Cream of the Crop 25/Cream of the Crop 25.iso/bbs/questv52.zip/UPGRADE.DOC

Text File | 1997-02-16 | 8KB | 155 lines

UPGRADING from v5.0 or v5.1 TO v5.2:
===================================

VERY IMPORTANT!  These files MUST be moved from your TQFN directory before
unarchiving the new archive in there:

   UMN.DAT
   DH.DAT
   BADPLAY.LST  <- ONLY if you have locked anyone out of the game.
   BADWORDS.LST <- ONLY if you have entered any of your OWN bad words.

Move the above files to a TEMP directory for now, move the QUESTV52.EXE file
into your TQFN directory and run it.  When it asks if you would like to
overwrite the first file, answer "A" to overwrite ALL files.  This will not
effect your current game, but the above files MUST be moved, in particular
UMN.DAT.  Once the archive has run and all files have been overwritten, then
move the above files back to your main TQFN directory, overwriting the new
ones that came with the archive.  That's it!

WHAT'S NEW IN v5.2?
===================

-> Finally *TOTALLY* did away with that annoying bug that would sometimes
   leave exiting users online!  I thought this one would get the better of
   me and sometimes multinode is more trouble than it's worth...but it
   should be fixed now :)

-> For some strange reason...I don't know about you, but that darn Village
   Statue would not give me a thing for an entire full game that I played!
   This one has got me baffled since the code in this routine has not
   changed from v4.4 and it worked fine there, but I decided to change it
   somewhat anyway and it's fine now.  One of those gremlin things...


WHAT'S NEW IN v5.1?
===================

-> Well, since I had already released the PATCH archive for v5.0, I thought
   I would continue to do that, but you know what?  Having OLD .EXE's in the
   main TQFN archive sitting on my BBS and on the Internet HomePage just
   drove me crazy :)  I would much prefer to release a new version than
   PATCH files.  I thought I would try it...there...I tried it, didn't like
   it, so here we are.  That's why Lounge Software doors seem to have
   higher version numbers than some other doors out there.  No PATCHes and
   as well, if there is more than a few fixes, then a new version number!

-> This NEW version also includes a few small clean ups here and there, so
   it's not like it just has the same .EXE's as in the PATCH file that was
   released...You didn't waste your hard earned money getting this new
   archive!

-> There was this annoying little "Any Key" prompt after the user deposited
   their money in Jungle Savings & Loan.  What it was SUPPOSED to do, is
   take the money and then redraw the screen right away, showing the change
   in rubies, in the bank.  It now does that, with no "Any Key" prompt!

-> You know what?  Della Moore was right!  There was a tiny bug in the
   CONFIG program, that would not override the defaults for questions 5 - 9
   if ALL of the entries were not entered.  Meaning, if you entered
   questions 1 - 4 which need to be entered and tried to change just 1 or 2
   of the remaining questions, CONFIG.EXE would not save your entries.  If
   you changed ALL of the 5 - 9 questions, then it would save.  Argh!  It
   of course, has been fixed now.

-> There were a few other small fixes, but I won't bore you with the
   programmer lingo, if you know what I mean :)


UPGRADING from any version to v5.0:
==================================

Due to many, many changes in this latest installment of TQFN, upgrading is
not an option...Sorry folks.  Here's the best thing to do:  DELETE what you
have on your hard drive now for TQFN and reinstall it as if it was new.  Be
sure of course if you have TQFN REGISTERED that you move your .KEY file to
a TEMP DIRECTORY for now!

WHAT'S NEW IN v5.0?
===================

-> What isn't?

-> Revamped the CONFIGURATION UTILITY.  I always seem to tire rather quickly
   of how things look overall.  Basically the changes are more cosmetic than
   anything else.  I'll let you in on a little secret here...I accidentally
   deleted the OLD configuration code...oops!  Figured it was as good a time
   as any to revamp it then :)

-> Just about ALL ANSI'S are brand new in TQFN this time around.  Users and
   Sysop's alike were asking for the game to be a bit more colorful and
   graphical, so here ya go!  I think the overall look of TQFN has improved
   ten fold!

-> MULTINODE!  MULTINODE!  MULTINODE!  Yes, TQFN is now FULLY MULTINODE!  It
   took a lot of work and a lot of testing but the game can now be run on
   ANY system!  You non-programmers out there would not beleive the work
   that goes into making a game multinode...sheesh.  A Sysop saying "Why
   don't you just make it multinode?" is like saying, "Why don't you just
   rip apart a car engine and put it back together again?" :)

-> Another option was added at the Village menu.  The OLD INACTIVE VOLCANO
   is now part of TQFN.  Is it inactive though?  Users will now encounter the
   Old Keeper in the Volcano.  He keeps some secret potions down there to help
   a player out and of course there is the Curse Master who can help you out
   when you want to get another player. :)  Putting a curse on another player
   will reduce their health to 50% and they will be unable to heal themselves
   above that until the next day they play after the initial day they play
   with the curse on.  The Curse Master also has a couple of other types of
   curses that will get you player a bit of extra experience of rubies!

-> The maintenance program has gone EXTERNAL now, as opposed to running in
   the game.  I know a lot of authors say things like, no external maint to
   worry about, the game takes care of everything when the first player of
   the day enters the game...The only problem with this in this day and age
   of BBS's battling the Internet for users, is some systems do not get that
   many calls per day and the game may NOT be entered by ANYONE that day.
   The bank interest will not be calculated for that day if this happens and
   the inactivity check of 14 days, may end up being more like 30 days.

   Just add a call to:  QMAINT.EXE
   in your nightly event .BAT file.  QMAINT.EXE is also FULLY MULTINODE so
   all nodes DO NOT have to be down in order for it to run :)  Be sure that
   you change to your TQFN directory first...This MUST be run from the TQFN
   directory in order for it to work properly (otherwise it can't find the
   files, right?).  I make mention of this because I did actually come across
   a Sysop who was running the maintenance program for another Lounge Software
   door, but had moved the maintenance program to another directory.  Just in
   case ya' didn't know!

-> In order to clean up the directory a bit, the player mail files have
   been moved to a MAIL subdirectory and all of the ANSI screens have been
   moved to an ANSI subdirectory.  EPM's still need to be installed in your
   MAIN TQFN directory though.

-> TQFN can no longer be played LOCALLY.  Meaning you cannot just run it
   locally from the DOS command line in the TQFN directory.  You MUST run it
   locally via your BBS.  Log onto your BBS locally and play TQFN that way.
   This change had to be made because of the multinode status.  When TQFN
   went to EPM's for example, if you WERE playing it from the DOS prompt in
   the TQFN directory, it automatically defaults to your name as Sysop and
   Node 1.  Since this is not always the case...ex. My friend has his local
   node as node 2, then TQFN would get lost as to who is on which node.
   Can't have that can we?  If you run it LOCALLY via your BBS, you will have
   no problems because it checks the Drop File for it's node number and the
   person using the door.  I knew we would lose something when going to
   multinode!  This is the way that the com routine library is written, sorry
   folks, nothing I could do about it.

-> That's it!  Whew!  Talk about a lot of work.  Hope you and your users
   enjoy the ALL NEW TQFN!

   Jim Webb
   Lounge Software