ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 …eeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng)/ProfitPress-MegaCDROM2.B6I/BBS/DOORS/MAZE50.ZIP/MAZEDOCS.ZIP/MAZE.DOC

Text File | 1991-11-27 | 17.0 KB | 366 lines

======================== File Maze.Doc ===================================

                       M A Z E   D O O R

  Release: Maze 5.0                                           January 1992
   Author: Fast Fingers
      BBS: The Tool Box .. TAG System .. Fido Node 1:120/181
 Location: 42039 Bay Court
           Sterling Heights
           Michigan 48313
    Phone: [phone] @ 1200/2400/9600/14400 24 hrs/day


  SYSOP DOCUMENTATION for the MAZE door package.

  For a quick start I suggest you read SetUp.Doc first.  I know you will
  want to give it a try before you read all of this boring information.

  My second piece of advice is that you print out all of the doc files that
  came with the game as I bet you will want a little cross reference of the
  material.


  ===== Background: =======================================================

  My objective in writing this door was to explore some of the possibilities
  available using ansi graphics to create a graphics adventure.  What I got
  was a poor man's version of windows without the mouse.  But that's not to
  bad for DOS over a modem.

  From the users view point the object of maze is to stay alive and find a
  way out of the dungeon.  Each level of the game will take the user a day
  or so to work through.  This game does allows users to interact and the
  dungeon itself contains many waiting adventures.  On rare occasion the
  game launches a player of its own that will try to track down and attack
  the user.

  The game is supplied with 13 levels so if you do not get into creating
  your own mazes that's fine.  Most users will take close to a month to work
  their way out.  When they do finally escape they are rewarded, points and
  verbiage, and sent back to the bottom to try again.

  The logic of the program does not contain the actual layout of the various
  maze levels.  This leaves you wide open to create a variety of environments
  for your users and should allow you to keep the users interest in the door.

  Each user will have a data base created with the maze data for the current
  level he is exploring and his/her progress in that level.  This approach
  while giving you a lot of freedom comes at the price of hard disk space to
  keep the data base for both the maze and current players.

  The program utility MazeUtil.EXE comes with the distribution for you to
  maintain the game's data base.  One of the things you do with this utility
  is to purge old users from the game.

  You should not attempt to edit any maze files with a word processor unless
  informed in this doc its ok. Many of these files are sensitive to record
  length and format.

  The OpenD41.zip file contains a general utility required to turn maze into
  a door.  The files contained in that file go into your BBS directory and
  handle your bbs output.  The doc files included describe how to set it up
  to generate the information maze needs to run in remote mode using a modem.


  ===== Maze Files: ======================================================

  Ok, time to get into a little more technical detail.  I don't like
  surprises so I thought it would be nice to identify the files that will
  start to show up in your maze and mazedata directories over time.

  This door may generate the following files during execution:

  MAZE ............. Directory

    => Utility Modification Only! <=

    MAZE.LOG ....... Master user status file.
    MAILCNTL.DAT ... Index file for mail.
    MAILDATA.DAT ... Mail

    => May be Deleted! <=

    PATCH??.DAT .... Status of other player's in current level.
    MAZE.ERR ....... Error file
    JUNK.DAT ....... Temp sort file used when user escapes.

    => May be Modified! <= with Text Editor

    MAZE.CFG ....... Maze configuration file.
                     Format/Options described within file.
    OPENDOOR.SYS ... Maze user connection parameters and bbs info.
                     Format/Options described within file.
                     This file will be regenerated by OPENDOOR.EXE
                     for each user call.

    => May be Modified/Deleted! <=

    BULLET ......... Text file of user rankings.       <= Possible Bulletin
                     Regenerated after each call.
    ESCAPES.DAT .... Text file of escapee's from maze. <= Possible Bulletin
                     Added to after each escape.  If modified
                     keep format intact, watch for excess comma's!
    MAZE.PIC ....... An Ansi Picture of what was on the screen the
                     last time a user repainted the screen.  Can be
                     used to make a nice graphics demo bulletin.

  MAZEDATA ......... Subdirectory

    GAME1.DAT ...... Saved maze for user record #1 in log file.
                     Do not modify and/or delete!  Old files may be
                     erased using MAZEUTIL.EXE only!
    GAME?.DAT ...... Etc., same as above, one for each player.

    Note: The only files needed in the MAZEDATA subdirectory are those
          that have ".dat" as their extension.


  ===== General Logic Description: =======================================

  Your BBS will create a file describing what it knows about the on-line
  user and call your batch file .. Maze.bat or whatever.  This batch file
  calls OpenDoor.exe to convert your bbs output (dorinfo1.def or pcboard.sys)
  data into a file (in your bbs directory) called opendoor.sys.  Now your
  batch file copies opendoor.sys into the maze directory, switches to the
  maze directory and calls maze.exe.  Details in doc file for OpenD41.zip.

  --- Time Out ---

  99% of the problem calls and letters I get center around getting this
  turkey up and running in remote mode.  Things go great in local mode but
  it falls apart for a remote caller.  The problems always center around
  what your batch file does just before it calls Maze.exe.  So do read
  the OpenDoor.Doc file before calling for help, save yourself a dime.

  Cross Reference Time:

    See the file called Problems.Doc if this happens to you before you
    throw the whole thing out in flushtration.

  --- Time In ---


  The program MAZE.EXE reads OPENDOOR.SYS file and determines how to attach
  the user.  It then checks the MAZE.CFG and MAZE.LOG file for how to run.
  The program then passes control to the main game logic.  As MAZE.EXE is
  running it may play the theme from the Lone Ranger so the sysop can tell
  the door is being activated.

  MAZE.EXE looks for a data file for the user.  For example, for
  "Fast Fingers" the file might be "Game1.dat".  If the file exists then
  the game is restored to the same condition as when the user last visited
  the door.  If the user is on for the first time he is teleported into the
  deepest level of the maze, input into MAZE.CFG file, at the location the
  designer specified when he created that level by using an "X".

  The local area, 3 columns wide and 3 rows deep, is displayed around that
  user position and a smiley face is displayed on the screen at the user
  location.

  By using the arrow keys, on the number keyboard, the user may move
  anywhere within the room.  As he moves the new area around the player will
  be added to the display.  If the user is carrying a torch the area
  displayed around the moving player is larger.  In addition he will
  sometimes see a "!", 15% odds, which is something bad that will happen
  when he steps on that spot.

  --- Time Out ---

  For the following paragraph to make any sense you will have to use the
  mazeutil and take a peek at a maze level, say #13 to see all the strange
  stuff that turns into some action if the user gets close to it.

  Cross Reference time:

    Take a look at the MakeMaze.doc file to see what all these strange
    characters do.  Keep in mind you can change/relocate them if you want.
    After all you are the dungeon master!  <grin> .. feel in control yet?

  --- Time In ---

  The letters, adventures in the maze?.dat file are not displayed to the
  user.  Instead as he/she approaches these locations a "?" will be
  displayed.  When the user moves the program looks for what is under the
  new user position.  If some letter then that corresponding adventure
  takes place and the adventure is removed from the maze and sight of the
  user so it can not be repeated.

  A user is not allowed to step on the wall surrounding a room.  He can
  however step through a gap in the wall, called a doorway, onto a path.
  No adventures exist on a path and a user may not leave a path unless he
  is stepping into a room.

  While stepping into a room he can have his torch blown out or in fact the
  door may be locked and it will not open unless he has a key, even then the
  key can break in the rusty old lock.

  Somewhere in each level of the maze is one "U" and one "D" which are
  stairways.  When a user steps on one of these he's put on the associated
  level.  Assuming you are on level 5, stepping on an "U" will take you
  to level 4 at the location of the "D" on that level.  Keep in mind the
  sun shines at level 0.

  MazeUtil.exe has scanned and build into the maze data bases each character
  and these data files have the location of stairs and where a user should
  start, in a room, if he dies and is teleported into the maze level.

  The types of items the user can step on fall into one of the following
  categories:

   Supplies ... Food, Water, Lit Torch, Brass Key, Old Shovel, Red Flare.
   Weapons .... Knife, Dagger, Sword, Club, Spear.
   Defense .... Armor, Helmet, Horse, Magic Charm.
   Treasures .. Gold, Pearls, Gems, Diamonds, Coins.
   A Player ... You may Attack, Teleport, R/W Mail, Identify, or peek
                at his/her inventory.
   Adventures . Drink, Eat, Robbery, Locked Doors, Trivia Treasure Chests,
                Attacks by a Wild Boar and an interesting encounter with
                a Horny Princess.
   Black
   Knight ..... Bit Bucket may occasionally play also.  He is the Black
                Knight and is very aggressive.

  --- Time Out ---

  If you have somebody you really don't like, you, DUNGEON MASTER SYSOP,
  can use the sysop function keys identified on line 25 (to you only) to
  launch an immediate attack by the Black Knight at any time and frequency.

  --- Time In ---

  When the user has all the items of a category then the "?" display for
  the category will be disabled and nothing will happen if the user steps
  on that spot.  Immediately after satisfying a category however a message
  will be displayed giving some hair raising story of something bad that
  happened to the last player that passed by that location.

  To attack or teleport over another user the player must occupy a position
  next to them.  For an attack a player must have some weapons.  The odds
  are calculated as follows: 25% for A (player), 25% for B (old player) and
  50% as a function of the attacker's offensive weapons and the defenders
  defensive weapons.  A horse is considered both offensive and defensive and
  counts double.  A magic sword is offensive and counts triple.

  During a teleport command there is a 10% chance that the player will be
  teleported lower into the maze.  When successful they end up on top of the
  other player and may then continue on their way.  This is useful when the
  old player is blocking a path or approach to a stairway.

  If another player is attacked the offensive and defensive strength of
  each player is considered when calculating the random outcome.  The loser
  of each round will lose something.  First attack is by current player, but
  the other player will then attack back if he has the strength.

  If the other player is defeated he is removed from the maze and flagged for
  a teleport lower into the maze upon his next return to the game.  He will
  be cloaked from view so he can not be zapped again until he has played.
  Players ending their turn in doorways, over a teleport spot or on a stair
  way are also cloaked to eliminate congestion at these critical points.

  The most frequent adventure is to find a "Trivia Treasure" if it is
  buried the user must be carrying a shovel to get at it.  To open the
  treasure and get the associated door points a trivia question must be
  answered correctly.  The user is told how many characters are in the
  answer and if he answers the question incorrectly he/she is told the
  correct answer.

  --- Time Out ---

  The game installs with what I call the simple set of Trivia questions.
  Included for your pleasure is another set much more difficult.  It also
  resides in the directory MazeData and is called HardTriv.dat.  Renaming
  that file MazeTriv.dat will install the hard questions.

  You may want to save the original MazeTriv.dat somewhere just in case.

  --- Time In ---

  The program keeps track of which questions have already been asked and
  will not allow any to be repeated during a single session of the game.
  The maximum number of questions allowed in the data base is 250.  See the
  included file, MazeTriv.dat in directory MazeData, for format of questions,
  note the first line must represent the total number of questions and each
  line following may only have one "," in it!


  ===== General Notes: ===================================================

  The Maze.CFG file instructs you on how to taylor the code for your system.
  It may be modified with your favorite text word processor, just follow the
  instructions and keep the records in their current logical order.  The
  files MAZE.CFG and OPENDOOR.SYS are automatically created the first time
  you locally run the game.

  --- Time Out ---

  Maze.CFG is where you put in your Sysop Name, turn off the blasted music,
  and tell maze if you are running a locked baud operation.

  --- Time In ---

  If any errors occur during execution they are logged by user, date,
  time, line # and error type into a file named MAZE.ERR  You may
  wish to check this file out for any serious errors by printing it out.
  I expect you will find that most of the logged problems are simply users
  who have gone asleep at their terminals.

  A Maze feature allowing mail to/from the SYSOP causes the game to keep
  this dummy user in the game.  The SYSOP user will always be cloaked so
  other players may not locate/attack him/her.  He may play however and
  his information will be kept just like anyone else and you may do normal
  clean up duties on this record with MazeUtil.exe.  A flag at the bottom
  of the screen if SysOpSnoop is activated will indicate if any mail is
  currently waiting that is addressed to the SysOp.


  When in LOCAL mode, started with a command line input like:

  C:\BBS\GAMES\MAZE> maze.exe local joe blow

  The name of the SysOp is whatever you put in the maze.CFG file.  So if
  you changed the CFG file to set up the SysOp name as Joe Blow and then
  used the game in local mode you would be recognized as the SysOp and could
  read/write SysOp mail to users from the maze game rather than mazeutil.exe

  If the command line is not used to run the game then all info is picked
  up from the file OpenDoor.SYS created by OpenDoor.EXE, this includes the
  name of the SysOp!  This should normally not be a problem but if you use
  a different sysop name on the bbs than you put in the Maze.CFG file I
  thought you might want to know this little twist as it could cause you
  some confusion.  BOY I WONDER WHAT I JUST SAID?  <grin>

  In addition to monitoring the status of the modem to allow exiting
  back to the bbs if something goes west, like a loss of a user connect
  signal on the monitored com port, the program also monitors two other
  clock timers.  Both of these can be controlled in the CFG file.

  --- Time Out ---

  If you want to know what my program thinks the maze.cfg file is setup
  to do right now try the Maze.CFG status review command in MazeUtil.exe

  This is a great way to debug a problem if you have been playing around
  the maze.cfg file.

  --- Time In ---

  One of these clocks starts at zero each time the user is requested to
  input something and logs him/her off after X seconds, where the default
  is 180 seconds of no response.  The second clock monitors the total time
  the user has been playing MAZE today.  The default here is to kick
  the user back to the bbs after 30 minutes in this door.

  You may find the language a little abuse at times, no "Dirty" words are
  used but Bit Bucket does like to raze the callers when they do something
  really stupid.  I also had a little fun with the Horny Princess routine
  and if you find it offensive then simply take out all the "h"'s in the
  raw maze data and run them all through MazeUtil.exe's converter again.

  There was nothing in this file you really need to know but I thought it
  would be more fun to wait until now to tell you that as I love to talk
  it up about one of my favorite developments.

  ====================== End of Maze.doc =================================