the DATA*.NFO file, and a routine that writes any changes that
your Xport makes to the players info, back to the DATA*.NFO
file, so that G5 can make the appropriate changes if any.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
How it works
--------------
When running an Xport, Galaxy 5 creates the 4 drop files described above.
After gathering the COM port info, and/or whatever other info you may
need to operate your Xport from one or more of the 3 drop files created
for that purpose, you need to read in the player info from the DATA*.NFO
file (where * is the node number the player is on), and save the values
to your own variables. After your Xport is finished, just before exiting
back to the game, your Xport must rewrite the DATA*.NFO file, using the
new values (if any). When Galaxy 5 reloads, it reads the DATA*.NFO file,
and saves all of the values therein to the players record. You MUST change
line 1 in this file to MODIFIED=YES if you want Galaxy 5 to record the
changes in this file to the players record!
Rules of thumb
----------------
1) You MUST write on the very first line of the DATA*.NFO file,
MODIFIED=YES in order for Galaxy 5 to accept the changes. Otherwise,
the changes made to the DATA*.NFO file will be ignored.
2) You MUST write ALL of the info back to the DATA*.NFO file! Even if you
only made changes to a few values! When Galaxy 5 reads in the
DATA*.NFO file, if it finds ANY problems in the format (strings where
numerals were expected, etc.), then it will completely IGNORE the info
contained in the DATA*.NFO file.
3) If no changes were made to any of the values, then you can just have
your Xport either erase the DATA*.NFO file, or leave the original one
that G5 created upon running your Xport, and no changes will be made
to the players record. If the DATA*.NFO file is not found when G5
reloads, then it will act as if nothing has changed.
4) BE CAREFUL! Inserting the wrong value in an improper line number of
the DATA*.NFO file when your Xport finishes, can have unpredicted
results (if G5 accepts the mistake for some reason). For example,
putting the users amount of krills in the bank on the line that is
supposed to contain the players fights left for the day...be careful
not to do things like this. Try to make sure you follow the exact
format shown in the example DATA1.NFO file when writing your values
back to the file.
5) Do NOT use commas in your large amounts! If you do, then ALL of the
info in the DATA*.NFO file will be ignored. For example, if the player
leaves your Xport with 412,520 krills, write it to the DATA*.NFO file
as 412520, not 412,520.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ALLOWING OVERNIGHT STAYS
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
If you wish to allow players to stay the night in your Xport, then
here is what you need to do...
1) Upon exiting your Xport, first create a file named EXITGAME.#
where # is replaced by the node number. This file does not have
to contain anything special, in fact, it can even be a 0 byte
file. Simply put, if it exists, then the game will exit upon
returning from your Xport.
2) Create a record in the XPORTINF.DAT file, located (or will be)
in the DATA subdirectory. The format of this file is given in
the G5_STRUC.PAS file located inside the G5_STRUC.ZIP file. If
this file does not yet exist, then you must create it. If it
does exist, then add a record to it for the current player.
3) Thats it! The game will exit when your Xport is finished, and
the next time the caller plays G5, he/she will be taken directly
to your Xport.
I know this is not the best way, but I did not want to change the
structure of the PLAYERS.DAT file (this would have been easiest).
If I did that, then all Xports and utilities that use the
PLAYERS.DAT file, would also have to be updated, and SysOps would
not be able to use them until they were updated.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────