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MMMap The Murder Motel MAP Maker A Murder Motel Utility Program Version 1.10 Copyright (C) 1990-1993 by Duane Brown Table of Contents System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Included Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Setting up MMMap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 General Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Testing/Viewing a Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Simple Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Map Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Quitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Adding a Connection Deleting a Connection Adding a Room Deleting a Room General Registration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Revision History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Registration and Other Legal Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 For Emergency Use Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Murder Motel Map Maker Written by Duane Brown Version 1.10 Copyright 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 by Duane Brown This program is designed for anyone who wishes that there was a better Map editor for Murder Motel maps for the Murder Motel door, written by Sheldon Pasciak, currently being updated by Chuck Valechek. This program is a text-based, full screen, hot-key based map editor/tester/debugger/viewer. Improvements over the old MakeMap program: a) Full screen access to any room in a few keystrokes b) Built in viewing/testing, all via intuitive keystrokes c) Add and delete rooms and connections easily, automatically increasing the number of rooms, if necessary. d) Search room descriptions for text, with optional moving to that room. e) Ability to edit files other than Murder.Map. f) And much much more! A picture is the best way to describe it's features: ╔════════════════════════ OLDEPRIS.MAP [Enterprise] ═════════════════════╗ ║ N┌─────┐ ┌─────┐U│ Current Room [Room 107] ║ ║ │# 108│ │# 101│ │ in the Turbolift at Deck J ║ ║ └──┬──┘ └─────┘ │ North [Room 108] ║ ║ │^ ^/v │ at a dead end (Circuit Breaker Room) ║ ║ │v / │ South ║ ║ W┌─────┐ ╔══╧══╗/ E│ ║ ║ │# 105├───╢# 107║ │ West [Room 105] ║ ║ └─────┘< >╚═════╝ │ at a viewport ║ ║ / │ East ║ ║ ^/ │ ║ ║ D┌─────┐/ S │ Up [Room 101] ║ ║ │# 110│v │ in the Turbolift at Deck I ║ ║ └─────┘ │ Down [Room 110] ║ ║ │ in the Turbolift at Deck K ║ ╠══════════════════════════════╧═════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║[G] Goto Room Number [L] Search Descriptions [T] Change Title ║ ║[A] Add a Room [C] Add Connection/Path [N] Make New Map ║ ║[D] Delete a Room [R] Remove Connection/Path [O] Open Map ║ ║[S] Save Map [E] Edit Description [Q/Esc] Quit to DOS ║ ║Use Cursor Keys, PgUp and End to move to a room. ║ ╟────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╚═══════ Unregistered Murder Motel Map Maker, Version 1.10, 02/03/93. ═══╝ The top line shows the file being worked on, as well as the Motel's name in brackets. The upper left quadrant shows the current room (room number is inside the double-lined box), surrounded by lines which lead to other rooms. The letters show which direction the room is (NSEW represent North, South, East, and West, with U and D standing for Up and Down, respectively). Also note the ^ v < > pointers. These characters represent valid directions. That is, a North room that has both a ^ (representing a North connection from the current room) also has a South connection that will return you back to the original room. YOu may see "one way" connections -- that MMMap 1 THE Murder Motel Map Maker is, just one "outbound" arrow without a corresponding return arrow. That indicates a one way connection. Each direction is color coded (if running on a color monitor) for easy identification. On the opposite, upper right hand quadrant is listed the room descriptions of all rooms that can be reached from the central room. The colors of the descriptions match the colors of the rooms on the map. The bottom half of the screen consists of two areas. The bigger one is the menu area, while the bottom two lines are the interactive area. The menu shows you just that. The bottom two lines are where any input from the user is asked. System Requirements =================== Just a very basic system is needed to run MMMap. A color or monochrome system capable of running in 80x25 mode is all that is needed. Included Files ============== MMMap.exe The actual program. MMMap.doc This documentation file. OldEpris.map 173 room map based on the NCC 1701 Enterprise, designed by me. FullEprs.map 300 room map of Enterprise (above) plus a mining colony, designed by Ric Smith. Setting up MMMap ================ NOTE: The program as distributed does not require a copy of Brun45.exe, as I have decided that it would be best to make this program capable of running standalone. I know this increases the size of the EXE file, but unlike Robot which is designed to run in a Murder Motel directory, which has Brun45.exe available, MMMap is designed to run on a non-Murder Motel directory/BBS. Just place a copy of the MMMap.exe file in the Murder Motel directory or somewhere on DOS's Path, so it can be run from anywhere. There are no other required files, just the .EXE. To run MMMap, type MMMap mapname Where Mapname does not have to have a .MAP extension (one is assumed if it is not present). Note: MMMap must have either a new map to work with, or load an existing map. Thus, running MMMap without a filename will not work. MMMap 2 THE Murder Motel Map Maker General Features ================ All input to MMMap is via Hotkeys (no need to press enter) with a few exceptions. Also, anytime any change is made within MMMap to an map that has not been saved to disk, you will be warned before you are allowed to quit MMMap or load a new map from disk. Movement is easy as well. The following keys are used for selecting a direction. North: 8/up arrow/Alt-N/Control-E South: 2/down arrow/Alt-S/Control-X East: 6/right arrow/Alt-E/Control-D West: 4/left arrow/Alt-W/Control-S Up: 9/Page Up key/Alt-U/Control-R Down: 1/End key/Page Down/Alt-D/Control-Z or Control-C These keys work with the Numlock on or off. You can also use the 'inverted T' and the other grey function keys on the AT 101/102 type keyboards as well. Note the classic Wordstar diamond is supported, as well as Alt-<direction> keys. Take your pick. Testing/Viewing a Map ===================== This is the easiest part of MMMap. Just use the cursor keys as listed above to move around the map, see all of the connections, and generally get a good feel for the map you are in. If you get stuck and are trapped, you can go to another room in two ways: Enter the room's number, or search the descriptions. If you know what room number you want to be, just select G for Go to room number. Enter a number between 1 and the highest number listed, and that room will now become the current room. Easy enough. If you do not know the exact room number, but you know what the room description says, you can select L for Search Descriptions. You then enter a word or two that is in the room you want to be. You will be shown a list of rooms, one at a time, that have the phrase you entered (case insensitive search). If this room is not the right one, select Y to the question 'Search for more matches'. When you find the room you want, select N for the more matches question. You are then given a choice of moving to the room you selected, or going back to the place you were at the start of the search. Select Y if you want to make this new room the current room, or N to return to the old room. Simple Editing ============== The simplest editing functions involve changing the Map title, and editing a description for the current room. To change the Map title (ie the name of the motel in Murder Motel, listed in brackets at the top of the screen) select T and enter the new motel title. To change/edit a description for a room, make that room the current room (Goto it, or Look/Search for the description), then select E. To leave the description the same, just press enter. Otherwise, type in MMMap 3 THE Murder Motel Map Maker the new description and press enter to save it. Map Maintenance =============== You can do several things with maps: Save them, start new ones, and load up new ones. Use the S command to save a map you are working on. Press Enter to save the map using the original filename, Q to abort the save, or type in a new filename (.MAP not necessary -- it is appended automatically). To load a map file from disk, select Open/load map. If you are working on a map and have made changes since the last save, you will be asked if you want to save your changes before loading the new map. In that case, follow the directions above for saving a map. After that is done, you will be prompted for the name of the map to load. Type in the name of the map file to load (.MAP assumed) and that map is ready to be worked on. To make a new map from scratch from within MMMap, select N - Make a New map. You will be asked for the Title of the Map, how many rooms for the map (30 is the default, but do not worry about making it too small--MMMap will automatically increase this limit as necessary), and a filename. Design away! Quitting ======== To quit, type either the Escape key or Q. If you are asked about whether you want to save any changes, answer Y to save changes, or N to discard any changes. You are then asked if you really want to return to DOS. Enter Y to exit, or N to go back to MMMap. Adding/Deleting Rooms and Connections ===================================== Ah yes. Adding and deleting rooms is at the heart of MMMap. This is where MMMap overshadows Makemap. The easiest part is adding/deleting a connection/path (I use both connection and path interchangeably -- both simply refer to a link between one room and another) Adding a Connection ------------------- C -- Add a connection/path adds a new path to another room, off of the current room. You are asked to select the room where the connection is being made TO. You can enter a room number, search for a room description, or Quit. After you select a room, you will be asked to enter the direction FROM the current room to the room you selected. Once that direction key is pressed (ie 8, 2, etc), you will have an opportunity to have an "opposite" connection added automatically. That is, if you are in room #107 (as in the screen capture above), and you add a connection to room #124, in the East direction from #107, you will be asked if you want a West connection, FROM #124 TO #107 added. That is, make a two-way connection without having to worry about going to the new room, and making the connection back. (Neat, huh? I thought so) Note, that if the room that you just connected to already has an opposite direction used (ie #124 already has a room to it's West) then you will be told that you can't auto-add an opposite connection. [Playing around a few times MMMap 4 THE Murder Motel Map Maker will give you a better feel for what I'm talking about.] Deleting a Connection --------------------- R -- Remove a connection/path deletes a connection between two rooms. Since there are only 6 possible directions, this is much easier to understand. Just select the direction of the connection you want to get rid of. If it is possible, you will be asked if you want to auto- delete the opposite connection from the other room -- that is, totally sever the connection for your convenience. It goes without saying that you can not delete any connections if the room does not have any connections going from it (ie a dead end room). Adding a Room ------------- A -- Add a Room, allows you to add a room to the Map. You will be first asked if you want to add a Separate room, a Connected room, or Quit. A separate room is just that -- it will be created without any connections to other rooms. A connected room is a room that will be connected to the current room. Next, you will be asked if for the room that you want to add. You can choose from entering a room number, having a new empty room automatically found, or Quit. If you know the room number you want to add, just select E and type in the number. Selecting A will find the first empty room (the one that has no room description) and select that. If there are no available rooms, then the total number of rooms in the map is automatically increased, with this new room being the room added. For example, if you have 175 rooms used, and select Automatically find an empty room, the number of rooms will be increased to 176, and room 176 will be the room added. If you selected add a Connecting room, then you are asked for which direction off of the current room should this new room be placed. At this point, you are asked to enter the description of the room you are adding. Remember that the 'You are' is automatically placed in front of any text entered here, and 'in area ###' is automatically placed after the description of the room while in the Murder Motel Door. Again, if you selected add a Connecting room, you will be asked, if it is possible, to add an opposite connection (that is, to complete a two-way path to and from the two rooms. Answer Y if you want such a two way path setup, or N for a one way connection. That's it. You've just added a room to your motel map. It may sound confusing, but try it out and you'll get the hang of it. Once you get used to it, the process is intuitive. Deleting a Room --------------- D -- Deleting a Room, is easier to understand and process. Deleting a room means totally removing ANY traces of it's existence in the map. The description of the room is erased, as well as *ALL OUTBOUND* connections to other rooms, as well as *ALL INBOUND* connections from MMMap 5 THE Murder Motel Map Maker other rooms. This may well leave some parts of the map inaccessible. You have been warned! You are first asked if you want to delete the Current room, Enter a room number, or Quit. Note that for your own safety, you can NOT just delete a room that is North, South, etc of you by just selecting a direction. You MUST enter the actual room number. You are asked if you are sure you want to delete the room. Answer Y or N here. Now, if you entered the current room number, or selected delete Current Room, you will be asked the same questions as above. However, if you delete the current room, you now have no reference point, so you are forced to goto another room. If you know a room number you want to go to, enter that room number. Otherwise, the first non-empty room in the map will be chosen for you automatically. A bit of an inconvenience, but this is a safety feature for you. General Registration Information ================================= MMMap is not crippled in any way, shape, or form. Registration removes the "Unregistered" word from the bottom line of the screen, as well as gives you credit for being registered when you quit MMMap. Registration is only five (5) dollars, or whatever you feel like contributing. MMMap is the product of 3 years of work, on and off, of producing a decent full screen based Murder Motel Map editor (anything that can beat the pants off of Makemap and Testmap). MMMap is about 2,600 lines of Quickbasic 4.5 code, all of which is mine. I do not know of any other Map editor that is comparable to what MMMap does. Revision History ================ Version 1.10 January 23, 1993 Initial release of MMMap. Previous versions were distributed to a few people, some of which I give thanks to for trying out MMMap: Ric Smith, Walter Alexander, Ric Stverak, plus others who I can not think of now. Registration and Other Legal Stuff ================================== If you find after a reasonable amount of time (around 30 days) that MMMap meets your needs, you must register the program. After receiving your registration key, MMMap will report that you are running a registered copy, instead of saying that you are running an Unregistered copy. I will also add your name to my mailing list, give you advance notice for updates on this and my other programs, and send you updated versions of any of my programs that you have. MMMap 6 THE Murder Motel Map Maker Permission is granted to post this program on electronic Bulletin Board systems. Therefore, you are encouraged to upload the unaltered, unmodified archive file to Bulletin Board Systems, even if you do not use this program. There are no warranties, express or implied, other than that this software will take up space on your disk. I have tried to make this program as safe as possible, but I will not be held responsible for any losses as the result from the use of this program. The registration fee is $5, payable by check or money order, to Duane Brown at the address below. Print out and fill in the requested information and I will send you the key file, or the information needed for you to create the key file, and instructions on how to install this file. I will send the key file to you via Netmail if you are on either Fidonet, Echonet, or Youthnet, or call your BBS and upload the key file. If you wish for me to call your board and upload the key, please set up an account under the name "Duane Brown" that will allow uploading, and enter the password on the registration form. If you do not want me to send the key file to you electronically, I will send you instructions on how to create the key file by mail. However, if you have any additional comments, bug reports, etc, please feel free to get in touch with me via Snail-mail at Duane Brown 100 Pewter Lane Stafford, VA 22554-1518 or call The End of the Line BBS Stafford, Virginia Data (703)720-1624, 24 hours a day. Running Dbridge 1.51 with Remote Access 1.11 (registered) accepting 300/1200/2400/9600 V.32 callers. Fidonet 1:274/16, Echonet 50:5703/16, Youthnet 13:13/20, 13:2600/0. Crash mail accepted. Full access to first time callers. For Emergency Use Only ====================== If you have a question that absolutely can not wait, you can call me voice at (703)659-6302 at reasonable hours (i.e. before 9:30 pm Eastern Time). If I am available, I will do my best to help you out. However, I can diagnose problems better if I have a copy of your Murder Motel files so I can look at them. I am now studying for my BS in Computer Science full time at George Mason University, so my time is limited. MMMap 7 THE Murder Motel Map Maker Registration Form ================= Please fill out the following information, along with your check or money order, and mail to: Duane Brown 100 Pewter Lane Stafford, Virginia 22554-1518. Your registration will be processed within one day of receipt. Thank you for supporting shareware. Program Registering: ___MMMap_1.10___ Name: ________________________________________________________________ (case is significant!) Home Address: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Voice Number: ___________________________ Send the Registration Key: Via Netmail? [ ] Uploading to Your BBS? [ ] Snailmail (US Postal Service?) [ ] Please fill out below only if you run a BBS: BBS Software: _________________________________________________ Hours of Operation: _________________________________________________ BBS Number: ___________________________ Password: ___________________________________________________________ (only needed if requesting 'Uploading to Your BBS?' box above) Where did you get this program? _____________________________________ Fidonet/Othernet Address(es): ______________________________________ Any additional Comments/Suggestions (Use other sheets if necessary): MMMap 8 THE Murder Motel Map Maker