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- Design Your Own Railroad READ.ME
- Version 1.31
- June, 1992
-
- VERSION 1.3
- -----------
- This version introduces several new features: metric measurements,
- low-resolution color graphics support, zoom by keystroke. It also contains
- many refinements, particularly in track drawing and editing. Version 1.31
- introduces dynamic track length display, as you draw or edit.
-
- Additional information about this version is documented in an upgrade
- booklet which accompanies the disk. If you did not receive a booklet,
- please contact Abracadata.
-
-
- METRIC
- ------
- Choose metric vs. English measurements on the Track/Scale menu. When
- METRIC is in effect, all input and output of both layout and scale
- measurements are in meters; page measurements on the Print Settings menu
- are in cm. To make the choice permanent, edit the "metric" line in
- SETTINGS.DEF. (You might want to adjust the "grid_size" value also).
-
-
- NEW VIDEO CHOICES
- -----------------
- The program will now operate in 320 X 200 video modes, including 4-color
- CGA and 16-color Tandy. CGA users: you can adjust the "cga_colors" setting
- in SETTINGS.DEF to choose any of 16 background colors, and either of two
- foreground palettes. Tandy users: the install program will not detect your
- hardware automatically, you need to choose it from the list.
-
-
- F7 ZOOM/UNZOOM
- --------------
- After you zoom once using the Track/Scale menu, F7 will now toggle between
- that view and the standard view. You can use arrow keys to move around the
- zoomed view, and F7 will "remember" where you are. Try it, you'll like it!
-
-
- TRACK EDITING
- -------------
- Version 1.3 features a new, fast routine for drawing curves, a new
- mechanism for preventing track tangling, and now a way to UNDO a move.
-
- Here's how it works. When you are editing curved track, and attempt to
- move where the track cannot go, a highlight appears at the spot where you
- moved out of bounds. You are then dragging a dotted line connected to that
- spot, and the track is frozen until you move back to it. Keeping the mouse
- button down, position to the highlight; the track will "unfreeze" and
- resume following the pointer.
-
- When you are dragging the dotted line, move the mouse pointer OFF THE
- SCREEN before releasing the button, and the move will UNDO itself. The
- track will revert to its original position.
-
-
- SHIPPING LIST
- -------------
- The following files should be on the distribution disk. (All EXE files
- except INSTALL.EXE are self-extracting compressed files, not executables.)
-
- READ.ME This file.
- INSTALL.EXE Installation program.
- PRINTERS.DEF List of available printers.
- SETTINGS.STD Factory settings.
- SETTINGS.BW Factory settings for monochrome systems.
- PROGS.EXE Design Your Own Railroad executable (compressed).
- CPCX.EXE Icons for CGA and Tandy.
- EPCX.EXE Icons for EGA.
- VPCX.EXE Icons for VGA.
- DFILES.EXE Data, help files, pictures, and demo.
- RFILES.EXE Definition files and fonts.
- RCONVERT.EXE Conversion pgm for DYOT files (on 720K disk only)
-
-
- SETTINGS.DEF
- ------------
- This file is created during install. It contains information about your
- hardware choices, plus initial settings for all the option menus. If you
- have trouble getting the program to run, look at SETTINGS.DEF and verify
- that the information at the top is correct.
-
- You can edit this file to change settings. Documentation is in the file
- itself for all items except these:
-
- RR_directory expected location for .RR files
-
- RR_files directory or drive containing all program data files
-
- video_board code identifying video adapter:
-
- 6 CGA hi-res 640x200 (font 08)
- 4 CGA 4-color 320x200 (font 01)
- 569 Tandy 16-color 320x200 (font 03)
- 561 EGA monochrome 640x350 (font 16)
- 544 EGA lo-res 320x200 (font 00)
- 560 EGA 16-color 640x350 (font 16)
- 563 VGA monochrome 640x480 (font 72)
- 562 VGA 16-color 640x480 (font 72)
- 563 MCGA monochrome 640x480 (font 72)
- 8 Hercules mono 720x348 (font 24)
-
- Other codes are available, but have not been tested
- and are not offered by the install program. If you
- try one of these codes, be sure to use the correct
- system font (see below).
-
- 66 Wyse 640x480,2 (WY-700, Amdek 1280)
- 128 AT&T 640x400,2 (AT&T, Compaq plasma)
- 529 GEN 640x480,16 (Genoa SuperEGA 4880)
- 528 EGA 640x200,16 (EGA low resolution)
- 512 EGA 640x350,2 (EGA 4-level mono)
- 517 PAR 640x480,16 (Paradise Autoswitch)
- 16384 TOS 640x480,2 (Toshiba 3100)
- 516 EVA 640x480,16 (Tseng EVA-480)
- 520 VEGA 640x480,16 (Video 7 VEGA)
-
- printer index (starting at 0) in the file PRINTERS.DEF:
-
- Standard Epson 0
- Apple Imagewriter II 1
- C. Itoh (80 dpi) 2
- ...
- Toshiba P300 (180 dpi) 19
-
- system_font system font file:
-
- 320 x 200 2 color SYSTEM00.FNT
- 320 x 200 4 SYSTEM01.FNT
- 320 x 200 16 SYSTEM03.FNT
- 640 x 200 2 SYSTEM08.FNT
- 640 x 200 16 SYSTEM11.FNT(*)
- 640 x 350 SYSTEM16.FNT
- 640 x 400 2 SYSTEM32.FNT
- 640 x 400 16 SYSTEM35.FNT(*)
- 640 x 480 SYSTEM72.FNT
- 720 x 348 2 SYSTEM24.FNT
-
- (*) Not included on disk; call if you need these.
-
-
- The program looks for SETTINGS.DEF in your current directory, and then in a
- directory specified in environmental variable "RR". If you want to be able
- to run the program from anywhere on your hard disk:
-
- 1. Move RR.EXE to a directory on your path.
- 2. Include in your AUTOEXEC.BAT a line of the form SET RR=<dir>, where
- <dir> is the directory containing SETTINGS.DEF.
-
-
- INSTALLING WITH A SINGLE DISK DRIVE
- -----------------------------------
- If you have only one disk drive, the installation program does not work
- well. You can install manually as described below, or you can call
- Abracadata for a set of pre-installed disks.
-
- To install manually:
-
- 1. Format three 5.25" 360K disks, one labelled PROGRAM, one DATA, and one
- for scratch. (If you have a 720K or higher capacity drive, use one disk
- for both PROGRAM and DATA).
-
- 2. Copy RFILES.EXE to the scratch disk, then uncompress it by making the
- scratch disk the default disk and typing RFILES.
-
- 3. Copy these files from the scratch to the PROGRAM disk: DEPOTS.DEF,
- LOADS.DEF, ROMANSIM.FNT, ROMANTRI.FNT, and the appropriate ONE of:
- SYSTEM08.FNT (CGA), SYSTEM16.FNT (EGA), SYSTEM72.FNT (VGA, MCGA),
- SYSTEM24.FNT (Hercules), SYSTEM32.FNT (AT&T).
-
- 4. Erase the scratch disk. Insert the distribution disk, type PROGS B: to
- uncompress directly onto the scratch disk. Be prepared to do a lot of
- disk swapping!
-
- 5. Copy RR.EXE from the scratch to the PROGRAM disk.
-
- 6. Copy PRINTERS.DEF from the distribution disk to the PROGRAM disk.
-
- 7. Copy DFILES.EXE to the DATA disk, then type DFILES. After the
- files are uncompressed, erase DFILES.EXE.
-
- 8. Copy either CPCX.EXE (CGA, Tandy), EPCX.EXE (EGA, Hercules) or VPCX.EXE
- (VGA, MCGA) to the DATA disk, then type the appropriate name (CPCX,
- EPCX or VPCX). After the files are uncompressed, erase the .EXE file.
-
- 9. You now need to create the SETTINGS.DEF file on the PROGRAM disk. You
- can do this by running INSTALL, or using a text editor.
-
- To create the file with a text editor, enter the following lines:
-
- RR_directory = A:
- RR_files = A:
- video_board = <video>
- printer = <printer>
- system_font = <font>
-
- where the items in brackets are described in the section above. Then
- append either SETTINGS.STD (for color systems) or SETTINGS.BW
- (monochrome), both of which are found on the distribution disk. A
- sample completed SETTINGS.DEF looks like this:
-
- RR_directory = A:
- RR_files = A:
- video_board = 560 * EGA 16-color
- printer = 12 * IBM proprinter
- system_font = SYSTEM16.FNT * EGA screen font
-
- main colors = 07 03 15 15 * from SETTINGS.STD
- pop colors = 15 00 11 03 * ...
- ...
-
-
- To create the file using INSTALL, copy these files to a scratch
- disk: INSTALL.EXE, PRINTERS.DEF, SETTINGS.STD, SETTINGS.BW.
- Then type INSTALL to run the program, giving drive A as both source and
- destination. When asked if you are installing on two floppy drives,
- answer Y. Answer the questions about video adapter, mouse, etc.
- When prompted to enter a blank disk, ignore it and press any key.
- Ignore error messages, and press CTRL-C when prompted to enter
- another disk. You should then find a valid SETTINGS.DEF file on
- the disk; copy it to your PROGRAM disk.
-
-
- DESIGN YOUR OWN TRAIN FILES
- ---------------------------
- Included on the 720K distribution disk is a program called RCONVERT.EXE for
- converting layout files created in Design Your Own Train for use in Design
- Your Own Railroad. (If you received a 5.25" 360K distribution disk, you
- will need to call Abracadata to receive a copy of RCONVERT.EXE.) This
- program converts only the track --- no scenery, buildings, trains, or
- depots.
-
- RCONVERT works on only a single file at a time. To use it, copy the .LYT
- file to be converted into your current directory, then type:
-
- RCONVERT <filename.LYT>
-
- RCONVERT creates an output file named <filename.RR>, ready to read into
- Design Your Own Railroad.
-
- If you want to convert more than one file, you can use a FOR loop, as
- described in your DOS manual. For example:
-
- for %f in (*.LYT) do rconvert %f
-
-
- TECHNICAL SUPPORT
- -----------------
- Abracadata Tech Support: (503) 342-3030.
- Orders (800 451-4871. FAX (503) 683-1925. CompuServe 70751,620.
-
- Dill Software: CompuServe 72251,1177.
-