Source Code 1994 March/Source_Code_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_March_1994.iso/compsrcs/misc/volume36/ldb/part11

Text File | 1993-04-10 | 47.9 KB | 1,196 lines

Newsgroups: comp.sources.misc
From: [e-mail] (Perry R. Ross)
Subject: v36i108:  ldb - Play backgammon by e-mail, v1.3, Part11/12
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
X-Md4-Signature: a7a6979100c26d440208143ff87ac535
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 1993 23:32:40 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]

Submitted-by: [e-mail] (Perry R. Ross)
Posting-number: Volume 36, Issue 108
Archive-name: ldb/part11
Environment: UNIX, C, VMS, VAXC, CURSES, 32BIT
Supersedes: ldb: Volume 28, Issue 93-97

#! /bin/sh
# This is a shell archive.  Remove anything before this line, then unpack
# it by saving it into a file and typing "sh file".  To overwrite existing
# files, type "sh file -c".  You can also feed this as standard input via
# unshar, or by typing "sh <file", e.g..  If this archive is complete, you
# will see the following message at the end:
#        "End of archive 11 (of 12)."
# Contents:  ldb.man
# Wrapped by [e-mail] on Tue Apr  6 14:52:25 1993
PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/ucb ; export PATH
if test -f 'ldb.man' -a "${1}" != "-c" ; then
  echo shar: Will not clobber existing file \"'ldb.man'\"
else
echo shar: Extracting \"'ldb.man'\" \(46049 characters\)
sed "s/^X//" >'ldb.man' <<'END_OF_FILE'
X.\" ldb.man        8/4/91
X.\"
X.\" Copyright 1991  Perry R. Ross
X.\"
X.\" Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its
X.\" documentation without fee is hereby granted, subject to the restrictions
X.\" detailed in the README file, which is included here by reference.
X.\" Any other use requires written permission from the author.  This software
X.\" is distributed "as is" without any warranty, including any implied
X.\" warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
X.\" The author shall not be liable for any damages resulting from the
X.\" use of this software.  By using this software, the user agrees
X.\" to these terms.
X.\"
X.\" VMS bug fixes and additions by Earle F. Ake <[e-mail]>
X.\"
X.TH LDB 1 "October 6, 1992"
X.nh
X.nr si 5n
X.ie \nT .pl \nTv
X.UC 4
X.SH NAME
Xldb \- Play backgammon by e\-mail
X.SH SYNOPSIS
Xldb [options] [input files...]
X.br
X.SH DESCRIPTION
X.I Ldb
Xallows two people to play backgammon over a
Xnetwork using electronic mail.  It runs on character\-oriented
Xterminals, or emulators thereof, using the
X.I curses
Xscreen package.  It will run on most UNIX dialects, as
Xwell as VAX\-C under VMS 5.0 and above.
X.I Ldb
Xhandles all aspects of starting, playing, checking,
Xand scoring games.  It displays the board, rolls the dice, and
Xprompts you for your move.  It enforces all normal game rules,
Xas well as several optional rules, and will not let you make
Xan illegal move.  When you have made your moves, ldb will automatically
Xpackage your move and send them to your opponent.
X.SH FEATURES
X.IP "Multiple Games"
X.I Ldb
Xcan keep track of an unlimited number of games simultaneously,
Xand will display them one at a time for you to play.
XYou can exit from
X.I ldb
Xat any time; when you run ldb again, it will pick up
Xyour games where you left off.
X.IP "Move Checking"
XBoth your moves and your opponent's moves are checked for legality.
XThis includes:
X.IP \-
XLanding on an occupied point.
X.IP \-
XBearing off before your inner table is full.
X.IP \-
XTrying to move pieces that are on the board when you
Xhave a piece on the bar.
X.IP \-
XTrying to bear off a piece
Xwhen there is a piece on a higher point, and
Xthe roll is not being used exactly.
X.IP \-
XTrying to leave a usable move unused.
X.IP \-
XTrying to leave a move unused when it is usable and has
Xa higher roll than the move that is used.
X.IP \-
XTrying to double when you doubled last.
X.IP \-
XTrying to double in a Crawford rule game.
X.IP "Message Reliability"
X.I Ldb
Xdetects (and rejects) duplicate messages, and can
Xregenerate lost messages.
X.IP "Remote Start"
X.I Ldb
Xcan start a game between two players on remote hosts.
XThis is used to set up "game starter" hosts,
Xwhere people interested in finding new opponents are
Xmatched by some criteria (such as ability, or by a
Xtournament schedule), and have their games started
Xautomatically.  For a current listing of game
Xstarter hosts, see the README file.
X.IP "Game Value"
X.I Ldb
Xdetects the end of the game, gammons, and backgammons,
Xand notifies both players of the game value when the
Xgame is over.  The Jacoby rule may be enabled,
Xas may European scoring, to calculate the game value
Xas desired.
X.IP "Online Help Screen"
X.I Ldb
Xhas an online, context sensitive help facility
Xthat lists the available commands for the current screen.
X.IP "Match Play"
X.I Ldb
Xcan support matches that play to any
Xdesired point total, and will continue to
Xstart games until one player reaches that total.
X.PP
X.SH OPTIONS
X.IP "\fB-read \fP"
XMail is read, and the games are updated and saved.
XThe user is not prompted for his moves.
XIf neither \-read nor \-play are given,
Xboth are assumed.
X.IP "\fB-play \fP"
XAny games that are waiting for local input are
Xdisplayed for the user to process.  No mail is read.
XIf neither \-read nor \-play are given,
Xboth are enabled.
X.IP "\fB-color xy\fP"
XThe colors for the game started by this ldb run are set to x and y.
XThe first color is played by the local user, and the
Xother is played by the opponent.  Legal color
Xcharacters are any printing character, except that x
Xand y may not be the upper and lower case of the same
Xcharacter.
XThe default is "\-color rw".
X.IP "\fB-direction up/down\fP"
XThis sets the
Xdirection of play for the local user
Xfor the game started by this ldb run.
XThe default is "\-direction up".
X.IP "\fB-myaddr addr\fP"
XYour mail address is set to
X.I addr
Xfor games started on this ldb run.
XThis overrides the address
Xspecified in
X.I .ldbrc.
X.IP "\fB-start user\fP"
XA game is started with the specified user.
XThe
X.I user
Xargument may be any e\-mail address that is valid for
Xyour host.  Some e\-mail addresses will need to be quoted
Xif they contain shell metacharacters.
XThe
X.I user
Xargument may also be an
X.I alias
Xfor an opponent you have played before.
XAliases are
Xdefined in the people file,
Xand are initialized to the first name of
Xthe opponent, with all upper-case letters changed to lower.
XThe \-start option is deferred until all command line
Xoptions have been scanned, so the position of the
X\-start option on the command line is not important.
XOnly one \-start may be used per ldb run.
X.IP "\fB-remotestart user1 user2\fP"
XA game is started between user1 and user2.  The local
Xhost sends a remote start message to user1 instructing
Xit to start a game with user2.  The local host
Xdoes not participate thereafter in the game.
XFor the purposes of the \-color and \-direction options,
Xuser1 is considered the local user.
XThe \-remotestart option is deferred until all command line
Xoptions have been scanned, so the position of the
X\-remotestart option on the command line is not important.
XOnly one \-remotestart may be used per ldb run.
X.IP "\fB-newaddr\fP"
XThe \-newaddr option tells ldb to notify all of your opponents
Xthat your e\-mail address has changed.  To use it, first put
Xyour new address into the myaddr= line of your .ldbrc.  Then,
Xrun "ldb -newaddr".  As you send moves to your opponents, they
Xwill be notified of your new address.  If any of your opponents
Xstill use older ldb versions, you will see a warning message.
XThe \-newaddr option will not work with older ldb versions, so
Xthose opponents will have to change your e\-mail address
Xin .ldbdata and .ldbpeople with a text editor.
X.IP ""
XIf you have multiple e\-mail addresses, you should put the most
Xcommon address in .ldbrc, run "ldb -read -newaddr", then use
Xa text editor to change the "myaddr=" lines in .ldbdata and .ldbpeople
Xfor the games and opponents that need different addresses.
XEverything will be automatic from there.
X.IP "\fB-notify addr\fP"
XThis option affects games started by either -start or
X-remotestart on this ldb run.
XA message is sent to the specified address when the game
Xthat is started by the -start or -remotestart option ends.
XThis message includes the termination code of the game,
Xthe game value, and a gammon/backgammon flag.  This option
Xis mainly for the use of game starters that wish to either
Xkeep score or start new games when the old ones finish.
XEven though -notify is only used by the player that starts
Xthe game (or the game starter that uses -remotestart), both
Xplayer's ldb will send a message when the game ends.
X.IP "\fB-jacoby\fP"
XThe Jacoby rule is enabled for the game started by this ldb run.
XThis rule specifies that gammons
Xand backgammons count as a single point if neither player
Xdoubled during the game.  This option may only be enabled
Xby the user starting the game, and may not be disabled by
Xthe other player.  If the opponent's version of ldb does
Xnot support the Jacoby rule, it is disabled and the game
Xproceeds as if it were never enabled.
X.IP "\fB-crawford\fP"
XThe Crawford rule is enabled for the game started by this ldb run.
XThis rule specifies that neither
Xplayer may double for the first game of a match after
Xeither player is within 1 point of
Xwinning the match.  If match play is not enabled, this
Xargument has no meaning.
XThis option may only be enabled
Xby the user starting the game, and may not be disabled by
Xthe other player.  If the opponent's version of ldb does
Xnot support the Crawford rule, it is disabled and the game
Xproceeds as if it were never enabled.
X.IP "\fB-european\fP"
XThe European rule is enabled for the game started by this ldb run.
XThis rule specifies that backgammons
Xcount as double, rather than triple, the score shown on the cube.
XThis option may only be enabled
Xby the user starting the game, and may not be disabled by
Xthe other player.  If the opponent's version of ldb does
Xnot support the European rule, it is disabled and the game
Xproceeds as if it were never enabled.
X.IP "\fB-permanent\fP"
XThe game started by this ldb run
Xis marked permanent.  Permanent games
Xare automatically restarted when they end.  This is for
Xpeople you play with constantly, and it saves you the trouble
Xof restarting the game when it is over.
XThis option may only be enabled
Xby the user starting the game, and may not be disabled by
Xthe other player.  If the opponent's version of ldb does
Xnot support permanent games, the permanent flag is disabled and the game
Xproceeds as if it were never enabled.
X.IP "\fB-match points\fP"
XThis option enables match play and specifies the number of points
Xthe match is to play to.  Games that are part of a match have additional
Xinformation displayed above the board to show the current match score
Xand the number of points being played to.  When a game that is part
Xof a match ends, and the specified number of points has not been reached,
Xthe game is restarted.
XThis option may only be enabled
Xby the user starting the game, and may not be disabled by
Xthe other player.  If the opponent's version of ldb does
Xnot support match play, the game
Xproceeds as if it were a normal game.
X.IP "\fB-score\fP"
XThe cumulative score for all opponents is printed.  This consists
Xof points, games, gammons, backgammons, and matches that have
Xbeen won and lost
Xfor each opponent.  A total over all opponents is also printed.
X.IP "\fB-broadcast [file]\fP"
XThe specified file is mailed to all current opponents.
XThis is useful for announcing vacation absences, etc.
XIf the file argument is not given, standard input is
Xread and sent to all opponents.
X.IP "\fB-control\fP"
XThis option puts ldb into a special mode that does not allow
Xgames to be played, but instead displays them one at a time
Xand allows certain "overhead" functions to be performed.
XThese are described fully in the section titled "CONTROLLING A GAME".
X.IP "\fB-reconstruct file\fP"
XThis option allows your game file to be reconstructed if you accidentally
Xclobber it.  It does this by extracting the information from your
Xopponent's data file and "reversing" it so you can use it.
XTo use the reconstruct option, ask all of your opponents to send
Xyou their .ldbdata files.  Extract these from your mail into files
Xon your system, strip the mail headers, and feed them one at a time
Xinto ldb.  For each game found listing you as the opponent, you will
Xbe prompted to enter the opponent's e-mail address or alias
X(and his name if he
Xis not in your people file), and the game will be added to your
Xgame file.
X.IP ""
XThe reconstruct function cannot recover games that were in the
Xprocess of starting (i.e. in their initial roll stage), or that
Xhave already completed (why bother?).  Your opponent should
Xread any mail files you sent before your data file got clobbered,
Xand should make his move and send it before sending you his data file.
XYou will not need to process the move he sent, though, since all
Xthat data is in his file anyway.  It won't hurt if you do,
Xldb will just ignore it.
X.IP "\fB-help\fP"
XThis prints a one-line description of each option, in case you
Xforget later on.
X.PP
X.SH SCREEN
XThe screen displays the following items of interest:
X.IP \fBOpponent\fP
XThe e\-mail address and personal name of the opponent are displayed
Xon the top line of the screen.  This can help identify the
Xgame if you have many games in progress at once.
X.IP "\fBBoard Label\fP"
X.I Ldb
Xdisplays one of three possible board images at a time;
Xthe name of the board currently displayed is shown on
Xthe second line of the screen, near the left.
XThe significance of these three boards is explained below.
X.IP "\fBFlags\fP"
XThis area displays any special rules in effect for
Xthe game.  Each special rule causes one character to
Xbe displayed.  These are:
X.nf
X     J     Jacoby rule
X     C     Crawford rule
X     E     European rule
X     P     Permanent game
X.fi
XIn addition, the Crawford rule indicator is shown in
Xreverse video if the Crawford rule game is currently
Xbeing played.
X.IP "\fBMatch Score\fP"
XThe current match score is displayed next to the board label,
Xas is the number of points the match plays to.
XIf the game being displayed is not part of a match,
Xthis area is blanked out.
X.IP "\fBPip Count\fP"
XNear the right of the screen on the second line is the
Xpip count for the board being displayed.
X.IP "\fBBoard\fP"
XThe board is displayed near the left side of the screen, and takes
Xup most of the screen area.  It consists of an outline, drawn
Xwith ASCII characters, and 28 "points" where pieces can reside.
XOf these, 24 are the normal points making up the main body of the
Xboard (numbered 1\-24),
X2 are the "BAR" points, located between the left
Xand right halves of the main board, and 2 are the "OFF"
Xpoints (where pieces go when they are borne off), located to the
Xleft of the board.  Pieces are represented by upper or lower case letters.
XTo help you remember which direction you
Xare playing, there are arrows drawn at the four corners of the
Xboard indicating your direction of play.
XThe bar is indicated by the word "BAR"; this changes to
X"---" if neither player can hit.
X.IP "\fBDoubling Cube\fP"
XThe current value of the doubling cube is displayed in reverse
Xvideo on the left side of the screen.  The cube will appear
Xnext to the home board of the owner of the cube,
Xor in the middle if neither player
Xhas doubled.  For example, if the player whose home board is
Xat the bottom of the screen doubled last, the cube will appear
Xbeside the top of the board.
X.IP "\fBMove Blocks\fP"
XThe move blocks are located on the right of the screen.  There
Xare two move blocks; one for you, and one for your opponent.
XYou will use your move block to enter your moves, and you will
Xsee your opponent's moves displayed in his move block.  A move
Xblock consists of a header, which identifies the owner of the
Xmove block, and two columns of either two or four lines.
XEach line in a move block is one roll, and shows the value
Xof the roll (in the range 1\-6) and how that roll has been used.
XIf doubles were rolled,
Xthe third and fourth lines will also
Xbe used to display the two additional rolls that may be used.
X.IP "\fBCommand Box\fP"
XThe bottom right corner of the screen contains a small box
Xthat displays the commands that are legal at any given time.
XYou can execute a command by typing the first letter; you
Xshould not hit return afterwards.  There may be legal commands
Xother than those shown in the command box, depending on
Xthe state the game is in.  Press "h" or "?" for a complete listing
Xof legal commands.
X.IP "\fBMessage Area\fP"
XThe bottom 6 lines of the screen are reserved for messages of
Xvarious types.  The bottom line is used for error and informative
Xmessages that occur as a game is played.  The top line in this
Xarea displays messages pertaining to the status of a game, such as
Xblots hit by an opponent's move.  The remaining 4 lines are used to
Xenclose a message to your opponent with your move, and to display
Xthe one your opponent sent to you.  These messages may be up to
X2 lines of 56 characters.
X.PP
X.SH "STARTUP FILE"
XThe first time you run
X.I ldb,
Xit will ask you if you want to
Xcreate a
X.I .ldbrc
Xfile.  You should answer "yes", unless you have a reason
Xnot to.  If you want the ldb startup file to be named something
Xother than
X.I .ldbrc,
Xyou should set the environment variable LDBRC to the
Xname you want before
Xrunning ldb for the first time.
XIf you do this, the LDBRC variable must be set
Xevery time you run ldb.
X.I Ldb
Xmoves to the directory in the HOME environment variable,
Xif it is set, before accessing any files.
XThis makes all files (including .ldbrc) relative
Xto $HOME.
X.PP
XThe
X.I .ldbrc
Xis organized as a sequence of name/value pairs, one per line,
Xin the format
X.I "name=value".
XThere should be no spaces before
X.I name
Xor before or after the equals sign.  Comments are indicated
Xby a pound sign (#) in column 1, and extend to the end of the line.
XThe following names are defined:
X.IP myname
XThis line is where you enter your (human) name.
XIt is sent to your opponent when a game is started, to
Xmake things a little more personal.  You can put anything
Xyou like here, of course, but I highly recommend you just
Xstick to your name.
XThe
X.I myname
Xline is mandatory; if you don't want your name
Xsent to people, you can just put your email address instead,
Xbut you must have something.
X.IP myaddr
XThis line defines your e\-mail address.  This is sent to your
Xopponent when you start a game so they know how to send
Xmail back to you.  For people with multiple mail paths, put
Xthe one here you use the most (e.g. the Internet domain\-style
Xpath), and for games that need to use a different address,
Xuse the
X.I \-myaddr
Xcommand line argument to override the path in
X.I .ldbrc.  Note that the first time you start a game
Xwith someone, the address you use is saved in your
Xpeople file.  Subsequent games you start with this person
Xautomatically use this same address, so the
X.I \-myaddr
Xoption will be unnecessary.
XThe
X.I myaddr
Xline is mandatory.
X.IP peoplefile
XThis line sets the file name that is used to store information
Xabout your opponents.  In addition to storing your opponents'
Xnames, addresses, and aliases, it records the number of
Xgames, points, gammons, backgammons, and matches you have
Xwon or lost to that opponent.  It also stores something
Xcalled the
X.I fence,
Xwhich is the start time of the most recently finished game.
XThis allows start messages from old games to be discarded.
XThe peoplefile line is optional, and if it is not given,
Xthe people file defaults to
X.I .ldbpeople.
X.IP gamefile
XThis line sets the file name that is used to store games
Xin progress.  It is optional, and if it is not given, the
Xgame file defaults to
X.I .ldbdata.
XMy advice, if you care, is that you should avoid
Xusing a file name containing the string
X.I games
Xor any other giveaway string that would let your boss, sysadmin,
Xor other local Nazi\-type know that you're using
Xa very expensive piece of high\-tech equipment to goof off,
Xwhen you could do that with nothing more exotic than
Xa rubber band and some spitballs.
X.IP backupfile
XThis is the file your old
X.I gamefile
Xwill be moved to just before a new
Xone is created.  It defaults to
X.I ".oldldbdata."
X.IP mailfile
XThis line is where you tell ldb how to find the mail messages
Xyour opponents have sent.  There are several ways to do this.
XThe simplest one is to just put
Xsome file name here (the default is ldb.rcv) and, when you receive
Xmail containing an
Xldb
Xmove, just save it to this file.  When you are done reading your mail,
Xrun ldb, and it will scan this file and extract all your incoming
Xmoves.  If your mail program is like most, it will
Xappend messages if the file you are saving to already exists,
Xwhich is just what you want.
X.I Ldb
Xwill silently ignore moves that it has already seen for games in
Xprogress, so you don't have to clean them out of your mailfile
Xif you don't want to.
XNote however that if anything happens to your people file,
Xand you have old start messages in your input file,
Xldb could start a spurious game (i.e. one your opponent's ldb
Xknows nothing about).  Also, if your input file gets really long,
Xldb will take a while to start up.
XSo the best course is to delete all messages
Xafter ldb has read them.
X.IP ""
XFor UNIX users, a much easier way
Xis to set the mailfile to point to your
Xactual mail file (e.g. /usr/spool/mail/$USER), and let ldb
Xscan your mail directly.  This will only work if your system
Xkeeps mail in ASCII format, but many do.  Ldb will not
Xdelete these messages from your mail
Xso you will have to.
X.IP ""
XThe third option is to set the mailfile to a pattern instead
Xof a filename.  Ldb will scan all matching files for moves.
XThis is good for mailers that don't append on save, and
Xdon't store in ascii format, such as on VMS.  Note that
Xon VMS, if no version number is defined, mailfile defaults
Xto scanning all versions.
XVMS users should read the section entitled "VMS NOTES"
Xfor more information on extracting mail.
X.IP delmail
XThis option causes any mail files scanned by ldb to be removed after
Xthey have been scanned.  This is a hideously dangerous option,
Xso I recommend you try it in a friend's account first.
XIt will delete ANY file that matches the pattern specified in
Xthe mailfile line, with the exception that, under UNIX,
Xit will refuse to delete any file starting with "/".
XUse it with great care.  This option defaults to no;
Xto enable it, set it to "yes".
X.IP lockfile
XThis line sets the name of the ldb lock file.
XIt defaults to
X".ldb_lock",
Xand there's no
Xreal reason to change it unless by some chance it conflicts
Xwith a file name you might use.
XWhen ldb starts, it checks to see if this file exists;
Xif it does, ldb exits.  Otherwise, it creates it and goes on.
XThis prevents more than one ldb from running in the same
Xaccount at the same time, and thereby garbling the data files.
X.IP sendcmd
XThis tells ldb how to send a file with your particular
Xmail command.  This string is passed to the system, after making the
Xfollowing substitutions:
X.IP "     $a" 10n
Xis substituted with the address to mail to.
X.IP "     $f" 10n
Xis substituted with the file containing the message.
X.IP "     $s" 10n
Xis substituted with the subject of the message.
X.IP "" 5n
XMost mail systems will work fine with the default, which is
X.nf
X     mail \-s '$s' $a < $f
X.fi
X.IP ""
Xor, on VMS,
X.nf
X     MAIL/SUBJECT="$s" $f IN%"""<$a>"""
X.fi
X.IP ""
XNote that the $ substitutions are
Xmade by ldb, not by a shell, and thus are not subject to
Xany quoting.  If you need a $ in the string, use $$.
XVMS users may need to change the name of the SMTP mailer;
Xfor example, to send mail using Wollongong TCP/IP, you would
Xuse the string
X.IP ""
X.nf
X     MAIL/SUBJECT="$s" $f WINS%"""<$a>"""
X.fi
X.IP tempfile
XThis line specifies a temporary file that ldb can use to compose
Xmail messages.  The file will be created in your home directory,
Xthus avoiding file name conflicts in /tmp.  It defaults to ldb.tmp.
X.IP colors
XThis is a string of two upper or lower case
Xletters,
Xand defines
Xyour preferred colors for any games you start.  The first character
Xin the string is the color you will play, and the second is the
Xone your opponent will play.  It defaults to "rw", and is
Xoverridden by the
X.I \-color
Xcommand line argument.
X.IP direction
XThis is either "up" or "down", and defines your preferred direction
Xof play for games you start.  The direction of play only refers to
Xwhether you play toward increasing or decreasing numbered points.
XAlthough by default upward play goes toward the top of the screen,
Xthis can be reversed (for your screen only) by the "Invert"
Xcommand in the Control menu,
Xaccessible via the
X.I \-control
Xcommand line argument.  The default for this line is "up",
Xand is overridden by the
X.I \-direction
Xcommand line argument.
X.IP initialboard
XAs was alluded to earlier, your screen shows one of
Xthree possible board images at any time.  Although
Xthe purpose for this
Xwill be explained later, this line allows you to select
Xwhich of these three boards should be displayed initially.
XThe legal values are "before", "after", and "current".
XThe default is "current".
X.IP autoroll
XIf you were the last to double, you have no option
Xbut to roll the dice when it is your turn.  If
Xautoroll is enabled, ldb will roll the dice for you automatically
Xin this case.  For those that prefer consistency, autoroll
Xmay be disabled, although attempting to double when you
Xdoubled last will cause an
Xerror message.  Possible values for autoroll are "yes" and "no",
Xwith "yes" being the default.
X.IP automove
XEach time you roll the dice, ldb determines how many
Xlegal ways there are for you to use your rolls.  In the
Xrelatively unusual case where there is only one way
Xfor you to use your rolls, ldb can automatically apply
Xthis move to your board before displaying it.  Automove
Xis disabled by default because quite frankly it's
Xpretty annoying.  Possible values for automove are "yes"
Xand "no", with "no" being the default.
X.IP autodouble
XOne of the official rules of backgammon allows for
Xautomatically doubling the game value when the opening
Xroll is a tie.  The rules go on to state that automatic
Xdoubling is only to be used when the players agree beforehand
Xon its use and limitations.  The method ldb uses to implement
Xthis somewhat vague rule is to allow each player to specify
Xa maximum number of autodoubles they are willing to accept in
X.I .ldbrc,
Xand for the maximum number of autodoubles applied to any game
Xto be the lesser of the two players' specified limits.
XFor example, if you set
X.I "autodouble=4"
Xin your .ldbrc, no game you play will ever be autodoubled
Xmore than 4 times, although the number of tied opening rolls
Xis obviously not limited.  However, if you were to start a game
Xwith someone who had set
X.I "autodouble=2",
Xthat game would be limited to at most 2 autodoubles.  If you don't
Xwant to play automatic doubles, set
Xautodouble=0, which is also the default.
X.IP superkey
XIf you live in fear of roving supervisors (or other
Xfun-impaired individuals) running across you playing an
Xinnocent game of backgammon,
Xyou may want to enable the superkey function.
XJust pick a key on the keyboard you never use in ldb, such as the
Xbackquote, and put a line in
X.I ".ldbrc"
Xsetting superkey to the
X.I "decimal ASCII code"
Xof the key you want; for example, to use the backquote key,
Xuse "superkey=96".
XOnly single\-character keys are allowed, and
Xthe key you select will not be usable for normal purposes
Xwithin ldb.  Make it one you can hit in a hurry.
X.IP supercmd
XIf you'd rather have a program of your choice come up
Xinstead of the shell when the superkey is pressed,
Xput it on this line.  It will be passed
Xunchanged to a shell via the system() function.
XVMS users should read the note in the section titled
X"VMS NOTES" on supercmd functionality.
X.IP checkpoint
XThis option keeps the gamefile up to date by writing it out
Xwhenever the dice are rolled or a message is sent.  This
Xprevents game information from being lost if ldb crashes,
Xyour machine goes down, or what have you.  This option is
Xenabled by default, and I highly recommend you leave it
Xthat way.  If you just can't stand the thought of a few extra
Xwrites to disk, you can disable it with "checkpoint=no".
XOn your own head be it.
X.IP timeout
XThis option sets the number of days ldb will wait for a reply
Xfrom your opponent.  After this number of days passes, ldb
Xwill assume your last message was lost and automatically resend it.
XThis prevents the situation where both players think they are
Xwaiting on the other, and eventually both players forget they
Xeven have a game going.  This option defaults to 7 days;
Xyou can disable automatic resends by setting it to 0.
X.IP keepold
XThis option sets the number of days ldb will keep a game after
Xit is over.  This can be handy in case you need to resend the last
Xmove of a game.  This option defaults to 7 days; if you set
Xit to 0, finished games are deleted immediately.
X.IP debug
XThis option enables various debug messages.  It is a bitmap,
Xwith each set bit enabling debug messages from a different part
Xof ldb.  Most people will want to leave it at 0, which is
Xthe default.  If you want debug messages, look for the
Xdefinitions of DB_* in ldb.h.
X.PP
X.SH "PEOPLE FILE"
XLdb maintains a list of all of the people you
Xhave ever played.  This file is used for several purposes:
X.IP "1"
XIt stores the number of games, points, gammons, backgammons,
Xand matches you have won and lost to that person.
X.IP "2"
XIt stores the address for that person, and the
Xaddress that person should use to get to you.
XIt also allows you to assign an alias to that person,
Xand to use that alias when starting a game instead
Xof the full e\-mail address.
X.IP "3"
XIt stores information that allows ldb to reject
Xstart messages from defunct games.
X.PP
XNormally, you should never have to edit the
Xpeople file, but it is described here in case
Xyou need to for some reason.  It is in the same
Xoverall format as .ldbrc (name/value pairs).
X.IP "addr"
XThis is the address of the opponent.  This is what
Xuniquely defines the record, in case you are playing
Xtwo people with the same name.
X.IP "name"
XThis is the name of the opponent.
X.IP "alias"
XThis is a "nickname" you can assign to
Xan opponent.  When a new opponent is found,
Xthe alias is initialized to the first word of
Xthe opponent's name, with all upper case letters
Xchanged to lower.  You can change the alias to
Xany desired string with a text editor (just make sure
Xldb isn't running at the time, or your changes will
Xbe lost).
X.IP "myaddr"
XThis is the address that this opponent should use to
Xmail to you.  This saves you from having to specify
Xthe -myaddr argument when starting a game, and is
Xespecially important with permanent games, since
Xthese games are started automatically without giving
Xyou a chance to change your address.  If you only
Xhave one e\-mail path, you can ignore this.
XThis field is initialized to the value of the
X.I \-myaddr
Xoption at the time the first game with
Xthis opponent is started, or to
Xthe value of myaddr from .ldbrc if no
X.I \-myaddr
Xoption was used.
X.IP "equiv"
XThe presence of this field flags this as an "equiv"
Xrecord.  Equiv records allow one opponent to have multiple
Xe\-mail addresses, but to cause all of them to refer to
Xone people record.  Equiv records have no valid fields
Xexcept
X.I addr
Xand
X.I equiv,
Xand must be preceded by the record they refer to in the people file.
X.IP "fence"
XThe fence is defined as the start time of the most
Xrecently started game that has finished.  If that makes
Xno sense, don't worry, you should never have to mess
Xwith it.  It is used to discard old start messages that
Xyou forgot to clean out of your mail.
X.IP "score"
XThis is an array of 10 numbers that represent, in order:
X.IP ""
X.nf
X     - Games won
X     - Games lost
X     - Points won
X     - Points lost
X     - Gammons won
X     - Gammons lost
X     - Backgammons won
X     - Backgammons lost
X     - Matches won
X     - Matches lost
X.fi
X.IP ""
XThis information is stored purely for whatever purposes you
Xcan think of.
X.IP "end"
XThis line is required to separate people records.  If you
Xhand enter a record, you must be sure to put an end marker
Xor your record will merge with the next one, which is
Xnot what you want.
X.PP
X.SH "STARTING A GAME"
XTo start a game, you must use the
X.I \-start
Xcommand line argument, along with the e\-mail address of
Xthe person you wish to play with.
XFor example,
X.nf
X     ldb \-start [e-mail]
X.fi
XIf you want to play 'w', and make your opponent play
X'b', use the command
X.nf
X     ldb \-color wb \-start [e-mail]
X.fi
XSee the
XOPTIONS section for more details on the available
Xcommand line arguments.
X.I Ldb
Xwill not allow you to play with yourself, but
Xthat's ok because you'd probably lose.
X.PP
XWhen you start a game, ldb sends your e\-mail address
Xto your opponent, along with
Xyour opening roll.  When your opponent receives
Xyour message, his ldb will roll his opening roll, and
Xdecide who won.  If you won, his ldb will send your ldb
Xa message to that effect, and the board will come up
Xon your screen with that roll in your move block.  If he
Xwon, he will use the opening roll and his ldb will send
Xyour ldb
Xa message telling you how he moved.  Either way, the game is off
Xand running.
X.PP
XIf, by unfortunate chance, the opening roll is a tie,
Xyour opponent's ldb will send
Xyour ldb a message to that effect.
XThis will cause a new opening roll sequence as
Xdescribed above.
XA message will be printed telling you
Xwhat's going on;
Xjust keep feeding the incoming messages to ldb, and
Xit will take care of everything.
X.PP
X.SH "PLAYING A GAME"
XWhen it is your turn, the game will be displayed on your screen,
Xand you will be
Xfaced with three options: Roll, Double, or Concede.
XUnless you are very cocky, I would not suggest doubling
Xat this point.  You could always concede, but I really
Xthink that would be selling yourself short.
XSo you should choose "Roll".
XJust press "r", and watch your roll appear on
Xyour move block (along the right side of the screen, under the
Xword "You").  You should see two numbers appear (four if you
Xrolled doubles), and the word UNUSED beside them.
XDecide which of the rolls you want to use first, and press
Xthe number of that roll.  For example, say you rolled
X1 6, and you want to move the obvious 8\-7, 13\-7 to
Xmake your bar point.
XJust hit "6".  Notice the cursor jump up to your move block, beside
Xthe "6" roll?  It is waiting for you to enter the point you want
Xto move from.  Press "1" "3" (don't hit return).  You should see
Xa piece move from 13 to 7, and this fact will be reflected in
Xyour move block as well.  Now, press "1".  Again the cursor
Xjumps to the move block, and you type "8".
XThe second entry in the move block
Xreflects this move, as does the board.  Happy?  If not, press
X"r"; this will reset your rolls to UNUSED and put
Xthe board back to how it was before you moved,
Xand then you can enter some different moves.  Otherwise, hit "s"
X(not "q"!)
Xto send the move.  The cursor will jump down to the message area,
Xwhere you get a chance to enclose a message to your opponent,
Xperhaps to gloat over the great move you just made.
XYou only get 2 lines of 56 characters, so keep it short.  When
Xyou are done, press <return>.  Your move is on its way!
X.PP
XThere are three shortcuts you can use
Xafter you have entered your first move:
X.IP 1.
XYou can press <return>, which will "repeat" your last move.
XThat is, your next remaining roll will move from the same
Xpoint as your last one moved from.  This is handy when
Xusing doubles to move more than one piece from the same point.
X.IP 2.
XYou can press <space>, which will "continue" your last move.
XThat is, your next remaining roll will move from the
Xpoint your last move ended on.
X.IP 3.
XYou can press "p", which will attempt to make the point your
Xlast move ended on.  In our 1 6 example above, you could have
Xjust hit "p" after you moved 13\-7, and ldb would have figured
Xout that to make the 7 point with the remaining roll of 1,
Xit would have to move a piece from the 8 point.
X.PP
XIn addition, there is one more shortcut that may be used
Xwith any roll.  If you want to use a roll to bear off
Xa piece, you can just hit "o".  Ldb will locate the
Xpoint (if any) from which pieces may be legally borne off
Xby the next unused roll, and make that move automatically.
XYou can also select a roll, then hit "o".
X.PP
XIf you use your moves, hit "Send", and start to enter your
Xmessage, then realize you made a mistake, you can press
XESC to get out of send and back into the game, where
Xyou can use "Reset" and re\-enter your moves.
X.PP
X.SH DOUBLING
XIf you decide to double, just choose "Double" instead of
X"Roll".  You will get to enclose a message, just like when
Xyou send a move, then your message gets sent.  Once you have
Xdoubled, you cannot double again until your opponent does so,
Xso ldb automatically selects "Roll" and sends you to the
Xnext menu.  If you don't like this, you can disable it by
Xsetting
X.I autoroll=no
Xin .ldbrc.
X.PP
XIf your opponent doubles, you will see a message just under
Xthe board to that effect, and a menu will come up
Xallowing you to Accept or Decline the double.
XDeclining the double means you lose the game for the
Xcurrent game value.  Accepting means that the game
Xcontinues, but its value is doubled.  The current
Xgame value is shown to the left of the board.  After
Xyou accept, you should see this display move next to your
Xhome board, indicating that you own the doubling cube.
X.PP
XIf the Crawford rule game is being played,
Xdoubling is illegal, and will result in an error message.
X.PP
X.SH BOARDS
X.I Ldb
Xmaintains three board images at all times.  These are:
X.IP 1
XThe board before your opponent's last move.
XIt is for display purposes only, so you can see your
Xopponent's move "before and after".  The pieces your opponent
Xis going to move are highlighted.
X.IP 2
XThe board after your opponent's last move.
XIt shows the condition of the
Xboard after your opponent's last move, with the pieces he
Xmoved highlighted.
X.IP 3
XThe current board.  This is the "real" board that shows the
Xcurrent state of the game.
XNothing is highlighted.
X.PP
XBy default, ldb displays the Current board at all times.  If
Xyou want to see the other boards, use the Board command
X(provided it is in the current menu).  This will cycle through
Xthe three boards in the order they are listed above.  The second
Xline of the screen tells you which board is displayed (near the left).  When
Xyou roll, ldb automatically switches to the current board if
Xit is not already up.  You can set which of these three boards
Xis initially displayed via the
X.I initialboard
Xsetting in .ldbrc.
X.PP
X.SH "ENTERING COMMENTS"
XWhenever you send a move to your opponent, you are
Xgiven the opportunity to enclose a two line comment.
XWhile entering your comment, certain keys have special meaning.
XThese are:
X.IP "BS/DEL"
XThe backspace and delete (or rubout) keys both erase the
Xlast character typed.  You can backspace from one line to
Xthe previous one.
X.IP "^W/^B"
XThe ^W and ^B (control-W and control-B) keys both erase the
Xlast word typed.  Words are delimited by spaces.
X.IP "^X/^U"
XThe ^X and ^U (control-X and control-U) keys erase the
Xcurrent line and move to the end of the previous line,
Xor to the beginning of the first line if used on the
Xfirst line.
X.IP "RETURN"
XIf you press return on an empty line, or on the last line,
Xthe comment is finished.  Otherwise, the cursor moves to the
Xnext line.
X.IP "ESC"
XThe escape key aborts the operation (e.g. Send), restores
Xthe previous comment, and returns to the previous menu.
XThis allows you to change your mind and back out of
Xan operation.
X.PP
XAll other keys are entered into the comment.  When you reach
Xthe end of a line, ldb word-wraps to the next line, or beeps
Xif you are at the end of the last line.  Note that the
Xsuperkey is still active while entering comments, and
Xcannot be entered into a comment.
X.PP
X.SH "CONTROLLING A GAME"
XThe
X.I \-control
Xoption permits you to control your games in
Xcertain ways.  Each of your current games are
Xdisplayed, one at a time, just as they are when you
Xare playing, allowing you to perform any of the
Xfunctions on the control menu.
XThe control menu has the following commands:
X.IP "Invert"
XThis allows you to invert the board for this game.  The
Xboard will invert immediately on your screen, so you can
Xsee if you like it.  Pressing
X.I Invert
Xagain will put it back to normal.  Inverting the board does
Xnot affect the point numbering or the color you play,
Xit merely draws the board with the low-numbered points at
Xthe top of the screen rather than the bottom.  You may find
Xit easier to make all of your games play a certain direction.
X.IP "Resend"
XFrom time to time, messages may be lost due to faulty mailers
Xor human error.  If your last message gets lost, you can
Xregenerate it with the
X.I Resend
Xcommand.  There is no harm in regenerating messages, as
Xldb will ignore duplicate messages.  If you and your opponent
Xhave forgotten whose move it is, the easiest way to get going
Xagain is for both of you to resend your last message.  The one
Xthat got lost will be accepted, and the game will be off
Xand running again.  So that you can resend the last move
Xof a game, completed games are kept in your .ldbdata for
X1 week, after which they are deleted.  They may be deleted
Xsooner with the Delete Game command.  Note also that
Xgames that have been waiting for your opponent for more than
X1 week have an automatic resend performed whenever you run ldb.
XResend is disabled if it is your turn.
X.IP "Get Resend"
XThis allows you to send a message to your opponent's
Xldb requesting a resend.  This saves your opponent the
Xtrouble of getting into
X.I \-control,
Xfinding which game you're talking about, and resending.
XInstead, he can just feed your resend request message into
Xldb like it was a regular move.  Version 1.0 of ldb
Xnot only does not support this feature, but will crash
Xif a resend request packet is sent to it, so
X.I \-control
Xwill check to make sure your opponent is running
Xthe proper version
Xbefore sending the message.
X"Get Resend" is disabled for games that are over.
X.IP "Screen Dump"
XThis command makes an exact copy of the screen in the
Xfile "ldb_screen.dmp".  This could be useful if you
Xwant to mail the board to someone or print it out.
X.IP "Delete Game"
XThis command marks a game for deletion.  The game is not deleted
Xuntil you quit, and you can undelete it by pressing D again.
XNormally, you should not delete a game in this manner,
Xyou should play until someone wins or concedes.  The
X.I "Delete Game"
Xcommand can be used to get rid of games where your opponent
Xdoesn't answer his mail, or doesn't want to play, etc.
X.IP "Next Game"
XThe next game is displayed.  If there is no next game,
Xthis choice is equivalent to
X.I Quit.
X.IP "Quit"
XThis allows you to exit from
X.I "\-control".
XIf you made any changes to your games, you will be given the opportunity
Xto save these changes, then ldb will exit.
X.SH "VMS NOTES"
X.PP
XVMS users have a few unique considerations:
X.PP
XOn VMS, the default file names are changed from .ldb* to ldb.*.  This
Xgroups all ldb files together.
X.PP
XVMS mail doesn't append
Xmessages to an existing file, it creates new versions.
XTo accommodate this, vms-compiled executables will search all versions
Xof a file by default.  This applies to files specified on the command
Xline as well as the file specified in your ldb.rc.  You can disable
Xthis in either case by specifying a version number, or by specifying
Xversion number 0 to get the most current version.  The default setting
Xin ldb.rc is to scan sys$login:ldb.rcv;*.  You might want to change
Xthis to ldb.txt;*, since that is the default extension added by
Xmail when you extract a file.  If you use multiple versions, you
Xshould be careful not to PURGE until after you have run ldb.
X.PP
XIf you have the Eunice package, ldb will compile and run under it fine,
Xbut any files created by the Eunice\-compiled version
X(most notably the games file)
Xwill be incompatible with the VAX C\-compiled version.  Use the
Xunixtovms command to convert.
X.PP
XLdb is available in vms_share format with the manual preformatted.
XIf you have MMS, you can use the makefile.vms provided by entering:
X.nf
X     $ rename makefile.vms makefile.
X     $ make
X.fi
XIf you don't have a make available, you can compile with:
X.nf
X     $ @makeldb
X.fi
XAfter ldb is compiled, you'll probably want
Xto define a symbol such as:
X.nf
X     $ ldb :== $dua0:[me.ldb]ldb
X.fi
Xso you can run it.
X.PP
XThe VMS implementation spawns a subprocess with no command when the
Xsuperkey is pressed.  You can enter LOGOUT or EOJ to return to the
Xgame.  If you define a command to run when the superkey is pressed,
Xthe command will be run, but you will still need to logout of
Xthe subprocess to return to ldb.
X.PP
X.SH BUGS
X.PP
XA game file created by ldb under Eunice must be run through
X"unixtovms" before the VAX\-C ldb can read it.
X.PP
XThe superkey function only works when ldb is waiting for a key.
XIf ldb is doing something time-consuming, such as calculating
Xlegal moves, the superkey will not work until the calculation
Xis complete.
X.PP
XThere should be a way to play interactively (using socket connections,
Xfor example), rather than via e\-mail.
X.PP
XUnder Eunice, there is a bug when delmail is enabled,
Xreceived mail is in a file with multiple versions,
Xand these versions are entered on the command line
X(as opposed to being specified by a pattern in .ldbrc).
XEunice handles multiple versions by appending a dot and the version
Xnumber to all versions of the file but the newest version,
Xto which it appends nothing.  When the most recent version is deleted,
Xthe next older
Xversion becomes the most recent, and has no version suffix
Xattached.  This file will be skipped, since its name changed
Xbetween the time the file list was created and the file is opened.
XAll other files will be scanned properly.  The work-around for this
Xis to not use a pattern like 'ldb ldb.txt*' on the command line
Xto specify all versions of the file, but rather use 'ldb ldb.txt.* ldb.txt'
Xso that the most recent version is scanned (and thus deleted) last.
XAlternatively, the pattern can be quoted so that ldb interprets
Xit instead of the shell.
X.PP
XThe
X.I \-myaddr
Xcommand line option should override the
Xmyaddr line in the people file.
X.PP
XVersion 1.0 of ldb only allowed the colors red,
Xwhite, and black, represented by r, w, and b,
Xrespectively.  Although ldb 1.0 will allow games
Xto be started and played correctly with different
Xcolors, the move blocks will have the string "*BAD COLOR*"
Xdisplayed where the color should be, making it difficult
Xto figure out which color you are playing.  Upgrading
Xto a newer ldb will fix this.  Nevertheless, if you
Xare playing someone who is using ldb 1.0, you may want
Xto restrict your color choices to r, w, and b.
X.PP
XOccasionally, ldb will print a spurious message telling
Xyou that you only have one legal move.  Usually when it prints
Xthis, it is right, but in the special case where you have one
Xpiece left to bear off, one of your rolls is less than
Xyou need to bear it off, and the other roll is big enough
Xto bear off by itself, ldb will want you to use the smaller
Xdie first, then bear off with the bigger one.  This is consistent
Xwith the rules that say you must use both dice if you can,
Xbut is not correct in this case.  Note that you can either
Xuse both dice like ldb wants, or ignore the message and bear
Xoff with the larger die.  Your move will be accepted either way.
END_OF_FILE
if test 46049 -ne `wc -c <'ldb.man'`; then
    echo shar: \"'ldb.man'\" unpacked with wrong size!
fi
# end of 'ldb.man'
fi
echo shar: End of archive 11 \(of 12\).
cp /dev/null ark11isdone
MISSING=""
for I in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ; do
    if test ! -f ark${I}isdone ; then
    MISSING="${MISSING} ${I}"
    fi
done
if test "${MISSING}" = "" ; then
    echo You have unpacked all 12 archives.
    rm -f ark[1-9]isdone ark[1-9][0-9]isdone
else
    echo You still need to unpack the following archives:
    echo "        " ${MISSING}
fi
##  End of shell archive.
exit 0

exit 0 # Just in case...