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Land Of Devastation By Scott M. Baker NOTE: Tucson's area code has CHANGED from 602 to 520! That means the LOD Support bbs is now at 520-544-4655 Need-to-Know information Sec 0: System Requirements For the experienced door installers: Getting started quickly Sec 1: Files included Sec 2: Quick installation Sec 3: Command line switches Sec 4: Examples In depth information about installing and operating LOD Sec 5: Glossary of common terms Sec 6: VGA graphics Sec 7: Memory requirements Sec 8: Audio support Sec 9: Multinode use Sec 10: Common problems / trouble shooting Sec 11: Restarting the game Sec 12: Alternate data sets Miscellaneous Sec 13: Unfinished stuff Sec 14: Error codes Sec 15: Corrupted data files Sec 16: Recent revision history Sec 17: Credits Sec 18: How to reach me Sec 19: *** Registration *** System Requirements ------------------- LOD is a very hardware-hungry program. To get the full configuration operating (SVGA graphics and MOD Music), you'll need a pretty significant setup. I do not recommend using LOD under desqview, but it can be done. I would suggest that if you do so, you restrict yourself to operating LOD in text mode. I do not own a copy of desqview and thus cannot test LOD under that environment. *** CPU Any 80286 or greater should function with LOD in TEXT mode, but you'll need at least a 80386/33 for reasonable performace in the SVGA graphics mode. LOD's graphics routines used embedded 386 assembly instructions and therefore a 286 just won't work with graphics enabled. *** VIDEO CARD LOD can be operated in either TEXT or SVGA mode. Any old graphics adapter will work for text mode, but SVGA requires a graphics adapter capable of supporting 800x600x256 SVGA graphics. The graphics adapter must have at least 512k memory on board, and should support the VESA video bios standard. The program VGATEST is included to test whether an adapter is supported by LOD or not. If 800x600x256 is not available, then LOD will attempt to fall back to 640x480x256. The 640x480 mode does not include nearly as much information as 800x600 and is not recommended unless absolutely necessary. *** DISK SPACE A hard drive is required. LOD doesn't use too much space beyond what is stored inside the zip files, so if you can uncompress the thing and still have about a meg left, then you ought to be safe. *** MEMORY This depends significantly on the installation that you perform. Running LOD in TEXT mode uses the least amount of memory. Operating in SVGA graphics mode will add about 30-50k to the requirements. MOD Music support requires that you either have EMS memory available or run the DPMI version of LOD. The basic conventional memory requirement for LOD/TEXT is 450k. LOD/SVGA is 500k. If you use the /EMS switch on LOD's command line, then LOD will load some data into EMS memory, reducing the memory requirements slightly. *** MODEM Most of LOD's game play involves moving about in the wastelands. When this occurs, the user's display must be updated quickly. The better the modem, the faster this happens. I recommend using at least a 9600 baud modem. *** SOUND CARD LOD should operate on a Sound Blaster 16, 1.x, 2.0, pro, the Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum, Gravis Ultrasound, or any sound card compatible with those standards. Files Included -------------- Below is a listing of all files contained within the Land Of Devastation distribution archives. As you can see, the files are split into several separate archives. The file LODFILES.TXT contains information on which archives you need, what they are for, etc. I recommend READING THIS FILE. Archive LODxxxA.ZIP - Land Of Devastation Docs & Install info [REQUIRED] LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information LODQUICK.DOC - A quick description of what LOD is about USERDOC.TXT - User documentation SYSOP.DOC - Sysop documentation NEWSLETT.TXT - Newsletter data file REGLIST.TXT - List of registered users DOCVIEW.EXE - Documentation/Newsletter view/extract utility AUTHENTI.LOD - Authenticity Verification - do not delete Archive LODxxxB.ZIP - Land Of Devastation main program disk [REQUIRED] LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information GAME.EXE - Executable file for LOD GAME.OVR - Overlay file for LOD GAME.CTL - Control file for setting up LOD REGISTER.FRM - Registration form ANSI.DEF - Library containing ansi graphics pictures MISC.DEF - Miscellaneous game parameters MAP.DEF - Main map file TERRAIN.DEF - Definitions for the various terrain types DEVICES.DEF - Definitions of all items in the game (weapons,armor, etc) GAME.DEF - Master game definition file [Compiled - don't edit] TRIVIA.DEF - Definitions of trivia questions (encrypted) LODLOK.TXT - Explains to multinode users than another use is online. REGISTER.EXE - Registration code utility GAMEEDIT.EXE - Sysop player editing tool STR3TO4.PAT - String patch file to get 4.10 datasets to work with 4.20 RESET.EXE - Utility to manually reset the game Archive LODxxxC.ZIP - Land Of Devastation VGA support disk [OPTIONAL] LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information GTSTRS.DEF - String definitions used by graphical display GMAPEDIT.EXE - Graphical (SVGA) map editor BMPSTD.RES - Main VGA graphics library for graphical versions LODVGA.PAL - VGA Palette FONT8X8.FNT - VGA display font: 8x8 FONT8X12.FNT - VGA display font: 8x12 FONT8x14.FNT - VGA display font: 8x14 VGATEST.EXE - VGA test & benchmark utility VGATEST.DOC - Documentation for VGATEST Archive LODxxxD.ZIP - Land Of Devastation additional VGA pics [OPTIONAL] LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information BMPBIG.RES - Secondary [optional] VGA graphics file for graphical versions PICTURES.IDX - Listing of user-submitted pictures in BMPBIG.RES Archive LODxxxE.ZIP - Sysop Customization Package [OPTIONAL] LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information LODFAQ1.TXT - Konnor's LOD FAQ #1 CUSTOM.DOC - Customization documentation NEHELP.HLP - Context Sensitive help file for NEWLODED.EXE. ANSIPUT.EXE - Utility to manipulate ANSI.DEF. PROGRAMR.ZIP - Archive containing data types for programmers TSAMP1.TXT - Sample trivia file TRIVCOMP.EXE - Trivia compiler utility COMPILE.EXE - Used to compile STRINGS.TXT,MONSTERS.TXT,etc into GAME.DEF CUSTOM.EXE - Custom game editing tool LCDOS.EXE - LGPL Compiler (DPMI version) LGPL.IN - LGPL source code file LGPL.OUT - Compiled LGPL program *.INC - LGPL source include files RTM.EXE - misc file needed for DPMI (Copyright Borland International) DPMI*.* - misc file needed for DPMI (Copyright Borland International) STANDARD.ZIP - Contains text files for the standard LOD data set STRINGS.TXT - ASCII most strings used in game [Edit w/ any text editor] MONSTER.TXT - ASCII monsters [Edit w/ any text editor] TALK.TXT - ASCII dialog from taverns [Edit w/ any text editor] COMBAT.TXT - ASCII combat strings [Edit w/ any text editor] TROYINFO.TXT - ASCII troy's info rom [Edit w/ any text editor] TRELLNOT.TXT - ASCII Trell's note [Edit w/ any text editor] HISTORY.TXT - ASCII History text rom [Edit w/ any text editor] TAVERN.TXT - ASCII Who is in which tavern [Edit w/ any text editor] MISC.BIN - Miscellaneous game parameters [Use CUSTOM.EXE] MAIN.MAP - Main map file [Use CUSTOM.EXE] TERRAIN.BIN - The various terrain types [Use CUSTOM.EXE] DEVICES.BIN - Definitions of all items [Use CUSTOM.EXE] Archive LODxxxF.ZIP - Sound support LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information ACCURSED.GDM - Music file DEATH.GDM - Music file ETERNAL.GDM - Music file FATE.GDM - Music file MYSTERY2.GDM - Music file TALAMASC.GDM - Music file WITCHING.GDM - Music file GUS.MSE - Sound Driver: Gravis Ultrasound PAS.MSE - Sound Driver: Pro Audio Spectrum SB16.MSE - Sound Driver: SoundBlaster 16 SB1X.MSE - Sound Driver: SoundBlaster 1.x SB2X.MSE - Sound Driver: SoundBlaster 2.x SBPRO.MSE - Sound Driver: SoundBlaster Pro Archive LODxxxG.ZIP - VGA developers kit LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information BMPPUT.EXE - bmp library program VGAKIT.DOC - documentation LODART.DOC - article by Dave Rosson about creating images Archive LODxxxL.ZIP - Lite version LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information GAMELITE.DOC - Documentation/Release notes for lite version GAMELITE.EXE - "Lite" version of Lod - no sound or graphics support GAMELITE.OVR - Overlay file for gamelite Archive LODxxxO.ZIP - OS/2 mode executables LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information GAME_PM.EXE - OS/2 graphical replacement for game.exe GAME_OS2.EXE - OS/2 character mode replacement for game.exe COMP_OS2.EXE - OS/2 character mode replacement for compile.exe DOCV_OS2.EXE - OS/2 character mode replacement for docview.exe REG_OS2.EXE - OS/2 character mode replacement for register.exe APUT_OS2.EXE - OS/2 character mode replacement for ansiput.exe TRIV_OS2.EXE - OS/2 character mode replacement for trivcomp.exe BPUT_OS2.EXE - OS/2 character mode replacement for bmpput.exe GMED_OS2.EXE - OS/2 character mode replacement for gameedit.exe CUST_OS2.EXE - OS/2 character mode replacement for custom.exe RSET_OS2.EXE - OS/2 character mode replacement for reset.exe CONTROLS.DLL - Custom control DLL for GAME_PM LODPM.DLL - Menu & Dialog DLL for GAME_PM Archive LODxxxP.ZIP - DPMI executables LODFILES.TXT - LOD packaging information GAME_DPM.EXE - DPMI (Dos Protected Mode) replacement for game.exe COMP_DPM.EXE - DPMI (Dos Protected Mode) replacement for compile.exe DOCV_DPM.EXE - DPMI (Dos Protected Mode) replacement for docview.exe REG_DPM.EXE - DPMI (Dos Protected Mode) replacement for register.exe APUT_DPM.EXE - DPMI (Dos Protected Mode) replacement for ansiput.exe TRIV_DPM.EXE - DPMI (Dos Protected Mode) replacement for trivcomp.exe BPUT_DPM.EXE - DPMI (Dos Protected Mode) replacement for bmpput.exe GMED_DPM.EXE - DPMI (Dos Protected Mode) replacement for gameedit.exe CUST_DPM.EXE - DPMI (Dos Protected Mode) replacement for custom.exe RTM.EXE - misc file needed for DPMI (Copyright Borland International) DPMI*.* - misc file needed for DPMI (Copyright Borland International) Files created by LOD upon initialization USERS.DAT - Master players file OBJECTS.DAT - Objects left laying around on the wasteland BASES.DAT - Fortress data file LOG.DAT - Log of what happens in the game USERIDX.DAT - User file quick index CLONES.DAT - File containing clone information CASSTATS.DAT - Casino statistics data file PTRON380.DAT - Puritron data file TEAMS.DAT - Team information DAYSTATS.DAT - Current day game statistics *.NTS - Contains users notes taken during play MSGIDX.DAT - Message base index file MSGBDY.DAT - Message base body file MREPORT.TXT - Maintenance report (created when maint is run) LODERROR.LOG - Log of critical runtime errors Other notable files NEWDOOR.IDX - Old style message base - obsolete - may be deleted NEWDOOR.BDY - Old style message base - obsolete - may be deleted MONSTER.DEF - Old .def file - may be deleted TALK.DEF - Old .def file - may be deleted COMBAT.DEF - Old .def file - may be deleted *.MOD - Old music file - may be deleted [Note: I recommend reading LODFILES.TXT for a better understanding of what each distribution archive is for.] Quick Installation ------------------ A) Create a directory on your disk to contain LOD and change dir to it. (e.g. "MD \LOD" and "CD \LOD") B) Unzip the required archive files. A chart at the end of this section lists which files are required for a particular installation. You can never go wrong by unzipping too much, but if certain files are -missing-, then certain components may not work. C) If you are running LOD with a bbs system, then you will need to edit GAME.CTL to set up the required interface to the bbs software. In particular you will wish to modify the following items: SYSOPFIRST, SYSOPLAST - your first & last name BBSNAME - the name of your bbs BBSTYPE - the type of "drop file" that is created by your bbs LOCKBAUD - a locked baud rate, if applicable The default DOS setup is configured to operate with a fossil driver. If you are not running a fossil driver, then you will need to uncomment the ";INTERNAL" line in game.ctl. There may be more options of interest to you in GAME.CTL. I suggest thoroughly reading that file. D) If you are running LOD with a bbs system, then you will also need to create the proper batch files to interface with your bbs. Please see the documentation included with your bbs software for more information. Basically, the batch file should change to lod's directory, optionally copy the drop file to that directory, invoke GAME.EXE with various parameters, and finally change dir back to your bbs and exit. E) For a quick local logon, you can load up LOD with the /L switch. For example, "GAME.EXE /L" or "GAME.EXE /VGA /L". This can be a quick way to test and make sure that LOD itself is operating properly. Required archive chart: The following chart lists the archives that are required for a particular installation under a particular operating environment: DOS Text Only: LODxxxA.ZIP, LODxxxB.ZIP Partial VGA Graphics: LODxxxA.ZIP, LODxxxB.ZIP, LODxxxC.ZIP Full VGA Graphics: LODxxxA.ZIP, LODxxxB.ZIP, LODxxxC.ZIP, LODxxxD.ZIP To add audio support: LODxxxF.ZIP DOS-DPMI Text Only: LODxxxA.ZIP, LODxxxB.ZIP, LODxxxP.ZIP Partial VGA Graphics: LODxxxA.ZIP, LODxxxB.ZIP, LODxxxC.ZIP, LODxxxP.ZIP Full VGA Graphics: LODxxxA.ZIP, LODxxxB.ZIP, LODxxxC.ZIP, LODxxxD.ZIP, LODxxxP.ZIP To add audio support: LODxxxF.ZIP OS/2 Character Mode: Game_os2.exe (Text Only) LODxxxA.ZIP, LODxxxB.ZIP, LODxxxO.ZIP PM Mode: Game_pm.exe - partial graphics LODxxxA.ZIP, LODxxxB.ZIP, LODxxxC.ZIP, LODxxxO.ZIP PM Mode: Game_pm.exe - full graphics LODxxxA.ZIP, LODxxxB.ZIP, LODxxxC.ZIP, LODxxxD.ZIP, LODxxxO.ZIP Command Line Switches --------------------- /L Load in Local mode. /S Sysop fast log on. (uses sysop name in GAME.CTL) /M Force maintenance run. (Unnecessary unless "NOAUTOMAINT" is present in GAME.CTL) /VGA Displays VGA GRAPHICS on sysop's computer. /640 Force LOD to operate in 640x480x256 instead of 800x600x256. This option is handy if your monitor does not support 800x600 yet you still wish to operate in graphics mode. /LARGEFONT This will cause LOD to use an 8x12 font in SVGA mode rather than the defaut 8x8 font. The 8x12 font is significantly larger and may be easier for some people to read. However, the inventory display will be reduced to displaying only one line (6 items). May be abbreviated "/LF" /HUGEFONT This will cuase LOD to use an 8x14 font in SVGA mode. It is much larger than the standard font and may be more easily readable by some people. The entire bottom inventory display will be dropped however. May be abbreviated "/HF" /NOACCEL Disables checking for S3 accelerator chip in SVGA mode. If SVGA mode yields unpredictable results or lockups then you may wish to use this option. May be abbreiviated "/NA" /FORCEINT Forces LOD to use an interrupt based VESA flipper rather than a call based VESA flipper. Use it if VGATEST tells you to. May be abbreviated "/FI" /FORCEDUAL Forces LOD to use a dual page based VESA flipper rather than a single page based VESA flipper. Use it if VGATEST tells you to. May be abbreviated "/FD". /EMS Use ems memory if available. /SERHANDx [OS/2 version only!] "x" is assumed to be the file handle number of an open serial port. You'll probably need to do this with maximus/2. /Nx Specifies node number. (i.e. /N1 for node 1, /N2 for node 2, etc) /Pyy Specifies path to drop files. (i.e. /PC:\BBS, for c:\bbs, etc) /CHECK Perform multinode check (see multinode use below) /Bxxxx Specify lock baud rate. For example, "/B38400" would force the com port to be 38,400 baud no matter what the drop file (i.e. DORINFOx.DEF) says the baud is. /? Display a brief command line option summary. /OVREMS Will cause LOD to attempt to load its overlay into EMS memory if possible. /AUDIOxxx For DOS and DPMI versions only. Initializes the MOD music system. See the section below entitled "audio support" for more details. Valid codes are: /AUDIOSB: SoundBlaster 1.x /AUDIOSB1X: SoundBlaster 1.x (same as /AUDIOSB) /AUDIOSB2X: SoundBlaster 2.x /AUDIOSBPRO: SoundBlaster Pro /AUDIOPAS: Pro Audio Spectrum /AUDIOGUS: Gravis Ultrasound This option requires LODxxxF.ZIP. /IRQx Specify Sound Card IRQ level (SB Default=5) /DMAx Specify Sound Card DMA level (SB Default=1) /BASExxx Specify Sound Card BASEIO, in hexadecimal (SB Default=220) /FR Play audio when remote users are on. By default, LOD will NOT play music on the sysops machine when the caller is on from REMOTE. This is done to not wake up the sysop in the middle of the night when a player enters the game! However, if you want the music to play no matter whether the user is on locally, or remotely, then you can use this switch. Examples -------- "GAME /L /EMS /VGA" Loads LOD in local mode with VGA graphics active and EMS memory will be used if available. "GAME /N1 /EMS /VGA /PI:\MAX /B38400" Loads LOD in remote mode with VGA graphics active. EMS memory will be used if available. Node #1 has been selected (i.e. DORINFO1.DEF or DOOR1.SYS will be used). The drop file will be searched for in the path I:\MAX. The baud rate will be locked to 38,400 "GAME /L /EMS /VGA /AUDIOSB" Load locally, enable VGA graphics, use EMS if available, and use soundblaster 1.x audio. "GAME /L /EMS /VGA /AUDIOSB16 /IRQ5 /DMA1 /BASE220" Load locally, using VGA graphics and EMS, and use SoundBlaster 16 audio at irq=5, dma=1, and base address = 220. Glossary -------- Here's the definitions of a few terms that I will be using quite frequently in this document. 640x480x256 - This mode is also supported by LOD. Not all information that is present in 800x600 is available, but this mode can be used in the case that you do not support 800x600. 640x480 does still require a SVGA adapter, but you can probably get by with a normal VGA monitor. 800x600x256 - This is the video mode at which the VGA version of LOD operates. Specifically, it is 800 pixels horizontal, 600 pixels vertical, and each color is chosen from a 256 color palette. An 800x600 screen requires 480,000 bytes of video memory and thus should operate on a SVGA card with 512k or more of memory. Baud - The speed at which the user is calling. DORINFOx.DEF - Common drop file used by a variety of bbs programs. It is the most extensively tested drop file format in LOD, and therefore, the most reliable. Drop File - The file that is created by the bbs program when it goes to execute the door. It contains the baud rate, com port, name of the user online, etc. Common drop files are DORINFO.DEF, DOOR.SYS, PCBOARD.SYS, EXITINFO.DAT, etc. EGA - "Enhanced Graphics Adapter". The graphics standard that LOD and GTERM used to use. We have since upgraded to SVGA. Most modern video adapters (VGA, SVGA, etc) also support the EGA modes. EGA support is no longer available with LOD 4.20 and above. [See also: VGA, SVGA] EMS - "Expanded Memory Specification". If your machine has over 1 megabyte of memory, then you may have some available. LOD can utilize EMS to improve game performance and reduce conventional memory requirements. Locked Baud - In order to get the most efficiency out of a high speed error correcting modem (9600 baud or above), then you may lock the baud rate to a speed higher than what the caller is actually using. By locking the baud to 38,400, the modem can actually compress the data that is being sent and achieve a baud rate much higher than the actual transmission rate. Please see the section on high speed/ locked bauds below. LOD - "Land Of Devastation", the name of the game you are trying to install! MOD - A commonly used music file format. Most MOD songs are high quality four voice with digital effects. Land Of Devastation uses MODs for it's music. Maint - Maintenance mode. LOD must perform maintenance once per day to do various things with it's data files. See the section below on maintenance. Multinode - A bbs system with either more than one computer attached or using a multi tasker (desqview, windows) that allows more than one person to call at a time. Node - Refers to a member of a multinode system. Overlay - A file included with LOD (either GAME.OVR or GAMEEGA.OVR) which is used to keep portions of the program on disk to reduce memory requirements. It is all automatic and you should not need to worry about it. Sound Blaster - A common sound card that is installed in many computers. The Sound Blaster card is produced by Creative Labs and includes support for both music and digital voice effects. Several other cards are available that are "compatible" with the Sound Blaster standard, such as the Thunderboard and the Pro Audio Spectrum. SVGA - "Super VGA". A generic term that applies to graphics adapters that support higher resolutions and/or colors than the VGA standard supports. LOD _requires_ an SVGA adapter with 512k+ of memory to operate in graphics mode. VESA - A popular standard for SVGA cards. LOD supports VESA graphics in the 800x600x256 and 640x480x256 modes. The 800x600x256 mode is preferred and LOD will use that mode if available. VGA - "Video Graphics Array". A graphics standard supporting resolutions up to approximately 640x480x16 and 320x200x256. Most current graphics adapters are actually SVGA cards supporting more advanced modes. In this document, I tend to use the term VGA interchangeably with SVGA. [See also: SVGA] VGA Graphics Version -------------------- LOD has been designed with _optional_ VGA graphics to enhance the playing experience. By default, LOD will load with just the plain text graphics. To enable the VGA graphics, you must use the "/VGA" switch on the command line. For example, "GAME /L /VGA". VGA graphics do consume more memory and may not run on your computer. If you have trouble, you may wish to try using the "/EMS" switch described below under "memory requirements". To utilize VGA graphics, LOD requires a video card capable of supporting 800x600x256 graphics. Most modern cards with 512k or more of memory do support this mode. LOD also requires a card that supports the VESA video bios standard. Most newer cards incorporate this standard directly, and drivers are available for some of the older cards. It is possible that your current video card may not support 800x600x256 graphics. In this case, you will have to run LOD in text mode. I'm sorry for the inconvenience to those who are running video cards incapable of supporting this mode, but tailoring LOD to a particular video mode is very difficult and for me to maintain support for multiple video resolutions would be nearly impossible. A program called "VGATEST" has been included in LODxxxC.ZIP. This program will report on whether or not your card supports SVGA800x600x256 and perform a simple test and benchmark. NOTE: By using VGA graphics on the sysop side, you are not "forcing" your users to use VGA graphics too. The remote user graphics are totally independent of the sysop's graphics. Memory Requirements ------------------- NOTE: A runtime error 203 or 253 indicates insufficient memory! LOD can be adequately described as a "memory hog". LOD likes as much memory as you can give it. LOD's memory requirements differ depending on the configuration that you use. TEXT version (GAME.EXE without /VGA): The lowest possible memory requirements. No VGA graphics will be displayed on the sysop's side, but your users can still have ega if they use the gterm terminal program. I suggest running the text version if all else fails. GRAPHICS version (GAME.EXE with /VGA): Consumes substantially more memory, but gives the sysop a nice pretty EGA display, similar to what the user with gterm sees. If you have memory troubles, try using the /EMS switch. GRAPHICS and SOUND (GAME.EXE with /VGA and /AUDIOSB): Gobbles up an immense amount of memory. Using the /EMS switch is a necessity to give LOD access to EMS memory so it can store some data up there. --> What is EMS memory? EMS memory stands for "expanding memory specification". It is a way for your computer to use memory above the standard 640k that dos has. LOD is capable of storing some of it's data in EMS memory, thus freeing up more space in the lower 640k for sound and graphics. Most computers provide EMS memory with a special driver in their config.sys file - QEMM, EMM386, and 386MAX are popular ones. Most 386+ computers have EMS memory. If you are using DOS 5.0 or greater, then you can type "MEM" to get a display about how much EMS memory you have. LOD must be EXPLICITLY TOLD TO USE EMS. For compatibility reasons, LOD won't use it by default. You must place the switch "/EMS" on the command line when you invoke game.exe. For example, "GAME /L /EMS". If you aren't sure whether you have EMS memory, then try using the /EMS switch anyway - it can't hurt anything. --> What about EXTENDED (XMS) memory? To use LOD with extended memory, you will need to use the DPMI version of LOD. This is located in the archive LODxxxP.ZIP and the executable is called GAME_DPM.EXE. It supports all of the functionality of the plain dos version, but it does operate in protected mode and will make use of extended memory. Audio Support ------------- Starting with version 3.60, Land Of Devastation and GTERM now have some sound/music capability. Here is how to get the sound system to work: 1) You must have downloaded and unarchived LODxxxF.ZIP into the directory where you are running LOD (or GTERM). 2) You must use one of the /AUDIOxxx options, for example "/AUDIOSB" for generic SoundBlaster 1.x support. 3) If you do not specify any "/IRQ", "/DMA", and "/BASE" options, then the IRQ, DMA, and BASE will be auto-detected. If the autodetection does not work, then you may wish to specify the values directly. 4) If you're using the DPMI version of LOD (GAME_DPM.EXE), then you MUST specify the IRQ and DMA parameters. Autodetection (at least on my system) does not function in DPMI mode. Also, with GAME_DPM.EXE, you must specify the following line in the batch file that calls LOD (or GTERM): SET RTM=REALLEAVE 14336 A sample dpmi batch file is provided called "DPMI_AUD.BAT" in LODxxxP.ZIP. Examples: (For Land Of Devastation - on the sysop's side) "GAME /L /EMS /EGA /AUDIOSB" Load LOD with Soundblaster 1.x enabled. IRQ, DMA, and BASEIO will be autodetected. "GAME /L /EMS /EGA /AUDIOGUS /IRQ5 /FR" Load LOD with Gravis Ultrasound at IRQ 5, force music to play when remote users are on. DMA and BASEIO will be autodetected. Examples: (For GTERM - on the remote user's side) "GTERM COM 2 BAUD 19200 /AUDIOPAS" Load GTERM with ProAudioSpectrum set. "GTERM COM 1 BAUD 2400 /AUDIOSB16 /BASE220 /IRQ5 /DMA1" Load GTERM with soundblaster at base=220, irq=5, and dma=1. Notes: We are now using a new Audio system. It hasn't been tested a whole lot and may have problems. It does support STEREO and 16-bit cards whereas the previous routines we were using do not. If you have trouble running LOD with audio support, then shut it off! The audio system eats up quite a bit of memory (almost 150k). Therefore, when running LOD or GTERM, you might not have enough conventional memory to initialize the audio system and you won't hear anything. Having music active on one side does not require having music active on the other. For example, a user with GTERM might have music enabled, but the sysop might have it disabled - this will work fine - the user will hear his music and the sysop will have some nice silence! If you like, you can bring up a display of the current MOD system status (also shows any possible errors) by pressing ALT-3. This works with either GTERM or the EGA (GAME /EGA) version of LOD. The non-EGA version of LOD does not have the mod status screen. Music system credits: Our original MOD support was provided by Mark J Cox's excellent MOD-OBJ package. Our current MOD support (i.e. the GDM and MSE files) were provided by Edward Schlunder's BWSB package. Most (if not all!) of our songs were composed by Chris Azure. Multinode use ------------- LOD does NOT allow multinode use. Furthermore, I have no future plans to develop a version of LOD that does at this time. However, LOD can be set to "lock out" other nodes while one node is playing. (i.e. Node 1 is playing so nodes 2 & 3 cannot). This is done using the /Nx and /CHECK switches. /Nx tells which node number is using the door. (i.e. "GAME /N2 /CHECK" would be for node 2). And /CHECK says to check for multinode use. The start up commands for LOD for a 2-node system would be as follows: NODE 1: Game /N1 /CHECK NODE 2: Game /N2 /CHECK When LOD encounters another player trying to play while one is already playing it will spew out the file "LODLOK.TXT" to the user to explain the situation to him. NOTE: Apparently, there is some kind of "glitch" in either Turbo Pascal or DOS which causes "sharing violations" to occur when LOD is activated by more than one person. If you have this problem, then you may wish to try to set the "read-only" bit on the executable files (i.e. GAME.EXE,GAME.OVR,GAMEEGA.EXE,GAMEEGA.OVR). You can do this by typing the following: "ATTRIB +R GAME.EXE". Common Problems (Locked Bauds, High Speed modems, Music, etc) ------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: If you are having a communications-related problem, and you are not using a fossil driver, then I suggest you try using a fossil if it is possible. If you are running a high speed modem (9600 baud or above), then I suggest you run your bbs/mailer/doors at a locked baud rate. On high speed error correcting modems, locking the baud rate will have a noticeable increase on the speed of text that is sent. It's beyond the scope of these docs to discuss configuring your bbs and mailer for a locked baud rate; you may wish consult those docs for information on that. Here are a few things to keep in mind when setting up LOD with a locked baud rate: #1: You may need to use the /B switch on the LOD command line to specify the locked baud. For 19,200 this would be "/B19200" and for 38,400 this would be "/B38400". Please note there is no space between the /B and the baud rate. This is only necessary in some instances. First try LOD without the switch and then add the switch and see what happens. #2: When using a locked baud rate, I highly recommend using a FOSSIL driver. In fact, I don't even know if LOD will work at high speeds without one. BNU is a good fossil driver which can even be loaded and unloaded before/after you run LOD. #3: If you are using a fossil, then make sure to tell the fossil that the port is locked. For BNU, to lock com1: at 38,400, you would use something like "L0=38400" on BNU's command line. #4: Please note: If you lock the baud for one program, it must be locked for everything. You can't lock the baud for just LOD, but not your bbs/mailer. If you are running at high speeds without locking the baud rate, then LOD should function fine. Without a locked baud, there should be no need for the use of the /Bxxxx switch. What follows is some information on possible strange situations that may occur: #1: Low speed users can play LOD, but high speed users get garbage. - If you are not using the DORINFOx.DEF or DOOR.SYS drop file then you may wish to find a converter program to convert whatever drop file your bbs produces to the DORINFOx.DEF or DOOR.SYS format and tell LOD to use that. Several converter programs are readily available on most bbs systems. QKDoor is a good one if you can find it. - If you are not using a fossil (i.e. you have LOD's "internal" line un commented in GAME.CTL), then I suggest trying a fossil. #2: High speed users can play LOD, but low speed users get garbage. - You may be specifying the /Bxxxx parameter when you don't need to. Only use /Bxxxx if you are using LOD with a locked baud rate. #3: Everyone gets garbage! - You may be using the /Bxxxx parameter when it's not needed, or you may have the the wrong baud rate specified in the /Bxxxx parameter. - Try switching to DORINFOx.DEF as described in #1 above. - Try using a fossil (make sure the "INTERNAL" line in GAME.CTL is commented out. #4: LOD hangs up when a user enters the game. - Sounds like LOD is getting the wrong baud rate somehow. Try switching over to the DORINFOx.DEF drop file method if possible. #5: Text and screens are getting cut off. - If you are running with a locked baud, then this could be caused by some sort of FLOW CONTROL problem. Try using a fossil if you aren't already. General trouble shooting hints: The following may help you clear up some of the problems outlined above: #1: You can use the ALT-D command in the EGA (GAME /EGA) version of LOD or the ALT-I command in the normal (GAME.EXE) version of LOD to get a display of the current serial port setup. If what is displayed differs greatly from what it should be, then you've found your problem! #2: If you're using something other than the DORINFOx.DEF drop file, then I always suggest trying to use DORINFOx.DEF if possible. It is the most reliable method and has had the most testing. Problems related to the sound system: #1: When remote users log on and the /FR option is enabled, the system hangs. a) Remove the /FR option (you probably don't want music playing while remote users are on anyway) #2: Whenever I use sound (with /AUDIOSB, etc..) options, LOD locks up in the game. a) Try manually specifying irq/dma/baseio settings. b) If sound keeps locking up your computer, then you may have to simply not use the sound capability. There are huge variations in computer hardware, sound cards in particular and LOD just isn't compatible with everything. Restarting the Game ------------------- To manually reset the game, you can use the supplied program RESET.EXE. This will automatically delete all of the proper files. You should use this method rather than deleting the *.DAT files yourself, since some files, such as LODREG.DAT, should not be deleted. There is a provision in the game for the users to reset the game themselves when all of the puritron parts have been retrieved. But, if your users do not reset the game themselves, then the above method will work. If you want to configure with another Data Set, then see the section on Data Sets below. Alternate Data Sets ------------------- With recent versions of LOD, I have put into effect the concept of data sets. A Data Set includes it's own maps, monsters, NPCs, cities, and other items. Most Data Sets are written by sysops who like to customize LOD. Information on creating custom data sets is contained in LODxxxE.ZIP. I have requested that game designers follow a standardized naming convention for LOD data sets. The format is a four character name followed by the version number of LOD that it was written for. For example, FUTR361.ZIP would be for the "future" data set, compiled for LOD version 3.61. IMPORTANT! When switching to a new data set, you will probably need to re-start the LOD game (by running RESET.EXE). Most new data sets include an entirely new map and possibly new inventory items. Just dropping a new data set into an existing game could really screw things up. To install an alternate data set, just unzip the file into your LOD directory and over-write and existing files. Most likely you'll see a GAME.DEF be unzipped and possibly a ANSI.DEF or a GTSTRS.DEF. Remember, you'll probably need to restart the game by running RESET.EXE. A few important notes about Data Sets: 1) Installing a data set for an old version of LOD into a new version may not work. For example, installing FUTR361a.ZIP into LOD version 4.00 could cause some strange problems. When you upgrade your version of LOD, you may wish to contact the author of the Data Set and request a newer copy. 2) Installing a new data set into an old version of LOD may also cause trouble. 3) You will probably need to restart (RESET.EXE) when switching to a new data set. Unfinished Things ----------------- There are a lot of things that I really wanted to get done for this version, but I just didn't get time. College is really taking up a lot of time this semester and it's been hard to get time to work on LOD. Anyways, here is what isn't done: - Multiple grenade packs. - Several more special quests. - I wanted to add some more time limit stuff - 2-minute log off warnings, daily time limit features, etc, but I just didn't get the chance to finish them up for this version. - Multiple level maps - you walk into the nuclear missile base and there is a whole map to it, not just a menu. These are not things that are DISABLED, but rather are things which just aren't completed. Most of them are at least partly enabled, but not fully yet. I plan to work on these pretty soon - probably either version 4.20 or 5.00 depending on how many more enhancements I am able to complete. Also, remember, the more donations, the more incentive for me to get this game finished! (grin) Error Codes ----------- 4 - Too many open files (try adjusting the FILES= line in your config.sys file) 100 - Read past end of file. Something has gone wrong in one of the LOD data files. Please see "corrupted data files" below. 200 - Division by zero. 203 - Insufficient memory. 205 - Floating point overflow. Something has gone wrong in one of LOD's variables. You may need to reset the game, or possibly you could find the error with GAMEEDIT.EXE and correct it. 252 - Error while accessing EMS driver. 253 - Insufficient memory. 254 - Programming error [EAalloc block request > 16k]. This shouldn't happen! "Corrupted" data files ---------------------- It is possible that something could happen to your LOD data files. A power outage, LOD crash, or other event could damage one of the data files. For most of the files, LOD will display a "Data file is corrupted" and the name of the file. If you get one of these messages, then the best thing to do is start the game over with a clean copy of LOD. There are a few files which LOD can re-generate itself. CASSTATS.DAT and DAYSTATS.DAT. If one of these is corrupted, then you can simply delete the file and LOD will re-create it for you. Revision History ---------------- Version 3.80 - Fixed a problem with the miniraft no longer working after CUSTOM.EXE was run. - Fixed a bug with the base teleporter price. - Fixed a problem with finding the overlay file on systems where the path had a "." in it. - Renamed the MAXTIME parameter to MAXLODTIME in game.ctl. Problem should be fixed. - Fixed problem with CUSTOM.EXE not allowing terrain entries above 30 to be saved. - Major alterations to the way resource.002 works. - Added an option under the advancement menu in CUSTOM.EXE to set the maximum number of deaths per day. Defaults to 3. - NOSELL and NOSURR options added to monster file. - LANDWATER and WATERONLY options added to monster file. - Added lava rivers and the Cryo-Unit. - Did some work on GMAPEDIT - should work better now. - MAJOR changed to VAR1 parameter for weapons, mines, grenades, base weapons, and base moats. Now support up to 999 hp of damage. See CUSTOM.DOC for more info. - Added robomines! Now located at Kill, Inc, these are much meaner mines than before. - A few more special quests. (Added a SpWeap ROM) - Two more puritron parts. - Fixed message system; should no longer be double spaced. - I raised the default price of the "Trasporter" from 1,000,000 to 20,000,000 because I felt it was too easy for players to buy them. - EMWarpMine option added to dataset.txt - control the probability that the EMWarp device will work when player steps on mine. - Players can no longer log on under duplicate names of other players. - When a player chooses the "Create Character" option after dieing, any saved clone will be lost. - When uses the exc. teleporter to fight xeboc and dies, he will now die properly. - Loans are now properly subtracted from the players worth in the rankings and financial statement sections. Version 4.00 - Completely revamped fortress devices. Forts now have eight "specialty" device slots which can hold a multitude of fortress devices. - Increased fort for sale slots from 5 to 8. - Added Wanderer device to forts. - Added Toll Station devices to forts. - Added Proximity devices to forts. - Added Cloaking (SFG) device to forts. - Added Factories to forts. - Added Mine Spreaders to forts. - Raised default experience levels. - Lowered default monster exp points for some zone 3+ monsters. - May have fixed a bug that had to do with removing the starting player inventory items and having players end up with "UNKNOWN" items. - Fixed a bug that had to do with isreal monsters not working. - GAMEEGA.EXE and GAME.EXE combined into one executable. Use "GAME /EGA" to load in EGA mode. - Redid the Sacre Base corner of the map a little bit to make things a bit more interesting. - Pylon key removed from Sacre Base supply station. Now only available at Freedom City and on a few monsters. - Added device lock device to forts. - Added anti-self-destruct device to forts. - Added autoseller device to forts. (see Terra Labs) - Improved waitkeys in fortress storage room. - Default standard account interest reduced to 7%. - Default game account interest reduced to 14%. - Default bank loan interest reduced to 20%. - Rewrite of EGA scrolling routines; Background colors now mostly supported in the EGA version and GTERM. - Expanded max # of device definitions to 350. - Improved waitkeys in fortress. - Major rewriting to the Fortress "Energy Forsale" and "Medical Forsale" sections. Now, instead of only being able to sell the first Power Pack / Medkit, forts can sell any power pack or medkit belonging to the BaseEne or BaseMed stores respectively. - ACME weapons added (registered sysops only). Sells advanced weapons, and has a gunsmith on hand. - 3 round burst weapons added. - "UZI 9mm" changed to "UZI SMG" and made into a 3-round burst weapon. - Base teleporters updated to use Chris Darque's new teleporter pictures. - Major work done to CSTATS ROM. More information about weapons plus some command line parameters (see laptop help) - Command line parameters added for COPY. (see laptop help) - Two more inventory slots added to players. (total=18) - Inventory display reworked a little bit. Now displays in columns instead of rows (can be toggled in ANSI options in troop quarters) - "Crsbw blts" renamed to "Crossbow bolts" - WEAPSMTH ROM added to ACME weapons. (registered only) - Major updates to gameedit. User Editor modernized, base, puritron, and clone editors added. DumpDev and Advancement options modernized. - BAD slot removed and replaced with laptop slot. - Major work done on scanner device. Now reports many more terrain types as well as forts and such. - Scanner can be adapted with "decloaking upgrade", available at ACME Weapons. - Team discount of 5% given to new teams. - Additional tax level added (25% to level 20+ players) - Puritron part experience levels dropped slightly. Done to prevent top player from ascending too rapidly. - Fixed bug with log file not being closed when log is viewed. Version 4.01 - Fixed MAXUSE bug in custom.exe once and for all! - Fixed problems with Loki/Serpine cities not resetting when game was reset. (MDATA.DAT needs to be deleted!) Version 4.10 - Added NOSELL keyword to Earth Elemental - Fixed problem with weapons that do over 250 damage. - New experience rules for player-vs-player combat. - LGPL compiler (see LGPL.DOC) - OS/2, DPMI, and Windows versions available. - COMPILE.EXE modified to support EMS memory. However, it is SSSSLLLLOOOOWWWW. I suggest using the DPMI version of COMPILE.EXE if possible. - Added some code to catch radically out of bounds experience levels. - ANSILIB unit revised for more efficiency and less memory waste. - Fixed bug in the object-removal section of the nightly maintenance. Possible out of bounds problem was discovered, plus mines would be erroniously removed. - Random NPCFORT passwords are now a 8-digit hex number rather than a 5-digit decimal number. - New MOD player routines, supporting 16-bit sound and stereo cards. - New parameter added to GAME.CTL: "TIMESLICE". If specified, then LOD _should_ release timeslices to DV while LOD is waiting. - Snazzed up the command line help screen and added information on LOD-specific options. - New registration form. - Fixed a few visual quirks. - New newplayer login section. Players may now choose their sex. - When attacking a female in Player-vs-Player combat, the correct pic is now displayed. Version 4.20 - Hopefully fixed problem with DV timeslicing - LOD upgraded to 800x600x256 VGA. You will need a video adapater with at least 512k of memory. - Added new 5x5 ANSI wastelands display. 5x5 is now the default; users can switch back to 3x3 using the ANSI Options command in the troop quarters menu. - Fixed bug with ultrascan being displayed every time a user uses any BGEN device in fortress. - The user can now U)se the fortress communicator. - Fixed problem with Fortslayer deluxe not requiring ammunition - Fixed a serious problem with GENOBJ's not working properly, in particular the Technical tools. - Fixed bug with base store room crashing the DPMI version of LOD. - Added mapper support for ANSI users - Fixed a problem with LCDOS crashing when high ascii characters where in the input file. - Gameega.exe removed from package. - Maximum number of devices increased to 500. DEVICES.BIN now only includes the devices that have actually been created - nil records are not saved to the file. - Spellchecked the string base, sysop & user docs, and various text files. - Major improvements to GMAPEDIT. - LGPL code is now demand paged into the system, reducing memory requirements by about 8k. The LGPL interpreter is overlaid, reducing memory requirements by about 10k. - Modifications to Message System to reduce memory requirements. - Modifications to EMS disk blockread routine to reduce memory requirements. - [OS2] Fixed problem with REG_OS2.EXE not working properly. - [OS2] Raised stack size from 8192 to 16384. Seemed like a good idea. - [OS2PM] Fixed bitmap putimages that were chopping off left and top borders. - [OS2PM] Added "Resize Bigpics" pulldown option to enable bigpics to be risized to full height. - [OS2PM] Added last LR scan recall option - [OS2PM] Added automap Version 4.21 - Modified notes sort command to use less memory and to include some additional error checking - Added 8x12 and 8x14 font support. Use the /LARGEFONT and /HUGEFONT commands respectively. - S3 Coprocessor support added. Use /NOACCEL to disable. - Added support for OAK SVGA chipset - Fixed SVGA support on adapters which use 1024 bytes/line in 800x600 mode (Diamond Stealth ISA) - Fixed up VESA int flipper and added a dual-window vesa flipper. - Added /FORCEINT and /FORCEDUAL to force the appropriate VESA flipper. - LODVGA.PAL is now properly loaded. It wasn't before and svga colors greater than 15 may have been erronious. - Error checking on missing palette file (LODVGA.PAL) and fonts (font8x8.fnt,font8x12.fnt,font8x14.fnt) - Rankings routine modified to use approx 5k less memory. - MAJOR BUG: The LGPL code was losing 4k of memory each time it was activated. This manifested itself mainly when players U)sed objects. Memory would run out, U)se object commands would do nothing, and rankings would refuse to display. - Added rankings profile to GT display - Added rankings listing to GT display - Added drop file to GT display (LOD only) - Added last lr scan to GT display - Added graphics fallback to 640x480 if 800x600 is not available. Fallback to 640x480 may be forced by using the /640 switch. - Fixed problem with async I/O being de-initialized when then help (/? or /h) command line option was used. - Minor changes to doordriver code. - Additional error checking added to LGPL interpreter code. - RESET.EXE added to manually reset the game rather than using the somewhat unsafe "DEL *.DAT" - If ansi files cannot be found in ANSI.DEF, then the current directory will be searched for the ansi file. - Generic ATTACK pictured is now displayed during combat if no specific picture is specified in MONSTER.TXT. - Fixed experience graph when player is level 1 - Fixed a small problem with the fortress owner name - Lowered the maximum number of DESC/KILLHIM/FLEE/FLEERAN strings per monster to 25 (was 50). - Added error checking to the routine which loads combat strings. - Removed LASTGAMEDATA and LASTMISCDATA from GT code. Replaced them with a CRC check & variable which consumes a bit less memory. - Minor change to overlay init routine. If the filename cannot be determined from paramstr(0), then "GAME.OVR" will be tried. If that fails, then LOD will abort. - Added a pause after the "you have used up all your deaths today" message during logon. - Added LITE executables. Sound & graphics is hardcoded out for minimal memory usage. - Fixed a memory leak in the ANSI routines that was double-allocating ansi buffers. - Recoded "getmap" routine into assembly language for optimal speed. - [OS2] Added support for passing a serial port handle on the command line via "/SERHAND". - [OS2PM] Fixed incompatibility with CHRON. Possibly may have corrected compatibility problems with other programs as well. Credits ------- CHRIS AZURE Composer of most of our MOD music. CHRISTOPHER DARQUE EGA Pictures DAVE ROSSON EGA Pictures DOUG MERHA EGA Pictures TRISTAN WALLING EGA Pictures RICK ARMSTRONG EGA Pictures SHANE CHAMBERS EGA Pictures RAY BACON Got the LAND echo on the fidonet backbone! MARK COX Author of MOD-OBJ, used up until LOD vers 4.00 Edward Schlunder Author of BWSB, used for MOD music in LOD vers 4.10 [A listing of the pictures drawn by the above EGA artists is available in the file PICTURES.IDX] Where to reach me ----------------- I can usually be reached at my bbs system, which should be listed in the section entitled "registration" near the end of this document. Note: Since I am in college and do not have much time to hang around the house during the day, I prefer to answer all questions/comments via the bbs rather than my voice line. We also have a national land of devastation echomail area with the area tag "LAND". It is presently on the fidonet backbone. Registration ------------ If you or your users enjoy this game, then please send me in a registration/donation. I am currently a college student and programming my income is pretty scarce. To justify the time I spend programming and maintaining LOD, I really do need some compensation for my efforts. Donations of any amount are greatly welcome, but donations of $20 or more will be considered a registration. Due to my busy schedule (I am a full time student, plus I'm trying to handle a full time job), I don't have the time necessary to do all of the disk copying, addressing, mailing, etc required to send out updated copies of LOD to every registered user. In the past, I tried to send out the disks, but I always got behind, which meant the registered users got their packages late, and it lead to a real mess. Therefore, I have come up with what I believe to be a fair and efficient system. Here is what you do to register: #1: Send me $20 (or more!) in the mail. (Smaller donations are always appreciated, but I usually don't issue reg codes) #2: Call up my bbs about a week later and use the "Reg look" command to look up your registration code online. You don't need to be "validated" or "verified" or anything - you can get your code on your first logon. #3: Run the program REGISTER.EXE which will prompt you for the information and create lodreg.dat itself. When you have entered your registration code, the following will happen automatically: #1: Instead of saying "unregistered", the game will now say "Registered to <your name>". #2: The seven second delay and other registration nags will go away. #3: ACME Weapons will become functional. Included in the LOD distribution archives is a file called "REGISTER.FRM". This file contains a registration form which may be printed out and mailed to me with your donation. Filling out this form is optional, but it does provide me with some useful information about you and your system. Please note, under this policy I will not be mailing you a package in the mail. Please make your check payable to "Scott Baker" and send it to the address below. Please send registrations to the following address: Scott Baker 2241 W Labriego Tucson, Az 85741 You may call the following to use Reg look to look up your reg code about a week after you have mailed the donation: The Not-Yet-Named bbs (USA) (520) 544-4655 (USR Dual - 14.4kbaud max) Fidonet 1:300/9 (520) 797-8573 (USR Sportster v.34 - 28.8kbaud max) Fidonet 1:300/29 Reminder: You WILL NOT be mailed a letter with your registration code. Just allow an appropriate amount of time (a week or so) after dropping your check in the mail for it to arrive to me and then give my bbs a call as outlined above. The process to get your Reg Code is really very simple and takes no time at all.