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╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ VIRTUAL REALITY SOLDIER VERSION 5.02 │
│ COPYRIGHT (C)1996 PRACTICAL COMPUTER SERVICES ALL RIGHTS RESERVED │
│ │
│ HISTORY FILE │
│ │
╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ >>>>> ATTENTION SYSOPS <<<<< │
│ │
│ MAKE *** SURE *** YOU READ THE README.1ST FILE IN THIS ARCHIVE! │
│ │
╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡
│ <<<<< BUG REPORTS >>>>> │
│ │
│ If you call in to The TAO BBS (609) 587-2672 to report a bug, │
│ please setup a user account for BOB WATSON on your system and let us │
│ know what the password is for the account in your report. It speeds │
│ things up, and lets me save a bit on the phone bills. │
│ │
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS!
09/22/96
Practical Computer Services is proud to be the new owner of this fine software.
PCS will now be taking all registrations, releasing all new updates and
handling all support questions. See v5.01 release notes for additional
information.
BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v5.02 04/06/97
Updated the documentation & other text files to reflect new contact
information.
http://www.nerc.com/~pcs
Changed some internal coding to correct possible errors on some
systems.
v5.01 10/08/96
Practical Computer Services has purchased the source and rights to
VRS from GO/4 Software as of 09/22/96. Changes made to the code
and related files to reflect this change of ownership. Please direct
all questions and registrations to PCS, not GO/4 Software.
Company info:
Practical Computer Services
483 Klockner Road
Hamilton, NJ 08619
Voice: (609) 584-7947
Support BBS: The TAO BBS (609)587-2672 33,600 USR v.everything
Internet E-Mail: bob.watson@tao.com
V5.00 Public Release
Added in the Universal Key Routines!
Optimized the code in the outer modules, events ought to
run faster.
Added some of the code for the Add-on modules, we will
start releaseing some of the add-ons over the next few months.
TO UPGRADE:
Just copy the files VRS.PPE and VRS-M15.PPE into your present VRS
Subdir. And run!
v4.00 (Internal Revisons & updates)
V3.53 (Internal Revisions & ß Update)
04/20/95
Added a new field in the VRS.DBF configuration file to store a
sysop defined path to the VRS.BLT bulletin file for the high scores
bulletin. Several users asked for this one, as they are running
various door programs that "need" it. If you are already running
VRS, you'll need to go into (M)aintenance and do a (F)orce
configuration database rebuild to get the new field available to you.
V3.52 (Internal Revisions)
04/19/95
Fixed a gaffe in the Corridor Sleeper module where you weren't
being killed "properly" in fights.
V3.51 (Internal Revisions)
04/18/95
One user had a keycode problem, I changed a few statements to get
around it. If your key is working, you don't need this patch.
V3.50 (Public Release)
04/17/95
Minor revisons hit a warranted major revision number change.
New Bulletin generator warrants a new public release.
See V3.01 through 3.04 (below)
V3.04 (Internal Revisions)
04/17/95
Added a new command line switch, "BLT". This will generate a file
called VRS.BLT in the VRS PPE subdir. This file is a ranking of players
based on their kills and experience. You can add this file to your
bulletin menu so that all your users can keep up with whats going on in
the Virtual Reality Soldier world. See the docs for complete usage
instructions.
V3.03 (Internal Revisions)
04/15/95
Once again, PPL rears it's ugly head regarding dBASE functions. There
was still a hard-coded index being used in daily maintenance, and some
systems were having trouble with it. I changed it over to a unique
variable each time it's run to get around it.
V3.02 (Internal Revisons)
04/13/95
Two changes to the (V)RS Stats screen. It was showing the SysOp name
from the PCBOARD.DAT file in all places, including the "Key SysOp Name"
field, just a matter of like-named variables being used. Fixed. I
replaced the WAIT at the end of the Stats screen with our custom wait
module used in the rest of the game.
Added (yet) another commandline switch - "TEST". All it does is force
the (V)RS Stats display, and exit out. Convenience tool only, as VRS
will (of course!) bomb out if there is no user on-line and you attempt
to enter the game proper.
V3.01 (Internal Revisons)
04/11/95
Re-wrote the batch files to create/compile/run .PPE files for testing
keys and to create distribution sets.
Fixed a text display error in the module where you can fight off-line
players who are sleeping in the corridors. It was putting the same
name for killed and killer in the daily news file.
I had several inquiries as to if VRS will run on Wildcat! systems (I
know, I know, but these are USERS that are asking...<G>), what do you
think? Should we make a port of it?
V3.00 (Public Release)
04/10/95
Against my better judgement, I changed the Daily Maintenance checking
of the relational databases ARMOR and WEAPONS against USER and MUTANT
to work with "1 to #records" in ARMOR and WEAPONS from the hard-coded
# of records in the distribution zip. Several people wanted the
ability to add weapons of their own, this will prevent Daily Maintenance
from changing them all to Vibraknives. I'm not all that thrilled with
the idea of sysops editing the databases, but go for it - just don't
call in with bug reports that you created by doing so. In other words,
if you put in a tactical nuke that does eighty bazillion points of
damage, and it kills off all your users, don't tell me that it's a
"bug" in _my_ code.<G>
Added Weapons and Armor editors to the SysOp configuration editor.
You can add weapons (and delete them!) from these editors, as well as
modify the current default set. KEEP THE ARMOR.VRS and WEAPONS.VRS
files from your distribution pack in case you mess them up!
We got about fifty "bug reports" from sysops installing new copies of
VRS that they were getting "thousands of Dbase Not Open" errors. Seems
that they didn't read the docs, and weren't unzipping the NEW_VRS.ZIP
file with the databases in it. I fixed this by getting rid of the zip
file. The new files are XXX.VRS rather than XXX.DBF, VRS will copy the
XXX.VRS files to XXX.DBF files if it can't find the XXX.DBF file. If
you've still got the NEW_VRS.ZIP file, you can delete it if you wish -
or save it as an "extra" backup.
Edited the VERIFY.PPS file to reflect the loss of the .ZIP file and show
the .VRS files.
Edited the dickens out of the help files. I hadn't proofread them for
prior versions - all the spelling and grammatical errors have been
fixed.<G>
Fixed a reverse call in the Mutant fights area where (N)egotiate
was not behaving properly.
Fixed a glitch in the display / fighting people sleeping in the
corridors. It was working correctly, it just always found YOU
first in the database.<G> Fixed the funny mail it would send as well.
Added a verbose debugging mode. Running it as "VRS.PPE;DEBUG" will
throw PCBoard into Debug Mode 3, which is extremely verbose. It sends
all the info to the caller log, so use it judiciously - not many people
want 30mb caller logs on their systems. In fact, you should NEVER have
to use this switch - it's only in there to see what a system is doing
that isn't behaving properly when we call into it to check on a bug
report. The ONLY reason I'm mentioning it here is that I hate finding
out about "things" like this in code myself. The DEBUG switch will ONLY
work if you are on locally, or the user has SysOp security level.
Can't find a reported bug in the banking module - purportedly
(T)ransfer docks the user, but doesn't put the money in the
recipient's account. Works fine here, even sends the notification
message properly. We only had one person report this bug, so I'm
of the opinion that it simply wasn't noticed that the cash is put
in the BANK for the recipient, not as on-hand CASH.
Many, many cosmetic changes to text in just about every module.
Esthetics only, no functional changes.
V2.52 (Mid-level Update)
03/28/95
Added debugging code to the "About" screen. (type V from the Main Menu)
Minor changes to the keyfiler, some users were still getting bad
registration keys.
Fixed some problems when a user found a dead body in the tubes, just
a misplaced color code.
Got a complaint that we only denigrated Democrats on mutant fights, so
in order to be an equal opportunity denigrator, we made it a random
selection of the most popular political parties.
Seems that a command in PPL (STRIPSTR()) doesn't work as advertised
(never has, bug has been reported to CDC), and it was causing all sorts
of problems with the KEY check. We hope to have fixed it by programming
around it. Let us know.
V2.51 (Internal Revisions)
03/25/95
Changed the format of the View Stats display, it adds a bit to the
display, sort of a high tech look.
Did a little garbage collection to free up some more memory, we are
now making a footprint of about 43k (your mileage may vary).
Increased the probability of a user finding a mutant...just a bit.
V2.50 (Public Bug fix release)
03/23/95
You can now beat Felix, and actually win the game. Special thanks
to Bob DeMott of Valley Stream, NY for finding this one. I intended
to make Felix *almost* unbeatable, but not quite so omnipotent that
players had *NO* chance of beating him.<G>
CRYOSLEEP.... about fifty SysOps have told me of a "bug" in that
users couldn't find the Cryo-Cube. We initially decided that Level
One characters shouldn't be able to get to the really slimy
activities that "Talk to the Barkeep" allows, so they were locked
out until they hit at least Level Two. Cryo-Cube was one of those
options (yes, some nasty things can happen in coldsleep...<G>).
Since we've had so many "complaints" about it, I turned it on in
this version for Level One players. It's the *ONLY* one that is
displayed to Level One players - the really nasty stuff is still
hidden until they hit Level Two.
Fixed a cosmetic display error on one of the "You have died"
screens - nobody complained about it, but I noticed it in testing.
Fixed an error that nobody has reported yet.<G> I wasn't checking
to see if the user was on locally or remotely for running
maintenance. Fixed that bugger. Now disgruntled (and probably
dead) players can't force daily maintenance from the commandline
- the event mode can only be run locally.
>>>>>>>>>> REGISTERED USERS! <<<<<<<<<<
Fixed a glaring error in our key routines that was causing non-
working keys to be generated for registered users, causing the key
to fail. If you have already registered VRS, you should *NOT* have
to get a new key if your key is already working.
If you have problems with your key, please leave a message on
** The TAO BBS (609) 587-2672 ** and I'll get a new key out
to you right away.
Removed the two-second delay on displaying the GO/4 advertisement
when first loading a registered copy. Sorry about that, it was an
oversight from beta testing. The screen is still there, but there
is no delay set on it for registered users. (Gotta advertise to the
users *somewhere*<G>)
V2.01-2.49 (INTERNAL REVISIONS)
03/21/95-03/23/95
V2.00 (Public Bug fix release)
03/20/95
See 1.06 through 1.09 (Below).
V1.08/1.09 (INTERNAL REVISONS)
03/20/95
Releasing as Version 2.00
Updated and corrected the VRS.DOC file.
Located the "bug" where changing the Mutant Fights Left
in the system editor didn't update properly. It does, but
you *MUST* force a daily maintenance after changing it so
that it is reflected for each user.
Fixed the weapon shop bug that was charging for vaporware
weapons.
*DRASTICALLY* speeded up the Daily Maintenance functions.
Fixed the return to the VRS Main Menu when run in Maintenance
mode for events.
Changed the flag to accept *either* VRS.PPE MAINT *or*
VRS.PPE /MAINT. Upper, lower, or mixed case is now
acceptable.
V1.07
03/15/95
Added an or (|) to the commandline switch to accept either
"MAINT" or "/MAINT". Moved the check point to below the CRC
check point.
Added ".COM" to the call on the VRSORT.COM file in the hopes
that it will get around the Lantastic 6.0 error reported by
Dave Lamont.
V1.06 (Release)
3/14/95
Fixed the "running 73 days" glitch. - Use the (M)aintenance
Sysop option and recreate the Configuration Database to enable
it.
Changed *ALL* commands in *ALL* source modules to upper case to
deal with a Lantastic-specific error.
V1.05 (Internal revision)
3/8/95
Fixed jump error causing open error on init.
V1.04 (Internal revision)
3/8/95
Fixed errors in M81 file.
V1.03 (Internal revision)
3/8/95
Added the MAINT switch so VRS.PPE MAINT can be run as an
event rather than forcing the first user in to sit through the
daily maintenance.
M14 pathing problem fixed.
Can't duplicate the List error, may have been caused by the
dbase 0 error.
V1.02 (Internal revison)
3/8/95
Fixed Dbase 0 not open error.
Removed screwy commenting from M19.
Fixed Basic Training fall-through to TurboShafts
V1.01 (Internal revision)
03-08-95
Found a bug (actaully a programming gaffe), in that we were making
calls to a source code module, as opposed to a compiled module.
Fixed.
V1.00 - Initial Release.
03-07-95
Hoping that everybody likes the idea, and decides they want
this beast.