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AVATARS OF SCREAMING STEEL Version 1.30 By Steven H. Lin Copyright 1992 by Steven H. Lin All rights reserved GENERAL OPERATIONS MANUAL ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS 1.0 The Histories 2.0 Introduction 3.0 Registration 4.0 Requirements 5.0 Installation 6.0 Setup 7.0 Operations 8.0 Product Support 9.0 Acknowledgements 10.0 Final Words 11.0 Registration Form ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 THE HISTORIES 1.1 History #1 - Before the Coming, all the Gods kept away from the True Believers because of the evil powers of the Unbelievers were perpetuating the Evil Barrier that the Gods couldn't cross. After the Coming, the Gods were able to hear our pleas for help, and They came to us, to remake the world into what it was meant to be. Now we must destroy the Unbelievers. Luckily, because us True Believers are really peace-loving people, we have agreed with the Unbelievers to do our fighting through representative combat. We send into the arena our Chosen Avatars from the Gods to best the Unbelievers and to prove once and for all that science is the Ultimate Evil. - Cron Ickfhag, High Priest of Piece-Muphin. 1.2 History #2 - In the early 1960's, with the inception of UNIX and microcomputers, work on cybernetics, artificial intelligence, and weapons research boomed. In the United States of America, the Soviet menace presented a reason for careful development of offensive and defensive measures geared toward protecting the way of life that the U.S. embodied. In the late 1970's, Modemland (and subsequently, the Matrix) came into being. Telecommunications-driven "bulletin board systems" slowly began to blanket the U.S. and the world, bringing people closer to together than ever thought possible. The written word became as important as the spoken word, in a manner of stating. And technology improved from the sharing of ideas. There was another renaissance of the spoken word through the written word, however. In the mid-1980's, there was a resurgence of religious and neo-religious fervor ("established" religion, cults, and New Age covens). Some of these religious groups based their beliefs on one or more bits of written text, while some others augmented their faith with crude artificial neural stimulants ("recreational" drugs), particularly dopa-mimetic types which intensified feelings of euphoria and "God-reaching". In the late 1980's, one particular individual completed work on what was to become the basis of all functioning artificial intelligence entities. After great controversy over the ethical implications of creating an "artificial being", the project was hushed up to satisfy the growing body of religious fanatics in the U.S. The political situation of the early 1990's continued to worsen on the Eurasian continent; by the early 2000's, the former Soviet republics had degenerated into general chaos, and virtually all of Europe became balkanized into little "princedoms" of political radicals and reactionaries. In the Americas, the drug abuse issue also worsened, as South American recreational drug distributors began to chemically bind brain-damaging and mind-influencing agents into their exported products to their North American customers in an attempt to effect confusion similar to the situation in Eurasia. Ironically, several drug-induced brain-damaged religious fanatics broke into nuclear missile silos in Colorado and Arizona and triggered off what is now known as the Nuclear Holocaust of 2008. The missiles affected all of Eurasia except for the British Isles; all of Africa; all of South America; and most of Micronesia. In addition, the polar ice caps were melted considerably, bringing up the seawater level by several meters; this shift in the sea level effectively submerged many island groups around the world. What the general rise in water did not completely destroy, the massive tidal waves following the nuclear detonations did. By 2020, the nuclear fallout had diminished enough for the remnants of civilization to regroup for the first time since the Nuclear Holocaust. The skies were still overcast with the dust of the ages, but at least people could walk around without immediately dying from the irradiated airborne particles and mutated pathogens. The scientists who survived in the underground bunkers in the United States, Canada, and the British Isles emerged into a new world. Sort of. Contact between the scientific groups during the underground survivalist period was maintained through tight beam transmissions, and after emerging on the surface, the British scientists were quick to relocate themselves to what was the U.S., as all of the 'Isles were almost entirely drowned. The Canadian scientists likewise relocated themselves south to the U.S., as the nuclear winter was still quite bad in the region which previously was Canada. The scientific groups were quick to locate each other and consolidate themselves and their available resources, plenty of research materials and food growing supplies, into cohesive unions along both U.S. coasts. The choice to relocate on the coasts was derived from the fact that oceanic desalination and incredible dilution of nuclear fallout to safe levels made the seawater safe for drinking and for hydroponics work. However, something unusual had happened while we, the scientists, were cached in our underground bunkers. Many of the religious fanatics had, in the cozy covens, somehow survived the Nuclear Holocaust as well, although with very costly changes: these survivors and their progeny were mostly horribly mutated, often lacking body parts or having body parts reshuffled along their torsos. But perhaps the most unusual event was the appearance of "gods", as these religious fanatics call them. Exactly what these deities are is beyond our knowledge at this time; however, there are some individualized forces at work on our world now, and these religious fanatics are somehow able to tap into them through intense group prayer. Our initial contact with these survivors was not encouraging: they were convinced that we are "demonspawn" and must be destroyed. There is generally no reasoning with them. We were forced to spend con- siderable effort relearning how to fashion weapons from our stored notes rather than working on a way to salvage DNA from these survivors to remodify them back to normalcy. Our communities were attacked regularly by these fanatics armed with clubs and stone axes; we repulsed them easily and in droves with our high-energy weapons. On 18 April 2088, a strange event occurred: every one of our communities was visited by bands of normal-appearing fanatics armed with forged weapons and armor, generally long swords and plated armor, with a single ultimatum: fight in arenas for the right to survive on the earth. At first, we did not take these individuals seriously, but our skepticism was killed when single lightning bolts flew down from clear skies to strike dead one of our people in each of our communities. Certainly not a coincidence, but a marshalling of forces by their god-forces. It is now 2101. We know that our existence is being tolerated by the fanatics' multitude of gods. As a constant reminder, the weather is always changing in ways that defy what we consider natural, and earthquakes regularly rumble through tectonically dead regions. Why we are not obliterated outright is still unknown. But we have observed whole communities blasted to dust whenever our defenders for those communities are defeated by the Avatars. These Avatars, as the cadre of normal-appearing fanatics are called, are our fighting opponents, and our cybernetically-enhanced volunteers are our saviors. That we are able to keep their Avatars at bay is a testament to the usefulness of our restored technology. We are constantly seeking ways to improve our warriors, for survival of our communities is now dependent on the strengths, and weaknesses, of our warriors. In a sense, we have our own avatars: avatars of screaming steel. - Arcand Melanc, Ancient Lich and Director of Scientific Research at the Isle. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.0 INTRODUCTION AVATARS OF SCREAMING STEEL (AoSS) is a simple game from [The Deviant's Palace] about decisive arena combat in the dark, uncertain future, where faith and technology coexist in an uneasy balance. You are allowed to choose between the two warring groups, the fanatics and the scientists, for your character. Your character will be either an Avatar or a Defender, respectively. 1.1 Warning - If you have never used a program from [The Deviant's Palace], then you may be in for a massive shock. Please, if you suffer from an angina pectoris condition, keep your supply of amyl nitrate or nitroglycerin within easy reach. If you are using stronger medications, like calcium channel blocking agents (most notably verapamil) or ß-adrenoceptor blocking agents (AKA "beta blockers"), you may want to have some experienced medical personnel nearby to monitor your health condition as you set up AoSS. Use AoSS at your own risk. If you suffer from psychological problems or disabilities, AoSS is not guaranteed to not injury your psyche. Use AoSS at your own risk. 1.2 License Agreement - The author of AoSS has taken every precaution to insure that no harm or damage will occur on computer systems operating the AoSS package. Nevertheless, the author of AoSS shall NOT be held liable for what- ever may happen on your computer system or to any computer systems which connect to your own as a result of operating the AoSS package. The user assumes full responsibility for the correct operation of this software package, whether harm or damage results from software error, hardware malfunction, or operator error. NO warranties are offered, expressly stated or implied, including without limitation or restriction any warranties of operation for a particular purpose and/or merchantability. The AoSS main program, setup program, maintenance program, and documentation are copyrighted products of Steven H. Lin. Steven H. Lin reserves all rights to these products. This is protected by the United States of America (USA) and International Copyright Laws. In no way shall the components of the AoSS software package be repro- duced or modified in any form or method without prior expressly written permission from Steven H. Lin. Steven H. Lin grants an unlimited license for the purpose of dis- tributing unregistered copies of the AoSS software package to the public when such unregistered copies are released from [The Deviant's Palace]. Tampering with or altering the contents or integrity of the AoSS software package is prohibited. No fee may be charged by any agency other than Steven H. Lin beyond cost of dis- tributing unregistered copies without prior expressly written per- mission from Steven H. Lin. AoSS is distributed under the Shareware concept. You are allowed to operate AoSS for a trial period of thirty (30) days. After this trial period, you must register AoSS or discontinue its usage. Continued operation of AoSS past the above stated trial period requires full registration payment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.0 REGISTRATION Registration of AoSS is mandatory if you wish to continue using AoSS past the thirty-day trial period. The unregistered demo mode of AoSS is fully functional, but it has a few pauses which give the sysop and users time to reflect on the benefits of the Shareware concept. The registration fee for AoSS 1.xx (versions 1.00 to 1.99) is: $15.00 US Issue a check or money order to STEVEN H. LIN. Send the registration form and the check or money order to: Steven H. Lin DevPal MetroNet Communications 1251 NE 108th Street, #621 Miami, Florida 33161 United States of America ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.0 REQUIREMENTS 4.1 General System Requirements - The following are the requirements for using AoSS: An MS-DOS computer A modem A BBS program or telecommunications host package which can generate one of the following DOOR information files: CALLINFO.BBS DOOR.SYS DORINFO?.DEF PCBOARD.SYS An ANSI driver At least 350Kb of hard disk space 4.2 Environments - AoSS will work under the following environments (although it is certainly not limited to only the following): Artisoft LANtastic 3.3 - 4.1 Compaq MS-DOS 3.31 Digital Research DR-DOS 5.0 - 6.0 Microsoft MS-DOS 3.3 - 5.0 Quarterdeck DesqView 2.31 4.3 Memory Managers - AoSS appears well-behaved when operating under memory management programs, such as HIMEM, QEMM-386, and NetRoom. This is primarily because AoSS does not perform any unusual operations in high memory areas (ie. extended memory, expanded memory). It is also strongly advised that AoSS NOT be loaded into any high memory areas. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.0 INSTALLATION This is fairly simple: make a directory somewhere for the placement of AoSS. Then unZIP the archive into that directory. Then type the following at your DOS command prompt: INSTALL This will activate a simple batch file which will go through the motions to install AoSS on your system. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.0 SETUP Setup involved several steps: Running the AoSS setup program (AVTSETUP) to initialize the needed data files. Setting up your BBS to handle AoSS. Putting the AvtMaint program into a daily maintenance batch file. 6.1 The AoSS Setup Program - In your AoSS directory, there is a program called AVTSETUP.EXE. To run it, type the following at your DOS command prompt: AVTSETUP You will be given a screen display announcing the program, then you will asked to hit <ENTER>, whereupon you will be presented with the main AvtSetup menu. AoSS has only five options at the main menu of its setup program, and they are arranged as follows: Avatars of Screaming Steel Setup - -------------------------------- [A] Edit community name. [B] Change maximum # of players. [C] Change maximum # of cycles before auto-deletion. [D] Change maximum # of turns per cycle. [Q]UIT AvtSetup. (> At the prompt (the "(>" symbol below the options), you may enter the option you wish. 6.1.1 Edit community name - The "community" is the name of the local scientific colony that is under contention between the Defenders of tech- nology and the Avatars of religion. The default is "Miami". 6.1.2 Change maximum number of players - This lets you specify the maximum number of players allowed in the game. The default number is 100 players. 6.1.3 Change maximum number of cycles before auto-deletion - This allows you to set a "expiration cycling rate" for AoSS. Every time the AoSS Daily Maintenance Butler (AVTMAINT) is run, a special counter is incremented by one for every player record. Once that counter's value surpasses the expirating cycling rate that you specify with this option, the player record will be deleted. This feature is different from "daily rates" which depend upon your system clock. Because some systems may choose to allow maintenance runs more than once a day, the expiration cycling will need to keep pace. The default number is 30 cycles. 6.1.4 Change maximum number of turns per cycle - This allows you to set the number of combat opportunities per maintenance cycling. The higher the number, the greater the opportunity for the players to kill themselves off in battle... =(:->) The default number is 5 turns per cycle. 6.2 Setting up your BBS batch file for playing AoSS - This is a crucial step, because if this is improperly set up, your system will not function well with AoSS. However, luckily, this is an easy step, too. Include the following paradigm in the DOOR batch file that you use to access your BBS's: CD <AoSS directory> AVT <path and filename of DOOR info file> CD <BBS directory> The "CD" command is used to switch the system focus into the Metro- Mezzanine directory, so that the next line can work to activate AoSS. The second line, incidentally, will require a DOOR information file... one of the following: CALLINFO.BBS - Wildcat! DOOR.SYS - lots o' BBS's DORINFO?.DEF - RBBS, QuickBBS, RA, SuperBBS, Proboard, etc. PCBOARD.SYS - PCBoard 12.x, PCBoard 14.x, MBBS or GENERIC.SYS Do not forget to include the PATH to the DOOR information file! Usually, the DOOR information file will reside in the directory where the main BBS files are, or where you have specified a node directory (if you are running a multi-node system). Please check with your BBS manual and/or your own setup information for your BBS to confirm this. 6.2.1 GENERIC.SYS - This is a special text file used by AoSS in lieu of the other methods mentioned above. It contains three lines: line 1 - <sysop name> line 2 - comm port line 3 - time allowed (in minutes) in AoSS A sample GENERIC.SYS might read: Steve COM2: 60 The following is a sample BBS batch file portion which uses the GENERIC.SYS file: CD \ZBBS\AOSS AVT GENERIC.SYS CD \ZBBS 6.2.2 Setting up your batch file - Okay, okay, it's true: not everybody has a separate batch file for every DOOR. In fact, some people throw all of their DOOR batch routines into one gigantic batch file. Basically, whatever works well for you should be the technique which you employ for running AoSS. Some BBS programs, like PCBoard, are not very conducive to having one large batch file for handling everything; on the other hand, BBS programs like QuickBBS and RemoteAccess are very well suited to such a method (in fact, even preferred to be in such a setup). 6.3 Non-standard communications port support for AoSS - Section 6.2 explains how to set up AoSS using a vanilla setup, which works perfectly for most people. However, for the exceptions who, for some strange reason, need (or want) to use a non-standard serial communications port to handle the interface between the modem and the computer, here is the paradigm to do so: AVT <DOOR info file> PORT:<port address>:<port number> The <DOOR info file> parameter is for the complete path and filename of the DOOR info file desired for use. The <port address> is the actual base memory address for the serial port. The <port number> is the integer of the serial port which you wish to use for the DOOR. For instance: AVT c:\door\aoss\dorinfo1.def PORT:03F8:5 This means that AoSS is using the DORINFO1.DEF file for getting per- tinent information from the BBS, and the non-standard comm port is accessed at memory location 03F8, and the comm port is known as COM5:. Check the documentation for the non-standard serial port you intend to use for the correct way to install that serial port on your system. 6.4 FOSSIL support for AoSS - Section 6.2 explains how to set up AoSS using a vanilla setup, which works perfectly for most people. However, for the exceptions who, for some strange reason, need (or want) to use a third-party FOSSIL driver to handle their communications mess instead of AoSS' internal comm routines, here is the paradigm to do so: AVT <DOOR info file> PORT:F:<port number> The <DOOR info file> parameter is for the complete path and filename of the DOOR info file desired for use. The <port number> is the integer of the serial port which you wish to use for the DOOR. For instance: AVT c:\door\aoss\door.sys PORT:F:2 This means that AoSS is using the DOOR.SYS file for getting per- tinent information from the BBS, and the FOSSIL driver is active on COM2:. Check the documentation for the FOSSIL driver you intend to use for the correct way to install that FOSSIL driver on your system. 6.5 DigiBoard support for AoSS - Section 6.2 explains how to set up AoSS using a vanilla setup, which works perfectly for most people. However, for the exceptions who, for some strange reason, need (or want) to use a DigiBoard to handle the interface between the modem and the computer, here is the paradigm to do so: AVT <DOOR info file> PORT:D:<port number> The <DOOR info file> parameter is for the complete path and filename of the DOOR info file desired for use. The <port address> is the actual base memory address for the serial port. The <port number> is the integer of the serial port which you wish to use for the DOOR. For instance: AVT c:\door\aoss\pcboard.sys PORT:D:7 This means that AoSS is using the PCBOARD.SYS file for getting per- tinent information from the BBS, and the DigiBoard channel being used for AoSS is #7. Check the DigiBoard documentation for the correct way to install it and to use it on your system. 6.6 Setting up your batch file for performing AoSS maintenance - Another important step is to run the AvtMaint program regularly (suggested: at least once a day) to allow users the opportunity to have their turns reset on a periodic basis and to have some "housecleaning" (ie. old users deleted) done. Just place the command to invoke AvtMaint (just the program name, without any command line parameters) in your daily maintenance batch file or routine. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.0 OPERATIONS Now you should be ready to try out AoSS for the first time. Either have a user call in, or try it yourself. If you want to try it from the DOS command prompt (instead of using another modem or phone line to call into your BBS to test the game locally), make a dummy DOOR info file (such as GENERIC.SYS, as mentioned in section 6.2.1) and slip in "COM0:" to represent the comm port. That will make AoSS recognize that you are a local user. The batch file used to run AoSS does not have to be modified; just type this at your DOS command prompt: AVT GENERIC.SYS 7.1 Sysop Controls - It would not be fair if the only the user was able to do things while he is online... the sysop should have some features available to himself, also. There are function keys which will give the sysop some abilities while there is a user in AoSS. They are: F5 - shell to DOS F8 - exit AoSS F9 - screen ON/OFF F10 - chat with the user There are some other keys available to PCBoard sysops. To see them, hit Alt-H while in AoSS. They will appear in the status bar at the bottom of your screen. 7.2 Sysop Fine-Tuning - There is a special text file, SYSNEWS.DOC, which is located in the AoSS \TEXT directory. This file is for the sysop to add any special info that he/she wishes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.0 PRODUCT SUPPORT To maintain his position as one of the most accessible shareware author, the information following has been provided: Address: Steven H. Lin, Ph.D., M.S. DevPal MetroNet Communications 1251 NE 108th St., #621 Miami, FL 33161 BBS: [The Deviant's Palace] of Miami 305/899-1841 2400-14.4k HST/v.32bis 24 hours except ZMH Voice: 305/899-0957 FN NetMail: FN 1:135/105.0 DN 55:55/1.0 DR 75:75/1.0 Internet: slinc@f135.n105.z1.fidonet.org FN EchoMail: AOTD - DevOnline Products echo [DN/DR/FN] DEV_SYSOP - DevNet Systems Operations echo [DN/FN] DEV_TPA - Third Party Apps Developers echo [DN/FN] D_ADVENT - Adventure DOORs echo [DR] D_SYSOP - DoorNet Sysops echo [DR] PCBNET - PCBoard Sysops echo [FN] U'NI-net/US: DOOR-UTIL - DOORs and utilities for BBS's Voice support is given freely and is the preferred method of communication by the author. Please take advantage of this remarkable avenue of support. To further expand accessibility, there are now official DevOnline distribution sites available to provide you with the latest unregistered versions of DevOnline products: DevOnCO (Mountain US) : The Hornet's Nest sysop: Kevin Higgins loc: Fort Carson, CO #: 719/579-0593 baud: 2400-14.4k HST ice: TAG addr: FN 1:128/74.0, DR 75:7719/1.0 PCP: n/a DevOnFL (Southeastern US) : [The Deviant's Palace] of Miami sysop: Steve Lin loc: Miami, FL #: 305/899-1841 baud: 2400-14.4k HST/v.32bis ice: Maximus-CBCS, PCBoard, QuickBBS, RemoteAccess, WWIV-IMS, Virtual BBS, Waffle/DOS addr: FN 1:135/105.0, EN 50:5305/505.0, DN 55:55/1.0, DR 75:75/1.0, UN DEVPAL, VtN @3053 PCP: FLMIA DevOnTX (Southern US) : The Chess Board sysop: Ken Givens loc: Grand Prairie, TX #: 214/641-1136 baud: 2400-14.4k HST ice: SuperBBS addr: FN 1:1/132.0, FN 1:124/2213.0, 43:1370/101.0 PCP: TXDAL DevOnVA (Mid-Atlantic US) : The NEOCOM Game Connection sysop: David Fife loc: Martinsville, VA #: 703/638-1952 baud: 2400-14.4k HST/9600 v.32 ice: RemoteAccess addr: FN 1:264/615.0, DR 75:100/1.0 PCP: n/a ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS All products mentioned in this text that are not produced by members of DevPal MetroNet Communications, Inc. are trademarks of their respective copyright holders and/or authors. 9.1 Dedication - This program is dedicated to Alexander Wei, a good friend and in- disputably the best AI programmer that I have known. Rest gracefully in peace, and let your spirit continue on in the masterworks of your successors. And also to DoorNet, the world's first DOOR-specific telecommuni- cations mail network. This one's for you, guys. And finally, to the DoDies. Thanks for getting off my back. 9.2 Thanks to some folks who have tried out the beta test version of AoSS - David Fife Kevin Higgins Georgina Martinez Eric Santelices Ariel Vera 9.3 And special thanks to (in alphabetical order)... Bonnie Hartstein & DevPalAnA Corinna Harney & DevPalLV Fred Maximilien Mikhail Oschenkiv Mike Stewart, Ph.D., M.S. & DPBerk Alejandra Torriano & DevPalDC Ian Wells & TSanc ... and to all of the very special sysops who picked up a copy of AoSS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10.0 FINAL WORDS AoSS is a simple game with a lesson. That it has the same origins as many of the Arena-derived online games is coincidental. That it uses an anti- cipatory solution model rather than a one-for-one command-exchange model is NOT coincidental. In reality, combat between two individuals, particularly professionals, is rarely a matter of exchanging blows. Rather, it is an issue of attempting to anticipate your opponent's moves and presenting a rapid-fire set of actions of your own to gain an advantage over that opponent. So it is with AoSS. To become a superior warrior in AoSS, careful study of the possible actions available to your character is crucial, particularly with the randomly created opponents in the game... the algorithms used to generate them are such that these "random" opponents will push the limits of your abilities to effectively fight in the arena. If you are careless, the game will over- come you mercilessly. With these humble words in mind, then, happy gaming! - Steven H. Lin, Ph.D., M.S. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- AVATARS OF SCREAMING STEEL Registration Form 4D - Version 1.30d DevOnline Product AOSS-AD Sysop Name _________________________________________________________________ BBS Name ___________________________________________________________________ BBS Phone Number ___________________________________________________________ BBS City, State ____________________________________________________________ Sysop's Address ____________________________________________________________ (no P.O. Boxes) ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Sysop's Voice Phone Number(s) ______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Any Mail Network Addresses _________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Indicate which registration option(s) you'd like by CIRCLING the correct number(s) below: #1 - Non-commercial registration [$15.00 US] #2 - Consideration for beta test site [FREE] #3 - USPS mail delivery of disk (see below) [$5.00 US/$10.00 US] OPTIONAL Total cost: ___________________________ Your System Hardware (be specific!)_________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Your BBS Software (be specific!)____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Registered Key Delivery: _____ via File Attach (a la FidoNet/DoorNet) _____ I prefer maximum security... Hold my copy on DevPalMiami so I can d/l it myself. Name the M-M reg. key file __________________________ and encrypt it with the password ___________ and put the file in the DevOnline file area on NightVeil PCBoard BBS partition! _____ Send my copy to me by mail. I understand that I will pay US $5.00 for S&H if I am in the U.S. and US $10.00 for S&H if I am out- side the U.S. Signature ___________________________________ Birthdate ____________________