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- =LWMODEM.DOC==========================================================
-
- LWMODEM: A modem setup program for Line Wars II
-
- LWMODEM (C) Copyright 1994 by Ammon R. Campbell. Licensed
- to Safari Software, a division of Epic MegaGames, Inc. All
- rights reserved except as stated in the accompanying license
- agreement.
-
- Refer to the "LW2.DOC" file for general information about Line Wars II
-
- ======================================================================
-
-
- 1.0 INTRODUCTION
-
- LWMODEM is designed to automate the process of configuring and
- starting a two-player game of Line Wars II over a modem connection.
-
- Before attempting to run Line Wars II in two-player mode, make sure
- it works on your computer in single-player mode. Once you are sure
- that Line Wars II works in single-player mode, you can prepare for
- a two player game by typing the command "LWMODEM" at the DOS prompt.
-
-
- 2.0 CONFIGURATION SCREEN
-
- When LWMODEM is first started, it displays the modem configuration
- screen. The modem configuration screen allows you to change all
- of the settings that will allow your modem to work with Line Wars
- II in two-player mode. The configuration fields include the
- following:
-
- "Modem initialization command"
- This field contains the command that must be sent to your
- modem to properly initialize it. The default command works
- for many Hayes-compatible modems, but some modems require
- special commands to work properly with Line Wars II. For
- example, the US Robotics Sportster 14.4 needs to have the
- characters "&B1" added to the end of the default command
- in order for it to work with Line Wars II. If you experience
- repeated problems in getting Line Wars II to establish a
- connection between your modem and the other player's modem,
- refer to your modem reference manual for any additional
- commands that may be necessary for your modem.
-
- "Modem auto-answer command"
- This field contains the command that must be sent to your
- modem to place it into auto-answer mode. The default command
- works for most Hayes-compatible modems. If you experience
- difficulties in getting your modem to answer calls from
- the other player's modem, you may wish to try using the
- manual-answer mode instead.
-
- "Modem manual-answer command"
- This field contains the command that must be sent to your
- modem to tell it to pick up the phone line immediately. The
- default works for many Hayes-compatible modems.
-
- "Modem connect response string"
- This field must contain the message that your modem
- sends back to the computer to indicate that a successful
- connection has been established with another modem. The
- default of "CONNECT" works for most Hayes-compatible modems.
-
- "Connection timeout"
- This field contains the number of seconds that your modem
- will wait to establish a connection with another modem
- after initiating a session on the "Session Options" screen
- (this is explained in more detail later).
-
- "COM channel"
- Use this field to select which serial communications port
- (COM port) your modem is connected to.
-
- "COM speed"
- This field contains a number indicating the speed at which
- data is transferred between your computer and your modem.
- This is commonly set to the same speed (baud rate) at which
- your modem communicates with the other player's modem, but
- may be faster if desired.
-
- "Hardware Handshaking"
- Use this field to select whether the computer will use
- hardware handshaking when communicating to the modem.
- Set this to "OFF" to disable hardware handshaking, or set
- to "Use CTS/RTS" to enable hardware handshaking. If you
- are using a modem that is slower than 9600 baud or are
- connecting to another modem that is slower than 9600
- baud, we recommend that hardware handshaking be enabled.
- Hardware handshaking is not supported by some modems and
- serial cabling, so you may need to experiment to
- determine what is the best setting for your particular
- situation.
-
- "Mission"
- Use this field to select which two-player mission you wish
- to play. In the shareware edition of Line Wars II, the
- only available choice is "Duel mode", in which you command
- a squad of Cobra fighters that is pitted in battle against
- another squad of Cobras commanded by the other player.
- In the registered edition of Line Wars II, another choice
- "Wing Mode" is added, in which you and the other player
- are teammates pitted in battle against another squad of
- enemy ships.
-
- "Telephone number"
- Select this field to go to the Telephone Directory screen.
- The telephone number that is hilighted in the telephone
- directory screen will show up in this field on the
- configuration screen, and is the number that will be
- dialed by your modem if you select the "Initiate a call to
- another computer" option on the Session Options screen.
-
- "START A LINE WARS II MODEM SESSION"
- Select this field when all other fields have been configured
- as desired and you are ready to being playing a two-player
- game of Line Wars II using your modem.
-
- To move the cursor, use the cursor keys or the tab key. To
- select a field for editing, move the cursor to that field and
- press the ENTER key.
-
- To exit from LWMODEM, press the ESC key at the configuration
- screen. Upon exiting, any changes that you made to the
- configuration will be saved to the "LWMODEM.CFG" file.
-
-
- 3.0 TELEPHONE DIRECTORY SCREEN
-
- The telephone directory screen maintains the names and
- telephone numbers of up to eight people with whom you play
- two-player games of Line Wars II using the modem.
-
- The lefthand column displays the names and the righthand
- column displays the telephone numbers. To begin editing a
- field, move the cursor to the desired field using the cursor
- keys or the tab key and then press ENTER. When you are
- done editing a field, press ENTER again.
-
- To select the telephone number that will be dialed when
- you start a Line Wars II modem session, move the cursor
- to the desired name or telephone number and press the F10
- key. After F10 is pressed, you will be returned to the
- configuration screen with the selected telephone number
- displayed in the "Telephone number" field.
-
-
- 4.0 SESSION OPTIONS SCREEN
-
- The session options screen is displayed after selecting "START
- A LINE WARS II MODEM SESSION" from the configuration screen.
- Session Options allows you to perform any of the following
- actions by moving the cursor to the desired option and pressing
- the ENTER key.
-
- "Initiate a call to another computer"
- Select this option if you want your modem to call the other
- player's modem. Once this option has been selected, your
- modem will immediately dial the telephone number that was
- selected on the configuration screen and wait for the modem
- at that number to answer.
-
- "Wait for a call from another computer (auto-answer)"
- Select this option if your modem has auto-answer capability
- and you want your modem to answer when the other player's
- modem calls your modem. Once this option has been selected,
- the modem will wait until it either receives a call or the
- time specified by the "Connection timeout" field on the
- configuration screen has elapsed.
-
- "Answer a call from another computer (manual-answer)"
- Select this option if your modem does not have auto-answer
- capability. When this option is selected, it immediately
- picks up the phone line, so wait until the phone rings
- before selecting this option.
-
- "Return to configuration screen"
- Select this option to cancel the Line Wars II modem session
- and go back to the modem configuration screen.
-
-
- 5.0 AFTER THE MODEM CONNECTS
-
- After your modem reports that a connection has been established
- (whether your modem made the call or answered the call), LWMODEM
- will start the Line Wars II program (LW2.COM) in two-player mode.
-
- At this point you should see the message "waiting for handshake"
- below the spaceship's viewscreen. This message should appear
- briefly and then disappear after your copy of Line Wars II
- begins to receive communications from the other player's copy
- of Line Wars II. If "waiting for handshake" does not disappear,
- it indicates that there is some problem with the connection
- between the two machines. It may be a problem of mismatched
- baud rates, error correction protocols, compression protocols,
- etc, which vary from modem to modem. Refer to your modem
- reference manual if "waiting for handshake" problems persist.
-
- If everything has worked up to this point, the two-player game will
- begin. Piloting the ship in a two-player game is the same as in a
- single-player game, as are most other aspects of the game. For more
- details on how to play Line Wars II, refer to the "LW2.DOC" file.
-
-
- NOW GO BLAST SOME COBRAS WITH YOUR BEST
- FRIEND, YOUR MODEM, AND LINE WARS II !!
-
-
- =end=of=document======================================================
-